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Swallowing down the metallic taste that threatens to escape her throat, Emily blinks away the system messages and stands up shakily.

“Does it normally create that much of a reaction? Did it work?” Diego asks the old man dubiously.

“O’ course it worked ya brat,” he growls, followed by a swift cane to Diego’s shins. “That there reaction’s what ‘appens when a feisty one tries to fight back!”

Tries and succeeds, you old coot!

Emily takes a deep breath to control her anger and tries to prevent it from showing on her face, raising her hand to place The Clock back in her pocket.

“Actually, I have a great way of testing. Stop girl.” Diego commands.

Emily freezes and looks towards Diego with a cold gaze.

“Give me that watch.”

“Shit,” Emily mutters, instantly activating The Clock. “There’s no way I’m meeting that asshole again without my safety blanket.”

***

She finds herself back in her room, the residual pain from the mental attack completely gone. She breathes a sigh of relief, reaching up and massaging her brows as she remembers the experience. A question floats to the forefront of her mind.

If I gave The Clock over to him and he pressed the button, would I be forcefully reset? Wait, no. The system said intrinsic equipment could only be used by the owner.

Shrugging off the thought, Emily opens the system to check on the latest notification.

ˉˉˉˉˉ

[Mental Fortitude (passive)]

User has resisted the mental attack of a stronger mage while suffering mental exhaustion, their will has been proven!

-Grants +10% mental resistance

_____

Wait, while suffering mental exhaustion? Was the backlash from looking at that surveillance spell that bad? Interesting, but I’m not sure how big a difference these resistances make. I assume the increases from different skills stack, so with the 20% increase from Magic Network, I should be at 30% total now. Will 100% block all mental attacks?

She’s pulled out of her questioning as Herber bursts in again. Emily slips into her practised lies, once again going to the shopfront alone to confront the Mandrago mages. She repeats the same process as last time, following them to their estate, but this time she keeps The Clock clasped in her trouser pocket the entire time, never giving them a chance to spot it.

She meditates while waiting for the elder to arrive, and after gritting her teeth through a gnawing pain, far lesser than the last time, while resisting his spell, she rises and waits for Diego to voice his complaints once more.

“Did it work?” he asks.

“O’ course it did! ‘ow dare you doubt my work,” the old man growls.

Diego coughs awkwardly and continues.

“I’m so sorry for doubting you, venerable elder, your work is as exquisite as always.” He bows humbly, not a trace of the haughty attitude he usually assumes.

“Gah, ungrateful brat!” the elder grumbles while hobbling back towards the door.

The moment he leaves, Diego’s arrogance returns, and he orders everyone to sit in silence as he himself takes a seat and starts to meditate.

Emily happily complies, settling back down into a plush seat and falling into her own meditation.

After an hour of waiting in silence, a servant enters the room.

“The Patriarch will see you now!” The man announces before bowing and leading the way out.

Emily stands, having felt a minuscule increase in the mana held within her circle.

It’s very slow, but it seems meditation grows my circle. I wonder if it will reset with me.

She once again finds herself surrounded by the four mages. However, they now lack the air of caution they had while escorting her to the mansion.

The group is led to the bottom of the stairs, where the servant steps to the side and bows. They continue up without him and are met by a large elaborate door, similar in design to the estate’s gate, with an elegant engraving of roots and leaves spanning its surface.

Diego pauses before it, gesturing for those behind him to stop, before nervously adjusting his robes and checking his posture. Emily takes a deep breath herself, her hand squeezing The Clock for comfort as she braces to meet the terrifying mage again.

The large doors split apart and slowly swing open, without making a sound, and a powerful, familiar presence instantly washes over them. The hairs on the back of Emily’s neck stand up as the group begins moving through the door, resisting the unsettling pressure.

It’s much more bearable now. He doesn’t feel angry.

The room they enter is a grand reception hall, with towering columns of smooth limestone and banners of the family’s emblem hung above. In the centre of the ceiling is a beautiful crystalline chandelier, covered in glistening golden mana crystals, filling the room with pure mana-dense light.

The rich green carpet from the stairs continues through the centre of the room to an imposing throne, carved out of a wood Emily recognises as acacia and upholstered in plush green velvet. Covering the wood are countless engraved runes pulsing with power.

I wonder if they have better magical wood or are they stuck with just standard acacia?

Seated on the throne with his legs crossed and his chin resting on his fist, is the man Emily expected. His piercing blue eyes, which resemble Diego’s now that she sees them in the same room, send shivers down her spine even without the stormy rage swirling within them.

The group comes to a halt a few metres before the throne and the noble mages give a light bow with their right fists on their hearts and their left arms behind their backs. Emily quickly moves to follow and stays silent as Diego speaks.

“We humbly greet the Patriarch, Marquess Nicolas Mandrago!”

