As soon as his parents closed the door, Lawrence, filled with new knowledge and impressions from the magic lesson in the garden, could not fall asleep. He lay in his cradle, gazing at the twinkling stars outside the window, his mind swirling with thoughts of magic and the books he had seen in the library. He had decided early in the evening to visit the library and continue his study of magic. Therefore, Lawrence waited for his parents to fall asleep. As soon as he heard his father's snoring, Lawrence quietly slipped out of his cradle, took a candlestick, and headed to the library. The door creaked faintly as he carefully opened it. The library, bathed in moonlight, appeared before him like a gateway to another world.

Lawrence headed to the farthest corner of the library. Standing near rows of giant shelves, where he previously could not reach the desired books, Lawrence knew that now no one could hinder his study of magic. Now, fully immersed in his mind, Lawrence was ready to use all the knowledge he had acquired to retrieve the necessary volumes.

Focusing, Lawrence raised his hand toward the top shelf. Understanding how Air Magic worked, he began to absorb a large number of Mana Particles into his Core, forming a mass spell that Lawrence wanted to use on the books.

- "Come on, Lawrence. You can do this. Since I'm trying a mass spell for the first time, of course, it will be difficult,"

He muttered, gritting his teeth and chuckling nervously.

Remembering all the information he had studied during nights in this very library, Lawrence skillfully managed the Mana Flows, distributing the Mana Particles throughout his body. Victor's words about feeling the air as part of himself also helped Lawrence concentrate the Mana Particles in the Core. Having prepared enough Mana Particles, Lawrence directed them into his palm through the Mana Flows in his body. Light-green Particles began forming in the center of his palm, transforming into "Air Threads." At first, Lawrence struggled to direct and maintain the "Air Threads," but soon he learned to control them more precisely, and the books gently slid out of the desired row.

The books hovered in the air like birds, moving toward Lawrence. The more threads Lawrence created, the harder it became to control the Air Magic and direct them accurately.

He was still inexperienced to use a spell of this level. His Mana Core had awakened only recently, and Lawrence was already beginning to deplete it.

Despite the difficulties, he skillfully extracted and stacked the books in front of him, anticipating the opportunity to study them. After a few minutes, a pile of books on magic, the history of mages, and even ancient spells lay before him. Lawrence picked one up and began reading, engrossed in the information that opened up entirely new horizons to him. His little fingers quickly flipped through the pages, his eyes wide with surprise and joy from the newfound knowledge.

Practicing summoning and dispersing magical spheres, Lawrence also strengthened his magical abilities in practice. Besides ordinary spells, Lawrence also practiced more complex ones. Magic ran through his veins, and with each repetition, he felt himself growing stronger. The power of air magic was no longer just an abstract concept—it had become part of him, something he could summon and use at will.

As Lawrence delved deeper into reading and practice, the sun slowly rose outside, illuminating the room with the first rays of sunlight. Tired but satisfied, Lawrence eventually fell asleep right at the table, surrounded by open books and softly falling rays of the sun, dreaming of the days when he could use his knowledge and powers to explore a world full of magic and wonders.

At dawn the next day, when the first rays of sunlight broke through the curtains and softly lit Lawrence's sleeping face, he slowly opened his eyes. His mind was still swirling with images and knowledge from his night of study, and despite a slight fatigue, he felt unusually full of energy and inspiration.

Lawrence got up from the chair where he had dozed off and quietly began to replace the books on the shelves. His movements were neat and precise—he was no longer the clumsy little boy who couldn't reach the top shelves without magic. Now, he felt like a real little mage, capable of great deeds.

After the last book was neatly placed back in its spot, Lawrence confidently headed towards the library exit, looking back at it with a warm sense of gratitude for the knowledge and secrets it had provided.

Returning to his room, he pondered how wonderful it would be to share his new skills with his father and show how much he had progressed during the night. However, the first thing Lawrence decided was that he needed some rest to gather strength for the upcoming day.

Closing the door of his room, Lawrence glanced at the window where the sun was already climbing higher, lighting the morning with its warm light. He lay down in bed and closed his eyes, but before he could fall back asleep, Lawrence felt an incredible sense of anticipation and joy at the discoveries that awaited him.

He had barely fallen into a deep sleep when Eris entered the room to wake him for breakfast. Seeing that he was already awake, she smiled and said:

- "Good morning, Lawrence. How did you sleep after such an eventful day?"

