Chương 47: The Capital After Midnight

Morning arrived without ceremony. The Royal Capital remained beneath the same pale sky that had covered it for generations, and from the window of his room, Leo could see the first signs of movement spreading through the streets below. Carriages rolled along the stone roads, merchants opened their shops, and students from the academy slowly began appearing in the courtyards despite the restrictions that had been placed on the eastern section. From a distance, the city looked unchanged. Leo knew better.

He sat beside the window with his back against the wall, one of the remaining mana stones resting in his palm. The first stone had been completely exhausted during the previous night's cultivation. His body still remembered the pain. The foreign mana had entered his meridians like heated metal, forcing itself through pathways that had been shaped by Internal Energy rather than mana. Even after the refining process had ended, his abdomen had continued to ache for several hours. Yet the result had been worth it.

His Internal Energy had become slightly denser. Not enough to make a dramatic difference in battle, but enough for Leo to notice. He closed his fingers around the second stone. Then stopped. He could still feel the faint disturbance in the academy. Not from the sealed chamber. From above it. Someone was watching. Leo opened his eyes. The black bird from last night had not returned. That did not mean the person controlling it had stopped watching him.

He placed the mana stone back inside the wooden box and closed the lid. There was no reason to consume everything at once. Strength gained too quickly was often strength that could not be controlled. He stood, adjusted his uniform, and left his room. The academy had changed overnight. The eastern courtyard was still sealed behind several layers of magical barriers, and two groups of Royal Guards stood at its entrances. The students had been ordered to avoid the area, but that only made them more curious.

Whispers followed Leo as he walked through the corridor.

"What happened yesterday?"

"I heard something came out of the ground."

"My friend said the professors were fighting a monster."

"No, it was an ancient magical formation."

"They said someone attacked the academy." Leo ignored them. People rarely needed the truth to become afraid. They only needed something they could not explain. Alice was waiting near the staircase. She looked toward him as he approached.

"You came."

"I said I would."

"I wasn't sure." Leo raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Because you looked like you were about to spend the entire day locked in your room."

"I considered it." Alice smiled slightly.

"I knew it." Amon and Masha soon joined them, followed by Daniel. Daniel looked unusually serious.

"The Arcane Convergence is continuing." Amon stared at him. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

"After yesterday?"

"That's what they announced this morning." Masha folded her arms.

"Are they pretending nothing happened?"

"Not exactly," Daniel replied.

"The official explanation is that an unstable ancient formation beneath the academy malfunctioned. The eastern section is closed, but the rest of the Convergence will continue." Leo looked toward the windows. That explanation was convenient. Too convenient. But it was also expected. The Arcane Convergence attracted nobles, merchants, foreign students, scholars, and representatives from several kingdoms. Canceling it would create more political consequences than allowing the event to continue.

"What's today's event?" Alice asked. Daniel smiled faintly.

"Magical aptitude demonstrations." Amon's eyes lit up.

"Finally." Masha sighed.

"You've been waiting for this."

"I've been waiting since we arrived." They continued toward the main arena. Leo walked beside Alice. For several minutes, neither spoke. Then she quietly asked, "Did you sleep?"

"A little."

"Did you train?"

"Yes." Alice glanced at him.

"You're impossible."

"I've heard that before." She smiled. But her expression changed when they passed the corridor leading toward the eastern courtyard. The magical barrier was visible through the windows. It was enormous now. Several layers of translucent energy surrounded the damaged section, each one reinforced by different elemental formations. Alice slowed.

"Do you think they will discover what happened?" Leo looked at the barrier.

"Maybe."

"And if they do?"

"Then we'll know more." Alice studied his face.

"You really aren't afraid, are you?" Leo was silent for a moment.

"I know what fear is." She waited.

"I simply don't let it decide what I do." Alice looked at him for several seconds before nodding. They entered the arena. The atmosphere was almost festive. Banners representing different kingdoms and academies hung from the upper balconies, while hundreds of students gathered around the central platform. The Royal Capital wanted normality. So normality was what it would have. Professor Elara stood at the center of the platform and began explaining the day's demonstrations.

