Much of what took place was a blur to Orochi. As Lady Moon-Born fretted over her son, she was soon called to attend to other urgent matters of the household. Lastly, the physician left. After doing some final checks and giving Orochi an encouraging nod, he too departed. Orochi sighed, finally left alone. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Althea still stood at the corner of his bed like a statue. It seemed there was never a moment truly alone for a noble child.
Finally exasperated, realising Althea had no plans to leave and, for Orochi, no way to tell her to leave, he begrudgingly began to get out of bed. As soon as he swung his legs over the side of the mattress, Althea dashed to his side with a worried look on her face. Quickly putting up his palm to stop her in her tracks, Orochi made it clear he was fine. Planting his feet firmly on the ground, at first shakily, Orochi straightened his back, learning to adjust to the miniaturised body.
Althea couldn't help but wonder what was happening before her. The Orochi she knew would've been crying his eyes out. Rather, it was like witnessing a whole new person entirely. The child seemed… strange. But how could that be? Looking him over once more, he was clearly the same Orochi she had helped raise from birth. The outcast child that was too weak to even lift a weapon, mocked for being a noble son without a sword arm. Althea was no stranger to the rumours that circulated in the ballrooms and royal gatherings. The seventh Moon-Born had no Spirit Contract.
Pulling back the curtains further, Orochi had to blink away the momentary blindness, his eyelids sensitive to the sudden light. Then, pushing open the window, a wave of beauty slapped Orochi in the face. It was everything. The smell of fresh air, unlike anything from his memories of cities. Green pastures and hills stretched past the walls encircling a small town, with a large mountain range in the backdrop, the snowy peaks like a border to the stunning natural canvas before him. Sounds of seagulls filtered through from the coastal sea that bordered the right of this magnificent painting, while the left was caged by a seemingly black forest that even the sun could not pierce. Orochi couldn't help but gasp.
Althea had tentatively stepped to his side, peering out the same window, realising the young master had not seen the outside in many months.
Placing a hand on his shoulder, Althea whispered under her breath, "Welcome home, Master. It has been a long time since you have seen the lands of House Moon-Born. Black-Fang Town hasn't seen its youngest master in a while."
Her smile faltered for a second when she looked to see if there would be any emotion at all on Orochi's face, but found none.
Orochi merely nodded in reply, quickly overcoming his surprise. A string of thoughts was being calculated behind obsidian eyes. Knowledge, he thought to himself. I need knowledge. And from my memories, I know only one way to get such a thing. He suspected it was also the only available medium to attain it. Books.
Turning to Althea, who quickly straightened herself, Orochi looked up at her. Her well-endowed chest hid her chin as she stood over him, and he had to cough slightly to regain focus as he signed with his hands, flicking motions that mimicked turning pages.
It took a few more seconds of various rough sign language for Althea to finally get the point. Library. Where is the library?
"Ah, you want to read, young master!" Althea yelped, finger pointing up in a eureka moment, before quickly realising something. "Are you sure, young master? You hate books. Why would you want to go there?"
I did, Orochi thought, further disappointed with the past owner's incompetence. Shaking his head, he made it clear he was adamant.
Althea nodded. "Understood, young master. It will be done as you wish."
╰┈➤.
It was not temptation that plagued Althea, rather the protective need to check in on him.
"The young master hated reading," muttered Althea under her breath.
Did her thoughts matter? Not really. It was her duty to serve and obey, an oath she had sworn when becoming the only housemaid willing to take the position for the seventh son. Others had said it was a death sentence, that a boy with no spirit power would soon be culled from the bloodline when one of the other brothers or sisters decided to take out the competition. Yet Althea had decided to stay.
Orochi sat in the middle of a pile of books scattered around him. A few hours may have already passed since he had begun reading. Althea had been kind enough to grab him some bread and fruit before he entered his seclusion. The first aisle he went to was history and geography. Currently, he was in the guest mansion, which was separate from the main family house at the centre of town.
Things had become clearer after skimming through The Compendium of the Lineage of Moon-Born. Orochi was the runt of the litter and had been relegated to the guest house. Spirit Power was something this world placed great emphasis on. If you had Spirit Power, you could move up in the world.
Grunting in annoyance at his own accursed state, Orochi tried to close his eyes again, reaching within, hearing his own heartbeat. After reading The Basics on Spirits and Contracts, he had learned to analyse his own body's Spirit Orb, the most basic technique among spirit users. And well… it wasn't looking good. The doctor was right. His orb was shattered.
Opening his eyes, he realised the morning light had been replaced by the watchful gaze of a full moon. It's late, Orochi thought, begrudgingly getting up and collecting the books he had yet to finish.
Althea had been waiting patiently, bowing as Orochi exited the small library. She explained how the library at the main house was so vast it put this one to shame. Unfortunately, she still seemed unwilling to disclose why exactly Orochi wasn't allowed back home and why his recovery had to be kept secret.
As they both walked down the hallway back towards his room, with whatever books his small arms could carry - while also filling up Althea's - Orochi glanced outside the ornate windows into the courtyard. One of the guards had begun taking his rounds, his duty to light the lamps outside as night fell.
Orochi watched in wonder as the supernatural came in contact with the natural. Spirit Power.
Just as he had read in the basics, Orochi recognised the slight colour around the guard - a reddish aura, brighter than Lady Moon-Born's - as the man lifted his finger to a lamp hanging from a post. A small flame suddenly ignited the wax. Wow, was all Orochi could think.
His amazement soon turned to desire. Power. I want that power.
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)