Elysia followed Lucian through the narrow lanes of Arcanis, her brain churning with thoughts. She was yet to process what had just happened that day, when Lucian randomly appeared and offered himself as a mentor, along with promises of unimaginable power. The possibility that someone could simply offer her the strength she had been longing to have for such a long time was almost too good to be true.
With each tick of the clock, Caution increased. Who was Lucian, really? And what made him have that kind of power? What did he mean by "helping me realize my potential," as he'd phrased it?
"Thank you for your offer," Elysia said, her voice steady as she looked up at Lucian. "But who are you exactly? How can you give me this power? I've never heard of anyone who can just. grant strength like that.".
Lucian's chime of laughter was soft, his gaze forward. "That is because I am no ordinary man, Elysia. The power that I hold is greater than this world and many others. I can help you because, quite simply, I am the Supreme Being.".
Elysia furrowed her brow. Supreme Being? The title sounded haughty and pretentious, but titles alone meant little in a world governed by the raw reality of magical power. She had heard countless nobles and mages alike boast of their strength, only to fall short when tested. Could Lucian really be different?
What's that even mean? she asked with skepticism dripping from her voice. "Everyone can say, I have the power, but you haven't demonstrated it. Why should I believe you?
Lucian's smile grew wide, and when he did turn, the strange warmth settled over it, making her steps falter. His expression seemed to say nothing could make him regret what he had said. "You have every right to be wary, Elysia. Trust isn't something you give easily, not in a world like this. But you'll soon see that my words are not empty promises."
Elysia barely had a chance to open her mouth before a sharp voice split the air and tensed her body.
"What's this?" A sneering laugh came from behind them. "Elysia, associating with strangers? That is quite unlike you."
Elysia's heart sank as she turned to see who spoke. Approaching her with an air of arrogance was a young man she knew all too well-the spoiled son of a noble family-Darius. His robes elegantly tailored, sparkling with enchanted runes, a superior smile played on his lips as he approached. Behind him, three tall men in mage robes followed him like silent shadows-they all wore the insignia of the 4th Circle. Elysia knew these to be Darius's bodyguards, hired to protect him wherever he was. But what really made her blood run cold was the knowledge that somewhere up ahead, out of sight, was an even greater danger: Darius's personal protector, a mage of the 6th Circle, covertly positioned to protect him at all times.
Elysia gritted her teeth. She did not like Darius-at least, no one in the city's lower circles did. But the boy was the son of a big, powerful noble family, and they, nothing less than princes, were over everyone there. He could haze and belittle anybody he wished without consequence, and there was nothing Elysia could do to stop him. Her own magic, weak as it was, barely reached the 2nd Circle. She was no match for him or his guards.
"What is it, Darius?" Elysia asked, her voice colder than usual. "I'm busy."
"Oh, I see that," Darius said, his smirk growing wider as his eyes swept over Lucian with undisguised disdain. "Who's this? Some vagabond you picked up on the street? Really, you do keep queer company these days.".
Lucian didn't say a word to Darius's words. He just stood there, starring at the young noble with an entertained grin on his face, as if Darius were some kind of amusing show, not a threat.
"None of your business,"
Elysia said, folding her arms into her chest. "Why are you here?"
"I was just passing by," Darius replied indolently. "And I had to wonder at the foolishness of it all. Here you stand openly in the middle of nowhere with this. vagabond, talking about something that doesn't seem a thing for your station. How could some lowly 2nd Circle mage such as yourself be mulling over anything with a vagabond who dresses like a beggar?"
She clenched her fists at the burning sense of outrage and humiliation. At how she had nothing without a say for him himself. That he says whatever he pleases with neither fear nor reprisal against.
Lucian didn't seem to care. His head tilted ever so slightly, as if he finally studied Darius for the first time.
"Who I am," Lucian said calmly and steadily, "isn't important to you."
"Oh?" scoffed Darius, his eyes narrowing. "Do you know who I am, peasant? I'm Darius Venlock, son of Lord Venlock, one of the most influential men in this city. You should bow before me and show some respect."
"I should?" Lucian's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Why?"
Darius's face contorted in annoyance. "Because if you do not, I will make you regret it. My father could crush you with a flick of his wrist. And if that doesn't scare you, perhaps these will.".
Darius threw his hand toward the side, and three of his bodyguards stepped forward. Their hands were filled with crackling magic energy as they prepared for the attack. Elysia's heart was racing in panic. She was desperate to know that she could not save Lucian; she did not have a clue as to what to do here. And yet Lucian seemed to care a great deal about her.
"Let's see how brave you are now," Darius sneered.
Before the mages could unleash their spells, David came forward, raising his hand with a careless gesture. A ripple of unseen power spread through the air, and the magic the mages had been gathering simply disintegrated, fizzling their spells to nothing more than dying sparks.
The bodyguards gazed at their hands also, just as shocked to discover what they had somehow done. Darius stared, speechless, his eyes wide with not being able to believe it.
"What... what did you do?" Darius stammered, taking a step back.
Lucian's smile grew wider as he let out a soft chuckle. "Is that the best you can do? You really should hire better bodyguards."
Darius's face reddened with anger. "How dare you—"
"Careful," Lucian cut him off, his voice dripping with mockery. "You don't want to make a fool of yourself. Well... more of a fool than you already are.".
Darius's fists clenched, and the bodyguards, sensing the master's rising ire, began to prepare for magic once again. But before they could act, Lucian's eyes blazed with a terrible intensity.
He did nothing but a glance and the three 4th Circle mages hit the ground, their bodies loose, their souls snuffed out as if they never happened. The air was thick with a sudden, chilling silence, standing in stark contrast to what Darius saw, frozen in horror at their lifeless forms.
"You... you killed them!" Darius breathed, his voice shaking.
Lucian shrugged. "They were in the way.".
Elysia stood frozen, her mind racing at what she just witnessed. She knew Lucian was powerful, but this. This was something that went beyond anything she had ever witnessed. He hadn't raised a hand, hadn't muttered a single incantation, and yet three powerful mages had just been extinguished in the blink of an eye.
Darius's face distorted into an expression of raw anger and desperation. "You're going to pay for this!" he snarled. "You think you're above retribution? My father is a 7th Circle mage! He'll kill you for this!"
Lucian's expression did not shift. "Oh, really? And what do you think I'll do to him?"
Fear leapt within Darius's eyes, but he hid it behind bravado. "You won't even get a second breath against him! He's the most powerful mage in the city-no one crosses him and lives!"
Lucian's smile spread across his face, but warmth didn't bleed through his voice. "I've met gods who thought so. Your father is nothing to me."
Darius trembled as he finally realized, for the first time, how great the danger was that was standing in his path. But Lucian turned his back on him and walked toward Elysia, no longer paying any attention to her.
"Well, Elysia," Lucian said, light with tone, as if nothing had occurred, "are you prepared to see what power can actually do?"
She stared at him, her mind seething. She had all these questions, all this uncertainty, but the bottom line was: Lucian was not somebody she had ever met before; he was something way beyond her comprehension, and if she stayed with him, she was taking a step into a world of unimaginable power.
But could she trust him?
"Who... who are you?" she muttered to herself.
He smiled again, this time a softer smile. "You'll learn soon enough," he said.
As the two of them stood there in the middle of the silent street, Darius stumbled backward his face pale with fear. His threats had fallen on deaf ears, and now he was left with just one thought—how to escape with his life.
Lucian looks over his shoulder and his eyes are flashing with excitement. "Run back to your father, little boy. Tell him that the Supreme Being is coming."