Sinan's voice came from inside the throne room, calm despite having caught him red-handed. "Eavesdropping isn't a good habit, Lucas."
Lucas froze outside the door. He hadn't expected her to notice him so easily. After a brief hesitation, Sinan spoke again, her tone carrying a faint hint of amusement. "Come in."
Lucas slowly entered the throne room, his expression troubled. He stopped a few steps from Sinan, his thoughts immediately returning to Vivian. "If those wolves were found at the castle… then Vivian must've been there," he said, his voice filled with worry. "I need to find her."
Sinan shook her head and turned toward him. "Not right now. You're not even fit to train, let alone go out there again."
Lucas looked down, knowing she was right. His fingers tightened slightly at his side. "I know…"
Sinan watched him for a moment before walking toward an old wooden cabinet near the side of the room. She opened one of its doors and reached inside, carefully pulling out a small orb. This one was much smaller, and its energy was noticeably weaker.
She turned back toward him, holding the orb in her palm. "Tell me, Lucas. Have you ever felt Vivian's energy up close?"
Lucas nodded without hesitation. "Yes. I have."
Sinan placed the orb on the table between them. Its faint glow pulsed once before settling. "Then focus on that feeling. If her energy is still strong enough, you might be able to find her."
Lucas stepped forward and placed his hand against the orb.
Nothing happened.
He waited.
Still nothing.
Lucas frowned and tried to focus, reaching for the familiar sensation of Vivian's energy. The memories of training with her, fighting alongside her, even the countless moments he'd spent simply being around her flashed through his mind. Yet the orb remained completely still.
Sinan leaned closer, observing the orb carefully. "Maybe… it's because you still haven't recovered—"
Crack.
The orb suddenly fractured beneath Lucas's hand.
Sinan immediately stepped back, her eyes widening as the cracks spread across its surface.
"Th… that has never happened before."
Lucas instinctively pulled his hand away and took a step back. The cracks continued spreading until the entire orb shattered, fragments scattering across the table.
For several seconds, Sinan simply stared at the broken pieces.
Then her expression changed.
"That means…" she murmured, her eyes narrowing as she began piecing together what had happened. "The orb can't detect her."
Lucas stared at her, stunned.
Sinan slowly looked toward him. "Wherever Vivian is… she's definitely not safe. This wasn't ordinary concealing magic. Whatever is hiding her energy is something else entirely."
Lucas's face went pale as the implications sank in. He looked toward the shattered orb, then back at Sinan.
"…Then you need to search that castle as soon as possible."
A wave of relief washed over Sinan. Whatever had caused the orb to crack, at least nothing else had happened because of it. Lucas turned toward her, desperation creeping into his voice as he asked, "Is there anything you can do to speed up my recovery…?"
Sinan hesitated before answering. "I can heal you… but I haven't used my healing powers in a long time. I don't want to risk making things worse. And if you take my advice, kid, don't leave without training first. We need to assess your powers before we let you head out there."
Lucas clenched his fists, determination returning to his expression. "Yes! I'll get stronger… and rescue my master."
Sinan gave him a tired look. "Go to sleep now. If you stay here much longer, you might not even be able to move in the morning."
Lucas nodded and quickly ran back toward the Mending Hall. His mind was filled with too many emotions at once—relief, fear, determination, and worry all tangled together. He couldn't even tell what he was supposed to feel anymore.
Lucas overslept.
Not by a little, either.
Morning had already settled over Veylith by the time he finally stirred. Whatever passed for sunlight in the underground kingdom was already illuminating the scattered buildings outside, yet Lucas remained completely motionless beneath the blankets. After everything his body had been through, it seemed to have decided that one night of sleep wasn't nearly enough.
When he finally opened his eyes, he stared blankly at the ceiling for several seconds.
Then he jolted upright.
"...Morning?!"
Lucas practically threw himself out of bed and stumbled toward the door, still half-asleep. He swung it open, only to find Elias standing directly outside with his arms crossed and a knowing smirk on his face.
"How do you feel about the Mending Hall so far?" Elias asked.
Lucas paused, rubbing one eye as he tried to wake himself up. "It is nice..." He looked down at himself, and his expression immediately changed. "But I can't exactly say I appreciate the change of clothes."
He grabbed the front of the unfamiliar outfit and pulled it away from his body, inspecting it with clear disappointment. It looked more like something meant for a martial arts class than something a warrior would actually fight in—plain white fabric, loose sleeves and pants, and a simple black belt tied firmly around his waist.
Elias glanced down at Lucas's outfit before looking back up, the smirk on his face growing. His voice carried a teasing amusement as he pointed out the obvious. "You've been asleep for half the morning, and that's your biggest complaint?"
