“You felt my emotions?”
“Yeah, I mean, when we first met, why do you think I went with you so easily?” Ronan shrugged, “You were pretty convincing, but that alone wasn’t enough for me to go with you. I could feel that your intentions were genuine. It kinda started when that magic awakening thingy happened.”
Gideon’s eyes widened.
Ronan’s brows furrowed, “Why are you so surprised?”
“You could understand people's emotions and you didn’t think you should’ve told me?”
Ronan made a face, “What’s the big deal? Everyone knows I’ve got magic. I just figured it was part of that, like... a side effect or something.” He shrugged. “Thought it was normal for someone like me.”
Gideon’s calm demeanor cracked, his voice sharp as he turned toward Ronan. “You didn’t think this was important enough to mention? You’ve been walking around, feeling people’s emotions, and you didn’t think I should know?”
Ronan raised his hands defensively, taken aback by Gideon’s sudden frustration. “Alright, alright, I get it. I should’ve told you. But like I said, I thought it was just a side effect of magic. Didn’t know it was a big deal.”
Gideon took a deep breath, trying to reign in his temper, but the tension still lingered in the air. His eyes flicked to one of the cupboards in the corner of the room. Without a word, he crossed the room, rummaging through its contents, muttering to himself. “I should have one of these...”
Gideon opened the cupboard, searching through a few items until he found what he was looking for. It was a small, intricately carved wooden box, sealed with a simple latch. “This,” he said, holding it out, “is what we need right now.”
Ronan thought he was done with surprises but apparently, there was more.
Gideon flipped the latch and opened the box, revealing a rolled-up scroll inside. Attached to the scroll was a small, glowing crystal, faintly pulsing with light. “This is an Insight Scroll,” Gideon explained. “When you touch the crystal, it reveals detailed information about your anomaly, if you have any—their names, and basic details. Each anomaly is different, unique to the person.”
“What’s an anomaly?”
Gideon paused, looking at Ronan for a moment before giving a soft smile. “Sorry for the outburst. Sometimes I forget you haven’t been exposed to all this yet,” he said, his tone returned to his signature voice.
Ronan looked at him and turned his lip. “Yeah, sorry I didn’t get a formal education while growing up in the slums,” he said dryly. “Must’ve slipped my mind.”
Gideon didn’t take the bait for an argument. Instead, he softened some more, shaking his head. “You’ve come a long way already, Ronan. You have nothing to apologize for.”
Ronan shifted a bit, not quite sure how to respond to that. He wasn’t actually apologizing.
“Anyway,” Gideon continued, “anomalies are rare abilities, unique to each individual. They’re something beyond regular magic, which sometimes awakens in very few people. They aren’t something that can be taught or learned; they’re part of you, and no two are ever the same. They can manifest in different ways—sometimes they’re subtle, sometimes they’re powerful, but they’re always... special.”
Ronan’s curiosity was a little piqued. He glanced at the glowing crystal attached to the scroll, the faint light pulsing like a heartbeat. He hesitated for a second before reaching out, his fingers brushing against the crystal.
As soon as his skin made contact, there was a surge of light, like fireworks. The scroll inside the box began to glow, unraveling itself with a soft rustle. Letters, glowing in a shimmering light, formed across the parchment as the magic revealed its contents.
Ronan stared at the names and information that appeared on the scroll:
----------------------------------------
Anomaly 1: Insight Appraisal
Tier: 0
Ability: Grants the user the power to appraise detailed information about individuals—beyond surface-level knowledge, this anomaly allows them to sense hidden characteristics, intentions, strengths, and even vulnerabilities. It’s a deeper understanding of people at their core.
Anomaly 2: Spirit Link (Locked)
Tier: 0
Ability: Allows the user to connect with spirits. This anomaly provides the ability to communicate, bond, and potentially summon spirits to assist in situations. It’s a rare and powerful connection to the ethereal plane.
----------------------------------------
Ronan stared at the scroll, his brow furrowed in confusion. Insight Appraisal? Spirit Link? It didn’t exactly match up with what he had been feeling—sensing emotions seemed different from "appraising" or linking with spirits.
He glanced over at Gideon, expecting the noble to have some sort of explanation, but to his surprise, Gideon’s face was frozen in shock. His usual composed demeanor was gone.
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“What’s wrong?” Ronan asked, breaking the silence. Gideon didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he slowly lowered himself into a nearby chair, his eyes still fixed on the scroll, his expression completely speechless.
Ronan frowned, repeating himself with more urgency. “Gideon? What’s the big deal?”
Gideon blinked, snapping out of his daze. He looked at Ronan, his voice quiet but filled with awe. “Do you have any idea how rare what you have is?”
Ronan shrugged, still not understanding. “I dunno. Should I? It’s just… magic, right?”
Gideon shook his head, running a hand through his hair as if trying to gather his thoughts. After a moment, he leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath. “Tobias didn’t give you the numbers, did he?”
“He might’ve,” Ronan replied, vaguely recalling a conversation. “But I don’t really remember.”
