Tenebris Renasci: A World of Magic and Gunpowder

After enjoying an outing across town, Alexander and the princesses were now returning back to the Nova estate. 

Alexander, who was blissfully unaware of the unfolding tensions between his "mother" and Charlotte, was happily eating sweets that were fed to him by Elizabeth. 

"Here, try this one," Elizabeth said with a giggle as she handed Alexander a half-eaten sweet. Alexander opened his mouth as he leaned forward, Elizabeth then fed him the caramel sweet.

Closing his mouth and chowing down, Alexander enjoyed the mix of sweet and salty caramel. "Mhmm, this is good." He said with a satisfied chuckle.

Elizabeth giggled. "I thought so too." She replied, chewing down on that same piece of Carmel.

Victoria, who sat across from them, watched them with a disgusted expression. "Ew, why are you eating after her Alexander?" She asked, "Do you know what my sister puts in her mouth?"

Alexander turned to Victoria with a raised eyebrow. "What?" He asked worriedly.

He didn't mind eating Elizabeth because she was royalty, but…

"I'm clean!" Elizabeth exclaimed angrily, "I brush my teeth all the time!"

"No, you don't, you have to be forced," Victoria replied.

"And?" Elizabeth replied, "It's practically the same thing as doing it myself!"

Donna, who was sitting up front with a case of bottled beer in her lap, turned to look back at the arguing sisters. "Vic, why are you so adamant about embarrassing your sister?"

"It's disgusting," Victoria replied.

Donna sighed, "Lighten up Vic, they're just kids."

Victoria rolled her eyes as she huffed her breath. "It's gross." She mumbled under her breath.

Elizabeth stuck out her tongue at her sister, then immediately turned her attention towards Alexander with renewed enthusiasm. "Don't listen to her Alexander, she's just jealous, okay?"

Alexander simply smiled. 

If I get sick from sharing food with Elizabeth then so be it!

"Give me another!" Alexander said happily, opening his mouth wide. 

Elizabeth giggled as she popped another chocolate into his mouth. "Here you go."

— — —

It wasn't long before the carriage returned to the Nova's estate courtyard. 

As the carriage rolled into the courtyard, they were met with the waiting Charlotte and béatrice, who stood at the main entrance with unreadable expressions. 

The carriage halted in its tracks near its original parking spot.

Charles and disembarked from the driver's bench, while Charlotte and béatrice walked over towards them. 

As they approached, Charles moved to assist the children in exiting the carriage. While he helped them, Charlotte chuckled. "Donna, an entire case of bear?" She asked teasingly, "Can you drink all of that?"

Donna grinned as she patted the side of her crate. "I probably can't drink it all, but I'm sure as hell gonna try." She said with a hearty laugh.

Charlotte chuckled as she turned her attention to her daughters and Alexander. "And how was your adventure?" She asked with a warm and tender smile. 

"It was horrid," Victoria replied, shaking her head. 

"It was fun!" Elizabeth exclaimed excitedly as she ran up to her mother with Alexander in one hand and her candy bag in the other. "Alexander and I got all kinds of candy!"

Charlotte chuckled as she ruffled Elizabeth's hair. "Well, that's good dear." She said softly, before turning her gaze to Alexander, "And you, did you have fun?" She asked curiously.

Alexander nodded, "yes, I had a lot of fun with your daughters." He replied with a smile. 

Charlotte smiled warmly as she moved to ruffle his hair. 

As she placed her hand in her hair, Alexander felt a strange shiver run down his spine. His hair rose on edge as his heart skipped a beat. 

He felt an overwhelming sense of dread and fear, almost as if his body was trying to warm him off something…

Maybe I'm just… tired.

Alexander decided to shake off the moment as a symptom of exhaustion from today's events.

"I'm glad you've enjoyed your time with my children," Charlotte said softly, straightening herself up.

Turning her attention towards her carriage. "Perhaps I should visit again, but for now, I have a kingdom to run and a husband to attend to."

Béatrice tugged her lip back in a frown at Charlotte's offhand comment but remained silent. 

Charlotte began making her way towards her carriage, with Victoria following closely behind, and Donna approaching the driver's bench. 

Elizabeth meanwhile, turned her attention towards Alexander, a bright smile plastered on her face. "I guess we're leaving now, but I had so much fun with you Alexander."

Alexander returned the smile with one of his own. "I had fun with you too, Elizabeth." He said softly.

His gaze locked with Elizabeth's

Elizabeth's smile softened as she released Alexander's hand. "Goodbye Alexander." She whispered, stepping back toward the carriage, before turning around.

"Bye," Alexander said softly, watching as Donna helped her into the carriage. 

