Class ended with little fanfare but new eyes on Leto. As he picked up his things, empty notebook included, he noticed a mark on his hand just underneath his wrist. His eyes widened and in a soundless gasp, he brought his hand to his face with such force he nearly smacked himself.
The black mark was a small heart shaped spot on his hand. At first glance, most would think nothing of it but Leto would recognize it anywhere.
Etched into his skin was the mark of the Void Heart.
"I still have it," He said to himself. He wanted to laugh and giggle hysterically until the Empyrean Knights came to take him away for being mentally unsound but he held back, knowing he looked suspicious already.
Knowing he had this now, things would certainly be different. There was only one problem.
As he walked through the halls alone he found a secluded space between corridors to test his theory. Leto leaned back against the wall calling forth his mana until he felt the gentle pull of the Void Heart within his core.
"There you are," He said as he tried reaching for the Void Heart's essence. He opened his eyes again and tried to summon the weapon toward him.
As he guessed, what appeared in his hand was no longer a sleek black sword but a blade the size of a box cutter. The handle was made of a dark material that made it easy to grip with a blade only about two inches in length.
This was the Void Heart in its most base form, clean of any mana or even soul essence points. Leto exhaled in disappointment.
"I shouldn't be, I'm lucky to still have this, I'm off to a great start," He squeezed the Void Heart's Blade in his hand with determination and set his mouth in a line.
Most students from a low born background would never even see a mana essence weapon until their first paychecks for their respective classes.
"Leto there you are," A gentle voice said from the side of the small nook he had hidden himself in, Leto swiftly dismissed his weapon and turned around to face her.
A pair of shining green eyes greeted him, crinkling up their edges in a smile, before him stood the love of his life, Azia. Right now she was still his childhood friend but later in life, he would propose to her just after she became a Master Aide.
"Azia," Leto said, a flood of warmth filled his heart at the sight of the blonde girl. Azia was a petite, bespeckled girl with shiny blonde hair and beautiful green eyes.
Like him, she was a lowborn and she was never allowed to forget it. When he met her, she was relentlessly bullied by both high and lowborn students alike and after saving her, earning himself a two week suspension in the process, they became friends.
After finding out they were both mana born children they were forced into Griswold together.
"Are you alright? Dominic said you've been acting strange, don't tell me you're coming down with some type of fever," Azia said, lifting her hand to place on his forehead.
"No, Zi," Leto said, using his nickname for her. "I had an awful dream and I've been pretty out of it ever since,"
"Must have been one hell of a nightmare, there are some tonics for that,"
"Made with Curio?"
Azia laughed softly.
"What else?" She said,
"Has he finally come back to his senses?" Dominic's voice said, the unwelcome intrusion caused Leto to glare at him, Dominic took a step back.
"What is with you today? You're looking at me like I killed your dog or something," Dominic said.
'Little do you know Dominic,' Leto thought. A glance from Azia was enough to quell his rage, for now, Azia was alive.
He wouldn't let anything happen to her again.
"Sorry, I've been out of it all day," Leto said. "Bad nightmares,"
"I see," Dominic said, relaxing his gaze. His hazel eyes stared in concern at Leto prompting a pang of sadness to squeeze the dark haired boy's heart. He couldn't stand to see the other boy, not after what he did.
What he was going to do?
"Let's get to class," Leto said, already walking ahead of them. Azia and Dominic nodded, following behind him. The two exchanged worried glances for their friend, wondering what could have come over him this morning.
"Leto it's a break period, let's get something to eat, you'll feel better," Azia said hugging him around the waist to halt his movements.
"To be quite honest, you're worrying me a bit," she said.
"I know Zi," Leto said sighing, he turned around to face her, resting his hands on her small shoulders. Her piercing green eyes bore into him, questioning with the same analytical mind that made her a Master Aide.
"I guess I'm worried about choosing my occupation," Leto said. "I've been having dreams about it and they're not good, to say the least,"
He felt her shoulders loosen under his hands.
"I guess we're all pretty nervous about it," Azia said softly. "But you've thought about this forever, A Chazador, you'll join the local guild and help other lo
Dominic too let out a sigh of relief, He swung an arm around Leto uncaring of the way the other boy flinched at his touch.
"Food's on me," Dominic chirped.
====
The dining hall was a large area almost as big as a football stadium meat to feed all the inhabitants of the Griswold Academy. Tables lined with food and trays sat far back at the edges of the hall where attendants stood dishing out meals to the students.
Dominic, Azia, and Leto took their places at the end of the line, picking up their trays and moving slowly through the area to get their lunch. Leto and Azia grumbled making sure to pick only the cheapest things on the menu or the free specials.
Today's food wasn't the best, discounted old bread and some weedy, green stew that smelled of raw grass. But sustenance was sustenance. This wasn't the first time Leto had to choke down food he didn't like.
"Is that really all you're going to get?" Dominic asked raising an eyebrow. "I told you lunch is on me,"
They looked at his plate, pilled high with more food than they could ever imagine eating, a few slices of meat from creatures hunted by the Chazador, no doubt put there to enhance the mana cores of the highborn students who could afford it.
Mouth watering dessert rested just on the edge of his tray, teetering on the edge of falling off his tray.
"Yes but we wouldn't want to make it seem like we were taking advantage of you," Azia said.
Leto remembered this speech, the one that cemented his friendship with Dominic, his promise to take care of them as his friend, and how they would change the world together.
"Azia," Dominic began with a smile. "I have more money than I'll ever know what to do with and once I become an Empyrean Knight I'll have even more. You guys are the only ones who have ever seen me not just as the last prince of the Tavestian Empire but as my friend. So please, I'm not going to let you starve while I'm here," he said laughing.
Leto said nothing, knowing later in life these sincere words would be twisted into cruelty.
"After all I've done for you!" Dominic had said to him during his time in the dungeon.
"Do what you think is right Azia, we'll soon start taking our trial missions and we'll be able to afford better things then," Leto said. Azia looked between them, frowning at the tension.
Leto could tell she was wondering what was up with him today, he was usually so cheerful but now, he had seemingly changed overnight. Leto's blue eyes had gone from bright to sullen, he no longer had the passive grin that gave away his inner happiness.
Dominic sighed.
"It's not a bad thing to rely on others you know," Dominic said as they got to the counter to pay for their food.
"I'm not arguing with that logic," Leto said stepping up to the counter and handing the attendant a few coins, despite being low born like him, he snickered at Leto's inability to pay for the special meals.
A person who could not even attend the same classes as him. Leto chuckled, this was the competition such an environment created.
Suddenly a plump golden bun was placed on his plate, He looked up at the attendant who put it there when no one was looking. She was a young girl about his age. He could tell she was mana born from the way she was dressed in the school uniform, probably working here part time to pay for her education like many of the lowborn students.
She held a hand to her lips, motioning for him to keep it a secret. Leto smiled and for a brief moment, the spark in his eyes returned.
"Thank you," He mouthed.
Despite Leto's prior insistence, Dominic shared his meal with them and Leto was hard pressed to deny his friend's intentions. The way the prince's warm brown eyes smiled, looking up at Leto as he gently placed some meat into his tray. The boy before him still had a kind heart and nothing but good intentions.
So that left the question. What caused him to snap?