Infirmary talks

Sven lay in the infirmary bed as the healers had just finished patching him up, he still felt a little sore but their magic was top tier stuff so he wasn't worried at all. Ignis however was beside herself and Alice looked none too happy either.

"Calm down Ignis, look I'm fine." Sven pet her head as she berried her face into his chest while still seated beside him. When the healers finally left the group to their privacy there was a short silence before Sven spoke up.

"He was your brother, wasn't he Ignis?" She nodded her head into his still tender chest causing him to wince.

"Why did he attack me like that? Why was he such an asshole?" Sven wasn't sure what else to call him at that point, he felt kind of bad talking about her brother like that but there was no other words to define him as. The way he charged at Sven sent a shiver down his spine suddenly, it was like he was going to kill him - and for no reason either. Despite his flames Sven could detect a coldness to him that sat in waiting, nothing like his younger sister who was silently sobbing into his chest.

"I don't know." Was her tearful reply, she dried her tears on the sheets before sitting back up straight to face him, her eyes reddened and puffy.

"He... Ever since we were young he has been like this, ever since my 6th birthday. He would... do terrible things, horrible things that I..." She was stuck for words Sven realized, so scared that if she spoke them she would breath life back into those events once more.

"It's ok Ignis, you can tell me anything remember? I'm your... Master." Sven blushed as he **** himself to say it openly. "I'm here for you, anything you say - anything at all! I will stand by your side." With his comforting speech over, Ignis looked down as the events of the past flashed past her eyes like PTSD flashback, but still she resolved herself to answer - not for herself but for her master.

"When we were young, I would invite friends over to play in the courtyard of our fathers castle and-" She choked up a little but bit her trembling lip and carried on despite the floodgates of tears just waiting to be lifted. "He just burned them all! All of my f-friends! They begged him to stop, begged me to save them! B-but I couldn't." She wiped fresh tears as they fell. "I was too weak, and mother and father wouldn't believe me, wouldn't believe the rumors from the villagers or guards, wouldn't believe anyone until he..." She stopped crying, her tears all but drying up as she revealed her sore red eyes. "They say he killed mother and father, that night I ran away from the castle and took another surname so I couldn't be tracked - I knew if I stayed in that castle any longer I would be the next one to burn." Sven looked at her with a horror filled expression, how could a hero, a player like himself - no. A human BEING from earth commit such atrocities in this new world?! Did he think this was all just some big game?!

"Oh lord, how horrible." Alice's eyes shone with a buildup of tears as she lay a comforting hand behind the high elfs upper back. Sven couldn't believe it, for a time they just sat there, Sven holding her hand and Alice rubbing her back soothingly. The silence dragged on but it was Ignis to break it.

"He was such a nice boy before my birthday, I don't know what changed." Her eyes looked wistful as she remembered times long since past, however they darkened as she realized that person she remembered had long since been dead too. "He's a monster Sven, remember what we said about monsters on our way to PikanVale?" Sven nodded. "Is he anything like that Adolf Hitler fellow you mentioned?" Sven nodded again, yes any young boy no older than 8 who could cognitively burn his sisters friends to a molten crisp with sentient intent is a monster on par with the worst earth has to offer.

"Did he ever hurt you?" Sven squeezed her hand reassuringly, She shook her head.

"Never, he would always promise to though, he would say things, horrible things that no one our age should be thinking about." She shivered, Sven could tell that she was growing weary of talking so he stroked her hand to let her know everything will be alright.

"You're safe here Ignis, PikanVale will defend you and so will I, in this place he is powerless to hurt you." Sven smiled warmly at her, which seemed to wash away some of her fears as she returned a weaker smile back at him.

"That's absolutely right, no student of ours will be maimed while I govern the grounds." Suddenly the minister walked through the open door like he owned the place, Sven frowned as he entered.

"And just how long were you eavesdropping on us for, minster?" The aged man scoffed at such a question.

"Just now mr Gate, there's no need to be so paranoid now is there?" Before Sven could so much as respond the minister looked towards Ignis.

"It has come to my attention that another student, apparently your brother according to him, has tried to use his class abilities to get an underhanded advantage during a friendly spar, this shall not be tolerated and the student has been quarantined until as such a time as-" The minister rattled off in a condescending manner.

"Friendly spar? He was trying to kill Sven! That creep is a danger to this institution." The minister laughed her off.

"Come now, what fantasies have you indulged? He's a prince with incredible stats that can serve our guild both in notoriety of his prestige as a prince and in practical affairs due to his promise as a well performing and might I add, learned combatant." Alice looked flustered beyond belief at what she was hearing come out of his mans mouth.

"He's a monster that burned his family and their lineage to the ground! You would house such a man because his strength makes your institution look good?! Are you-" Sven sat up despite his muscles and joints pleading for him not to.

"It appears that blow you took has also sent your common sense soaring, why would I deny such a boon to our guild on the mere whispers of superstitious and ignorant peasants? Come now, you must have a concussion and need your sleep. Rest up for now Mr Gate, you wouldn't want to miss your next class now would you?" The minister was out of the door despite Sven calling out for him to stay, god dealing with that pompous ass was starting to get unbearably frustrating. Calming himself down Sven looked to Ignis and Alice who looked to be just as angered as he was.

"Come on, lets get to class." Sven picked himself up from the bed but Alice and Ignis tried to stop him.

"Are you sure you're ok to walk?" Ignis asked, Sven nodded as they helped him out of bed and steadied him as he limped. He was probably late for the start of third class already, spending any more time on that bed would put him behind on his studies. Also he didn't want to listen to what that ass hat of a minister recommended he do. While PikanVale was a great stepping stone for his learning, he couldn't deny that this place had some pretty glaring faults in the management department.

Authors notes: In this chapter, I mentioned that Igrasil killed Ignis's friends when he was 8 and she was 6, and if you recall I specified that Ignis is 200 years old. I haven't really set much context for this so here you go. High elf's age 10* slower than other races, so the age of sexual maturation (age of consent etc etc) is their elf age divided by 10, in this case Ignis is 20 in human years. So when Ignis says she was 6 at the time she's really meaning 60 in human years, and given that Igrasil is 8, he's actually 80 but the body of an 8 year old when he murders everyone. So Ignis has been on the run for 140~ years, during this time Igrasil has been alive and active as a human PC (player character) far before Sven was brought into the world. I hope this clears up any inconsistencies.