Lawrence winked at her in response and quickly got out of bed, ready for the new day.

- "I'm great, Mom! I learned a lot and now I can do..." he hesitated, recalling his nocturnal adventure in the library, and quickly corrected himself, — "I've been thinking a lot about what Dad showed me yesterday."

Eris nodded, pleased with his interest in learning, and took his hand to go down to the kitchen together. "It's good that you're so enthusiastic. After breakfast, you can continue your research. Just please, don't overexert yourself. You're still too young for heavy loads."

Lawrence and Eris headed to the living room, where Victor, the butler, and the maids were waiting. After a hearty breakfast, Victor stood up from the table, stretched briskly, and said:

- "Well son, ready for more training?"

- "Of course, dad..." Lawrence began to reply when suddenly, with a troubled expression, Windsom burst into the living room.

- "Windsom, what's the matter?"

Victor reacted quickly.

- "Sir Victor, the royal envoy demands you!" Windsom replied nervously.

- "A royal envoy, you say..."

Victor responded sternly.

- "Eris, take Lawrence and hide in the basement! And under no circumstances come out! Shelly, Loren, please follow them,"

Victor said anxiously.

- "Certainly, sir, be careful!"

Shelly replied anxiously and led everyone to the basement.

Victor and Windsom walked to the front door. And there stood the royal envoy and a dozen royal soldiers. Almost all the villagers had also gathered behind them. The royal envoy, standing in front of Victor's estate, presented an imposing figure. He was dressed in an official uniform that combined elements of practicality and majesty. His attire was made of dark red velvet with gold embroidery depicting the crest of the human capital of Erindor. On his head was a tall, stern leather helmet, adorned with a thin strip of gold and a small feather, symbolizing his status and calling. His gaze was serious and penetrating, and in his hands, he held a small scroll, an important message for Victor.

Behind the envoy stood a dozen royal knights in full combat armor: each in plate armor that shone in the sun like a mirror. The armor was expertly polished to a shine, indicative of high status and discipline among the royal knights. The plates were covered with intricate patterns, meticulously engraved along the edges of each piece. The colors of the armor—gold with accents of dark red—complemented the envoy's attire. The knights' helmets had visors down, giving them an even more somber and determined look. On their belts hung long swords with gilded handles, each a work of art.

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Victor, seeing the envoy and his entourage, immediately understood that this needed to be resolved quickly.

- "What do you need?" Victor asked patiently.

The envoy silently looked at Victor, unrolled the scroll, and began to read its contents:

- "On behalf of King Adrian Greyheart, I, Lucian Vinklaw, one of the 'Seven Swords' of the Kingdom of Erindor, summon you, Victor Hans, to surrender your son, Lawrence Hans, for special training. As it was..."

Before the envoy could finish, he was interrupted by Victor:

- "I refuse. You may not finish reading. Turn around and leave my land!"

Victor said, barely containing himself.

The envoy looked up at Victor again and said:

- "Do you even realize whom you are refusing now?"

Victor whispered something in Windsom's ear. He entered the house and returned a minute later with a tied cloth.

- "Here, my lord. As you requested. Please be careful,"

Wondsom said and went to the crowd of villagers that had gathered around.

- "Please, move back, ladies and gentlemen. It will soon be unsafe here,"

Windsom repeated.

- "And what are you going to do with this cloth? Are you going to fight? Remember, Victor, don't be foolish. While you have a chance, take it. Later, it will be too late,"

Lucian said seriously, drawing his sword.

- "Someone talks too much, don't you think? Since you're so great, I think you can handle some old man,"

Victor provoked.

- "Victor, don't force me to use force. If there's a weapon under this cloth, I'll consider it a betrayal of the kingdom. By making such rash actions, do you understand that by refusing me, you are refusing the king himself?"

Lucian said irritably.

- "Lucian, my friend. If you had something as important as I have, I think you would also be ready to refuse the whole world, right?"

Victor responded confidently.

- "Eeeh, Victor Hans. If you don't know a person's past, just keep quiet!"

Lucian replied irritably.

- "Your time is up. Since you refuse the offer, I simply have no choice. Take him!"

Lucian shouted. After which, the entire dozen soldiers synchronously lunged towards Victor.

