The Ollais home wasn't impressive by noble standards. In fact, if I weren't in the Upper District and didn't know it was the estate of an old, respected family, I might have assumed it was the abode of a well-off trader.

  Then again, their name had taken a hit in recent decades.

  The Ollais were an older family. Not as old as the Sions or the Esttons, but one with a few centuries of respected history. They had risen to prominence thanks to the efforts of some great ancestor and had, at the time, been counted among the greatest houses in Ferris.

  But holding onto power was far harder than obtaining it inthe first place, as the Ollais soon learned. Rivals, social machinations, and several generations of mediocre heirs and mistakes had taken their toll. They had fallen and fallen far, to the point where Flynn believed they might lose their status as a noble family entirely within fifty years.

  Arenius Ollair might change that fate. He might not. I wasn't sure, and I didn't care all that much. My goal here wasn't to meet the older Ollais, but to befriend the younger. If luck were on my side, I might even find a companion to the banquet.

  I didn't intend to present my offer to Vesper yet. We had several days to get to know one another again, during which time I might be able to decide if she'd fit into our plans. At the very least, it might provide some closure.

  But first, I double-checked myself and made sure I looked presentable. Fortunatus had already wandered off on his own, having decided to explore Volaris by himself. My familiar was nothing if not independent, and quietly I wondered if this was a good thing.

  When I felt ready, I walked up to the front door of the Ollais home, knocked, and took two steps away, hands behind my back as I waited.

  The door swung open maybe ten seconds later, and I found myself face-to-face with a young servant. She looked only a few years older than me, wispy and with a polite but almost distant look in her eyes.

  "Yes?" she asked, the door only half-open as she leaned on it.

  I blinked, halfway caught between surprise and relief at the relaxed tone she had taken. It was a welcome reprieve from the constant, exhausting exact manners and decorum I had experienced these past few weeks.

  "I am here to see Lady Vesper Ollais. Is she in today?" I asked, putting on my best smile.

  "Forgive me, sir, but my lady is not expecting guests," she said, already closing the door.

  "Please, just tell her that Vayne wishes to speak with her," I interjected. "She should recognize my name."

  The servant paused, then nodded and closed the door without another word. Even putting aside the surprise of my visit, it struck me as almost too informal. Maybe the Ollais had fallen further than expected?

  After around ten minutes, the door swung open again. The same servant reappeared, bowing her head to me.

  "Welcome to the Ollais home, sir," she said. I stepped past her, and she closed the door before continuing, "Lady Ollais will see you now. Please, follow me."

  The two of us walked up a short flight of stairs, down a narrow hallway, and stopped before a small doorway. The servant knocked twice, then opened it before gesturing for me to enter.

  Selene—or rather Vesper—was already inside, standing by a tall window overlooking the city. She was facing away from me, but what I could see of her appearance matched my memories. Average height. Slight build. Pale skin, judging by the exposed parts of her arms. She wore a dark set of mage robes, and her black hair hung loose down her back.

  "Thank you for meeting with me," I said, putting on my best smile as I walked forward. But as she turned to face me, that smile flickered, and my breath caught in my throat.

  Vesper was breathtaking in a way I found quite literal. Her dark hair framed a smooth, thoughtful face. Her expression was stoic, her lips drawn into something close to but not quite a frown. It was close to my memory, but distinct enough that I suspected she had used some means to disguise her real appearance.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  But the thing that had struck me then and now was her eyes. Silver-gray and piercing, then seemed to weigh me in an instant. I found that I couldn't look away, and my heart hammered in my chest.

  I swallowed hard, then pushed the smile back into place as I swept into a bow.

  "Allow me to re-introduce myself. I am—"

  "You're alive," Vesper said, her voice soft but with a bit more strength than I remembered.

  I straightened up, caught off-guard at the expression on her face.

  Truthfully, I had expected distaste. Bitterness. Maybe even hatred. Our teacher, her mentor, had died while I still lived. It wasn't my fault, but feelings rarely followed such logical constraints.

  Instead, Vesper looked...relieved? It was hard to tell, as I didn't know her well enough to see past the guarded expression, but relief seemed close enough to the truth.

  "I am, yes," I replied with a chuckle. "Truthfully, I had worried that you weren't."

  Vesper's face darkened. "When you and Master Lysandra—when no one sent word, I made plans to return home. I had hoped my fears were unfounded, but when neither of you contacted me, I assumed you'd died."

  I rubbed the scar on my abdomen, smiling humorlessly as I remembered the wound that nearly took my life. "I almost did. And I am sorry about Master Lysandra. I didn't know her long, but she was a good person and deserved better."

  Vesper's silver eyes watered, and she blinked hard before looking away. "She did, but how often do we deserve what we get?"

  Less often than I'd hoped, unfortunately.

  I cleared my throat, trying to steer the conversation back to more pleasant territory. "How has your training gone? You feel quite a bit stronger by my estimates."

