"Alright, go pack your things," Mother ordered, her tone brooking no argument. "But don't take too much."
I turned to leave, but a heavy hand landed on my shoulder.
"Not you," a deep voice rumbled from behind me. Daemon. "It's time you learned it."
I stopped. "Learned what?"
"The Emerald Shield."
My eyes widened. Right. He had mentioned it before—a Clan ability.
"You're ten now," he said dryly. "Come to the courtyard."
He gestured to a guard who had arrived with him. The man nodded silently and fell in step behind us.
"Wait!" Mother called out, exasperated. "He still has to pack his things!"
"There's plenty of time for that," Daemon said without breaking stride. "Go on ahead, Maelis. He'll learn the ability in the blink of an eye. Then he'll pack."
She looked at me doubtfully. Her eyes said it clearly: Don't overestimate yourself.
Once we reached the courtyard, Daemon didn't waste a second.
"I've already told you that the Emerald Shield is our Clan's legacy. It is the reason we are considered the strongest human clan. But while it is one of our most powerful abilities, it is simultaneously our greatest weakness."
"What do you mean, Father?"
"The shield protects against all elemental magic. Fire, water, earth, lightning, air—nothing gets through. Once activated, it works automatically."
He looked at the guard. "Begin."
"Yes, my King!"
The guard drew his sword. Crackling lightning enveloped the blade. Elemental magic. Lightning type. He charged at Daemon.
Daemon didn't move a millimeter. He stood there like a statue. The guard swung. The sword raced toward Daemon's neck. He wasn't going to dodge?
CLANG.
At the very last moment, before steel touched flesh, something manifested around Daemon. A transparent, green crystal. Angular, sharp-edged, like a massive emerald encasing him. The lightning-wreathed sword bounced off as if striking diamond. A tiny crack appeared on the surface of the shield.
"That is the Emerald Shield," Daemon said calmly, while the guard stumbled back. The shield dissolved. Daemon stepped toward me. "Do you see the great weakness of this ability now?"
"The guard struck with full force and magic," I said. "The ground around you cracked. That blow would have cut you in half. But the protection blocked everything. Where is the weakness?"
Daemon shook his head. "You only see the advantages. But the disadvantages are devastating." He tapped his temple. "If you have near-absolute protection... what do you tend to do?"
I thought for a moment. "Lower your guard?"
He nodded. "You neglect your defense. This very ability is why most of our Clan are idiots. They rely solely on the shield."
"But the shield can break. A lightning bolt, please."
The guard fired a bolt of lightning. The shield reappeared, absorbing the energy.
"See?" Daemon asked, pointing to a spot on the barrier. "There is a small crack from the sword strike earlier. That crack will remain there for an eternity. The shield takes hours to regenerate. If it is completely destroyed, it takes days."
He looked at me seriously. "You can do nothing to speed it up. And it has happened to so many in our Clan: The shield breaks. They have no idea how to defend themselves otherwise. And so, they die."
He sighed. "Actually, it's foolish to teach you this at such a young age. But I know you aren't stupid."
"Are there other weaknesses?" I asked.
"The shield mainly wards off elemental magic. A few subtypes like ice or steam, yes. But something like Blood Magic? No. And Special Magic? Not at all."
He grabbed my shoulder. His grip was firm. "No matter what ability you possess: If you don't know your opponent's power, always dodge."
I nodded slowly.
"Good. I will tell you this only once. To activate the shield, you must concentrate mana into your eyes. But not like when you want to read someone." He leaned down to me. "You must go deeper. The key lies in our eyes. You must find the ability. It sits deep within the pupils."
"And that is the final weakness," he continued. "If you do not see the magic attack, or do not perceive it, the shield will not activate. And if your eye is destroyed... the shield is gone."
He straightened up. "That's it. Let's see how long you need. Aurora took thirty minutes. Cassian took two." He grinned mockingly. "Ordinary people take days. Some give up completely and wait until it activates on its own in mortal fear. But that is embarrassing."
He turned away. "You have the guard as a training partner. Just tell him when to attack you. And one more thing: You'll know the ability is active when you channel mana into your eyes but receive no visual benefits, like enhanced sight. Don't go hurting yourself like Aurora did back then."
I closed my eyes. I channeled mana into them. Not to the optic nerves. Deeper. I searched for the green spark.
There it was. Hidden behind the retina. An ancient mechanism. I reached for it. I flooded it with mana.
Click.
No enhanced vision. Just a quiet hum.
"It's active," I said.
