Aurelion slowly pushed open the heavy wooden door of the office. The air inside instantly weighed down on him.
Linnea sat rigidly behind her desk. To her right, Harkan stood leaning against the wall and in the other corner of the room there was Roric.
All three of them had their eyes on Aurelion. "'Shit", he thought. "Holy shit."
"Come in, Aurelion. Sit." She pointed to the wooden chair in front of her desk again.
Aurelion obeyed. His spine straight, his golden eyes unflinchingly turned first to Linnea, then for brief moments to Harkan and Roric. Despite the pressure in the room, he didn't compromise his posture. He waited silently.
Linnea clasped her hands on the desk. "We'll discuss what happened in this morning," she said, making a clear introduction.
"I've taken witness statements. First, there's the… unfortunate accident of your "friend" Nazgûl dropping his tray. Then, you and your group openly mocking an orc lying on the ground and his brother. After that, Grok and his friends trying to retaliate. And Elara… Elara quite… unexpected. Followed by Grok attacking Elara, and you…" Linnea paused, her voice hardening slightly. "...you stepping in and deliberately kicking Grok in the face with all your might while he was trying to get up. The result. Grok is in the infirmary, his nose broken, perhaps other bones too. I'm listening to your explanation".
"He was attacking Elara," Aurelion said calmly. "I just… protected my friend. I had to act fast".
Linnea nodded slightly. "I see. The instinct to protect a friend… Very well". She paused, then leaned forward slightly. "So, did this instinct also cover you cornering Nazgûl in a secluded spot right after he left the infirmary last night and threatening him, his brother, and his friends, Aurelion? Did I hear correctly, or did you tell him you would "tear him apart" ?"
Aurelion didn't blink. "I was just scaring him," he said with a shrug. "He and his friends were constantly picking on our group. Nazgûl was the weak link. I needed to send him a message so they would back off. I didn't harm him".
"Not physically, yes, but psychologically… Anyway. What about this morning, just before Nazgûl dropped his tray? The little boy in front of him suddenly "stumbling" right when he was behind Nazgûl and falling onto the orc? That's a very interesting coincidence, isn't it?"
Aurelion's face remained impassive. A faint, irritating smirk formed on his lips. "I wouldn't know. Maybe the boy slipped. Things like that happen sometimes, especially when there are careless orcs around". His answer was an obvious lie but also a nonchalant defiance. It was as if to say, "You can't prove it".
Linnea took a deep breath. Dealing with this child would test anyone's patience. "Well, then what do you have to say about your group openly harassing Grok and his friends in the refectory? Those little 'wipe' jokes? Lyra's provocations? Kael's obvious support? When you told me yesterday you would handle this problem, was this degrading method what you meant, Aurelion? Is this your way of "keeping things under control" ?"
Aurelion's composure wavered slightly. His nose twitched. "What did you expect me to do? Was I supposed to stay silent while those five idiots constantly humiliated us and demoralized my friends? Lyra, yes, maybe she went a bit too far, but with the likes of Grok, you have to speak their language! Kael just stood as he should have! I just showed them how to retaliate, how to use their wits! What did I tell you yesterday? The problem wasn't just them, but also the others remaining passive! I taught them to defend themselves! And yes, a little… indirectly!"
"And Elara?" Linnea asked "Was she also part of this "defense lesson"? According to witnesses, her words were what truly enraged Grok".
Remembering Elara's outburst, the stern expression on Aurelion's face momentarily softened. A almost involuntary smirk appeared at the corners of his lips.
"Yes, Elara," Aurelion said, trying to return to his cold tone "That "pig" comparison... It was clever, I admit. She showed that words can be more effective than a blow". He nodded slightly. "The girl sometimes surprises even me." His expression turned serious again. "But that wasn't part of my plan. It was entirely her own initiative. I couldn't have predicted she would humiliate Grok to that extent. After all, I didn't think she could be that… "creative". But it happened. Grok went berserk and attacked Elara".
"Defending themselves?" Linnea's voice rose "Or provoking? And that final kick you gave Grok? Was that really self defense? The boy was already on the ground, trying to get up!"
