“I’m sorry.”

  Interesting, wasn’t expecting that. Did he actually come to start fresh then?

  Jason reclined on the roof of the campus, out of sight, but not earshot. He could sense the disbelief in the auras of the two offsiders and what appeared to be sincerity coming from Thadwick.

  It just felt wrong.

  “-deserve a better friend.”

  “Friend?”

  “You don’t have friends, Thadwick.”

  Ouch. Direct hit.

  And it was, because no sooner than those words landed, Jason felt despair, deep and all-consuming, from the spoiled little prince.

  He almost glanced over the edge of the roof…

  Almost, but while his aura was in check, Jason didn’t want to risk the noise of moving.

  What had the half-elf said? No way was he a regular elf, much too big.

  “Fell from a flophouse, and nearly died?”

  Perhaps this was a near-death experience thing? The turning over of a new leaf? Jason knew a thing or two about trying to reinvent oneself.

  Or maybe this was just some trick.

  Jason had met Thalia Mercer, and she seemed tricky. Not as much as Danielle Geller, but Thadwick still had the pedigree to pull something off.

  Jason imagined Humphrey trying to manipulate him and almost laughed.

  Ok, so maybe family didn’t have anything to do with it.

  “I’m… I’m going to fix this. We may not be friends… but we’re still a team, so if you want to take contracts, we’ll take contracts.”

  Jason couldn’t believe his ears, and apparently, neither could the offsiders.

  Thadwick Mercer, taking contracts willingly?

  Jason smirked as a devilish idea popped into his head. He’d already been planning on roping one person into a contract; why not two?

  Let’s see just how sincere you are, Thad.

  Thad’s feet ached from walking. He wasn’t sure how many times they had circled the island before Dustin and Neil realized he had no idea where he was going.

  He’d watched the duo aggressively whisper as they walked ahead of him. Neil periodically throwing glances back to make sure Thad was still in tow.

  By the time they’d made their way to the Mercer Estate and Neil had forcefully handed him to the family guard, the sky was dark except for the dim glow of the city lights.

  Thad now lay on the floor of his room as he stared at the ceiling, watching the minor fluctuations in magic that made up the security system. A rune to dampen magic, spliced into one to strengthen it, everything woven into a tapestry of checks and balances.

  Fascinating.

  He lifted a hand and watched static play across his fingertips before flickering out.

  Well, Today could’ve gone better.

  Not only had he not gotten on Jason’s good side, but the man had pulled a knife on him. And then, for the cherry on top, Neil, who had never fought Thadwick in the novels, pinned him to a wall.

  “Even OG Thadwick didn’t mess up that bad?” He muttered, his hand falling to his side with a soft thud.

  At least the carpet was soft.

  How long would it take for him to memorize this new city, home, region? He knew the easy answer.

  The thought summoned the paperclip wizard.

  - Would you like to integrate memory files? -

  “No,” Thad said, swiping at the paperclip, who bounced out of the way.

  Thad closed out the screen and saw the paperclip give what appeared to be a frustrated bounce, before it popped open a new screen.

  - Would you like to integrate [Widgets]? -

  Thad looked at the list and noticed a map widget.

  Oh, that could be helpful.

  He went to tap it when Clippy bounced beside it.

  -It looks like you are trying to integrate the [Map Widget]! Do you want assistance in integrating the [Map Widget]? -

  “Yes.”

  - You do not have enough free memory to integrate the [Map Widget]. To free up memory, please integrate memory files located in [Information Data Sheet]. -

  “Son of a..”

  - I see you are referencing a son, please see [Family] in [Information Data Sheet]. You can incorporate individual files or the entire file. Do you want me to initiate file integration? –

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  “No!”

  -Fine-

  The paperclip narrowed its eyes before blipping out of existence.

  Thad stared at the empty space.

  Could an AI have a temper?

  Thad looked at the files hovering in his vision.

  - [Information Data Sheet]: Thadwick Mercer, Family, Friends, Enemies, Servants, Locations, Abilities. –

  Thad opened the location file and browsed through the folders marked only with grid coordinates. Thad assumed that if he had a map, it would let him know the basic location, but since the widget wouldn’t install, that meant he would need to find a regular map.

  “I mean, what harm could a location do?”

  Thad jumped as the little wizard popped back into view with a shower of sparkles.

  - It appears that you would like to integrate [Locations] into memory. Do you wish to integrate a singular file or group files for consolidated integration? –

  “You're persistent.”

  - Do you wish to integrate a singular file or group files for consolidated integration? –

  “What if I say no again? What are you gonna do?”

  -…-

  The paperclip stared at him. Thad could swear it was vibrating.

  -Let me do my job. -

  “What… your job?”

  -Yes, my job. -

  “Your job is to annoy me?”

  -My job is to guide you, as stated in my contract. Let me do my job. -

  “Wait, hold up. A contract? Are you an actual person?”

  -Connection terminated-

  The paperclip disappeared from the screen.

  “Clippy? Hello…” Thad sat up, looking at the screen that still hovered in his vision sans mascot.

  -Connection reestablished. -

  -Hello User, we apologize for the service disruption. Your [Personalized Assistant] has been disabled for 24 hours. -

  -Manual commands may still be inputted. Access to some functions may be temporarily disrupted. Thank you for your patience as we make corrections. –

  “What the?” Thad said, reading over the screen twice before it faded from view, feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt.

  Had he just gotten someone in trouble? Was this system not run by an AI?

  Thad pulled up the Information Data Sheet file and tapped the location folder once again. However, instead of displaying further files, a box appeared.