“Rise. Is this the new talent you thought it necessary to introduce to me?”

Emily shifts uncomfortably under the intense gaze she feels boring into her as it brings back bad memories. She can still feel the dense mana enveloping the man, calm for now, allowing Emily to relax slightly, but warning of a brewing threat.

He has no reason to attack me.

“Yes fath-”

“Do not call me that here!” Nicolas growls as Diego grasps his throat and chokes for air.

Emily flinches at the sight.

Like that.

After a couple of seconds of watching him writhe, the Patriarch releases whatever spell he cast.

“My apologies, Patriarch,” Diego manages to spit out between choked breaths.

How is he casting spells? It doesn’t look like he’s doing anything.

“This is Emily Coldstone, the daughter of a clockmaker from the city, and the one who stole our lightning crystals. She’s fifteen and already a self-awakened first circle mage. I thought you would like to know about such a promising new prospect.”

Emily glances sideways, noticing the creepy grin on Diego’s face once again, sending a chill down her spine.

No.

“She stole those crystals from the Hollow Warden?” the Patriarch asks with an edge to his voice, his eyes narrowing at Emily.

A sickening pressure wraps around her, this time only stealing her breath, not her movement. She reaches for her throat with her free hand, keeping The Clock held tightly in the other even as her lungs scream for air.

“What of her family?” the Patriarch continues coldly.

“They’re still alive,” Diego says, receiving a fierce glare from the Patriarch in return and scrambling to explain himself. “She asked us not to kill them, so I decided it would be easiest to get her to cooperate if I didn’t. I’ll send some servants to kill them the moment I’m done here.”

FUCK!

Emily’s expression contorts with rage: lightning flickering in her eyes as she glares. The Patriarch doesn’t take kindly to her display of open hostility, flicking a finger towards her, instantly shattering her leg.

“Good. We can’t have mortals stealing from us, so we need to send a message when they try.”

I can’t do anything. They’re still going to kill Dad. And this time, Anna too!

Emily’s teeth crack under the force of her clenched jaw as she’s consumed with seething fury and anguish. She locks eyes with the Patriarch as time starts to wind backwards, searing his enraged countenance into her mind.

I’m going to tear you to pieces one day.

***

Emily falls back into place in her room, the paper scattered by her awakening still mid-air. However, the moment the papers settle to the floor, her rage slips away, ice flooding her heart as the gears in her mind frantically whir along a new logical thread.

I couldn’t save my parents. I may not be able to save Herber. But maybe I can keep Anna alive.

She abruptly stands up, casting aside her chair as Herber bursts in, ignoring him completely as she paces back and forth, biting her thumb.

In the loop where Diego killed Dad after I talked to him, he didn’t kill Anna immediately. The Patriarch only said he needed to send a message, and who better to spread a message than a lone survivor? I just need to try and get Diego to phrase it right, and there’s a chance she’ll live.

As a plan clicks into place, Emily finally acknowledges Herber’s existence and looks up at him. He starts in surprise when he sees the look in her eyes, and his concern only grows as her face softens from frigid determination into a bitter melancholy.

“Emily, what’s wrong? What have you done?”

Emily flinches at his words, frowning as the phrase digs into her conscience.

“Emi?”

“I don’t want to explain this one,” she mutters tiredly, reaching up and activating The Clock quickly.

***

Emily meets Herber again, back in her usual mask of calm, and sets up to greet the Mandrago mages without telling him not to enter.

They enter the shop again, following the same script to a T, until Herber enters as they’re checking Emily for mana.

“Carlos, we don’t need him, deal with it!”

Emily looks away as the dagger is plunged into his throat, allowing herself to look away from a death that will soon be undone. After his body drops to the floor, Carlos makes no moves to head further into the building, and they all wait patiently for Miguel to finish checking Emily.

“She’s a first circle mage!” he cries after a few moments, igniting the greed in Diego’s eyes.

“Good! How old are you?” Diego starts the repetitive questioning.

“Fifteen.”

“Has anyone ever taught you magic and how did you awaken?”

“No one has ever taught me. I found the crystals in the wreck and experimented with them until I was able to extract the energy. Then I just followed my instincts and it worked.”

“Wonderful!” Diego beams. “Come with us and become a vassal of the Mandrago family!”

“Okay.”

Diego turns on his heel, striding towards the door.

Goddess! He didn’t even question me agreeing to leave with him after he killed my dad. Has anyone ever said no to him?

“Carlos, burn the body,” he says dismissively over his shoulder.

“Wait! Please leave his body so my sister can give him a proper burial. His grave will be a reminder to people not to make the same mistake as me,” Emily picks her words carefully, watching for a reaction from Diego.

He looks back over his shoulder with irritation, but a cruel glint flashes in his eyes that Emily doesn’t miss.

