"Where is it?"

"What?" The farmer's voice trembled, full of doubt.

"Your beast."

"Yes, in the woods."

"Does it go back to your cabin at night to sleep?"

"What?"

"Your hammock." Vanis gestured to the netting bed. "After a long time of fighting, it will become your old buddy."

Vanis attached the dagger to the old man's skin. "And whose mattress is it?"

"Yes...... My daughter's. The farmer said, glancing at the boy. She died last winter. ”

The boy looked at the mattress. It's for children.

But it's not just mattresses. There was also a wooden bowl and spoon, and a sword for practice, and the dimensions were not for adults. If he can see through the lie, then ......

"Let's go sweep her grave." Vanis said.

"There are no tombs." The old father said, dodging his eyes in shame. "The beast took her away."

"Like it killed your livestock?" Vanis sneered. "I bet if you look closely, you'll find this beast on your farm."

"There's nothing here." The boy said. "It's time for us to go."

"Boy, what do you see on the table?"

He looked at Marsenno's body. Blood-stained eyes were blankly open. Withered tentacles had wrapped around his neck and crawled up his face.

"What's it!"

Marsenno ...... It's Marsenno. He began to choke.

"It's a demon seeker, boy. It's my brother. Every word Vannis uttered was filled with anger and pain. Who is he? ”

Marsenno was the only demon seeker to show kindness to him. He accepted the boy as a true Demacian, not caring about his plague.

"He's my friend."

"Right...... And he was killed by the mage. Vanis said. This man is hiding a mage. A dangerous mage. ”

The boy recalled the intense flashes of the little girl, and the scars of the dead livestock.

"What are we supposed to do?" Vanis asked.

The boy wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.

"We are very orderly. We uphold the law. ”

Vannis went outside with the boy and the farmer and pushed them forward with a long stick. The trio stood on the ranch, looking at the barn and the outdoor toilet. He poked the old man in the ribs with a long stick.

"Call your daughter."

The farmer flinched. "She's not here." He said. "She's gone."

"We'll see."

The old man looked at the boy, who was begging silently.

"I'm going to search the barn." The boy said.

"Nope. Let her come out on her own. Vanis knocked the farmer to the ground with a long stick.

"Come out! Your dad is in our hands! ”

No response. There was no movement. Then the old man wailed.

The boy turned to see the farmer on one knee, staggering, one hand over his temple. Blood poured out from between the old man's fingers, staining his entire hand red. Vanis stood beside him, ready to do it again.

"What are you doing?"

"Necessary." Vanis's face was distorted by anger and grief.

A tremor ran through the boy's spine. Again, the tiny hairs on his arms and neck stood on end.

The barn door burst open.

"That's right, come on." Vanis said.

The doorway was shrouded in shadows. The sound of light footsteps is getting closer. The little girl walked through the doorway. Her terrified eyes were fixed on her injured father.

"Daddy......" she said, tears streaming down her face.

"It's fine." The farmer said with difficulty. "Daddy is talking to these people."

They watched as the child approached, and the man had no idea what only the boy could see.

She shines as brightly as the midday sun.

The power within her pulsated and changed color. The sparkling light seemed to distort the light itself. She is a living rainbow.

This is his plague. It's his talent.

Only he could see the purity and essence of magic. Magic lives in this frightened child, and in every mage, all of Demacia, and perhaps all of the world. How could he betray? The boy didn't need to look any further.

"She's ...... Normal. ”

"Are you sure? Look again! ”

He faced the demon seeker. To Demacia, Vanius was a revered bulwark against magical threats. But to the boy, he's just a stubborn old brain.

"You're mistaken. Let's go. ”

Vanis looked at him for a moment, searching for signs of deception. Then the Demon Seeker shook his head and sank his face.

"We'll see if she can pass the test." He said as he removed the ash seal from his cloak.

The farmer's eyes widened when he saw the badge of the Forbidden Stone.

"Run, kid! Come on! The old man shouted and jumped up and pounced on Wanis.

The Demon Seeker moved quickly, stabbing the long stick into the farmer's torso. The old man who was hit staggered back and distanced himself from the Demon Seeker. Vanis lunged forward, his long stick slashing vertically at the old man's head. His skull shattered and burst into scarlet.

The little girl screamed. Sparks of lightning erupted from her hands—this time, everyone could see.

Vanis held up his ash seal and captured the flickering arc of electricity into the stone, suppressing the magic. But the forbidden stone soon turned black and shattered, and was overturned by the little girl's power. Vanis threw down the broken stone plate, spun around, and picked up his long stick to aim at the little girl's head.

"Don't!"

The boy rushed to the little girl, using his body to block the long stick and the dazzling waves of light. The hairs on his arms were scorched, and his fingers were blistered as they touched the little mage.

A curved arc of thunder pierced his palm, and a blazing current passed through his flesh and twisted his entire body. The boy's heart contracted hard, and all the air inside him was squeezed out. He wanted to inhale heavily, but couldn't get anything.

The edges of his vision blurred, the world gradually lost color, and deadly magic overwhelmed him. Vannis looked motionless, his swinging stick resting in mid-air, like an ancient statue of a hero. The little girl froze in place, her tears like dim crystals, and the dazzling glitter around her faded and receded.

Then he took a breath.

His heart raced, sending numbing calmness throughout his body. The flames within him were still burning, but they no longer threatened to consume him. Instead, the power flowed calmly throughout his body, and for a moment, he felt that he could shape it. Then it suddenly sparked, burning hotter and hotter until finally he couldn't keep it inside his body.

His hands erupted with light, and then the world vanished.

Silas opened his eyes. Three blackened bones were scattered on the scorched earth. One of them held a long, crooked and broken stick in his hand. The other two fell so close together that they stretched out their arms to touch each other, but they were forever separated by two places. The sight meant his failure, tears welling up in his eyes and regret in his heart. He rolled over and lay down, trembling.

Countless stars sprinkled the clear night sky. He watched them cut through the darkness and disappear behind the pitch-black canopy.

The night gradually took on a purple-red hue, and he finally staggered to his feet.

He limped away from the scene of the killing, his legs shaking. He walked some distance and stopped, but didn't look back.

There is no need. That image will accompany him for the rest of his life. He pushed the images out of his mind and stared at the ridge that stretched at the end of the horizon.

He had no intention of going to Renwall, nor was he going to return to any fortress that belonged to those people. No amount of begging could save him from punishment. It won't be long before they find him, and as long as he is not punished severely, they will not rest. After all, the law must be upheld.

But he knew very well how they moved, and Demacia was very large.