“I do not feel like dying a spectacular and hideously painful death just for the sake of memes. Are we clear?” ~ Serena to her wonderful collection of madmen and murderhobos.

Serena stared at the black book in her lap as she relaxed down at the lakeshore. The decision to rest by the lake was welcomed since she needed a change of scenery away from the endless rows of tree trunks and nonexistent forest paths the caravan company took. It wasn't that bad either and she felt it as refreshing since she could spend some time alone for a change.

With a deep breath, she opened up the book and prepared to write in it for the first time.

Nothing had made sense for a long while, so being able to bring something that should only exist in her mind or soul into reality was no big deal.

The five-year-old girl was aware of how delirious that line of thought made her sound, but summarizing the events thus far in her short life was ludicrous to even think about. Even finding a spot to begin was hard, though Serena supposed it was best to start at the beginning.

Things quickly changed after Marama took over the Happy Trails Caravan Company.

I don't know what the madwoman said or did to the people running this horrific show. Frankly, I don't want to know.

There were things one was not meant to know, and I am sure this straddled the line.

Soot was indeed a magical creature as when it took its flights outside, he mentally sent me information of what he witnessed. Through him, I was able to get a grasp of events going on and plan accordingly.

This caravan company, for instance, was carrying quite a few dark and dirty secrets which came to light at the slightest of touches. The Happy Trails Caravan had been taking advantage of the flesh trade which was considered shady even for smugglers. They had legitimate businesses and traders, and then whole caravans devoted to the trading and shipping of slaves. They seemed to specialize in more exotic types of sentient life. Unfortunately, they tended to treat them badly to the point they were often diseased and worthless to sell.

That was one of the first things that Mara changed and was one I thought was for the better. The slave trade was uncommon on the Mainland and they were usually sold to those who could afford them, the Moira Institute, or various temples and cults for sacrifice. The Happy Trails Caravan Company specialized in all three, though tended to use human sacrifice enmass to garner their influence and wealth.

Marama's restructuring of their trade, by force, cut them off from doing such things and so they over time sickened and died due to their broken covenant they had with whatever dark spirit they contacted. The last one died shortly after I turned two, and Mara had fully taken it over.

They couldn't free the current batch of slaves; most of the individuals were too broken and accustomed to abuse to fight back after all. What they could do however was give them a sense of self and purpose. Even hope.

For all that my kind does, we care for those under our protection. As a member of the Imperial family, and was the next in line for the High throne and the ruler of the empire, I had a rather peculiar take on servants, slaves, thralls, and serfs. Of course, such people were only considered such due to debt bondage, legal punishment, self sale, sale by relatives, or being a prisoner of war. Aside from the rare outlier.

Then again, under my grandfather's absurdly long and prosperous rule, many social reforms helped encourage my beliefs.

Slaves, regardless of their status, race, or prowess deserved to be treated with common decency. There was no reason to harm them, as it would only instill more fear and resentment and it was better to provide benefits and care. Each one deserved to be able to be freed of their service or to have legal protection. One does not harm those under their care but protects and guides them.

In my eyes, and my grandfather's, the act of slavery could be seen as a necessary evil at times. We both looked down on the idea of child slaves, though for me it was more pragmatism due to them being dying easier. They could and should be allowed to be freed by their masters, or those who ruled over them, at any time. Other options included through a will or written paperwork or even buying their freedom. The freedman would still owe allegiance to his former master and had to vote according to his former master's wishes.

The caste system and dynamics just within the celestial species were too entrenched to do much about. Outside of it, however, they could take care of what they could.

Besides manual labor, slaves performed many domestic services and would be employed at highly skilled jobs and professions. Unskilled slaves, or those sentenced to slavery as punishment, worked on farms, in mines, and at mills. I went out of my way to provide the best education I could for anyone under my command, and in turn, rose the traditions of better treatment and education to servents.

Slaves and servants worked in a wide range of occupations that could have been roughly divided into five categories: household or domestic, imperial or public, urban crafts and services, agriculture, and mining. For a household servant, there were hundreds of professions one could acquire including barber, butler, cook, hairdresser, handmaid, wet nurse or nursery attendant, teacher, secretary, seamstress, accountant, and physician. In urban workplaces, their occupations included fullers, engravers, shoemakers, bakers, mule drivers, and prostitutes. Farm slaves lived in more healthful conditions.

