"All her magical abilities are at level one." Castro's words kept echoing in Darius's head.

  He continued contemplating Sylvina's situation, unable to shake the thought: "How was she accepted into the academy despite her power level?"

  Slowly, he extended his left arm beside him. Without a sound, a long sword materialized from within it, emerging smoothly as if it were an extension of his body. His eyes shifted from red to green, and he placed several hidden magical barriers around them.

  At the same moment, Sylvina tried to focus on the book in her hands, but her heart beat rapidly with fear. She was certain Darius was watching her, and though she avoided looking directly at him, she felt his presence weighing on the atmosphere.

  Worry crept into her thoughts: "Why is he watching me? Did I do something wrong? Did he discover something strange about me? Did he think I did something suspicious with the book?"

  She tried to remain calm and continue reading, but the fear persisted. Suddenly, she felt something else—an invisible field surrounding the library, as if walls had isolated it from the rest of the academy. There was no sound, no moving air, no sense of time.

  Her heartbeats accelerated; she felt as if her soul was being slowly drawn from her, as if his gaze penetrated beyond the surface of her body. She didn't understand, but she knew she couldn't stay.

  Her fingers trembled as she held the book. She closed it quickly, pressing it with her hands. Her eyes still avoided Darius's, but she sensed escape wouldn't be simple.

  She stood abruptly, her movements unsteady. The air felt heavier, like moving through hidden shadows. She tried to walk calmly but couldn't hide her tension.

  She headed toward the exit between the tables, her heart pounding.

  "I have to get out. I have to get out of here..."

  But in her confusion and the heavy atmosphere, she didn't watch her feet. She collided with the corner of a chair and stumbled forward. The book flew from her hands and slid away.

  She gasped in surprise, but before she could react, a shadow moved toward her. Fear surged, and her legs trembled, unable to support her.

  "Are you alright, miss?" Darius asked calmly, standing before her and extending his hand.

  Sylvina raised her head slowly, her eyes filled with confusion and unexplained fear. She looked at his hand, then met his gaze.

  He was still staring at her, but his eyes had returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

  She stared into his eyes for a moment without moving. She noticed slight sweat and fatigue on his face.

  Then she extended her trembling hand, grasping his to stand. In a faint voice, she said: "Thank you."

  Darius smiled gently. "No need to thank me. Everyone stumbles sometimes." He bent to pick up the book and glanced at its cover before handing it to her.

  "Absolute Spells... It seems you're interested in advanced topics," he said, trying to break the tension. She took the book.

  "Yes, it is..." she replied in a low voice, hiding her confusion.

  Something occurred to Darius. "Sylvina-san, by any chance... did you read my personal book?" he asked.

  Intense fear crept into Sylvina.

  "I... I..." she stammered, then bowed apologetically. "I'm really sorry... I know I shouldn't have read the book. Please forgive me."

  Darius looked surprised. "It's alright, no need to apologize. I don't mind," he reassured her.

  Sylvina raised her head. Darius smiled gently and pointed to the table beside him. "If you have some time, can we talk?" he suggested.

  Sylvina wanted to flee but knew she couldn't. "O-okay," she said softly. She sat hesitantly on the chair, fear still in her eyes. Darius sat opposite her. "Excuse me, Sylvina-san, were you really able to read the book?" he inquired.

  "Y-yes," Sylvina replied hesitantly.

  Darius opened the book. "Do you know about the nature of the spell in the book?" he asked.

  "Yes... it talks about the absolute spell, Soul Prison," she answered.

  Darius was amazed. "The language this book is written in is an ancient language. It's not easy to understand. How were you able to read it?" he wondered aloud.

  "I... learned this language when I was young. It's a language specific to the Spirit race," Sylvina explained in a low voice.

  "This is truly amazing," Darius said admiringly. "I've been trying to learn this language for a long time, and until now I haven't been able to read it completely. I couldn't understand much of the texts, and I couldn't decode the spell."

  "The symbols in it have some tricks... and also a magical trick," Sylvina said softly.

  "A magical trick? Can you explain this trick?" Darius asked curiously.

  "The symbols in the spell... aren't in the correct order. And also in some symbols there are additions, and some symbols have deficiencies. The symbols must be copied to another paper," she described.

  "That's impossible. If you try to copy the text or symbols, they'll disappear after a few seconds," Darius countered.

  "That's the trick. The texts and symbols are written with magic. I'll show you," Sylvina responded.

