Sensation

Chapter 4

[Dispel.]

That soft, almost soundless voice called out… a few steps away from a closed door.

When he felt the spell dispersed, he immediately but carefully walks into the room.

[Silent Walk.]

He says, one of the very low mana inducing spells that could be activated without chants of any activation spell.

Upon reaching the bed, he stretched his left arm towards the person sleeping. Closing his eyes, concentrating on feeling the flow of mana throughout the room. Sucking in every last bit of it.

Once he feels enough earned mana, he begins chanting a line of spell activation formula and putting his forefinger and middle finger on his forehead.

[Lucid Dream.]

***

“Arcana…”

That familiar voice had the young woman look immediately towards the source. Her face is devoid of emotion but deep inside… her heart skips a beat for that person and that person only.

“Theodore, can I help you?”

This is the first time in many years that Theodore—Theo comes inside the Council building. First time in years after his father’s death.

“I need to talk to you—alone.” He replies, looking around her workroom.

Since she’s only a part-time worker, she’s tasked to one of the lightest jobs in the Council; filing various documents inside the file room. This kind of work operates around-the-clock. Part-timers like herself work only four hours a day, the accumulated hours are deducted to their required working hours every semester.

Nodding in understanding, she guides him to a part of the spacious room is mostly secluded. Once alone, she faces him once again. Trying to keep her now erratic heart at bay.

“…I knew you did it.” Theo finally said after a few minutes of an odd silence.

His statement puzzled her suddenly. It made her eyebrows shoot up along with a big question etched on her face.

Looking at him who’s looking at her… quite menacingly. This shocks her.

“…what do you mean? I did something—what was it? What?” her being nervous is a first. With the pressure from his menacing eyes. That cold look, a difference from his indifference that she’s usually accustomed to.

“You hinted at Diane yesterday about our situation… haven’t you?” he finally asked.

This made Cana clench her hands. Now frustrated at what he said.

“So what? She needs to know.”

Her statement made Theo chuckle, his eyes became even colder and sharp. “She needs to know or you just want to push her so that she would ask me about it?” his face came closer towards her, making her seem uneasy and force her eye to look downward.

Theo slams his hand on the side of her head, hitting some wooden boxes behind them.

 “Don’t lie to me, Arcana… I know the truth. I have sources.”

Cana bites her lip, knowing who are those sources of his.

Knowing that she lost, Theo becomes relaxed. But he still didn’t make space for their position.

“I don’t know what you are planning, but once you hurt her… watch your back.” He threatens.

When he had said everything he needed to say, Theo immediately walks away and out of the building.

Arcana is still in her current position, afraid to move.

Once she felt that Theo wasn’t any longer in the building through the highly maintained [Detection] spell that’s been inputted within the whole building, her legs gave out.

She doesn’t care if the floor is dirty, she needed some breather from earlier.

‘What happened?’ she thought. ‘He wasn’t like that before.’

Reminiscing the past, especially when his father died…

‘Or should I say murdered.’

***

Theo looks outside the window, watching Diane and the twins sit and chat at the backyard.

He still worries about her… after what happened to them yesterday it made him suspicious to where it all started. That’s why he sneaked into her room in the middle of the night just for him to know what happened. But once he learned of the reason, it made him furious.

Watching it all through her memories, being there in their bonding time in the forest. It made him mad.

To him, what Arcana did was unforgivable. Thinking that she doesn’t have the right to meddle in their life. But his conscience makes a different point.

He wouldn’t know Diane’s true feelings if ever that didn’t happen. And she is his only and foremost priority.

After Massimo’s death, Theo didn’t bother much to join in the Council despite him being one of the top students and a genius among his peers before.

Fifteen and an orphan. Theodore decided then and there to drop out of school and work.

Due to being a dropout, he worked various odd jobs in the town nearby while also taking care of Diane. It was rigorous and tiresome but when he comes home watching his then cute sister smile for him. It felt that it was all worth it.

With the help of the Hawthorns, the twins’ parents, in taking care of Diane. It became easier for him to work.

Everything was going smoothly… until Arcana showed up.

She nagged him about the importance of school, shoving him even the letter about his scholarship to Arts Academy.

“You are lucky dad had paid for your education!” the haughty little miss Arcana, daughter of the Council Head, grumbled.

Since then, she stuck to him like glue. At first, it was frustrating, it made him almost crazy even. Until it was fine since she’s also been taking care of Diane in her free time.

It was fine once again… until she did that yesterday. Because she meddled, it almost took him and Diane’s relationship apart. Yes, it helped in mending their misunderstandings with one another. But he can feel that there’s more to it than meets the eye.

He doesn’t have any evidence, it’s all gut instinct. And sometimes, your gut instincts are correct.

Shaking his head, clearing out his mind to focus on his current work in fixing his stuff for the job—what the Council had given him. Despite that it’s a high pay, it’s also dangerous. He only took for his condition.

This will be his last job.

All those years of accepting those scholarship letters from the Head Councilman, Arcana’s father, it all came down to being their dog. A pawn in making their plans a success.

He knew it since that first scholarship letter that the old man had given him, he just accepted it for only one person.

Sighing exasperatedly, he knows that he won’t finish this fast with how his head keeps him distracted with various thoughts. Taking out his phone, Theo calls the person that he doesn’t want to call. Knowing their slightly strained relationship. But she is the only one available to do it.

“Arcana…”