Lucas frowned, clearly not appreciating the joke. He tugged lightly at the unfamiliar white fabric and answered with a hint of stubbornness, "I had a perfectly good jacket."
Elias raised an eyebrow, his expression turning even more amused as he reminded Lucas of the state he'd arrived in. "Your jacket was torn to pieces."
Lucas looked down for a moment, then muttered with complete sincerity, "Still had sentimental value."
Elias couldn't help but chuckle at that. Shaking his head, he turned away and motioned for Lucas to follow, his tone becoming more encouraging than teasing. "Come on, sleepyhead. You've got a lot to do today."
Lucas repeated Elias's words, still a little confused. "A lot to do?"
Elias smiled. "Queen Sinan's been studying those books all morning. She thinks she can get your energy chain running again, at least enough for you to start using your power properly."
Lucas's expression immediately brightened. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Elias chuckled at his sudden burst of energy and motioned for him to follow. The two of them made their way through Veylith until they finally reached the throne room.
Inside, Sinan was seated on her throne with a book open before her. Her elbows rested on the table, her fingers intertwined beneath her chin as she read through the pages with complete concentration. The room remained quiet until the door opened. Sinan slowly lifted her head from the book and looked toward the entrance.
"Oh, welcome, both of you," she said warmly.
Lucas and Elias bowed respectfully.
"Elias, like I explained to you…" Sinan began, closing the book in front of her.
Elias stepped forward and guided Lucas closer to the table. "I brought him."
Sinan nodded. She closed her eyes, her expression becoming completely focused as she concentrated on Lucas's energy. Elias moved behind him and placed one hand against the center of Lucas's back, directly over where his heart would be.
Then Lucas felt something he had never experienced before.
From behind Sinan emerged a strange energy unlike anything he had ever seen. It was dark, yet carried a white glow mixed with deep shades of burgundy. The energy gathered behind her and gradually took shape, forming into a sharp, pointed object. It was much thicker than a needle, yet unmistakably made entirely of energy.
Before Lucas could even react, it shot forward. The pointed mass pierced directly into his chest.
Lucas's body jolted as a powerful force suddenly surged from Elias's hand against his back. His entire body was pushed forward for a moment, and then his energy erupted outward.
His clothes and hair shifted from the force as a powerful orange glow spread across his entire body, illuminating the room around him.
Lucas's body suddenly began to rise from the ground, his feet lifting several inches into the air as the energy surrounding him intensified. His eyes remained tightly shut, while his hair lifted upward from the sheer force of the burst radiating from his body. The orange energy continued surging around him, accompanied by a sharp crackling sound that filled the throne room.
Elias raised both hands in front of himself, shielding his face from the intense glow as he looked toward Sinan. His voice carried a mixture of concern and anticipation. "Did it work?"
Sinan simply smirked, keeping her eyes fixed on Lucas as she watched the energy stabilize around him. Then, Lucas dropped.
The glow vanished instantly as his body hit the ground. His hair settled back into place, and his eyes slowly opened. He remained on the floor for a moment, breathing heavily as he took several long breaths, trying to regain his composure.
Lucas slowly pushed himself back onto his feet and looked down at his hands, turning them over as if expecting something to have changed. After a moment, he looked up at Sinan, still trying to understand what had just happened. "Wh-What happened to me?"
Sinan smiled. "I've studied this for a long time. It's something that can only be done by a Hexcaster like me. It speeds up the healing of your energy chain while also increasing the capabilities of your power. I'm sure you can hold more energy than you could before, but you'll still need some time to fully recover." She paused for a moment before adding, "Still, you should be able to train as much as you want now."
Lucas's eyes dropped toward his side, instinctively looking for the sword that was no longer there. His smile faded as the memory of Leo breaking it came rushing back. "My sword… It—"
Sinan rose from her throne with a smirk. "Elias… take Lucas to the training grounds. I've recovered his sword."
Lucas's eyes immediately lifted toward her.
Elias took Lucas toward the training grounds before leading him into the Duels Sector. At the heart of it stood a massive colosseum, its enormous structure looking almost misleading from the outside. Once Lucas stepped inside, he realized just how massive it truly was. The arena was several times larger than the one used during the Warrior Trials in the Kingdom of Dragons, with rows upon rows of seats stretching around the battlefield.
Lucas took a seat among the rows with Elias beside him, both of them watching a battle about to start between two anomalies. The clash below immediately caught Lucas's attention, and he leaned forward slightly as he watched their movements.
Observe them well, Lucas. You'll need to fight like that one day.
After watching them for a while, Lucas turned toward Elias. "Who are they?"
