There were a few things Lucian always kept in mind when it came to Elysia’s visions. For one, she almost always saw disasters. For another, visions that focused on a single person were uncommon.

  Her visions usually showed larger scale events such as battles, natural disasters, and wars. So if she had seen something happen to one boy in particular, it usually meant that whatever happened to that boy would have greater implications down the line.

  “Do you know why you specifically saw Leon disappear?" Lucian asked.

  Elysia shook her head. “I don’t know exactly why, but I do know Leon's disappearance will involve the same invisible entities I warned you about before. The same ones that eventually bring the end of the world.”

  She reached for a piece of paper and a pencil, then began writing as she spoke. “It happens three days from now around ten at night. Leon will be in his dorm room, on the upper floors, near the west side of the student housing wing."

  "Is he with someone or alone?"

  "Alone, every student here has their own dorm rooms you see. But I digress."

  "Right, please continue."

  “Eventually, his windows burst open, and then I saw him get dragged toward the open air, like something invisible had grabbed him.”

  Her pencil moved quickly as she wrote. “He fought back and tried to hold on. But it didn’t matter. He was pulled higher and higher into the sky until I couldn’t see him anymore, and that's where the vision ended."

  Lucian studied Elysia’s notes as he pieced together the implications. Whatever had taken Leon had not simply killed him in his bed, but had instead seized him and carried him away, which suggested a deliberate intent to keep the boy alive for some reason. “Is there anything in particular about the Belkovs that would warrant this degree of attention from our rather elusive acquaintance?”

  “The Belkov family has consistently produced mages of notable talent historically speaking, with each generation yielding individuals of considerable ability. In short, the boy is exceptional by the standards of this era, and if we can prevent his disappearance, we may uncover both the extent of his potential and the nature of what is targeting him.”

  Elysia opened a drawer and took out a neatly organized folder, placing it on the desk before sliding it toward him. “Take a look at this, and I believe the matter will clarify itself.”

  Lucian took the folder and flipped it open as he skimmed through the contents. According to the records, Leon Belkov’s entrance examination scores had stood out even among the academy’s most elite candidates, marking him as an outlier long before his official enrollment. And prior to his illness, his magical aptitude had already been exceptional for someone of his age.

  Lucian closed the folder partway, a faint, thoughtful smile forming as he glanced back at Elysia. “I see why he might attract interest, though if our objective is simply to ensure his continued existence, would it not be more efficient to instruct him to remain within the Belkov estate that night, rather than let him go anywhere else?"

  Elysia shook her head. “I saw that along with a variety of other possibilities, including one where Leon went to his estate. He still disappeared in the end, no matter where he was."

  “Then I’ll keep a close eye on the boy until it happens. And maybe I’ll teach him a trick or two, just in case."

  “That would be good. If you can train him personally in the next few days, then it could help to positively change the outcome of my vision."

  “I’ll do what I can. And you said Leon should be arriving today, yes?”

  “He should be,” Elysia replied, “though I’m not certain whether he’s here yet.”

  “No matter, I’ll find him.”

  He turned toward the door, already reaching for the handle, then paused and glanced back at Belle. “Come on, you're helping me find that boy as well.”

  ***

  Leon was just happy that he could finally live a normal life again. And now that he had a second chance, more than anything, he wanted to practice and improve his magic again.

  There were few places better for that than one of the academy’s training halls. Here, he could let loose without worrying about collateral damage or accidentally hurting someone.

  Even so, Leon was furious with his own weakness. He bent forward, breathing hard, hands braced on his knees. Sweat clung to his skin, and his chest burned with every inhale, not from pain, but from sheer exhaustion. In front of him hovered the last words he wanted to see.

  [Spell Failed]

  The System was usually helpful, but in moments like this, Leon wished it would shut up. He didn’t need reminders to know that he was failing.

