MARY ZORATH POV:

Lucian had to be the most energetic and curious child I had ever witnessed.

He was a little rascal and he certainly knew it, but that didn't make it any better!

However, I struggle to get mad at him. And no, its not because he's incredibly adorable and absolutely the most sweetest and precious kid at the same time, but because he embodies his parents so much.

With his unruly patch of wheat-blonde hair and his summer gold eyes that practically radiated ardour and playfulness, and at times even shone with intelligence uncanny for his age, his appearance made it entirely impossible for me to get mad at him. He inherited his mothers and his fathers best qualities by an incredible stroke of luck.

Over time, he would only further resemble them and no doubt become a man women would swoon for and I had to be ready to fend them off!

Thinking about his puffy cheeks glowing a light shade of red as he would smile at me, or even thinking back to roughly a year ago when he would still hold his arms out to get me to hold him. He was just too cute!

But as his personal maid and self appointed big sister, I couldn't allow myself to be soft on him. With his mother and father often busy, I knew I had to give him the love as well as the discipline for him to grow capable and respectable. And so I had to always keep my eyes alertly peeled on him in case he attempted something crazy.

However, recently, thinking he'd avoided my attentive gaze, I noticed Lucian sneaking off whenever time came for me to cook dinner. I had let it go the first few times, assuming the boy was only wandering in the sight of the other servants around the house and he would soon be brought back to me, but I found myself often never seeing him until I had already served the dinner plates.

I pretended to feign ignorance and play at the fact that I didn't know he was gone, but something on the inside of me itched for me to find out.

I had to! For the sake of protecting him! And scolding him! Yes, most importantly to scold him! I have to be strict so he doesn't get himself hurt.

And so I did. I followed him one day, handing off my duty of cooking to another maid.

Surprisingly, this child seemed to have amazed me even more. Though he was only at the meagre age of two, he possessed enough intelligence, or perhaps instinct, to warily sneak around the corners of the halls without being noticed.

At each corner, he would attentively peer and inspect his close proximity. That included him tracking his back, frequently spinning his disproportionately large head to assure his safety and each time, I was forced to duck dramatically into the halls.

I often ran into my fellow colleagues around the manor. You can imagine their baffled expressions and looks of concern as they looked at me as a deluded heretic unfit for her job rolling around the corridors and jumping to the floor like an ape. I could only awkwardly laugh at myself and wave politely, trying to frame my less than graceful fall as an accident rather than something I intended.

However, mere looks of concern and fright as well as the feelings of embarrassment wouldn't be enough for me to stop trailing Lucian's small and light footfalls. Eventually, he would arrive at the front of the manor.

At first, I thought he was actually sneaking out to play outside or maybe --- though rather unlikely given his age --- wandering outside of our land. But, I soon realised I was wrong as he began ascending the steps in brisk fashion, jumping up and down on all fours. His small limbs would occasionally bump against the tough surface of the carved stone stairs and I quickly realised where his bruises and cuts came from.

Once he arrived at the summit, I followed suit, hunching my figure and lifting my puffy skirt up as to to tiptoe in silence and stealth.

The heels I wore made it quite uncomfortable for me to quietly jog up the stairs, but alas, I had to put up with it if I wanted to find out what he was doing.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

And soon enough, after tracing Lucian's waddling steps, he finally paused at a tall door and made one last glance in each direction to make sure he was safe.

The boy looked hardly innocent and a boulder fell on my heart as I realised my little Lu was starting to hide things from me.

Did he not love me anymore? Why and what was he hiding from me?

I felt my heart strings be tugged at brutishly without care as my stomach churned and my face grew pale.

I waited a few daunting minutes that ate away at my heart before I followed him inside.

And what I found Lucian doing in the library was...

Reading. Reading? Does Lucian know how to read? How did he even get that thick book up onto that desk?

I discreetly scooted closer, hiding behind the tall pillars soaring to the ceiling which were the bookcases amassed with more knowledge than I could most likely imagine.

