Lost Tales, Writings, Musings...

[Ignis Glaciesque]

Money.

I needed money.

If I was to continue Project Flamebird without Felicity, damn traitor, I needed money.

A gentle knock resounded on the door. I looked up from my desk to see my daughter in law coming in with some soup and toast on a tray.

"I'm kind of worried giving you garlic toast, papa." The woman joked, "You spend so much time in the darkness, I wonder if you're a vampire."

I chuckled softly, feeling nothing about the joke and no warmth in my heart. Yet, I was a great pretender. She brought me excellent food, after all. "Thank you, Melissa. Your food is always a pleasure."

She giggled and turned to leave, but not before a little girl darted into the room, "Mum! Up!"

Melissa turned with shock to the little girl, "Hanuh! What did I tell you about barging into your grandpa's workspace?"

"Up!" The girl jumped on the wooden floor, hands extended upwards with sparkling, hopeful brown eyes. I looked over to the small candlestick on my desk, the only light in here aside the light bursting in from the door. As Hanuh jumped, the flickering flame also wavered and swayed in unison. Hanuh was only a child and already showed the magical skills of both her biological parents.

The idea struck me like lightning.

I returned my gaze to the girl. As Melissa picked her up apologizing profusely to me, the light from the door lit the girl up more. She had dark skin and eyes like her father, Julius Tabor. Yet, she had elf like ears, and her blonde hair apparently was from the side of Ashla Icebreaker, her mother.

Tabor. Icebreaker. Two powerful, nearly extinct families, had merged in union to create this child. Fire and ice, bloodborn and potent. Endless in might. I had adopted her when her mother abandoned our old organization, I was kind of forced to, and handed her off to Melissa and my son. Yet, I suddenly saw actual purpose for this toddler. I had the means, I had performed excellerated growth on animals before and fed knowledge to homunculi in Alerar long ago. What if... Yes, what if I took the child and grew her into the ultimate weapon, sold her, and gained money from that? It would take time, yes, but...

Hanuh was the perfect specimen. Perfect genetics, perfect powers. Yes, she would do nicely as a weapon, and maybe more. Her mother was an attractive woman, lithe and curvey. No wonder Julius Tabor simped after her. Perhaps, a double purpose and better price could be made from Hanuh's grown body.

Yes, Hanuh was perfect for this. The great solution. Once I had grown and sold the Tabor-Icebreaker hybrid, I could return to my pet project.

All I needed to do was snatch the five year old away when her adoptive parents were not looking.