A week had passed since Leon and his mother had arrived at Highfield Manor. Each day had been a gruelling routine of lessons and training, from morning to night. Etiquette with Madam Aldwin, physical training with Captain Loren, and long stretches of academic studies in between. It felt relentless. The farm work he was used to seemed like a distant, simpler life now.
At first, he had thought the physical training would be the hardest part. But Captain Loren had been rightâstrength alone wouldnât get him far. Balance, precision, and control were what really mattered, and Leon had struggled to keep up. The soreness in his muscles never quite went away, and each new day brought a fresh set of challenges.
Academics were... better. Madam Aldwin was strict, but heâd surprised himself by keeping pace with her lessons. She drilled him on history, geography, and the laws of the Empire. It was a lot to take in, but he found himself able to recall things more easily than he expected. Sometimes, almost too easily.
Leon didnât dwell on it. He was just trying to keep his head down and survive each day.
Today was different, though. Today, Madam Aldwin had announced that she would be giving him his first real testâan examination of everything heâd learned over the past week. Leon had felt a knot of anxiety form in his stomach when she told him, but he couldnât let himself fail. Not now.
As he entered the study room that morning, Madam Aldwin was already seated, her hands folded neatly on the desk in front of her. The room felt colder than usual, the weight of the upcoming test pressing down on him like an invisible hand.
"Good morning, Leon," she said without looking up from the papers in front of her. "Are you ready?"
Leon swallowed, his throat dry. "I think so."
Madam Aldwinâs sharp eyes finally flicked up to meet his. "You either are, or you arenât, young man. There is no room for hesitation here."
He nodded quickly, moving to his seat. The desk felt too large, the room too quiet. The only sound was the soft shuffle of papers as Madam Aldwin slid them across the desk toward him.
"This will cover everything youâve been taught so far. I expect you to take your time and think through each answer carefully," she instructed, her tone even but firm. "Begin."
Leon stared down at the paper, his heart thudding in his chest. The first few questions were straightforwardâbasic facts about the Empireâs geography and its noble families. He answered them easily, but his hand shook slightly as he wrote.
Then the questions grew harder. Complex matters of law and history, dates and figures he wasnât sure heâd remembered right. The knot in his stomach tightened. His mind raced, searching for the answers, but some of them just wouldnât come.
He froze when he reached a question about an ancient treaty. The details slipped through his fingers like sand, and panic started to rise in his chest. Heâd read about it just days ago, but now, with Madam Aldwin watching him, everything seemed to blur together.
Why canât I remember?
His heart pounded, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. The words on the page swam in front of him, and his breath quickened. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, trying to block out the pressure, the weight of expectation. If he couldnât answer this, if he failedâ
Suddenly, a strange clarity washed over him. As if from nowhere, the answer appeared in his mind, perfectly clear and detailed. Leonâs hand moved almost on its own, writing out the response word for word.
When he finished, he blinked, staring down at the answer he had written. It was right. He knew it was right. But... how? He hadnât been sure of it just a moment ago.
Leon didnât have time to dwell on it. The rest of the test continued, and though some questions were easier than others, that strange clarity hit him again. Twice more, he found himself writing answers he didnât fully understandâanswers he hadnât been certain of just moments before, but now seemed to flow onto the page.
Madam Aldwinâs eyes never left him, and though she said nothing, Leon could feel her gaze on him, sharp and assessing. His heart raced as he continued writing, the pressure mounting with each question.
Finally, he reached the last one.
It was a question on Imperial history, something about a forgotten line of rulers from centuries ago. Leonâs mind went blank. No matter how hard he tried to recall the lesson, the information wasnât there. He stared at the paper, his hand trembling.
Come on. Think. Just think.
He closed his eyes again, forcing himself to focus. A deep, intense pressure built inside him, pushing against the fog in his mind. For a moment, he felt somethingâlike the edge of a memory, just out of reach.
Then it hit him.
