“What are you up to Isaac?” Sebastian asks.

  Sebastian and ‘Isaac’ sit in the lower levels of the fortress with ‘Isaac’ sitting inside a cell. He sits there with his hand on his head looking He stares ahead with a blank expression as drool runs down his face. Sebastian approaches the cell and snaps his fingers, breaking him out of his trance as Sebastian stares into his face.

  “Oh, Sebastian. What’re you doing?”

  “I should be asking you that.”

  He smiles. “I was thinking of new ways we could use that woman, so I was digging through the memories of this host.”

  “Oh? Find anything interesting?”

  He smiles. “Oh yes. Let me tell you what I’ve found.”

  Ten years ago, the territory of the Pearson family was faced with a crisis. The Draconoid Clan who lived in the mountains had a famine that killed most of their crops and caused their prey to flee their territories. Driven by hunger and desperation, they descended from their mountain and flew into the nearby lands. Becoming bandits, they raided any nearby village, attacked travelers for their belongings, and stole with impunity.

  The people turned to their lord to deal with the issue and exterminate the hostile Draconoids. Whatever sympathy people might have for them was destroyed thanks to their hostility and the violence they’ve caused. In response, the lord sent out his knights to defend the villages and escort travelers. This inevitably led to clashes between these knights and the Draconoids, who often fled the scene of battle before things got worse or after acquiring their prize.

  The lord sat back to observe the current stalemate, not wanting to escalate things lest he be forced to arrest the entire clan or worse, exterminate all of them. This stalemate and sporadic battles lasted for a full year before something happened to change the tides. A Draconoid prisoner was captured and brought to the lord’s manor for interrogation.

  “Are you saying this is the prisoner?” The lord asks, sitting at his desk as he looks to his aide.

  “Yes sir. This is the Draconoid the knights captured in the last skirmish.”

  The lord scowls. “This is unpleasant.”

  Before the lord, flanked by two guards on each side, a young Draconoid girl stands with her arms and legs in irons. She scowls at her surroundings as everyone stares at her nervously.

  “How did you…”

  “Sir. The captain reports he managed to pin her before she flew off, and she was left behind as the raiders fled.”

  He nods. “I see. They didn’t turn back for her?”

  “Yes sir. They left her behind after she was captured.” A guard says. “There also don’t seem to be any attempts to rescue her. Should we put out a distress call or some kind of warning?”

  “I’ll handle the specifics and try to start a dialogue with the Draconoid. Should the worst happen…”

  “It’s worthless.” The child speaks. “None of your human games will work on the leader. We all took on this task, even knowing our lives would be at risk. All for the sake of our Clan!”

  “Your loyalty to your people is admirable. Can I ask for your name, young one?”

  She smiles. “I am known as Xia Bai. A name I have earned after many battles.”

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  “I see. Take her to the dungeons. Make sure she’s secured and she’s unable to use her magics.”

  “Yes, Sir!” The guards say in unison.

  “And Xia Bai. Please consider working with us for the sake of peace between your people and us.”

  Xia Bai is taken into the dungeons underneath the mansion. Inside her cell, she’s locked away for days with no visitors and no one to see outside of people delivering scraps of food to her. Her hunger grows as the days pass with only enough food to survive on. But she holds firm and strong, unwilling to break or bend. These hunger pains are familiar to her, reminding her of her days before her training.

  Xia Bai was abandoned early during the famine, with her parents being unable to feed her alongside her siblings. She was stripped of her original name and became a nameless one at the bottom tier of the Draconoid Clan. She starved with only her willpower, keeping her alive as she struggled day after day.

  One day, a man approached her, offering her a chance to eat and to properly earn a name for herself. With no other choice, she trained to become a warrior and a raider, being sent out to raid villages around the mountains. She worked hard in her role, earned a position, and finally earned a name for herself in the name of Xia Bai.

  “I refuse to let something like this break me.” She says to herself.

  “You're quite resilient.” A voice says from outside of her cell.

  A young boy stands in front of her cell, staring at her with a curious look in his eyes. The boy was dressed in fancy and clean clothes, giving away his noble origins easily. Xia Bai glares at the boy, distrustful of anyone, as he simply stares at her.

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m Isaac. Isaac Pearson. I’m the son of the master of the manor.”

  “I see. A little lordling. What do you want, come to stare at the prisoner?”

  “No. I came to ask something of you.”

  “What?”

  “I asked Father to let me try negotiating with your Clan. If we don’t, we may have to go to war with your people.”

  “Bring it on! I won’t bow down to weaklings. We Draconoids have the power of the Dragons behind us. We refuse to back down in the face of the enemy!”

  “I understand. But at this rate, both sides, yours and ours, will lose plenty of good people if war were to come. So, I ask you this, will you please give me the chance to talk with your people!”

  She pauses. “Why you? Is this so low priority to your father that he left it up to his brat?”

  “Sorry to say, but no. I begged Father for this chance.”

  “Huh?”

  “You see, out of my siblings, I’m the one that can be called the least impressive. My older siblings are skilled warriors, magus, or grand tacticians. I’m none of those things, so I work hard to bring peace so my other siblings can enjoy peace if just for a second more.”

  “Do you really think you can bring peace to this situation? Neither of us can stand the other at this point. We attack your lands and you fight us off. Even if you manage to appease us, how can you appease the people we’ve been attacking?”

  “I’ll have to think about that. But I’ll find a way. I need to so we can live in peace.”

  Xia Bai stares at Isaac curiously. “You’re a weird one kid.”

  “Maybe. But I have strong beliefs and I’m ready to fight for what I believe in. I think we’re similar in that way.”

  “I fight for the survival of my people and to eat another day. I don’t have the luxury to believe in something besides what I can see in front of me.”

  Isaac puts his hand to his chest. “Then I ask you to believe in me. I will find a way to resolve this peacefully. And if not, then you can end me here and there. Do we have a deal?”

  “Fine, I’ll help you. But only if you can fill my stomach before we leave. If I’m right about where we are, it’s a long trip.”

  Isaac smiles. “Of course. Leave it to me. Trust me, I’ll get this situation handled so that both parties can live peacefully.”

  “Whatever. If we have you, we can use you as a hostage either way, so whatever makes you happy, pal.”

  Isaac nods. “Yes. A hostage situation could lead to a favorable outcome. Thanks for the idea.”

  “Huh? You’re a weird one.” She says with a smile.

  “And what happened after?” Sebastian asks.

  ‘Isaac,’ sits in his cell. “That’s the thing. A lot of the memories are blurry. I can’t make out most of them.”

  “I see. Maybe it’s because we had to rush your process. It could’ve left the brain damaged, meaning there was some memory lost to the host.”

  “Damn it. I wanted to see if I could use that.”

  “Well, see if there’s anything else.”

  “Interested?”

  Sebastian smirks. “I want to help you come up with the perfect scenario. If we get this right, we can break that girl and make her the perfect host for one of us. Maybe her vessel could serve as a good envoy for the Great One.”

  “Oh, thinking that far ahead.”

  “I have to. Who do you think organized all this? But I can’t take all the credit. Lady Morgan also worked hard on her way for us to reach this goal.”

  He nods. “Fair point. Man, it sucks I only emerged recently. I would’ve loved to be around for the early days.”

  “Never mind all that. Are you able to see any other memories?”

  “Oh yeah. The more recent ones are coming in clearly. Let’s see. Ah, this one is right before coming here. I think it’ll make excellent fuel to burn her up.”

  “Do tell.”

  “Alright then so…..”