Aurelion leaned back. A clearly disdainful, crooked expression was now on his face. "What? Should I have helped him up? Given him a chance to get up and attack Elara again?" He smirked. "No, Mistress Linnea. What do we learn in training? When your opponent is down and defenseless, deliver the finishing blow! I merely… applied what I was taught. I gave him what he deserved, no more, no less. In fact, I controlled myself incredibly. If I hadn't, you'd be digging a grave for Grok right now".
The room fell silent again. Linnea's lips thinned into a line. Just as Linnea opened her mouth to give a harsh response to this twisted logic, the gruff voice of Harkan broke the silence. "The boy's right, Mistress Linnea".
Linnea and Roric, who had remained expressionless until that moment, both turned to the Chief Instructor in surprise simultaneously.
Harkan uncrossed his arms and took a slight step forward. His eyes never left Aurelion, but his words were for Linnea. "If this whelp had really lost control, ...yes, we might have had to dig a grave". He nodded slightly, as if confirming it to himself. Then he added.
"...because it seems someone have learned how to draw energy from their tiny Cores, without anyone knowing".
Linnea eyes widening in shock. Roric's posture against the wall changed noticeably. His eyes shifted with suspicion first to Harkan, then piercingly to Aurelion.
Harkan, now the center of attention, slowly turned to Aurelion.
"Isn't that right, elf?"
Aurelion froze where he stood. Harkan's words had instantly demolished all his prepared defenses, all the walls he had built. "What? How does he know? That moment... That training... He noticed!". He tried to remain calm. He tried to put on a feigned expression of surprise, but he just looked pale.
"What are you talking about, Chief Instructor? Energy? I just... I just pushed myself, that's all".
Harkan smiled faintly "Is that so?" he said slowly. "You pushed yourself so hard that you continued to do push ups with those exhausted arms, didn't you? Steam even rose from your little body as if from a geyser... That all happens with willpower, of course".
"Don't worry, I'm old enough to see that much." He turned back to Linnea and Roric. "Now, isn't this the real question? How did that whelp discover this? And more importantly... how much can he control it? Or can't he?"
As the questions hung in the air, Aurelion's golden eyes darted quickly between Linnea and Roric. The surprise on their faces… This was proof that the situation was out of his control, that his prepared defenses were meaningless.
It wasn't fear he felt. Rather, a sharp discomfort from his plans being overturned and a cold anger at being caught so easily. His anger was at himself, for underestimating Harkan... And now, he had to face the these three powerful figures.
Just as Aurelion was about to open his mouth, Linnea quickly up from her seat. "Don't move, Aurelion," she said.
She walked around the desk and stood directly in front of the child. After a moment's hesitation, she slowly placed her hand on Aurelion's chest. With her other hand, she lightly touched his forehead.
She closed her eyes. Her lips moved faintly. That familiar, cool wave of energy, this time seeming to go deeper. A few long seconds passed.
Then she opened her eyes. Her gaze shifted first to Harkan, then to Roric. She slowly shook her head. "It's true," she said.
"Very faint, almost dissipated now, but… I feel it. Abnormal activity around his Core, traces left by exertion, energy fragments… there's no doubt he somehow used his energy"
Roric, who had been leaning against the wall at the other end of the room, had watched silently throughout. His eyes shifted from Harkan to Aurelion, who was cornered and for the first time, truly at a loss for words.
After thinking for a few seconds, he broke the silence. He turned directly to Aurelion.
"How long have you been able to do this?"
The question was simple and sharp. It left no room for excuses or indirect answers. Harkan's observation, Linnea's confirmation, and now Roric's direct question… The escape route for Aurelion was completely closed.
He took a deep breath, his shoulders slumping slightly.
"For the first time," he said calmly. "...the first time today during training, when the Chief Instructor pushed me… I used it".
Roric looked at Aurelion for a moment as if weighing the sincerity of his confession. Then he asked his second question: "And how did you learn to use it?"
Aurelion didn't hesitate. He had nothing left to hide, at least on this matter. "I didn't learn," he said clearly. "It was just… some things I heard from you and Mistress Linnea." His eyes flickered to the woman for a moment. "Energy, flows, that center within us… The river Elara mentioned…" Then he turned back to Roric. "I tried to feel it a few times before, but nothing happened. Last night... I felt only a very faint tingle. For the first time". He shrugged, a hint of excitement in his voice despite his attempt to sound indifferent. "And today, when Harkan pushed me beyond my limits… that feeling came again. It was much stronger. I just... tried to direct that feeling. That's all".
