Zeke woke up with a start. Where was he and how had he gotten here? This was not his bed. This was not his room. And those were not his clothes.
"Calm," A gentle voice said.
In the next moment, Zeke felt his entire body soften. He sunk back into the mattress, completely relaxed. He could not remember the last time he had felt this comfortable. It was like his entire body was melting into the bed.
What was this? It felt like waking up after the most satisfying night, while getting hugged by his mother, getting praised by his father, snuggling with Viola, and flirting with Sophia all at the same time.
"Better?" the same voice asked.
"I can honestly say that I have never been better in my entire life," Zeke responded into the darkness of the room. A chuckle was his only response for a while.
"If I could pick my affinities freely, I would pick Mind," Aurelia said, repeating her earlier words once more, "but at the same time, I wouldn't want to give up my Life affinity either. There is nothing like the feeling of pure Life Mana coursing through your veins in the morning."
"Woe is me," a hoarse voice crowed. "Why do I have to be so unloved, so unwanted?"
"Shush, Nexus. You know that's not true. You are both needed and wanted," Aurelia coaxed the bird.
Finally, Zeke's eyes were getting used to the darkness and he could make out the silhouette of a woman sitting by the bedside. Aurelia was gently rubbing the neck of one of her birds while the other one glared at the scene jealously. Seeing the birds like this, it almost looked like the two were nothing other than affectionate pets.
But Zeke knew better. The woman in front of him had been born with two perfect affinities, Life and Death. This meant that each of her Summons was equivalent in strength to a peak Arch Mage. Zeke could hardly fathom how he would have faired against a young Aurelia instead of Celine. If he had been faced with two Thunderclaws at once, he might not have survived their first exchange.
"So," the woman eventually said. "It appears I owe you a favor."
"What happened after I passed out?" Zeke asked.
"The spectators were impressed with the Thunderclaw and put the blame for the loss on an inexperienced summoner," Aurelia said. "That was some really fast thinking on your part."
A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead, as Zeke felt her eyes boring into him. "Mind affinity, remember? Thinking fast is kind of my thing."
After a moment, the intensity of the glare lowered. "How convenient," Aurelia said with a sigh. "You might be even more problematic than that other brat. I hope there won't be two of you in a couple of centuries."
"I wouldn't worry too much about that, my lady," Zeke said with a wry smile. "I won't make it past New Year's if I can't get my temper under control."
Aurelia chuckled again, her soft voice humming with amusement. "Yes, you are quite different from other Mind Mages in that regard — quite the hothead, if I may say so."
Zeke awkwardly rubbed his cheek. He didn't like that moniker one bit, but his performance today had left him with no words to defend himself. Instead, he decided to change the subject. "Are you really going to help me with my problem?"
"I promised, didn't I?" Aurelia chided softly. "Or did you think I would go back on my word once I got what I wanted?"
Zeke immediately shook his head. He would never admit to something so foolish. "Of course not, my lady. I was merely worried that this task might be difficult — even for you."
Aurelia scoffed. "I might not look it, but I am quite ancient. There are few things I haven't seen in this world and even fewer tasks that are beyond me."
"As you say," Zeke agreed right away. He would be more than happy to be finally rid of that pesky Dragon. If Aurelia was this confident, then he would put his trust in her.
"Sit up, boy."
Zeke did as he was bid. The last vestiges of Life Mana had since left his body, leaving him feeling rested and alert. He swung his bare feet over the edge of the bed and sat up, facing Aurelia.
The woman looked him up and down. "You said there was a different 'being' attached to you?"
"Yes, my lady. It can hear my thoughts and talk to me, but I have no control over this connection."
"Interesting," Aurelia mused. "And how did this come to be?"
Zeke hesitated. Should he confide in her? Out of everyone, Aurelia Thorsten might be the only person who had absolutely no interest in a Dragon's heart. Her odd mix of Life and Death Mana made her functionally immortal without the usual downsides of becoming undead. But still, she wasn't the only member of her family. She might take the heart from him and give it to Celine…
With a sigh, Zeke made his decision. "My heart… isn't mine. During one of my adventures, I was forced to replace my own heart with something else. Since then, a specter has been attached to me."
"You don't say," was all the woman said, as she continued to look him up and down. After a while, she focused back on his eyes.
"Well, as in all matters, there is one simple solution that always works…" Aurelia said with a smile that Zeke didn't like one bit.
"What is it?"
"Force," the woman said without a moment's hesitation. "Instead of figuring out the details of your situation, it is much easier to just destroy that pesky spirit clinging to you. Go, you two!"
Before Zeke could say or do anything to stop her, Aurelia had touched her hand to his heart. At the same time, the two birds, Aether and Nexus, vanished from her shoulder. Zeke could feel two streams of energy entering his body. One of them felt warm and cozy, the other felt cold and sinister.
For a moment, nothing happened as the two streams of energy circled his heart. Then, he could hear it — a deep, bestial chuckle that rocked his very Soul.
