The Thanaton Syndrome

Chapter Twenty Eight: Pt. 2

"I don't know where it came from," Seth said.

"How did you discover it?"

Seth quickly told the story of how he'd originally discovered it by reaching out to Spencer.

Tova looked a bit puzzled. "Strange. Somehow you never found out about it until now, and you have incredible strength. You do realize this type of magic was meant to go only to the Royals of Alaisia, correct?"

"Yeah" Seth said. "Jenna told me that. She said... I have to be royalty, somehow, but she didn't get it. I don't really get it either."

Tova chuckled. "If it makes you feel much better, it makes no sense to me either. You are an Outlander, clearly, and no one can mistake it by the way you act and speak. The only viable solution is that your parents, or one of them, is a Royal. However, even that seems strange as I know well enough that no Royals have ever gone missing. Seth, I'm convinced to believe that you are not a Royal."

Seth nodded, partly in relief. Someone finally believed just what he did for once.

"However, I do think you must have some amount of history in this land," Tova said. "Magic, especially strong magic like you have, could never originate in the Outland."

Seth didn't answer.

"Either you were born here and moved there when young, or your parents come from Alaisia, or..." He trailed off thoughtfully.

"Or what?" Seth could mostly only tell that both the options so far included his parents' involvement with Alaisia, which he still refused to believe.

"I suppose someone may have cursed you, or, if you wish to think of it in more positive terms, gifted you. The best way to test this is to pin down if your power is unique to you, or if someone close to you also has the magic of the Fae. Likely, if someone close to you has it, it's natural and not individually given. If only you have it, however—"

"Just me," Seth said.

"Hold on. You said you didn't recognize even your own ability until recently. How do you think you would know someone else's before you even discovered your own?"

Seth was still shaking his head. "Who do you mean? Rachel? Lydia? My mother? They wouldn't. I know they wouldn't— they couldn't."

Tova raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to agree with me to have any prejudiced opinions. I suggest you learn as much as you can about this ability— after all, it will likely stick with you forever. In order to do this, I need you to answer me as truthfully as you can, no matter how much you may hate Alaisia."

Seth sighed. "Okay. How will you figure out if they have it though?"

"Just answer some questions for me. Are either of your sisters particularly good at anything? Do they attract anything naturally?"

"I don't know. Rachel used to play the piano, I guess, but mostly she's with her friends or doing her makeup. Lydia... well she attracts everyone. She's overly happy all the time, and..." He bit his lip. "She's the most amazing little girl ever. I don't even know how anyone could be as wonderful as she is."

"You came on the quest because of her, did you not?"

"Yeah, she got the disease."

"I see." Tova thought for a moment before saying, "She attracts everyone naturally, you say?"

"Yeah, because she's charming and sweet and selfless and— just so unlike any other seven year old of her age."

"She sounds quite delightful," Tova said. "Do people quite literally flock to her, as if she's irresistible? As if they simply cannot stay away?"