The bedroom door burst open.
Arius entered first, shoulders slumped, visibly drained from training. In the hallway doorway, Dominica stood motionless. The elf observed the young heir with her usual calm.
“Five minutes, Master Arius,” she said simply. “Then training resumes.”
The boy nodded without enthusiasm.
“Yes…”
He closed the door behind him.
No sooner had the door shut than he kicked off his shoes with an awkward motion, dragged himself across the room, and collapsed face-down onto his bed, arms stretched out on either side of the mattress.
There was a knock.
The door opened.
“Dominica… please give me five minutes… I haven’t even caught my breath yet…”
A brief silence passed.
Then a soft voice, slightly amused, replied:
“Hello, Arius.”
He lifted his head abruptly.
Jade was watching him with a quiet smile. Her gaze lingered for a moment on something unusual beneath one of his feet.
“Were you—”
He blinked.
“Jade?”
Barely upright, he flopped back onto the bed with a sigh.
“I thought it was Dominica…”
She took a few steps closer.
“Sir Paul agreed to bring me along. I wanted to come see you.”
But he was already sitting up.
“I should probably go back to training,” he muttered. “She’s never going to leave me alone…”
A hand ran through his hair.
“I can’t even go downstairs to ask Grandmother to let me rest a bit.”
Jade crossed her arms.
“That’s a shame. I thought we might go for a walk.”
A small, humorless laugh escaped him.
“Go out? With Dominica standing guard at the door? Never!”
Silence fell again.
Then, almost at the same moment, their eyes drifted toward the open window.
They looked at each other.
Neither of them needed to say a word.
In a single motion, he grabbed his shoes and hurriedly put them on, nearly losing his balance. Jade had already moved to the window and was scanning the courtyard.
“No one’s there,” she murmured.
He joined her and leaned slightly over the ledge. The trellis running along the wall formed a natural support down to the ground.
One leg swung over, then the other. He grabbed the wooden stake supporting the climbing vine. The branches bent slightly under his weight.
“Be careful,” she whispered.
“I’ve got it.”
The seriousness of the reply didn’t last long. He slipped once before regaining his balance. When he finally reached the ground, he looked up.
“Your turn.”
She slipped gracefully through the opening. Taller and more confident, she climbed down almost elegantly, missing only a single foothold before landing in the grass.
They exchanged a conspiratorial glance.
Then, as if everything were perfectly normal, the two children crossed the courtyard at a casual pace. A gardener trimming a hedge barely glanced up.
“Where are we going?”
The young baron nodded toward the stables.
A few minutes later, they reached the stone buildings where the breathing and hooves of the sleipners echoed softly.
He approached a familiar stall and leaned over the door.
“Hey, Harmental.”
The horse immediately lifted its head and let out a soft whinny.
“Shhh! You’ll get us caught.”
Jade cast a quick glance toward the courtyard, an excited smile curling at the corner of her lips.
In response, the beast licked Arius’s face.
“Yeah, I’m happy to see you too.”
The boy opened the stall and patted the animal’s neck.
“We’re going on an adventure.”
She raised an amused eyebrow.
“An adventure?”
“To the beach. Harmental knows the way.”
A moment later, their mount trotted out of the stables, carrying the two children toward the edge of the forest.
♦ ♦ ♦
Standing before the empty bedroom, Dominica remained motionless.
The open window let the warm afternoon air drift inside. The curtains swayed gently.
Her gaze moved to the rumpled bed, then to the shoes abandoned at the foot of the furniture.
A brief silence passed.
The elf stepped to the window and looked down at the courtyard below. The trellis still showed the faint trace of displaced branches.
She sighed softly.
“I see…”
“SILVARA EN THIR, VEL’ENAE…
LETHIR NA VAEL, ARIEN THALOS.”
A pale glow shimmered in the air before her.
The mist slowly condensed, taking the shape of a translucent figure — a spectral silhouette vaguely resembling the elf.