“Don’t talk back to me or question my decisions from now on,” he says, pausing for a second as a small grin forms on his face. “However, just this once I’ll grant your request, since you are coming along so willingly. Miguel, go inform the sister why her father is dead.”

Miguel vanishes into the building, causing Emily's heart to beat a furious rhythm.

They wouldn’t just kill her now, right?

He returns a minute later, followed by frantic footsteps that send a wave of relief over Emily.

“It’s done,” Miguel says as he walks in, stepping over Herber’s corpse and joining them as Diego instantly leads them out.

Emily gets one look at Anna, standing over their father’s corpse, with a look of horror on her face, before they step out of the shop. Seeing Anna’s anguish, Emily resists the urge to cry as she follows Diego through the city once again.

A short while later, after another brainwashing attempt and a lot of meditating to pass the time, Emily returns to the main hall of the Mandrago family residence. This time, as they cower in front of the terrifying Patriarch once again, the conversation takes a slightly different route.

“This is Emily Coldstone, the daughter of a clockmaker from the city, and the one who stole our lightning crystals,” Diego informs him with a self-satisfied grin creeping past his fear. “She’s fifteen and already a self-awakened first circle mage. I thought you would like to know about such a promising new prospect.”

“She stole those crystals from the Hollow Warden?” the Patriarch predictably asks, stealing Emily’s breath once again and frowning slightly as she doesn’t react, simply fixing him with a detached stare and relaxing her lungs, not even trying to breathe. “What of her family?”

“We killed the father and left the only other child – a daughter - with the body as a warning to anybody else who’s thinking of stealing from us.”

The imposing man’s lips twitch ever so slightly at the news, and he releases Emily from his choke hold.

“Good! Send a servant to leave a mark on her face. She’ll be a living reminder to those mortals not to touch what’s rightfully ours,” the Patriarch announces as a chilling gust of wind flows through the room.

Shit. I’m sorry, Anna, but I think this is the best I can do to keep you alive.

Emily activates The Clock again, returning back to finally face her father. And to tell him about his death.

***

As the pressure coming from Emily’s awakening settles, she sits in sombre silence awaiting Herber’s entrance. As she listens to the footsteps approaching, she draws her focus inwards for a moment, checking on her mana circle.

The increase from my meditation reset. Of course it fucking did.

Herber bursts through the door and looks at Emily.

“What in Goddess’ name happened here? Are you okay?”

“I'm fine, I…“ She hesitates for a split second before sighing and visibly deflating as she restarts. “It wasn’t me. Don’t worry. Can you sit down, though, I need to talk to you.”

Growing increasingly concerned by Emily’s serious tone, Herber walks out of the room and soon returns carrying a chair. He gently pushes the door with his foot, leaving it slightly ajar, and places his chair down next to Emily.

“What’s the matter, Emi?” he asks with concern.

“You know when those nobles came and asked for all the scrap I gathered from the Hollow Warden?”

Herber’s face falls as he realises the gravity of the situation instantly.

“You kept something didn’t you?”

“Yeah. And I think they can find it now,” she replies, her mask of apathy falling away as her eyes well with tears.

“Wait, they can find it now? Was that what that thundercrack was?”

Emily, surprised by how quickly Herber works it out, takes a second to respond.

“Uh, yeah it was. We need to escape the city. Can we ask some of the merchants you know to smuggle us out?” Emily asks, voicing her final hope to run away from the inevitable.

“No. If the Mandrago family comes here and can’t find us, the entire city will be alerted.”

And the Patriarch may act.

“Can’t we try? I can deal with any guards that get in the way!”

Herber shakes his head, unwavering in his judgement.

“There are too many guards in the docks for us to get by unnoticed without having to cause a large commotion. The moment we do, there isn’t a single ship there that will take us. No one will risk the Mandrago family’s wrath for the pitiful coin we could give them. We also won’t be able to get anywhere on foot in the desert. Our best chance now is to give them whatever you kept. I’ll claim responsibility. Hopefully then, only I’ll be punished.”

Hearing her father's resolve to die for her mistakes, Emily breaks, realising she’ll be able to persuade him to try to escape in the time they have.

Tears flow from her eyes as she drops her head in her hands and starts sobbing. Herber gets up from his chair and moves forward to pull Emily into a hug.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers between sobs.

“Ssshh, it’s okay! It’s not your fault,” he calmly consoles while patting her head.

Emily stays in her father’s embrace until she hears the shop bell ring out. She pulls away and looks into Herber’s eyes.

“I’ll tell you everything before you die, I promise!” she swears with determination, taking out The Clock.

Herber looks at her with confusion as she wipes her tears on her sleeves, then turns back time once more.

***

“What in Goddess’ name happened here? Are you okay?”

Emily takes a deep breath before answering.

“Grab a seat and I’ll explain. We need to talk.”

A couple of seconds later, Herber is back in the same position as the last loop and Emily begins speaking.