A moment later, Zeke heard panicked squeaking, as both Aether and Nexus emerged from his chest. Instead of returning to Aurelia's shoulders, they dove straight into her core.
Aurelia retracted her hand from Zeke's chest, her brows furrowed. For a moment, Zeke and the matriarch just stared at each other wordlessly.
"What happened in there?" Aurelia eventually asked when the situation became awkward. However, there was no response. "Aether? Nexus?"
For a long time, there was no response. Then a timid voice could be heard. "Nothing happened," Nexus crowed. "Everything is perfectly fine in there."
"Ridiculous!" Aurelia exclaimed. "If everything was fine, then why did you flee?"
"We didn't flee!" Aether exclaimed. "We… we… got really tired all of a sudden, that's all! Nothing suspicious is going on!"
"Idiot!" Nexus squawked. "You were not supposed to say that last part."
"You are both idiots if you think I'll believe something like that! Come out here this instant!" However, nothing happened. "I said get out here!."
After another moment of silence, Aurelia looked back up, meeting Zeke's eyes. "Humm… It appears my birds have gotten tired..." There was a light blush covering her cheeks.
Zeke could not believe his ears. Who did this woman think she was fooling?! Hadn't he just heard her say that this was a ridiculous excuse herself? However, seeing her rapidly coloring cheeks, he didn't dare push her any further.
"That must be it," Zeke agreed, "It has been a long day, after all."
Aurelia nodded sagely. "Indeed, it has."
Another bout of silence ensued. Why was this so awkward? Zeke suddenly had the urge to run away. He could not stand this atmosphere for even a moment longer. Wait a moment… What reason did he even have to stay? Aurelia had already failed her attempt, and the crows were too afraid to even speak of what happened. He might as well just leave at this point. In one swift motion, he got up and made his way toward the door.
"Thank you for your help, my lady," he called over his shoulder. "It's a shame that you couldn't solve my problem, but I am still very grateful for the attempt. I'll see myself out now."
The moment his hand made contact with the door, a powerful voice rooted him in place. "Stop right there."
Zeke awkwardly turned. "Something I can help you with, my lady?"
Aurelia got right into his face and poked his chest with her index finger, right above his heart. "Not so fast!"
Zeke had a bad feeling about this. Would Aurelia force him to confess all his secrets? Did she blame him for what had happened to her crows? Now that he thought about it, he should not have hidden the fact that it was a Dragon's Soul. It could have seriously injured those two. With a guilty expression, he met her eyes.
However, the look on her face was not what he had expected. Instead of rage, all he saw was embarrassment.
"Not so fast," she repeated, her finger still on his chest. "I promised you a favor, and I won't let you leave empty-handed."
"That's quite alright, my lady. I don't need any—"
"Nonsense!" Aurelia interrupted, her finger poking deeper into his chest. "You are the head of a small family with no backing. You also missed out on any chance to make new connections today. Don't pretend in front of me."
Zeke remained silent. She was right, of course, he needed many things. Anything she could offer would be of huge help.
"So," Aurelia began, her voice solemn. "About that marriage proposal from earlier—"
"Not interested!" Zeke shouted. If he hadn't been interested in marrying the girl before meeting her, then he was even less inclined to now. Celine was an absolute pain in the ass.
Aurelia coughed. "Are you certain? The girl seems to have taken quite the liking to you…"
Zeke remembered those eyes filled with nothing but disdain and hatred. And her crying face as he had impaled her Summon…. what was this woman on about? Celine clearly loathed him, down to her very core. Could there be anybody less suited as a partner? Unless…
"Ahem… My lady… Is it possible you have trouble finding anybody willing to marry Celine?"
"Nonsense!" Aurelia exclaimed. However, for some reason, she would not meet his eyes. Zeke had been right. He had clearly hit the nail on the head. Who would ever agree to marry such a pest? It was no wonder the matriarch had offered her hand in marriage before Zeke ever met the girl. It had been a trap all along! In his heart, he apologized to the Dragon for lashing out. It had not misled him this time.
"Anyway," Aurelia broke the silence. "Since you are clearly not interested in marriage, I'll offer you something else."
Zeke's focus returned to her, his heartbeat speeding up. What would it be?
"I'll give you the choice between three options," the woman said, a mysterious smile on her lips. She seemed to have regained her usual dignity.
"Fortune, Relation, or Chance. Which do you want?"
Zeke considered those options. Fortune was probably some sort of treasure or money. This could be interesting, but it clearly wasn't his top choice.
Relation probably referred to some kind of connection between his family and hers. Earlier, Aurelia had hinted at his inability to make any alliances today. It was likely that this choice was her way of giving him the option to make up for that.
But what was Chance? This was the question, wasn't it? Chance could literally refer to anything. It could be nothing, or exactly what he needed most.
Zeke was intrigued. He had always been drawn to the unknown, and this was no different. He probably would never stop thinking about this very moment if he picked anything else. The thought of what could have been would rob him of his sleep…
"Chance."