Under a beautiful sky of orange, a young man ranted and sulked as he left the castle and headed out toward town.
“Who the hell does she think she is, keeping me prisoner in this-“
His ranting was cut short when he noticed a man in a black cloak standing only a foot away from him. Instinctually, his head snapped toward the man. The mysterious figure looked him in the eyes, for a minute neither had said a word or moved an inch.
“You are Luke Baronia, yes?” the man finally broke the silence.
Luke turned to face the man, now concerned how this stranger knew his name.
“Me?” Luke hesitated, wondering what he wanted.
“There is no one else within ear shot, especially no one else of the Baronia lineage.”
The boy hadn’t noticed how barren the area was. It was rare to have anyone on the path between the city and the castle, minus Luke, however there was no one visible from the top of the hill.
“How do you know my name?!”
“Your name is infamous around here, almost as much as your family is famous. But that matter is of little concern. I have something to ask of you.”
“What do you want?” Luke raised an eyebrow, curiosity overshadowing his common sense.
“A simple request. In return, I will grant that which you desire most.”
“What do I desire most?”
“You want to use mana, to live like a normal person. You hate how people look down on you, how your father never wants to associate with you, and how your brother always had to look out for you; even your coward friend was more capable then you were. Now, after your little incident with princess Elizabeth, you just want to leave.”
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Luke took a step back in disbelief, physically blown back by his words. This man knew him more than any other person, even though he couldn’t have possibly seen everything that happened in his life, especially something that occurred minutes ago.
“Who are you? How do you know all that?”
“You can call me Jade.” The man began walking closer to the boy, the latter still paralyzed.
“You didn’t answer my other question! And what do you mean, call you?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to answer all of your questions. I told you I know you. If you want to learn more, you’ll help me on my mission.”
Luke hesitated for a moment until he realized he could at least get one more answer.
“What do you want? What’s your ‘mission’?”
“I have been sent to kidnap the princess.”
Luke now felt his heart stop, his eyes go wide, his arms form bumps, and shivers racing throughout his body.
“Y-you want to what?!”
“Luke, I need you to help me capture the princess, take her to the Umbro kingdom, and you will get your reward.”
“You want me to betray my friend, become a criminal, and be even more hated than I already am?!” The boy was in utter disbelief over the notion.
“I can tell you have your doubts. Know that I’m only making this offer to you right here and right now. I don’t have long, and should you decline, I’ll simply find another willing individual.”
The moment the man finished his speech, he began walking away, causing Luke to stumble over himself in panic.
“Wait!” Luke yelled to the man, hoping to buy time. The man stopped as Luke had hoped, but he hadn’t expected what came next.
“I’ll return to this spot in four hours. Don’t keep me waiting.”
Just as Luke was about to ask another question, Jade had disappeared. He hadn’t gradually faded or walked away, but vanished instantly, as if he teleported.
‘If I do it, everyone will hate me. But everyone already hates me, except Matthew. But if I don’t do it, I’ll lose my chance and he’ll just kidnap Liz anyways…’
These were the thoughts that plagued Luke’s mind until an idea struck.
“Maybe…I could use my powers to steal the princess, bring her back, and nobody would be hurt!”
This revelation filled Luke with excitement; it was a win-win situation, even if Luke had to face consequences, he would still be doing good things and be able to use mana. With his plan crafted, he returned home to make any final preparations he might need.