"Here, take this." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a mask.

Leonis took the mask and looked at it with confusion. “Why are you giving me this?”

“In case you forgot, you’re one of the legendary Sword Kings. I can’t have people recognizing you when we’re out in public.”

Other than Arachnus and Valtair, whom I would meet later today, I needed to keep a tight lid on this affair. Things could become rather complicated if word started spreading that I’d somehow managed to employ Leonis, who’d supposedly lost his mind.

Leonis tilted his head and sighed. “As long as you keep your word, I won’t complain.”

“Don’t worry... My maid is sorting out the paperwork as we speak. Your nephews will officially have their freedom in a few minutes.”

“Good.”

Leonis put on the mask just as the guards moved to open the door.

I felt a sense of relief swell through me as I stepped outside. The wind was soft and the sun was bright. After spending most of the morning cooped up in that dark, gloomy building, I was glad to be outside again.

“So, this is the great city of Valoria,” Leonis remarked. There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Even beneath the mask, his displeasure was evident. A trace of disdain lingered in his eyes as he gazed over the slave market.

“Slavery was abolished centuries ago in Eldrath,” Leonis recounted. “It’s hard to believe that it’s still legal in this part of the universe.”

“I’m just as disgusted as you.”

“UNCLE!”

The doors flew open and the twins rushed out to join their uncle. Clair and Flavius trailed closely behind.

Turning to Clair, she nodded subtly, signaling that everything had gone smoothly. The twins had won their freedom.

As the twins shared hugs with their uncle, Leonis glanced discreetly in my direction and nodded. I returned the nod with a smile. Hopefully, this show of trust would mark the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration.

* * *

“This is all we could find on short notice, Your Highness,” Clair said, presenting a set of keys to me.

I took the keys and turned to Leonis. “How is the house? Is it to your liking?”

Leonis entered the living room, turning to the window that overlooked the backyard. “How many bedrooms?”

“Three,” Clair replied.

Leonis nodded but remained quiet.

Just as I began to think he despised the house, he turned around and sighed. “This place is more than sufficient for the three of us. We’ll take it!”

Realizing this would be their new home, the twins squealed and jumped in excitement. They had been holding their breaths for the last few seconds.

“I’m so happy!” Nalia exclaimed, her eyes shining. “This house looks amazing! Good choice, uncle.”

Cyrus joined in, his enthusiasm matching his sister’s. “After sleeping in a cage for weeks, this place might as well be heaven.”

Without warning, Nalia claimed dibs on the bedroom with the largest window and sprinted up the stairs to secure her territory. Cyrus, less pleased, protested about fairness as he rushed after his sister.

Clair and I exchanged glances before breaking into laughter. It had been a while since I witnessed something so simple yet filled with joy. It reminded me of the childish arguments and fights I used to have with Debbie.

I slid my hands into my pockets, clenching them tight. At first, it only happened every few months. But lately, Debbie had been on my mind for some unknown reason. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to get rid of these lingering thoughts. This dawdling guilt clung to me like a virus.

After two years of convincing myself, that I felt nothing for her, it was pretty clear I hadn’t succeeded. But could you blame me? We spent a whole year together. It’s no surprise I grew attached.

“Is it... Is it okay if we do the thing?” Leonis asked, his voice snapping me back to the present.

Judging by the look of hope in his eyes, I realized he was referring to his mana core. He wanted me to fix it.

“Clair, could you wait outside for a bit?” I requested. “There's something I have to do... It shouldn't take long.”

Clair exited quietly, leaving Leonis and me alone in the living room.

I approached Leonis and gestured to a chair. “Have a seat.”

Leonis nodded.

Seating myself behind him, I closed my eyes and placed my hands on his back.

I focused my senses, waiting to see if I’d feel any traces of mana but to no avail. There was practically nothing emanating from his body.

Hey, Solomon! Are you going to tell me how to fix this core?

SILENCE.

Hello?!

SILENCE.

I felt a sense of panic settling in my stomach as my thoughts remained silent. Solomon wasn’t answering me. Without him, I wouldn’t be able to fix Leonis’s core, which meant I was screwed.

Crap... Hey, Solomon! Can you hear me?!

“The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable at this time, please leave a message after the beep.”