  He had a lot to make up for after being sick for so long. But unfortunately, while his body had recovered, his magic still felt much weaker than it should be. The worst part was that he wasn’t trying anything ridiculous. He was only trying to cast a tier four spell.

  Leon’s siblings on the mainland could cast tier six spells without trouble. Some of them could even reach tier seven on a good day. Leon was a Belkov, and that name came with great expectations.

  For most people, a tier four spell would’ve been impressive. It could’ve taken years, maybe a lifetime to get anywhere close to that point. But Leon wasn’t “most people,” and he couldn’t afford to think like one. He didn't want to imagine how his father would react if they knew that he couldn't cast spells up to the fourth tier, especially since he was now a student at the best academy in the entire kingdom.

  Leon forced his legs to steady, and grabbed his spellbook again, searching for another fourth tier spell to try, and eventually, he got one. Cold Wave.

  He took a deep breath and raised his hands. Leon began the incantation carefully, and followed the gestures exactly as the book instructed. A dark blue magic circle formed in the air, glowing faintly. That was a good sign.

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  Slowly, Leon could almost see the wave of cold taking shape. Then he tried to release it.

  Pain shot through his chest, sharp enough to make him gasp. The circle flickered as any semblance of cold vanished all at once.

  [Spell Failed]

  Leon froze, then sank to the floor. He sat there in silence, staring across the empty training hall. Most students would’ve killed for a private hall like this, fully booked under his name. Leon knew he had advantages most people didn’t, but he still couldn't do what he needed to do.

  He rubbed his face with one hand, trying to calm the frustration boiling in his chest. What was he doing wrong? For a moment, he considered giving up for the day and taking a break before he made a mistake.

  Then he heard footsteps behind him. Leon turned his head, feeling a little startled. Nobody else was supposed to use this hall for another few hours.

  A man walked toward him wearing a black suit instead of a uniform, so Leon assumed he was a professor. Beside him was a striking woman in a maid’s uniform, though her expression made her seem more like a guard than a servant.

  Leon swallowed, quickly pushing himself upright. He tried to smooth his hair back with one hand and make sure he looked at least somewhat presentable, even though his clothes were damp with sweat.

  “Good afternoon, Professor,” Leon said, then glanced at the woman as well. “And you too, Miss."

  “Are you Leon Belkov?” The Professor asked.

  “Yes, Professor. I only arrived at the academy today, so I’m hoping to properly start classes tomorrow.”

  “Well, it’s good to see you healthy again. You were in a terrible state the first time I saw you.”

  Leon’s eyes widened. For a moment, his mind went completely blank, until he remembered the same story he’d heard again and again back at the manor. The servants had spoken about a strange man they’d found healing strangers on the streets and brought home, a man who had made the impossible happen.

  “The servants at the manor said the one who healed me looked just like you. Were you the one who…?”

  The professor’s smile turned a touch more amused. “I healed you, yes. Professor Lucian Ashford, at your service.”

  Leon’s heart thudded hard in his chest. Without thinking too much, he bowed deeply, it was the only response that felt even remotely appropriate for someone who had saved his life. “Professor Ashford, I’m forever grateful for what you did. And honestly, I don’t know how I could ever repay what you’ve done for me.”

  “You can relax,” Professor Ashford said, waving it off. “Raise your head, and you can call me Lucian.”

  Leon straightened, but he still looked uneasy. “I… I’m not really comfortable doing that, Professor.”

  Lucian chuckled. “Then we’ll have to work on that.”

  Leon didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded, still a little flustered. Even just talking to the Professor now still felt somewhat surreal.

  The man was so casual about things, and as if to prove that point, Professor Ashford glanced around the training hall and back at Leon. “Looks like you were doing some magic training, how did it go?"

  “I can cast tier three spells just fine, but honestly, I’ve been struggling to go any higher than that.”

  “Does the System help you cast spells? Or does it simply guide your casting?”

  “Yes, I do rely on the System. But… everyone does.”

