CHAPTER 18 – WHITE CODE

  Five more months had passed, and the Sungley mansion was under constant pressure, almost unbearable. An invisible curse seemed to have settled within its walls, threatening to destroy the stability—and the patience—of everyone inside.

  —MAIDS! GUARDS! WHITE CODE!!! —a desperate voice shouted from one of the corridors—. THE YOUNG MASTER ESCAPED AGAIN!!!

  The entire mansion burst into motion.

  Guards and maids ran in every direction. In one corner, a visibly defeated beastman was being comforted by a maid who tried to lift his spirits. Elsewhere, two guards argued loudly because, once again, one of them had been tricked. And at the center of it all, two completely agitated parents tried to coordinate the chaos.

  —What happened to the dog!? —Laret shouted, frowning deeply.

  —He’s there… behind the door, eating sausages —a maid replied nervously, pointing.

  Caria clenched her teeth when she heard that.

  —The dog knows he has to protect him, but he also knows exactly which food he likes —she said, analyzing the situation—. If he’s still eating, that means the child is still nearby.

  In a matter of seconds, moving at a speed almost impossible to follow, the lords of the mansion and their guards shot off in different directions, beginning the hunt for the small demon with an innocent appearance.

  Meanwhile, in a dark and isolated library, between tall shelves and the persistent smell of old books, Kael remained hidden, his back pressed against a wall, thinking quickly.

  —It gets harder every time… —he muttered to himself—. The chocolate-colored dog detects us right away…

  // -- damn it, at your age you should already be able to keep a steady pace and handle a good amount of speed and jogging, because real running is still not an option… -- //

  Kael pressed his lips together in frustration.

  —No time. The chocolate dog will finish eating soon and start looking for me… wait…

  His eyes suddenly lit up.

  —I’ve got it!

  // -- did you think of something? -- //

  —He follows my scent… and that’s exactly what he’s going to find. Muahahaha…

  Inside the house, Enta and Tana moved together with the dog, carefully following the trail.

  —That boy surpasses the schemes of any strategist —Enta commented seriously—. He perfectly understands his surroundings. His abilities are those of a prodigy.

  Tana clicked her tongue in annoyance.

  —Oh, yes… he’s a dangerous one. Sneaky. Manipulative… a liar… toxic…

  Enta glanced at her, holding back a smile.

  —You talk about him like he’s an ex-boyfriend.

  —Well, that’s exactly how he acts! —she replied indignantly—. He manipulated me and took advantage of my feelings and my innocence.

  She sighed in frustration before continuing.

  —When I caught him escaping the other day, milady told me to scold him properly. But the moment I grabbed him, he hugged me and said… “Tana, mama <3”. My body couldn’t handle that emotional pressure, I gave in, and he escaped. Redda scolded me the whole afternoon…

  Enta couldn’t hold back his laughter.

  —Yeah, he really fooled you, hahahaha…

  —Hey, don’t laugh! —Tana protested, annoyed.

  The dog suddenly stopped and lifted its snout.

  Enta frowned.

  —Look… the dog is pointing toward the library. He found him.

  They moved forward carefully.

  …

  …

  …

  …

  …

  With harsh reality and deep disappointment, the guardian and the maid observed the result of the search: lying on the floor, deliberately abandoned, there were only pieces of clothing.

  Enta opened his eyes wide, unable to believe it.

  —This goes beyond any limit! —he exclaimed—. How did he know the dog was tracking him by scent!?

  Meanwhile, at the main entrance of the mansion—a place that had been neglected in the middle of the chaos—a small half-naked child was running at full speed toward the main gate. His bare feet hit the ground urgently, marking an irregular but determined rhythm.

  Suddenly, he noticed a carriage approaching along the main road. Without thinking, he changed direction to continue his strategic escape. However, from the carriage, a shadow leapt forward at great speed, landing right in front of him.

  The impact made him fall backward, completely stunned.

  When he looked up, the impression was immediate and profound.

  In front of him stood an elegant woman with a noble presence. Her long black hair swayed with the movement, and her golden eyes carried a natural authority. She wore a black dress with delicate golden details and a yellow rose fastened at her waist, a precise combination of elegance and danger. She carried a light staff, more ornamental than functional, but held it firmly.

