The kid kept on walking deeper while the guard took a tentative step back. While he could still not feel anything different, his mind has now begun to scream at him that he was in danger and should get out of this place.

Moreover, the guard felt like it was getting difficult to breathe. Everyone knew that demonic magic was capable of harming the body and mind. It could degrade bodily functions and render one useless.

The guard did not want such a future for himself but it was looking more and more likely now.

"Y-Young master? P-Please slow d-down. The air here is d-different" the guard attempted to pursue the young teen who seemed to be burning with a need to investigate. However, his efforts were not heard by the youngster who just charged forward.

They were too deep at this point to retreat anyway. Xiao Lan could see the side of the array as he moved forward and he knew that going back was pointless when his objective was right in front of him.

"So this is what it looks like? Fu Hua never really let me have a closer look so I could only study the theory in case it would be needed" the prince could not help but mutter under his breath. The array looked pretty ordinary this close but the air around it could not be mistaken.

Xiao Lan was aware that the guard behind was panting harder by the second, his mind making up things about the demonic miasma. It was an entertaining position to be in and he could call the other to rectify the mistake.

But where would be the fun in that? Seeing others in such a situation was a fun endeavour. Especially when the other was not in any real danger but still believed himself to be in danger.

However, he did take pity on the poor guard who was almost red in the face. As much as Xiao Lan enjoyed other's discomfort he was not cruel at all.

"There is nothing wrong with the air here so you can take a deep breath" The guard seemed not to believe him but since Xiao Lan had an unchanged complexion, the guard did lighten up.

Most nobles hated demonic practices and were fairly knowledgeable about them as a result. So the guard was sure the child knew better than him about this situation. But still, the other was a kid and maybe he was mistaken.

But the guard could not hold his breath forever as well.

For Xiao Lan, this was an opportunity to practice what he had learned. This was the thing that had captivated Fu Hua and led him astray. He wanted to see just how magical it was to pull the other away from him.

"Let's see. The first step should be to find the end of this array" the teen walked along the lines to find the ending point. The texts said that you would feel the energy concentrating at the node end so he started to look for it.

He walked around a little, the guard following him at a slower and cautious pace.

Xiao Lan was starting to believe that he was going around in circles till he stumbled on the node. Finally, he could see what it looked like after all.

There was no difference in the node and the rest of the array, but the place just felt different to his senses. If he closed his eyes and felt around, he could even feel the faint humming in the air and feel a ball of light there.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

So this was the node?

"Step back or I can't guarantee your safety" Xiao Lan warned the guard who 'epped' and jumped back in fright.

The first step to resolve this array was to untangle the node carefully. This node was the place that held the ritual together and it also made sure the people of the other side were alright.

In other words, - it was a barrier that needed to be carefully handled or the array would activate.

"Let's see how this is done" Xiao Lan muttered to himself, his gaze focused on the air in front of him. The texts that had described these nodes had said to untangle it carefully.

It had never said how to untangle it though so Xiao Lan was in a bind.

Well, what he could do was what he always did. He could try to brute force his way through and it should be alright.

His energy hummed at finally being used, the excitement making his blood boil. Xiao Lan's hand hovered above the node and he gently sent his energy across. It seemed to be working as well, the node finally untangling.

The guard who witnessed it all seemed confused. Because he could neither see nor feel the energy, it seemed as if the child was playing a weird game. It was a comical scene for him to see.

The said teen, however, was having a hard time. It was difficult to control his energy and to keep it calm. His body was not used to the strain and as a result, his focus wavered just a bit.

That one tiny bit was enough to send the untangled part all over the place and dread-filled Xiao Lan at the condition it had ended up at. The array vibrated once before a small wave of energy passed all over.

The array shined softly before it began disappearing.

He had done it. The array was gone and everything seemed alright once again. Even if there had been a small mess up in between, Xiao Lan had finally succeeded in this task.

Fu Hua had once said that you could not really understand demonic magic just by reading texts about them but Xiao Lan had done just that right now. He had proved that he was superior to the traitor.

He had finally beaten the other in this regard and he felt a wave of satisfaction.

"Let's go back. We're done here" the guard looked worried but seemed relieved at his words. Finally, they could leave and without any harm having come to either of them.

"Let's go, Let's go" the guard guided the other, his steps cheerily making small skips. His tone conversely just how happy he had been overall.

Xiao Lan followed the other, a small smile stretching his lips at the other. The air had not yet cleaned up but he could feel the demonic energy beginning to lessen by the second.

It was alright now and he had not needed any foreign help to do so. He was finally free from the chain Fu Hua had cast on him when he had stepped on this path and Xiao Lan had been stopped from even considering it.

There was nothing special about this path after all. So did the fault lie with Xiao Lan then? Or had he just never understood Fu Hua at all?

For a few seconds, the air cleared fully around them before a small popping sound reached Xiao Lan's ears. He stopped as soon as he heard that noise but the guard seemed unbothered in his cheers.

"Had that been my imagination?" Xiao Lan muttered, apparently loud enough to alert the guard who turned around with a cheer.

"Did the young master need something?" the guard asked in a light tone. There was nothing that could happen and spoil this moment for him after all. Then his happy expression turned into a fearful one as his eyes began losing their vision.

Things were getting hazier to see and the white was descending.

"I'm going blind. What did you do? What did you do?" The guard could not help but curse the other because all he could see was white now. He knew that coming with the kid had been bad news.

"Calm down, you're not going blind. Don't run away on your own. Hey, wait" the guard could not hear Xiao Lan in his panicked state and so he ran toward the outskirts ignoring the warning.

The demonic miasma was getting thicker, the white taking over the world and this was a warning to the people to step back. Something must have gone wrong for such a thing to happen.

Xiao Lan had messed up somehow and he had no idea how he had done it.

The thick smoke prevented him from seeing anything anymore and so the teen tried to navigate through the smoke. There was a faint sound of footsteps and Xiao Lan held his breath as the shadow approached closer in the smoke.

Although it looked remarkably human, it could be anything but human. Behind him the array let out a scream, its piercing sound echoing all around the smoky area which gave it a spooky feeling.

Before Xiao Lan realised, the silhouette in the smoke reached him. His face felt something cold and metallic make contact with him and fear seized him as he looked up at his probable death.