Chapter 5: Memories of a Different Life 1

"Wha-.... What? What do you mean?"

My response fell on deaf ears as she fell limp in my arms. I checked her pulse and it seemed like she wasn't in immediate danger, though her head definitely needs treatment. I could see blood drying around her horns; at least she's not bleeding out.

Speaking of being in immediate danger, I had lost sight of Caspian while I was tending to Nina. I wasn't exactly sure what to do at this moment.

I clonked myself in head for learning and practicing nothing but offensive spells. I could create some sand, shot projectiles of various elements but that was the extent of my knowledge. I also couldn't carry Nina with me, she was heavier than I was.

A lot heavier actually.

I needed to make a choice now, do I look after Nina or run after Caspian?

"Nina should be fine." I conjured some sand, mixed it with water, and left a trail behind me as I chased Caspian down the river. I made sure to write some words down, so they'd know what was going on.

[Nina hurt. Help. Going after Caspian]

I ran as fast as my stubby little legs could carry me and nearly tripped on several different occasions, but after a short while I saw the end of the river.

It led to a waterfall.

"Oh no."

The waterfall poured into a small lake clearing further down, however there weren't any direct paths down the cliff.

Despite my leg's vehement protests, I picked up the pace.... and then I saw him.

He was lying down on the bank of the lake; a pool of red surrounded him.

"Caspian!"

Before my cowardice and rationality could stop me, I leapt off the cliff and attempted to use wind magic to stop my fall. However, I couldn't finish the spell in time and just slammed face first into a tree.

"Oof." I felt my head ringing as the branch clotheslined me across the forehead. No time to contemplate my injuries however, as the ground rushed up to meet me.

"Ventus!" thankfully my mana gathered in time to break my fall, but not by much. I had severely overestimated my mana output hit the ground.

Hard.

Did I break something? I must have because I felt my tears mix with blood as I raised my head.

Thankfully my legs still worked, so I wasn't dead yet.

"Haah..." I managed to painfully shuffle my way towards Caspian, who seemed even worse off than me.

His legs were completely busted.

Like... bent the wrong way busted. I could see shards of bone sticking out from his ankles, it was not a pretty sight.

The current must have smashed him against some rocks before dropping him down the waterfall.

As if that wasn't enough, he was also not breathing.

"Oh jeez." I dragged him out of the water after much effort and laid him on the dirt, grimacing at the state of his legs. I hadn't learnt any healing magic, so I was a bit unsure of what to do, but strangely enough I felt an instinctive urge to put my hands together and press down on his chest in a rhythmic fashion.

"I.... remember doing this before" I muttered, trying to pull out the memory of what compelled me, "but not in this life."

I tilted his head back and pumped two breaths of air into his mouth, before resuming my compressions.

My instincts are telling me he's going into shock and needs warmth.

"Ignis!" I could feel the skin peeling off my fingers as I repeatedly cast fire spells without a wand and my arm felt like it had been pierced by flaming needles. I had managed to create a few floating flames for my efforts, but my mana was draining fast. I'd love to make a more permanent source of heat, but something tells me if I stop doing my chest compressions, he wouldn't make it.

Two more breaths, no response.

It's no good, he's slipping away fast, I must not be pressing hard enough.

Curse my little child hands.

"I'm sorry about this... Terra!" Clumps of sand and dirt appeared before gathering around my feet. I wet the pile with water before I stomped down hard on his chest.

...

His head moved a bit.

"Again!" I stomped down with more vigor this time; I could feel his chest beginning to heave.

"TERRA!"

The floating flames went out and I used the last of my mana to bring my foot down with earthen force. I heard his rib cage break before my impact.

I quickly checked his breathing.

Ears against his mouth and eyes towards his chest, this was the correct way; I could feel faint breaths.

I let out a sigh of relief and continued with my normal compressions until he started coughing up water.

"U-ugh...." he mumbled faintly.

"Welcome back Caspian." I stopped and collapsed beside him, completely spent.

I think I heard a thank you before he fainted again.

Several minutes went by before voices appeared from the top of the cliff.

"CASPIAN!" The roar of a concerned parent, "CASPIAN!"

"BROTHER WHERE ARE YOU?" The cries of a distressed sister.

"YOUNG MASTER!" Some assorted voices of the guardsmen.

"Alfy? Alfy, shout if you can hear me!" Oh, that was mother.

I was about to respond before I realized my voice had run out alongside my mana.

From where I lay I could spot a shadow leaping nimbly off the cliff. It expressed substantial acrobatic prowess by vaulting off a tree branch before landing a throw's distance in front of me.

"Hey kid. Nice going." It was Swift, our very own scout, "THEY'RE DOWN HERE!"

I heard some muffled arguing before....

