Zeker concealed his repulsive appearance under the hood of his long jacket, moving stealthily across the rooftop.
Once he found a secluded corner, he extended his palm, and a bizarre insect-like creature emerged from it, responding to a telepathic connection.
"Lord Leonidas," Zeker communicated through the insect, mentally summoning the distant figure.
In another space separate from the this world...
Leonidas, a man with immaculate, snow-white locks, and mesmerizing sapphire eyes reminiscent of crystalline depths, reclined in a luxurious chair, engrossed in a magazine. His flawless hand plucked a biscuit from a nearby bowl, savoring it as his gaze strayed from the magazine.
Suddenly, a sizable insect flew toward him, landing on the table, piquing his interest.
"Hm?" Leonidas uttered, arching an eyebrow.
After, he thoughtfully placed his hand on the insect.
The telepathic communication was established.
"Hm? What is it, Zeker?"
His voice carried strong nonchalance. It was as though he wasn't expecting any important information from Zeker.
But in truth, he was.
Zeker, using the insect's voice to address him, reported, "Lord Leonidas, I have..."
Abruptly, Leonidas interjected, "Drop the the whole 'my lord' thing, you usually don't do that... Call me Leo."
Nonchalantly, he resumed reading.
Zeker cleared his throat awkwardly. "Sorry about that. Silva's been shoving it down my throat for a while now... So, I decided to use those honorifics so she wouldn't kill me."
A chuckle escaped from Leonidas. "I suppose she's like that.."
Equally, Zeker laughed as well. "Yeah, a pain in the ass if you ask me," he replied.
Leonidas smiled warmly.
Simultaneously, he kept a hand on the insect and inquired about Zeker's purpose.
"Do you have information on the vessel?" Leonidas inquired.
"Yes," Zeker nodded, although there was no need for it. "But how did you know the vessel would appear today?" he probed.
The major reason he was asking was simply that, before now, they had only been discussing the vessel. Every time Zeker or the "others" told Leonidas to let them go get the vessel, Leonidas would simply smile and tell them that now wasn't the time. He'd been doing this for at least nine months. And then, all of a sudden, without warning or any proper planning, Leonidas ordered that now was the time to capture the vessel.
Unmoved, Leonidas calmly explained, "I never actually specified the date. I simply instructed you to locate the vessel's city of residence a few days before, leaving the timing to chance. To be honest, you were fortunate to find the vessel beyond the borders of the school so quickly."
Zeker quietly listened.
"I had thought it'd take an extra day or two, but it seems that vessel of ours is a little too over romantic," Leonidas finished speaking.
"I see," Zeker acknowledged.
Conversationally, Leonidas followed up, theorizing, "Was there a young boy with her... You know, dark hair and pretty blue eyes?"
"Y... Yes," Zeker affirmed, a little shaken how Leonidas knew of the boy when he hadn't made any direct or indirect statements towards it. "He's on a date with the vessel."
A mesmerizing smile curled on Leonidas's lips as he gently folded the magazine. "Excellent," he said.
Zeker already had a sly grin on his face. He didn't need to see Leonidas' face to tell what he was going to say next. "So, should I get the girl?" he asked.
From his own perspective, he wanted to speak Leonidas' mind before Leonidas did it himself.
Leonidas let out a small chuckle, eyeing the ceiling through half-closed lids. "Do you really want to?" he teased.
Little by little, Zeker's eyes widened. It was as though he had some sort of pent-up obsession. "Of course! She's crucial to your plans, and I'll do anything for you," he replied.
As Leonidas rested back in his chair, the insect-like creature, which was also the source of their telepathic connection, crawled from the table and nestled in his lap. In order for Zeker and Leonidas to communicate, both had to make contact with their respective "insects".
However, these insects were as a result of Zeker's magic technique.
"There are only two things you need to do for this mission to succeed," Leonidas explained. "First, defeat the black-haired boy. Second, capture the vessel in time. And, uh, three, contact me to open a portal and bring you back here."
Zeker raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Leo, that's three things," he pointed out.
