A shimmering chain of light emerged from the darkness in the forest. Wrapping itself around the horns of a deer-like creature. A single tug from the chains, and the beast fell to the ground, more chains emerging, wrapping around the legs and torso of the poor animal.

A young boy, holding the chains emerged from the darkness. His eyes and hair, gold and white respectively, his clothes matching his brilliantly coloured facial features. White robes similar to those priests would wear, trimmed with gold and silver reflected any light rays that managed to pierce the balcony of the trees, giving him the illusion that he was glowing. Perhaps he was.

Aenios: “Amazing…” He murmured to himself. “This sunstone is amazing!” The boy held up a glowing marble which seemed to absorb nearby moonlight. A twisted and wicked grin appeared on his face.

Aenios: “The chains I create, their stronger, tougher. I can feel it. I can extend them even farther, and my control over them is phenomenal! Despite it being so dark, I still feel as if the sun were shining right now! Truly, this sunstone is the perfect accessory for the perfect being.”

The boy gleefully exclaimed his thoughts outloud in the forest. The forest, being infamous for its enormous amounts of monsters. The boy knew this, and despite the obvious danger, he continued to exclaim his excitement in a loud, arrogant voice.

Finally, his actions gave way to consequence as a deep, primal growl echoed throughout the nearby area. The bound deer was quickly filled with fear, and started trashing violently, trying to escape its bindings.

Aenios: “What’s this?”

The chains around the deer uncoiled, and the deer bounced off in the direction away from the growl, only to be smacked to the ground by a large paw, covered in fur similar to metal.

Two hulking figures emerged from the surrounding trees. A thick silver coat covered their massive size, red eyes that glowed in the dark. Pitch black claws adorning each limb. Truly, a mass of muscle and claw, this was definitely one of the top predators that lived in this vast forest. Despite the appearance of these two beasts, the young boy’s expression was almost unfazed. His only expression that portrayed anything more than delight was confusion.

Aenios: “Bismuth bears? But… they aren’t supposed to be out at this time. They should be hibernating….”

His words started to trail off as he continued to talk to himself again. The bears eyed the boy wearily. They’ve seen humans in the past and they’ve seen magic in the past as well. Both of them didn’t fair well for the beasts whose heavy armor and sharp claws were meant for defending against physical attacks.

However, Aenios showed no signs of aggression and that seemingly put the bears at rest. There was no need to fight after they had already caught their prey. Aenios had other plans.

Aenios: “You know, now that I think about it, these bears are supposed to be super tough, aren’t they?”

Large swathes of bloodlust started to roll of Aenios, invisible to the untrained eyes, obvious to a being whose entire life depended on primal instinct. The bears immediately took an aggressive position, snarling and roaring at Aenios.

Aenios: “Interesting. Instead of running away, they instead decided to fight? Well…” Hundreds of glowing chains erupted from his hands while his body started to float off the ground. “I’ll show them what it means to fight a mage.”

---

Bears, Bismuth bears. Supposedly one of the forests top predators. Their hides sell for a lot! The thick fur is made out of a substance like iron and is a very versatile material used in many expensive armors only the richest could afford. I could make a small amount of gold if I sold them off, though, it would draw more attention to me, having extra gold in order for my plans could be useful…

The bears growled once more, returning me to the realm of reality. Of course, I have to kill them first, don’t I?

I started to float closer, chains rising up and crashing down into the ground in a threatening display. These chains provide my only form of offense despite my inability to cast spells meant to attack. The reason must be because they originate from a summoning spell. I’m thankful that I stumbled upon their power, if I hadn’t, I would truly be left defenseless.

With each inch I drew closer, the bears took one step back, the holes left in the ground were meant as a clear demonstration of power. However, the they could not back off forever, and the time to make a choice was soon approaching. If they continued to walk backwards, they would face me and a cliffside edge. At that point, it would already be to late to run. I’m sure they understand that.

I stop. I know what I’m doing is wrong. So, as recompense, I’ll give them a chance to live. I chuckle to myself. I must say, it sounds quite devious.

The bears look at me, the carcass and the cliff that would mean certain doom for a creature of their size. It seems they chose their fate. They charged at me, the most foolish thing they could have done. For this, offense, I will bring the ultimate punishment, death!

My chains rose up simultaneously. Like hundreds of arrows raining down, they struck the bears with incredible force, piercing their hides with ease and binding them to the floor. I was taken aback. Was this my power? The power of the sunstone?

I look at the marble that still glowed brightly in my hands. No. It can’t be. Somethings wrong. I’ve heard so many tales of these beasts, so many stories of their overwhelming strength and bravery in the face of magic. I respected these things. If this is what they truly are, weak fragile creatures, then I don’t think I can accept that.

I descended towards the ground, I no longer needed to show my superiority. I’ve already proven my dominance. I walked up to the bears, who were evidently, unable to move. They struggled as I grew near, their resistance only drawing more silver blood from their wounds. My chains didn’t wrap around the poor creatures, it went straight through.