Elias pointed toward one of the fighters—a gigantic man whose body was nearly three times the size of his opponent. "That's Brutus. He's a No-Elemental-Type anomaly. His body possesses enormous physical strength."
Lucas's eyes remained fixed on the giant as Elias continued explaining. "These types of anomalies are different from normal ones. It's not that they haven't awakened any power… they simply don't have any elemental power at all. Their abilities are naturally present within their bodies."
Lucas's eyes widened slightly as the explanation clicked with something he already knew. Just like Drew…
He looked back toward the battlefield before asking, "And… who's the other?"
Elias told Lucas the name of the other fighter. "Varn. He is an Ice-Type anomaly, a mix of Water and Earth Style. Watch them closely, Lucas."
"By the way…" Lucas asked, glancing around the colosseum. "Why are people sitting so far from us? Is this place supposed to be special?"
Elias looked around before finally realizing what Lucas meant. "Oh, you mean why there's less people in our stands? It's because we're in the fighting sector. We could be volunteered to fight next."
Lucas's face immediately changed, his eyes widening as his teeth showed in a nervous grin. "H-Huh…?"
Before Elias could say anything else, Sinan appeared on top of a small piece of debris high above the audience. The moment the spectators noticed her, people began pointing upward and murmuring excitedly.
"Hey, look! The Queen is here!"
Lucas looked up toward Sinan before glancing down at his empty side. "But I can't fight without my sword."
Elias turned toward Lucas, surprised. "Didn't you get your sword?"
Before Lucas could answer, Sinan suddenly disappeared from the top of the debris. In an instant, she appeared right beside Lucas.
Sinan pointed toward the outside of the colosseum, toward the training grounds and the storage room beyond them, before calmly saying, "Go get your sword."
Lucas nodded and immediately headed off to retrieve it, leaving Elias and Sinan waiting for the fight to begin.
"Elias…" Sinan asked, watching Lucas leave. "What do you think? Is the boy strong?"
Elias looked toward the entrance Lucas had disappeared through. "Well, we're not sure yet. We may get to see it today."
Sinan nodded.
After waiting for some time, Lucas still hadn't returned. Sinan glanced toward the entrance again and sighed. "The boy has yet to come back. Maybe he got lost. I'm going to go check on him."
Meanwhile, Lucas was inside the dark storage room, using a small flame in his hand to light the area as he searched for his sword. He moved between the old shelves and piles of equipment, checking every corner he could find.
He reached behind one of the shelves and accidentally knocked a wooden box loose.
"Whoa—"
The box fell over, sending several old objects tumbling onto the floor. Lucas stumbled backward and barely managed to keep his balance before rubbing the back of his head. "Why is finding one sword so difficult…?"
He continued searching until his small flame illuminated something familiar.
His sword.
Lucas quickly walked over and picked it up, relief appearing on his face. He then looked around for his missing scabbard, eventually noticing an old chest sitting beside where the sword had been lying. He crouched beside it, curiosity getting the better of him.
"What's inside this chest? Is my scabbard here?" Lucas opened the chest. Instead of his scabbard, there was a single scroll lying inside. Lucas stared at it for a moment before picking it up.
"A scroll?"
He slowly opened it.
The instant the scroll unfolded, it began glowing orange, the same strange orange energy that had surrounded Lucas's body earlier. The glow spread from the scroll and began cloaking Lucas's body, wrapping around him as the energy intensified.
Then he heard Sinan's voice from outside the storage room.
"Lucas… did you find it? The match is almost about to start."
Sinan entered the storage room and immediately noticed the strange glow surrounding Lucas. Before she could say anything, the light from the scroll suddenly began to fade. The orange glow covering Lucas's body disappeared along with it, leaving the room in darkness once again.
Lucas looked down at himself, turning his hands over and checking his body. Nothing seemed different.
Sinan, however, looked completely stunned. Then her expression suddenly lit up.
"THE SCROLL… IT ANSWERED TO YOU!"
Lucas looked at her in confusion as Sinan took a few excited steps around the room, still staring at the scroll.
"It answered to you…" She looked at Lucas again, almost unable to believe what she had just witnessed. "It actually answered to you…"
Lucas glanced between Sinan and the scroll, growing more confused by the second. He couldn't feel anything unusual inside his body. "What… What did the scroll do?"
Sinan continued staring at him for a moment before finally calming down. A small smirk appeared on her face as she answered, "You'll see in a while…"
She looked toward the scroll again. "That scroll may now allow you to use Fire Style techniques that are usually forbidden and kept away from normal warriors"
Lucas's eyes widened.
"Forbidden…?"