Noel didn't know how long he stood there, soaked and shivering by the koi pond. Long enough for the sun to begin its descent, casting a golden veil over the garden. The silence was heavy now—not with dread, but with a strange anticipation. The kind that came before change.
Footsteps padded softly across the gravel.
"I figured you'd be here."
Noel didn't turn. He didn't need to. Only one person could track him through the estate without being noticed.
Ethen.
He quietly settled beside him. Taller now than when they were children, Ethen still moved like he belonged nowhere and everywhere—an observer, patient and knowing.
"You're drenched," Ethen said, a half-smile in his voice.
"Sharp as ever," Noel muttered, his voice hoarse from crying and laughing all at once.
Ethen didn't ask what happened. He rarely did. That was what made him different. While the rest of the household hovered, whispered, measured every word as if speaking to a prince, Ethen just was. Always had been.
Son of the nanny, raised in the shadows of nobility, but never beneath Noel. Not in spirit.
Ethen finally spoke. "Let me guess. You broke something."
Noel laughed softly, shaking his head. "Something broke out."
He turned, meeting Ethen's gaze for the first time. There was no fear in his friend's eyes—just quiet curiosity and that ever-present loyalty.
"I think…" Noel hesitated, the words catching. "I have magic."
A beat. Then Ethen raised a brow. "You think?"
Noel gestured to the pond. "I didn't think the water would move."
Ethen followed his gaze, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Well, I always said you were weird."
Noel snorted, tension breaking. "This isn't funny."
"It's kind of funny," Ethen said. Then, more seriously: "Did anyone else see?"
"No." Noel's voice dropped."And I can't tell anyone. The crystal didn't react. The Duke will think I'm mad. Or worse."
Ethen nodded slowly. "Then we keep it between us. Like the time you set Lady Renna's wig on fire."
"That was your idea."
"And you still got blamed." Ethen smirked. "Traditions matter."
Noel's grin faded into something softer. "I don't know what this means, Ethen. I don't know what I am."
Ethen looked at him, steady. "You're my brother and the heir to the true Vallis legacy you just broke the Aquilon seal."
Noel had always found solace in the koi pond.
It was a place of quiet, a small oasis hidden within the sprawling estate, where the world beyond seemed to disappear. From a young age, he had been drawn to it, fascinated by the way the koi glided through the water, their scales glinting like gems in the sunlight. The pond had always been a constant in his life, a thing he could count on in a world that often felt uncertain. But he never knew why it soothed him so. Never understood the pull it had on him.
Not until now.
The water had answered him today.
Ethen was at his side, as he always was. The two of them, in the quiet of the garden, standing in the long shadow of the trees. Ethen was watching the pond, his dark eyes distant, as if he knew more about this place than he let on.
"You never told me about the seal," Noel said quietly, breaking the silence between them.
Ethen didn't flinch at the question. He had known it was coming. "It's not a story I was supposed to share, not until the time was right," he said, his voice low, steady. "Not until you were ready."
"Ready for what?" Noel asked, his voice strained with the weight of everything he'd just learned. The magic. The heir. The seal. His heart was racing, but his mind was spinning even faster.
Ethen shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the koi pond once again. "The seal is ancient, older than this estate. It was placed here to bind the power within, to keep it hidden. You see, Noel... this estate, this land, is not just an ordinary place. It's bound to something far older, something magical. And the koi pond... it's a key."
Noel frowned, confusion mixing with the unease already creeping into his chest. "A key to what?"
"To the magic," Ethen said, his voice soft, almost reverent. "To the magic that only the heir can control."
For the first time, Noel understood. The pond had always been more than a place of comfort—it had been a place of power, a place where his heritage waited to be claimed.
Ethen glanced at him, the hint of a grim smile tugging at his lips. "The seal was placed to keep the magic dormant. To prevent anyone from awakening it before the time was right. And that time..." His voice trailed off. "That time is now."
Noel's mind raced. "But why me? Why now?" His voice cracked slightly, as if the question alone was too heavy to bear. "What does it mean to be the heir? To be the one who can awaken this... this power?"
Ethen's expression softened, though his eyes remained as sharp as ever. "It means you're the one tied to this place. You're the one who can unlock the magic that flows through the land, the one who can restore the Vallis legacy."
Noel's chest tightened. "But... why hasn't anyone known? Why didn't Duke Vallis know?"
Ethen's jaw clenched, and his gaze shifted away from Noel, as though the answer to that question pained him. "The Vallis family lost their secrets long ago—during the Empire Unification War. Valuable texts were destroyed, and the knowledge of the heir and the magic was lost. There hasn't been an heir for over three hundred years. The Duke... he doesn't know what's hidden here. He doesn't know about the seal. About you."
Noel's mind spun. "So I'm not just a son. I'm... something else. Something more."
Ethen nodded, his gaze steady. "You are the heir. And you're the one who can awaken the seal. You're the one who can unlock the power that's been dormant for centuries. But it won't be easy."
Noel swallowed hard. "Why? What's stopping me?"
"Control," Ethen said simply. "Magic doesn't respond to will alone. It requires understanding. Focus. And you'll need guidance. A great deal of it. You will not just learn to control the magic—you will be learning to understand it. To wield it."
"But I can't even control it now." Noel clenched his fists, the frustration of his earlier failure rising within him. "The pond moved, but I can't make it move again. The crystal didn't react. I'm not even sure what's happening inside."
Ethen stepped closer, his presence a steadying force at Noel's side. "You will learn. You'll need time. But you don't have to do this alone. I've been trained my entire life to protect you, Noel. To help guide you."
Noel turned to look at him, his voice barely a whisper. "You? But you're just the son of the nanny. You're—"
Ethen's gaze sharpened. "I'm not 'just' anything. I've been trained as your personal guard. My family... we've known the truth about you. About the heir. And my training goes far beyond what you think. I'm here to protect you, Noel. To keep you safe as you learn to control this magic."
Noel's heart swelled with a sudden, overwhelming sense of gratitude. "You always were here, weren't you?"
Ethen gave him a small smile, his gaze softening for just a moment. "Always."
Noel swallowed, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts, but one thing became clear in that moment: he wasn't alone. Not in this.
And perhaps, just perhaps, he could learn to unlock the power hidden beneath the surface.
As he gazed at the koi pond again, its still surface seeming to shimmer with unspoken promise, Noel whispered under his breath, "I'm ready."