Crown of Sparks

The aura emanating from Bartemus' body was so strong that it made the air around him vibrate. His gray hair fluttered, pushed by the tremendous pressure of his Essential Power. As a level 4 Channeler, a Master Channeler, his energy was so suffocating that it made the entire room feel narrower.

The thugs standing in front of him did not dare to raise their heads. Cold sweat ran down their temples, their bodies frozen in place, as if invisible fingers were strangling them by the mere presence of the Baron.

Bartemus moved his fingers slowly, and the room felt even heavier.

"Gather all the Channelers."

Bartemus' voice was deep, cold, but sharper than the edge of a sword.

"I don't care if I have to destroy the entire Floressia District just to take a place that is so hard for me to reach."

The thugs crouched even lower. They dared not disobey the order, dared not ask questions. For Bartemus, the Floressia District was just a small piece of land he could tread on whenever he wanted.

With a small movement, he waved his hand behind him, signaling them to leave.

They immediately bowed deeply and left the room with quick steps and hearts full of fear.

Silence fell over the place.

Bartemus took a deep breath, pulled out a new cigar, lit it, and took a deep drag. The smoke swirled in the air, creating a thin mist that covered his angry face.

"That bastard will regret challenging me."

His eyes narrowed, radiating burning hatred.

***

Ar sat at a small table in the attic of the orphanage, his back slightly bent, his hand gripping a quill that had long since lost its ink. The wooden planks beneath him creaked softly as the afternoon wind crept through the cracks in the old walls. This attic had always been his escape, a place where he could be alone when the world felt too heavy to bear.

All day long, Ar had avoided everyone, even Clau, his twin sister.

Papers were scattered on the table. Rough scribbles filled their surface; strategies, calculations, plans that he had carefully arranged. All centered on one name, written in bold in the middle of the page:

Baron Bartemus Rudolph.

Ar stared at the name with a clenched jaw.

Baron Bartemus was not only a threat to the Floressia District. He was a threat to the Orphanage, the only place Ar could call home. And that meant that Baron Bartemus was also a threat to Clau.

His mind spun endlessly. No matter how many times he calculated the possibilities, the answer was always the same: he was too weak.

Ar clenched his fists.

He knew that his Essential Voidwalker was a rare power. A power that no Channeler possessed. But it was also a power that was difficult to control. Something wild, something that demanded more than he could give. And now the burden felt even heavier on his shoulders.

But Clau...

Clau could always calm him down. Her smile was the only thing that made the world seem less dark.

Suddenly there were footsteps coming up the stairs. Ar heard them but didn't react. His eyes remained fixed on the table, his body too tired to care.

Until a small, warm hand touched his shoulder.

"Brother, have you been here all day? I'm worried about you."

The soft voice finally made Ar raise his head. His red eyes met Clau's, who stood before him with a worried face. A faint smile was still on the girl's lips, but Ar could see the worry in her eyes.

"I'm fine," Ar replied shortly. His voice sounded tired, almost emotionless. "Why are you here?"

Clau didn't answer right away. Instead, she took something from his arms, a piece of still warm steamed bread and a glass of milk. Calmly, she placed them on the table between the scattered papers.

"Here. You must be hungry."

Ar stared at the food in front of him, just realizing how empty his stomach had been since the morning. His fingers pinched a small piece of bread before slowly placing it in his mouth. As he chewed, his eyes wandered to the open window. The sky had turned a golden orange, the dusk beginning to swallow the day.

He let out a slow breath. There were so many things to think about, so many plans in his head, that time seemed to move mercilessly.

"I guess I forgot," he finally said, accompanied by a small laugh that was more for himself. He hoped the sound was enough to ease Clau's worries.

As expected, Clau only responded with his signature expression, a small frown on his lips that made him look half annoyed, half thoughtful. It was an expression that always appeared when Clau felt that Ar was doing something stupid, but chose not to comment on it directly.

The girl looked at the papers scattered on the table, trying to understand what had made her brother so lost in thought that he forgot the world around him.

"Baron Bartemus isn't just going to sit there, is he?" she finally asked, her voice soft but full of caution.

Ar nodded slowly, still chewing his food lazily.

"Baron Bartemus... a Kaelith who sells Natural Magical Beasts on the black market," he murmured. "A few days ago we destroyed one of his warehouses and released the captured Magic Beasts."

Clau didn't answer immediately. She stood beside Ar, his eyes flashing sharply in a way that only they did when his mind was racing, searching for patterns in the bits of information.

"Brother," Clau said, breaking the silence, "I was at the market this afternoon. I heard the villagers talking about the warehouse fire near the river. But I could see something in their faces... they knew what happened."

Ar stopped his hand movements.

"They know about the old warehouse?" he asked, his voice rising slightly.

Clau nodded. "They don't care if the warehouse turns out to belong to Baron Bartemus." The girl looked seriously at her brother. "Their faces are like those of people who have been oppressed for a long time, brother. Baron Bartemus has already taken over half of Floressia District, and the orphanage is probably his next target."

Ar was silent.

His eyes stared at the papers on the table, but his mind was elsewhere. If what Clau had said was true, if the inhabitants really knew about the destruction of Baron Bartemus' camp and didn't care about it, then it meant one thing: they were tired of living in fear.

And maybe, just maybe, this could be the opportunity he was looking for.

He leaned back in his chair, letting the tiredness take over his body for a moment before he looked back at Clau.

"Clau," he finally said, his voice low but firm, "can you call them here?"

Clau didn't answer. He just smiled a little, understanding his task, then turned and walked down the stairs.

Ar heard the sound of small footsteps echoing from below. Not long after, Clau returned, followed by five other children, Elize, Ronal, Lili, Thomas and Jessica. They stood before him in silence, their eyes fixed on him expectantly, waiting to hear what he would say.

The silence was broken by Elize's slightly trembling voice. "Brother... is it because of those thugs? They want to take over our orphanage again?"

Thomas clenched his fists, anger written all over his face. "If that's the case, we're ready! Even if we are only Ethel's children without an Essential, we won't stay silent!"

Ar watched them one by one. Young faces full of enthusiasm, even though their bodies were small and much weaker than his and Clau's.

He understood their feelings.

They were children who had lost so much, who had always been considered trash by the people of Kaelith. But behind their fragile eyes was a flame of courage that could not be extinguished.

Ar took a deep breath, then said in a calm voice, "I know you're angry. I know that you want to protect this place. And I also know that you have much more courage than they do."

Ronal, the smallest of them, took a step forward. His big eyes stared at Ar with the same determination as Thomas. "What shall we do, brother? Just tell us, we're ready to help!"