  In my memories, Selene had been a mage of the mid-gaseous stages. At the time, I hadn't had enough experience to put a particular name to it, but my guess had been Mist. If that was true, she'd made exceptional progress as she now felt like a Fog, and a decently powerful one at that.

  Vesper smiled, but her eyes still had something dark in them. "After I returned here, I decided to take steps to keep myself safe. My brother's reputation was a shield, but..."

  "But relying on him is a dim hope at best," I finished, nodding once. "Smart."

  Vesper shook her head. "Why are you here, Vayne? We didn't know each other long enough for this to be a simple social calling."

  I met her gaze, my mouth turning dry in a way that had little to do with my plans and ideas. What the hell was wrong with me?

  After a few seconds, I cleared my throat. "Maybe I should start from the beginning."

  Vesper raised an eyebrow, then nodded. I launched into an explanation of my past, beginning with my time with the Esttons. It was a story I'd told too many times before, and I skimmed over most of the sensitive information for brevity's sake.

  Soon, we were sitting down across from one another as I explained what had happened with Master Lysandra and my brush with death. Vesper's face darkened as I detailed how close I'd come to bleeding out and the efforts I had taken to repair the damage.

  As I finished that part of my story, Vesper stood and closed the gap between us with a stern expression on her face.

  "Show me," she ordered in the same soft yet firm voice.

  "Pardon?" I asked, blinking.

  "Your injury. Show me."

  "That is hardly appropriate," I remarked, earning a glare.

  "I'm not asking to ogle you, Vayne. You are an inexperienced healer and performed a complex working likely beyond your skill level. It's possible you made a mistake, either missing some lingering damage or otherwise harming yourself, and it'd be irresponsible for me not to double-check."

  I wanted to point out that if I had made a mistake, there would likely have been side effects by now, but Vesper's face brooked no arguments. So, I stood and slipped off my coat before tugging my shirt up just far enough to reveal the knotted scar.

  Vesper leaned closer, taking a deep breath as she ran her fingers along my torso. I felt a faint tingle from the contact, likely the sensation of her mana flowing into my body as she mapped out the site. Seconds passed, and finally she straightened with a sigh before returning to her seat.

  "I didn't sense any noteworthy flaws or lingering damage. You're lucky. Master Lysandra's healing would have left less of a scar, but you did a good job considering your...incomplete training," Vesper said, her face tinged crimson in a way that I might have missed once.

  I smiled, tuckingmy shirt back into my pants as I replied, "I didn't have much of a choice, unfortunately."

  When she didn't reply, I took the unspoken invitation to finish my story. We carried on through my recovery from the injury, my return to the city, my time with the Forgetenders, and my failure to join them. Soon, we'd reached the fateful realization that my one, faint hope lay with Flynn Sion and my wager with the young nobleman.

  "In the end, I managed to kill the drake. I returned to Flynn, expecting that he'd take me into his home as a vassal or ally. Instead, he did one better. He adopted me as his brother, second in line to his family's legacy. And that brings us to now."

  "Does it?" Vesper repeated with faint skepticism.

  "More or less. Would you like to hear the whole story in exhausting detail? It's mostly boring, I promise," I said with a smile.

  Vesper shrugged. "Maybe I would. I do have some questions, not the least of which is what led you to earn such a person's trust."

  "Flynn and I had met once before, and had come to understand one another, at least to a point."

  "And that was enough to earn a spot in his family?" she asked.

  I smiled, then glanced at the nearby window. The sun had dipped noticeably since I had arrived, and I realized I must have spent several hours speaking with Vesper. Strange. I had intended only to make a brief introduction before taking my leave of her.

  "Apologies, but I have to get going," I said, standing with a smile.

  "Of course," Vesper rose with me, returning my smile but remaining near the door.

  I turned to leave, but paused and glanced over my shoulder. "Would you like to join me tomorrow? It's been years since I walked around Volaris, and I'd love some company."

  Vesper stared, her face unreadable. "Why? I'm sure you have friends in the city that would be happy to accompany you."

  A part of me wanted to agree. Another said that I should deflect to a safe answer, bringing up our shared interest in healing or offering a broader discussion on magic. It was the pragmatic choice, one I would've taken every time just a few months earlier.

  Then I considered the way her eyes had caught my breath, and changed my answer.

  "Because I'd like to spend more time getting to know you," I replied with a smile.

  Vesper's eyebrows rose, and her cheeks colored a little, likely at the direct answer. After a second, she nodded once.

  "When?"

  "Tomorrow afternoon? I can meet you here," I offered. Vesper nodded after a second, and this time I didn't need to fake a smile.

  With that decided, I gave her a brief, polite bow, turned on my heel, and took my leave to go and find my brother. Hopefully, his day had been equally fruitful.

  First, if you liked (or didn't like) the story, I'd love for more comments and reviews. Writing is a learning process and I've got a lot to learn still, so any feedback helps.

  Second, I've launched a Patreon, so if you want to read a little ahead or just support me, it'd be great if you checked it out:

  Third, I've also launched a Discord if you want to ask questions or discuss this story in general: