A terrible force rose over Lucen's body. The gilded walls, carpets and curtains faded from his eyes.
The dark and inquisitive gazes of Koril, Duran, Heimar and Kurenna were washed away like a wet painting. Only the misty, partially transparent form of Alger Lightcloak remained, and his jaw was set in a firm frown.
His power forced itself on Lucen, forcing him to obey the patriarch, to answer his question truthfully. But Lucen knew something was wrong, and any hasty answer here could lead to his death.
Children weren't meant to understand language, much less from a magical projection. Lucen also needed to be careful with resisting Alger's compulsion, or it'd raise more suspicion.
He opened his mana sense and looked into the Runes of the hall's floor.
His pained howls split the air, and he reached for his eyes as though to tear them out. Selene immediately stood, torn between running or staying.
Alger raised his hands. "My apologies. Please, everyone, sit."
As they sat, he continued.
"His perception is high for a child, similar to Chester as a toddler. But his instinctual understanding of the patterns of mana is unnaturally high, too."
Koril nodded, walking towards an anxious Selene and wailing Lucen, and placed a hand on the baby's head.
A cold feeling washed over Lucen, soothing his singed mind. Lucen looked up at his grandfather, who didn't look fully sure that Lucen wasn't some body-stealing monster.
Lucen made some incoherent babbling noises and raised his arms. How could one suspect such a cute baby, right?
Koril took him into his arms and carried him closer to the spirit projection of his Great-grandfather.
Alger held out his hand, and Lucen did his best to look unsure when he touched the fading fingers.
They were solid, like touching real skin. Lucen made an exaggerated yelp and looked into Alger's eyes.
"It doesn't seem like anything is wrong with his soul," said Alger, "And the Halo did touch him during his naming ceremony."
They all agreed he was like his Grand-uncle Chester and began talking about what to do with him.
"Heimar has agreed he should join Set and be taught by Master Warren," Koril said, brushing Lucen's blonde hair.
Selene and Heimar exchanged a short look that Lucen did not like.
"But he has potential to be a mage," Koril continued.
"We cannot be seen as favouring a Halfblood," Alger nodded. "Let him also enter the Golden cage, as Chester did at his age. But when he turns eighteen, he will leave this keep to serve wherever he is called in our name."
Lucen frowned a bit. He didn't care about staying here anyway. If he was to be abandoned, so be it—he was better off alone. Selene turned pale, lowering her head.
Duran's golden eyes turned venomous, but relaxed as Alger continued. Kurenna was impassive, but her eyes still scared Lucen deeply.
For the rest of the meeting, Lucen sat with Koril while his mother watched him carefully.
At the end, Alger said.
"I would like to return soon, but the Dark Tribes have grown in the years since House Metia abandoned this post. It may be years till we have finished this campaign with how the Minor houses are… cooperating."
This seemed to enrage Heimar and Duran, but they all bowed as the shining dust that formed Alger's projection, scattered and drifted out of the room.
Heimar glared at Lucen, an uncomfortable look on his face.
■——■
Lucen was very excited about this "Golden cage," although Selene didn't look as happy. It was strange to him because she was the one who wanted him to be a Knight.
Koril came to their room the next day and led them through the black and velvet hallways, down the wide stone stairs, past beautiful chambers, and across a stone bridge connecting the main building to a small tower.
In the tower, they found a simple white door painted with stark red illustrations of long-limbed men battling horrible, winged creatures.
"He'll be safer in there. His mana sense is already very high, so the next step is to start seeing the patterns of reality, Runes," Koril explained, "This room will slowly increase its complexity, hurting more and more, to teach him what not to look at."
Selene bit her lip but gave Lucen to him.
The room was dark and empty, but not a naturally emptiness, it was like the void's emptiness, strangely alluring. Lucen had once thought such a lack of existence would be horrifying, but he liked this.
Koril left him on a soft pile of cloth and closed the door behind him.
The dark changed as simple motes of light rose into the air, then they began to connect and form the different textures of mana that he was used to.
Their complexity continued to grow, however, and he began to notice these similar patterns forming in the individual clouds of mana.
[Congratulations, your insight has grown!]
Name: Lucen Lightcloak.
Rank: mortal
Vitality: Low
Will: Low
Might: Low
Insight: High
Dominance: Low
Discovery: 2%
Status Effects: alert
Equipment: None
The lights grew in complexity. But each forming Rune had a similar base, but then evolved into more intricate shapes, pushing the boundaries of two-dimensional forms.
He began to feel the embers of fire running through his eyes into his skull, but he did his best to ignore them as the Runes took on three-dimensional shapes.
They weren't like anything Lucen believed could form in reality, but they felt right.
The pain grew even more, and tears began to fall from his eyes, his skin felt like melting ice, and his veins like superheated metal.
So he closed off his mana sense and began to trace the Runes he had just seen mentally.
[Congratulations, your Will has grown!]
[Will: Minor]
But while tracing the rune, his mana sense returned. He kept his eyes closed, confused.
But he had just turned off his mana sense?
This mana was beyond complex in its behaviour. It flowed with his breath and flared with his emotions.
Life magic?
He controlled his breath and tried to control its movement.
[Congratulations! You have gained the Minor skills: Comprehension and Breath.]
[Would you like to complete a mission to gain the sub-skills of this ability?]