The sky over the Arkanveil estate was painted in dusky gold as the sun began its slow descent behind distant mountain peaks. Shadows stretched long across the training fields, and for once, the air held no tension—no clash of steel, no spellfire cracking stone.
Instead, the family stood together.
The final trial awaited.
Not one of battle or blood. But of unity.
Lucien stood at the center, gaze steady, golden hair catching the light like woven fire. His siblings gathered around him, along with his parents, grandfather, grandmother, and Elric. Even the youngest children were present, watching with wide eyes.
> "Today's trial is different," Lucien said, voice calm, composed. "There are no enemies to cut. No spells to counter. No system panels to optimize."
He looked at each of them in turn.
> "This test… is about trust."
He raised his hand—and the environment shifted.
The moment his palm glowed with mana, the training field transformed into a dense illusion. Mist coiled up from the ground. Trees burst into full bloom, but every path looked identical. Sound dulled, and light fractured into strange angles. The world warped into a maze.
A shared illusion. A puzzle built by Lucien's own magic. Amplified through his panel, layered with psychological cues, shaped by their own subconscious fears and flaws.
The goal?
Escape. Together.
> "Split even once," he warned, "and the trial resets."
They stepped forward.
---
Time lost its meaning inside the illusion.
One by one, fears clawed at them.
Viera's fire dimmed when she heard phantom voices questioning her control. Aleron saw illusions of fallen comrades from the war he never fought. Their younger brother saw Lucien—cold and distant—abandoning him.
Even Elric was forced to confront a vision of his parents, alive and reaching, accusing him of forgetting their faces.
But none of them broke.
Because Lucien had planned every step.
He had trained them for more than power.
He had prepared their hearts.
Viera steadied herself, voice firm.
> "That's not him. Lucien would never say that."
Aleron turned his back on the shadows, stepping in front of their younger brother, shielding him.
> "I protect family. That's my oath."
Elric gritted his teeth, whispering to the image of his mother,
> "I remember you. I carry you… every day."
They moved forward, together, calling each other by name, pulling each other from darkness.
And at the heart of the maze, the illusion shattered.
Light poured in.
They stood in the clearing. Whole. Together.
Lucien stepped into view, eyes unreadable.
Then, a slow nod.
> "Trial complete."
---
That night, the estate glowed with warmth.
Not from torches or mana lamps.
But from laughter.
The family gathered beneath the open sky around a firepit. Skewers of roasted meat hissed over open flame. Viera told exaggerated tales of her fight with Aleron—"He begged for mercy, I swear!"—to which Aleron rolled his eyes, sipping his drink in silence, the corner of his mouth twitching upward.
Elric and the younger siblings sat in a circle, playing a card game Lucien had taught them weeks ago. Their laughter rang loudest of all.
Lucien watched it all from a little distance, his tea untouched in his hand.
He could've sat alone. Observed, calculated.
But tonight felt… different.
He let his mask slip, just a little.
And walked forward, joining the circle.
Someone passed him a drink. Someone else shoved a plate into his hand. His sister placed a flower crown—this time made of night-blooming starsong petals—onto his head.
> "You're the youngest, but also the most ancient," she giggled. "So you get the crown."
He didn't protest.
Instead, for the first time in a long while…
He smiled.
A real one. Small, but honest.
The fire crackled.
Viera raised her cup.
> "To the Arkanveils!"
The others echoed.
> "To family!"
Lucien held up his own cup, soft voice cutting through the noise with a strange clarity.
> "This… is a good family."
No one said anything for a moment.
Then, Aleron quietly placed his cup against Lucien's. Viera leaned her head against his shoulder. Elric nudged him, smiling shyly. Even the youngest ones curled closer.
The stars above twinkled, as if approving.
Lucien looked up, eyes reflecting the constellations.
Yes.
This was worth everything.
And from this heart, he would build an empire.