Ethan had spent years perfecting this character, agonizing over every little detail to make him feel real. And now, staring at him in the flesh, Ethan couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of awe mixed with gut-twisting terror.
He looked exactly like Ethan had imagined. No, better.
Dark hair, ssy but sohow perfect, framing his face like sothing out of a painting. His eyes were sharp and vivid, almost glowing in the dim light. Ethan could've sworn there was a faint glimr of power just beneath the surface, like Lucien's very presence demanded attention.
His posture was effortless, casual but with a confidence that most people had to work their entire lives to achieve. The kind of confidence that only ca from being utterly sure of your own strength.
It was surreal. Like staring at a character portrait that had decided to walk off the page and start breathing.
The guy was practically oozing main character energy. And why wouldn't he? Ethan had written him to be the perfect protagonist.
My greatest creation. And the biggest threat to my survival.
Ethan swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "Holy crap..." he muttered under his breath. "He's literally the perfect protagonist. And he's probably going to kill in a few days."
Lucien's gaze swept over the room before landing on Ethan. For a split second, sothing almost playful flashed across his face.
"You've been at it for a while, huh?"
His voice was calm, friendly even. The kind of voice that put people at ease.
Ethan tried to swallow again, his throat still refusing to cooperate. "Uh... yeah. Just... training."
Lucien stepped further into the room, letting the door shut behind him. "Most people would've given up by now. But you've been at it for a while. That's impressive."
Ethan let out a weak laugh. "Impressive? More like desperate. If I don't get better before the exam, I'm basically dead."
Lucien's lips quirked upward, a genuine smile breaking through his calm expression. "Yeah, the exam's definitely going to be rough. Especially for first years. But... I guess it's also a chance to prove yourself."
Ethan's nerves were still frayed, but sothing about Lucien's casual tone made him relax. Just a little. Like maybe this guy wasn't going to blast him into a wall for the cri of existing.
"Well, proving myself sounds good and all, but I'm pretty sure I'm just going to end up making a fool of myself."
"That's what training's for, right?" Lucien's smile didn't fade. "Though... trying to balance two elents at once? That's not exactly beginner stuff."
Ethan scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess I'm trying to run before I can walk. Still... gotta make sothing work before the exam."
"Paranoia's better than arrogance." Lucien chuckled, then glanced at the wet and scorched marks all over the wall. "Mind if I show you sothing?"
Ethan blinked. "Uh... sure?"
Lucien stepped forward, rolling his shoulders like he was warming himself up. The movent was casual, but there was a sharp focus in his eyes.
"Alright. So, you're trying to balance two different elents at the sa ti, right?" Lucien asked. "The trick is... not forcing them to work together. You have to let them complent each other. Split the energy, instead of trying to shove them into the sa flow."
He raised his right hand, his brow furrowing slightly as a thin Aqua Barrier sprang to life, hovering in front of him like a shimring curtain of water.
Unlike Ethan's spells, the barrier wasn't completely smooth. It trembled a bit, flickering at the edges like Lucien was straining to keep it up.
But that didn't stop him from raising his left hand and summoning two small Fireballs, both burning bright but not wildly out of control.
The effort was obvious—a faint sheen of sweat appeared on Lucien's brow, and his jaw was clenched with concentration. It wasn't effortless for him.
He released the Fireballs one by one, guiding them around the barrier before they slamd against the wall, leaving faint scorch marks. The barrier itself held firm, only shimring slightly under the pressure.
Ethan's mouth went dry. "Holy... you did that while keeping the barrier up?"
"Barely." Lucien let the barrier drop, his shoulders relaxing as he took a deep breath. "It's... not perfect. Still trying to get the energy split right. But I figured it might help."
Ethan couldn't believe it. Even when Lucien wasn't perfect, he was still miles ahead of him. And the worst part? It made sense. Of course, Lucien was good. Ethan had written him to be a prodigy among prodigies.
"I an... yeah. That helps. A lot, actually," Ethan said, still trying to process what he'd just seen. "But how'd you even know what I was doing?"
Lucien's gaze flicked to him, his expression unreadable. "Your mana flow is pretty obvious. It's steady. Way too steady for a beginner. You're using Mana Threading, right?"
Ethan's blood went cold. "H-How did you—"
Lucien's expression shifted, a flicker of panic crossing his face. "Just... forget I said that. Pretend I didn't say anything."
"Uh... sure. Got it."
Whatever Lucien had just let slip, it was sothing he clearly didn't want Ethan to question. But Ethan's mind was already spinning, his thoughts flashing back to the ability he'd written into Lucien's character.
