Damsels of Jormia 2: A Light Novel (An Isekai Fantasy Series)

by Marcus Sloss

  “Unfortunately, I could only solidify the dangers, giving him a glimpse at the future that awaited him should he continue down the path he’d chosen.

  “Regardless of the warnings, your father chose love—he chose you and your sister. When your mother conceived, his soul returned to Jormia, strengthening the world’s mana.”

  “Is that why I don’t look like my mother?”

  “Yes, my dear. You are a halfling, born from the love between a dwarf and a fairy.”

  “I don’t understand. My sister looked like my mom...why is it only me?”

  “The world is full of mysteries, my dear. That doesn’t change your birthright. My eyes may be clouded by my years, but I can clearly see that you share your father’s connection to the world. You even inherited his mana gift, earth. I didn’t tell you this to change how you feel about your family, I just thought it was something you should know. You are special, Illia, and are meant for great things.”

  Illia remained quiet, trying to process all the things the oracle had told her. From what I understood, her father died so she could be born. I'm sure that wasn’t an easy fact to acknowledge.

  Not only that, Illia was half fairy. Although, by looking at her, I’d be surprised if the thought of a mixed birth had never crossed her mind before.

  Her appearance varied greatly from my preconceived notions of what dwarfs should look like, but I just thought the new world explained that difference away. Learning of her parents, all the pieces started to fit together a bit easier. Her pale pink hair and luminous skin that never seemed to get dirty were probably traits she received from her father’s side.

  “It makes sense now. This is why my mother sounded so sad when we brought up my father. She didn’t know, did she?”

  “No. I told Theo of the sacrifice he would make to stay in this world-- for him to bring life into the world, but it was ultimately his decision. I will tell you this, though. Your mother never blamed the two of you. She came to visit me, after your father passed—seeking answers. I told her of his visit, my warning. She cried, clutching her stomach—and I could feel that she valued your lives over everything else.”

  “How could she think that way? It’s our fault he died! I would have blamed us too had I known. It’s all my fault.”

  “That is a mother’s love, my dear.”

  Illia, clearly not in the right state to hear anymore, ran off, her fists clenched in frustration.

  “I’m sorry for putting this all on her. I just thought she should know. There won’t be another chance for me to tell her. When she’s ready, can you please give her this?”

  The wrinkled beastwomen pulled out a worn envelope, a wax seal reimagined intact on the front, the contents never read.

  “I was entrusted to give his daughters this letter when the time was right. My regret is that it couldn’t be sooner.”

  Her eyes were sad as she handed me the letter with shaky hands.

  “You are good for her. I am glad you were able to meet.”

  She clasped my hands when she said that, staring at my face—past me—as if she could see the future that awaited us.

  “Me too.” I responded genuinely.

  The old wolf walked away, her escort guiding her by the arm. Cera sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

  “I had no idea.”

  “None of us did...including Illia,” Aquina told her softly.

  “The way I see it, nothing’s changed. Illia is still the same short, cocky, dwarf who helped us escape from the Lezrics. Unless she suddenly wants us to start calling her princess, I think it’s better to just be her friends. Be there for her—whatever she needs. Unfortunately, right now what I think she needs is space. It’s a lot to process.”

  I put the letter into my pocket for safe keeping, believing that Illia would want to read it when she was ready. Despite my desire to search for her, I stuck to my original plan of giving her the space she needed to think things through on her own.

  When the suns started to set and Illia had yet to return to our little hut, I decided I’d given her enough space for the day.

  “I’m going to look for her.”

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Aquina responded, already pulling on her shoes.

  I smiled, recognizing how eager the two of them were to bring her back. When we opened the door, Illia was standing outside, exhaustion clouding her gaze.

  “Illia,” we said in unison, happy she had come back to us.

  “What should I do now? I feel like I deprived my mother from being happy...of her life with my father. How do I live with that?”

  I couldn’t find the right words to console her, knowing that everything I said would sound like an excuse to her. She wasn’t ready to forgive herself.

  I didn’t want it to be that way. Instead of saying all the things I wanted her to hear, I handed her the letter.

  “It’s from your father.”

  She gripped the envelope with both hands, her eyes staring down at the wax seal. Would this hold all the answers she sought? I, for one, really hoped that it would at least help put her mind at ease. She needed that—and I needed the Illia we had come to know back.

  When she had settled her emotions enough, Illia pulled at the wax seal, opening the letter. Two items dropped to the ground, released from their hold in the envelope: a crystal and a necklace.

  Ignoring the items at first, Illia continued to stare at the letter, her body visibly shaking.

  “What does it say?” I questioned, not understanding her reaction.

  She spoke, but her words came out too quiet to hear.

  “What did he write?” Cera asked again, also unable to hear her response.

  “Nothing!” Illia shouted, her last hope seeming to have gone up in flames.

  “He couldn’t even bother to write anything down,” her voice settled, coming out as a whisper once more.

  I picked up the crystal and the necklace from the ground, examining them for any clues. The crystal resembled those that Aquina used as a catalyst, but something about it seemed different. What did I know though?