Slaves numbering in the tens of thousands were condemned to work in the mines or quarries, where conditions were notoriously brutal. Included in their number were convicts who lost their freedom as citizens, forfeited their property to the state, and became slaves as a legal penalty. They were expected to live and die in the mines. Imperial slaves and freedmen worked in mine administration and management.

Grandfather granted more rights to them. If a slave had been abandoned by his master, for instance, he became free. They were granted the right to complain against their masters in court. Legal protection continued to grow as the empire expanded across realms. He wanted a large percentage of court officials to have been bought or descended from slaves, who were then raised as freedmen. By raising and specially training them in palace institutions, where they were taught to serve the Imperial family and other educational subjects, they created administrators with intricate knowledge of government and fanatic loyalty.

The methods of slavery that I see around me have no good reason or point to them. While uncommon enough to be notable, those who became slaves were mere broken shells of little worth. They had been forced to forsake themselves and their lives and had become accustomed to horror.

It sickened me to see the treatment, the rampant disease, and abuse, and watch as the light died in their eyes. Even after being freed, given resources and food, those who could still function didn't leave the caravan company.

Perhaps it was more due to how they were treated with decency and worth that made them stay as Marama ended the slave trade through Happy Trails. Just as likely, it was the possibility of them having no home to return to that made them stay.

Regardless, we had begun the rehabilitation process of giving them back worth and care which earned us some amount of faith and loyalty. Even fanatic devotion in more than a few cases. Educating and training them in whatever trade skills they desired was next, along with getting them a Class.

Serena frowned, annoyed at the idea of her kin doing some kind of trick like this. It made sense that the more chaotic ones would do it to gain more power and influence, but it was frowned upon.

I will soon be acquiring a class along with Kalani and Arima. I have not been informed on what it entails, but it seems to be some kind of ritualized event the locals go through at least once in their lives. I have concluded that it is a gated measure of progressing according to my kin. This was the first I heard of such a practice and as eager as I am to try out local traditions, I can't help but feel that something was amiss.

I had let to hear anything either way from the Lord of Lies who visited me at least once a week. It had become a habit for us to converse, bond even, and I had learned much from him. Through the early meetings with the Oathkeeper, and with Soot's help, I had confirmed quite a few things about my current situation.

I had been reborn as one of the many bastard children of Lord Irwin Amatus. He is one of the rulers of the continent, at least in the eyes of the Fellowship.

The Fellowship seems to be the ruling aristocrats of the Aelius continent and served as a secular counterpart to the Ascended religion and their teachings. According to the Oathkeeper, they are composed of the descendants of the nine entrepreneurs who approached the Ascended with an offer. They would serve and rule the continent and masses, keep things stable, but they would not be under their command. Each member rules the land they came from. They are all morally corrupt and hope to eliminate all the other members of the fellowship to control all of Aelius.

My mother was a second-generation merchant of this very caravan company and yet she knew nothing about the unsavory elements of the place she grew up in. She was a beauty and was considered exotic or even was called a Changeling at times. When she sang or danced, the world seemed to focus on her and miracles could even happen. When she told stories, the words felt like they were about to become physical.

The last bit of the rumors and stories I pieced together of my mother Lilika, hinted at her inheriting some variation of Narration, Speech, or Kotodama. It was a blessing from the Storyteller, one of my family's patrons, and a celestial who had faded away or died long before I had originally been born.

It was something I had been born with as well, though any chance of having it in my current life was locked and sealed by Oathkeeper to protect me.

Unique abilities combined with great intelligence and exotic beauty made Lilika a prime target to be sold to a wealthy individual. Lord Irwin Amatus gave her the honor of making her his official concubine as he was unmarried. Suffice to say, Lilika was not pleased by events. It had taken a few years for her to have a child, and she fled as soon as she could with some material to sell.

Not even the Oathkeeper knew what that woman had meant to do as there was nowhere for her to go. I suppose it didn't matter.

Outside of my unpleasant parentage, I learned the name of this continent or what the locals called the Mainland. Aelius, or Sun, was fitting as it was the self-contained world her kin made for themselves.