Students would display their elemental affinities and demonstrate controlled spells. Fire. Water. Wind. Earth. Light. Darkness. The atmosphere gradually became more relaxed as the demonstrations continued. Amon performed one of his fire techniques and received loud applause. Masha followed with an earth spell that raised a series of stone pillars from beneath the platform. Daniel demonstrated his wind affinity with considerably more control than he had shown months earlier. Then Alice's name was announced.

She stepped forward. The arena became quieter. Light gathered around her hand. Unlike Amon's flames or Masha's earth magic, Alice's power did not appear violent. It was clean. Precise. A small sphere of light formed above her palm and slowly expanded until the entire arena was illuminated. Several students stared in admiration. Leo watched silently. Alice had improved. Considerably. The spell ended without disturbing the arena. Applause followed. Alice returned to her place. Amon leaned toward Leo.

"Your cousin is getting stronger."

"I know."

"You're not surprised?"

"No." Amon laughed.

"Sometimes I think you aren't surprised by anything." Leo looked toward the eastern section of the academy.

"I am." Amon followed his gaze.

"What?" Leo did not answer. He had felt it again. A faint pressure. Not from beneath the ground this time. From somewhere within the capital. It lasted less than a second. Then disappeared. Leo's eyes narrowed. The same sensation he had felt when the underground seal reacted to his Internal Energy. Different location. Similar presence. Someone was using magic. Far away. And whatever they were doing had briefly touched the academy's magical network. Leo turned toward the crowd. Nothing looked unusual.

Students were talking. Teachers were watching the demonstrations. Guards stood around the entrances. Everything appeared normal. Then he noticed a man standing near one of the upper exits. He wore an ordinary dark coat. Nothing remarkable. But on his left wrist was a thin silver thread. Leo's expression did not change. The man looked toward the arena. Their eyes met. Only for a moment. Then the man turned and walked away. Leo immediately stood. Alice looked at him.

"Leo?"

"I'll be back."

"Where are you going?"

"Someone I need to follow." Before Alice could respond, Leo was already moving through the crowd. He did not run. Running would attract attention. Instead, he moved calmly between the students until he reached the corridor. The man was already gone. Leo stopped. The corridor split into three directions. He looked at the floor. A faint trace of dust had been disturbed near the eastern passage. Leo followed it. The passage eventually led outside the main building. He stepped into the courtyard. Nothing.

Only students and guards. The man had disappeared. Leo stood still. Then he noticed something beneath the edge of a stone bench. A small piece of silver thread. He picked it up. The same material. The same color. The same deliberate knot. Leo closed his fingers around it. So they were still here. Not watching from beneath the academy. Walking among the students. For the first time since last night, Leo felt certain of something. The incident beneath the academy had not been an isolated event.

Someone had opened the seal. Someone had escaped. And now someone was testing how much the academy knew. Leo looked toward the distant towers of the Royal Capital. The Arcane Convergence continued around him as if nothing had happened. Music played in the central square. Carriages moved through the streets. Magic illuminated the towers. Thousands of people continued living their ordinary lives. And somewhere among them, the person behind yesterday's incident was moving freely.

Leo slipped the silver thread into his pocket. He would not confront them yet. Not here. Not in the middle of the Convergence. There were too many people. Too many unknown variables. And most importantly, he still did not know what they wanted. Leo returned toward the arena. Alice was waiting near the entrance. She looked at him immediately.

"You found something." Leo paused.

"Yes."

"What?" He looked at her.

"Nothing we can act on yet." Alice frowned.

"You always say that when something is bothering you." Leo gave her a faint smile.

"Then I suppose you are beginning to know me." She stared at him for a moment before smiling back.

"Unfortunately." They walked back toward the others. Neither of them noticed the figure standing on a distant rooftop. A black bird rested on his shoulder. A thin silver thread was wrapped around its leg. The man looked toward the academy. Then toward the eastern courtyard. His expression remained unreadable. He raised one hand. The bird took flight. And beneath the noise of the Arcane Convergence, somewhere deep within the magical network of the Royal Capital, a single crystal quietly began to crack.

End of Chapter 47.