  I moved on to the necklace. It looked delicate. A wing shaped pendant attached to a golden chain.

  Did it resemble a fairy’s wing? I wondered to myself. After all, Illia didn’t have wings and I certainly hadn’t seen any other fairies on this planet.

  “Beautiful.” Aquina breathed out the words, admiring the necklace.

  Her voice brought me out of my own thoughts.

  “Here,” I handed the items to Illia who seemed to want no part in them.

  “There must be a reason he left these things to you,” I tried again, but she refused to acknowledge the items.

  Fed up with the whole situation, she crumpled up the letter and threw it on the ground, seeking cover under the blanket of her pallet bed. This was certainly a new side to her. Picking up the crumpled paper, I smoothed it out on the table, figuring when her senses were clearer, she may want to keep the paper.

  At the very least it still had the wax seal left by her father attached to one side. As I smoothed out the paper, I noticed a letter in the corner. And then another one.

  In each of the four corners one letter had been written. Each one small and almost unnoticeable. M-A-N-A.

  “Mana?” I said aloud, reading the word the letters formed.

  “What about mana?” Aquina asked, standing beside me at the table.

  “Look here, on the outside of this paper.”

  I directed her gaze to the note, revealing where I had found the new information. As we discussed the possible meaning of the hidden word, Illia re-emerged from her blanketed cocoon, clearly interested in the finding.

  “What could it mean?” Cera wondered out loud, staring intently at the paper and hoping more words would appear.

  Illia took hold of the paper, a look of concentration on her face. The paper began to glow with a soft light as she transferred some of her mana to it. That's it
, I thought, expecting additional words to appear, a hidden message perhaps. Illia’s face dropped when nothing happened, the paper just as blank as it had been without her mana.

  “What did you find with the letter?” Illia asked, ready to look at the included items.

  I smiled, handing over the crystal and the necklace. She held the necklace by its chain, letting the wing spin in circles as she held it up to the light. She remained quiet, taking her time to examine the piece.

  “Did you notice something?” Cera asked as she moved into a position that would allow her to examine the wing as well.

  “No.” Illia responded simply, putting the jewelry around her neck.

  Next, she tried the crystal. First feeling the weight in her hand, before flipping it over to examine every surface. Her face dropped a bit when she didn’t find the clues she was hoping for.

  A long sigh escaped her mouth, her hands dropping by her side. Then she lifted the crystal up, concentrating for a second. A bright light erupted from the catalyst causing her to drop it to the dirt floor, surprised by the sudden change--having almost given up hope of the items holding a secret meaning.

  We all were curious, watching the still glowing gem, waiting for something to change.

  “At least something happened this time. I guess the hidden word was meant to be used for the crystal,” Illia said, still staring at the light.

  I picked up the crystal from the floor and set it on the table, not sure what to expect from it. We all watched intently, ready to defend if something dangerous were to happen. The light began flickering harshly, but then stabilized moments later, the image of a man in the space above the crystal.

  His hair was a deep emerald color, his skin luminescent, reminding me of Illia’s. Pointed ears peeked out from the strands of his long, silken hair and on his back were two impressively intricate, transparent wings. We were looking at Illia’s father, the prince of the Fae.

  Tears immediately formed in Illia’s eyes, but no one drew any attention to them, letting her have her moment. This was, after all, the first time she’d seen her father. She moved a bit closer, wanting to engrave his image into her heart, but then that image began to move.

  “Is this on—does it work? Ahem.”

  The man leaned in closer to us revealing light violet eyes, identical to Illia’s. He seemed to fiddle with something before returning to his original position and settling his movements.

  “To my darling daughters.” He smiled, one filled with hope and a hint of sadness.

  “If you are watching this now, it means you met with the oracle. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, and I will try my best to answer them now. I owe you that much. First, know that I love you, and even though I can’t be with you physically, I am always watching over you.

  I’m not sure what exactly the oracle told you about your birth, but yes, I did come to her to learn about my future. Do not blame her for not knowing the whole story, after all she can only see the future that is most likely to occur, not to the ones that might occur.

  I’m sure she has told you by now, but you are halflings with the blood and love of both a fairy and a dwarf. Fairies are a complicated race. We live in the veil—a place separated from the other races.

  Fairies possess a higher connection with the spirit of this planet and tend to have a higher compatibility for mana gifts. I would not be surprised if you both have one of your own.” He chuckled softly, thinking of the possibilities for his future children.

  Then his tone turned more serious, “But for that our powers can be coveted, which lead to discord between us and the other races. Not all races are bad, but by the same token, not everyone is good either. Be careful who you choose to trust.

  When I was young, I ventured to a place in the veil where the boundary that protects our world was the thinnest. That is how I met your mother. She was beautiful and calm. Much different from how our elders described any of the other races. I fell for her at first sight.

  Of course, it was unheard of for a fairy to fall in love with someone outside of the veil, so I kept our relationship a secret. We met a few times a year until finally I was old enough to make my own decisions. I immediately left for her village and confessed my desire to be with her the moment I saw her.

