Luna was still surprised at the amount of power she had just displayed. Her sealed potential had now been unlocked.
"Lord Wesley, how did you know I had such an amount of mana within me?" She asked
"It's quite simple. Mana is very flexible. The effectiveness of magic spells depends on the caster's beliefs, desire, fear or faith, but when a person loses his confidence, the effectiveness of the spell reduces or dies. If you want something to work, you have to first believe it."
Luna felt a new felt a new sense of wisdom and inspiration from Lucian's words and she begun to treasure him even more.
"Come on, let's all get some rest. Tomorrow we'll be arriving at Raven hill." He commanded.
◆◆◆
In the wake of the dragon's demise, rumors spread through Raven hill like wildfire. Whispers echoed in marketplaces and taverns, tales of a hero who had risen from the dead. The hero's loyal subordinates, faithful to their leader, took it upon themselves to spread the news of his triumphant return.
Citizens exchanged excited murmurs as the news reached every corner of the realm. The story grew with each retelling, transforming the hero into a legend who single-handedly vanquished the dragon the previous day. The people rejoiced, hopeful that their savior had returned to protect them from the monsters once more.
However, within the walls of the royal palace, skepticism reigned. The king and his officials, secluded from the fervor outside. They dismissed the rumors as mere fantasy. The hero, they believed, had met his demise a thousand years ago, and this newfound hope was nothing but a figment of desperate imaginations.
As Lucius approached Raven hill, his faithful subordinates reported directly to him to share the reports of their endeavors.
"How is the news going?" He asked
"A great number of them believe you have returned; however, the king and his officials refuse to believe and have forbidden anyone from talking about you or your return." Replied Sir Criston.
"Good. So far everything is going according to plan." He replied
While walking through the city, Lucius stumbled upon a museum, so he took a step inside. While strolling through, his eyes met a book which took his interest. This book he had found contained stories of all his exploits in his past life. He begun glancing through it. He learnt a lot of information that already intrigued him. Information such as how he went toe to toe with a demon lord. But his eyes immediately shrunk when he saw the word demon lord.
"There are demon lords in this world. How crazy. What else is there to expect." He begun to rub his chin in deep thought
But for now, he decided to hold on to the book for further information and reference. He placed the history book into his storage ring which he had just discovered to be another function of the ring.
When he exited the museum, there was a squad of soldiers already waiting for him. Lucius already expected this, so he showed no resistance, rather he went with them to meet their king. He walked through the corridor until he arrived at the front door to the king's court.
"Lord Lucius had arrived!" Said the attendant and immediately the doors were opened before him.
Everyone who was busy minding their own business suddenly turned towards him.
"State your name." Said one of the King's officials. Then he smiled and replied,
"Lucius Wesley."
The official's face suddenly cut loose into an angry one. He pointed his finger forward and begun to speak.
"You bastard! How dare you call yourself Wesley."
Another official raised up his glasses and turned to Lucius.
"Whoever you are, I'm sure you're aware that impersonating the departed hero is a serious crime. But if you have indeed resurrected, prove right now that you are indeed Lucius Wesley."
"After all the kingdom of Westeros has accomplished nothing over the past thousand years. Forgive me but it won't be a surprise to find out that you are just a youngster trying to gain favor by borrowing a dead hero's name."
There was silence after all the accusations thrown. Some of them even begun to think that he had already let in the towel. But after a while, Lucius begun to speak.
"I see no reason to prove my identity in front of you. Am I Lucius Wesley? I can say I am and I am not."
"What disrespect! Who do you think you are?" One of them asked but another silenced him.
"To answer your first question, am I Lucius Wesley? Here's your answer." Then he summoned his sword which he learnt was very famous.
They were all suddenly stunned by their sight.
"Impossible! The magic ring and the storm breaker sword!"
They all begun to murmur and whisper among themselves. Lucius decided to give them all the time they wanted.
"What if the sword is a fake." One of them asked
"No, it's not. The sword has never been found since a thousand years ago plus he also has the ring." Another added.
When Lucius decided that it was enough time, he began walking closer towards them.
"I think that's enough evidence to prove my identity."
They were all silent because none of them had any more words to throw against him.
"And on to your second question, what do I want? Official acknowledgement of my identity and my permanent rights to new domains."
"Where do you wish to possess?" Asked the king.
"The dark forest" Lucius replied
"What! The dark forest, why would anyone want to go there." The king and everyone else were both surprised and confused.
"Alright Lord Lucius Wesley, your request would be attended to with immediate effect. But in exchange, Raven hill would maintain a reciprocal relationship with your kingdom."
"That's fair, I accept."