“He's acting up again”

Those words are the only things that will leave her in a state of great worry. The blue-haired dragon stood up from her desk, stepping out from her room full of maps.

“Catraoine, don't” the woman stopped the dragon by grabbing her arm. The dragon, Catraoine, sighs at her. “Isca, please. This has been a string of stressful days for me”,

The woman, Isca, shook her head disapprovingly. “He's your family, you know”, she remarked. Catraoine tilted her head down, looking up at Isca in further disapproval.

Not this situation again. I've had enough, Catraoine murmurs to herself.

“Just because he has the same last name as I meant that I must be the one telling him to behave!”

“How can you learn to behave if you died once.” Isca said to Catraoine. Indeed, the man in question died years ago. Catraoine sighed, “I'll get Lórcan, then I'll be down there. I'll ask aunt Pádraigìn to seal his magia”

“Lórcan's resting. That was a genius move to let him mess around with the Albion Forces. Now he needs days of sleep!” Isca responded, as a reminder that Catraoine needs to calm down and handle it herself, “And as for Dr. Pádraigìn, she's downing on bottles of Dooley's vodkas because of it. She hates Dooley's, you know”

”....” Catraoine wasn't able to answer Isca's words. “Fine”, she walked out of her room.

Arriving at the living room, she sees the sight of a tidy room, but it was clear that there were signs of it being ramshacked moments ago. In fact, she knows this as she sees Pádraigìn, sitting with her legs spread, her lab coat on the floor, and her eyes full of downed anger. On the table in front of her are bottles of Dooley's vodka, all empty.

“DON'T YOU STAND THERE, GET YOUR FUCKING GRAND-UNCLE IN HERE!!!” she suddenly shouts as soon as she saw Catraoine. Then she shifted into blank stare. Her wavy twintails looks like it's going to fall down.

Great, she's drunk Catraoine remarked to herself. As she murmured to herself, her phone rang. It was a notification from the phone's AI System, notifying dangerous levels of a burst of magia. It's in the training grounds, just besides the greenhouse. Oh no, the greenhouse! she panicked. The greenhouse would break if he gets loose!

In the training grounds, two people —– dragons, stood facing eachother from a distance. The man menacingly grins at the woman in front of him, with his hands preparing for an incantation.

“I do not think this is allowed, Stanislaw”, the woman warns him, “Your niece looks pissed from what you did”

“PISSED??? Back in the day it was so normal! Ma and Da always gets pissed if I do not train like this everyday!” the man, Stanislaw, gleefully shouted at an excited tone.

“Stan, if you keep doing this I will have to do that”, the woman responded. The man's smile shifted to a teethy frowning grin.

“Gráinne! I thought you're an Ó hEigeartaigh! Whatever happened to “Let all your strength out”?? Don't act like my granda and grandma!!!” Stanislaw responded in an angry tone, but it was clear that he had a panic in his voice “Don't do that!! Your last name isn't 'Mac Duilighe'!!! Please don't stun me!!!!” he continued with traces of tears in his voice. It seems that he felt that the woman, Gráinne, is going to act like a parent forbidding their kid to have fun.

But this isn't 'fun' that they are having.

“Look, there's always another time for this. We are at your home, Goddess Erin knows what'd happen if you——” Gráinne gets interrupted by Stanislaw's sudden move. He fired out shots of Dark Flames, that is fire imbued with Darkness that binds its' targets momentarily, disabling their abilities when hit.

Normally this type of attack would left her unscathed. Even Stanislaw would've needed to try harder to even bring a scratch on her, despite being an heir to the Dullea clan, known for their high-level mastery in elemental-based Magia, with a clan-specific Magistry blessed by Goddess Erin herself.

Ó hEigeartaigh is pretty similar, also blessed by Goddess Erin herself. Instead of Elemental magia, they can modify their bodily strength to surpass the limits imbued by nature. Essentially turning themselves into homunculi supermen. Meaning that Stanislaw's abilities shouldn't even bring a scratch to Gráinne.

But this time, it felt like she's a small target to Stanislaw.

”....the resurrection....” she mumbled. She looked at Stanislaw's fiery eyes, his face full of the excitement of a hunter finding their prey. He has become a wild animal. Nothing can stop him

They are reliving the nightmarish days of their previous lives.

Stanislaw Dullea and Gráinne Ní hEigeartaigh are dead. Or so they were.