  She took out a small notebook and pen, writing some texts and symbols, modifying them slightly from those in the book. She tore the paper and gave it to Darius.

  He looked at it, waited a few seconds, and the words didn't disappear.

  "This is the trick," Sylvina said. "The symbols exist to protect the book from copying. If you modify the symbols to the correct form, you'll be able to copy without problems."

  Darius was amazed by the complexity. Sylvina added calmly: "But the main trick is that the Soul Prison spell written is an incomplete spell, and on top of that, its parts aren't arranged. You have to rearrange the incomplete spell and complete it from the symbols themselves. The spell must be copied to another paper, with the correct symbols and modifying the deficiencies and additions. This challenge was to make mastering the spell difficult for everyone."

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Admiration showed on Darius's face. "This is truly remarkable," he exclaimed. Shyness appeared on Sylvina's cheeks, but she felt comfortable with his admiration. She continued: "But even after arranging the symbols and completing the spell, it won't be easy. Mastering the spell requires extremely difficult conditions; like level twelve in both wind and earth elements, and it needs a huge amount of spiritual energy. Even the Demon Kings themselves would find it extremely difficult. The only demon who managed to master this spell was Demon King Draconis."

  Darius was silent for a moment, then asked curiously: "How do you know all these things? And how were you able to identify the missing and extra symbols? And how did you know the way to arrange the spell?"

  Sylvina hesitated, then said with a small smile: "My magical powers are extremely weak. I'm at level one in all magical elements. So I thought... why don't I focus on developing my spiritual powers? Since childhood, I've been studying everything related to spiritual powers; spells, symbols, languages, and everything that can strengthen my knowledge of them."

  She added: "And regarding Demon King Draconis, there was a reason that made him able to use Soul Prison, thanks to his unique spiritual powers. Draconis was different from other demons; he was born with strong magical powers, but even those powers were weaker than the demon elite. So he decided to develop his spiritual powers, which is very rare in demon territories, making him subject to ridicule from everyone. As you know, demons are known for their magical power, and developing spiritual powers is extremely difficult for them, and even if they succeed, the spiritual spells they can use are known to be limited in use, with no practical benefit worth mentioning."

  Sylvina looked away. "Demon King Draconis spent long years developing his spiritual powers, and he managed to merge these powers with his magical powers. Draconis authored many books on this subject. But at this time, it's almost impossible for anyone to master the Soul Prison spell, unless they possess very high spiritual energy. Perhaps only the ruling family of the Kingdom of Arximor might have the ability to do so, as far as I know. They are born with weapons inside their bodies, and when they use them, their spiritual and magical power multiplies greatly."

  Darius listened intently, his amazement evident. After a moment of silence, he said slowly: "This is really wonderful... I didn't know there were this many secrets behind this spell. And you have remarkably profound knowledge."

  He paused, a small smile on his face. "But how did you get this precise information about Demon King Draconis?" he questioned.

  Sylvina smiled shyly, looked at the ground for a moment, then said: "I had a lot of time to study these matters. This study was a kind of escape for me... something that filled my time and gave me purpose."

  She raised her eyes toward Darius with a bright smile. "Demon King Draconis, to me, is the most extraordinary of all Demon Kings. He was exceptional in an indescribable way." She paused, her voice growing softer. "Even when others mocked him, he would ignore them and press forward. He deeply believed in his ideas and goals, and that's what inspired me most."

  Her eyes sparkled with admiration. "Even when he tried to merge the darkness element with the light element, he never faltered. His strength wasn't just in his magical power, but in his unwavering will and ability to endure all the mockery." She looked away for a moment, then added: "I've read the book he authored about his journey from childhood until founding the Kingdom of Arximor dozens of times, and I never tire of it."

  "I didn't know he was a genius to this degree," Darius said in a low voice filled with admiration. "Even the magical trick in the spell is absolutely brilliant."

  "How embarrassing," he thought to himself. "She knows everything about my ancestor, while I barely know anything because I never bothered to care. I should have paid more attention to our family history."

  Sylvina looked at him seriously, leaning slightly toward him. "Yes, and despite his loneliness, there was no one who truly understood him. Even among demons, he was considered strange. He saw what others didn't see and had a vision that transcended the boundaries of reality everyone else lived in. And also..."

  She stopped suddenly, as if a new thought occurred to her. Her eyes wandered before she refocused and looked at Darius cautiously. "By the way, Darius-san... this book... is the only one of its kind. How did it come into your possession?" she asked warily.

