Leon woke with a heavy head.
The sun was already high outside his window, but his body still felt tired. Not physical exhaustion—mental fatigue. Last night's dreams were filled with visions of Zar's face, his sharp gaze, his words still echoing.
"Couldn't sleep well?" Satan's voice sounded, slightly teasing.
Leon sighed. "My mind is chaotic, Lord."
"Good. That means you're aware." Satan paused.
"But instead of dwelling on that old man's words, you'd be better off spending your time... developing."
Leon frowned. He sat on the edge of the bed, feeling his body. Still weak, but not like yesterday. "What do you mean, Lord?"
"You can already animate and summon the dead. That's just the beginning. There's still much you can learn."
"Like what?"
"Like... sensing those who live. Not just the dead."
Leon sharpened his ears. "What do you mean, Lord?"
Satan didn't answer with words. But suddenly, Leon felt something—a subtle push, like an invisible hand closing his eyes from within.
"Close your eyes," Satan commanded. "Feel those around you."
Leon obeyed.
At first, darkness. Only his own heartbeat. His slow breathing. But slowly, like eyes adjusting to darkness, he began to sense something.
"Not with your eyes. But with your soul."
And suddenly—
Points of light. Faint, small, but there. Outside his room, in the corridor, in the garden. Dozens of points with different colors and intensities.
"Those are their souls," Satan whispered.
"The soldiers. The servants. Everyone in this palace. Every living being has uniqueness. The more you recognize, the more you can... find them."
Leon opened his eyes. His room was still the same. But he felt... different.
"I can sense them," he murmured, amazed.
"Soul detection. That's the first ability you must master."
---
Leon spent the next hour practicing. Opening and closing his vision. Distinguishing one point from another. While Satan gave him guesses, Leon began to answer correctly.
"Enough," Satan finally said. "Now the second ability."
Leon wiped the sweat from his forehead. "What is it?"
"You can summon Valker from another dimension. That means you can already open rifts. Now... try moving yourself."
Leon's eyes widened. "Teleportation?"
"You could call it that. But don't expect to master it immediately."
Leon stood in the middle of the room. Closed his eyes. Felt that rift—like a door to another dimension that he usually used to summon Valker. But this time, he tried to pull it towards himself.
WHOOSH!
Leon opened his eyes. His room was still the same. His position hadn't changed.
"Try again."
Leon tried again. Failed. Again. Failed. Again.
THUD!
His face hit the wall.
"You're forcing, not flowing." Satan sighed.
"Remember the feeling when you opened the door for Valker. You weren't pushing. You were inviting. Now do the same, but for yourself."
Leon sat down, rubbing his slightly bleeding nose. He took a long breath. Closed his eyes.
Inviting, not forcing. Flowing, not pushing.
Slowly, he felt something. Not a rift opening, but his body feeling... light. As if he was no longer part of this room, but part of space itself.
Leon opened his eyes.
He was standing three meters from his original position. And then he fell forward, losing his balance.
But he smiled. "I did it..."
"Not bad for a first try." Satan's tone sounded satisfied. "But you'll fall many times before you can control it."
---
The next hour was spent with Leon practicing short-range teleportation. From one corner of the room to another. From in front of the window to behind the door. Falling many times, getting up again.
Until finally he could do it stably, even if only for short distances.
"Enough," said Satan. "The third ability. The most difficult."
Leon stretched his aching body. "What is it?"
"Sight."
Leon frowned. "Sight? But I can already see."
"Seeing the future, boy."
Leon froze.
"Precognition. The ability to see what will happen a few seconds in the future." Satan paused. "It's not about seeing with your eyes. It's about feeling the vibrations in the air, in the soul, in fate itself."
Leon swallowed hard. "Can I... do it?"
"Try."
Leon stood in the middle of the room. Closed his eyes. Tried to feel... what?
One minute. Two minutes. Nothing.
"You're too hard on yourself. Relax."
Leon sighed, loosening his muscles. Letting his mind go blank.
And suddenly—
A flash.
Faint, like a shadow behind fog. He saw himself falling forward. One second. Two seconds.
Leon opened his eyes. Nothing happened.
But a second later, his foot tripped over clothes that had fallen on the floor. He almost fell—but his hand had already reached for the table to steady himself.
Leon gasped. "I... saw it."
"Vaguely," Satan commented. "But that's precognition. Still rough, not perfected. But for a first try... not bad."
Leon smiled broadly. He felt like he had just opened a door to a world that had been hidden all along.
Afterwards, he continued practicing all these abilities until nightfall.
---
That night, Leon sat on his balcony, staring at the stars after a day of exhausting training.
His body was tired—even more tired than after battle. But his mind felt clear. Soul detection, teleportation, precognition. Three new abilities he had learned in one day. Still rough, still needing refinement. But he could feel the power within him growing, developing.
"You're satisfied?" Satan asked.
Leon smiled. "Very."
"Don't be complacent. There's still much you need to learn."
"I know." Leon sighed. "But for the first time... I feel like I truly have control. Not just receiving power, but... understanding it."
Satan was silent. But Leon felt something—a faint warmth in his chest. Like... approval.
The night wind blew gently. Leon closed his eyes, enjoying the freshness after a day of training.
And unintentionally, he used his soul detection ability.
In the distance, in the palace garden, there was a single point of light. Small, warm, different from the others. Leon opened his eyes. Turned towards the garden.
Beneath the moonlight, on a stone bench near the pond, a figure with dark blue-black hair sat alone. Her face tilted skyward, gazing at the stars.
Leon, recognizing that point of light, went down to the garden without thinking. His feet moved on their own, bringing him closer to Princess Sylvaine, who was lost in thought on this night.
He stopped a few steps from the bench, hesitant. But Sylvaine, as if sensing his presence, turned.
"Leon?"
Her voice was soft, slightly surprised. But her eyes—her eyes sparkled.
Leon approached, sitting beside her uninvited. For a while, they were silent, enjoying the night's stillness.
"I couldn't sleep," Sylvaine finally said. "My mind... is too chaotic."
Leon nodded. "Me too."
Sylvaine looked at him. "What are you thinking about?"
Leon considered his answer. About training. About new abilities. About Zar. About Satan's past. But finally, he simply said, "Many things."
Sylvaine smiled faintly. "Me too." She looked down, her fingers playing with the edge of her skirt. "Leon..."
"Hm?"
She lifted her face. Her eyes shone under the moonlight—Leon could see a strange glint there. Not sadness, not anger. But like... longing.
"Can I ask you for something?"
Leon sharpened his ears. "What is it, Princess?"
Sylvaine bit her lip. Then, in a voice almost inaudible, she said, "Take me out of the palace. Just tonight, Leon."
Leon's eyes widened. "What?"
"I know this is crazy." Sylvaine laughed softly, bitterly. "I, a royal princess, am never allowed to go out alone. But tonight... I just want to feel something different." She looked at Leon.
"Just with you, Leon."
Leon was silent. His mind raced.
"She's serious," Satan whispered. "And you want to, don't you?"
Leon sighed. "But—"
"Relax, Brother Zephyr already gave permission." Sylvaine cut in, her eyes sparkling mischievously.
"I asked him beforehand. He just said... ask Leon."
Leon smiled faintly. So this was planned.
He stood, extending his hand. "In that case... let's go, Princess."
Sylvaine stared at his hand for a moment. Then, with a smile wider than before, she took it.
That night, under the moonlight, two figures ran from the palace towards the city, towards the festival, towards something that might change everything.
=== CHAPTER 9 END ===