They were long dead. Feared by the Normanians, and known as staunch separatists by Tarans. But somehow they joined the Taran Garda, itself not a friend to their beliefs. Taran Garda's only reason to exist is to drive away the Empire of Normania.

Immediately, they rose up among the most powerful in their ranks, and among those with distinct personalities that stood apart.

Stanislaw was laid-back, optimistic, but hot-blooded. Gráinne was a quietly-spoken tactician, only showing her stern and serious side in battles and always shifts into total authoritarian mode under threat.

Naturally, they died from targets killing them. That was supposed to be the final words on them.

Until a few weeks ago where some occultists from the Empire of Normania brought him back to life. But both of them were fighters from the Land of Tara who aimed to liberate the Land of Tara from the Empire, and belief in royalty and nobility in general.

Why would they be brought to life by their enemies? It was a question that all the belligerents in this current situation asks.

The resurrection was indeed, a botched job. Stanislaw has lost his composure and optimism. Gráinne has lost her almighty-sturdiness. And to top it off, both are in unstable conditions to perform magia, being undeads forced to walk the mortal lives once again.

They're not themselves.

The duel abruptly stopped. All sound were gone for a few seconds.

And then everything returns. Sound returns, and senses can be felt again. Immediately, a song can be heard from a close distance. Both Stanislaw and Gráinne immediately knelt into the ground, with their heads in pain. Their hands hastily press their heads, trying to calm the headache, while screaming in pain.

”...Bard....” Gráinne murmurs as she looks at the source of the singing.

A young dragon boy, clad in a robe is singing a song. It is sung in a serene way that the situation is neutralized to an acceptable level. As the premises is located far from the main city of the Gorias region where it stood, the dragon boy need not to worry for the burst of magia affecting the premises' surroundings. This is undoubtedly, the power of the Bard

Both Stanislaw and Gráinne lied down in their backs, looking at the night sky. Gráinne sighed in relief, as the worries are over for now. It is a sight they missed.

Catraoine ran into the training grounds, finding Lórcan sitting down near the greenhouse. He looked tired from using his Bard abilities on the two of them.

“Lórcan, you don't have to do this” she said to him

“Catraoine....I want you to worry less” he responded

“It's fine, just go back to sleep. Aunt Pádraigìn is going to—–” Catraoine responded while being cut by Lórcan, “What'd she do to you? She's a—–”

“GLKARHH!!!” Catraoine felt the tremors of her cheeks from a slap. Shoe sole marks branded itself on her right cheek. She looked down to see Pádraigìn holding her left shoe. She didn't look pissed, but it is clear that Catraoine did it wrong.

“Do not EVER involve that KID in our family business!” Pádraigìn angrily yelled at Catraoine, pointing her shoe against her face. Pádraigìn's face is all red from all the anger. “Stupid Pádraig never LEARN! WE DO NOT LET OTHERS INVOLVE THEMSELVES IN OUR BUSINESS! NOW I HAVE TO SEE A GODDAMNED CHILD MEDDLING WITH US” she continued, cursing on Catraoine's father.

The tone in her yelling isn't all anger, though. As a medical doctor, she definitely felt worried about the safety of Lórcan. As she mentioned, Lórcan is a child, inserting himself in the dangerous business of adults. This should have been solved easily by fellow adults. But alas, all the pain and emotions, as well as confusions led to a child solving this issue.

“I-it's okay Aunt Pádraigìn! Lórcan's fine with this!” Catraoine hastily responded as Pádraigìn once again made angry faces at her, ready to give her an earful.

“D...Dr. Dullea!! It's fine!!! I'm used to this!” Lórcan ran up to Pádraigìn, stopping her and getting her to step back. Her face becomes an idle stern face, befitting of a medical doctor calming themself. She took a long breath and sat down in a bench outside of the greenhouse.

“Lórcan....first off, just call me 'Pádraigìn', will you? 'Patricia' is fine too...you know”, Pádraigìn shifts into a slightly worried face, but Catraoine can hear a tone of relief.

“I don't feel tired anymore....” Lórcan continues, while giving his best smile to a worried Pádraigìn, which made her feel less worried.

“For now.” Pádraigìn said. “You are young. Don't harm your own body and soul with this”

“I'm used to this. Me and Catraoine had been doing this for years...”

“That's even worse”, Pádraigìn continued, “You've involved yourself in many situations unfit for you”

Pádraigìn stood up, and looks at Catraoine. Her face shifted into a face of not only worry, but sadness and fear. As a medical doctor, these faces meant a serious problem that something terrible might happen. She held back her tear, and puts her hand on Catraoine's shoulder.