The answer surged forward with perfect clarity, as though it had always been there, waiting. His hand moved quickly, scribbling down the details in sharp, clean strokes. It was so vivid, so precise.
But as soon as he finished writing, a sharp pain exploded behind his eyes. Leon gasped, clutching his head as the room spun around him. His vision blurred, and the paper in front of him seemed to stretch and warp.
"Leon?" Madam Aldwinâs voice cut through the fog, sharp and concerned.
Leonâs heart pounded in his ears, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The pain behind his eyes grew worse, spreading down to his temples and into the base of his skull. It felt like his head was going to split open.
"IâI donât..." Leon managed to stammer before the world tilted sideways.
The last thing he heard was Madam Aldwinâs voice calling his name as everything went black.
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When Leon woke up, the room was dim. His head still throbbed, but the sharp pain from before had dulled to a low ache. He blinked, trying to gather his bearings, and realised he was lying in his bed. The soft light from the fire flickered on the walls.
Mira was sitting beside him, her hands resting on the edge of the bed. The moment she saw his eyes flutter open, she leaned forward, brushing his hair back gently.
"Leon, thank the Goddess," she whispered, relief clear in her voice.
The sight of his mother, her familiar presence, broke something inside him. Everything came crashing down at onceâweeks of pressure, of confusion, of fearâand before he could stop himself, his chest tightened, and tears filled his eyes.
"Iâ" Leon tried to speak, but his voice cracked. His breath hitched as the dam finally broke. "Mum, I canâtâI canât do this!"
The sobs came out of nowhere, racking his body with force as he curled into her. Miraâs arms wrapped around him instantly, holding him close as the floodgates opened.
"Itâs too much!" Leon choked out between sobs, his words barely audible. "I donât know what Iâm doingâIâm going to failâI donât belong here!"
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Mira shushed him softly, her hand gently stroking his hair as she held him tight. "Itâs alright, Leon," she murmured, her voice soothing. "I know, love. I know itâs hard."
"I donâtâ" Leon gasped for air, his whole body shaking. "I donât even know what my power isâI donât know what Iâm supposed to do! Iâm just... scared. So scared."
Mira didnât say anything for a while. She just let him cry, her gentle touch grounding him as the storm of emotions poured out. Leonâs sobs echoed in the quiet room, raw and desperate. It felt like everything was crashing down on him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
After what felt like forever, his sobs finally subsided into shaky breaths, and the tears began to slow. Mira pulled back slightly, brushing the damp hair from his forehead as she looked at him with soft, knowing eyes.
"Itâs alright to be scared, Leon," she whispered, her voice calm and steady. "Youâre allowed to be scared. But youâre stronger than you think."
Leon shook his head weakly, the weight of his doubts still heavy in his chest. "I... I donât feel strong. I feel like Iâm falling apart."
Mira smiled softly, though her eyes were filled with sympathy. "I felt the same way... after your father died."
Leonâs breath caught in his throat, and he looked up at her, surprised.
Miraâs gaze softened, distant memories flickering behind her eyes. "When Doran died, I didnât know what I was going to do. I was so scared. I had you to think about, the farm... everything. It felt like the world was crashing down, and I didnât know how to stop it."
Leon swallowed, his throat tight as he listened.
"But I realised something," Mira continued, her voice calm and gentle. "I realised that I had a choice. I could let it break me, or I could keep going. Not just for you, but for myself." She smiled softly, her hand still resting on his cheek. "It wasnât easy. But I made that choice every day. And youâll have to make that choice too."
Leon looked at her, his heart still heavy, but something in her words resonated with him. "I donât know if I can."
"You can," Mira said firmly, her gaze steady. "And you will. It wonât be easy, Leon. But youâre not alone. Youâve got people here who want to help you. And youâve got me." She smiled softly, brushing a tear from his cheek. "You donât have to have all the answers right now. But you have to keep going."
Leon sniffed, wiping at his eyes as he let her words sink in. "I... I donât know what Iâm supposed to do," he whispered.