  "I found it in the castle library," Darius answered simply.

  Sylvina murmured to herself faintly: "Castle... castle..." Her eyes widened in amazement, staring at him with shock. "Wait! Are you...?" she exclaimed.

  Darius smiled calmly. "Yes, I'm the prince of the Kingdom of Arximor. And Demon King Draconis is one of my ancestors from my mother's side," he revealed.

  Sylvina's face turned bright red as she realized who sat before her. She tried to absorb the shock. She never expected to sit before a real prince.

  "I... I apologize, I didn't know..." she murmured faintly, lowering her gaze in confusion.

  Darius smiled kindly. "No need to apologize. In fact, I'm grateful to you for sharing this valuable information with me. I learned something from you that I wouldn't have discovered on my own," he said reassuringly.

  Despite his calm tone, Sylvina couldn't stay. Extreme embarrassment made it hard to think clearly. She stood quickly and stammered: "I... I apologize. I must go now."

  Before Darius could respond, she turned and left the library with quick steps, without looking back.

  In the following days, Sylvina avoided the library. She wasn't ready to face Darius, so she stayed in class, trying to focus on her textbooks. But the noise and isolation among classmates made her miss the library's quiet atmosphere of safety and comfort. She felt she'd lost part of her special place.

  One day, after classes ended, she headed to the dormitory. In a nearly empty corridor, she saw Darius ahead. She stopped, hesitant to retreat, but he turned with a calm smile and approached.

  "Good evening, Sylvina-san," he said warmly, stirring new confusion in her.

  She lowered her eyes to avoid his gaze. "Good evening, Darius-sama..." she replied softly.

  Without preamble, Darius took a small book from his bag and extended it. "This is for you. I brought it from the castle library, and I think you'll like it," he offered.

  Sylvina looked at the book, hesitant. She stepped back and whispered: "I can't... I haven't done anything to deserve this."

  Darius kept his calm smile. "This isn't a reward, but an expression of my gratitude to you. What you told me, I would never have discovered on my own. And I've come very close to mastering the spell thanks to you. Please accept the book, as a gift from a friend," he explained gently.

  Sylvina raised her head slowly, torn between refusing and accepting. His words brought comfort. She stepped forward cautiously, took the book, and whispered while looking at it: "Thank you..."

  "You're very welcome," Darius said with a smile. "I hope you enjoy it. I'll leave you now."

  He turned and walked away, leaving Sylvina in the corridor, contemplating the book. She watched him go, opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. Her heartbeats accelerated, and she didn't dare call out.

  After seconds of silence, she gathered her courage. "Excuse me!" she called out.

  Darius stopped and turned.

  "If you need any help... I'll always be in the library," she said, her heartbeats increasing.

  Darius nodded with a slight smile, then continued on. Sylvina took a deep breath to calm herself, then returned to her room.

  Sylvina sat on her bed, holding the book Darius had given her. She turned the cover hesitantly before opening it and browsing the first pages.

  She realized the book wasn't ordinary. It discussed the ancient Spirit race language and their symbols specific to their abilities.

  Every page revealed new secrets, including advanced methods for developing spiritual abilities and directing internal energy effectively.

  She couldn't stop reading. Hours passed as she immersed herself until she finished the first chapter, placed the book beside her, and fell into deep sleep.

  Sylvina woke the next morning, preparing for school, but the book stayed in her thoughts.

  During classes, she was distracted, her mind drifting to the pages. Whenever she tried to focus, the words and symbols pulled her back.

  As soon as lessons ended, she went to the library. She sat in her usual corner, opened the book, and became absorbed in it.

  While immersed, she heard a familiar voice: "Hello, Sylvina-san."

  She gasped softly, her hand trembling over the page. She hadn't noticed anyone enter. She raised her head to see Darius standing before her with a calm smile.

  "Hello... Darius-sama..." she murmured, lowering her eyes briefly before looking back, regaining composure.

  He sat across from her, glanced at the book, and said in a friendly tone: "You seem completely absorbed. Did you find something interesting?"

  She hesitated before answering: "Yes... I didn't know such methods existed."

  Darius nodded with a slight smile. "I'm glad you're benefiting from them," he replied.

  A moment of silence passed, then conversation flowed smoothly. They exchanged ideas about the book and delved into discussions. As time passed, Sylvina felt more comfortable with Darius, realizing his presence might be the beginning of something bigger.

  (To be continued)