Akino, who still had a very concerned look in her eyes sat down next to Leo. “I need your eyes. I’m talking about the lights you see. I want you to tell me about them, like when do they get more intense or dim.” Leo stared into her eyes as if he could see the lights himself if he just kept looking into the reflection they cast.
“The lights… It depends on the person and how intense the light is I think. When a person’s light isn’t very big or bright it reacts easier than when it is more intense. From what I have seen, the little lights react on emotions while the others don’t. Do you know what those lights are Leo?” The boy answered with his mind somewhere else: “Yeah, they’re the mana a person possesses. It’s the energy used to cast magic.”Akino mumbled some words to herself but Leo was too busy thinking of a way to awaken his aura and mana.
The smaller it is the easier it is to manipulate? It’s a bit like fire, a small candle is easier to control than a forest burning down. I still can’t comprehend how to awaken mana. Do I have to manipulate my own mind and emotions to awaken it? … Wait, didn’t my body rely on the dark energy on my own command when I faced the demonoid? Why did it work then? Because I felt like it was the only way to survive. If I make up a scenario in my head and manipulate my mind to believe I have to use my aura and mana to survive… would that work? It’s worth giving a try.
“Akino, can you go get the doctor from before. Listen well alright? Tell him to bring a mortar and pestle, four leaves of Emberroot, a flask of water and seven Lunarveil sprouts. If he asks you what for then just tell him I requested it knowing what it does.” Akino repeated it a few times after him before jumping off the bed and running once again out of the room to search for the doctor.
Leo waited patiently for his companion to return with the mysterious man. He was almost sure that the doctor would come along instead of just handing over the ingredients to a boy he didn’t know. The man’s curiosity would surely have been triggered as to why someone would want to use a non addicting hallucinating drug that could kill you if used wrong.
Ten minutes passed before the door swung open again with Akino and the mysterious doctor walking in. The man held a basket with all of the ingredients inside together with his little wax tablet. Leo was still sitting on the bed and looked at the doctor. The man put the basket next to Leo before scribbling down on his wax tablet. “Why do you want to make a weak demonic incense?”
Leo looked up at him. “You’re a scientist aren’t you? The reason that you’re here means that you perform projects that don’t align with the laws. I want to see if I can awaken my mana and aura through this. Aren’t you curios as well?” The man’s head moved a little which meant Leo was probably right. The doctor began scribbling again and turned his tablet. “Sure, but do know that this is your own choice. If you die it’s your own fault as well”. Leo nodded and watched how the man began to process the ingredients with the mortar and pestle.
It was clear he was very skilled and had perfected the necessary movement throughout his years as a doctor. After a few minutes the substance inside of the mortar gave off a strong smell and had a glue like texture. Without saying a word the doctor shoved the mortar towards Leo and scribbled again. “You know what to do already.” Leo read the message and took the dangerous medicine.
The boy had confidence his resistance was high enough to handle it but there wasn’t something like certainty in these kinds of experiments. He opened his mouth and drank the substance. The incense was too weak to actually work through smell so the user had to actually drink it. The fluid was thick and hard to swallow. Leo gulped all of it down his throat and laid down on the bed closing his eyes.
Now I only have to make a proper scenario. Something where I almost died. The medicine began to work and an old world began to shape itself around him, a memory where the boy could have altered fate if only he was stronger back then.
Leo’s breaths were sharp as his leather boots echoed against the cold cave floor. The seemingly endless hallway in front of him stretched out, the walls decorated with flickering blue candles casting a dim light, that barely lit his way. He couldn’t stop, he wouldn’t stop.
Behind him were the footsteps of his pursuers which grew louder with every passing second. Leo could feel the soldiers’ murderous intent as they chased him as if he were their prey. Leo’s heart raced faster, adrenaline pumped through his veins. Just ahead, past the darkness, was safety. A vault only he, his father, and his grandfather could open. The place where all the vulnerable people were sheltering in.
The boy’s muscles were almost giving in and his longs felt like they didn’t get ant oxygen at all, yet he kept on running. He could feel the soldiers closing in.
“No”, Leo whispered, forcing himself to go faster. If the soldiers caught up to him now everyone’s efforts would go to waste. Everyone would die because of him. He had always been a bit of a disappointment, yet this one time he had wanted to prove himself so desperately.
He tripped, his hands brushing against the stone wall, searching for support, yet the wall was too far away. The soldiers caught up to him. Before he could even react, a heavy blow belonging to a blunt weapon, probably some kind of bat slammed into his back. He smacked onto the floor, pain surging through his body as his head was pressed against the cold, stone floor by a metal gauntlet.
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“Got him!” one of the soldiers shouted. They grabbed him by his arms, their grip too strong for Leo to resist as they dragged him towards the vault.
Leo struggled, fighting against them with everything he had left, but it wasn’t enough. They were too strong, their brute force overpowering his desperate attempts. He kept fighting, knowing what awaited on the other side of that door.
“You can’t,” Leo gasped, his voice raw and broken. “You can’t do this! T-there must be some law against this!”
The soldiers only laughed, their eyes shining with twisted joy. “Oh, but we can,” one of them sneered. “You’re the key, aren’t you? You are the sole reason we get to kill all of you.”
