As the noon gave way to evening, a slow but sharp sound of alarm entered Chris's ears who was moving aimlessly in corridors of the estate. The alarm was not loud.
That was the first thing Chris noticed.
It wasn't a bell or a shout or anything that sent people running. It was a low, steady horn call that rolled once through the streets of the lower district and then stopped, like a breath deliberately taken and released.
Chris froze mid-step in the palace corridor.
"What was that?" he asked.
Elis, who had been adjusting a bundle of linens on her arm, stopped too. Her head tilted slightly, listening.
"That's the outer patrol signal," she said after a moment. "Low urgency."
Chris frowned. "Low urgency means something's wrong, right?"
"Yes," Elis replied. "It also means it's being handled."
That didn't make the tightness in his chest go away.
They moved toward the balcony overlooking the state. From there, Chris could see people pausing in the streets not panicking, not running just… checking.
Shopkeepers stood in doorways. A pair of guards redirected foot traffic with calm gestures.
Everything looked controlled.
Too controlled, Chris thought.
"Can I go see?" he asked.
Elis shot him a look. "Absolutely not."
"But Rodric said-"
"Rodric said you could watch training," Elis interrupted. "Not disturbances."
Chris crossed his arms. "It's not fair."
Elis softened slightly. "No. It isn't."
Rodric's pov :-
Rodric was already moving by the time the report reached him.
"A D-rank beast," the scout said, keeping pace beside him. "Came down from the eastern ridge. Likely displaced by last night's rain."
Rodric nodded. "Behavior?"
"Agitated, but not aggressive. Attacked livestock. No people hurt."
"Good." Rodric adjusted his gloves. "Keep it that way."
They reached the edge of the lower fields where farmers stood clustered together, faces drawn but calm.
A large shape moved near the treeline, low, broad, fur matted dark with mud, tusks curved and sharp.
The beast snorted, pawing the ground.
Rodric stepped forward alone.
"Commander," one of the farmers called. "Can you kill it?"
Rodric didn't answer immediately.
He studied the creature. The way it shifted its weight. The way its eyes darted not hunting, but searching.
"No," Rodric said finally. "Not unless it forces us to."
The farmer blinked. "But it's dangerous."
"Yes," Rodric agreed. "And lost."
He turned to his knights. "Formation. Wide arc. No blades unless I say."
They moved instantly, spreading out, shields raised not to threaten, but to guide.
Rodric raised his voice, calm and steady.
"Easy now."
The beast huffed, startled by the shifting shapes, backing away from the fields toward the open road.
"Push," Rodric said quietly.
The knights advanced in measured steps, pressure without panic. The beast turned, bolting down the path that led away from the state and into the wild foothills beyond.
Within minutes, it was gone.
No blood.
No cheers.
Just people exhaling.
Chris watched from the balcony until the figures below became too small to make out clearly.
"That's it?" he asked again.
Alfred stood nearby now, hands folded behind his back, gaze fixed on the retreating patrol.
"That's it," Alfred confirmed.
Chris felt… strange.
He had imagined shouting. Fighting. Something dramatic.
Instead, it had looked like adults solving a problem.
"That beast could've hurt someone," Chris said.
"Yes."
"But it didn't."
"No."
Chris turned to Alfred. "Why didn't they kill it?"
Alfred considered the question carefully.
"Because strength," he said, "is knowing when not to use force."
Chris frowned. "But what if it comes back?"
"Then we respond again," Alfred replied.
"The goal is safety, not punishment."
Chris was quiet for a long time.
A Farmer - Lysa
Lysa knelt beside her pen, checking her goats with shaking hands.
"They're fine," her neighbor said gently.
"See? Not a scratch."
"I know," Lysa replied. "I just-"
She swallowed.
Her youngest child clung to her skirt, wide-eyed. "Mama, was it a monster?"
Lysa pulled her close. "No. Just an animal that wandered too far."
"But the knights came," the child said.
"Yes," Lysa agreed. "They always do."
She looked toward the palace rising above the state, sunlight catching its walls.
Somewhere up there, she knew, decisions had already been made to keep her safe-quietly, without asking for thanks.
That mattered.
___
That evening, Chris sat on the steps near the inner courtyard, knees pulled up to his chest.
Rodric found him there.
"You watched," Rodric said.
"Yes."
"And you didn't like it."
Chris hesitated. "I don't know."
Rodric sat beside him. "Say it anyway."
"It felt like… nothing happened," Chris said slowly. "But everyone keeps saying it was important."
Rodric nodded. "That's how it should feel."
Chris looked at him. "I wanted to help."
"I know."
"But I couldn't."
Rodric met his gaze. "You helped by staying where you were."
Chris frowned. "That doesn't feel like helping."
"It rarely does," Rodric said. "But imagine if you'd run down there. What would we have had to do?"
Chris's stomach twisted. "Protect me."
"Yes," Rodric said gently. "And that would have put others at risk."
Chris looked away, shame creeping in.
Rodric placed a hand on his shoulder. "One day, you'll stand where I stand. And you'll make these choices."