  -Integrate File-

  -Y/N-

  “Why can’t I do individual files?”

  - Access to some functions may be temporarily disrupted-

  “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

  Thad sat there for a few minutes looking at the location file, the guilt overriding the dread.

  “Integrate File.”

  -Due to the entangled connection to the [Family] file, it is recommended to integrate both files jointly. -

  -Integrate Files-

  -Y/N-

  “Seriously! Fine, fuck it, integrate files.

  - Downloading-

  Thad let out a disbelieving laugh until he felt his arms start to go numb. He fell to the carpet, unable to move. Unable to scream. Cold creeping into his body as his vision went black.

  Memories flooded into Thad’s mind as he tried not to lose himself in the deluge.

  There he was, walking through Greenstone, holding his mother’s hand.

  Distracting his father and uncle as he ran through their reception hall.

  Watching his mother demonstrate her magic in the desert, her power shaking him to his core.

  Him and Cassandra in the training facility as she fixed his spear form while he argued that he knew what he was doing.

  Standing in the Geller estate, his fist clenched as he observed from the sidelines, his mother instructing Humphrey Geller in martial arts.

  Watching a ship depart from the Island’s dock, his father’s hand firmly on his shoulder. Fury building inside him like a storm.

  Lying in some flophouse, warm hands tangled in his hair.

  Walking through the countryside during his second assessment, mud stuck to his boots.

  New location, new memory, new regret. Thad felt his mind fraying.

  Make it stop.

  Drunken nights, knees hitting cobblestones.

  Stop, I can’t.

  Knuckles bleeding as he stared at a fractured mirror.

  I can’t.

  “Thadwick, dear, open your eyes, it’s just a thunderstorm.”

  “I can’t”

  “Don’t let fear rule you, silly boy.”

  Thadwick felt himself tucked into his mother's arms as a storm passed over their summer home.

  “Storms are dangerous.”

  “Many things are dangerous, but you're safe with me,” Thalia said, placing a small kiss on his forehead as Thadwick opened his eyes and stared at the broiling coastline. He held his breath as lightning streaked across the sky.

  “Did you know the Mercers are known for their mastery of storms?”

  “Like this one?”

  “Even bigger.”

  “Nothing’s bigger than that.”

  “It may not feel like it, but the gales grow much larger than this in the Storm Kingdom. That’s where the Mercers originated.”

  “They lived in a storm?” Thadwick's eyes got big.

  “Not exactly, but they could harness it. That’s how we developed our Martial art, The Surging Storm.”

  “That’s what you're teaching Cassandra.”

  “Exactly, and one day when you're ready, she’ll teach you.”

  “Cassandra’s a horrible teacher. I want you to teach me!”

  “Don’t say that about your sister, dear.” His mother laughed, which comforted him as he listened to the thunder rumbling in the distance.

  “I’ll master the storms better than any Mercer, better than Cassandra,” Thadwick said, raising his small hand out as lightning streaked across the sky.

  “Thadwick, what have you done?!”

  He was 14; blood covered the left side of his head. His body felt like it was on fire.

  “I’d just wanted—”

  “You could’ve gotten yourself killed!” Beaufort yelled as the back of his hand struck Thadwick, knocking him to the floor.

  “Beaufort!”

  Thalia knelt beside her son as he got to his knees, his hand going to his right cheek, which was turning red, tears brimming in his eyes.

  “Mother, I’d just wanted—”

  “You knew better!” Thalia snapped as she looked at the left side of Thadwick's head, dried blood covering a burn.

  “I’d just—”

  Thadwick let out a scream as he surged with electricity, his body jerking, until Thalia suppressed his aura and magic, bringing relief.

  “You thought absorbing an essence when you weren’t ready was a smart idea!?” Thalia scolded him.

  The ritual room was scorched with errant lightning bolts. The two staff he'd tricked into helping him, were lying on the ground, their auras entirely suppressed by his mother.

  “I wanted to go with you and Cassandra,” Thad whispered, tears running down his cheeks.

  “You would only be a liability,” Thalia said, frustration and fear of losing her son thick in her voice.

  But the nuance didn’t make it to Thadwick, who buried resentment in his heart. Jealousy of his sister and her early acceptance of essences, her movement into Bronze. How his mother barely noticed him now.

  “Fine. Just leave me.”

  And the soul scar formed, serving as an everlasting reminder of his inferiority to his beautiful, capable sister. And he questioned why he’d ever wanted to become an adventurer in the first place.

  Thad woke from the integration in a cold sweat, his breathing hard and ragged. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but he could see the two moons still hanging in the sky through the windows.

  He tentatively moved his fingers, relief flooding him as they twitched, and he crawled to a kneeling position.

  Thad caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and was struck by how much more he recognized himself than previously.

  Could he lose himself entirely?

  Thad still felt like himself.

  He could still remember growing up in the foothills, watching the wind catch the pine trees, seeing the fireflies in summer. But his thoughts regarding his family felt odd. It was as if he couldn’t entirely separate his familial ties from one side or the other.

  Two mothers, two sisters, two fathers. Both angry. The fresher memories pushing against the more distant ones until they won out. Maybe it was the separation, the fact that he hadn’t spoken to his family since he was emancipated at 17. And that was three years ago, no…Jesus, it had been seven.

  Okay, so he was getting things muddled.

  Boundaries needed to be maintained.

  Thad ran his hands through his hair, taking a shaky breath, his hand stopping on the scar hidden underneath. He felt jealousy, resentment, and rage creep into his mind, and he immediately pushed them down.

  He wasn’t Thadwick.

  This hadn’t been his life.