Noted: Styx developing maternal instincts. Concerning development.
"Good idea. Quiet though, Sis." His voice dropped. "Mom and Dad find out, we're in serious trouble."
She saluted with mock seriousness and dashed off, footsteps light.
Piers turned toward the vampire girl.
"Lucienne." Voice low. "Do you remember how it happened? How you ended up there?"
She hesitated. Her crimson gaze drifted downward.
A slow, solemn nod.
"We were slaves," she whispered.
She held her spoon tightly — like she didn't trust it wouldn't be taken from her.
"They took us. Me and the others. From our homes."
The others froze mid-bite.
"They made us work. Always working. It was dark and cold… and if we got tired, they'd hurt us."
Her gaze drifted toward the twins, then back down.
"We stopped talking after a while. It just hurt more."
A pause.
"I don't like remembering it."
A tear slipped down her cheek. Quiet. She didn't notice.
Piers said nothing at first.
He reached out and rested his hand gently on top of her head.
Her shoulders flinched. But she didn't pull away.
"...You're safe now." His voice was quiet. "I promise."
Something passed through her eyes. Not quite trust. But the beginning of it.
He closed his eyes briefly.
[UNIQUE SKILL: APPRAISAL — ACTIVE]
[LUCIENNE]
[RACE: VAMPIRE]
[AGE: 6]
[HEALTH: SEVERELY MALNOURISHED. SIGNS OF PAST PHYSICAL TRAUMA]
[MANA: SUPPRESSED. UNSTABLE]
[INNATE TALENT: SHADOW MANIPULATION (WEAK) / ENHANCED SENSES (WEAK) / SHADOW SYNCHRE (LATENT)]
NOTES: INTROVERTED. DEEPLY TRAUMATIZED. FIERCELY PROTECTIVE OF THE OTHERS]
[ITHILIEL]
[RACE: ELF]
[AGE: 7]
[HEALTH: EXHAUSTED. UNTREATED INJURIES]
[MANA: DEPLETED. SIGNS OF FORCED EXERTION]
[INNATE TALENT: HEALING (BASIC) / NATURE SENSE (DORMANT)]
[NOTES: QUIET. OBSERVANT. RELIES HEAVILY ON TWIN]
[ITHILIEN]
[RACE: ELF]
[AGE: 7]
[HEALTH: EXHAUSTED. UNTREATED INJURIES] [MANA: DEPLETED. SIGNS OF FORCED EXERTION]
[INNATE TALENT: MARTIAL ARTS (BASIC) / NATURE SENSE (DORMANT)] [NOTES: MORE OUTGOING THAN TWIN. EQUALLY TRAUMATIZED]
[THOG]
[RACE: ORC]
[AGE: 5]
[HEALTH: MALNOURISHED. SIGNS OF PAST PHYSICAL TRAUMA. EVIDENCE OF INFECTION]
[MANA: DORMANT]
[INNATE TALENT: BRUTAL STRENGTH (BASIC) / ENDURANCE (HIGH)] [NOTES: DISTRUSTFUL. AGGRESSIVE DUE TO PAST TREATMENT. CANNOT SPEAK]
He kept his hand on Lucienne's head a moment longer.
Broken.
All of them.
He looked at each one — the silent orc with haunted eyes, the twins eating with one hand while the other stayed tightly clasped between them, Lucienne whose small shoulders had carried far too much.
His hand dropped slowly.
...I see.
Gyuunyuu floated forward, voice low.
"Master… maybe you should give them names. It might help. A name is something to hold onto. And it would make it easier for us to speak with them."
Piers looked at the children — still huddled close, bowls clutched like lifelines.
"You're right," he murmured. "But first — the collars."
His eyes moved to each of their necks. Cold iron. Etched runes. Old, cruel magic still faintly glowing.
He raised his hands. Mana gathered at his fingertips — soft, careful. Not forceful. He guided it into the locks, one by one. Felt each spell unravel.
A click. Then another. Then another.
The magic broke.
A quiet gasp moved through the group — too small a sound for what had just been lifted.
Lucienne's fingers flew to her throat. Her nails dug into raw, chafed scabs. Nothing pushed back. A jagged breath tore from her chest, and her shoulders collapsed inward.
The elf twins locked eyes. Trembling fingers hovered an inch from bruised throats, afraid to touch the raw skin. Ithiliel mouthed a silent word. Ithilien gave a single, jerky nod.
Thog blinked. His small, dirt-caked hands clamped over his neck, squeezing empty air. His fingers curled into tight fists. Released. Clenched again. A wet, ragged gasp scraped out of his chest.
[NULL SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[MANA EXPENDITURE: MODERATE]
[COLLAR REMOVAL: 4 TARGETS]
[VOID CORRUPTION: 30% → 30.4% (+0.4%)]
[NOTE: MANA USE COST — EVEN PROTECTIVE ACTIONS HAVE PRICE]
[EMOTIONAL RESPONSE: COMPASSION]
[VOID CORRUPTION: 30.4% → 29.4%]
[NOTE: PROTECTIVE ACTION TOWARD NON-FAMILY — FIRST INSTANCE]
[EMOTIONAL CAPACITY: EXPANDING]