Chris's voice was small. "When?"
Rodric smiled faintly. "Not yet."
Chris nodded.
He was starting to understand that not yet was not an insult.
It was a promise.
_____
Night settled gently over the Falkerona State.
Not with menace, not with weight but with routine.
Lanterns were lit one by one along the streets below, warm halos of light blooming against stone and wood. The low murmur of conversation drifted upward from open windows, punctuated by laughter, the clatter of dishes being washed, the quiet rhythm of a world that had chosen to continue.
The beast was already becoming a story.
By the time dinner ended, it had been reduced to gestures and exaggerations tusks larger than they were, footsteps heavier than memory allowed.
Chris listened quietly, pushing food around his plate more than eating it.
He felt tired in a way that had nothing to do with his body.
Later, in his room, he sat cross-legged on the bed, staring at the far wall where moonlight crept slowly across the stone. The excitement from earlier had drained away, leaving behind something heavier questions he didn't yet know how to shape.
A soft knock came at the door.
"Chris?" Lyanna's voice.
"Yes," he replied immediately.
She entered carrying a small oil lamp, its flame steady and low. Her white hair was loose now, falling freely down her back, and the formal composure she wore during the day had softened into something quieter.
"You didn't eat much," she said.
"I wasn't very hungry."
She smiled faintly. "That's what everyone says when they're thinking too hard."
She set the lamp down on the table and sat beside him on the bed, smoothing the blankets unconsciously.
"Do you want to talk about today?" she asked.
Chris hesitated.
"…About the beast?" he asked.
"About whatever stayed with you," Lyanna replied.
He stared at his hands. They were still faintly red where he'd clenched them too tightly earlier.
"I thought it would be scarier," he admitted. "But it wasn't."
Lyanna nodded. "And that confused you."
"Yes," he said quickly. "Everyone kept saying it mattered. But no one got hurt. Nothing broke."
She studied his face carefully.
"Chris," she said gently, "do you think nothing happened because nothing was destroyed?"
He thought about it. "I guess… yes?"
Lyanna reached out and took his hands in hers. Her palms were warm.
"Something very important happened today," she said. "It's just not the kind that leaves marks."
She stood and walked to the small desk near the window, opening a drawer. From inside, she removed a thin, smooth crystal shard no longer than her finger.
Chris's eyes widened. "Is that magic?"
"Yes," she said simply.
She returned to the bed and held it between them. The crystal pulsed faintly with pale light.
"This," Lyanna said, "is a mana stone. It helps shape magic so it doesn't spill where it shouldn't."
She placed it gently in his palm.
Chris stiffened. "I'm not supposed to touch magic."
"You're not supposed to use it," she corrected. "Touching is how you learn."
He looked at her uncertainly. "Father said-"
"Your father trusts me," she said softly. "And I trust you."
That settled something inside him.
"What do I do?" he asked.
"Nothing," Lyanna replied. "Just feel."
Chris frowned. "That sounds fake."
Lyanna laughed quietly. "It does. Try anyway."
He closed his fingers around the crystal.
At first, there was nothing.
Then warmth. Subtle, like standing near a hearth that wasn't quite lit yet. Not pushing. Not pulling. Just present.
His breath slowed without him realizing it.
Lyanna watched closely."What do you feel?" she asked.
"It's… quiet," Chris said. "But not empty."
She smiled. "Good. That's controlled magic."
Chris opened his eyes. "That's it?"
"Yes."
He looked disappointed. "I thought magic was supposed to be bright. Or loud."
"Magic can be," Lyanna said. "But that's rarely when it's being used correctly."
She took the crystal back and placed it on the table.
"Do you remember what Rodric did today?" she asked.
"He didn't kill the beast," Chris said immediately.
"Why?"
"Because it wasn't necessary."
Lyanna nodded. "Magic works the same way. Power exists to solve problems—not to prove it exists."
Chris shifted closer to her. "But Father fights. And Rodric fights."
"Yes," Lyanna agreed. "And every time they do, something is risked. Even when they win."
She brushed a strand of hair from his face.
"Power," she continued, "is not about how much you can do. It's about how much you're willing not to do."
Chris absorbed that slowly.
"So… today," he said, "the knights used power by not using it?"
"Yes."
"And you heal people instead of… I don't know… making things explode."
Lyanna laughed, genuine this time.
"Exactly."
He hesitated, then asked the question that had been pressing on him all evening.
"Mother… if I had been stronger today… would I have been allowed to help?"
Lyanna's smile faded not into sadness, but into seriousness.
"No," she said.
Chris's heart sank.
"Not because you're weak," she added quickly. "But because you're precious."
He looked up at her.
"There are things," Lyanna said, voice low, "that the world is allowed to take risks with. And there are things it is not."
She pressed her forehead lightly to his.
"You," she whispered, "are not a risk."
Chris felt his throat tighten.
"…I don't like that," he said.
"I know," she replied. "You don't have to. Someday, you'll argue with me about it."
He huffed a weak laugh. "I will."
She kissed his hair and stood. "Try to sleep."
