Crime and punishment

[A/N: Co-written with ScarletRabbit.]

'I'm dead. I'm so dead.'

Cold sweat ran down Lucas's spine. Looking ahead at Ophelia standing several meters ahead of him, he felt the uneasy sensation in his stomach ride into his throat.

He wanted to curse. All the while he and Ophelia came to the training facility, his mind was filled with nothing but worried ponders.

How did she know he met Seraphina? Did she actually speak of him, even though he gave her no reason to think he's anyone but a servant? Or did Ophelia inquire... could all this have been a trap set by their mother?

'I should've spoken up about it. Dammit.' Lucas groaned quietly, eyeing Ophelia. 'I am too tired to think ahead.'

He scanned his sister's posture. Her unmoving stance gave him a clear vision of how her dress hugged her body. The stare of her icy-blue eyes was fixed on him. Pressure emanating from her indicated just how pissed she was.

Yet... there was a strange feeling in Lucas's spirit. Normally, he'd be shrinking in fear, but now, he felt frustrated and angry instead. This situation was unfair to him.

"Going against Mother's words," Ophelia said, her voice reverberating with power throughout the arena they stood in. "Daring to show yourself to Inallel's nobility... anything to say for yourself, Lucas?" she asked, aiming her hand toward him.

"I--" he started, feeling his dried-up throat tense up uncomfortably. "I didn't initiate anything. Seraphina came to--!"

Ophelia's strike pierced his robe in an instant. The icy pellet didn't break through his skin, but the impact stung unpleasantly nonetheless.

"You dare address Princess Seraphina by her name?" her voice held an edge of agitation as she struck again, a bolt of lightning arcing between her hand and his body.

[HP: 467/488]

He groaned. Sweat appeared on his forehead as he did his best to not let out how much the strikes hurt.

Ophelia seemed to sense this moment of weakness as she continued, "You don't seem to understand your position, brother. Mother's order was absolute, and you still transgressed it," she boomed with power, allowing him to recover.

"I... I--!" he rasped before a large pellet of earth struck precisely at his solar plexus, sending him to the ground. Wheezing in pain, Lucas **** himself to rise on his legs again.

"Showing your mug to Princess Seraphina, you have no respect for either her, our Mother, or the entire situation."

'...she doesn't want to listen to an explanation.' Lucas realized, barely dodging another strike. 'It feels like she wants to vent on me more than punish me for meeting Seraphina. Dammit.' he felt a bitter taste in the back of his throat. 'If only I were classed-- no, wait, **** of habit.'

The voice in the back of his mind seemed to chuckle at his thoughts. Lucas huffed with ridicule.

'Laugh all you want. You're not the one in this situation.'

"What did you hope to accomplish by doing that?" Ophelia asked, stopping her magic. For but a moment, a genuine question stirred in her icy-blue eyes. "Do you want to tarnish our family's name further? Or did you hope that elves would pity you?"

"..." Lucas didn't answer. Summoning his status, he noticed his HP stabilizing at 450. His interest, however, lay in WP. It was about half full. 'Could I do something with this much...?' he pondered, scanning Ophelia's form. She was definitely preparing something more robust than just 1st-circle magic, given how much time passed since her question. Or was she actually expecting an answer? "I... I know I wasn't supposed to meet Princess Seraphina," he stated slowly, gauging his sister's reactions. "But she was the one to come and knock on my door."

Ophelia grimaced, visibly surprised by his statement. "As if," a scoff left her mouth. "A princess going down there and coincidentally knocking on your door?" a lightning spear appeared in her hand. "If you're going to be lying, at least put some effort."

Lucas grimaced as the projectile hit him faster than he could react. His HP was dropping close to 400. "That's the truth! I don't know how she knows, but I never told her who I am!" he retorted, anger pushing through the fear and ponder of the moment. Within his spirit, he only sensed welling frustration at the knowledge of why this was happening and the fact he could not tell Ophelia he classed.

Ophelia's hand lowered slightly. Suspicion was written on her face as she studied her brother's features. She appeared to be hesitant about something. Almost as if his words aligned with her thoughts. Deciding to use the moment, Lucas sent a quick <Subliminal Guidance> at her mind.

<He can't gain anything from lying.>

He wasn't sure if such words would work. In the first place, he expected Ophelia's mind barriers to be formidable. She was a strong-willed person and the hope of the next generation of Stormriders.

What suddenly perplexed him, however, was how easily the mental spell wormed into Ophelia's mind.

'What?'

However, he didn't get to ponder for long. Ophelia's mouth parted, "Do you understand how furious Mother will be if she hears of this?"

"...what?" 'Does Mother... not know of this?' Lucas frowned, unsure of the words he'd just heard.

"Mother has not yet returned from Breshnaws. Normally, I'd tell her about what happened. I'm sure you know how severe a punishment she'd give you."

"...?" 'Mother is not in the mansion? What's Ophelia playing...?' he frowned. In the back of his mind, he could feel a strange... reassurance, almost. It felt as though he expected it.

"However, on the off chance you are correct, I'm willing to keep quiet about this matter to her. But I want something in return."