“Pádraig....your father....he used to be like this” Pádraigìn says to Catraoine, in a sad tone. “He's nowhere to be found now after years of....wandering....I just want you to know that”, Pádraigìn continues as she walks back into the house.

She looks at Stanislaw and Gráinne, still on their backs. Then she remembers something. It is something she always think of before she acts.

“The difference between 'Mac Duilighe' and 'Dullea' is that....the former, our elders....our ancestors....helps others.”

Catraoine looks in a tone of sadness at Pádraigìn.

“The latter, us....we help ourselves” Pádraigìn finishes while she walks away sullenly. The night suddenly becomes quiet.

Catraoine and Lórcan finds themselves in Catraoine's room. The clock is ticking towards midnight. She looks at Lórcan, sleeping in her bed soundly, peacefully, not bothered by anything. Catraoine then walked out of her room, heading to the first floor where she finds no one but a note from Pádraigìn, telling her that she has an emergency that needed to be done on her hospital in Killinatopher, which is far from where they are.

Still content with being awake, Catraoine walked into the kitchen, where she finds Stanislaw. However, he is seen without bottles of alcohol, an oddity considering that he was known as a fervent drinker, especially of Murphy's and Dooley's vodka.

“What? Surprised?” Stanislaw looked at Catraoine. She makes a surprised face.

“Nothing, really” Catraoine looks down in a sullen face.

“What's with that face” Stanislaw humorously responded, “Relax, nothing's gonna happen”

Catraoine remembers Pádraigìn's words about how their family must help themselves. She knew full well that Pádraigìn's words are wrong. If the family helps themselves, how come they haven't resolved these issues that could be fixed easily if it's family issues?

“Geh, I heard her” Stanislaw said to Catraoine, “It's all bullshit, okay”

“I...didn't say anything....”

“Your face did”

“I....”

“Look, that kid will be fine. Don't worry, and don't take her words in a literal sense” Stanislaw said in a tone of reassurance.

“Literal...? What do you mean by that?” Catraoine responded with a question

“You see, it used to be literal after the Carman Radiation broke out. We got hit by it the hardest.....that was when we had the risk to kill others by contact.”

”....Of course...”

“Now that we coexist with it, and with what the Empire is doing and yadda yadda....there is no distinction between 'others' and 'ourselves. That Lórcan kid.....he did a good job'”

”...!” Catraoine responded with a surprised face. She did not think of it that way. But she wasn't able to, as she had just returned to her homeland after a long time of exile, not knowing anything that happened. She had thought that Pádraigìn told her to put herself and the family above others, which does not align with Catraoine's desire to bring help.

“Pádraigìn still think of it in the literal way.....well, she wanted to eradicate the Radiation after all. But this wasn't what Eadaoin....her mother, I mean, want her to think”

Catraoine is at loss for words, she can only listen to Stanislaw, in a calm way, definitely unlike him a few hours ago in the Training Grounds. She can feel an affirmation coming into her way, guiding her back to where she was before she came to Land of Tara to see all the strife.

“Look, our business is others' business. You see Gráinne? Her family's business is our business. And the other way around. Then our business is the Land of Tara's business. There's no distinction between 'others' and 'ourselves'”

Catraoine felt her heart with a lighter weight. She looks out at the window, onto the skies. It is bright, full of stars.

“To be clear, there's basically no distinction between Mac Duilighe and Dullea. That's just a name, what's in a name, anyway? Dunno why our elders changed it”

Catraoine did not listen to what Stanislaw has said. She knows that names don't matter much in this situation full of strife.

“These stars... they are souls. I want to bear their weaknesses...and turn them into strength. That was what Lórcan and I believed in. By helping others, we turn their weaknesses into something they can use as strength to live. And strength to power through”

Catraoine looks at Stanislaw. She has felt affirmation of her beliefs. Nothing can change her goals, her wishes, and her strength. She will continue power on.

“I am helping all of us. All of us, ourselves”

The words powers her on for the next day onwards in her long journey in her tumultous homeland.

Some notes: – The location in this story is located in a fictional version of Aghadoe, Killarney. – Killinatopher is a fictional district located in a fictional version of county Kildare.

#writetober #writing #OCs #valiance #edentrius #SoulMaster #SoulMasterVALIANCE #Catraoine