Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Heidi

She was playing in her room with the dolls her father had brought from overseas. The homeschool teacher was done torturing her with lessons for the day and left. Looking outside the window, down the street from her family's three-story manor, she saw other kids running with their friends while playing a game of ball.

Heidi felt lonely, hugging her bear while sitting on the bed. Her parents always looked out for her and hired the best tutors and teachers. But they never spent much time with her, besides telling her a bedside story. That was the reason why she was waiting for the night to come every day, to hear more of the stories as they allowed her to feel closer to her family.

As the night fell, her father returned from his errands and came to wish Heidi good night, as usual. She hopped to hear a story tonight, one she had not heard before.

“Father, will you tell me more about the Anjos?” Heidi asked, tucking herself under the blanket and made herself comfortable.

“Of course dear,” her father answered and caressed her hair. “Long time ago, when humans were few, some powerful beings visited the Earth. These beings were called Anjos or as later humans came to call them ‘Angels’.

“Anjos came bearing many great gifts for humanity and their kindness knew no bounds as they traveled the vast, empty Earth, searching for remnants of humanity. They wanted to bestow the greatest of gifts - magic,” her father gestured and floated several toys around her in the air.

“The humans gladly accepted their gifts and listened to their teachings, thinking Anjos gods and worshiped them as such. But the Anjos were not looking for worship. They were looking to teach and raise humanity. And when there are gifts, there are those who want to take them away,” her father said in a darker tone and dropped the toys, slowly. Heidi tucked herself deeper under the blankets, only her nose and eyes visible.

“The Daemons found the Anjos who were helping humanity and a great war ensued. The land was split and reformed. Seas were raised and dropped, and new mountains were discovered and lost, all at the same time.

“The Anjos saw that the humans under their protection would not endure. So they made a great sacrifice in a final stand and vanished together with Daemons, leaving Earth, seeding it with magic for future generations. They hoped that their dreams would help the humans find them in the stars…”

- - -

Riga, Riga First hospital

Heidi woke up, her head pounding. The sun was shining in her eye, causing her to shuffle and hide under the blankets. It was unusual for her to dream, especially of the short stories her father told her when she was little. It hurt to remember them. She was interrupted as someone coughed and took a few steps toward her bed.

“Good morning,” a woman said.

“What…? Where am I?” Heidi asked, disoriented, peeking below the blanket. She looked around and discovered a white hospital room, where she was alone save for her stepmother standing next to her bed.

“You are in a hospital,” her stepmother answered. “You had a car accident and were brought here. We got on a plane with your father and came down as soon as we could, once we heard.”

Heidi felt lost. Like something had fallen out of her head or hit it, as it was hurting so badly. She did not like hospitals. Something about the air and the smells in them irked her. The room she was in was no exception, so she looked to find a window above her head, slightly opened, and called her mana forth. With a simple gesture of her fingers, she cast a small gust of wind to open it wider. This act did not help her with the headache. She winced and closed her eyes, as her head started to pound again.

“Be careful with casting. The doctor said that you hit your head quite hard against the steering wheel. Luckily you wore your seatbelt and a young man called the ambulance almost immediately. He was brought in as well by the way. Unconscious,” her stepmother commented, sitting down on the chair on her right.

Heidi opened her eyes again. “A car accident,” she said slowly. “Did I hit someone? You said that they brought someone in with me?” she asked, her head not thinking straight, and carefully sat back up in her bed.

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“Yes, what a fiasco that was, from what I heard. The ambulance they brought both of you in, broke down when pulling up in the driveway. Can you imagine? We need to take you to our healers and get you properly checked, not here, in this backwater town’s hospital. How are you feeling, by the way?” her stepmother asked.

“I am feeling better, Adele. Thank you,” Heidi answered, after gathering herself. She was not used to her stepmother being nice to her. As nice as you could be to a stepdaughter, who was close to your age.

“Ah, how nice to hear it. Alright then, I will get everything in order, so that we can be on our way,” Adele said and got up to gather her things.

“Where is father?” Heid asked, prompting Adele to stop halfway through the door.

“He is checking in on the boy, who called in the accident. He will be with us shortly. I will let him know that you woke up and we can get you out of here,” she answered and went out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Heidi slouched back down on the bed. She did not like her stepmother, as she reminded her of a snake. Age was not the only problem. It was her Inpes roots, that she hated the most. Heidi could not understand her father, how he could be deceived by this woman when her clan had arranged for this marriage, so shortly after her mother's demise. Sometimes she thought that her father was put under a spell at the time, given how he was running after Adele and trying to please her, which, of course, was impossible. There was no spell for foolish love.

Heidi thought back to her dream before she woke up. She did not have dreams often. Rarely. Not since her mother died. She stopped dreaming and caring since then. Reflecting on the car accident, Heidi thought that if her father did not care about the clan with his actions, marrying an Inpes, then why should she care?

That was the main reason she came to Riga - a backwater town as her stepmother called it - to get away from the clan and her father. An act of rebellion, to get loose a bit. She knew that they had roots here and she loved the mild sea with the festivals being organized during this time of the summer. So what if she got a little loose, drank a bit too much, and went behind the wheel?

Heidi shook off her thoughts and got up from below the blanket to find her clothes. After getting dressed, she went for the door but before she could take the few steps required, her father walked in.

“Hello, Heidi. I see that you are up. Very nice to see you so healthy already, after the stunt you pulled on the road,” her father commented dryly. Viktor was a pragmatic and stoic man and since the loss of his first wife, he seemed to have closed off from everyone, even his daughter. Which Heidi, of course, answered in turn, going on a first-name basis with him.

“Nice to see you too, Viktor. I heard that there was a boy who was brought in with me. Do you know how he is?”

“Yes,” he said, sitting down on the chair his wife just left. “As it turns out, he was the other driver who you pulled on during your rash maneuver. Yes, yes - the police already took out the dashcam video from your and his car. They found his car in a ditch, crushed, by the way.”

Heidi sat down on the corner of the bed after hearing that. While she was not the nicest of people to her parents, endangering others was not something she did, not since her core was awakened fully and she started learning how to use magic.

“… is he alright?” she asked.

“Well, yes. The boy, no, sorry, the man, given that he is your age, is medically fine. I wanted to thank him for his quick response in calling the ambulance, however, he still has not woken up. Here is the curious thing, they do not seem to understand how he managed to come out of the accident without a scratch, given the state his car is in. There is nothing on video and obviously, he cannot answer this question at the moment. I decided to go and check up on him, as he is in a room at the end of the corridor from here.“

“Why check on him?” Heidi asked.

“I do not know. I thought that he was up and I could thank him in person,” Viktor answered and got up from the chair and went toward the door.

“How long was I out?” Heidi asked, standing up to follow him, but before she could hear the answer, she felt the mana pulse around her, and her legs wobbled. She caught herself against the bed frame she was standing next to, but her hand could not support her. Feeling her head spinning, she slumped on the floor and blacked out.

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