Victor slowly untied the cloth and dropped it to the ground. In his hands was a legendary sword, long considered lost, a masterpiece of ancient weapon craftsmanship. The blade, about 105 centimeters long, was forged from a rare magical metal, the color of dark midnight, which shimmers with blue and purple hues when light hits it. The surface of the sword was covered with a complex pattern of the finest runes, applied in such a way that they seemed part of the metal itself—they slightly protruded above the surface, creating a three-dimensional effect.

The sword's handle was wrapped in dark red dragon leather, known for its durability and rarity. At the end of the handle was a teardrop-shaped stone, resembling a large blood droplet, encased in a gold setting. This stone was known for its magical properties, capable of enhancing the magical abilities of the sword's owner.

The crossguard of the sword was wide and adorned with gold inlays, depicting dragons whose bodies were intertwined in battle. The gold on the crossguard was done in fine filigree, adding elegance to the entire weapon.

- "It can't be... so this sword... has been with you all this time?"

Lucian shouted enviously and angrily.

Victor calmly took the sword in his right hand. He lifted his head and made a sweeping motion from left to right at chest level. Then, squatting down, he picked up the cloth, wrapped it, and re-tied it with a rope.

At the moment Victor swung the sword, everyone within a 20-meter range was sliced in half. Even without touching his enemies, Victor dealt with them in an instant.

Note:

"The Legendary Sword used by Victor is one of the parts of the Trident of the Goddess Astra.

On the day the Goddess disappeared without a trace, she left her Trident. Which was subsequently divided into three parts. To ensure that there was no imbalance of power among the three great races in the future, each race took one part of the Trident.

The sword was the top part. It was forged from three blades of the Trident. It is also believed that the sword has magical properties, for which ordinary people pay a dear price. Namely, using this sword's ability, called "Spatial Shift," a person pays with their Life Energy.

The "Spatial Shift" ability controls space.

For example, a mage who has reached the Fourth Stage of the Yard: "Porphyros" (Purple level), can use this ability for only 1-5 minutes. By slicing the space around with the blade of the sword, he creates a pocket in which he can reach anything within a twenty-meter radius. For 1-5 minutes, the mage who used this ability sacrifices about 5 to 10 years of life, depending on the number of actions performed.

Also, if this ability is used by a mage who has reached the Sixth Stage of the Core: "Mélas" (Black level) can use this same ability from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Sacrificing about five years of life."

The envoy was out of the range of impact, so he remained unharmed.

In hysteria and perplexity, falling to his knees, he shouted:

- "How??? How can it be??? That the Legendary Sword from legends and myths, one of the great parts of the Trident of the Goddess Astra, was with some commoner!!!??? How????"

- "Now run to your king, and convey my response. Anyone who dares touch my loved ones awaits the same fate,"

Victor said calmly and menacingly.

After which, the envoy stood up and ran screaming to the horse he had arrived on, to deliver the important news to the king as quickly as possible.

While Lucian disappeared in the distance, with each loud thump of his horse's hooves, Victor stood, staring into the void. His heart was not beating from fear but from anger and determination to protect his family at any cost. Turning around, he slowly headed back to the house.

Inside, Eris, Shelly, Loren, and Lawrence were waiting anxiously. Seeing Victor, Eris quickly approached him, her eyes full of questions and worry.

- "Is everything alright? What was that?"

she asked anxiously.

- "All is well,"

Victor confidently answered, trying to hide the fatigue in his voice.

- "We no longer need to worry about royal envoys. But we must be prepared for anything. Today's event could have had a different outcome. I think we need to lay low for a while. We need to wait it out where the kingdom cannot reach us. A neutral zone."

Eris listened attentively to Victor and responded:

- "Then I will start packing right away! Shelly, Loren, gather everyone in the living room! We need to announce important news!"

Lawrence, who was standing next to Loren, looked at his father with a bag of questions in his eyes. His little heart filled with pride and at the same time anxiety for the safety of the family.

- "Dad, why did they come for me? What did I do?"

Lawrence timidly asked, trying to understand the situation.

Victor knelt to be at eye level with Lawrence and took his hands.

- "You haven't done anything bad, son. You're special, and many see that. But some want to use your abilities not for good. Our task is to protect you and help you grow strong and wise. You must learn and develop, but always safely."

Lawrence nodded, trying to comprehend all this.

- "Come on, now is not the time for sadness,"

Said Victor, getting up. — "We still have a lot to do today. You need to continue learning to control your magic. Later I'll show you a few more tricks. But for now, let's help our mom."