What is he reading?

I tried to peer closer at the worn cover of the book, but I immediately had to fall behind the front of the shelf entirely as Lucian's head perked up in my direction. I could hear his steps and his disgruntled voice groan as he stepped from the chair.

Did he realise I was following him? What am I going to do when he finds me? Will he be angry? No, he has no reason to be. I should be the one that's angry since he's sneaking off without telling me what he's doing. This is his actions doings in the first place!

As my mind raced on, I hadn't even realised that his movement ceased and all noise in the room had been drowned out by the rhythmic ticking of the clock.

I once again gradually peeped around the corner only to find him sitting cross-legged. His expression was filled with tranquillity as his chest rose sedately, refilling his lungs full of oxygen that would circulate around his body.

Is he meditating? Well I guess that's fine, a little strange for a two year old, but fine nonetheless.

Sensing my opportunity, I attempted to yet again discern the shabby writing. My eyes squinted desperately, hoping that the title would provide me with some insight as to what exactly he was hoping to achieve with his meditation, but I fell short.

I clicked my tongue quietly and slowly began bleeding mana conscientiously into my eyes, augmenting my vision, when all of a sudden I sensed a pair of eyes ogling me.

Not physically, but rather mentally, I felt the probing gaze --- not particularly strong or menacing rather than just curious --- turn to the vague signature of mana leaking from me. Lucian's eyes softly began opening, I realised. I immediately disengaged the mana in my eyes and quickly hurried out the door.

I hadn't a clue who was watching me and neither the time to ponder, but I had to leave. Though I hadn't learned what Lucian was reading, I was content to find him at least not doing anything dangerous or disrupting.

That was more than enough for me.

LUCIAN ZORATH POV:

Over the past few months after my slow, but gradual progression of forming my first layer of mana around my rune began, I had made good and steady progress.

To be entirely truthful, the first layer was almost entirely complete. Amidst my meditation, the tethers of mana that strung around me became more visible and more willing to serve my intentions. My layer grew more solid and vibrant with colour, now dimly shining whenever I would go to check up on it.

Mana became easier for me to gather and I realised not to long ago that I could now sense the mana being assembled and guided in the ambience, thanks to Mary snooping around. That breakthrough might sound small, but feeling the surging mana being manipulated and used by another person breathed the sensation of the experience into me, further guiding my insight.

This sped-up the process once more, at least twofold, as today I began grasping the last shards of mana and forming the first layer of mana over my rune.

I readied myself in my usual spot, assuming a comfortable and relaxed cross-legged position on the navy blue carpet of the library. My eyes shut tightly and I gathered my focus within, stimulating my natural instinct to perceive and respond to the ambient mana.

The vibrating partial layer glistened a dirty gold with rays of fleeting white as I focused on its inward appearance. Deliberately, the shards of mana began to be pulled along like a fish caught on bait as my senses revelled in the fulfilment of mana moderately developing my sensitivity to the world around me.

The mana haltingly fell into the missing pieces and massed the final puzzle, as a regal aura filled me with unshakable poise.

As the last shard floated into its intended spot, a flare of scintillating gold light filled the layer of mana and began igniting the rune on my right shoulder in the same hue.

The layer had formed without issue.

The air around me turned static as my rune thrummed intensely and my perception of feeling and sight began to grow haywire, unadjusted to the elevated information being detailed and processed through my brain. The walls and bookshelves around me began jerking backwards and forth as the room seemed to sway and grow compact, creating a nauseating and piercing headache that assaulted my head. I could practically feel bile rising in my throat at the revolting feeling churning in my stomach.

The barrage of unrelenting pain pulsed through my body in waves as it continued to fully stabilise my rune, which still feverishly exuded blinding light of captivating beauty. It's light almost gave away a subtle sense of calm and healing, though not enough to deter the full scale of the pain.

However, as the pain dissipated and my now Sigil calmed and began to faint back to its original black colour, I felt my terse thoughts dissipate as my vision grew dark and my body fell limp.