Aurora dropped her childlike demeanor, stretching like a cat on the plush seat.
"Finally," she sighed. "Playing the innocent child grows tedious."
Lucian looked at her before saying, "You perform the role admirably."
"Necessity is a potent motivator," she replied, echoing his earlier words to Lady Rufus. Then she continued, "So I finally get the chance to meet your family?"
Lucian looked at her before saying, "My family is nothing special. Well, my father is dead, but his sister, my aunt—let's just say it's been a while since I saw her last. I was about 8 years of age when I saw her. Even if I couldn't tell during that time, now that I look at it, she was very respected, even more than my father, and was very fond of me because I was a druid just like my father and her. I can't remember much, but what I can say is she's very strong—like, really strong, even stronger than Lord Rufus. That's the way I see her. I could still remember the sensation I got from her; it was different from Lord Rufus."
Lucian had already gone through this body's memories. Even if he watched how everything played out, he felt everything that went through those memories like they were his. It was more like having amnesia and remembering old memories and feelings—it was complicated.
"Then I will like to see them," she replied with a hint of curiosity.
He just stared at her, not replying to her comment.
As the carriage rolled on through the countryside, Lucian contemplated the path ahead. Lord Rufus's revelations about blood rituals and weakening barriers between realms had confirmed his own suspicions. And if the barriers were indeed weakening, what else might slip through from other realms? The thought sent a cold shiver down his spine.
"You're brooding," Aurora observed, breaking into his thoughts.
"Planning," Lucian corrected. "There's much to be done before the Academy, and little time to accomplish it."
"Well then," Aurora said, her eyes gleaming with anticipation, "let's make the most of it, shall we?"
The carriage continued eastward, leaving the main road behind, winding through gentle hills that gradually became more forested as they approached the borders of Silverwood Province. Lucian, looking outside and watching the carriage move, was thinking, 'This is surely far nicer than I expected. I remember back on Earth how I got a sports car, but riding in this is quite convenient. Well, it's a magic world, so I understand people would be dependent on magic.'
The way the carriage looked outside was quite different from the way it looked inside—it was like building another room within it. But since everything was built on magic, he wasn't surprised.
By midday, they had entered a region where ancient trees towered overhead, their massive canopies filtering the sunlight into dappled patterns across the forest floor. The air grew cooler, filled with the scent of pine and rich earth.
"We're nearing Silverwood proper now," one of the guards announced from his position riding alongside the carriage. "Should reach the manor by nightfall if we maintain our pace."
Lucian nodded in acknowledgment, though his thoughts were elsewhere. He was piecing together fragments of memory—his own and those of the body he now inhabited. The Marcellus family, from all he could tell from the memories: his father (Cassian Marcellus) was a druid but got married to his mother who was the real noble (Seraphina Marcellus) due to some arrangement. He got married into the family of nobles, and because of that, he changed his name and accepted the name Marcellus, which was approved due to the constant support he brought to the kingdom.
Other races couldn't be among the rulers of the human kingdom, so they only had one option—to marry into noble families, thereby claiming the name of the nobles they married into. He also found out he had an older sister (Celeste Marcellus) who was 5 years older than him, who appeared to be fully human with no characteristics of being a druid. And then there was his aunt (Rowena Vale)—Vale was his father's family name before he got married into the Marcellus family.
After Lucian was born with the same bloodline and heritage of his father—a druid—he got most of the attention from both his parents and his aunt. His sister was neglected and wasn't really getting along with him, but they still cared for each other as siblings. Going through all the memories, he felt like he had just watched a movie in a life-like setting play out in mere minutes.
As they traveled deeper into the forest, the road narrowed, and the guards grew more alert. One rode ahead as a scout while the other remained close to the carriage, his hand never straying far from his sword hilt.
Lucian, sensing the tense atmosphere, asked from inside the carriage, "Is there danger ahead?"
One of the guards replied, "There have been sightings of bandits in this part of the forest who mostly attack nobles, and most of them are quite strong."
Lucian nodded before saying, "You can continue. There's nothing to worry about."
As the afternoon waned, they came to a fork in the road. The main path continued straight, while a smaller, less-traveled way branched off to the right, deeper into the forest.
"The manor lies that way," the guard said, pointing to the smaller path. "Just another hour's journey."
The carriage turned onto the forest path, which wound between massive old-growth trees. The canopy overhead grew thicker, and the light dimmed considerably despite it being several hours before sunset.
Lucian felt a strange vibration in the air—a sense of recognition that didn't come from his borrowed memories. Something in this forest resonated with his own nature, whatever that truly was. Then he heard the voice sound in his head.
"You feel it, right? The forest knows you. There's something in this forest calling out to you. We might be able to hear it but won't be able to pinpoint it even with my powers. You will have to wait until you become an awakened."
He nodded. He was about to ask a question when the carriage lurched to a sudden halt. Voices called out in alarm from outside, and the sound of drawn steel rang in the still forest air.
"Stay inside, young lord!" the guard shouted.
Lucian moved to the window, his blindfolded gaze turning toward the commotion. Though he couldn't see, his other senses and the ringing in his head painted a vivid picture—multiple figures surrounding the carriage, the guards taking defensive positions, the driver frozen in fear. He turned to Aurora, who had appeared beside him at the window.
"How many are there? I can't really tell from all the noise going around," he asked.
Aurora replied, "They appear to be bandits, around 12 of them, all in Spellweaver stage, but surprisingly they are all in 2nd-3rd stage, while the leader is in the 5th stage."
"What chance do the guards have of winning?" he asked.
She made a thoughtful humming sound before saying, "About 10% chance, because the leader of the guards is a 6th stage Spellweaver while the rest are all at 3rd stage—and there are just four guards plus the leader, making them five."
He nodded. Then he heard Aurora ask, "Should I help them?"
He looked at her before shaking his head, saying, "Don't." He paused, then continued, "Let them get to us—or to me, enough to draw blood. Well, I have a plan in motion for my family, and this just appears to be the perfect cover-up for it."
As the fight dragged on, it seemed like the guards were holding their own against the bandits due to how well-trained they were, but it appeared they wouldn't be able to hold them for long. Just as predicted, the guards started dropping as they were ganged up on. After two minutes, all the guards were down, with most of the bandits having suffered a few casualties here and there.
Then they heard a shout, probably from the leader of the bandits. "Come out, those inside the carriage!"
Lucian didn't move, and neither did Aurora. They just stayed inside. Then the leader asked one of the guards, "Are they deaf?"
The guard didn't reply, while some of the bandits were saying they were probably too scared to come out.
Then the leader continued, "Clay, go drag them out."
The one called Clay came to their carriage. Opening the door and seeing the two children inside, he turned back to the leader before saying, "Boss, they are just kids. They don't appear to be any important nobles with just a few Spellweaver guards guarding them. So what do we do with them?"
The leader looked through the door before saying, "Bring them here. We can sell them to slavers, and if he resists, beat the crap out of him and drag him here."