The subtle noises of the maids whispering among each other echoes across the hallway corridor, and near the bedroom where the young white-haired boy resides. Outside of the door stood Mia, guarding the entrance with all her might.
One of the maids nearby whispered to the others. "The Young Master has locked himself in his room, and hasn't eaten anything these past few days..."
Another maid chimed in, nodding at the strangeness of the situation. "Both the Duke and Duchess tried to get him out of his room, but the door didn't even budge."
A third maid whispered into the conversation. "I'm worried... What if something bad happened to the Young Master—"
One of the maids desperately shushed her. "Don't say that! The Duchess is already feeling weak. We shouldn't cause any unnecessary worries for her!"
The maid that was shushed covered her mouth before nodding anxiously. A nearby maid slowly walked up to them, joining in on the conversation.
"... Maybe the Young Master locked himself up because he doesn't want another sibling—"
The maid that was talking slowly looked up at the other maids, confused as to why they looked so frightened.
They clung to one another as they saw the bloody red eyes of none other than the Grand Duke.
The maid that had her back against the Duke slowly turned around with slight fear. From the corner of her eyes, she finally saw the Duke. Her face completely turned pale, and she began to shake with fear before falling down to the ground.
The Duke flinched before he stretched his hand to her, looking slightly worried at the fallen maid. "Are you okay—"
But the fallen maid quickly got up, straightened her posture, and bowed with the utmost respect she could possibly do.
"P-Please forgive me, Your Grace! I-I didn't mean to gossip around about the Young Master! I-I was just worried about his well-being!"
Seeing the utter fear in her eyes, the Duke slowly retracted his hand and moved it behind his back. He wasn't intending on scaring or reprimanding her. But it seems that his resting face was enough to instill fear on them.
He slowly gazed away from them, and looked out the window.
Out in the garden, the spring leaves shiver delightfully in their trees. Beautiful white flowers finally began to bloom, and their petals flew gracefully into the air near a water fountain in the middle of the garden.
Who would've thought that such a beautiful garden was taken care of by just a single gardener.
After a moment of just staring at the scenery, the Duke finally let out a bitter sigh before trying his best to calm the maids down.
"... Don't worry, I'm not reprimanding you. Just continue on with your duties."
The maids flinched as they heard him speak before quickly nodding. "Y-Yes, Your Grace!"
With that, the maids quickly ran away from the Duke, leaving him alone in the empty hallway. He let out another bitter sigh before walking to where Mia was standing.
Once Mia saw the Duke approaching her, she quickly bowed down. "Greetings, Your Grace."
The Duke nodded at her greetings before gazing at the bedroom door that belonged to his son. He slowly touched the door, knocked a few times, and waited for a few seconds for a possible response.
But alas, not a single answer was made to the knock.
The Duke clenched his hand, and slid his hand down the door before gazing at Mia once again. "... Has Lysander not gotten out of the room yet?"
Mia shook her head. "Unfortunately, he hasn't... But he did bring some books to his bedroom right before he locked himself up."
"Books? What type of books?"
"That..." Mia hesitated for a moment to answer. "... Not long before he locked himself in his room, he went to the library and asked Veda for books regarding magic."
The Duke froze. He couldn't help but remember the words that the Head Mage told him regarding his blessing and the prophecy.
"... Is there any reason as to why he is suddenly interested in magic?"
"I have no clue..."
"I see..." The Duke slowly clenched his hand once more, feeling angry at himself for not knowing what his son is going through at the moment.
A set of footsteps quickly grew closer to them. Once the sound of footsteps stopped, the Duke slowly glanced at the two people standing behind him.
One of them was Veda. The other one was a young man in his early twenties with a small frame, short stature with brown curly hair, and wore wide circular glasses over his deep-green eyes.
They both bowed down, and greeted the Duke before standing upright.
The young man took a step forward while holding the same book that the white-haired boy had a few days ago.
"Your Grace, we have something to report regarding the Young Master."
The Duke glanced at the book he was carrying before slowly nodding.
"... Let us head to my office then."
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
The three people stood before the Duke as he sat down on his chair—his hand resting on the desk filled with countless paperwork and books that needed to be checked daily.
After a few moments of silence, the Duke finally gazed back at the three people, and fiddled with the fountain pen next to him, before looking solely at the young man.
"... Leo. You said you had something to report regarding Lysander, correct?"
The young man took a step forward, and adjusted his glasses before speaking. "Yes, Your Grace. A few days ago, the Young Master came up to me and questioned me with the content of this book."
He gently placed the book down on the desk, exposing the familiar title: The Theory of Mana.