Leonidas opened his eyes, laughing softly. "Oh, I guess you're right," he admitted.
"Alright, that doesn't sound too hard. Expect me back in two minutes," Zeker declared confidently.
"Good. I'll be waiting. The new season of our favorite reality TV show airs today," Leonidas mentioned, still smiling.
"Housewives of Europe? Is it really back for a fourth season?" Zeker squealed eagerly.
"Definitely. Some of the original cast will return," Leonidas confirmed.
Even though Zeker wasn't physically present, it wasn't hard for Leonidas to imagine his facial expression as well as what next he was going to ask.
"OMG! Please tell me Bianca's gonna be part of it!" Zeker exclaimed.
Tapping his chin softly, Leonidas hummed thoughtfully. "I'm not sure," he gave up on thinking and then shrugged apathetically. "But I'll check my socials and confirm."
"Shit! We're way off point," said Zeker, realizing they had digressed.
"We'll talk later. All right," Leonidas agreed.
The telepathic communication through the insects ceased, and the creature left Leonidas' lap. He adjusted himself and continued reading his magazine.
"Hmm, let's check the sports section..."
Suddenly, Silva, a woman with chin-length silver hair and blue eyes, entered the room. She wore a white robe with black stripes. "Greetings, my lord," she said, bowing her head respectfully.
"Silva, you don't need to be so formal," Leonidas replied, still engrossed in his magazine. "You can call me Leo or something..."
She shook her head. "I prefer to address you as Lord Leonidas. I could never disrespect you," she insisted with her usual stern voice.
Leonidas chuckled, waving off her formality. "Suit yourself then," he replied.
For what felt like an eternity, Silva sat in contemplative silence as she observed Leonidas engrossed in his magazine, every passing moment laden with unspoken thoughts. Finally, when the weight of her curiosity became too heavy to bear, Leonidas broke the silence with a resigned sigh, prompting Silva to gather her courage.
Truly, she wanted to speak and yet held herself; either out of respect or fear.
"Hey, don't hold back. I can tell there's something you want to ask," Leonidas kindly said, almost expectantly.
Silva hesitated briefly, then nodded, gathering her courage to ask, "The black-haired boy you mentioned earlier... was it Grey NewGate?"
Leonidas, still engrossed in his magazine, half-closed his eyes and simply replied, "Yes, that's him."
Buoyed by his response, Silva pressed on, "Isn't he the one who has created over 8 magic techniques, holds the title of a Demon Lord Contender, and was rumored to have emitted something called the Emperor's Pillar during his birth, tearing the sky in half?"
Leonidas moistened his fingers with his tongue and nonchalantly flipped the page before responding, "You're quite informed, Silva."
It was as though he'd forgotten he was the one who told her.
Silva, feeling the weight of her next words but unable to hold back, asked, "Then why would you let Zeker go and fight someone so powerful?"
Leonidas chuckled softly and closed his magazine, assuming a more attentive posture. "What kind of father would convince his own son that he was powerless?" he asked pointedly.
Silva froze, caught off guard by the truth in Leonidas' words, but composed herself and carefully replied, "When you put it that way, it paints you as a loving father."
"Mhmm," Leonidas nodded in agreement. "I'd like to think I am."
Silva was determined to understand the stakes.
She ventured further with another question.
"On a scale of 1 to 10, what are Zeker's chances of winning against Grey?"
Leonidas sighed gently and crossed his legs, wearing a cold smile as he replied, "Somewhere between impossible and laughable. It's not a battle; it's a lesson in futility."
Silva hung her head in silence, unable to find a response.
His words carried weight, enough to press against her closely guarded heart.
'I don't like a single thing about Zeker... He's foolish, noisy, arrogant and disrespectful to Lord Leonidas, but that doesn't make immune to worrying about him...'
Her thoughts disturbed her, constantly.
Meanwhile, Leonidas' cold smile softened into his usual innocent expression, and he deftly changed the subject, saying, "Oh, the new magical girl anime is coming out today!"
With that, he dashed out of his seat and rushed down the corridor.