"What?" 'Since when was striking a deal a possibility here?'

"You spoke with Princess Seraphina. How? What about?"

'She wants to know something so simple...?' Lucas felt his mind stir with uncertainty and suspicion. Out of everything Ophelia could demand of him, this was nowhere near the top of the list. She must've had an ulterior motive in doing this.

"I..." he started slowly. "We met coincidentally. I wanted to go away, but she was adamant to talk with me."

Ophelia's face showed immense surprise. This appeared to not be what she expected to hear. She almost staggered as she made half a step forward. The wariness of her expression turned to shock partially hidden by a curious countenance. "She willingly spoke with you?"

"...did she not with you?"

"I'm the one asking questions, Lucas," Ophelia replied sharply, but the twitch of her eyebrow suggested that he struck the mark. "What did you speak about?"

'Right... Seraphina did mention that she didn't like the idea of spending time around them three... I best don't mention that.' "...mostly books. Do you recall the adventure books about the Western Sweep?"

"...faintly," Ophelia nodded.

"Seraphina read all the titles. If you want to strike her fancy, touching upon them would be a good start."

"What more?"

"She doesn't seem to be very knowledgable about astronomy. I doubt abstract art would interest her either. But I reckon she may like some other forms of art. Do you still play piano?"

A brisk movement of Ophelia's eyes told Lucas that an idea sparked somewhere within her mind. The corner of her plush lips curved upward, seemingly giving an answer to his question.

'It's been years since I last heard Ophelia play... I am a little curious as to how well she does now.' he almost felt his head bob at the thought.

"I see," his sister said, nodding slightly. The curtain of silver behind her swayed with the motion. "Do you know anything about her tastes in food?" a strange question left her mouth, but the inquisitiveness of her icy-blue eyes was no doubt genuine.

'...I should pick my words carefully...' Lucas thought, reminding himself of what he could recall of his talk with Seraphina. "I can't say I do. She asked me for some bread and didn't seem picky with what I made her."

"..." Ophelia frowned deeply. The surprise of her expression was as evident as the sudden curiosity that appeared to pierce through her overall attitude. Something about his sentence just now ticked her off. Whatever it was reached beyond Lucas's scope of thought. "What did she say about us?"

"She... didn't mention you in particular."

Ophelia squinted her eyes, visibly suspicious about his momentary pause.

"W-Well, it's not like every conversation has to be about you, right?" Lucas added, attempting to explain himself. "In the first place, she didn't tell me who she really was, either. I had no reason to suspect she was anything but a servant of the guests. That's why I gave in to speak with her in the first place," he said quickly.

<He definitely can't be lying now.>

He sent the mental spell. Once again, a bit of perplexity stirred in his mind at how easy it was. Even Ina showed some degree of resistance. Professor Riven completely blocked one of his attempts. Just... why was it that Ophelia was so easy to influence? Was it because they were related by blood?

"*Sigh* I suppose you have a point," Ophelia replied slowly. She was definitely mulling his words through. This meant one thing for Lucas.

"Well, if that's all you wanted to ask, I'll be taking my leave," he said, hastily taking his steps toward one of the exits.

However, he suddenly felt a blow hit him in his side, sending him rolling on the ground.

"I didn't say you're free to go," Ophelia stated coldly. Her eyes were once again focused on him.

"...you said--"

"As promised, I won't speak of this matter to Mother," she confirmed before charging up new magic. "However, you still need to be punished for what happened. Besides, Princess Seraphina made us skip our training session yesterday," Ophelia smirked. She was clearly enjoying having power over him like this. "Isn't this the perfect opportunity to make up for that?"

Lucas gritted his teeth, standing up. He didn't have to check his HP to know it dropped below 400. No blood was spilled yet, but the pain in his stomach reverberated dangerously. Sighing heavily, he felt anger within his veins stir.

This was not fair.

It was never fair.

Why was he to be punished for a crime he didn't commit? He lamented to himself quietly, activating <Keen Senses> and doing his best to predict the ever-shifting trajectories of his sister's magic.

The projectiles summoned by Ophelia increased in density and accuracy with every passing second. A few <Stone Bullets> Lucas could avoid due to the distance, but spells such as <Shock> traveled far too fast to be reacted to.

Bitterness bit his throat.

The feeling of helplessness overcame his body. Once again, there was nothing he could do. Classed or not, his fate was bound to be the same. It was infuriating. His best efforts amounted to nothing.

He dodged another strike or two before getting his leg pierced. With a shout of pain, he dropped to one knee. Huffing slightly, he looked at his sister, who stopped her onslaught. Her eyes emanated a look filled with supremacy.

"Learned your lesson?" she asked with a condescending tone.

"Yes," he answered in an instant. He only wished this to end.

"...hmm," Ophelia made a sound. "Let me make sure you do," she charged up some more magic.

He dodged, again and again. Fireballs flew, icicles fell, bolts of lightning surged, and blasts of wind knocked him off his feet. Expertly weaving the magic, Ophelia connected multiple strikes in quick succession. There was no doubt both proficiency and knowledge working together in her motions.

If only said motions were not aimed at harming him...