"Sir you can't it's too high!" I recognize that as the quartermaster protesting against the reckless actions of his lord, but it was too late, for Lord Darius had already jumped off the cliff.

An earth spell broke his fall, but he seemed to have landed hard.

"CASPIAN!" He limped towards us rapidly and was about to bear hug his son before I stopped him by putting myself between them.

"What?" He stared at me confused.

"Fragile state he is in. Needs warmth and treatment," I urged him, "barely breathing."

With my protest he backed off and started calling for the healers and priests. A few mage soldiers made their way down and put Caspian on a stretcher and one even started casting a green glow, that I assume was a recovery spell and uncorked a similarly colored vial.

It was when I realized that the worst had come to past that my adrenaline started pouring out of my system and I fainted.

"Alfy? Alfy!" I heard the worried cries of Swift before I clocked out.

+++

I remember the biting frost overtaking my body.

The piercing cold cut through my jacket and into my skin for the snow had buried me deep within the mountain and I was slowly losing consciousness.

The snow piled up so dense I could barely move my mouth as I yelled out for help, but all that met my cries was a stifled silence.

But still I shouted, in hopes that a rescue team could hear me, and if not that, just so something would consume my thoughts; just so I don't blank out from hypothermia; I wasn't ready to go yet.

But the frost does not relent, it sinks itself deep inside my bones as I begin to freeze.

"Help... will come." I assure myself, "HELP!"

If I hold out long enough my father will send rescue, I just need to stay alive, remember what to do.

Stay calm and shout periodically.

It must have been hours, or maybe minutes, until sheer hope could no longer keep me awake.

And help....

Never came.

"Father, mother," I mumbled with my last breath, "Sister, Tiffany, Lucas... I'm so... sorry."

And then the icy silence took me.

+++

Shaken from my dream, I woke up to an alabaster ceiling, drapes of white cloth surrounded me on all four sides as I laid in my bed.

"Mother? Father?" I instinctively cried.

I heard shuffling from my left before a face peered through the drapes and smiled at me with tears in her eyes.

But it was not mother.

It was Nina.

"I was so worried," she sobbed, "when they brought you back. You looked like you were about to die, and I couldn't smell any mana on you at all. Waaa~"

Her tears streamed down her cheeks as she brushed her nose with her hands. I could see her head had been bandaged up around her left horn or so. Despite my concern about what was going on inside her noggin she seemed genuinely upset and concerned for me. Though I'm not too sure what I myself thought of that.

"I'm sorry to worry you, Nina." I uttered out.

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"It's," she said through sniffles, "okay. J-Just stay alive, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll do my best." I reached out and tried patting her on the head and she moved her head to receive my gesture.

My memories of the other world were faint, but I remember now what Erica, my previous sister, looked like and Nina wasn't too far off. It's not like she had horns or white hair, but the eyes... the eyes were the same.

I smiled as I gently caressed her hair. She laid her head on the bed beside me, dressed in a pure white gown, it seemed as though a gentle breeze would sweep her away.

Yes, I often consoled my sister like this, I couldn't remember the details, but I was sure of it.

"Ehehe..." She purred under my touch.

"There... there..."

I enjoyed this moment for quite a while before a voice interrupted us from the right.

"Sorry to interrupt you guys, but I'm right here you know?" A familiar voice. I pulled back the curtains to see a young boy lying down with heavily bandaged legs and head, "Heyo."

"Caspian!" I shouted, "You're okay!"

"Yeah," he hesitated for a few moments before sitting up slowly and bowing his head, like father like son I suppose. "Thanks, Alfon. You really saved me there."

"No problem," I smirked slyly, "I'm sure you would do the same."

"U-Uh... yeah." He turned away as he said that.

"Are your legs alright by the way?"

"Yeah! I'm sure I'll be fine." He replied monotonously. Looks like he was getting tired, I shouldn't bother him.

+++

The hospital we resided in belonged to the frontier city of the theocracy. The caravan stayed a few days to resupply. I was deemed to be relatively fine save for some mana exhaustion, but Caspian had to stay behind for treatment. Agatha Dale, the madam of the household, was screaming to be with her son so she stayed by with him.

She was not the only parent, however.

---

"Leave me be, I need to stay with my son!" Derick roared.

"Sir please! We're already running behind schedule, if the diplomatic mission doesn't succeed the livelihood of our kingdom could be at stake."

---

He was begrudgingly convinced by his advisors.

I endured the usual scolding from mother, Rafine, and Donovan for my stunt, but they seemed rather proud of me this time.

"Mommy is very, very proud of you Alfy, but please keep yourself safe next time, okay?"

"Ah don't give the kid a hard time!" Prisilla put a hand on my shoulder, "The kid is a savior! If this were a cat folk village the girls would be all over him by now... in fact...."