The three adults looked at each other silently for a while, trying to digest what they had heard. A seven years old child, based solely on vague conversations he had overheard and an inner feeling he had chanced upon, instinctively using a potentially lethal power... It was both incredible and frightening.
Roric broke the silence again. "I see. Now... Do it again. Show us".
"Captain Roric!" Linnea immediately objected. She jumped to her feet. "Are you aware of what you're doing? This could be very dangerous! His Core is still developing, it's unstable! If he can't control it, he could harm himself! We can't allow this!"
Roric answered without turning to Linnea. "Calm down, Mistress Linnea. I understand your fear. But he has already done it. On his own, without anyone seeing. At least now let's see what he's doing, how he's doing it, the level of his power. Understanding the situation is the first step to controlling it. Doing it here, under our supervision, is safer than him doing it alone in the courtyard". His gaze returned to Aurelion. He was waiting.
Linnea bit her lip anxiously but couldn't find an argument against Roric's logic. Harkan simply watched silently.
Aurelion said nothing. There was no point in objecting. Roric wanted it, and in this room, right now, the Captain's word was law. Besides, a part of him was curious. Could he summon that feeling again? At will? He took a deep breath and leaned forward slightly in his chair.
He closed his eyes. He erased the outside world from his mind. He focused only inward. He ignored his aching body, his throbbing wounds. He returned to that moment he had replayed in his mind over and over, to that strange, invigorating feeling that had sprung from the intensity.
The tingle. The flow. He began to search for it. He concentrated on that familiar area beneath his ribs. He called it. He felt it. It was weaker this time, more challenging, but it was there. With all his will, he tried to hold onto that feeling. He needed to direct it out of his body, to show them, as Roric had said.
He slowly extended his left hand, palm up. He focused all his attention on directing that tingle within him towards the center of his palm. He mentally pushed it, pulled it, tried to open a channel.
His face flushed with concentration, his jaw clenched. And then... a faint, almost invisible wave of warmth rose from his hand, starting from his palm and moving towards his fingertips, and with it, a thin, trembling wisp of smoke began to appear, more like steam rising in warm air.
Visually, it was more strange than impressive. And Aurelion felt it. The energy seeping out of his palm, heating the air there.... But this effort was too much for his already exhausted body. Maintaining that feeling, directing it, was an incredible effort.
The pain in his body was increasing. A sharp headache pierced his temples, and he felt nauseous. This demonstration lasted a little longer than a second.
He winced in pain, opened his eyes, and quickly pulled his hand back, abruptly cutting off the energy flow. Even that brief display had drained him.
The room fell silent again. The three adults stared at what they had just witnessed.
Aurelion was breathing heavily, trying to clear his spinning head, and involuntarily clenched his hand. After a few deep breaths, as the throbbing in his temples and the nausea subsided, he lifted his head.
He looked first at the strange heat he still felt in his palm, then at the three adults watching him. His eyes drifted back to his own hand.
"Strange," he murmured. "Today in the courtyard... during training when I felt it... It lasted longer. Yes, the pain in my body increased, I felt like I was burning, but… but it wasn't like this. It didn't drain me this quickly. This headache, this nausea... it was different".
"That's why!" Linnea's voice sharpened instantly. "That's why I'm saying this is still dangerous for you! You don't know your body's limits! You don't know how the energy will react! Forcing yourself uncontrollably... These are the consequences!"
Just as Linnea was about to issue more warnings, Harkan's voice interrupted her. "The boy's telling the truth," he said. His gaze turned to Linnea and Roric. "Today during the punishment drill in the courtyard… He was about to give up towards the end, but he continued. For almost... yes, for almost half an hour, he showed abnormal endurance. He was exhausted, but he kept going. I saw the steam then. But he didn't show this kind of exhaustion reaction".
Linnea looked at Harkan in astonishment. "Half an hour? But that… that's almost impossible! For his Core to be strained for that long…".
Harkan shrugged. "I'm telling you what I saw. So, at that moment, the adrenaline, the survival instinct, or his will... I don't know, maybe it created a different effect".