I started to examine them. I noticed it almost instantaneously. Their hide… it was severely weakened. No wonder why my chains went straight through them. They should have the consistency of metal! I’ve heard about this before. When food becomes scarce, the bears become unable to support their powerful hides and return to a more ancestral behavior. Relying on scavenging and foraging to regain their weight.

The reasons for this are usually due to another, more powerful predator entering the scene. This is where I get stumped. The balance in the forest had been maintained for centuries. The bears were unable to outcompete the other three predators and vice versa. They were unable to completely push each other out of the forest due to their individual strengths.

So why now has the balance suddenly been upset. Why now, are these bears so skittish? I realized they were exuding odd behaviors when I met them, but I didn’t think it was abnormal. The bears almost never go out in pairs, and they almost never back off from a human, yet, they saw my magic and were clearly scared of something and despite all of that, despite their fear, they continued to fight me for the dead deer. They must have been starving…

I looked into one of its eyes. The red glow didn’t look so bestial anymore, it look more like a desperate animal, one that had its home disrupted by an unknown force. It was only trying to feed itself, yet I mercilessly threatened the thing in its frenzied state. It didn’t mean any harm. I almost felt mercy for the beast…

I lifted the dead deer in front of the bears and released my chains. The wounds I dealt may have been painful, but they would heal over time and with enough food. I started to walk away and the bears, after feeling the bloodlust from me disappear, finally calmed down and started eating…

They were only two seconds into their meal before my glowing chains pierced their skulls, their bodies dropping to the floor. I almost felt mercy, but showing any form aggression towards me is punishable by death, an execution I decided to carry out. Their deaths were not in vain though. They managed to give me useful information. Besides, their corpses will bring bountiful food for the smaller creatures in the forest, and provide vital nutrients for the plant life. I might have done a good thing in killing them.

For now, I think I should retire back to my bed. I look up. The moon was already high in the sky at this point. I could feel my energy slowly draining as exhaustion and the power of night took hold of me body. I’m tired.

I walk back, weary. Flying takes too much energy and risks the chance that someone can see me. Flying is an ability that should be exclusive to those with wings or affinities the air element. I still haven’t revealed that I have that ability as well. House Lumos, still sitting on its cliffside view, was easy to see, even through the thick leaf roof, making it extremely easy to navigate through the forest, I already know which direction I need to go.

As I approach the castle, the guards posted outside rush up to me, expressing concern, worry and fear.

Guard #1: “Young master Aenios! Where were you? Your mother was furious when she learned of your sudden disappearance! Especially during the night! She threatened to burn the entire forest!”

Ah, sounds like her. She can be a bit eccentric at times, coupled with the fact that her magic happens to be extremely powerful, she happens to be rather scary when she’s angry. I’m afraid of her, despite me being her son. It’s thanks to her my magic is so powerful though, or rather her blood.

Aenios: “My apologies, I was merely testing a gift I received today, in preparation for my upcoming test.”

I reveal the golden marble in my hands. The guards stood, mouths agape. This object really does bring that type of reaction. I smile as I remember earlier today, when I had first received it. Their expressions mirrored mine.

They saluted and wordlessly guided me back to the castle. I think they understand. No… I’m sure of it. We walked side by side up the mountain pathway, returning to home.

As we were approaching the gate, I silently nudged the guards and nodded in the direction of the back entrance. They understood what I meant, and we walked towards it. Only to be stopped dead in our tracks by a thundering crash that came from the top of the building.

Lighting arcing throughout the sky, as a ball of plasma and anger dropped, right in front of us. A twitching smile appeared from the smoking crater in the ground. Oh no. This was the situation I wanted to avoid.

Mother: “Aenios Lumos. You have 1 minute to explain what you were doing outside at this time of night, in the forest filled with dangerous monsters.”

Her voice and tone were clear. She was going to zap me if I couldn’t come up with a good reason, and she wasn’t going to hold back because she knew how powerful my shield was. She’s one of the only people I know who can break my shield.

Thankfully, I won’t be incurring any shocks today. Confidently, I open my hand, revealing the glowing orb inside. Her face remained unchanged though.

Mother: “Where did you get that?”

Getting straight to the point, I respected that about her. Perhaps I inherited her good qualities.

Aenios: “Ignial gave it to me, he found it on the road up here and decided it was fate.”

I gave a proper response with just a little bit added on. Hopefully, it’ll help her understand…

Mother: “And? How does a sunstone permit you from disobeying my orders to stay inside the castle when it gets dark?”

Yup, as tough a negotiator as ever. I don’t really have a counterargument which means I need to make my escape now. Bending the meager amounts of light around me, I’m pretty sure I disappeared from sight. My evidence being that the guards were frantically looking around. Once I did that, I quickly run to the front entrance of the estate.

I thought I was going to get away this time before another ball of lightning exploded in front of me. If I hadn’t activated my shield, I would have been knocked unconscious.

My mother walked up towards me. I run over what I had done wrong in this scenario, but I couldn’t find any reason for me being caught here. How did she see through my invisibility?

Mother: “Trying to run away?”

Yes. I was.