  “Then, would you like to learn how to cast spells without relying on it?”

  Leon stared at the Professor. He’d read about stories dating centuries ago, back when mages supposedly cast spells without the aid of the System. Some of those stories sounded completely ridiculous, and Leon always assumed they were just overly generous interpretations of the truth.

  Because in the world Leon lived in, mages didn’t cast spells without the System, and that was just how it worked. And yet, Professor Ashford looked completely serious.

  “Professor, can you actually cast spells on your own?"

  "I can."

  Then, Professor Ashford pointed towards Leon's spellbook. “Pick a spell, any one at all, and I'll cast it to prove my point."

  Leon blinked a few times, unsure if this was a test or a joke. Still, his hand moved before his courage could run out. He pointed at the page that had the Cold Wave spell. “That one.”

  Lucian leaned forward just enough to glance at the page. “All right, I’ve got it.”

  “What? Are you sure?"

  "I am, now watch closely."

  Professor Ashford stepped into the middle of the practice area, and Leon watched him like a hawk. He expected to see perfectly chanted incantations, precise hand gestures, as well as a magic circle of impeccable design. But Professor Ashford didn’t do any of that at all.

  Chilling pressure rolled outward from Professor Ashford’s feet. Leon felt the temperature drop so fast it made his lungs sting when he inhaled, and a thin layer of frost bloomed across the ground in a widening circle.

  A wave of biting cold surged forward in a controlled sweep from where the Professor was standing. It rushed across the area, carrying shards of ice and razor-thin crystals that glittered as they spun through the air.

  The dummies ahead were swallowed in a white haze, their surfaces snapping over with ice so quickly it sounded like glass cracking, one after another, until the entire line was coated in a frozen shell. Leon stumbled back a step as he took it all in.

  Professor Ashford had somehow cast a tier four spell so easily and without any kind of preparation. In fact, the Professor didn't do anything at all, he just stood there and the spell simply manifested.

  Leon stood frozen as Professor Ashford turned back to him. “If you get used to casting without the System, you’ll be able to do that one day too.”

  Those words struck a chord with Leon. He wasn’t anything special for now, at least by the standards of a Belkov, but if what Professor Ashford was saying was true, then he could one day truly be exceptional.

  No teacher or mage Leon had ever met said magic could exist without the System, so he grew up thinking it was impossible. He also knew for sure that none of his siblings, and not even his father, had ever cast a spell without it.

  If the Professor really was casting spells without going through the System, that would explain how he could cast spells without even forming a magic circle. That meant that Professor Ashford had to be some kind of one in a million genius, or maybe someone even more extraordinary than that.

  And in Leon’s mind, if there was even a small chance that he could finally be somebody worthwhile and prove his worth to his family, then there was no reason not to take it. “Professor, could you please teach me how you cast spells?”

  “I can teach you,” Professor Ashford said, “but you’ll have to do exactly as I say, and you’ll need to be prepared for some intense training. Are you ready for that?”

  “Of course, I'm ready to do whatever it takes.”

  “Good. Then to start, we're going to move elsewhere to start our training. There’s a forest on the eastern side of the island, if I’m not mistaken.”

  “You mean Blackwood Forest? I heard that place is restricted to students, and that you need a special permit to even get in."

  “Then that place is perfect, we’ll head there now.”

  “But Professor, how are we—”

  Leon didn’t even finish the sentence before Professor Ashford stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re not the queasy type, right?”

  “I… don't think so? Why do you ask?”

  “This is going to feel very weird, but don’t worry. You’ll be fine.”

  The moment the words left his mouth, Leon’s vision spun, and for a second he couldn’t tell which way was up. Nausea surged in his throat, and he was this close to expelling the contents of his stomach.

  Fortunately, things settled down fast. Leon’s sight cleared, and his breath caught when he realized he wasn’t in the training hall anymore. He stood in the middle of a forest, surrounded by tall trees with black colored bark.