You have to be freaking kidding me!!

“Pfft...” Solomon’s laughter resounded in my mind. “You should have seen your face!”

Bloody hell! This isn’t the time to be joking!

“Alright, alright. I’ll stop for now...” Solomon let out a sigh. “I just wanted to lighten the mood.”

I raised my brow. Huh?! And why is that?

“Because you need to be relaxed. What I’m about to teach you will be difficult. It’s going to take your utmost concentration... One little mistake could result in your buddy’s death.”

Wait, what?! Are you serious right now?

“Yes, I am,” Solomon replied.

Shouldn’t you have told me this before? Why wait until now to tell me!?

“Because you wouldn’t have agreed... Besides, I’ve seen how you cultivate. I’m confident you’ll be successful.”

I clenched my teeth, holding in the urge to scream and lash out at Solomon. Fortunately for him, the last thing I wanted was to startle Leonis.

You better start telling me how to fix this core before I change my mind!

“Fine,” Solomon cleared his throat. “Let’s begin... The first thing you need to do is inject trickles of mana into his body.”

Wait, wait, wait... Is that even safe to do? I mean, let’s not forget he doesn’t have a core. If I transfer mana directly into his body it could be dangerous.

“A bit of mana won’t harm him,” Solomon explained. “Just make sure to direct your mana to the right side of his chest. Don't let it disperse. If you allow even the faintest trace of mana to scatter, it could be fatal.”

Good to know, I thought dryly.

Taking a deep breath, I cautiously injected bits of mana into Leonis’s body. The process was simple but slow. I felt a small tingling at my fingertips as I sensed my mana accumulating in his body. As a precaution, I layered an extra coat of mana around the initial grouping to compact the particles together.

As I began to direct the mana into his bloodstream, I felt a strange feeling wash over me. It was an odd sensation, like threading a needle through a slimy fabric.

“You’re doing good. Keep going,” Solomon encouraged.

I nodded and continued to embed the remaining mana into his veins.

Once I was sure I had just enough condensation, I softened my hold, allowing the blood flow to naturally guide the mana toward his chest. Even though my mind was on high alert, I did my best to stay calm as I visualized the path. It was a delicate maneuver and I could feel Leonis’s heartbeat at every turn.

It took just under thirty seconds for the mana to circulate and arrive in the lungs.

Holding my breath, I steered the group of particles toward the right side of Leonis’s chest, making sure to keep the outer layer as compact as possible.

What’s next? I asked, seeking guidance from Solomon.

“Now comes the tricky part,” Solomon revealed. “You’ll have to build a barrier!”

My eyes snapped open in disbelief. A barrier?!

“Yes.”

Can’t you see that erecting a physical barrier inside someone’s body could be extremely dangerous?! It could cause internal bleeding!

“Not if you do exactly what I tell you.”

UGH... Fine. Just tell me where and how big you want this barrier!

“Well, before you do that, we need to locate Leonis’s core. Or at least what’s left of it,” Solomon clarified. “To give you some context on the matter, magic cores are very hard to break... Very few individuals have the strength to damage a core, and even fewer are capable of breaking one.”

Uhhh... I don’t see where you’re going with this.

“What I’m trying to say is that even if someone manages to break a core, it doesn’t shatter into countless little pieces.”

Which means it’s not hard to put back together? I half-stated and asked.

“Precisely!”

So, how exactly am I supposed to locate the parts of his core? If you haven’t noticed, this is the first time I’ve done something like this...

“That’s quite simple,” Solomon chuckled. “Even if a core has been broken into pieces, those fragments still serve as mana conductors. Use the mana you’ve embedded in his chest to search for his core. Once you feel your mana particles accelerating, you’ve found a fragment.”

Sounds easier said than done, I sighed as I closed my eyes.

I found myself gulping impulsively as I carefully expanded the outer edges of the mana. My logic was simple. The wider I spread my mana, the more ground I could cover, and the quicker I’d find the pieces.

Concentrating on the mana I’d dispersed throughout his chest, I allowed it to guide me and lead me to the disrupted patterns that hinted at the broken core. The task felt akin to searching for a needle in a haystack, except in this case, the needle was more like a thread.

For a while, nothing happened. I sensed nothing. My mana flowed normally through his upper body, like an undisturbed river of energy.

