The ground began to groan and tremble as if the earth itself were terrified. Above, the sky bruised into a deep, unnatural darkness, and the wind whipped the trees into a violent frenzy. Lightning erupted from the clouds, not in single bolts, but in a jagged cage of electricity that surrounded the clearing.
Leon's silver hair began to glow with a blinding radiance, and his golden eyes ignited like twin suns. He tilted his head back, his voice no longer that of a child, but a terrifying chorus of a thousand echoes.
"What have you done?"
Reo stumbled back, his confidence shattered. "I don't understand... what is this? Why is everything shaking?" he stammered, his mind reeling as he stared at the boy he had called useless. "Who—what is this kid?"
Leon didn't answer. He simply flicked his hand toward Reo.
The S-Rank telekinetic was launched backward with such velocity that he became a blur, smashing through miles of forest. But before the momentum could stop, Leon snapped his fingers. Space itself folded, and Reo was instantly teleported back to his original spot, collapsing into the dirt with blood pouring from his nose and mouth.
"Wha... what are you?!" Reo screamed, his voice cracking with pure, primal fear.
Leon didn't speak. He raised his hand toward the darkened heavens. Thousands of crystalline ice spikes materialized instantly, their jagged points aimed directly at Reo's heart. With a wave of his fingers, the barrage launched.
Reo scrambled to his feet, desperately yanking the surrounding fallen trees into the air to form a makeshift shield. The ice shattered against the wood with the force of cannonballs.
As Reo turned to flee, Leon's other hand ignited. He began spamming massive, sun-bright fireballs with the speed of a heartbeat. Reo was forced to sprint for his life, frantically pulling rocks and trees from the earth to intercept the explosions blooming all around him.
Teleportation? Telekinesis? Fire? Water? Earth? The thoughts raced through Reo's panicked mind. What is his skill? How can he use everything at once?
As Reo fled, the world itself seemed to turn against him. Massive boulders launched from the earth like heat-seeking missiles, aimless lightning strikes scorched the ground at his heels, and ancient trees sprouted from the soil at impossible speeds, their branches reaching for him like claws.
What is happening? What the heck is happening?! Reo's mind screamed as he ran, his heart hammering against his ribs.
He looked ahead and saw the boy standing in the distance. No matter how far Reo ran, Leon was always there—a silent, glowing sentinel. Reo unleashed a desperate barrage of telekinetic rock spikes, but they simply disintegrated into dust the moment they drew near the boy.
"He's a monster... that kid is a monster!" Reo shrieked, pivoting to run in the opposite direction. But he didn't get far. Suddenly, an immense gravitational force slammed him into the dirt.
"I can't... move..." Reo wheezed, his face pressed into the mud. The gravity was so intense it felt as if a mountain had been placed on his back, pinning every muscle to the earth.
Floating high above the pinned S-Rank, Leon raised his hands. A thick, obsidian energy began to coalesce between his palms. It grew with terrifying speed, swirling into a sphere of pure void that was twice the size of the fireball that had nearly leveled his father's castle. The air around it began to distort, screaming under the weight of the mana.
Just as Leon prepared to unleash the cataclysm, Yudris appeared silently behind him.
"Young Lord," she said, her voice a calm anchor in the chaos. "I can heal your sister if you wish. However..." She moved to his side, her eyes fixed on the black sun he had created. "The energy you have gathered is enough to erase this entire city, including your father's mansion. Do you truly intend to proceed?"
The warning shattered Leon's trance. His sanity rushed back, replaced instantly by horror. "Oh no..." he gasped, his golden eyes wide with fear. "How do I stop it? Yudris, I can't stop it!"
"I can erase it for you, Young Lord," she offered softly. "Should I proceed?"
"Yes! Please!" Leon begged as the dark energy began to spiral out of control.
Without a moment's hesitation, Yudris flew toward the monstrous sphere. She reached out and tapped the center of the void with a single finger. The energy dissolved instantly, vanishing into nothingness without a sound.
The strain of managing the void had broken Leon's concentration, causing the gravitational field holding Reo to vanish.
Realizing the pressure was gone, Reo didn't look back. Scrambling to his feet, he used every ounce of his remaining S-Rank power to vanish into the deep woods, fleeing the horror of the boy he had once called useless.
As the dark clouds dispersed and the earth grew still, Leon and Yudris hurried to Claire's side. The woods were unnervingly quiet. Yudris extended her hands over Claire's broken form; in a shimmer of unnatural light, bones snapped back into place and jagged scars vanished as if they had never existed.
Just as Claire's eyes flickered open, a panicked scream echoed through the trees. It was the palace guard, finally regaining consciousness and sprinting toward them.
"Lady Claire! Lord Leon! Are you alright?" he shouted from a distance, his face pale with dread.
Claire sat up slowly, too stunned by the sudden lack of pain to speak. Before she could voice her confusion, Leon took control. He quickly spun a fabricated story, claiming that after Claire had been knocked out, Reo had caused the massive destruction as a terrifying "show of force" before leaving. He told the guard that Reo had only come to test Claire's strength and had vanished once he was satisfied.
Standing nearby, invisible to everyone but Leon, Yudris watched her master with a look of awe. "You truly are something else, Young Lord," she muttered to herself, impressed by his instinct for deception.
Miles away, Reo Don Vickrey had crawled back to his hidden apartment. He had secretly hired an A-Rank healer to mend his shattered body. As the healer worked, Reo's mind replayed the image of the glowing boy.
That kid is a monster, he thought, shivering. I should inform the Black Heart... no, I can't. No one would believe me. Multiple skills? Teleportation and gravity manipulation from a five-year-old? They'd think I've lost my mind.
When the healer finished and departed, Reo stood by his window, staring into the dark. "Since I know what he is capable of, I will avoid that family at all costs. I have to keep the group away from him without them finding out what he is. What is that boy? He isn't just a prodigy—he is at the level of a Legend."
Back at the von Vinci castle, Lord Dris stood on the high balcony, his gaze fixed on the distant, mangled treeline by the stream. The sight of the fallen forest weighed heavily on his heart. Lora walked up behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder in silent support.
"Two S-Rank incidents in two years," Dris muttered, his voice cold with worry. "Is someone targeting our family? And if they are... the question remains,.....why?"