  Her presence was imposing, confident, and slightly intimidating… even in the absurd situation of stopping a runaway baby.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  The woman softened her expression a little, leaving seriousness behind, and approached the child to lift him into her arms.

  —So this energetic little devil must be Kael —she said with a faint smile.

  Understanding the situation immediately from the general commotion in the mansion, the unknown woman took a deep breath and shouted with all her strength:

  —I FOUND HIM!!!

  From two windows on the third floor of the mansion, two shadows burst out at great speed. They were Caria and Laret, fully determined, now truly ready to punish the small demon who had once again turned the house upside down.

  Caria arrived first. Without realizing who had captured the fugitive, she focused only on the child, her face flushed with agitation.

  —You little demon! —she shouted—. You’ll see the punishment I’ll give you! Every single day it’s the same thing! Don’t we deserve to rest!?

  Caria stopped in front of the other woman, not even looking at her, keeping her eyes fixed only on Kael.

  The unknown woman raised an eyebrow, amused.

  —If he causes you that many problems… I can keep him.

  —Oh, here we go again, Freya… —Caria replied out of habit—. You always ask for things that benefit you… fr… —she froze—. Freya?

  By pure habit, by the voice and the silhouette, her subconscious finally connected the pieces. Standing in front of her was her former comrade-in-arms: Freya, the great mage.

  —Freya, I’m sorry! —Caria hurried to say—. I was so agitated because of this little whirlwind with legs that I completely forgot my surroundings. I was only thinking about finding him and punishing him…

  From the other side of the carriage, Laret had already understood who the second passenger was.

  —And here I thought you would take longer to arrive…

  —HELLO, HELLO, family! —a cheerful voice greeted—. How have you been? From the start, I knew this place would be lively, hahahaha.

  From the carriage descended Galen. In his arms, he carried a small girl, almost the same age as Kael, with features very similar to Freya’s.

  —Oh… so that’s little Lysandra —Laret commented, watching her with curiosity.

  Freya glanced at the half-naked child.

  —Hey, it’s not that hot today for a baby to be dressed like that…

  Caria sighed in exhaustion.

  —It’s not that. We have a dog that tracks him by scent when he escapes. Tana informed me that he deliberately left pieces of his clothing in different places to confuse it.

  Freya fixed an intense and curious gaze on Kael.

  —So Galen was right… this little one has a lot of potential.

  Kael frowned, uncomfortable.

  Kael thought: This woman is watching me in a strange way…

  // -- she’s looking at you as if she detected something out of the ordinary -- //

  Kael thought: Damn it… I didn’t do anything wrong.

  // -- You just bypassed security systems and evaded an animal specialized in finding you. Do you really think a normal baby could do that? -- //

  Kael thought: …yeah… I think I exaggerated a bit.

  A few hours passed, and little by little, the Sungley mansion returned to normal. The young lords formally welcomed their former comrades-in-arms, now without shouting or chases.

  While old friendships settled into the guest hall, they caught up on the events of recent years, between laughter, serious comments, and shared memories.

  The two infants remained seated on the carpet, each immersed in their own thoughts.

  Damn it… —Kael thought—. Escaping is getting harder, and the punishments are getting worse. I’m sure that when Redda arrives, they’ll give me double portions of vegetables…

  // -- hey… they’re staring at you -- //

  Kael thought: Who? The lady?

  // -- no, the girl over there -- //

  With her index finger in her mouth, little Lysandra watched Kael closely. Then, without warning, she slowly began to move toward him.

  —Hey…! —Kael protested, startled—. What are you doing?

  Lysandra, with an innocent and slightly drooly smile, grabbed his arm and refused to let go.

  Freya sighed in relief.

  —What a relief… I knew she needed someone her own age to loosen up. She was always very withdrawn with the maids at the Robindal mansion.

  Galen frowned, clearly jealous.

  —Hey! Tell your daughter that’s not allowed! My princess can only hug me, not someone else!

  Freya looked at him with a teasing smile.

  —Don’t exaggerate. Let her see more of the world. Besides, when she becomes a teenager and comes home with a boyfriend, you’re going to explode.

  Those words pierced Galen’s fragile heart like a direct arrow. He collapsed onto the sofa, completely emotionally defeated.

  Freya snapped her fingers, bringing the focus back to the main topic.