Daemon stopped. He turned around slowly. "Excuse me?"
"The ability. I've activated it."
"Nonsense. You couldn't have found the point that quickly."
I looked at the guard. "Attack me. With magic reinforcement. Now."
The soldier looked uncertainly at Daemon. "My King? I don't want to injure the Prince."
"Do as he says," Daemon ordered. His gaze was razor-sharp now. "Do not hold back."
The guard charged. His fist was wrapped in a web of lightning. He struck. My eyes remained fixed on Daemon.
CLANG.
A green shield manifested between me and the fist. The lightning fizzled out harmlessly against it.
The guard stared at the shield with his mouth open. Daemon stared at me. Then, a grin ghosted across his face.
"You learned it in less than a minute." He shook his head in disbelief.
"I'll go pack then," I said, turning away. "Before Mother gets angry."
"Wait," Daemon said.
I stopped.
"Do you not wish to be trained as one of the Ten Seals?"
I turned my head slightly. The Ten Seals. The strongest knights in the realm.
"What do you say? Do you have the desire to be trained like Cassian? To be one of them in the future?"
I thought for a moment. "No thanks. I want to have a quiet life for now. When I'm eighteen or older, I'll think about it."
I walked away. The guard looked as if he had seen a ghost. Did he really just turn down the chance to become one of the Ten Seals?
"Who gave you permission to speak?" Daemon snapped at the guard.
Back in my room, I threw clothes into my trunk.
"Do you have it?"
A voice from behind. I turned around. Aurora was leaning in the doorway, arms crossed, her gaze boring into me.
"Certainly not in such a short time," she answered herself. "It hasn't even been ten minutes since you went to the courtyard with Father. I took over ten minutes."
"Yeah. Thirty," I said calmly. "And yes. I learned the Emerald Shield."
"What? Even Cassian took longer to find the core at all."
"It's true."
"How long did it take you?" she asked, looking horrified.
I hesitated. I shouldn't say that I barely needed a heartbeat. That would make her feel inferior again. Although... that wouldn't be so bad.
"Eight minutes," I lied.
"Eight minutes?" she repeated. "Liar. You were only gone for eight minutes total. The explanation takes six or seven minutes alone. And since you don't have a scratch on you, it means you got it right the first time. Which means you needed at least a minute."
I shrugged. "Caught me."
"Just... why did you lie to me?" she asked quietly. "Did you want me to feel better? If you took eight minutes instead of one?"
"Yeah. Something like that."
She scoffed. "Hmph. That's a mistake. Just because you learned the Emerald Shield quickly doesn't mean anything. It has more disadvantages than advantages anyway. Since I've had it, I've barely had to use it. I defeat my opponents without it."
She pushed herself off the doorframe. "I am stronger."
She walked away and slammed the door.
I continued packing. I threw the pills into the suitcase. Strange. When would the voices come back? Not that I was looking forward to them. But it was... singularly quiet.
When I was finished, I went downstairs. Mother, Eamon, Daemon, Valerius, and Elara with her baby were waiting outside. Even the entire staff was there to see us off.
Mother stamped her foot. "This can't be! Kael started packing after Aurora and still took longer!"
Elara held her by the shoulder. "Women just need more time than men."
I watched Daemon. He was speaking with a servant.
"I don't want the travel carriage," he said, pointing at the plain model he had arrived in. "I want the Royal Coach."
A guard stepped forward. "My King... it will be a long journey. Through dangerous roads where bandits have frequently been sighted. That carriage would attract too much attention."
"That is exactly the plan," Daemon replied coldly. He looked at us. "I want to see what experience my children have gathered over the last few years. Whether they are strong enough for Aeloria."
He waved his hand. "So, fetch the Royal Coach."
Aurora came running up. "Finally here," Mother huffed.
We said our goodbyes. The servants bowed low. Valerius came over to me. He shook my hand firmly.
"Get much stronger, Kael. Strong enough that you can be an opponent for my son in the future."
I looked at the baby in Elara's arms. It was sleeping peacefully.
"He will be very strong one day," I said politely.
"Of course," Valerius said proudly. "He is my son." He let go of me. "Watch yourself. or rather... watch those around you."
I climbed into the opulent carriage. The interior was lined with velvet. Everyone was inside.
"I'm so excited!" Eamon screamed.
Mother looked pale. "With this carriage, we are absolutely going to get robbed..."
Aurora leaned back, an arrogant smile playing on her lips. "Don't worry, Mother. I'll handle it."
Daemon gave the coachman a signal. "Onward to Aeloria."