The projection inclined its head.
Without a sound, it slipped out through the open window and dissolved into the garden air.
“Hm.”
Dominica turned calmly and left the room.
A few moments later, she descended the manor’s wide staircase. In the main salon, Soria was speaking with her mother.
“Dominica?”
The governess bowed slightly.
“Madam.”
A brief pause followed.
“Have you seen Arius? His tutors are looking for him.”
She inclined her head.
“Yes, I will go find him.”
Without another word, she turned and left the room.
Once in the courtyard, the elf raised a hand slightly.
“VAEL ENA THIR…
SILVARA ARIEN VAEL.”
A faint bluish glow briefly ran along her fingers before fading.
A magical thread, almost imperceptible, answered her call.
Her gaze turned toward the edge of the forest.
“Of course…”
She began walking at first, then quickly accelerated into a run.
♦ ♦ ♦
They emerged from the forest at the base of a steep path.
Ahead of them, a rocky escarpment overlooked the shore. At its base, clear water burst from the stone before spreading into a small sandy basin. A little farther away, the current left this quiet refuge to join the Saphir, whose broad waters shimmered between the trees.
At the edge of the sand, Arius stopped.
“Finally…”
Jade looked around with a satisfied smile.
“This place is really beautiful.”
He pointed toward the clear water.
“Want to swim?”
She tilted her head.
“You really want to go back soaking wet?”
He grimaced.
“Dominica will kill us…”
A moment passed.
Then the princess raised a hand. A light breeze rippled across the water’s surface.
“You have fire.”
A mischievous smile touched her lips.
“And I have wind. We’ll dry ourselves.”
He needed less than a second.
“Good idea.”
Moments later, their clothes lay on a large sun-warmed rock. They had kept only the minimum before running toward the water.
He took off.
“Last one in the water is a snail!”
Jade burst out laughing.
“You’re not tired anymore?”
In two strides she caught up and swept his legs with a trip.
He fell, grabbing her foot, which sent her tumbling down with him.
The boy tried to stand, but she had already pivoted and rolled him into the sand.
He landed on his back in a cloud of golden grains.
Before he could react, she sat astride him.
“I’m going to put my foot in the water before you,” she declared with a triumphant smile.
He tried to sit up.
“Hey!”
His hands pushed against her shoulders… without moving her at all.
“You give up?”
He sighed.
“Fine… you win!”
Jade stood immediately and offered him her hand.
“Now… let’s swim.”
♦ ♦ ♦
The water was cool and clear. Sand slid beneath their feet while the basin rippled gently under the surface.
For quite some time now, the two children had simply been playing in the water, splashing the surface and laughing freely.
Then he stopped.
His head turned slightly.
“Jade…”
She had been floating on her back. Slowly, she straightened.
“Yes?”
“Do you feel that?”
She remained still for a second.
The breeze coming down from the cliff made the water’s surface shiver.
Then she slowly nodded.
“Yes…”
A brief silence passed.
Neither of them spoke of danger.
But something in the air had changed.
His gaze turned toward the forest.
“Maybe we should head back.”
She nodded immediately.
“I was thinking the same thing.”
They climbed out of the water without another word.
A few moments later, they dressed in silence.
A small flame appeared briefly in his palm, just enough to dry the moisture from his hair.
Jade raised her hands, and a warm breeze dried the last droplets from their shoulders.
“There,” she said.
The boy glanced toward the path leading back into the forest.
“Let’s go.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Dominica slowed as she reached a bend in the path. The magical thread still floated ahead of her, almost invisible in the air.
Then she saw them.
Two malevolent beings were slowly descending the trail.
A horned biped with red eyes and black sclera, accompanied by a sort of enormous upright slug, thick and glistening, its upper mass rising like a shapeless torso.
Two soft horns quivered atop its viscous body, swaying slowly like antennae searching for something.
Dominica watched them for a moment.