  It was a bit silly thinking back on it now, but she still said yes. We had five wonderful years together after that. I will never forget them.” He turned his back to the recording device, a coughing fit shaking his composure.

  Although I’m sure he didn’t mean for it to be seen, the blood that coated the back of his hand was visible from our vantage point. He quickly wiped it away, resuming his dignified persona.

  “Those were the best years of my life, and I wouldn’t change them for the world. But, if you haven’t guessed it by now, fairies weren’t meant to leave the veil for extended periods of time...it leaves us vulnerable, requiring a large amount of mana to retain our solid form. Five years seems to be my limit.”

  He looked down at his shaking hand.

  “I don’t want your mother to be left alone. If I need to leave her, I think this is the best gift I can give her. My regret is that I won’t be beside her to help raise you two. To watch you grow. I know you will be strong and beautiful, like your mother.

  I wish for your happiness above all else. Thanks to the oracle, I know that you will not suffer from the same fate as me by living in this world. Your mixed blood will make you stronger, so don’t listen to anyone who tries to tell you otherwise.

  Do not blame your mother if she chooses not to talk about our time together. It’s my fault after all. I still need to tell her about...my condition. I knew she would never agree to me staying if she learned the truth.

  For me, she is my reason for living. So, I have no regrets about the decisions I made. I only wish I could spend more time with her and be there when you two are born. And... that she won’t be heartbroken when I leave her.

  Illia—Izaria. I think that's what I’ll call you. I wonder what she will say when I tell her we are having twins.” He laughed again, his demeanor reminding me so much of Illia.

  It was easy to tell they were related. I glanced at Illia, the tears flowing freely down her cheeks as she absorbed every word her father said.

  “My baby girls, my Aliana, I love you. I miss you all already.”

  With his final words, the hologram flickered, the recording ending. The crystal that had retained his message for the last twenty years shattered into pieces on the wooden table. Illia gritted her teeth, the tears coming harder as she gently picked up the pieces of the destroyed catalyst.

  “I’m sorry—I couldn’t protect them. I’m sorry.”

  She hugged the pieces to her chest, her sorrow permeating the air of the small hut. Aquina, Cera and I all hugged her, reminding her that she was not alone. We stayed like that for a good long while, until Illia cried herself to sleep.

  We placed her gently in her bed, the crystal still held tightly in her hands before we climbed into our own pallet bed, closing our eyes for the night.

  CHAPTER 6

  Silverwolf village

  Eighty-four days after arrival

  The plank windows slammed open, the sunlight streaming in to wake us the next morning.

  “Get up, sleepyheads,” Illia said, her voice chipper.

  I wanted to ask if she was alright, to know how she was processing all the information from the night before, but I didn’t. I could tell she had chosen to push down the information, and with it her feelings, her demeanor proof of that.

  I decided it was better not to push her, knowing that when she was ready to sort through her emotions, she would come to us. Or to someone else, my mind said, reminding me of the current mission—to return Illia home.

  “It’s a beautiful day,” Illia smiled, opening another of the windows until the girls too were roused from their beds.

  “What time is it?” Cera yawned, rubbing her eyes and smoothing out the fur on h
er bunny ears.

  “Early,” Illia shrugged, continuing to mess with things in the hut, keeping herself busy.

  Cera groaned, but started getting up, realizing Illia wasn’t going to let her go back to sleep.

  “It’s best to start our journey in the morning.”

  We exited the borrowed house twenty minutes later and found a crowd in the middle of the village.

  “What happened?” We asked one of the villagers.

  “It’s the oracle. She passed last night. We are paying our respects.”

  Damn. I directed my gaze toward Illia, wondering how she would take the news. Her face flinched as she processed the information but returned to her neutral expression moments later. We stuck around for a small send off, the wolf clan gathering to say a few words about the old wolf and her life.

  We’d only met her once, but we listened to the recounts of her life’s work, realizing what an incredible beastwoman she was. I wondered if she saw giving Illia the letter from her father as her final mission, finally allowing herself to move on now that she had handed it over to the intended.

  By mid-morning, the wolves returned to their normal routine, agreeing to hold a burial in the evening. We decided not to stay, wanting to respect their privacy and allow them to grieve properly without outside interference.

  We resumed our plans for the day as well, meeting Mika and a few of the others by the front gate.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to stay longer?” Mika asked once we gathered.

  “It’s time we move on but thank you for letting us stay as long as you did.”

  “No problem. You are all welcome whenever you want to come back.” He clapped me on the shoulder, a friendly action that showed he was serious in his offer.

  The gate shuddered open, allowing us to exit before it closed once more, the Silverwolf clan waving until they were no longer in view.

  “So do we know how to get to the Dwarven village?” I asked, awaiting our direction.

  Aquina pointed out a direction saying she believed it to be right. According to Illia, the village was only around three or four days from Lezric clan, meaning we should be there in less than a week.