The guest wing of the palace felt more like a prison than a room. Silver-clad guards stood outside the oak doors, their spears clashing every time Leonardo tried to look out the window. But inside, Leonardo was far from idle. The blue screen in front of him was glowing with a fierce intensity.
"System," Leonardo whispered, "put 3 points into Agility and 2 points into Strength."
[Stats Updated! Strength: 17, Agility: 15, Mana: 10/100]
Suddenly, a hidden door behind a tapestry slid open. Princess Aurora stepped inside, carrying a small, glowing vial of blue liquid.
"This is Liquid Mana," she said, her voice urgent. "It won't give you permanent power, but it will kickstart your Mana Devourer skill during the trial. Drink it only when you feel your heart burning."
Leonardo took the vial. "Why are you helping me, Aurora? You hardly know me."
Aurora looked at the moon through the window. "Because the Aethelgard family has been stuck in the same cycle for three hundred years. My father thinks only those with high Noble Mana can lead. But the prophecy says a boy with a broken sword will change the world. I want to see if that boy is you."
She leaned in closer. "The trial tomorrow is in the Arena of Souls. You won't be fighting a person. You'll be fighting a shadow of the first king. It knows no mercy."
[New Skill Unlocked: Echo Vision (Level 1). Allows the user to see the opponent's move 0.5 seconds before it happens.]
"I won't die, Aurora," Leonardo said, his hand resting on the hilt of his rusted blade. "I've come too far to be stopped by a ghost."