Lucas gritted his teeth.

'...why?'

A single word entered his mind as his solar plexus was hit by a piece of stone. 'Why?'

He slammed into the ground, feeling his hair be brushed by a bolt of electricity.

"Why?!" his lips parted, giving release to a loud, angry shout.

"...!" Ophelia flinched, visibly surprised by his sudden change of attitude. Clenching a fist, she summoned even more magic. A few small sigils appeared behind her, tiny pellets of ice forming at their fronts, ready to fire at Lucas who was standing up.

"...why do you do this?" Lucas asked, his voice tinged with sorrow piercing through the pain and anger. "I remember the times when we used to eat at the same table," he said, taking a short step forward. The coarse sand gave to his weight with a crunch. "And then, I'd go out with my sister to play in the garden. She'd read me a story or show me some magic. She'd take me to our favorite stand in Weydan and get me a glazed apple," Lucas's words continued with every heavy exhale. "Where has that sister gone to, Ophelia? What happened to you?"

"...!" Ophelia's eyes seemed to shift in tandem with her hand shaking ever so slightly. For a fraction of a second, the white-haired man could sense something akin to... regret emanating from within her blue orbs. This, however, was washed away quickly. "Don't try to steer me away, Lucas," she brought her hand down, causing the storm of ice pellets to rain. "I am simply executing punishment upon you. If you don't want this to repeat, stay in line."

'This is not a punishment. You're just venting out on̷ mè̷̯, yo̷̶̴u s̴͔̓t̵̟͌ů̴̝p̸̟̀i̷̮̿d̴̞̆--!' Lucas didn't finish his thought, dodging some of the projectiles. A few, however, hit him. The robe on his body was marked by an increasing number of punctures.

'When will this end?' he asked the question to himself as his HP dropped. 379, 372, 367... and still going down. Lucas's feet ached with every next step, but not nearly as much as the successive strikes that connected with his body.

He glanced at Ophelia. As their eyes met, Lucas could not help but sense just a glint of hesitance.

'The only good thing is, she is not using her Origin Magic. With her attaining the 5th circle, its power would be difficult to survive even at full HP...'

He suddenly groaned, feeling a strong strike of earth magic push into his abdomen, sending him straight to the ground.

He huffed, stabilizing his position on all fours. Sweat dripped from his nose, marking small, dark circles in the sand below. His vision started becoming blurry. He was not yet exhausted, but the physical damages were taking their toll on his stamina. That and the fact that his lungs were almost certainly not alright anymore.

Lucas grabbed some sand into his hands. Was it Deuce he was going against, he might've thrown it like he did last time, but against Ophelia, this was bound to only agitate her further.

"Keuk!" he let out a sound as a blast of wind pushed against his side, making him tumble.

'Please, just... let this end...' he begged in his mind, lying on his back and staring at the multiple projectiles looming above him. 'Someone, help me...' he pleaded inwardly. However, he knew he was on his own.

"Graaaah!" he groaned with anger, throwing the sand into the air. It ended up only falling down onto him, stirring up tears in his eyes.

Then, the magic began its descent.

'Please, someone... anyone...!' Lucas closed his eyes, hoping that he'd at least lose consciousness quickly.

Suddenly, a sound could be heard. It was a distinct, ear-piercing sound that immediately struck Lucas's memory. Just a day ago, he heard it when meeting Thines.

It sounded like a whine of metal being mauled beyond recognition.

'[Enough.]' the powerful voice boomed within Lucas's consciousness. For a brief moment, the man sensed an impossibly large presence engulf his mind whole. It was like he was a drop of water swallowed up by an ocean.

Immediately as the voice spoke, Lucas felt his body tense up, instinctively preparing to meet its doom. However, even as a long second passed, he did not feel any pain.

Lucas opened his eyes. What came to his attention in an instant was the fact that his sister's magic was gone. His eyes darted to her position. Ophelia stood in one spot, nigh-motionless. She appeared neither tense nor surprised at her magic disappearing like a lie. In fact, there was no reaction to the sudden situation at all.

Suddenly, Lucas noticed that his hand was poised in Ophelia's general direction. More than that, although it disappeared before he concentrated, he could almost swear he noticed a glint of a purple aura around his fingers.

'...What just happened?'

He looked at his sister again. She was definitely fine, but... why was she not moving from her position? Why did she not ask what just happened?

'What did you do?' he asked in his mind, his eyes instinctively darting to the side.

However, nobody answered. The presence in his mind appeared gone, naught a snicker nor any other reaction to his question.

'Wait... could I be... dead?' the thought sent a cold shiver down his spine. Immediately, he tried to summon his status.

[Lucas Stormrider (Age: 19)

Class: Hybrid Class (Dream Walker / ???)

Level: 2

[HP: 335/488

MP: 1320/1379

WP: 192/428

<New stat increase!>

<New skill learned!>]

What?!

Lucas immediately focused, bringing up both tables. However, only shock welcomed him when he saw what had changed.

[Skill 'Dream Trance' has been learned.]

[??y: 1 -> 2]

...

Did...

Did that stat just reveal a letter?

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