Chapter Five-2
1556 Words
The kindergarten's exhibition room was at the end of the third-floor corridor.
Ms. Windsor used three keys to unlock the heavy oak door.
The moment it swung open, a musty odor mingled with dust swept over them.
The room was dimly lit, likely due to its narrow windows. Even with several wall lamps lit, the darkness within could not be fully dispelled.
Along the walls, glass display cases held various artifacts.
These items held significant historical value: the sword of a vampire prince, fragments of an ancient werewolf totem, torn pages from a wizard's magical scroll...
Of course, none of these were the reason for visiting the exhibition room. The true objective lay at the center of the room, on a standalone display stand.
Upon the stand rested a fist-sized black stone.
It was a rough-surfaced rock, its surface dotted with a dense network of honeycomb-like cavities.
This stone appeared utterly unremarkable, seemingly no more ordinary than any other rock.
Yet this seemingly ordinary stone was carefully guarded by exceptionally stringent security measures.
“This is the ‘Wizard King's Trial Stone,’” Mrs. Windsor whispered to the children.
“Legend holds it to be a treasure left behind by the ancient Wizard King. Only those possessing pure wizard blood will cause it to react when touched.”
She paused, looking at Leo. “Leo, you don’t have to do this. That stone’s been here sixty years, and no one’s ever made it so much as flicker. Even many renowned wizards have tried, yet at most, they could only make it slightly warm. As for glowing? That only exists in books.”
Hearing Mrs. Windsor's words, Alvin was overjoyed inside. He stood confidently at the doorway, arms crossed, a triumphant expression already etched on his face.
The other children crowded the hallway, craning their necks to peer inside. It was unclear whether they were waiting for Leo to fail or for Alvin to embarrass himself.
Either way, whatever the outcome, it promised to be quite the spectacle.
“Light it up?” Leo approached the display case, studying the black stone. “What exactly counts as ‘lighting it up’?”
“Just make it glow,” Alvin blurted out. “Even a single spark! But if nothing happens, you have to climb...”
“I get it,” Leo waved him off impatiently.
He stood before the display but made no move to touch it.
The moment Leo saw this black stone, he knew he'd seen it before.
Not the actual object, of course.
But in an illustration in one of his mother's ancient books.
Leo remembered the book was called Bloodline Origins. His mother forbade him from reading it, but he'd secretly flipped through it several times.
According to the book, the stone was a “Bloodline Resonance Stone.” It was an ancient tool used by shamans to test the purity of a descendant’s bloodline.
The true way to activate it wasn’t simply touching it, but...
“Hurry up!” Alvin urged impatiently. “Stop wasting time! If you can't do it, just admit defeat.”
Leo took a deep breath.
He extended his right hand, but instead of touching the stone, he hovered it above the protective light membrane. Then...
He began murmuring softly, his voice so low it was impossible to make out the words.
But it was clear this must be a shaman's incantation.
Mrs. Windsor, who’d seen a thing or two, knew this wasn’t any modern spell, but rather an ancient wizardry language.
The syllables Leo chanted sounded incredibly awkward, with a peculiar rhythm. His deep voice echoed like a distant reverberation from antiquity.
Leo recited the incantation with remarkable fluency, mastering the rhythm perfectly. Even the intonation of high and low pitches was controlled with astonishing precision.
Ms. Windsor froze, utterly stunned.
“Where did he learn these wizard incantations?”
To Windsor, the spell Leo chanted seemed older and more complete than the ancient wizard texts found in textbooks.
“What on earth is he saying?” a child whispered, but no one could answer.
Alvin was bewildered, too.
He had expected Leo to place his hands on the object like other wizards, concentrate, and then admit defeat when nothing happened.
But... what was he doing?
Leo continued his incantation.
His voice wasn't loud, but in the silent exhibition hall, every word was clear and distinct.
As the incantation progressed, a strange phenomenon unfolded: Leo's fingertips began to glow faintly.
First, a silvery-white light appeared, then the color gradually shifted.
From the original silver-white, it transformed into a pale gold, then into a dazzling golden hue.
That golden light spread from his fingertips, flowing upward along his arms like liquid gold.
