The Birth of Fides

"You have to cast a spell that creates a mono-mana channel between me and ...heh... Cake."

"It's not that funny."

"Then, you have to maintain that channel long enough for us to bind to each other. It's the only way we can form a contract."

I frown. "But why? It never takes this much effort."

"Really? So you've formed contracts with dozens of truth magic-using creatures, have you?"

".....I see your point, continue."

"That's all you have to do. I'll handle the rest, and that will be that. Got it?"

I nod. Cake's body, which is sat atop the egg, assumes a meditative position and closes its eyes. In my head, I construct and speak an incantation for the required spell, then cast it on both Cake and the egg.

Cake is still unconscious, but her body is loosely controlled by the egg to prevent it from falling over.

"Say, Niece."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Do you have a name?"

The egg purs and an immense amount of white mana begins to rise out of its shell. All of that mana gathers to form a dome around Cake. As more mana concentrates on that dome, it thickens and grows into something capable of enveloping the entire nest before eventually stopping.

"My name, huh?"

Using the channel I have created, that entire dome of mana flows into Cake's body. Her body has no initial response, but as more and more mana begins to infiltrate her body, it begins to tremble. Cake's consciousness is slowly resurging, but the being in the egg cannot risk messing things up.

"When my parent placed me here, it spoke no words to my dormant spirit that I can remember today. However, it left me with me latent memories that sprouted once I had developed enough."

Cake convulses once, then freezes in place. The egg has taken command of her body, disallowing her to wake up. It seizes control, then Cake's eyes snap open, blazing with white light yet again. When I see this white light, I think back to Cake's earlier assessment. She had the highest affinity for sorcery, and when the egg took control of her, a white light would shine in her eyes. Even the dome of mana was white. It made me think that truth magic could actually be a species of sorcery.

"Aunty Razalith!"

For the first time, I hear the being in the egg call me by such a title. It surprises me at first, but I focus on the matter at hand before addressing it. "What is it, Niece?"

"The channel is too narrow! Can you alter its structure without erasing it completely?"

"Can I? Isn't it just alteration?"

"Now's not the time for bragging- Do it!"

"Right!"

Raising a finger, I begin to alter the structure of the channel I created, repeating the incantation but changing bits and pieces of it. The metaphysical channel grows, enabling a larger amount of mana to pass through it at one time. Cake's body tremors again, but my Niece in the egg holds her down and keeps her steady.

Time and time again, as the dome continues shrinking and more mana enters Cake's body, Cake trembles, convulses and seizes up. Numerous times, my Niece in the egg is forced to take action to stop the excruciating process from waking her.

Soon enough, when the dome is depleted and all the mana absorbed by Cake's body, the situation calms.

"Good. Now she merely needs to wake up so we can begin the contracting process."

I sigh and plant my ass on the floor, folding my legs and staring at the egg.

"About those memories. What did you learn from them?"

While speaking, the egg is letting go of Cake's consciousness so that she may wake. "I learned a lot of things, but not much about me specifically. I learned of ancient history, of forgotten races and the wars they waged; I learned about the lost worlds and the unattainable heights of what lies beyond. However, I know nothing of who I am, who my parent was, or why I was left here."

I gulp. In the past, Razalith would have killed for this knowledge. Even now I can feel the urge arising in me to draw out the full extent of my power to launch a surprise attack on the egg, but I suppress it. Razalith knew nothing of restraint, but it was understandable for her time.

In her desperation and haste, she pulled out all the stops and made endless sacrifices to be able to raise the strength of both herself and her army. Even so, it was not enough.

"We will speak of those things another time, Aunty. The dessert awakens, heh heh!"

I shoot the egg a glare, then see Cake open her eyes. Now, they are without the raging white light that was present when the egg was controlling her. She looks to me, realizes she is seated on the egg, then blinks a few times and rubs her eyes.

"Rachel..."

"Yes, Cake?"

"I feel...weird..."

I chuckle and am about to respond, but I sense a strong disturbance in the space around me. No, it is more than that...

The space within the entirety of the Nest is ...pulsing with powerful mana. This mana is not just creating a pressure that is terrifying to bear, but it is steadily growing more and more powerful as time passes. Eventually, I actually have to steel myself against it in order to resist.

What shocks me the most is the fact that this mana is leaking out of cake, and it is a minor leak at that.

Cake suddenly looks to the left, shocked and confused. She looks the right afterward, still shocked but now bordering on frightened.

"Do you hear her voice in your head?" I ask her this, guessing that the egg is communicating with her.

"Yes... Who is that?"

"Look below you. That's my Niece's voice you're hearing. I want you to do exactly what she says, okay?"

"A-alright, Rachel."

Slightly worried, I cast a simple flight spell to take me up to her. Arriving at her side, I place a hand on her head and give her a few pats, but she is now too involved in her internal matters to notice my touch. She and my Niece are probably working through the details of the contract.

Minutes pass, then an hour. An hour flows into two, then four, then ten. The day has ended, and there is now less than one day before the entrance exam.

Cake does not wake, but I see the egg becoming more active than ever.

Suddenly, without using Cake as a middle man, I hear the raw voice of my Niece.

"It's settled, Aunty Razalith."

"The contract is formed?"

"It is, yes. Although, I have to ask, did you do anything to this girl?"

Not understanding why she would ask this, I frown and say, "No. Why?"

"Oh, no real reason."

I do not pursue the matter, as I feel the egg changing beneath my feet. It is shedding the stone layer, exposing the weaker shell that lies underneath. I pick Cake up and fly down with her in my arms, then turn around to see what's happening.

The egg is quickly starting to shatter at various points. The creature within it is finally emerging, and I cannot contain my curiosity and excitement. Cake wakes up behind me, but I do not even turn around to see her. Every ounce of my focus in on that egg, waiting for the moment it is destroyed from the inside.

"Earlier, you asked me my name." I hear the creature in the egg speaking, this time with rage in its voice. It is annoyed at the eggshell, and continues bashing against it and pushing with all its might.

"I didn't have an answer at first, since I never gave it any thought. Usually, the parent is responsible for naming, but I was never given a name. So, I've chosen one instead!"

With a final, powerful thrust, massive shards of eggshell are sent flying to every corner of the room, crashing into the walls and causing a large amount of dust to rise. A few pebbles and rocks fall from the ceiling, but, luckily, it does not cave in. I am, however, forced to erect a defensive barrier to protect Cake and myself from being hit.

A large, triangular-shaped bit of shell dematerializes as it touches my barrier, then I remove it and turn around to make sure Cake is alright. Her expression reminds me of my initial purpose, and I hurry to turn around and grab my first look at what is inside the egg.

I see nothing, and I frown.

"It's gone... It ...shrunk down." I hear Cake say this, and realize that I have missed my chance to see the creature in all its glory.

Following a streaking flash of white light, a tiny salamander-like creature appears on Cake's shoulder. It looks at both of us before flashing a toothless smile and giggling gleefully.

"As of today, I am called Fides, the Demon Lord's one and only Niece!"

Still unwilling to accept that I missed my chance, I stand in silence and stare at the banana-sized salamander. It's body is a dark red, tinged with spots of black, while its eyes are two distinct colors: white and gold.

Cake reaches up to pet it, and it graciously accepts with a stuck-out tongue.

"Hi Fides! You're cute."