He hesitantly pushed the book forward for the Duke to see. "... It seems he's trying to learn how to cast magic, Your Grace."
The Duke slowly grabbed the book, and stared at the title before gazing back at the young man.
The young man in front of him—now identified as Leo—is the leader of the mage division that serves under the Duke. Despite his young age, he is currently one of the strongest mages residing in the Izora Empire.
The Duke slowly placed the book back down, and anxiously tapped his finger on the cover while rubbing his brows.
"... Since you're well versed with magic, he might've thought you could easily respond to any of his questions." He then sighed before looking back at Leo. "So, what type of questions did he ask specifically?"
"He was questioning the process of feeling mana, and was also hinting on the quickest method to learn how to cast magic, Your Grace."
"I see... But why does he suddenly want to learn how to cast magic?"
Veda took a step forward, chiming in on the conversation. "Your Grace. I've been taking care of him during his time in the library just like you told me to, and helped him attain any type of books that were difficult to find." She looked away, feeling slightly guilty.
"... But a few days ago, the focus of his genre shifted from historical and medical knowledge, to magic and strategic warfare." She then let out a bitter sigh. "Shortly after, he asked for some specific books regarding magic and other related concepts. It was right after that when he decided to lock himself in his room"
Finally finishing all her report, Veda bowed down. "I sincerely apologize for not being able to look after the Young Master, and failing to report to you his strange behavior."
The Duke shook his head. "Don't worry. I'm also to blame. I haven't been attending him these last few days because of work..."
The Duke grabbed some of the papers from his desk. Mia recognized those papers, and immediately spoke out. "Is it about the recent surveillance of the Count?"
The Duke flinched, not responding to her words before he closed his eyes, rubbed his forehead, and sighed. "... It's best not to talk about such things in the open, Mia."
Mia hiccupped before she covered her mouth with both hands, feeling embarrassed about what she's done.
Veda glanced at Mia, gently chuckling before changing the current topic to save her dignity. "Your Grace. What should we do about the Young Master's situation? Her Grace is constantly worried about his well-being."
The Duke anxiously clenched his hand after hearing those words.
Mia saw the trembling hands of the Duke, and immediately responded with good news. "I-I made sure the Young Master ate all his meals!"
Upon hearing those words, the Duke's hand slowly stopped trembling before her let out a relieved sigh.
But even then, he couldn't help but dimly look down at the desk. "... I've tried to talk to him, but no matter how many times I stand before his door… he simply tells me that he's fine, and just wants to be alone."
The Duke slowly clasps his hand together, looking determined as to what he should do. "Either way, it's time I bring him out of the room. There's no telling what might happen—"
But before the Duke could finish his sentence, a huge explosion—followed by the screams of servants—echoed throughout the mansion.
The Duke immediately stood up, and headed out to check the situation. But just as he was about to leave the room, a butler immediately entered, panting out of breath before he called out for the Duke.
"Your Grace! The Young Master! He's—"
Upon hearing the inaudible words, a familiar black-blue fog covered the Duke's entire body. He quickly exited the room, and dashed through the halfway corridor to where his son's bedroom resides.
It only took a few seconds to go from the office to his son's bedroom—which was on the opposite side of the huge mansion.
Many maids and servants, shaking and panicking, began surrounding the boy's bedroom. Upon closer inspection, the front door was scorched, and huge amounts of black smoke began to leave through the cracks with no signs of ending.
The Duke gently made his way through the crowd of servants. Once he stood in front of the scorched door, he slowly grabbed the hilt of his sword.
"... Everyone. Please take a step back."
Upon hearing those words, all the people began to move far away from the Duke. He quickly drew his sword, and slashed the door. Once he sheathed his sword, the door slowly crumbled into many pieces before hitting the floor.
With the room finally open, he quickly entered the room, and expanded his aura to forcefully clear out the smoke in the room.
As soon as the smoke cleared out from the room, his heart froze at the scene before him.
His son laid there motionless on the floor—bathed in the eerie sunlight filtering through the window. He quickly ran up to his motionless son, and his eyes widened even more with despair as he kneels beside him.
Panic began to rise within him as he gazed at the sight of his son's pale face, marred by a gash on his forehead, and severe burns covering his arms.
Fear and anguish continued to engulf the Duke's heart as he desperately brought his son closer to his arms—trying to at least give him a bit of warmth to his cold body.
Many of the servants who entered the room saw the sight, gasped, and began to panic.
The Duke's voice trembled for a bit before he yelled out a cry.
"Please... get Priya immediately!"
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
In the heart of lush forests, Nature's influence was evident as the healthy branches of the trees stretched out to the sky, with their roots delving deep into the Earth's soil. Water flowed through the land, nourishing all those who live, while the Wind carried the seeds of nature on its currents—spreading the cycle of life.