  —Alright, let’s move on —she said practically—. The reason for my visit is that, when I heard about what Kael did, it caught my attention.

  Caria tilted her head.

  —What he did?

  —Yes —Freya nodded—. When they were fleeing Racatros, according to Redda’s report, he released a large amount of magic.

  —Ah, yes… —Laret intervened—. It was a massive burst of light. If it hadn’t been for that, everyone would have died.

  Freya narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

  —Do you know when a true magic prodigy is discovered? —she asked—. Like me.

  Laret let out a dry laugh.

  —You’re bragging again…

  —I was able to sense my magic at five years old —Freya continued, unfazed—. That’s why I was considered a prodigy. Do you know at what age the great legends of our history began to manipulate magic?

  Caria hesitated for a moment.

  —Earlier?

  Galen, who was just starting to recover from his emotional blow, lifted his head.

  —At four years old…

  —Four years old!? —Laret exclaimed, shocked.

  Enta stepped forward, frowning with seriousness.

  —Then this is unprecedented. The young master not only senses his magic, he was also able to manipulate it on a scale that easily surpasses that of an intermediate mage.

  Tana opened her eyes wide, incredulous.

  —With that level of magic, could he easily surpass the first years of the academy!?

  Holley, who had remained silent, spoke respectfully.

  —One of the great sages, according to the books of the Unification of the Kingdom of Taratios, had basic control of magic at five years old. And by the end of his studies, he already held the rank of grand master.

  Freya nodded calmly.

  —That makes Kael an unprecedented promise —she said—. I’m impressed by his capacity for evolution and adaptation… without a doubt, he inherited his intelligence from his grandfather. There’s no other explanation… or from some ancestor, because his parents are complete savages.

  —HEY! —Caria and Laret protested at the same time.

  Freya smiled shamelessly and gently approached Kael.

  —Kael, dear… could you show me your magic?

  Freya performed a process similar to the one Kael usually practiced.

  The child watched her with an expression of genuine concern, without letting go of the hand that Lysandra still held tightly.

  Seeing no reaction from him, Freya was about to give up… until Ken approached, scratching his head awkwardly.

  —Ah… if you want to see the young master cast magic, you need to say the right words —Ken commented.

  Freya tilted her head.

  —Cast a spell…?

  —Oh, no, no —Ken replied—. Look, like this…

  Ken leaned forward slightly, adopting an exaggeratedly solemn expression, and spoke directly to Kael:

  —Oh, great and most powerful master of magic! My great lord Kael, the time has come to show your immense power to the world! Come on, a booger throw!

  Hearing those words, Kael immediately smiled. With plenty of drool, he raised his free hand and slowly began to gather his magic at the tip of his thumb.

  A small point of magical light formed and shot across the room, illuminating everything with an intense glow.

  Lysandra watched with genuine fascination, her eyes wide open.

  When the light touched the ceiling, it burst softly and finally faded away.

  Freya was completely stunned by the demonstration. Behind her, the guards began to argue.

  —Why is it called “booger throw”!?

  —Holley complained—. That’s disgusting! Why did you teach something like that to the young master?

  —I didn’t teach it to him —Ken defended himself—. He just copied it! When the young master does that, he places his fingers as if he had something sticky and throws it…

  —Please… —Tana muttered—. I doubt the young master thinks of something that unpleasant.

  —That’s true —Enta nodded—. He couldn’t possibly know such things.

  Freya took Lysandra into her arms and then handed her to Caria.

  —Here, hold Lysandra for a moment while I check something more carefully.

  Then, approaching Kael again, Freya began to gather magic. It took on a pure white tone and slowly started to concentrate on her forehead.

  —I’m going to analyze Kael’s mind…

  Laret and Caria watched, visibly worried, not daring to intervene.

  Freya brought her forehead close to Kael’s and began to release even more magic. The parents, tense, wanted to speak, but didn’t dare interrupt the process.

  —Relax —Galen intervened—. Freya is exploring his mind, trying to map his abilities, both physical and mental.

  Damn it… now I’m really in trouble… —Kael thought.

  An overwhelming vastness, with a depth difficult to measure, yet composed of completely real facts, began to reveal itself to Freya, allowing her to glimpse the true power Kael was hiding.