The sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the spacious hall, carrying a sense of urgency. A steward dressed in a simple yet striking robe moved towards the City Lord's study with haste, his expression oozing anxiety.
A boy barely the age of 10 watched on from a door in the hallway, his eyes following the figure with curiosity. This child was Michael Aurelius, the sole heir to the Aurelius family who had governed Velmara City for generations.
For his age, Michael was rather tall and skinny, but his emerald eyes held a burgeoning intelligence. Paired with his sharp features that were passed down from his esteemed father, Michael seemed like a capable boy, at least on the surface.
Slipping out from the crack in the door, Michael entered the hallway with his footfall's light. Things in the Aurelius estate had been tense lately, something that he was unaccustomed to. Yet upon querying his father, he was promptly given some half-ass excuse.
It's time to see for myself. Michael slowly crept forward, doing his best to remain in the shadows as he skulked towards the door of his father's study chamber stealthily.
Upon arriving, he peered through the crack in the door, seeing both the steward and his father talking not far away.
"Lord Aurelius, it's bad… The Mana Spring has all but dried up and the people are growing restless. Once it dries up, we will no longer be able to sustain ourselves." The steward spoke, his voice trembling slightly.
Michael's eyes widened in shock. This is the reason why the Estate is in turmoil?
Out of all the things he could have expected, this was by far the worst case scenario. Even as a child of 10 years old, he knew the significance of a Mana Spring drying up.
In this world, mana was used for everything. It powered houses, agriculture, amenities, and even the people. As Mages, the only way to replenish one's mana was through absorbing the natural mana in the surroundings.
Without Mana Springs, the mana would disappear and Mages would no longer have such means.
If there is no longer a Mana Spring, we'll all lose our magic… The thought struck Michael like a bolt of lightning, causing him to shudder at the notion. He subconsciously turned towards his left hand, seeing the white ring glowing pitifully on his wrist.
A flash of resentment flitted across his features briefly followed by self-pity. While many of the townsfolk might be affected by losing the Mana Spring, his mana reserves were so pitiful that he might not even notice the difference.
Holding back his sour feelings, Michael turned his attention back to the happenings in the room.
"My Lord, what will we do? The moment the Mana Spring truly becomes barren, the townspeople will surely revolt." The steward questioned with urgency.
Michael's eyes locked onto his father who had his head lowered deep in thought.
"I don't understand," His deep voice echoed with hints of frustration. "Our family has been maintaining the Mana Spring for over 500 years, why would it dry up now?"
His sharp features were brimming with anxiety, an expression that was foreign to the young Michael. To him, his father had always been stoic and steadfast, albeit lacking affection, particularly towards himself.
"My Lord, we don't have time to find out the reasons. We must flee before the unrest spreads further amongst the people. Even though you are a green ringed Mage, you won't be able to keep them at bay for long."
Michael's father raised his head, a flash of what seemed like anger and disgust appearing on his face. "You think that I would abandon my family estate out of fear? Just who do you think I am?!"
His voice thundered throughout the room, causing the steward to shrink back out of fear.
"I-I'm sorry my Lord!"
Michael felt his own body shiver subconsciously, even though the anger was not directed at him. He had never seen his father this angry before, showing just what kind of situation they were all in right now.
The City Lord let out a small sigh, his usually powerful figure seeming to age considerably. "Rohan, take Michael and Alice and leave Velmara City tonight. Make sure you don't alert any of the townspeople, I don't want them panicking just yet." He ordered, his voice considerably more gentle.
"Y-Yes my Lord, I will do as you say." The steward named Rohan bowed heavily, his body bending at a full 90 degrees.
What?! Father wants us to escape? Michael was dumbstruck in that moment, almost forgetting that he was currently eavesdropping and meant to remain stealthy.
Seeing the steward's figure turn towards the door, he almost jumped in fright. Shit! I need to get back to my room.
With his heart beating wildly in his chest, Michael did his best to run back down the hallway without making a sound before he was discovered. The fact he was currently barefoot made things easier, but it wasn't until he was in his room that he could finally let out a sigh of relief.
A few moments later, he heard the squeak of his room door open.
"Young master, your father has ordered you to come with me immediately. Grab your shoes and warm clothes right this moment." The steward said, his tone filled with authority.
"W-Why what's happening?" Michael replied, doing his best to act both frightened and oblivious.
The steward seemed in no mood to satisfy his curiosity, "Hurry up, you and your mother are leaving the Estate. It's too dangerous to remain here anymore."
Wearing a frightened expression, Michael quickly did as he was told. The man in front of him was far stronger than himself, so even if he wanted to resist, there was no point. He gathered a few belongings with him and left the room after the steward.
"Rohan, what about father?" Despite not having much affection for his father, Michael still asked the question. After all, the man held the power of a green ringed Mage, even without his title of City Lord he would be respected wherever he went.
"Your father will buy us some time and meet up with you both afterwards." Rohan stated without looking back.
