Leon took a deep breath, keeping his voice low and steady. "I'm sorry, big sis. I didn't truly understand the 'Theft' skill myself... I assumed it would manifest like the Elementals. As for my stats, I wanted to surprise you. I wanted to show you exactly how hard I've been training to get here. Please... forgive me for lying."
Claire let out a long, weary sigh. She leaned in, staring into his golden eyes, her expression softening. "You know I promised I'd be strong for both of us, Leon," she muttered softly. "You don't have to push yourself this hard."
She reached out, cupping his cheek with her hand. "But anyway... we're together now. I can keep you safe. Just promise me you'll have my back."
Leon smiled back, a genuine warmth spreading through him. "I promise, big sis. I've got you."
A week later, the Academy officially resumed. Leon felt a surge of excitement as he walked through the massive, ornate halls of the campus. Every pillar and archway breathed history and power.
He soon arrived at his assigned classroom. Once the students had taken their seats, a stern-looking man stepped to the front.
"I am Mason Calvick, your class instructor," he announced. "I am going to list everyone's name, age, and skill on the board. Since all of you have reached C-Rank, there is no need to record your specific stats."
Instructor Mason began to write. It was a diverse group of students, ranging in age and ability, all starting their journey together.
Class 1-A Roster
Name Age Skill
Lisa Debrey -10- Wind Manipulation
Connel van Luis -11- Elementals
Lea Roddick -10- Fire Manipulation
Leon von Vinci -10- Theft
Lloyd Tempest -10- Time Manipulation
Mac Vonell -11- Metal Manipulation
Seth Cornell -10- Necromancy
Kendris Solvet -11- Darkness Manipulation
Glean Forkstale -11- Regeneration
Rey Luguard -10- Water Manipulation
Clein Dobre -12- Invisibility
Ron Buress -11- Creation
While the board only showed their skills, Leon was aware of the numbers hidden behind the names. Though they were all categorized as C-Rank, the spectrum was wide. At the lower end was Clein Dobre with a score of 162, while at the very top sat Prince Lloyd at 500—with Leon himself trailing by only two points.
As the instructor finished writing, the room was filled with a quiet curiosity. In a classroom of varying ages and powers, Leon's "Theft" skill stood out as an enigma, and he could feel the gaze of his new classmates beginning to settle on him.
The sun beat down on the Academy training grounds as the class moved from the lecture hall to the open field. The air was thick with anticipation; it was time for the practical demonstration. One by one, the students stepped forward to unveil the mysteries of their C-Rank abilities.
The field became a blur of elemental force and strange phenomena. Lisa summoned a localized mini-tornado that whistled through the grass before she effortlessly dispersed it. Connell followed, expertly juggling spheres of earth, wind, fire, and water around his body, while Lea ignited the sky with a roaring fireball.
The feats grew more complex as they went. Mac shattered his own steel blade only to pull the shards back together with a thought. Seth chilled the air by reanimating a dead bird into a shambling zombie, while Kendris flickered in and out of existence, jumping into Leon's shadow and emerging from the Prince's. Glean horrified and amazed the class by severing her own fingers, only for them to regrow in a flash of light, and Rey peppered a nearby tree with jagged ice spikes. Finally, Clein vanished entirely, leaving only the sound of his breathing behind.
As the demonstrations neared their end, the three students with the highest recorded stats remained. Ron, an elite whose score of 359 had already earned her a reputation, stepped into the center. She reached toward the dirt, and a sapling erupted from the soil, accelerating into a massive, fruit-bearing apple tree in seconds. The class watched in silence—"Creation" was known as the ultimate versatility, and Ron had mastered its beauty.
Then came Leon. He walked to the center of the field, the weight of his secret "Theft" skill heavy in his mind. He raised his hands, and the field erupted. To the disbelief of the instructors, Leon remade everything his classmates had done: he threw fire, mimicked the shadow-step, turned invisible, and finally, grew a duplicate of Ron's apple tree. To keep the target off his back, he quickly claimed, "I can only hold these borrowed powers for a short time."
But the true terror was yet to come. Prince Lloyd stepped forward, his expression one of bored superiority. He raised his hand toward the two trees. With a sharp twist of his wrist to the right, the trees withered and died, their wood turning to gray dust. With a twist to the left, he restored them. Then, with a cold, predatory smile, he continued the leftward twist—the trees regressed past their sapling stage until they were nothing more than tiny seeds resting in the dirt.
The field fell into a devastated silence. Leon realized with a jolt of horror that Lloyd wasn't just a show off; he was playing God.
Standing in the wake of the Prince's power, Leon reached out telepathically to the invisible Yudris.
"Is this power too much for a child? Is there anything more dangerous than this?" he asked, his mental voice shaking.
"It is too much for anyone," Yudris replied calmly. "He is the second person in history to possess it. There are only seven skills in existence—the Primordial Skills—that hold the foundation of the universe: Creation, Matter Manipulation, Reality Manipulation, Time Manipulation, Life and Death Manipulation, Theft, and Nullification. It is considered impossible for all seven to exist in a single era."
Leon's mind reeled. "So my Theft is a Primordial skill too?"
"Yes," she answered. "But remember, Young Lord... you merely adopted Theft. It is not your true power."
Before Leon could press her for the truth of his own origin, a hand touched his shoulder.
"Hey, Leon! What are you thinking about? You seem totally distracted," Ron said, her curious eyes searching his. The connection to Yudris snapped shut as Leon was pulled back to the reality of the training field.
"Oh, nothing much. I was just thinking... the Prince's skill is beyond impressive," Leon replied, trying to shake off the lingering telepathic conversation with Yudris.
"Yeah," Ron said, her gaze drifting toward Lloyd. "It's terrifying, really. Imagine what he could accomplish with that once he's older."
"You shouldn't sell yourself short," Leon countered, looking at the vibrant tree she had brought into existence. "Your skill is amazing, Ron. You could do incredible things with it."
Ron offered a small, knowing smile. "Maybe... but it's still not quite as versatile as yours. You can be anyone."
Leon started to respond, "You should also—" but his words were cut short by the sharp voice of Instructor Mason.
"Leon," the instructor called out, his eyes narrow with professional curiosity. "Can your 'Theft' skill copy that as well? Can you manipulate time?"
The question sent a ripple of murmurs through the class. Leon hesitated. "I... I don't know. I'll try."
He walked back to the center of the field, standing before the tiny seeds Lloyd had left in the dirt. He stretched out his hand, visualizing the flow of time Lloyd had just manipulated. With a subtle flick of his wrist to the right, the ground groaned. Within seconds, the seeds erupted, regrowing into the massive, fruit-laden apple trees.
The students erupted in hushed amazement, but the victory felt hollow. When Leon looked up, he saw Prince Lloyd. The Prince wasn't impressed; his face had twisted into a dark, unmistakable frown.
Leon walked back toward Ron, who was beaming with excitement. "Wow! You're amazing, Leon!" she said joyfully, her previous worries forgotten.
"You think? It's not that big a deal, really," he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.
Before he could reach Ron, the air chilled. Prince Lloyd cut through the space between them, walking straight up to Leon. He didn't stop, but as he passed, he leaned in and whispered a single, chilling sentence into Leon's ear.
Lloyd pulled away with a triumphant smirk, leaving Leon standing frozen in the middle of the field. The color drained from Leon's face, his eyes wide with visible shock as he watched the Prince walk away.
"Leon? Leon!" Ron ran up to him, her face full of concern. "What did he say? What happened?"
Leon looked at her slowly, his voice barely a whisper as he muttered...