Amidst the open plains, Fire's warmth encouraged new life to bloom and foster. But in the cold realm, Ice formed beautiful patterns across the landscape, yet dared no living being to gaze upon it, with lightning cracking in the sky with no mercy.
Darkness lingered in the shadowed groves, creating a necessary counterpart to Light that reminds one of the balance between creation and decay.
Beneath the surface of the ocean, Water held sway, its currents shaping coastlines and sustaining a myriad of life forms. In the depths, the Earth's crust shifted—creating the many mountains and valleys we see today.
Above it all, Light casts its radiant glow and illuminates the world below, guiding the way forward.
These elements are not separate entities, but interconnected threads—each reliant on the others to maintain the delicate balance of the natural world.
In this realm where the natural world thrived, nine elemental forces intertwined seamlessly, each shaping the landscape in its own unique way and soon forming into the nine elemental attributes of magic: Fire, Water, Ice, Earth, Wind, Dark, Light, Nature, and Lightning.
Many people who wield magic first need to know which attributes they closely align with. Some may have a high attribute to an element, while others may not have any attribute at all. Using an element with a low affinity can lead to some... disastrous consequences if not handled correctly.
This short story continued to fill my mind as I slowly opened my eyes, and saw an unfamiliar tile of the bed canopy above me.
I quickly sat up, and saw mother and father talking with a female priest, alongside some knights and maids.
I looked at my hands and arms that I thought were gravely wounded, only to see no injuries at all.
I then touched my face to see if there were any other injuries that I am not aware of, but couldn't feel any.
Mia, who was standing right besides me, immediately called out to me the moment she saw me moving.
"Young master! You're finally awake!"
Upon hearing those words, both mother and father turned their heads around, and stared at me. Their anxious expression slowly turned to relief before they hurriedly walked towards me.
Mother gently stretched out her hand to touch my forehead, checking to see if I had a fever. "Are you feeling well? The priest healed you with magic, but I'm worried that you might still be feeling unwell..."
I stared at her anxious eyes, and slowly looked away with guilt as I'm the reason for her worries. "I-I'm okay... I don't feel any pain anymore."
From the corner of my eyes, I saw father standing beside mother. His ruby-red eyes looked at me with so much worry, even sadness.
I couldn't help but to try and avoid his gaze.
He probably hates me now...
The Duchess tried to reach out her hand to comfort the young boy, but the Duke gently grabbed her hand and stopped her from doing so. She turned her gaze to him, trying to understand why he wasn't letting her comfort the boy.
He just responded with a bitter smile. "... Let me."
The Duchess' eyes widened before she slowly retracted her hand with a nod.
Father slowly walked towards me, and knelt on the floor before gently holding my hand. Once I felt his warmth, I slowly looked at his red eyes filled with the same worry and sadness as before.
We both stayed silent, and only looked at each other before he began to speak.
"Lysander... Are you sure you're feeling okay?"
My hand began to shake at the unexpected words. For some reason, I thought he was going to be angry. After all, I trapped myself in my room, did so many reckless things, and injured myself—maybe even others—in the process.
All so I could gain power to save mother.
Feeling so guilty about the mess I caused, my eyes wandered down to the ground, and I could feel some unfamiliar tears forming underneath my eyes.
"F-Father... Do you hate me?"
Father flinched at my words, and immediately shook his head in response. "No! Don't think like that, Lysander!"
He squeezed my shaking hand, trying his best to calm me down before gently placing his hand on the side of my face—wiping away the tears that were now streaming down with his thumb.
"I-I was just afraid. So afraid that I was going to lose you..."
Afraid...
You're not the only one afraid, father. I was also afraid that maybe this warm and happy family that I finally found... would shatter, and leave me to suffer—just like before.
Just thinking about such cruel things... I couldn't help but cry even more.
Why can't I stop these tears from falling down?
Even as I violently wiped them away, even more tears continued to run down my face with no signs of stopping. This is so unlike me. I was acting like a complete baby throwing a tantrum.
But even then, father gently grabbed my hands, forcefully stopping me from hurting myself even more, and looked straight into my puffy eyes. Despite my blurry vision, I could clearly see the sadness and worry in his eyes.
Once again, father wiped away my ugly tears before wrapping his arms around me for a hug.
"Please… don't hurt yourself anymore, Lysander."
"I-I'm sorry... I-I just wanted to learn magic... I-I wanted to protect everyone..."