Mira smiled gently. "You donât have to know yet. Youâre still learning, love. One step at a time. Youâll figure it out. Just keep trying. Thatâs all you can do."
Leon nodded slowly, though his heart still felt heavy. But Miraâs presence, her calm and steady reassurance, made the weight feel a little less crushing.
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Leon sat quietly beside his mother for a while longer, the fire crackling softly in the hearth. His chest still ached from the sobs that had wracked his body, but the worst of it had passed. He wasnât sure if he felt betterâmaybe lighter, somehowâbut the fear and confusion still lingered, just beneath the surface.
Miraâs words echoed in his mind. You have to keep going. You donât have to have all the answers right now.
He wanted to believe her. He really did. But everything still felt so overwhelming. There was a weight on his shoulders that hadnât been there beforeâan expectation, a burden. Being an Evoker wasnât just about having power. It was about living up to something bigger, something he didnât fully understand yet.
But... he couldnât break like this every time things got hard. He couldnât afford to.
Leon wiped his eyes and straightened his posture, sitting up a little taller. He felt raw, exposedâlike heâd peeled back something inside of himself and wasnât quite sure what to do with what heâd found. But one thing was clear: crying and panicking wouldnât change anything. If he wanted to succeed, if he wanted to live up to all the expectations everyone seemed to have for him, then he couldnât keep acting like the scared farm boy who didnât belong here. He had to become something more.
Something stronger.
He looked down at his hands, still trembling slightly from the emotional outburst. For a moment, they looked small. Weak. But he forced that thought away. These were the hands of an Evoker now. He had a power, even if he didnât fully understand it yet, and that meant he had a responsibility.
Miraâs voice broke the silence. âLeon?â
He turned to look at her, and the worry etched into her features tugged at his heart. She had always been strong for him, always put on a brave face, even when things were hard. He couldnât keep breaking down in front of her like this. She needed to see that he could handle itâthat he could grow.
âIâll keep going, Mum,â he said quietly, but there was a firmness in his voice that hadnât been there before. âI... Iâm going to figure this out.â
Miraâs smile was small but full of warmth. âThatâs my boy,â she said softly, brushing a hand through his hair. âJust take it one step at a time.â
Leon nodded, but deep down, he knew it was more than that. He couldnât keep taking things one step at a time forever. He had to set a goalâsomething to work towards. Something to drive him forward. He stared into the fire, watching the flames flicker and dance. He didnât know what his power was, and he didnât know if he was one of the Chosen or just another ordinary Evoker. But he did know one thing: he had to succeed. He couldnât afford to fail. Not now. Not with everything on the line.
I'm not going to be the weak link. The thought burned in his mind, fierce and determined. Heâd already made it this farâhe wasnât about to fall behind. He couldnât be the boy everyone pitied, the one everyone expected to falter.
No. He was going to be something more. The farm boy, the kid who had been terrified of what came nextâhe had to go. He had to be shut away. The Leon sitting here now needed to be someone else. Someone stronger, more focused. A boy who wasnât afraid to face the unknown.
I have to grow up.
Leon clenched his fists, the muscles in his arms still sore from training, but the pain helped him focus. His resolve hardened. He didnât have all the answers, but he could figure them out. If he worked hard enough, if he pushed himself, then maybeâjust maybeâhe could carve out a place for himself in this new world.
He had to. There was no other choice.
Mira watched him quietly, her expression softening. She didnât say anything, but Leon could tell that she saw the shift in him, the resolve that had settled in his eyes. He wasnât the same boy who had sat down beside her in tears just moments ago. For the first time since his awakening, Leon felt like he had some control. It was a small flame, flickering uncertainly in the dark, but it was there.
He turned to his mother, giving her a small nod. âIâm going to get stronger, Mum. I donât know how yet, but I will.â
Miraâs smile widened, and she placed a gentle hand on his cheek. âI know you will, Leon,â she said softly. âIâve always known.â