41 Chapter Forty One

'Awakening… phase?'

'It didn't happen to me.' I realized, surprised.

The only weird thing I could think that happened to me was that night, the first time I used my magic.

'That night I remembered that I passed out because lights kept flowing out of my hands, drying all my mana. But it happened because I didn't know how to control my magic. After that, nothing weird happened to me.' I recorded.

'Am I a lucky one?' I asked myself, confused.

"Does… Does it happen to every light mage, Nicholas?" I asked.

Nicholas looked at me unsure. "I don't know, probably it does not. It is just a rumor after all."

'Well, for a rumor like this to start there must be some kind of truthness behind it.' I thought.

"Do you know if this happened to any other mages? Is it something that only light mages experience?" I asked, curious.

"I'm not sure…" Nicholas said, but then he seemed like he remembered something. "Ah, I think something similar happens to dark mages too."

"Really?" I asked, surprised.

Nicholas nodded.

"Do you know why people say that dark mages are cursed?" Nicholas suddenly asked me.

"Isn't it because there were powerful dark mages that have done horrible things in the past?" I asked.

"Well, this is one of the reasons, but the main reason actually is the death and destruction some of them cause when their magic is awakened." Nicholas explained, serious.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Have you heard about the destruction of Cellina, Alex?" Nicholas asked me.

'Destruction of Cellina?' I thought, curious.

I shook my head. "No, I haven't."

"Cellina was a small village in the north that was suddenly destroyed overnight. A group of merchants passing by was surprised to find the village in ruins. While searching through the village, between the dead bodies they found only one survivor, and it was a child. This child was found to be a dark mage, they were the one that destroyed the whole village, and killed all villagers, it was all because they lost control of their magic when it was awakened." Nicholas explained.

'A child destroyed a whole village?' I realized, shocked.

"Similiar stories happened in the past in other nations too, that is why people are so aware and scared of dark mages because their magic is too unstable while growing up." Nicholas said, serious.

"I see…" I said, feeling sad.

'Now I understand why there are nations where they execute dark mages… But I still don't agree with that. Knowing that there are children out there that are killed just because of how they were born is too sorrowful and cruel no matter the reason.' I thought.

"What happened to that Cellina village child?" I asked, worried.

"I don't know, it's an old story after all." Nicholas said, unsure.

I sighed.

'Right, here in Arhan dark mages are not executed, so that child must have survived.' I thought, feeling a bit more relieved.

Then, suddenly Nicholas held my hand and looked into my eyes, worried. "You promised me, so can't tell anyone about what I told you, alright?"

Looking at his face I knew Nicholas was actually worried about me getting in trouble, after all, it's a royal family business. Someone like me would just get into big problems meddling in that.

I nodded and with a said, trying to comfort him. "Yes, I won't tell anyone."

Nicholas smiled relieved.

"Alright, then let's leave this place." He said making me follow him to the door, still holding my hand.

But then I stopped walking. Nicholas looked back at me confused.

"What?" He asked.

"Well, there is something I'm still curious about." I said.

"What is it?" Nicholas asked me.

"It is about Princess Isabel… You said she lost her memories two years ago, but she seems to recall you and everyone else." I said, confused.

'Princess Isabel this morning acted like she already knew Nicholas when he greeted her, and in the inside garden, she even talked about his family. She doesn't seem like someone that lost her memories.' I realized.

"It is because Princess Isabel does recall me." Nicholas said like it wasn't a big deal.

"Didn't you say that the princess lost her memories? How is that possible?" I asked, confused.

Nicholas seemed like he just realized something. "I forgot to tell you, but Princess Isabel recently recovered her memories. I have heard that is actually the reason why she was able to come back to the palace."

'That makes sense.' I thought. 'But…'

"How do you know about all those things, Nicholas?" I asked, curious.

'Since this is a secret of the royal family, how does a child like Nicholas know all about those things?' I asked myself, confused.

Nicholas's face turned red and he looked away before saying.

"I may or may not have heard it all from my father..."

I was startled by his words. "Ah… I see."

Nicholas's father is the Duke of Durhan, he is probably the most powerful and influential man in this kingdom after the King.

'If all those things Nicholas told me came from his father, then they were definitely not just rumors.' I realized, surprised.

'But why would he tell all those things to Nicholas?' I asked myself, confused.

'Maybe since the Duke knew that Nicholas would end up meeting the princess here in the palace during his visit, he told Nicholas all those things so Nicholas would be careful around the princess?' I supposed.

Nicholas looked at me embarrassed and said. "J-Just don't tell anyone, ok?"

I nodded. "I already told you, I won't tell anyone, so don't worry."

But Nicholas didn't seem to get calm, he still seemed a bit nervous while staring at me.

"Let's just leave here and forget about all those things, ok?" I said opening the door and leaving the room, hoping it would calm him down.

But while Nicholas was about to leave the room after me, I quickly pushed him back to the room, going in soon after him and locking the door behind us.

"A-Alex what are you-" Nicholas shouted, confused, but then I quickly covered his mouth with my hands and pressed him against the wall, trying to make him quiet.

"Shhh." I said, trying to make him quiet.

Nicholas slowly got calm and stopped resisting, his face was red and his eyes kept staring at mine.

'He is probably mad at me right now.' I thought looking at him.

I was about to let him go when suddenly we both got startled by the doorknob, it started moving. Someone was trying to open the door.

All we could hear was the metallic noise of the doorknob that impatiently was being forced.

But then it suddenly stopped and the muffled sound of footsteps began to echo down the hall outside until it stopped.

I sighed, relieved.

Then I looked at Nicholas and realized that I was still covering his mouth with my hands.

"S-Sorry." I said, quickly letting him go.

"...It is fine." Nicholas said.