Both turned toward her.
Their horns trembled.
Then their bodies contracted sharply.
Dominica sighed faintly.
Her hand slipped beneath her servant’s dress.
A telescopic staff snapped into her grip.
With a sharp click, the weapon extended.
♦ ♦ ♦
Harmental was climbing the forest path when a sharp noise echoed between the trees.
A metallic clash.
Then another.
Arius and Jade turned their heads almost simultaneously.
But already the sleipner was slowing down. Its ears shot upright.
A growl rose behind them.
Jade turned around.
Two saber-toothed red lynxes burst from the undergrowth.
And almost immediately, more shapes appeared among the trees.
Ahead.
Behind.
On the rocks.
A pack.
Harmental stamped the ground with a hoof.
One of the lynxes leapt.
Jade’s hand rose instantly.
A violent gust tore across the path and knocked the beast off course mid-jump. The animal crashed against a tree trunk with a furious snarl.
Another sprang forward almost immediately.
The sleipner reared and struck with a powerful kick.
“Arius!” she called.
The reins tightened.
“Harmental, go!”
The mount shot forward like an arrow.
A lynx tried to block the path.
Another gust of wind shoved it aside just enough to open a passage.
Harmental charged straight through.
The predators closed in behind them.
As they passed a rock, the young baron glimpsed another lynx leaping from the side. His hand turned slightly, ready to release a flame if the beast attacked.
But the sleipner had already passed the rock.
He saw nothing else.
Behind him, Jade barely had time to widen her eyes.
The lynx had leapt from the stone.
Harmental lashed out with a brutal backward kick.
The hoof struck the beast square in the flank with astonishing precision.
The predator was hurled off the path and rolled into the leaves.
Seconds later, the forest closed behind them.
The growls faded.
Harmental kept galloping for a while longer until Arius finally pulled the reins as the manor came into view.
Jade simply watched the road behind them.
They returned.
But no one spoke of it.
Profile
Role : Baron/Principal protagonist
MBTI : ISFP
Race : Human
He uses a standard, direct, and simple level of language, with a formal, informal, and neutral tone.
- Adaptability
- Communication
- Discipline
- Individualization
- Restoration
- Studiousness
- Conscientious
- Courageous
- Reliable
- Honest
- Just
- Realistic
- Sensible
- Stubborn
- Distant
- Inflexible
- Obstinate
- Timid
Arius was born into a loving family, deeply rooted in the nobility of Amona. He grows up in a protective environment where nothing is lacking — except the freedom of ignorance.
From an early age, surrounded by attentive adults, he was raised with constant expectations, tempered by sincere benevolence.
He was introduced to martial arts, the study of magic, and an understanding of the world around him — geography, cultures, customs, and power structures — through the careful guidance of private tutors. This sustained attention, spread across varied disciplines, gradually led him to grasp notions far beyond mere play or ordinary childhood carelessness.
Gifted from birth with fire mana, he displays an early affinity with magical energy, stable enough not to cause concern, yet remarkable enough to draw attention. This gift was never presented as a privilege: he is taught to restrain it before ever claiming it, as a responsibility.
Naturally observant, Arius is more inclined to listen than to assert himself. His lively, sometimes overflowing curiosity often collides with the rules of the manor, the inflexible vigilance of Dominica, and the unspoken expectations tied to his name.
His friendship with Jade Wallace remains one of his rare spaces of release. With her, he momentarily forgets what he is expected to become, recovering a lightness he scarcely allows himself elsewhere.
The son of Michihiro Ikemizu, a respected Otherworlder known for his erudition, and of Soria Lovelace, he carries — without fully realizing it — the weight of multiple legacies.
At his birth, his grandmother, Mia Lovelace, Baroness of Amona, gifted him Harmantal, a young sleipnir. More than a simple present, the animal embodied a path already laid out — a companion destined to walk beside him on the day he would be deemed worthy to ride it.