Chapter 42
Lucas was sitting in a comfortable chair, studying a large book filled with strange symbols and diagrams of Runes and Seals.
Little Mia was curled up on his lap, her small body warm against his.
She peered at the complex texts over his arm, her brow furrowed in deep concentration even though she could not understand a single word.
"I don't under-stand," she finally said, her childish voice full of confusion.
Lucas chuckled softly.
He had just finished explaining a concept in the simplest way he could think of.
He looked across the room at Tracy, who was watching them quietly. "Can you help me here?" he asked her.
Tracy smiled gently and walked closer. "Runes are interesting. I have been reading about them a little, by the way," she said.
Lucas nodded. "I know that. That's why I asked for your help." He shifted the book so she could see it better.
"You don't mind me entering your private studying room?" Tracy questioned, glancing around at the shelves of old books and scrolls.
"You like reading, right? You can go and read as much as you want in here," Lucas replied warmly.
Just then, Mia spoke up, pouting. "Mia doesn't like reading. I can't understanding any of it." Her little face was so serious that Lucas chuckled again.
"Then let us help you understand," he said kindly.
"Just because you don't understand something now doesn't mean you should stop trying." He then gave Tracy a small signal, asking her to explain what she knew.
Tracy relaxed her shoulders and sat on a nearby stool
"First of all," she began, looking at Lucas with a playful frown, "you can't explain Runes to a child using words that even grown-ups can't understand."
Lucas scratched his head awkwardly, admitting his mistake. "Okay, you're right," he said.
Tracy turned to Mia, her voice soft and clear. "Okay, Mia. Think of Runes like… special magic spells, but written down. People say that if you learn Runes perfectly, you can create anything you wish for. Do you remember your favorite stuffed toy? With Runes, you could even bring it to life! You could fly high into the sky with it, or even go and hold the sun in your hands. You could make your very own little sun to light up your room."
Mia's eyes grew very wide.
She showed a focused, determined face, all her earlier frustration gone. "Mama, I want to learn Runes! Can you please teach me runes?" she asked, her voice filled with excitement.
"That explanation was much simpler," Lucas nodded, impressed.
Then he frowned, a little embarrassed. "Anyway, what was wrong with my explanation?"
"Everything," both the mother and daughter said at the same time.
Mia then jumped down from Lucas's lap and ran to her mother, hugging her legs.
"Mom, I am going to play in Lucas's study room!" Mia announced before running off to explore a quieter corner of the room, where some strange but safe artifacts were kept.
"She is always so energetic," Lucas commented with a smile as he watched her go.
He then looked back at his book. "So, can you give me your viewpoints on this set of Runes?"
"Before that," Tracy said, her tone becoming more serious, "can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, what is it?" Lucas spoke, looking directly into her eyes. Her eyes, usually happy and calm, now held none of that warmth. The happiness had disappeared, replaced by something slightly darker and more guarded.
"I have waited for the past few days," Tracy began slowly.
"I watched you train and deal with your other problems, so I decided not to talk about this sooner. But Lucas, from what I have seen of you, you are kind. You deeply worry about us. I have loved the care, and how you keep us fed and safe. I know you didn't force us to be here… but you did kill my husband." Tracy took a deep, shaky breath and finally asked, "Tell me. What do you want from us?"
Lucas's smile faded.
He looked at her carefully before closing his book with a soft thud and letting out a sigh. "What do I want?" he repeated her question quietly.
Then his eyes began to glow, turning into a chaotic, swirling blue color, like a fierce sun trapped inside them. "I want to show every being on the highest planes of power how mortal they truly are. I want to show this whole world how great I can become. I want to show the members of my fallen clan that they will never, ever be someone like me. And I want to show my mother that no matter if the whole world is against her, I can protect her from all of it."
He paused, the light in his eyes blazing. "If you are asking what I want from you," Lucas said, his expression softening into a smile,
"it is to help me achieve these things. In return, if you want your husband brought back to life, that can happen. If you want power, it will be easy to achieve. If you want wealth, we can have an unlimited amount of it. You and your daughter are greatly gifted in ways only someone with my eyes can see."
His eyes returned to their normal blue color, and he showed a normal, gentle smile. "If you don't want to help, you can stay inside my house as long as you wish. As I said before, you just need to take care of it. That's okay, too. Not everyone is going to reach the highest heights with me. At the very least, you can benefit from just being a worker of mine. Or you can leave. I will give you enough funds to do whatever you want in a normal, quiet life."
His voice grew quieter but firm. "But this world, ruled by power and control, never favors the weak-minded, weak bodies, or weak souls. Just remember that."
Tracy crossed her arms, thinking deeply for a long time.
Lucas had already opened his book again, reading more about the Runes he had stolen from the Royal Vault.
He also had some special equipment he had stolen, but he was thinking of first finding the best location to place them.
He did not trust that his little hidden lab was completely unknown to the Royal Faction.
"Do you really think it's possible?" Tracy finally asked, her voice full of doubt.
"There are so many unknown spells in this world, and many great clans, hidden cities, powerful organizations, and huge empires that could destroy you in a single blink of an eye. And you… a kid who's 16 years old… you really think you can achieve whatever you want? As you said it to yourself, this world isn't kind to those who are weak. I know that. That's the reason I married that stupid husband of mine. He gave me a daughter I deeply love, but even so, he never loved her, nor did he truly love me, except for showering us with money. But at the very least, he protected us… even if he failed at it in the end." She looked at him, her expression one of looking down on a kid who spoke nonsense. "But what can you do?"
Lucas didn't look up from his book. "I will achieve it. That is a matter of fact, or I will die on the road trying to achieve it. Isn't that what life is? But even so, I have to prove to myself and to this world that it is possible. I only needed one year to reach this level of power. What will happen if I continue to grow stronger for five years? For ten?" He smiled a confident, focused smile as he returned to studying the Runes.
Tracy couldn't understand why, but she felt like Lucas was both stupidly brave and strangely believable.
She did not know for sure, but she decided she could just stand still and watch for now. Maybe she could even benefit from being trained by him.
She needed power to protect her daughter and to survive in this harsh world.
Right now, she felt she had no other choice but to find that power on her own, and perhaps Lucas's offer was a path.
So, she did not say much more, standing silently in the quiet study room.