With Elizabeth joining her family in the carriage, Donna made her way back towards the driver's bench and settled beside her crate of beer. 

Then with a heavy sigh and the flick of her wrist, the carriage began its journey out of the courtyard, and back to where it came from.

Alexander watched as the carriage departed, waiting until it disappeared from view. 

He then looked down to his hand, to see Elizabeth's pink and white lollipop in his hand. 

With his lollipop nowhere to be found. 

Alexander felt his chest immediately fill with a deep sense of longing. 

Not for his lollipop, but for Elizabeth.

He spent the whole afternoon by her side, and now, with her gone, he felt a void that he never knew was there. 

His heart aching just a tinge.

Suddenly, Alexander felt a firm grip on his shoulder. He immediately looked up to see béatrice standing by his side, coldly staring down at him with a hard gaze.

"D-did I do something wrong?" Alexander asked, confused as to how he had drawn her ire.

Béatrice frowned. "Besides befriending that woman's daughter, no you did not." She answered, her voice filled with frustration. 

"Then…?"

"Listen well boy," Béatrice began, cutting Alexander off. "You and I have a lot to discuss, and not much time to get it done." She then took a deep yet sharp inhale, "Come, well converse on my study." She said with an exhale. 

"O-okay." Alexander stammered.

— — —

After a long, quiet walk through the halls of the Nova estate, Alexander found himself sitting across from Béatrice at her tea table. 

That atmosphere that had befallen the room was tense and strange. 

Alexander could sense Béatrice's anger, the way she tapped her foot. 

How her eyes darted around the room.

Yet she didn't direct that anger toward him, and Alexander didn't do anything to provoke her anger from the beginning.

So he was truly confused.

"Ms. Béatrice." Alexander said softly, attempting to break the silence, "Are you okay?"

Béatrice sighed deeply as she crossed her arms. "No," she replied, "I'm searching for a way to make you understand what's to come."

Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Are you kicking me out?" He asked worriedly.

Perhaps it wasn't Alexander who Béatrice was mad about, but Ben and Alexander were being kicked out by the association.

Oh no… don't tell me, did she catch Ben and Antoinette messing around?

"No, nothing of that sort." Béatrice replied, "Tell me, are you intelligent?" She asked, straightening herself up in her seat as she studied Alexander.

Alexander hesitantly nodded, confused as to where she was coming from, but curious as to where it was going. "Yes ma'am."

Béatrice narrowed her eyes. "Then tell me, if I were to deprive you of all necessities, could you survive on your own?"

Uh, I think the fuck not….

"I doubt it." Alexander answered honestly, "I'm only six."

Béatrice nodded. "Do you think you could be trained to do exactly that?" She then asked.

Alexander shrugged, for the most part, his training had consisted of physical exercises and world energy building.

The latter of which he was failing at completely and the former he was improving in slowly. 

"Maybe." He answered.

Béatrice shook her head. "I don't want to know if you could maybe do it. I asked if it could be done."

Alexander felt a shift in the atmosphere, the weight behind béatrice words hitting at something different.

This wasn't just a casual conversation. 

"I…" Alexander's mind raced to find an answer, but with his limited knowledge of the world, and his poor track record with previous training efforts, that wasn't much certainty to be had. "I don't think so," Alexander answered honestly. 

There was a quiet moment of tension after Alexander answered the question. 

Both parties stared at each other, lost in thought. 

Though eventually, Béatrice nodded. "Good." She replied, "Honesty and realism will keep you grounded in reality." She added, "But life demands the impossible, and that's something you're about to learn about."

Béatrice then stood up popping the knuckles in her left hand as she eyed Alexander. "Lesson number one, survival."

Alexander's eyes widened as his heart began racing, yet before he knew it, Béatrice moved against him at a blinding speed. 

He barely had time to react before Béatrice had him knocked out cold, slumped against the couch. 

Béatrice eyed Alexander coldly, her expression slightly sympathetic. "Sorry Alexander, but before I waste time training you, I need to know if you can survive it."

She then turned her attention outside the window. "And the demon continent is perfect for such a test."

— — —

Hours later, Alexander found himself with both his legs and arms bound together tightly with a thick and uncomfortable rope. 

He was in a dark and cramped space that smelled of wood and outdoors. He was drenched in sweat, and his clothes were soaked. 

On his back, he could feel something heavy and wrapped in leather, and on his side, he could feel something sharp poking into his thigh. 

Panic quickly settled in Alexander's mind as he began hurriedly looking around his cramped space.

He had been trapped in a crate that was sat smack dab in the middle of a forest in the demon continent.

Deprived of all necessities required for survival, with the exception of a sword and a knife.