They reached the vault, its ancient stone surface engraved with the seal of his family. The soldiers slammed him against it. Leo’s bloodied hand pressed against the lightning-shaped seal, the mark lit up as the vault recognized him. To his darkest fears, he could hear the mechanisms inside the door turning, unlocking. His heart sank.
“No…” he whispered, tears burning in his eyes. “Please…” But it was too late.
If only I was stronger, if I could just kill those few soldiers and go into the vault as well. Then we could’ve activated the grand escape spell which takes a day to activate. This is all because I am weak. Would things have been different if I properly trained instead of learning about poetry and art? If I had been a little less self centered and pursued what was necessary instead of what I liked would this have even happened? To think I would not only bring demise to myself but to everyone I love. “Please just lend me power this one time.”
As desperate as his soul could be, his entire existence clung onto those words. As if a higher being answered his call a bolt of light purple energy gathered in his left hand. Without a second of hesitation the boy twisted around and pierced the man who was holding him against the seal. It felt as if the child was cutting butter with a hot knife. A hole the size of a hand marked the soldier as he fell to the ground. Leo jumped towards the other enemies the moment he felt that the grip became weakened and attacked them before they could even react.
Four corpses laid in front of him as the energy faded and Leo’s fatigue returned. The sealed vault behind him slowly opened, revealing the smiling faces of his people. This time their eyes were filled with relief instead of horror. Slowly, Leo realized it was all a hallucination and he began to wake up from the altered memory.
He opened his eyes back in reality, laying down on the soft bed. The room he was inside was exactly the same as when he had left, dim and damp. The feeling of pure joy that he had longed so much for was fake, but he didn’t really care. It was a bittersweet feeling, knowing that his past could have been like that dream if he had been stronger. That in fact, it was all because of his lack in strength. The boy sat up right with a small grin on his face. He had successfully awakened his mana, and that was all that mattered in the moment. He could finally grow stronger. The child knew that a past couldn’t be changed and only the future could go different.
The doctor who was still in the room looked at him with a scribbling down words on his tablet. “Magnificent”, it spelled in a sloppy handwriting. It seemed like the man had already cleaned up the mess that was left behind from crafting the demonic incense while Leo was in his artificial slumber. The mysterious doctor left the room taking notes on his tablet. He must’ve felt a change in the energy I give off.
Akino, who had been patiently sitting on a wooden chair walked over to Leo and sat next to him, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Your lights… the light purple one became big.” She seemed very tired, having dark circles under her eyes. Leo patted her head and ruffled through her long hair. “I know. How long was I out for?” The girl looked at him with a soft smile. “A long time, some people came in a few hours ago arguing with the doctor that we will depart soon and that if you didn’t wake up soon they would forcefully wake you up.”
Leo looked her in the eyes and returned her smile. “And why did you stay awake the entire time? Were you scared that the doctor would do something to me?” It was originally supposed to be a tease but she softly nodded in confirmation and buried her head against him.
“Will… Will we be separated again?” There was a clear tone of sorrow mixed with a hint of fear in her voice. Leo stared at the roof for a few seconds before answering. “Probably. You’ll be reunited with your family while I undergo my trial. They’re probably being pressured by the noble faction by now to hand you over as soon as possible. You’ll be able to live in comfort again.”
The words seemed to have a calming effect until she realized something. “So, what about you? If I go back to my family, then what about you? Will you have to stay here? Will I see you again?” Questions kept on flowing out of the girl so Leo gently silenced her by putting a finger on her lips. The boy smiled trying to hide his uncertainty. “For a healthy tree to grow, the soil must to be good. To get a soil of quality, much must be sacrificed. Nature shows us more than we think. I’ll be happy to say that I part of the soil to one of the highest and most beautiful trees in the wide forest.”
Akino’s intelligent eyes seemed to think about the sentence but she didn’t find the meaning. “What does that mean?”, she asked. Leo patted her head playfully again and smiled. “You’ll understand it when you get older. Just remember that a tree has times where it bears fruits that everyone wants to taste and times where it is seen as dead by others while still hanging on to life.”
She twisted her head in confusion but before she could say anything the door swung open and knights walked in. “We’ve heard from the doctor that the boy has awoken. Lady Emberheart, it is time to prepare you for your depart. Say your final goodbye to the child. Boy, the great commander is waiting for you at the stables, don’t let him wait on you.” Akino twisted her head back to Leo with a shocked expression. “What do they mean by final goodbye?! I’ll see you again right? Right?!” Leo couldn’t hide the guilt he felt for leaving someone who depended on him once again. He knew damn well that if he didn’t manage to escape as planned he would never see anyone again, let alone Akino.
“Of course we’ll meet again, sooner or later. If you believe that we will, then that will become the truth. You control your own destiny from now on.” Tears rolled down the girl’s cheeks as she hugged Leo tightly. It continued for a few minutes before she got up and left while looking at Leo with a sad and guilty expression.
The boy got up as well and grabbed his two blades and sheathed them. He was ready to depart, ready to get stronger and ready to escape this hellhole.