“He’s our dad?” I echoed, taking a moment to process what she said.

  The man who spearheaded the rift research was my father.

  The same person who helped create a disaster that killed almost a million people.

  Goosebumps ran up my arms. This just got a lot more complicated.

  It wasn’t like I remembered a father from this life, so it wasn’t hitting me as hard as it was for Valerie. From the shocked look in her eyes, I could tell she made the same connection and was having trouble coming to terms with it.

  It was fucked up no matter how you looked at it, but it did explain why we were targeted.

  “I guess that explains why Erasion was after our family.” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “He must have wanted to get rid of a loose end. But why wait so long? Wouldn’t that only give our dad more time to spill the beans?”

  “I don’t know.” Valerie swallowed. “Dad never told me any of this. Maybe he thought he was just protecting us by keeping us in the dark?”

  “If so, I’m not sure it helped much.” I huffed. “The accident that put me in a coma might not have been an accident. If Erasion was trying to silence our father, he might have used us to get to him. Remember how you told me you were almost kidnapped before that merc stepped in? Father might have even hired them to watch over you in secret.”

  “That would make sense, but why wouldn’t he tell us?” My sister’s eyes were full of hurt and confusion.

  And a hint of anger.

  “This is only a guess,” I hedged, pursing my lips in thought, “but it might be the only reason we are alive.”

  “How so?” Valerie threw an annoyed look at me. “How would leaving us in the dark ever help?”

  “Well, if our father had told us anything and Erasion knew, we would have been killed while we were still on the surface. That’s the only way to be certain the information never got out. I’m guessing there is some kind of truth spell out there somewhere?” I asked and Valerie gave a quick nod.

  “…Ah, that makes sense when you put it like that." Her eyes widened as she realized what I was getting at. "Yes, all the major corporations use them during… questioning sessions.”

  “You can just call them interrogations.” I waved off her concern, rolling my eyes. “I’m not that fragile. But back on topic, if Erasion could confirm that we knew nothing, he would be more likely to get rid of us in a more subtle way that wouldn’t make him look as bad, hence the ‘ride’ down to the Undercity. Even if we survived the tunnels themselves, we would just be two girls against a city of crime. No one would consider us a threat.”

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Yeah, that makes sense.” Valerie agreed, her gaze softened as she glanced out at the city through the window. “Even now, it’s not like we can do anything.”

  There was also something else tugging at the corners of my mind.

  My nanites and past memories.

  Was my father responsible for either of them? If he knew so much about the rifts, maybe he used one or both as a way to prepare me for what was coming.

  “You’re right. We can’t do anything right now.” My voice hardened. “But I’m going to change that.”

  I knew what I had to do now.

  I wanted answers.

  And to get them, I needed to be stronger. I needed to level up and learn more spells.

  “It might be better to just let this go, Nyxia.” Valerie noticed my expression and cast a worried glance at me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

  She looked like she’d already given up.

  I couldn’t say that I blamed her.

  We were somewhat safe right now, but she was ignoring one glaring fact.

  “Just giving up won’t work, Val. They will just attack us again using proxies like they did outside Kitty Corner. They’ll keep coming after us until we’re dead. You might be safe for a little while due to your employment at Aether’s Flame, but how long will that protection last?”

  I sucked in a breath, solidifying my resolve. I wasn’t going to just sit on the sidelines waiting for Ordon to attack again, or worse.

  “No, I’m not just going to sit down and let this go. With my nanites, I have the perfect tools to get our father back. And who knows, maybe I’ll even stop Ordon from creating another rift disaster while I’m at it.”

  Valerie looked torn, but unable to refute my points. She knew, deep down, that I was right. Even if we did nothing, we would still be in danger.

  “Okay.” She clasped her hands in front of her as her shoulders sank in resignation. “I’ll do what I can to support you. I’m just… worried about you.”

  “I know.” I smiled and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “I’ll be careful and only go after easier rifts for a while to get my nanites stronger before doing anything crazy… like storming Ordon HQ.” I added a bit sarcastically.

  “No, bad Nyxia!” She teased, playfully flicking my forehead. “No attacking Ordon.”

  I laughed as we got into a brief tickle fight that my sister somehow won by pinning me to the floor and attacking my tail—the little cheater knew exactly what part to focus on— sending me gasping for breath before we settled down again.

  I took that moment to calm down and check how many skill points I had available.

  [Nanite Swarm Level: 7]

  [Efficiency: 3.5%]

  [5 Skill Points Remaining]

  Five points.

  Five more spells.

  I didn’t want to spend all of them though, just in case there was another wave of enhancements coming up, but three new spells should do nicely.

  Luckily, Valerie was here to help me with that, but the question was: what spells would I benefit the most from?

  I had [Needle Strike] for combat and [Beginner Flame] for creating small fires—though I was starting to regret spending a whole skill point on something so simple. Nothing I could do about it now though.

  What I needed now was protection, a way to stay hidden, and healing.

  Sure, my nanites could heal my wounds, but having a spell that sped up the process could get me back into a fight that much sooner.

  Plus, the pain was still there, even if I knew the wounds weren’t serious. Maybe a spell to dull pain?

  And could I even call any of my wounds serious anymore? Did they still count as ‘life threatening’ if I was just going to get revived?

  I was getting off topic.

  So, the spells I needed were: dulling pain, healing, stealth, and some kind of magical shielding.

  “Hey Val?” I asked, feeling a grin starting to form on my lips. “Wanna help me learn more magic?”