The Eyes of God. A power that let him see the flow of mana and, eventually, even detect affinities and weaknesses.
And if Lucien could already see Ethan's mana flow... that power was already starting to awaken.
And Ethan had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to survive against sothing like that.
"Anyway," Lucien continued, his voice regaining its calm, friendly tone. "Why don't you give it another shot? You might surprise yourself."
Ethan hesitated, the mory of Lucien's demonstration replaying in his mind. How he'd managed to hold a water barrier and control multiple Fireballs at the sa ti. The effort had been there, but he'd pulled it off without completely losing control.
"Right. Splitting the energy... steady flow for defense, quick bursts for offense..." Ethan mumbled to himself, his fingers twitching with nerves.
He took a deep breath, drawing in mana and letting it flow through him. His breathing matched the rhythm, Mana Threading guiding the energy along the familiar paths.
This ti, instead of trying to push both spells through the sa channel, he split the energy. Half of it went toward his left hand, slowly forming an Aqua Sphere. The other half went to his right, where the Fireball blazed to life.
And unlike before, the spells weren't fighting each other. They coexisted.
"Oh, crap. It's actually working."
"See? You just needed to refine your control." Lucien's smile was annoyingly perfect. The sort of expression that said, This is easy if you just try a little harder.
But despite how infuriating it was, Ethan couldn't deny the results. He willed the Aqua Sphere forward, sending it splashing against the wall. Then he hurled the Fireball right after, leaving a satisfying scorch mark beside the wet stain.
"Holy crap." Ethan's voice shook with a mixture of disbelief and excitent. "I actually did it."
"It's a good start," Lucien said, his tone encouraging. "You just need to keep practicing until you can do it consistently."
"Easier said than done," Ethan grumbled, but his grin refused to fade. That little success felt like a lifeline. Proof that he wasn't completely useless.
"I dunno. For soone who's only been here a week, you're doing pretty well," Lucien said, the complint sounding genuine. "You're already trying things most people wouldn't even attempt. That takes guts."
"Or stupidity. I can't tell the difference anymore."
Lucien laughed, shaking his head. "I think it's a little bit of both. But still, if you keep training like this, you'll definitely make so progress before the exam."
Ethan couldn't help but feel a spark of hope at Lucien's words. As terrifying as this guy was, he couldn't deny that Lucien's advice had actually helped. Maybe he could make it through the exam without getting completely humiliated.
Maybe.
"Thanks," Ethan said, his voice a little steadier. "Seriously. I probably would've just kept banging my head against the wall if you hadn't shown up."
Lucien shrugged like it was no big deal. "Hey, we're all trying to get better, right? Sotis it helps to have soone point out what you're doing wrong."
"Yeah. Guess you're right." Ethan hesitated before asking, "By the way... how long have you been able to do stuff like that? The whole Aqua Barrier and Fireball combo?"
"Hmm." Lucien looked thoughtful for a mont. "I guess I've been practicing stuff like that since I got here. It's not perfect, but... well, it's sothing to build on."
It was a humble answer, but Ethan knew better. Lucien was already miles ahead of everyone else. And the fact that he acted like it was no big deal just made him more impressive.
Of course he's this good already. I wrote him to be a prodigy.
Ethan opened his mouth to say sothing else, but Lucien beat him to it.
"By the way..." Lucien's gaze turned curious. "I just realized. I don't think I got your na."
The casualness of the question hit Ethan like a punch to the gut. His entire body went rigid, his breath catching in his throat.
Crap. This was bad. This was really bad.
He couldn't just lie. If Lucien found out he was lying, it'd only make him look more suspicious. But if he told the truth... if Lucien connected the na Wycliffe to everything that na represented...
Would he even make it out of the training room alive?
Ethan's heart pounded so hard he was afraid it might actually give out. But Lucien's gaze was patient, calm, like he was just waiting for a simple answer.
"Uh... It's Darius," Ethan said, his voice shaky but still holding together. "Darius Wycliffe."
The change was instant. Like soone had just flipped a switch.
Lucien's smile vanished, his expression going completely blank. His eyes sharpened, the calm warmth replaced by sothing colder.
"Wycliffe?" he repeated, his voice quiet but the edge was unmistakable.
Ethan's mouth went dry, his brain screaming at him to run, but his feet wouldn't move. He was stuck, frozen under the weight of Lucien's stare.
It wasn't just dislike. It was pure, unfiltered hatred.
Whatever friendly conversation they'd been having? Dead. Gone. Shattered.
And Ethan had no idea what the hell he was supposed to do now.
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