Draven moved through the trees in silence, the forest blurring beneath his feet as shadow and moonlight streaked past.
In his hand, the **eleven red crystals** weighed heavily.
*I know what eating these does.*
*I feel stronger every time I consume one.*
Before, he hadn't thought much about it. The strength had come naturally—an afterthought, a side effect. He hadn't felt the need to pursue it. Power had never seemed urgent.
Now it was.
*Now I know.*
His thoughts were sharp. Cold.
*I'll become stronger.*
Once he figured out how to **control mana**—really control it—he would start consuming them. All of them. One after another, if necessary. Pain didn't matter. Damage didn't matter.
Only the result did.
*I was stupid.*
The realization settled deep, bitter and undeniable.
*I thought I was strong enough.*
He wasn't.
Not when his mother died.
Not when his father had fought alone.
Not when his siblings could be hunted simply for existing.
*I was weak.*
His grip tightened around the stones.
Weakness had a cost—and he had already paid it more than once.
*I don't have time.*
The Empire wouldn't wait.
The Church wouldn't stop.
The mark burned faintly against his shoulder, a constant reminder that he was being watched.
*I need to become stronger. Quickly.*
No hesitation.
No mercy for himself.
If pain was the price, he would pay it.
If his body broke, he would force it back together.
If mana tried to tear him apart, he would make it obey.
Draven's gaze hardened as he leapt forward, carrying his siblings, the cat, and his resolve deeper into the Night Forest's shadow.
They moved fast.
Branches cracked beneath their steps as Draven led the way, the others keeping pace without a word. Wind tore past them, leaves blurring into streaks of darkness and pale light.
In Draven's arms, however, discipline was breaking down.
The black cat shifted suddenly, purple eyes locking onto his clenched fist.
A paw reached out.
*Tap.*
Then another.
*Tap. Tap.*
Draven glanced down, irritation flickering across his face.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he muttered. "Stay put. If you don't, I'm flinging you."
The cat did not care.
It climbed higher, paws sliding over his sleeve, nose twitching—completely fixated on the magic stones.
At the same time, Elenya's tiny arms flailed, fingers grasping wildly.
Lucifer watched with wide, unblinking red eyes, fascinated.
"Ele," Draven said calmly, without slowing, "stay still."
She did not.
The cat stepped directly on Elenya's face.
She froze for half a second—
Then grabbed its ear.
"Ah—!"
A tiny giggle escaped her as she yanked.
The cat hissed softly, batting at her hand, trying to shove her away while still stubbornly stretching toward the stones.
Draven stared down at the chaos in his arms.
"…damn."
The forest rushed past as he ran, expression flat, but his grip adjusted instinctively—steadying his siblings, keeping the stones out of reach, and preventing the cat from falling even as it continued its relentless assault.
Behind him, Aldric slowed just enough to stare.
"…Is that thing really a magical creature?" he muttered.
Lyriana blinked, watching Elenya laugh while tugging the cat's ear.
"…I'm starting to think it's just a normal cat."
The cat flicked its tail in offense and tried again for the stones.
They kept moving.
The forest thinned as they pushed deeper, shadows stretching long beneath the moon. Aldric stopped bothering with branches altogether—mana flared softly as he **lifted into the air**, keeping pace above and slightly behind them.
After a long stretch—
Draven stopped.
He landed without a sound. The others followed instinctively, touching down around him. Aldric hovered a heartbeat longer before dropping beside them.
Lyriana tilted her head. "Your Highness… what is it?"
Aldric frowned. "Why do we keep stopping?"
Draven didn't answer. His gaze had dropped to his arms.
Lucifer was asleep, small chest rising and falling evenly.
Elenya too—her grip slack, face relaxed, lashes resting against her cheeks.
Only the cat was awake.
Still pawing.
Still reaching.
Still absolutely determined to steal the magic stones.
Draven shifted slightly, adjusting his hold to secure the sleeping children.
"They need to sleep."
The cat chose that moment to climb again, nose brushing dangerously close to his fist.
Draven stared at it, unimpressed.
Behind him, the forest remained silent, waiting.
Aldric said nothing out loud.
But he watched.
*This was supposed to be urgency,* he thought grimly. *We're not even halfway out of the forest.*
They kept stopping. Again and again.
At first, it had irritated him.
Then he really looked at Draven.
The boy's shoulders were tense—not with readiness, but with **strain**. His movements were too sharp, too controlled, like someone forcing himself upright while his body screamed for rest.
*…He's not thinking straight,* Aldric realized.
*Or maybe he is—and this is the only way he knows how to hold himself together.*
Aldric had been there before. Pushing forward because stopping felt like failure. Convincing yourself rest could wait—right up until it couldn't.
*Stopping is probably the right call,* he admitted inwardly.
*Even if it should've come after removing that damn mark.*
Draven moved first.
He sat at the base of a massive tree, resting his back against the trunk. Carefully—almost reverently—he shifted his siblings from his arms and laid them on the roots beside him.
The cat clung stubbornly to his hand.
The moment Draven pulled back—
A **red barrier** bloomed into existence.
Clean.
Instant.
Perfectly shaped.
A smooth dome of crimson light enveloped Elenya and Lucifer completely, humming softly as it sealed them off from the world.
Draven froze, eyes narrowing.
He hadn't *consciously* done that.
From behind him, the maid's calm voice carried through the clearing.
"With that in place, my lord, you may rest at ease. I will keep watch as well."
Draven didn't respond.
He just stared—at the barrier, at his sleeping siblings.
After a long moment, his gaze slid to the **black tattoo-like mark** crawling along his left arm—thick, intrusive, foreign. Then to the cat.
Still pawing.
Still reaching.
Still obsessed with the stones hidden against his side.
"For something so small," Draven muttered flatly, "…your mark is damn huge."
The cat ignored him.
Draven exhaled through his nose and snapped his hand out, grabbing the creature mid-scramble. It squirmed in his grip, tail flicking, purple eyes locked—not on him, but on the stones.
"What's your deal?" he asked quietly. "You've been trying to get these the whole time."
He shifted his arm, opening the pouch just enough.
The reaction was instant.
The cat's pupils dilated. Its paws stretched, claws scraping the air, body writhing with barely restrained excitement.
Draven watched for a heartbeat longer—
Then dropped the cat unceremoniously to the ground.
At the same time, he flicked one of the **red magic stones** aside.
It landed a short distance away.
Everyone froze.
The cat turned.
Its eyes **gleamed**.
In a blur of motion, it pounced—snatching the stone into its mouth and swallowing it whole.
No hesitation.
No recoil.
No explosion.
Just—*gone.*
Silence swallowed the clearing.
Aldric stiffened.
Lyriana's breath caught.
Even the maid's eyes narrowed slightly.
The cat sat there for a heartbeat… then lifted its head, tail swaying.
It looked straight at Draven.
And unmistakably—
It tilted its head.
As if asking for more.
Draven stared.