"Prisilla please." mother gave her a stern look.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding, he's too young for me anyways." Prisilla gave me a wink, "Give it a few years eh Alfy?"

"Prisilla!"

The cat woman held up her hands in protest before leaving.

Nina and I were prescribed a few medicines and a lot of bandages before we joined the rest of the caravan in departing the city. It's a shame we didn't get to sightsee much, but watching the priests preform healing magic was quite enlightening, I even managed to memorize a chant or two.

+++

If the lord Derick Dale wasn't treating us nicely before he certainly was now. Mother and I often rode in the nicer carriages, sometimes Rafine or Prisilla would join us. We were also served special rations similar to those eaten by the lord's family and ate with them on occasion.

It was after one of these dinners that Earlane pulled me aside.

"Hey umm... Alfy." She looked a bit flushed and fidgety.

"What is it Earlane?"

"Do you.... want to ride with me and Jessica tomorrow." I believe Jessica is her personal handmaiden.

"Tomorrow, you say?"

"Um yeah! Since Cas is gone, I don't really have anyone to talk to so...." She started rambling on before snapping back, "I-It doesn't have to be tomorrow you know? It can be the day after tomorrow or next week or...."

"Tomorrow huh?" I grappled with the thought, truth be told I actually told Nina I was going t-

"He's busy."

I whirled back around to see Nina standing right behind me, where the heck does she keep coming from.

"He's busy tomorrow." For once I was not the subject of Nina's ineffable gaze, that privilege fell onto Earlane this time, and she wasn't taking it well.

"Alfy," Earlane spat out, "you're still playing with her? She nearly killed my brother."

"Hey Earlane, that's going a bit far."

"You saw her! She jumped to the side." She was visibly upset. Truth be told the adults gave us a pretty solid interrogation and concluded that this was an accident; Nina didn't want to get hit so she dodged, and Caspian fell into the river.

"Now my brother will never walk again!" She yelled.

...What?

"Earlane calm down, what do you mean Caspian said he was going to be fine." I replied worriedly.

While I was gathering my wits Jessica came running and began to comfort Earlane who was on the verge of tears.

"Master Alfon, I'm sure master Caspian wanted to look brave in front of you but according to the priests of the theocracy his legs.... hold grim odds of working properly ever again." Jessica said to me while patting Earlane on the back.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't know." I stuttered out.

"There is no need for an apology, in fact, as his savior we should be the ones thanking you for at least allowing him a second chance at life despite his foolish antics." She looked up and stared me directly in the eyes, "But if you would excuse my impertinence, I wish to ask you a question."

"Does the blame lie solely on Caspian's negligence, or is there," she turned to look at Nina, "other factors at play here?"

"If you're talking about Nina, she wasn't going to join in until Caspian asked her to, she didn't at all have the intentio-"

I stopped.

And I remembered, what she said to me.

She asked if Caspian was bothering me.

"Master Alfon?" Jessica's gaze bore holes into my conscience.

I... what she said could be a mistake, it could honestly have just been a joke. Nina didn't know how dangerous rivers could be after all, she came from the outlands.

However, something within told me that she knew exactly what she was doing and the consequences of doing so, the smile she gave me that day seemed to hold nothing sacred....

Except for me.

If I.... If I tell the truth, it's very likely Nina would be sold into slavery again at the nearest trader in the best-case scenario. In the worst case Prisilla had said that harming the child of nobility results in torture before death, and judgement is especially harsh if you're of the outland race.

I didn't want that. I understand what she did was wrong...

But the punishment for it seemed too severe for a child.

I glanced back at Nina.

She gave me a big smile back; her eyes seemed to understand my inner struggles and would gladly accept any judgment I make.

"Erica." I mumbled. I was once again reminded of my sister in a life I never had. There is a dark shadow of insanity to the gaze she gave me, but the sweet honesty and trust she put in me stirred up memories I couldn't recall.

"What was that?" Jessica asked.

"No, Nina had no intention of hurting Caspian." I answered with conviction. It wasn't true, I knew it wasn't true, but I'm willing to sweep it under the rug this time, until I can understand these feelings inside. Until I could understand her.

I just hope they take my word for it.

"I see. I apologize for my accusatory stance, lady Earlane cares deeply about her brother after all." Jessica accepted my words without a fight, "Would the aftermorrow be a good time?"

"Huh?"

"Earlane offered you a ride in her carriage, no?"

"Oh, uh yeah. Sure."

"Wonderful."

And with that the two headed back to their camp.

I didn't even have time to turn back to Nina before she gave me a bear hug.

"Alfy." Her voice was muffled as she dug her head into my chest.

"Yeah?"

"Afly. Alfy. Alfy Alfy." she continued.

"I'm right here Nina what is it?"

She gave me an innocent grin before saying the following words.

"I love you Alfy. I love you lots."

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