Michael frowned at the obvious lie. He had heard their conversation earlier, yet there was no mention of such a plan. Is he saying it to try and keep me calm? Or is it something else?
But he could only keep his suspicions to himself. As a white ringed Mage, Michael had been looked down upon all his life, by both the townsfolk and his father. While he might have the weakest potential and mana capacity of all, his intelligence more than made up for this defect.
After some time spent rushing through the hall, the two arrived at his parents bed chambers. Without knocking, Rohan wrenched the door open with urgency, "My Lady, we need to flee the estate per your husband's orders."
"What is the meaning of this?" His mother's usually soft and caring voice was filled with panic, a clear indication that she was not aware of the current state of affairs in the estate.
"There's no time to explain, grab your things and let's move."
"Michael, come here sweetie." His mother said, holding out her arms. The woman had been the only one who treated him with kindness, despite his weak potential.
He moved forward, entering his mother's warm embrace. But it was not long before they received another urging from Rohan who seemed to be rattled with anxiety. He stood at the door, looking left and right as if on the lookout for something.
His mother Alice held him at arms length, her beautiful and fair face staring lovingly at him, "Everything's going to be okay Michael, you hear me?"
Michael nodded, Despite not knowing the circumstances, she still tries to comfort me… he thought, feeling moved by his mother's compassion.
"Okay Mom." He replied simply, giving her a small smile.
Alice then grabbed a few things from the room before grasping his hand. "I'm ready." She said, her words showing resolution.
With that, the trio made their way through the winding halls of the Aurelius Estate. The buildings were large and illuminated by light stones that were dimly shining on the stone walls.
A few times during the trip Rohan stopped them, waiting for guards on duty to walk past so they could remain undetected. Eventually they arrived at a dead end, causing both Alice and Michael to grow suspicious.
"What are we doing here Rohan?" Alice asked, slowly placing herself between the man and Michael.
However, Rohan didn't answer. He removed a rug that was on the floor, revealing a wooden trap door that neither of them had known existed.
"These are the escape tunnels which lead out of the City. Hurry, we don't have much time." Rohan explained, lifting the heavy door and revealing a set of stairs which led down into darkness.
Alice seemed satisfied enough with the explanation, but she still didn't let her guard down. Ensuring to keep an eye on the steward, she led Michael down the stairs.
With a wave of her hand, two blue rings illuminated on her wrist before the passageway lit up. Its damp and musty smell was somewhat nauseating and it was clear that it had been a long time since anyone had used these tunnels.
Michael kept silent, though his nerves were shot. He was already feeling suspicious of Rohan and this place gave him the creeps, but there was nothing he could do but follow the guy's instructions.
His eyes scouted ahead, noting the moss growing on the stone walls and the rotted wood used to bolster the tunnels. A sudden sense of claustrophobia hit him, causing his chest to tighten.
But then he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, filling him with strength. "It's okay honey, I'm here." She said soothingly.
The tunnel seemed to go on for miles with no end in sight. Yet instead of making him nervous, Michael breathed a sigh of relief. The City gates were quite a distance from the Aurelius Estate, meaning that Rohan was likely telling the truth about the secret tunnels.
After almost an hour of walking through the damp and uncomfortable tunnels, they finally saw an opening. Alice waved her hand once more, causing the light to retreat from their surroundings.
But instead of returning to darkness, the moonlight flitted in from the exit of the tunnel, bringing with it a sense of relief and happiness.
We made it.
As they stepped out of the tunnels, Michael let out a sigh of relief, appreciating the fresh air that he had once taken for granted. But just as he was going to ask what would happen next, he felt an intense heat from behind him.
"MICHAEL!"
In an instant, his body was thrown from his position, causing him to bounce along the cold hard ground. An almighty explosion occurred, causing the surroundings to shake and his ears to ring from the deafening blast.
With his equilibrium compromised, Michael struggled to move his body. He raised his head, only to see his mother now beset by Rohan and 3 mysterious figures wearing dark robes.
At first, he was confused, his thoughts slow to catch up. But as countless elemental spells were launched, a rush of panic consumed him.
"MOTHER!"
His mind raced as he watched her single-handedly try to fight off the 4 assailants. With her blue ringed power, she was more than capable of holding her own, however, her opponents were not weak.
Michael saw Rohan's wrist glow green, causing a shock wave to run through him.
No way… Rohan is only meant to possess orange rings. How is this possible?
White, Yellow, Orange, Red, Blue, Green, Violet. These were the classifications of Mages from weakest to strongest, given at birth and identified by the rings that appeared on their wrist.
There was no way to fake this, or so Michael had thought. Yet it was happening right in front of him.
"RUN! MICHAEL RUN!"
His mother's scream called out, causing his heart to break. As a white ringed mage only capable of chore magic, there was absolutely nothing that he could do to help her. Tears flooded his vision as he tried to get to his feet.
He took one last look at the only person who had ever shown him love and kindness before turning away, never looking back.