"Or perhaps," Roric said, having remained silent until then. "Perhaps the price is paid later".
Roric stood up, moving away from the wall and approached Aurelion with heavy steps. He stood over the child. "If he pushed himself that hard in the courtyard today, his body was already far beyond its limits. On top of that, now, in this exhausted state, trying to consciously direct his energy again... It's normal for him to react so suddenly, to be drained. This might not be a result of the power itself, but of the timing of its use and the body's condition".
He paused, studying Aurelion carefully. "Perhaps when he's mentally and physically rested, healed, it might be possible for him to feel or use that energy again, perhaps more controllably".
Linnea had to accept this logical explanation, but she was still worried. "Perhaps you're right, Captain. But that doesn't mean the danger is gone. If he's going to do this again, it must be under constant and expert supervision!"
"I don't think this whelp needs to wait two years," Harkan grumbled suddenly. His eyes turned back to Aurelion, as if a new idea had occurred to him. "If he's shown such potential at such a young age, it would be foolish to make him wait. With proper but tough training...".
"You're both right," Roric said, cutting off the discussion. Linnea's concern was justified. Control and supervision were essential. Harkan's assessment was also correct. Waiting to channel this potential could be a waste of time. But neither of their methods alone was sufficient, especially when it came to this child. Roric had made his decision.
"The boy will stay with me".
His words echoed in the room. Linnea's eyes widened in surprise. Harkan's eyebrows shot up.
Aurelion, however, frowned as if he hadn't quite understood what he'd heard. "I am sorry, what? I'll be staying with you?"
Roric ignored Aurelion and continued. "The general training and the crowd here are not sufficient for someone in his condition. Not just because of his energy potential," he said, his eyes briefly flicking to Aurelion's surprised face. "His personality, his attitude towards other children, the events of the last few days... These are not simple problems that can be solved here, out of sight. The Head Instructor's toughness might work up to a point, but this child needs to be approached differently, not just physically, but mentally as well".
He turned to Linnea again. "One on one, special training is needed both to correctly channel his potential and to teach him control. With his core and my experience, perhaps I can help him understand and safely develop this energy".
A faintly menacing smirk appeared on his face. "Besides, you can be sure I'll give him some special lessons on how to show "courtesy" to others, or at least what the consequences might be, Mistress Linnea".
Roric looked at Harkan again. "At least, instead of pointlessly pushing him to his breaking point, we can follow a more holistic path. And," his gaze turned to Linnea, "you won't have to worry, as he'll be under my supervision at all times".
This was an unexpected but hard to refuse offer. Roric was committing to deal not only with the child's power but also directly with his problematic personality. He was emphasizing both safety and moral development to appease Linnea's concerns. Roric's status, power, and his relationship with the War Chieftain made this decision indisputable.
Linnea took a deep breath. Objecting was pointless. Perhaps Roric was right. Perhaps this was the best, even the only, way for Aurelion. She nodded with a tired expression. "Very well, Captain. So be it. But please..." her voice was anxious, "...be careful. He's still a child"
Harkan just grunted. "At least he's someone else's problem now," he muttered, but there was a hint of curiosity in his tone as well. It would be interesting to see what this whelp would turn into under Roric's iron discipline.
Once Roric received the tacit approval of his two colleagues, he turned back to Aurelion.
Though surprise was still visible on his face, he had already begun to analyze the new situation.
"I'll be back to get you in a few hours," Roric said clearly to Aurelion. Then he turned to Linnea. "Have the child's belongings prepared by then. Though he probably doesn't have much". Without another word, he turned his back and walked out of the office with heavy steps.
Aurelion was left alone with Linnea and Harkan. Linnea looked at him tiredly. "I suppose we're done talking for now, Aurelion. Go to your room until Captain comes and think a little. I'll come by shortly".
Aurelion stood up silently. He left the office without a word. As he walked down the corridor, his mind was racing. Roric's custody... What did that mean? Would he leave the orphanage entirely? What would the training be like? And those "special lessons"... They didn't sound pleasant at all. But on the other hand... To be free from the limitations of the orphanage, to receive training directly from someone like Roric... This was an immense opportunity.
The unease within him was slowly giving way to excitement and an anticipation.