Wherever the light touched, golden patterns emerged beneath Leo's skin—vague yet eerily visible, both strange and wondrous.
“What is this...” Mrs. Windsor gasped, covering her mouth in astonishment.
The black stone within the protective light membrane suddenly trembled.
It was a faint movement, but undeniable.
Alvin's eyes widened, his face frozen in disbelief.
Leo's incantation grew louder, yet its tone deepened. He slowly closed his eyes, his mind fully absorbed in the spell.
Simultaneously, the golden light surrounding him intensified, growing ever more brilliant and dazzling.
Then, something strange happened.
The wall lamps in the exhibition hall began flickering incessantly, while objects in other display cases emitted a humming resonance.
But it didn't stop there.
From the hollow surface of the black stone, tiny specks of golden light began seeping out.
One speck, two specks, three specks...
Soon, the entire stone transformed into gold.
It glowed. That black stone truly glowed.
And it radiated a brilliant, golden light.
Yet the strange transformations were not over.
The next second, the Trial Stone slowly rose from its pedestal, hovering midair like a miniature sun, emitting dazzling radiance.
Its light transformed the entire exhibition hall into broad daylight. The children in the corridor, witnessing such a miraculous scene, all let out gasps of astonishment.
Even Mrs. Windsor forgot she was a teacher as she stared, blankly, at the glowing stone. Awe filled her—so deep she couldn’t put it into words.
This spectacle lasted for about ten seconds.
Then, Leo's incantation ceased.
When he opened his eyes again, the golden glow rapidly faded from his body.
The stone, which had been suspended in midair, slowly drifted back down onto its display stand. Simultaneously, the golden light on its surface vanished without a trace, restoring it to its original black color.
Everything returned to normal.
Yet the exhibition hall fell into a deathly silence.
Leo stood where he was, gasping for breath. His face was slightly pale, his forehead covered in sweat.
But he knew it wasn't over yet.
Leo turned his head toward Alvin at the doorway.
Alvin's face was as white as paper. His mouth hung open as if he wanted to speak, but no sound came out. The fear in his eyes hadn't gone away.
“I...” Alvin's voice trembled. “I...”
“Apologize.” Leo's tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.
Tears welled up instantly in Alvin's eyes.
It wasn't from feeling wronged, but from sheer terror.
What he'd just witnessed exceeded the comprehension of his five-year-old mind.
“...I'm sorry,” he sobbed. “I’m... I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said... any of that. About you, or your mom...”
Leo nodded. “Alright. I accept your apology.”
With that, he turned and walked out of the exhibition room.
Passing by Mrs. Windsor, he paused.
“Teacher, I'd like to get a drink of water.”
Ms. Windsor snapped back to attention. “Alright... go ahead.”
Leo stepped out of the exhibition room. The kids just moved aside as he walked by, their looks changing—no more pity or scorn, just pure awe and curiosity.
Lillian hurried after him. “Leo! That was incredible! How did you even do that?”
As for the others, no one dared to stop him, nor did anyone dare to approach him.
Only after he and Lillian disappeared around the staircase did the children outside the exhibition room erupt into a burst of excited whispers.
“What was that just now...”
“The stone really glowed!”
“Leo was glowing! Golden light!”
“My mom says gold means...”
“Shh!”
Mrs. Windsor closed the exhibition room door, sealing all the murmurs outside.
Leaning against the door, her legs felt slightly weak. She stared at the black stone on the display stand.
The Trial Stone lay there quietly, as inconspicuous as it had been for the past sixty years.
But Mrs. Windsor knew what had just happened would soon spread throughout Nightfall City's high society.
A five-year-old child had recited a lost ancient witch's incantation, awakening the Warlock King's Trial Stone. Most crucially, the golden light emanating from his body...
“Does this child truly have no father? Is his mother really just an ordinary herbalist?”
Lady Windsor began to doubt.
But recalling the golden radiance emanating from the child, she instinctively shuddered.
She must report this immediately to the Headmistress.
No, not just the Headmistress.
And soon, a rumor spread:
Starlight Noble Kindergarten: The Bloodline of the Wizard King Clan Appears...
- Writer