Though his face was still pretty red, he didn't seem to be mad at me, which made me feel relieved.

"Who was it?" Nicholas asked me after being silent for a moment.

'Oh, I forgot to tell him.' I realized.

"When I left I saw your maid Phelicia turning the hallway, and since you seemed to not want to be with her I… I acted impulsively, I am sorry." I apologized embarrassed after realizing how rude I was to him.

Nicholas looked at me surprised and then he started laughing.

"I see." He said with a smile on his face.

"There is no need to apologize, it was actually… fun." Nicholas said, but then his face got red again.

Before I could say anything, Nicholas turned around, and without looking back at me he said. "Let's leave here before she comes back."

Without waiting for my response Nicholas unlocked the door and left the room, leaving me all by myself.

When I left the room Nicholas was already far away in the corridor.

"W-Wait, don't leave me alone!" I shouted, following him.

***

"Shouldn't you go to your classes, Nicholas?" I asked.

Nicholas looked at me, but then he quickly turned his face away and said. "I don't intend to go there anymore for today."

"Why? Is it because of Phelicia?" I asked.

"She seems too occupied looking for you through the whole palace. I don't think she will go to your classes any time soon." I said, feeling a bit sorry for her.

'This palace is huge. Poor her...' I thought.

"Still, I don't want to go." Nicholas said, determined.

"I see…" I said, unsure.

'Well, Nicholas seems pretty advanced in his classes, it won't be a problem if he misses some classes once in a while, right?' I thought.

But then when I looked at Nicholas I sighed, frustrated.

Since we left that room Nicholas seems distant, he keeps avoiding my eyes and seems to not want to look directly at me.

"Why are you acting like this?" I asked, confused.

Nicholas looked at me surprised, but then he quickly turned his face away again. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking exactly about that! You keep avoiding looking at me." I said, annoyed.

"I-I don't know what you are talking about…" Nicholas said still looking away.

I held his wrist making him stop walking and asked. "Is it because of what happened back then? I already apologized, you know."

'If you are mad at me at least tell me.' I thought, annoyed.

"I-It is not about that." Nicholas answered still turning his face away, not looking at me.

"What is it about, then?!" I asked, mad, forcing him to look at me.

But then suddenly Nicholas pushed me away making me fall and said. "T-To close!"

"Ouch!" I shouted after falling.

Nicholas then looked at me surprised, realizing what he just has done.

"I'm sorry…" He said, looking at me, worried.

"Why… Why did you do that?" I asked confused, trying to get up off the floor.

Nicholas's face turned red and then he said, nervous. "I am sorry… J-Just stop following me!"

And then he suddenly ran away from me, leaving me all alone and confused.

***

I sighed.

'Sometimes I don't understand Nicholas at all.' I thought, annoyed.

"Why was he acting like that, though?" I asked myself, confused.

"If it is because of what happened back then in that room I've already apologized for that. Hmph!" I murmured to myself, starting to get mad.

I sighed again.

'Let's forget about that.' I thought, trying to calm myself.

"I have the rest of the day just for myself. Let's do something useful." I said, cheering myself up.

With that in mind, I went to the royal library.

There I tried to look for books about dark mages, trying to find anything about what Nicholas has told me.

And after reading a few books I realized that Nicholas was right. The awakening of dark magic is the most complicated of all elements.

Though there is nothing written about light mages, it says that all mages can have difficulties and problems dealing with their magic at first when it has just awakened, but what some dark mages pass through the awakening of their magic is something totally different.

It is like the darkness itself consumes the mage, hurting them and anyone around them.

"The most pitiful thing is that most of them die, consumed by their own magic." I whispered feeling sad.

Though not all dark mages pass through that, among those who do, most of them do not survive.

I sighed, closing the book, feeling something heavy in my chest.

Looking through the window I noticed that the sun was already setting.

"It is better if I leave now before it gets dark." I said, thinking out loud.

***

After I left the royal library walking through the palace I noticed weird looks from the other servants at me.

'Why am I having the sense of déjà-vu right now?'

"It's him isn't it?" I heard one of the servants asking another.

"Hey, boy." One male servant said approaching me.

"You are Prince Noah's servant, aren't you?" He asked.

"Yes… Did something happen to His Highness?" I asked, feeling uneasy for some reason.

"I think it is better if you go to Prince Noah's room, he has been looking for you for a while already." The servant explained, serious.

"I see… Thank you for telling me, I will go there right now." I said.

'Why is Prince Noah looking for me?' I asked, worried.

In a hurry, I ran going to find Prince Noah.

In front of his room, there were Mary and the other maids. When they looked at me I started to get nervous.

"Alex." Mary said surprised after she saw me.

"What is going on, Mary? Is everything alright with Prince Noah? I've heard that Prince Noah has been looking for me." I said, confused.

Mary seemed troubled, and before she could say something the door of Prince Noah's room was opened.

It was Prince Noah.

"Your Highne-" I was saying, but Prince Noah interrupted me.

"Alex, get in, right now." Prince Noah said, with a serious look on his face, making me nervous.

"Alright…" I said, entering his room.

After the door was closed looking at Prince Noah I asked, worried. "What happened, Your Highness? Is there anything wrong?"

Prince Noah was staring at me with his arms crossed.

"What did you do to my sister?" He suddenly asked.

"W-What are you talking about, Your Highness?" I asked, confused.

Prince Noah's eyes were piercing at me, he seemed mad. "I will ask you again. Did you do anything against my sister?"

'Against Princess Isabel?' I thought, surprised.

"Why are you asking me that, Your Highness?" I asked, confused.

Prince Noah looked away for a moment, and then he looked back at me again with a complex expression on his face.

"It is because my sister told me to get away from you, Alex."

"…What?"