I slipped into the quiet garden behind the east wing. The palace was still waking up, and the staff were busy elsewhere, so I had the place to myself. Perfect. Totally hidden. Perfect for… weird experiments.
I knelt on the grass and focused. Just like the book had described, except this didn't feel heroic—it felt… weird.
I held out my hand and willed a small leaf to lift from the ground. Slowly, it rose, wobbling in midair like it had never learned to fly. I blinked. Okay… wind. I can control the air around me… at least a little. The leaf twirled gently, then dropped.
I muttered to myself, "No matter how many times I do this, it still feels… strange. Like I shouldn't be able to."
Next, I focused on a dark shadow creeping from the hedge. I tried to stretch it, make it move along the ground like a living thing. Slowly, it obeyed, curling around a fallen branch. My eyebrow twitched. Shadow… I can manipulate darkness.
Finally, I concentrated on the tingling energy in my fingertips. A tiny spark of lightning jumped across my hand, sizzling harmlessly. Whoa… lightning too. I laughed quietly. "Okay… wind, shadow, lightning. One by one, testing them all. Not showing anyone. Definitely don't fry the garden."
I spent the next hour experimenting. I made the breeze lift petals, the shadows stretch and slither along the grass, and small sparks of electricity flicker harmlessly in the sunlight. I tilted my head, examining each effect. Yep. Definitely powers. Definitely real. Definitely strange.
I leaned back against a tree, watching a petal drift lazily in the wind I'd created. "Alright, Lysander. One by one, figure this out. Keep it secret. Blend in. Quiet life. That's the plan."