The tiny spark Leon had envisioned had transformed into a gargantuan sphere of fire, now as massive as the castle itself. The heat was blistering, and the light was blinding.
"Oh no... what the hell?!" Leon screamed, his small voice nearly drowned out by the roar of the flames.
The spectacle was so immense that every soul within the noble district could see it rising above the tree line. In the manor gardens, Lady Lora gasped. "What is that? Is it an attack?" she cried, already sprinting toward the source.
Lord Dris reacted with the instincts of a seasoned A-Rank. "This is massive—it could obliterate the entire estate!" He braced himself, chanting as a shimmering barrier expanded. "I'll create a force field around the castle! Gerald, ensure the children are safe!"
Gerald, the head guard and a B-Rank warrior, didn't hesitate. He used his teleportation skill to instantly reach the training field, grabbing Claire and her tutors to pull them to safety.
Back at the field, Leon was paralyzed with terror. "Yudris, do something! I'm going to blow up the castle! Yudris!"
Without a word, Yudris blinked into existence directly in front of the sun-like sphere of fire. She reached out and tapped the inferno with a single, delicate finger.
In an instant, the flames vanished. There was no explosion, no shockwave, and no smoke. It was as if the fire had been erased from existence. Leon collapsed onto the grass, panting heavily. "Why... why did it become so big?" he asked, his voice trembling.
"I warned you, Young Lord," Yudris replied calmly. "Your power is too vast. And be warned: your mother is approaching this location at an incredible pace."
"What?! You have to get us out of here!" Leon cried, terrified of what would happen if his mother found him in the center of the destruction.
"As you wish, Young Lord," she said. She grabbed his shoulder, and the world blurred as she teleported him back to the safety of his bedroom.
Moments later, Lady Lora skidded to a halt at the edge of the field. She found no enemy and no fire—only a massive, blackened crater burned into the earth.
"Only a B-Rank or higher could pull off a feat like this," she whispered to herself, her eyes searching the trees.
Lord Dris and Gerald arrived shortly after, both stunned into silence by the scale of the devastation. The earth was still radiating heat, though the source was gone.
"Did you find out what caused this?" Dris asked as he surveyed the scorched ground.
"No, I didn't see anyone," Lora replied, her eyes fixed on the blackened earth. "Whoever it was had disappeared before I arrived. Judging by the scale, I believe this is the work of a B-Rank or higher."
Gerald, the head guard, stepped forward, his expression grim as he examined the edge of the crater. "I think it is much higher than that, Lord Dris."
"And what makes you say that?" Dris asked, his brow furrowed.
"The flame vanished without a trace," Gerald explained, gesturing to the silent field. "There was no shockwave, no catastrophic explosion—nothing. To summon fire of that magnitude and then erase it instantly requires total and absolute control. It isn't just power; it's perfection."
Dris tightened his grip on his cloak. "So you mean...?"
"It is the work of an S-Rank," Gerald said, his voice dropping an octave, "or something worse. A Legendary Rank."
A heavy silence fell over the trio. In the Kingdom of Wichville, a Legendary Rank was not just a mage—they were a force of nature.
"Why would an S-Rank or a Legend attack us?" Dris mused, his mind racing through political rivals and old blood feuds. "We haven't done anything to provoke such a being."
"We had better hope it was a mistake," Dris continued, his face hardening. "We can deal with an S-Rank, difficult as it may be. But no one wants a Legendary Rank paying them a visit, whether their intentions are good or bad."
Lora looked up at the sky, her voice barely a whisper. "There is only one Legendary Rank who holds such absolute dominion over flames."
Dris nodded solemnly. "Yes... Mordrid, the God of Fire."
A sudden, terrifying thought struck Dris. "Gerald, did you check on Leon?" he asked, his voice cracking with panic.
"No, my Lord. I assumed he was safely inside the castle," Gerald responded.
"Then check now!" Dris screamed, spinning around and sprinting toward the manor. Lady Lora took off instinctively toward the boy's wing, her heart pounding. Gerald, utilizing his abilities, teleported directly into Leon's room. He found the boy fast asleep, his breathing steady and undisturbed. Letting out a long sigh of relief, the head guard teleported back to the castle entrance to wait for the parents.
Lora arrived first, her incredible speed bringing her to the door in seconds. Seeing Gerald at the entrance, she silently questioned him with her eyes; he nodded in approval. Moments later, Lord Dris skidded to a halt. Upon hearing that Leon had been asleep through the entire catastrophe, the noble breathed a heavy sigh of relief and finally stepped inside the castle.
Back in the silence of his room, Leon sat up. The "sleeping" child was gone, replaced by a boy whose mind was racing; he had faked the nap just in time to avoid suspicion.
"Yudris," he called out softly.
"Yes, Young Lord?" she responded, shimmering into existence before him.
"Tell me... can you teach me how to control this?" Leon asked, still shaken by the pillar of fire.
"Yes, Young Lord. That will be no problem," she replied, bowing her head.
Leon paced the floor. "Yudris, if I ever have to show my powers to someone else, what skill should I claim to have? My appearance already attracts too much attention—if people knew the truth, it would be worse. I need time to find out who I am, and I can't do that if I am the center of the world's gaze. Do you have any suggestions?"
Yudris tilted her head thoughtfully. "Well then... perhaps the skill 'Theft' would suit you. You could claim you can borrow a fraction of any skill you see. That way, no one will be surprised when you manifest different abilities."
"That sounds perfect," Leon agreed. "But what about the machines? To get into the Academy, my stats need to be acceptable. Is there a way to change what they see?"
"Yes, Young Lord. I can show you how to alter the machine's readings," Yudris said softly.
Suddenly, their secret conversation was cut short by a sharp knock on the door.
"Who's there?" Leon asked, his voice tensing.
"It's me, Claire. I'd like to speak to you," her voice called out from behind the door.
Leon froze. Did she see me? Does she know? The thoughts raced through his mind as he forced his legs to move toward the door. He turned the handle, revealing Claire standing there with a faint, unreadable smile.
Without waiting for an invitation, she walked into the room and sat on the edge of his bed. Leon followed, sitting beside her with his hands clenched in his lap. For a long moment, the room was silent. Then, Claire turned her gaze toward him, her eyes searching his.
"Leon, do you trust me?" she asked quietly.
The question made Leon's heart drop. I was so far away from her training field, he thought frantically. There's no way she saw me... or did she? He swallowed hard, trying to keep his expression neutral.
"Yes, I do, big sis," he responded. His voice was calm, but his mind was screaming for a way out.
Claire leaned in slightly, her expression becoming serious. "Then answer me sincerely."
Leon stared back at her, his heart racing against his ribs as he waited for the question that could expose his secret.