I hardened my shield in preparation for the blast but instead a soft smile appeared on her face. Okay. Something is off.

Mother: “You need to listen to me Aenios. I know you feel jealous of your brother’s and sister’s freedom, but this is for your own good. You’re a light elemental, just being awake during the night drains you quickly, not only that, but you can’t cast offensive magic. I don’t think you understand that you can die if you aren’t careful. I’m only worried for your safety.”

Touching. Two sentimental speeches in one day is probably a bit too much for someone like me. I nod politely and thank Mother for always watching over me, before hurriedly walking inside, trying to maintain posture while fleeing. To be honest, I expected her to launch her lightning at me anyways as “punishment” but she didn’t. She only continued to smile as I walked inside, before turning to the guards and whispering something to them.

I didn’t care though. This was the first time I got away with something against the rules without being blasted at least once. It was a momentous occasion and marked my full independence from my mother who is still attached to me, more so than any of my siblings, despite me being the middle child.

I walked into my room and flopped onto the bed. One of the benefits of being nobility are the comfy beds. I was absorbed in the soft folds and mounds of blankets. I prefer my bed softer than anyone else in my family. What’s comfortable for me is suffocating for them. My younger sister once tried to sleep on my bed, only to find that she sunk in too far and started to burn it in fear. I wasn’t too happy about that. Especially since it was her request.

I shouldn’t be thinking right now. I need to sink into my bed and relax. I could feel the blankets and pillows around me and I felt my conscious slowly drift away.

---

When I awoke, I quickly advanced through my morning routine and hygiene before walking into the library. There, Ignial sat waiting, scribbling something down in his book.

Ignial: “Ah, Aenios. Your awake early today. I expected you to take a longer rest considering how late you were out last night.”

Aenios: “I wanted to quickly finish the test. I’ve got an entire day planned.”

Ignial: “Are you sure you can handle this test? It’s harder than the last few, it also covers material we haven’t talked about in this unit, but rather, material in past units. Show me how much you’ve studied.”

With a smirk, he handed me the test which took the form of ten pieces of paper, ink forming questions on either side. To be honest, I haven’t studied at all. I remember the content quite easily and applying what I’ve learned is simple.

I finished the pages in almost 10 minutes. The test mostly consisted of political issues and briefly touched subjects from past lessons. The bulk of the time was used writing the answers. I handed in the test to Ignial, who was clearly disappointed. Most of his tests end up like this. At first, he thought I was mocking him. I still am in a way.

That was when the door opened and my two younger siblings burst through. Amelia Lumos, 12 years old and the youngest. She burst in with a smile. Because she’s the youngest and had virtually no worries growing up, she grew up spoiled but strangely attached to the rest of us. The other one was Arder Lumos, 13 years old. He’s quite devoted to his studies and magic. Constantly improving both even in his spare time. I feel he compares himself to me and our elder brother and a sense of inferiority was growing on him. It’s pretty good for his future though. This devotion would carry him far. In short, both of them are extremely annoying. Amelia constantly bothering me, asking to play and Arder asking questions related to Ignial’s lessons.

As usual, I had my smile on. These two are my toughest challenges. They force me to maintain this caring elder brother image on top of me acting perfect although that isn’t too hard. I need to exit this situation with efficiency.

Arder: “Aenios, do you know the king of the kingdom of Cat?

Why. Just why. Is this how you greet your older brother?! I can only smile.

Aenios: “It’s Queen Felin of course. The kingdom hasn’t had a king in almost 127 years.”

Arder: “Tsk”

I heard him curse under his breath. That cheeky little brat. You think you could get me with something that simple? Or maybe he was using me to help him with the test today. The various kings and queens would appear on the test.

Amelia: “Aenios!”

Amelia rushed up and jumped. Jets of flame extending from her hands. The force was more than enough to knock me over on the floor. I could feel the air leave my lungs. That didn’t stop me from hearing Arder snicker in the background.

Amelia: “Hey, hey! You wanna go play after the test?”

Of course. That’s all she’ll talk about. Playing. I don’t have time to play, if I did, the entire world would be under my control and I wouldn’t have to worry about a potential assassin among my servant population.

Aenios: “I’m sorry Amelia, but I have plans this afternoon. How about later?”

She visibly frowns and starts to pout. I ignore it. I lift her up off my chest and put her back down on the floor.

Amelia: “That’s what you always say…”

Her eyes start to well up and she started to look close to tears. God damnit. I’m going to be blamed if she starts to cry and father won’t be too happy about that. He’ll probably give me all his tax work as punishment and that is the least efficient path I can take. I need to fix this, now!

I start patting her head and shushing her. “Alright, alright. I'll play with you. But not today. How about tomorrow?”

The tears disappear from her face and she hugs me.

Amelia: “Yes!”

She runs into the room, much more happy than before. I exit, closing the doors behind me, much more angry than before. She tricked me. While its admirable, I consider it a great offense to take advantage of the situation against my favor. I angrily storm down the halls, but return to my classic demeanor when I pass a guard. At least I’m free for the rest of today.

Now it's finally time to investigate the happenings in forest.