“A few months ago, when the Hollow Warden crashed, I kept one of the items I found. The Mandrago family now has a way of finding it and they’re gonna kill you for allowing it to be kept in this house.” Her voice breaks a little as she pauses, and the colour drains from Herber’s face.

“After those guys fr-“ She stops again when she hears a creaking in the hallway.

Focusing, she listens for any more noise.

“Is everything alright?” Herber asks after Emily stays silent for a few seconds.

“Ah, yeah sorry, I thought I heard something. You remember when those guys from the Mandrago family came last time?”

Herber nods.

“Well, I took the item I kept, an ore full of crystals, and buried it by the wall.”

…

Ten minutes later Emily finishes her explanation and sits silently, letting Herber process what he’s just heard.

“Ha,” he sighs, moving forward and pulling Emily into a hug. “You don’t have to lie to me, Emi. It doesn’t matter what’s going on, I’ll still support you.”

Emily frowns, gritting her teeth in frustration and pulling away from him.

“You don’t believe me?” she asks with a hint of betrayal in her tone.

“Well, you just told me magic and time travel are real with no proof.”

“Proof?”

Emily’s mind spins into motion, and she quickly comes up with a possible way to prove time travel.

“I can prove it. Go grab a coin, Dad.”

As Herber leaves, Emily pulls the mana crystals from her drawer, pouring the pouch out on her desk. She also grabs a sheet of paper, placing it on the desk in front of her as Herber returns holding a small copper coin.

“This is a mana crystal,” Emily says, handing him one to inspect.

He looks closely at the glistening gem, starting with surprise when he sees a miniature bolt of lightning shimmering in its depths.

“I’ve certainly never seen anything like it before,” he says, looking up at Emily. “But it’s not exactly proof of magic.”

Emily nods, tapping the sheet of paper.

“I’ve written the results of ten coin flips on here. Flip that coin ten times and they’ll perfectly line up.”

Herber glances down at the paper before sighing and nodding his head.

“Fine, let’s see this then.”

He flicks the coin into the air.

***

“And finally, crest,” Herber says a loop later, showing Emily the royal family’s crest sitting face up on his hand.

Emily silently flips the sheet of paper, revealing the exact sequence of coin flips Herber performed in both this loop and the last.

“It’s not a lot,” she says without much hope. “But is it enough?”

Herber stares for a moment in disbelief before nodding his head.

“So let me get this straight. You stole these mana crystals from the Mandrago family and created a time machine with them. Then you awakened as a superhuman magic mechanic and tried to fight against the nobles, who are all mages… And this actually happened?”

“A Technomancer, but yes you have the gist.”

“Okay, so no matter what you do, they want me dead and you as their servant. But, if they believe Anna can serve as a reminder of their power, they’ll let her live with a scar?”

Emily silently nods as Herber sighs.

“Do you have any idea what they will do after taking you? Are you sure they don’t have a way of finding out about your dual awakening?”

“They said something about teaching me magic, but other than that I don’t know since I never let a loop go on for too long. I was too focused on trying to save you… Also, I don’t think so? Miguel didn’t realise when he scanned me, and I have no other way of learning more about their capabilities in the limited time left – I can’t go further than 24 hours, remember – except provoking the Patriarch into scanning me himself. But, I don’t want that man anywhere near me in case he stops me activating The Clock, so, I guess we just have to hope,” Emily responds dejectedly, disappointed in the lack of a clean solution even after resetting time so many times.

Herber moves forward and pulls Emily into a hug before continuing.

“I’m not going to say this isn’t your fault, because we both know that would be a lie, but I don’t blame you. You made a mistake, that’s all. Throughout your life, you’ll make countless mistakes, even with your newfound ability to time-travel, and sometimes you’ll have to live with the consequences. I guess thus us one of those times. All you can do is try not to repeat the same mistake twice. Always remember that I’m so proud of you, and whatever path you choose in the future, if you feel it’s right, I support you wholeheartedly. I love you, Emily, and I’ll never regret taking you as my daughter.”

Emily sobs into his arms, holding him tight for a few minutes before pulling away.

“I love you too, Dad. Thanks for giving me a family,” she blurts through her tears.

Herber chuckles sadly and gently wipes her eyes before glancing at the time.

“It’s eight now and you said they come at around quarter past, right? We should go talk with your sister. You need to say bye to her too, because I don’t think you’ll be seeing her for a while after leaving tonight.”

“Wait really? I hadn’t even thought that far ahead yet...”

Herber ruffles Emily’s hair before they stand up, gather the mana crystals, and move through the house to Anna’s room, stopping outside the closed door.

“Why don’t you go make us some toasted salami sandwiches? One last treat. I’ll bring her over after I make my peace,” Herber suggests.

Emily nods and hugs Herber before heading towards the kitchen, to make a last meal that will never be eaten.