Kael sat stiffly in the polished wooden chair, arms folded as he watched the robed man across the desk. This was the first mage he had ever laid eyes on in his life—and frankly, he was a little underwhelmed.
Sir Raleigh Fex, as the man had introduced himself, didn't have the awe-inspiring look Kael expected from someone capable of bending reality. No glowing eyes. No crackling aura. No floating, ancient grimoire. Just a plain, middle-aged man in a dark robe with well-kept hands and an unreadable gaze.
"Do you feel alright, Kael?" Raleigh's voice was gentle, almost soothing. "This is not an interrogation, just a conversation."
Kael gave a short nod. "Yes, sir."
Raleigh smiled faintly and scribbled something into a small leather-bound notebook before continuing.
"I'd like you to walk me through what happened again—but slowly this time. No pressure. Just tell me… when the creature appeared, what did you do?"
Kael exhaled and stared at the grain of the table. "I… I froze. I didn't expect it to be that terrifying. Everyone was screaming. I was trying to get Saria away, but…"
"But it chased you, didn't it?" Raleigh asked gently, tone not accusing but clearly probing.
Kael looked up. "Yeah. It did. I don't know why."
"Were you afraid?"
"Of course I was," Kael answered quickly, a bit sharper than intended. He forced himself to relax and added, "I've never seen anything like that. It wasn't like anything in the books. It felt… wrong."
Raleigh leaned back in his chair, lips pursed. His quill hovered just above the page as he studied the boy's face.
"And when it got close—when you were cornered… did you do anything, Kael?"
Kael hesitated. This was the strange part, the blur. He remembered claw marks tearing through the air, the searing pain in his side, the world spinning as his body lifted into the air. But… when he woke up—nothing. Not even a bruise.
"I… don't remember clearly," Kael replied. "Everything just went white in my head. Like a switch flipped. I don't know what happened after that."
"Not even a little?"
"No."
Sir Raleigh's expression barely changed, but something behind his eyes sharpened. Lies, he thought. Not malicious, but cautious lies. This boy was hiding something—perhaps even from himself.
"Interesting," the mage muttered, making another note.
Kael watched him scribble in silence. He couldn't explain why he'd left out the part about being struck—about the blood he was sure had poured from his side. The pain had been real. He wasn't crazy. But when he touched his torso after waking up—nothing. Smooth skin. No blood. Not even soreness. It was like the monster had never touched him.
Either he had hallucinated the entire thing… or something impossible had occurred.
"I'll be honest with you, Kael," Sir Raleigh said finally, setting his quill down. "You might be one of the lucky few."
Kael blinked. "What do you mean?"
"The gift of magic," Raleigh said calmly. "Most people don't have it. Some do. But it usually takes a powerful shock, a traumatic event… to awaken it."
Kael's breath caught in his throat.
"Your aura has traces of something else in it," Raleigh continued. "Residual magic. The creature's, yes. But also something that doesn't belong to it… or to me."
Kael's hands balled into fists beneath the table.
---
Sir Raleigh closed the notebook slowly, the slight thunk of its cover sounding louder than expected in the quiet room.
"Well then, Kael," he said, tone even. "I believe that concludes our little chat."
Kael, who had been trying to hide his restlessness under a veneer of composure, gave a subtle nod. "Can I go home now, sir?"
Sir Raleigh studied him for a heartbeat longer before replying. "Yes. There's no reason to keep you here."
He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in thought. No official reason, at least, he thought silently. But if I had it my way, I'd put you under observation for a week straight.
He watched the boy rise, the movements calm, steady—too steady for someone who had been near death just a night ago. There was no nervous fidgeting, no eyes darting, no lingering tremble in his voice. Kael's demeanor wasn't heroic, but it wasn't panicked either. It was measured. Balanced. Controlled.
Unnatural.
Most people in his position would be either incoherent or clinging to someone for comfort. But Kael? He acted like he'd just come back from a walk in the rain.
Sir Raleigh exhaled slowly through his nose, speaking again before Kael could reach the door. "You're an unusual young man."
Kael paused, glancing back. "That's not the first time someone's said that."
Raleigh gave a faint chuckle. "I'm sure. But this time, it means something specific."
Kael said nothing.
"I don't believe you're telling me everything," Raleigh continued, voice neutral but firm. "And that's fine—for now. I suspect you don't understand everything that's happening to you either. But I want you to know this, Kael: if you ever feel… different—hear whispers in your head, feel warmth in your veins, sense things before they happen—anything out of the ordinary... you come to me. Directly."
Kael blinked slowly, absorbing every word. "Why would I hear whispers?"
Raleigh smiled faintly. "You'd be surprised what magic sounds like in the mind of a first-time listener."
Kael offered no answer to that. Just a sharp nod.
Sir Raleigh stood as well and added, "I don't think you've cast a spell before—not consciously. If you had, I would have sensed the signature. But what happened in that forest wasn't luck. It was raw, instinctual power."
Kael's expression gave nothing away, but inwardly he replayed the moment—of pain, of terror, and then… something breaking loose inside him like a dam bursting. He hadn't forgotten the heat that surged through him just before everything went black.
"It's common," Raleigh added, more to himself now. "A latent mage caught in a near-death moment can sometimes erupt. No finesse, no control—just pure reaction."
Kael's throat tightened, but he simply said, "Can I go now?"
"You can," Sir Raleigh said, walking around the table to open the door himself. "But I'll be staying in Thormans for a little while. Officially to aid the investigation… unofficially, to keep an eye on you."
Kael stepped through the doorway, but Raleigh's final words made him pause.
"You've got something inside you, Kael. And whatever it is—it didn't die in that forest. It woke up."
Kael turned, staring at him with eyes too calm for a boy his age. "Then let's hope it doesn't wake up again."
And with that, he left.
Sir Raleigh stood there, watching the hallway long after the boy had disappeared, his mind racing with both curiosity and concern.
Let's hope, indeed…