Aelius is a celestially made continent that is divided into five parts and takes the shape of a four-pointed star. The northern country is called Lotharia and is broken down into different climates even within it. From rich forests and plains in the south to mountains and frozen oceans and valleys in the north, the Frozen North had many people living there year-round even in the harsh climate. The western part of Aelius is a strange mixture of forests, plains, jungles, marshes, and swamps and was called the Verdant West Edris. It was almost as if those who created it were unsure of what to make of it. The southern country were grasslands, plains, deserts, canyons, and other arid environments. The name of Southern Frontier Rilesh was fitting. In the center of the continent was the Center of Civilization Laskesh. Laskesh was in charge of the religious and secular needs of the populace, along with producing much of the food for them. It was the largest country in size. To the east, and the outside world was the Eastern Abyss Katra. Katra was where the Moira Institute operated and ruled. The eastern half of the continent pointed out to open ocean and any ships from the country can either go to the Slumbering Isle or beyond the Mists.

Aelius was technologically, academically and magically a backwater civilization, and has some portions of its government and cities on some advanced level. The populations and sizes of its cities are far larger than one would expect with these limitations. There appears to be a greater understanding of science and common concepts among the masses. Aelius is rich in minerals and materials, and has significant mining operations for gold and gems, although likely other materials like angelicum and iron are mined as well.

Beyond the Slumbering Isle is the Mist that shrouds and protects the people of this continent from those that are beyond it. It is said that one of the Ascended is sealed on an island in the middle of the Mist, and those grave criminals are sent there.

I am unsure if the Mist they are talking about is the same Mist that can alter the mind, body, and soul of both organic and inorganic matter, corrupting them. Hunters like Mara were created purposefully to travel through dense mist unharmed and defeat the corrupted beings within. Perhaps Corpseborn is immune or has resistance at the very least for I have never suffered unease, dread, or increased emotions among other drastic changes due to any kind of exposure. Kalani seems to have some level of resistance but Arima and the former slaves need to be regularly purified by taking them to a shrine so they can calm and be restored.

Arima is a little worried. He is stable most of the time, joking and playful, and friendly with me and the others. Other times he is far more distant and cold, eager to hurt and kill, but is more overprotective. As if two souls or personalities were smashed into one body, it was hard to tell when he would change. In any case, he was never cruel or hurtful to me. Quite the opposite. He always made time for me and tried to small gestures of kindness. He was forthcoming with affection-like hugs, which in turn made me far more affectionate to him and others. Still, I couldn't help but shake the idea of something being wrong with him.

Marama had begun teaching him in various weapons, and he particularly liked dual-wielding peculiar weapons of all sorts. Since I insisted on learning physical training and education, Marama had roped all three of us children into the training from hell that was the Monster Slayer education courses. From stamina to endurance, balance, and speed, all the way to sensing and finding ways to boost the body's natural abilities with energy, the former huntress was ruthless. Kalani was not cut out for the physical elements at all, though he did enjoy the brief introductions to concoctions, poisons, and the most basic of potion-making.

Seeing such primitive ways of handling things was depressing, and I know it's going to bring all kinds of trouble to my door when I can begin to experiment.

Kalani himself was a little worrying as well. He was someone who enjoyed the suffering of others and was apathetic to most things. When something managed to capture his interest, he blossomed and became obsessive about learning everything he could about it. That was something they shared, one of many things. However, he seemed to have decided that I was one of the things that endlessly puzzled and fascinated him. Whenever he could, he would be nearby or engaging in the same or near-identical activities to spend time and bond with me. Or more likely try to understand things.

Like Loras, Kalani failed to grasp why I was open-minded to every kind of approach and manner of handling people and situations. He couldn't understand why I was so affectionate, so loving and caring to others, and it annoyed him as it did Loras. Unlike my original twin, Kalani took more obvious action if my trust was misplaced and I was hurt.

I still remember the Cantrip incident, though how a fireball that could torch a section of the forest in blue flame was a parlor trick, I don't know.

Of course, he was just as likely to poison someone or cut them apart while fully alive to see how they tick. Arima was more suited to the cloak and dagger shaking, and Marama would just cut them to ribbons and call it a day.

"There you are, sister!"

Serena closed her book and pocketed the graphite pencil the second she heard the ecstatic and slightly out of breath voice of her brother. He had spoken quickly as if her presence inspired him and she didn't need to wait long before she was tackled hugged.

Joyous laughter escaped her as the two twins who only had each other proceeded to have a tickle fight as they rolled over the sanded shore of the lake and back onto the grass. It was a small comfort, an ordinary moment, and one she wished would continue with them in somewhat ignorant bliss forever.

That this moment would last forever.