As she reached the door, Chris called out,"Mother?"
She turned.
"Thank you," he said. "For explaining."
Lyanna looked at him for a long moment, eyes shining softly in the lamplight.
"Anytime, Chris," she said. "That's what I'm here for."
She closed the door gently behind her.
Chris lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
The crystal's warmth lingered faintly in his palm, even though it was gone.
For the first time, he understood something important:
Power wasn't loud.
It wasn't dramatic.
Sometimes, power was simply choosing to let the world remain quiet.
____
Lyanna's pov :-
She stopped outside Chris's door.
For a moment, she simply stood there, listening.
No movement. No restless pacing. Just the faint sound of breathing.
She knocked softly."Chris?"
"Yes," came the immediate answer.
Of course he was awake.
She entered and closed the door behind her, letting the lamplight chase away the deeper shadows.
His room was exactly as it should be,tidy in the way children kept things when they wanted to appear responsible. He sat on the bed, cross-legged, staring at nothing in particular.
Lyanna felt a familiar ache settle in her chest.
He looked older tonight.
Not physically. In the eyes. In the stillness.
"You didn't eat much," she said gently.
"I wasn't very hungry."
She smiled, because she always did at that answer, and because she knew better.
Thinking drained children faster than play ever did.
She set the lamp down and sat beside him, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. He didn't pull away.
That was good. When children pulled away, it meant they'd already decided something on their own.
"Do you want to talk about today?" she asked.
He hesitated just long enough for her to know the answer was yes.
"…The beast," he said.
She nodded. "What about it?"
"It didn't feel… big," he admitted. "Everyone said it mattered, but it just went away."
Lyanna folded her hands in her lap, fingers threading together slowly.
Because we made it go away, she thought. Because people like Rodric exist.
But that wasn't what he needed to hear.
"Do you think something only matters if it leaves scars?" she asked instead.
He thought about that.
"Yes," he said honestly.
She smiled softly. Children always were.
"Then I want to show you something," she said.
She stood and crossed to the desk, opening the drawer where she kept a handful of harmless tools, objects meant for teaching, not casting.
Her fingers closed around the crystal focus, smooth and cool, its light faint but steady.
She returned and placed it gently in his palm.
He stiffened immediately.
"I'm not supposed to-"
"You're not supposed to use magic," she corrected. "Learning is different."
She watched his face carefully as he closed his fingers around it.
At first, nothing.
Then his shoulders lowered, just a fraction.
His breathing evened.
There, she thought. He feels it.
"What do you notice?" she asked quietly.
"It's warm," he said. "But not… loud."
Her heart eased.
"That's control," she said. "Magic that knows where it belongs."
She took the crystal back before he could grow curious enough to push further. Boundaries mattered , especially with children like him.
"Do you remember what Rodric did today?" she asked.
"He didn't fight," Chris said.
"No," Lyanna agreed. "He chose not to."
She brushed his hair back, fingers catching briefly in the strange mix of white and red strands. So much of him was inherited so much that the world would notice far too early.
"Power," she said softly, "is not proven by force. It's proven by restraint."
He frowned. "Then why does Father fight?"
Because sometimes restraint isn't enough.
But she did not say that.
"Because sometimes," Lyanna replied, "there is no other way to protect what matters."
He shifted closer to her.
"Would I have been allowed to help today?" he asked.
Lyanna felt the question strike deep.
She did not answer immediately.
She turned fully toward him, making sure he was looking at her when she spoke.
"No," she said.
The disappointment in his eyes hurt more than she expected.
"Not because you're weak," she added quickly. "But because you are precious."
She placed a hand over his chest, right where his heartbeat thrummed steady, alive.
"There are things the world can risk," she continued. "And things it cannot."
She leaned in, forehead touching his.
"You," she whispered, "are not a risk."
His throat worked as he swallowed.
"I don't like that," he said quietly.
She smiled, sad and fond all at once. "I know."
She kissed his hair and stood, forcing herself not to linger. Lingering made promises she couldn't guarantee.
"Sleep," she said. "Tomorrow will be ordinary again."
She hoped she was right.
At the door, she paused.
"Mother?" he called.
"Yes?"
"Thank you… for explaining."
She looked back at him, really looked.
The boy who had watched a beast be turned away without violence.
The boy who wanted to help and didn't yet understand why he couldn't.
"Anytime, Chris," she said. "That's what I'm here for."
She closed the door softly.
In the corridor beyond, Lyanna leaned against the wall for just a moment longer than necessary, the weight of everything pressing gently but firmly against her ribs.
Please, she thought, not to gods but to the quiet rules that governed the world, let him have more nights like this.
Then she straightened and walked on.
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[A/N :- and that ladies and gentleman are the promised 5 long chapters in a bulk !
Phew~
Anyways ! From now on , I will be uploading 3 chapters per week and ofcourse there would be additional chapters too if you guys can fulfill the quota of power stones.
Additionally please comment your thoughts on what you feel about this chapter also please give me power stones as it motivates me to continue the story forward !]