The return to the rcenary Guild building was quiet at first. The morning air had begun to warm, the scent of baked bread still lingering faintly in the streets.
A few townsfolk waved as they passed, offering nods and greetings toward Damien, who returned them all with subtle gestures—too absorbed in thought to fully engage.
Arielle walked beside him, her pace fluid but a little faster than usual. She had sothing on her mind.
"I won't be staying long," she said suddenly. "There's soone I need to find. I'll et you both later."
Damien slowed slightly. "You sure you don't need help?"
She shook her head. "No. It's not a long search. I just need to set so things straight before we leave."
Lyone tilted his head. "What sort of things?"
Arielle smiled. "Responsibilities, kid. I was managing the guild, rember? Can't just vanish without leaving soone to hold the reins."
Damien's brow rose slightly. "You've got soone in mind already?"
"I do," she replied, nodding. "Her na's Neraya. She used to manage the guild before I arrived. Strong woman. Sharp, too. She stepped down when I got here… had just given birth to her son back then. But that boy's over a year now. Old enough. She can co back."
Damien gave a grunt of approval. "Makes sense."
"The job pays well, and Neraya was good at it," Arielle continued. "She only stepped aside so she could be with her child full ti. But she always said she'd return when the ti was right. I think this is that ti."
Lyone listened quietly, absorbing the conversation with keen interest.
Arielle patted Damien's shoulder. "I'll catch up. I want to talk to her in person."
Then, without another word, she turned at the next intersection, her cloak sweeping behind her as she disappeared down a quieter street lined with bakeries and tailors.
That left Damien and Lyone walking side by side, the boy's steps quicker than Damien's but lighter, almost nervous.
They walked in silence for a bit longer until Lyone finally broke it.
"Where are we going?"
Damien didn't answer imdiately.
He was thinking—processing.
Then Lyone added sothing else. Sothing that made Damien stop mid-stride.
"Am I going with you?"
Damien turned his head slowly, studying the boy.
Lyone's face held no trace of manipulation. Just a raw sort of innocence laced with fear. He was trying not to show it, but it was there.
And still, Damien didn't answer the question.
Instead, he gave the boy a look and jerked his chin toward a narrow side path that veered away from the guild's main entrance.
"Co on. I want to test sothing out."
Lyone hesitated. "Test sothing?"
Damien started walking again. "We'll see if it goes well."
Lyone fell into step behind him, unsure what was happening but not bold enough to question it further.
The path they followed wound behind the guild building, then further out toward the clearing just beyond an old training yard.
A large open field sat there, unused for years now that most rcenaries trained at the facility in the east quarter. Wild grass had grown in thick patches and the tree line was just close enough to give shade without feeling too enclosed.
Damien stepped into the center of the clearing and turned.
"Here's fine."
Lyone stopped, his hands half-raised in confusion.
Damien gave him a once-over. "I want to see what you can do."
Lyone blinked. "What do you an?"
"I an, I want to see your ability. Your Talent. Whatever your mother awakened in you."
Lyone's shoulders tensed. "But… I don't know how to control it."
Damien crossed his arms. "Doesn't matter. I need to know how it reacts."
The boy hesitated again, glancing around the clearing as if hoping soone might stop this. No one ca. No one would.
"You said it happens sotis, right?" Damien pressed. "Things slow down. Or speed up. Your senses change. Sothing like that?"
Lyone gave a small nod.
"Alright then." Damien dropped into a slight crouch, one hand brushing the hilt of his blade but not drawing it. "Try to activate it. Let's see if pressure makes it kick in."
Lyone took a shaky breath.
Damien didn't move at first. Then he suddenly reached down, scooped up a rock, and…
Wooooshhh…
Damien flung it—fast.
"Oh, no!" Lyone's eyes widened. The rock was halfway to his chest.
And then… it stopped.
No, not stopped. It slowed. Dramatically.
Lyone's pupils dilated, breath catching in his throat. The world shifted slightly—his perception stretching the milliseconds into full seconds.
He saw the rock's edges spin, saw the dirt trailing from its surface, saw the gentle ripple of air disturbed by its arc.
He stepped aside easily, and the rock passed harmlessly beside him.
Damien whistled low. "Huh. So it's real."
Lyone gasped, blinking rapidly as the world snapped back to its normal speed.
His legs gave slightly and he knelt, panting. That small active use of his power had drained his stamina.
"It's not easy," he whispered. "It just… happens."
Damien walked over and crouched beside him.
"That was enough. I saw what I needed."
He was thinking now. Lyone hadn't just dodged the rock—he had processed and reacted while the world slowed down. That ant his Talent wasn't just temporal in perception. It was physical too. Reflexes sharpened. ntal computation enhanced.
"Your mother awakened sothing strong," Damien muttered.
Lyone looked up at him. "So… does that an I can go with you?"
Damien paused. There was still risk in it. The boy was untrained. Unproven. But the potential…
Damien sighed. "Not yet. But soon. First, we'll need to build your stamina."
Lyone's shoulders slumped, disappointed.
"We still need to prepare," Damien added. "I need to know what you're capable of, what you can survive. And you need to prove you won't hesitate when it counts."
Lyone nodded slowly.
"I'll train harder," he said. "I'll learn. I won't hold you back."
Damien placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "Good. At least it's confird the ability would activate when you're in danger."
To confirm this, Damien's hand suddenly moved.
Woooosh…
From nowhere, a flat piece of stone shot towards Lyone's head faster than his eyes could follow but just before it could connect, ti slowed once again and Lyone yelped as he twisted, moving his head out of the stone's path.
"Argh!" He was a little slower than he should've been and the stone left a cut on his face.
"Yep! It works that way. Stamina building it is." Damien nodded and turned away without another word.
They returned to the guild building soon after. The silence between them now wasn't awkward—it was a silent agreent, an unspoken promise that things were in motion.
They stepped through the guild's doors and found it quiet. A few rcenaries were sitting at the far tables, sorting through job scrolls and drinking weak ale.
Damien gestured toward the inside. "Go clean up. I'll call when Arielle gets back."
Lyone nodded and headed upstairs.
Damien remained on the ground floor, leaning against the old counter.
His mind wasn't still.
That Talent… it was rare. Not just the speed. The depth. The clarity.
He'd thought them exaggerations.
Now?
Now, he wasn't so sure.
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