It was then that a small shift in my mana flow caught my attention. It was subtle, like a whisper amid a breeze of wind. But it was there. It was an acute disturbance.

Curious, I followed the disturbance and sensed my mana accelerating.

I think I’ve found a piece! I announced to Solomon.

“Well done!” Solomon exclaimed. “Judging by the size of the fragment, I’d say there are another two pieces we need to find.”

With newfound confidence, I delved back into my search, my senses now more attuned to the fluctuations. Now that I knew what I was looking for, I didn’t feel lost.

As I began to spread my mana to the left side of Leonis’s chest, I suddenly sensed two distinct disruptions. They were much smaller and more delicate than the first.

Narrowing my focus on these disturbances, I realized I’d just found the last two pieces of his core. Interestingly enough, these pieces seemed to hold less traction than the first.

I think I’ve found the remaining two fragments, I sighed in relief.

“Great job, Lucian! Now that you have the three pieces, I need you to reassemble them. Rebuild his core just behind his right lung. Think of it as a puzzle.”

Alright, here I go...

Piece by piece, I picked up the fragments with my magic, bringing them closer together. Even though I wasn’t using any of my five senses, I could still sense the three fragments suspended in the ethereal grasp of my mana. It felt strange. There were no words to describe what or how I was doing this.

Putting the fragments together wasn’t an easy task. It was a delicate process of precision and intuition. I manipulated the three pieces, aligning and rotating them until finally, the puzzle revealed its solution. As the last piece clicked into place, a surge of satisfaction filled me.

“We’re almost done,” Solomon revealed. “Two more steps and we’re finished.”

Good... Let’s get this over with. Tell me what to do.

“I need you to build a barrier around his core while maintaining its orb-like shape.”

I inhaled deeply and began to carefully solidify the edges of the core. Although erecting barriers was something that came easy to me, I took my time with this one. One small miscalculation could be fatal for Leonis. Fortunately, all these years of experimenting and playing around with the concept of barrier magic had turned me into quite the expert.

What’s the last step? I asked, eager to wrap this up. My head was starting to hurt from the intense concentration.

“I’m going to teach you an incantation,” Solomon said.

An incantation?!

“Yes, an incantation. But this one’s unlike any you’ve ever seen. The magic it wields is super potent. So strong, it’ll drain every bit of mana from your body... I’ll repeat the spell five times so you get it right. You must pronounce it correctly. Mess up, and you’re dead.”

WHAT?! What kind of incantation is this?

Solomon sighed. “It's a spell from a dead language.”

And how do you know this spell? No, cross that... How do you even know this language?

“That’s a matter for another time.”

I clenched my fists and sighed. There you go again with that excuse... You can’t keep hiding things from me, Solomon. One of these days, you and I are going to have a serious talk! Got it?!

“Yeah, yeah,” Solomon said, waving me off. “Can I recite the incantation now?”

I closed my eyes and nodded.

“Very, well. Here I go... XY-RIN-THRO-SA-LU-MINA... XYRIN-THROSA-LUMINA...”

A deep sense of calm washed over me as I listened to Solomon recite the spell. His pronunciation was slow and steady. Between recitals, there was an interval of a few seconds that I used to better process the enunciation.

“You think you got it?” Solomon asked after reciting the spell for the fifth time.

Yeah. I think I can do it.

“Good. I’m all ears.”

I took a deep breath, the words of the spell poised on the tip of my tongue. “Xyrin Throsa Lumina.”

As the last syllable left my lips, a surge of energy, both raw and refined, suddenly burst through my body. I had no idea where it’d come from. It was an energy source I had never felt before.

What is this energy?!

It’s so... so... Incredible! I feel so... Powerful!

Out of the blue, as if a vacuum had been turned on, I felt a small tug come from my chest. To be more specific, it was coming from my core.

While at first it was only a small pull, pretty quickly, it turned into a relentless force eating away at the mana in my body. No, it wasn’t just eating my mana. It was devouring it at an absurd rate.

Just as I opened my mouth to voice my panic, my vision blurred, and the world around me became a chaotic swirl of foggy patterns. The ground beneath seemed to slip away, and the world fell silent as I succumbed to darkness.