Gideon leaned forward, his expression serious. “One in five thousand people awaken to magic. That's already rare. But anomalies… anomalies are one in fifty thousand. They’re abilities far beyond normal magic.”
Ronan blinked, the numbers starting to sink in, but Gideon wasn’t finished.
“But two anomalies?” Gideon let out a breath, shaking his head. “I’ve heard of maybe one case like that in the entire empire. It’s practically unheard of.”
Ronan stared at him, not sure how to react. The weight of the information wasn’t sinking in properly, like it was too big to fit into his mind all at once. “So… I’m like… some kind of freak?”
Gideon’s face shifted, concern clouding his eyes as he leaned forward, gripping the armrests of the chair tightly. There was a hint of something that Ronan hadn’t seen before—fear. He hadn’t expected that.
“You’re not a freak,” Gideon said, his voice low and intense. “But you have to understand—this makes you more than rare. This makes you dangerous. And it also makes you a target.”
Ronan shifted uncomfortably, the weight of Gideon’s words pressing down on him. “A target? For who?”
Gideon stood abruptly, his face stern now, crossing the room with purpose. “For anyone who wants to exploit that power.” His tone was sharp, and his eyes locked onto Ronan’s. “You cannot tell anyone about this. Do you understand me?” He stepped toward the scroll, which was still glowing faintly on the table. Without waiting for a response, Gideon reached down, tore the parchment in half, and then threw the pieces into the nearby fireplace.
Ronan watched as the flames devoured the scroll, the magic fizzling out with a soft hiss. “You didn’t have to—”
“I did.” Gideon’s voice was firm, almost too forceful. “No one can know. Not a soul.”
The silence between them stretched, the crackling of the fire filling the room. Gideon’s usual calm and measured demeanor was gone, replaced by a sharp edge of concern. Ronan had never seen him like this before, and it made his stomach twist.
What had he gotten himself into?
After a moment, Gideon softened just a bit, though his eyes still held that intensity. “Tomorrow, you start at the university. That means we won’t have time to dig into your anomalies now. You’re going to have to learn more about it yourself if you want to, quietly, and we’ll look into it more when you come home for the holidays. Especially that locked one… I have never heard about something like being locked.”
He wanted to pretend he didn’t know anything about that spirit thing being locked, but he was pretty sure he had an inkling of what it meant.
Ronan nodded, feeling overwhelmed. “Alright,” he said quietly.
Gideon sighed, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “Try to keep your head low. Although I have a feeling you’re already going to stand out enough at Lumenbourg. Don’t give them any more reason to notice you.”
Ronan rolled his eyes. "But blending in is totally my strong suit. Nothing says ‘don’t notice me’ like a kid from the slums with magic and who knows what else.”
Gideon’s lips twitched into a reluctant smile. “Just... go rest. You have a big day ahead tomorrow.”
***
Ronan sat in the carriage, staring out of the window but not really seeing anything. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, nerves tightening in his chest as they neared the university. Beside him, Gideon sat calmly, as though this was any other day, offering last-minute advice that Ronan barely registered.
“Remember, keep your head down, and don’t draw unnecessary attention. You’ll have plenty of time to explore everything quietly,” Gideon said, his tone even.
Ronan snorted, his nerves slipping through in the form of sarcasm. “Yeah, sure. Blend right in. No one will even notice me with this,” he tugged at the glimmering edge of his coat, “subtle outfit.”
Gideon chuckled softly, shaking his head. “You’ll be fine, Ronan. Just take it one step at a time.”
Meanwhile, across from them, Suri was practically bouncing on his seat, wide-eyed as he peered out the window, unable to contain his excitement. His nose was almost pressed against the glass, marveling at everything that passed by.
As the carriage rolled to a stop at the gates of Lumenbourg University, the air grew more serious. Two guards approached, their eyes scanning the occupants of the carriage with measured professionalism. “Identity check,” one of them said, his voice clipped.
Gideon handed over their identification, and the guard examined it for a moment before nodding. “Welcome to Lumenbourg.”
Gideon turned to Ronan, offering him a reassuring smile. “This is where I leave you.”
Ronan stood there awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. He wasn’t great with goodbyes. Suri, meanwhile, had hopped out of the carriage, a small bag slung over his shoulder, grinning from ear to ear.
“Right,” Ronan muttered, shifting awkwardly. “Thanks… for everything.”
Gideon clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll do great. Remember what we talked about.”
Ronan nodded, though he wasn’t sure he’d remember anything coherent once he walked through those gates. As the carriage pulled away, he stood there, feeling the weight of the moment.
He looked down at his clothes, the deep blue and gold threads woven with gemstones that shimmered in the sunlight. It felt so surreal, like someone else was wearing these clothes—someone who wasn’t the same boy who, only a month ago, barely had enough to cover himself.
And then, his eyes lifted to the large building in front of him, its grandeur pulling him in. He was mesmerized, unable to take his eyes off of it. This was it.
Lumenbourg University.