TBATE: Let The Truth Be Known {Completed}

Chapter 29: Calm Before the Storm

CECILIA

I don't know what to do. I would have thought that I'd be over all of those feelings from my childhood on Earth, but Tessia and her adoration are seeping through. Arthur cares for me like Tessia and I are one and the same- or at least I think he does.

He's been so busy as of late preparing for his 'meeting' with Agrona that he hasn't been speaking with me very much. We leave for the overworld soon, but he's occupied with the occasional solo ascent or meeting with Seris.

Nic- Elijah has been working out in the boonies with Gideon and Emily for the past nearly two months. His dedication to proving himself to Arthur has been admirable, but the remnants of Nico are completely gone. All that is left now is his sharp mind. He has sins to atone for without the personality that committed those sins. It's as if he's paying for the crimes of his predecessors.

Alice's 41st birthday is tomorrow, which Arthur said he'd be back for. The day after, we leave for Taegrin Caelum. It's quite the action-packed weekend.

My only issue is this: I don't have a gift.

I've been wracking my brain for what she could possibly need, but Arthur said I don't need to bother. How could I not get her something? I've been staying in her house for the past few months, but I've got nothing. She has a quaint home with everything she could want. She has two children that she can see often. She even has a support system consisting of her old adventuring party and the former Elven king. She's one of those women who want nothing.

Maybe I can do something less material. Alice doesn't want something physical. I can't exactly promise to take care of Arthur... he does that himself. I could say the same thing for Ellie, but that's just something I should be doing anyway. Is there something that only I can do that would make her happy? I'm the Legacy or whatever, so I have unique powers. Maybe I can will some mana into her core and improve it. Would that even work? Probably not, but I can offer to try. I can't really try it with someone to see it if would work. I'll ask Arthur about it tonight to see if he thinks the theory behind it is possible.

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"Hey, Cecilia. Can you do me a favor?" I hear as my bedroom door creaks open.

"Yeah sure. What is it?" I answer.

"Can you help me with getting a gift for my mom?" I hear again as a familiar set of brown hair slinks its way through the crack in the door.

"How do you not have a gift yet, Ellie?" I ask.

"Well, my mom is a bit of a hard person to get a gift for. Arthur can more than take care of himself now. I'm a White core mage now, so I'm almost in the same boat. And well, unless I plan on bringing dad back, I don't think anything will rock her world," she replies before her gaze turns downcast.

"I wish you could, Ellie. I wish you could," I murmur.

The atmosphere becomes eerily still as we both take a moment of silence for Reynolds. I never met him, nor does Tessia know much about him. He's an enigma to me. I wish I had the chance to meet the man that made Grey into Arthur. I'm sure he was immensely kind and caring to bring that solitary man into a thoughtful and strong boy.

"Is there anything particular you have in mind?" I ask, breaking the silence.

"Not really. Do you have something?" she asks in response.

"Well, I can give you an idea that was rather popular on Earth," I answer.

"Ooooh, what is that?" she inquires.

"Well on Earth, whenever we were stumped on what to get, we'd make coupon books. In short, they were tokens that represented an action of some kind that the receiver could use. You could have one that if she gave it back to you could count as you making dinner, staying home with her for a weekend, or even a back massage. They're things that are usually more personal. Get it?" I explain.