The man froze the moment he saw the light. For a second, he thought that it was just the moonlight, lighting the area. However, as his eyes adjusted, he realized that it wasn't the case.
The light was floating in the air.
Is that Magic? The man narrowed his eyes.
He instinctively hid behind a nearby tree. He pressed his lips together as his eyes flew from the light to the face of the man, controlling its movement.
It was Lionel.
The young lord…? His eyes widened slightly.
He couldn't be wrong about it. Even though the man was wearing a thick coat and the surroundings were dark, the brightness from the light enabled him to see Lionel's face clearly.
The man stayed still, trying not to make a sound as he continued to watch. The sphere of light that floated in Lionel's hand moved with ease. It followed his gestures as if it were alive.
He felt a shiver crawl down his spine. Magic? How come Lionel could use magic? That was something unheard of!
"Impossible…" the man whispered under his breath, barely audible.
He watched as Lionel guided the orb higher, then split it into two smaller lights before merging them again. The control on it was clean.
The man's breath caught in his throat.
Magic… real magic.
In all his years of life, he had never seen anything like it. And yet, there it was.
In the hands of a 14-year-old noble.
If word of this spread, the consequences would be unimaginable!
The man's gaze sharpened at that thought. He watched Lionel closely from the distance. Lionel's expression was calm that it scared him for a moment.
That time, a thought popped in his mind.
This child is dangerous.
The man swallowed hard.
Should I report this?
The man stayed hidden, not daring to move. He thought of reporting it immediately to everyone, but when he thought of the consequences, he quickly shook his head. He felt a little guilty since Lionel seemed nice.
"Lionel wouldn't live a normal life again if I did that," and so he chose that whatever this was, it was not something meant to be known.
The man's lips curved into a small smile. Another laugh escaped his lips once again as he shook his head in disbelief.
"How fascinating…" he murmured, his tone filled with amusement.
His gaze stayed on Lionel once again. After a few more minutes of watching him, he decided to take a step back. He should leave now. If Lionel found out he'd been watching, he might be in danger, especially since he had nothing with him.
A small smile lingered on the man's face before he finally turned away. But even as he left, one question refused to leave his mind.
What will Cassian do when he learns about this?
The man let out a low chuckle.
"Heh. Things are about to get interesting soon…"
- - -
Lionel, who remained clueless about the matter, continued practicing for hours. He exhaled deeply, feeling the fatigue in his body. That's when he decided to stop.
"I think… that's enough for tonight," he muttered to himself. He wiped away the small beads of sweat that were on his forehead. He had to come back now because he didn't know how long it had since he had been here.
He didn't want people to realize that he wasn't in his tent.
Before he could forget, Lionel put the ring back on his finger. Then, he started walking back to the same path he had taken earlier.
His eyes roamed around the area. It was dark everywhere, but he didn't feel any danger lingering. It was also fortunate that the light from the moon was enough to give the forest a small amount of light, so he could see where he was going.
Lionel walked slowly, letting the moonlight guide his path through the trees. However, as he moved deeper, something made him stop.
"What…"
There, he saw something, just a few steps ahead of him.
Lionel narrowed his eyes. There were footprints on the ground.
This wasn't here earlier…
Lionel's heart thumped loudly at that thought. He quickly crouched down to take a look. The prints were deep, shaped by heavy boots. They were also fresh, or maybe they were just imprinted there a few hours ago.
'Oh shit…'
Someone was here.
He straightened slowly. His hands instinctively went to his waist, reaching for his sword that would usually rest there. But then, he remembered that it wasn't the old times. He hadn't brought anything with him tonight.
His eyes darted around the dark forest, scanning the shadows between the trees. But there was nothing there.
Did someone follow him? Or worse, did someone see him use magic?
"No… It's fine. Even if someone did, I'll just have to deal with it later." Lionel took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay composed.
"But what if it was Cassian?" Lionel murmured under his breath.
The thought alone made his chest tighten. If his cousin had seen him tonight, things would take a turn for the worse. Cassian wasn't the type to stay quiet about something that could shift attention away from him.
But after a moment of thinking, Lionel shook his head.
"No. That's impossible."
Cassian would never sneak out alone at night. He was always surrounded by his knights, even within the camp. There was no way he could've come here unnoticed.
"Then who is it?" Lionel whispered, frowning.
He pressed his lips together as his fists clenched at his sides.
"Either way…" he muttered, "Whoever it is, I need to find out."
He looked down once more at the footprints, memorizing their size and look. The sole of the shoes had an intricate design, which means it didn't come from a soldier or a servant.
That means it's a noble… Lionel exhaled slowly. "I have to make sure this doesn't get out…"