Necromancer's Descent

12 - Anna

???'s Point of View

The warm summer sun heats the grassy field by our mansion, letting the long blades of grass glisten as the wind waves through them.

Blood is sliding down from my head, where my older brother's wooden sword smacked down a few moments ago. In the end I fell over after getting hit, and now I'm laying here again, while brother is huffing annoyed.

"Already?"

..yes, already. As usual I can't measure up to him, even if I'm the one who suggested sparring.

He moves to loom over me with calm yet cold eyes. He's angry with me because of father's order from yesterday.

"Get up."

I stare up at him groggily and slowly try to get on my feet again. I have to. Because I took something older brother wanted and deserved.

I grasp my wooden sword and get in stance again, staring at my brother's cool figure.

"The only reason he let you go to Prince Alexis' side is because you don't need to be able to do anything there. You're no good at studies. You're no good at manners. You're no good at fighting."

As he says that last part he lunges at me, but my weak-willed parry fails at blocking his sword, that slams down against my shoulder, making it go numb in an instant. I drop the wooden sword with a yelp, which makes brother's eyes gleam with bitterness.

"You can't even take a beating."

He hits me in the side this time and I crumble to my knees with a gasp.

"You should be thankful father tries to make contacts for the useless you."

I grit my teeth while preparing for another hit... but only silence spreads.

"Be thankful!"

He yells at me, before kicking my thigh.

"I am thankful!"

I yell back.

"Good! Now apologize for being useless!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry for being so useless I had to take your place!"

I feel warm tears streaming down my cheeks, but nothing I can say to father would make father change his mind. I already tried. He just said it was a test and sent me away.

I steal a glance up at brother, and from his gleaming, spiteful eyes rolls tears one by one.

I was the one who was supposed to be sent to Prince Claudius, but our roles were switched. Brother had always looked forward to serve as Prince Alexis' playmate just as our father had done for the king... but now he has to serve the concubine's son, Claudius, instead... and my faint dream of serving by brother's side cracks.

But I am not angry with brother... because I saw the look he had when father told us, and I heard how brother cried through the night.

I hear the woosh of flames coming to life, and the warm light of a flame fills my brother's hand, and gradually envelops it without burning him.

Even though he's a sword fighter, like me, he also has a vast amount of mana...

With a bitter sniff he snuffs out the flames, and he regains his always elegant composure.

"I will become the head of our House, remember that. You don't even have the worth to compete with me."

—-* Nao's Point of view *-—