Tears continued to downpour from my face, and were even staining his clothes. But even then, father continued to hold me in his arms. He softly rubbed my back, and stroked my hair as gently as he could while whispering to my ear that everything is going to be okay.
Mother quietly walked up to us, and soon embraced me into her arms. As I looked up to see her face, subtle tears formed underneath her eyes.
"Lysander... Just know that we will always be here for you. If you have anything that troubles you, don't hesitate to tell us."
Such warm and caring words…
Without hesitation, I hugged her back, and clung to her clothes while the same tear now stained her clothes—instead of father's.
"M-Mother, F-Father... I'm sorry..."
Father continued to gently stroke my head. "Don't worry, Lysander. We're just glad that you're safe."
Even when there were so many people in the room watching us—even as mother and father wrapped their warm arms around me… I couldn't stop crying.
It felt like both my eyes and heart were about to burst.
But as mother and father hugged and comforted me with their sweet words, the excruciating pain slowly… disappeared. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel my lips slowly curving up into a small smile before I squeezed my arms around them even more.
The warmth of what you call parents... Is it greedy for me to want more of it?
I just want... to feel this moment...
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
After the incident, the white-haired boy collapsed with exhaustion, sleeping in the arms of his mother and father with a smile on his face. Since his bedroom is damaged, the Duke and Duchess decided to let him sleep in their bedroom for the time being.
The young boy laid asleep in the middle of the bed, separating the Duke and Duchess.
The Duchess continued to gaze at the sleeping boy, and smiled so warmly as she gently played with his hair while the Duke watched them both with a subtle smile across his face.
After a few seconds of playing with his hair, the Duchess stopped before gazing at the Duke with saddened eyes.
"... Just what made Lysander try to learn magic all of a sudden?"
A single thought continued to echo in her mind, making her mouth quivered with fear. "... Is it because of the Blessing of the Mana?"
The Duke calmly looked at her, and slowly reached out to her before caressing her face with so much love and affection. "Don't worry, Isabella. Even if it's because of the Blessing of the Mana... We'll continue to protect him."
The Duchess gazed into his loving eyes, and slowly nodded back. "Yes... I'll also do what I can to protect him."
Uttering those words, she finally fell asleep, leaving only the Duke awake.
He continued to lay down in bed—gazing at his son and wife with a delicate smile. He then closed his eyes, and contemplated all that had happened today.
When his child was injured on the floor, he immediately brought the priestess to heal his severe injuries.
It took about an hour or two to completely heal the injuries that he sustained. But after his son was completely healed, he then spoke to the female priest with wavy red hair.
"From the looks of it... his arms and hands sustained the most injuries, alongside his face. The burns especially took a long time to heal..."
Conversing with the female priest, the Duke tapped his feet impatiently with his arms crossed. "... The only explanation is Fire magic."
The priestess nodded with agreement. "I also think so, Your Grace."
With that, he called Leo to analyze his magic capacity. After analyzing, they found out that he had achieved two rings around his heart.
Children normally begin to learn magic by the age of fourteen when attending the academy in the Empire for four years. Students in the sophomore or junior year would achieve two rings at that time and graduate with three or four rings.
But to think a two-year-old child has already achieved the second ring...
Still laying down on the bed, the Duke gazed at his—who was still sleeping peacefully in the bed.
He reached out for him, but stopped himself before pulling back his hand, and looked at him so bitterly.
"Lysander... I just hope you can tell us what worries you..."
The spring breeze grazed through the window—howling alongside the cold night, and gently gliding in between the tree's leaves, creating such a majestic symphony.
As the Duke heard nature's music, he slowly got up from the bed, changed his attire, and quietly left the room.
As he walked down the hallway corridors, two people in black robes appeared behind him and knelt down. From their stature alone, you could tell that one was a male, and the other a female.
The Duke stopped walking, and then gazed at the people behind him from the corner of his eyes.
The robed-man began to speak. "Your Grace. We are here to report the current movements of Count Avington. He is currently gathering troops with other nobles of the Noble Faction."
"I see... When are they planning to move?"
"It seems they are going to try and infiltrate the estate in two days' time. It also seems that the Emperor is helping them cover up the situation..."
The Duke let out a sigh before speaking again. "Continue observing him. Notify me if any major changes arise. I'll notify all the knights and mages in the estate to carry on with the plan."
"Yes, Your Grace!"
Both the robed people instantly disappear into the shadows, leaving the Duke standing in the hallway alone at night, alongside nature's symphony.
He slowly looked out the window, closed his eyes, and clenched his hands together with determination.
"... This time, I won't make the same mistake."
He then opened his eyes forward, and walked down the hallway corridor before silently disappearing into the darkness, preparing himself to protect the people he cares for.