Chapter 8 ~ Whispers Of Agents

• "I—I think so," Lucas muttered, his voice still shaking as he climbed out of the underground hatch. Dust clung to his clothes and hair. His legs trembled slightly as they hit the floor, but it wasn’t just from fear. Something had changed.
• Mirna watched him carefully, arms crossed, her face tense and unreadable. “Was that you? The snake...?”
• Lucas nodded slowly, then met her eyes with a strange seriousness. “I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t even think. It just happened. I saw something... someone...”
• Mirna narrowed her eyes. “Speak clearly, Lucas.”
• Lucas swallowed and sat down on the edge of the stool, still catching his breath. “While I was hiding, I... I saw a vision. It wasn’t a dream. It felt real. I was surrounded by people. Spirits, Old, Strange, people. They wore robes like mine. I think they were... wizards.”
• Mirna blinked, her brow furrowed. “Wizards? You mean...?”
• “They talked to me,” Lucas continued, his voice trembling. “They said I had to use their minds against them... that people like the chief guard aren’t afraid of swords or flames, but of the things they keep hidden. Their fears. Their weaknesses. And then I just... saw inside him. He hated snakes. And my mind did the rest.”
• Mirna stared at him in stunned silence.
• “I didn’t even know I could do that,” Lucas said. “But it worked.”
• Mirna walked toward him slowly, then knelt beside him. “Lucas… listen carefully. That wasn’t ordinary magic. That’s mind-weaving. The power of Hallucination and mind reading. A rare and dangerous gift. Not even the great Eldrin of the South could master it without years of training.”
• “But it just came,” Lucas replied, “like something inside me snapped awake.”
• “That’s what frightens me,” Mirna whispered. “If you’re awakening this fast... they’ll find you. And soon.”
• Lucas looked down, nervous. “The vision… they said I’m the last.”
• Mirna stiffened. “I know”
• “The last wizard.”
• She sat back on her heels, her expression unreadable for a moment. Then she sighed and stood. “We don’t have time to unpack all of that now. But you’re right. If you could do that without training, you’re far more dangerous than I thought.”
• Lucas stood too, but his voice cracked. “Am I a danger?”
• Mirna turned back to face him. “No. But you’re a threat. And threats get hunted.”
• She moved to the table, poured a bit of water into a clay cup, and handed it to him.
• “I’ll teach you how to control it,” she said. “We don’t have a choice anymore. The king’s hunting boys. He won’t stop until he finds you. And now that you’ve awakened, your magic’s going to start showing up whether you like it or not.”
• Lucas took the water, still shaken. “Why does he hate magic so much?”
• Mirna stared out the window, her jaw tightening. “Because it’s the one thing he can’t truly control.”
• A long silence followed before she turned back to him. “From now on, no more hiding your power. No more easy days. If you’re really the last wizard… then we train like it.”
• Lucas gave a small nod. “Okay.”
• Mirna arched an eyebrow. “No. Not ‘okay.’ Understand this, what you carry could either save this kingdom or destroy it. The king fears you for a reason.”
• She leaned closer. “And if you ever lose control like that again make sure it’s not in front of someone who lives to tell it.”
• Later that Night...
• The fire crackled low in the hearth as Lucas sat cross-legged, still reeling from everything. He couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the ghostly faces of the ancient wizards, hovering in the dark.
• “Use their minds against them.”
• He whispered it under his breath again and again. What did it mean? How could he master it?
• Just then, Mirna came in, holding a tattered book in her hand.
• “Can’t sleep?”
• Lucas shook his head. “I keep seeing them.”
• Mirna sat beside him and opened the book. “This belonged to my brother. He was one of them. A wizard.”
• Lucas looked at her, shocked. “You never told me.”
• "you never asked" she said she a slight chuckle.
• “I didn’t think you were ready,” she said. “But now... you need to know who you are. And what you’re becoming.”
• She handed him the book. “Study it. Learn from it. But never-never let it control you. Power is like a fire, Lucas. Warm in the cold, dangerous when wild.”
• Lucas nodded, gripping the book tightly. “I won’t let it control me.”
• Mirna smiled faintly. “That’s what every wizard says.” Then the picture fades softly.
• Meanwhile… deep inside the palace of Ozile.
• In the dimly lit throne room, King Tharion sat restlessly on his black-stone throne, his face tight with exhaustion. A servant stood nearby, silently pouring dark wine into his cup.
• He waved the servant off and muttered, “He’s out there. I feel it.”
• The doors creaked open. His advisor, Lord Lareth, stepped in. “Your Majesty, you should rest. You’ve been awake since the raid.”
• Tharion scowled. “How can I sleep when the boy is still free?”
• Lareth lowered his head. “There’s no solid proof he exists.”
• “Oh, he exists,” Tharion growled. “The ring burns. It senses something. The prophecy is real.”
• He stood and walked toward the window, peering over the city of Ozile as torches flickered below. “We’ll find him, Lareth. Or we’ll burn every village until we do.”
• After a few hours
• The cold winds of morning swept across the palace courtyard, carrying with them the cries of frightened children and the murmurs of their anxious parents.
• Dozens of young boys, ranging from newborns swaddled in cloth to trembling teens barely holding their composure, stood lined up in the open square. Armed guards surrounded them, faces stern, hands tightly gripping polished spears.
• From the high balcony overlooking the courtyard, King Tharion stood cloaked in black and crimson robes, a heavy crown pressing against his brow.
• His eyes swept over the sea of children with no flicker of remorse. Few steps to him, the high priest of the inner chamber, Cazien, stood wrapped in flowing silver robes, his face dark with grief.
• "Summon him," Tharion commanded.
• A signal was given, and the head of the royal guards bowed deeply. The children whimpered under the scrutiny of dozens of armored soldiers. Mothers screamed from behind the iron gates, held back by spears and threats, helpless.
• Cazien stepped forward. "This is madness, Tharion. These are innocent children. You’ve torn them from their homes without trial, without evidence."
• "And what would you have me do?" Tharion snapped, his voice sharp as a blade. "Wait until one of them burns a city to ash? Until the prophecy strikes us in our sleep?"
• "You act out of fear," Cazien said evenly. "Not justice. The Kingdom Protocol forbids the taking of civilians without cause. You defy the laws you swore to uphold."
• Tharion turned slowly, his eyes blazing. "I am the law. The moment I was crowned, I became more than man. I am king of all kind."
• Cazien stepped closer, lowering his voice. "There are whispers in the wind, Tharion. The Great One watches. The old spirits stir. This act, this... abduction, it will awaken something far worse than your fear."
• Tharion chuckled, bitter and cold. "Then let them awaken. Let the stars tremble if they must. I will not sit idle while a child carries the flame of the ancients. Not again."
• A long silence stretched between them.
• Cazien finally spoke, voice thick with sorrow. "Then you’ve become the very tyrant our ancestors fled from."
• Tharion’s smile vanished. He stepped closer, face to face with the priest. "And yet they crowned me. They chose me. And you, Cazien. you will do your duty. Begin the ritual. Search their souls. I want the one who burns."
• Cazien looked away, then descended the steps to the courtyard.
• The guards formed a circle around the trembling children. The priest knelt, his hands glowing faintly as he began to chant the words of the old tongue. Magic hummed in the air.
• Up above, Tharion watched, unblinking. A storm was coming. And he would rule through it or fall with it.