Fate's Forgotten Trickster

Chapter 13: Testing the Trickster's Blood

Refining Illusions

The night had been fruitful. Noctis had gained information, marked his first target, and caught the attention of dangerous individuals. But while aristocratic games required wit and careful maneuvering, his true weapon lay elsewhere.

The power of a Trickster's bloodline.

Illusions, deception, the ability to twist perception itself.

But mere knowledge of his bloodline was not enough. He had to master it.

Tonight, he would begin refining his abilities.

Noctis stood alone in the training hall of his estate, the torches casting flickering shadows along the stone walls. The estate guards had long since retired, and no one dared to disturb him at this hour.

He exhaled, closing his eyes.

His abilities were unlike the brute force of knights or the refined magic of scholars. A trickster did not overpower his enemies. He made them doubt reality itself.

His first experiment would be controlling perception.

"If I am to master illusions, I must first understand how people see."

He focused on the air around him, picturing himself disappearing—not by turning invisible, but by becoming unnoticed.

A noble's gaze passed over a servant without a second thought. A merchant ignored a beggar on the street. It was not about vanishing but about being irrelevant.

Noctis concentrated, pushing his will into the space around him.

A whisper of his bloodline stirred.

The torches flickered, and for a brief moment, a strange sensation washed over him—as if the world itself refused to acknowledge his presence.

The feeling was broken by a knock at the door.

He turned sharply.

A servant entered, glancing around before frowning.

"My lord?"

Noctis remained perfectly still, watching.

The servant's eyes passed right over him, as if his presence was no more important than the furniture in the room.

His heart pounded.

It worked.

But the moment his concentration wavered, the servant's gaze snapped back.

"Ah—! Apologies, my lord. I did not see you there."

Noctis forced a polite smile, dismissing the servant with a wave.

The moment the door shut behind them, he exhaled slowly.

The effect was brief. Imperfect.

But he had disappeared—if only for a moment.

He grinned.

This was just the beginning.

Disappearing was useful. But true deception required control over what others perceived.

He needed to create an illusion.

A simple one to start.

Noctis focused on the empty chair in front of him. He imagined it occupied—visualized a shadowy figure sitting there, hands folded, posture relaxed.

He pushed the idea outward, willed it into existence.

The air shimmered. The edges of the chair blurred. And then—

A figure appeared.

Not quite real, but real enough.

Noctis stepped back, assessing his work. The illusion was crude, flickering at the edges. If someone looked too closely, they would notice the flaws. But it was progress.

He reached out, brushing his fingers against the illusion. It offered no resistance. A trick of the eyes, nothing more.

He smirked.

If he could refine this, he could make people see whatever he wanted.

But sight was only one sense.

A true illusionist deceived them all.

"Sight alone is weak. If I am to fool the senses, I must go deeper."

Noctis walked through the halls of the estate, keeping his steps light.

His next test: altering sound.

The simplest way to deceive was to mask his own movements.

Footsteps echoed differently depending on weight, surface, and pressure. If he could manipulate that—he could walk through a room without anyone hearing a thing.

He focused on his steps, reaching for the same strange part of himself that had allowed him to become unnoticed.

With every step, he imagined his presence fading.

The sound of his footsteps grew softer.

Then softer still.

Until—

Nothing.

Noctis moved through the corridor in complete silence.

His heart pounded with excitement.

This was power.

Not strength, not brute force—but the ability to shape the very fabric of reality.

He could walk unseen.

He could change what people perceived.

He could erase himself from their awareness.

And he had only just begun.

As Noctis turned a corner, he nearly collided with Caelum.

His elder brother had the same sharp silver eyes, the same regal bearing, but there was always a sneer when he looked at Noctis.

"You're skulking around at this hour?" Caelum mused. "Strange, even for you."

Noctis gave an easy smile. "Merely thinking, dear brother."

Caelum's gaze flickered over him, eyes narrowing slightly. "Thinking about what?"

Noctis could sense the challenge in his tone. Caelum never wasted time with small talk—this was a test.

A chance to prove his superiority.

Noctis let his smile widen, his voice smooth.

"Oh, nothing much. Just the nature of perception."

Caelum raised an eyebrow.

"Perception?"

Noctis tilted his head. "Yes. Tell me, brother… do you truly see everything?"

Before Caelum could respond, Noctis acted.

He let his abilities flicker into effect—just for a brief second.

Caelum's eyes shifted, confusion crossing his face as he perceived Noctis standing a few inches to the right of where he actually was.

Just enough to throw him off.

Caelum's sharp gaze faltered.

Just for a moment.

But Noctis saw it.

And he smiled.

His abilities worked.

Caelum scoffed, shaking his head as if dismissing a strange thought. "You waste your time with nonsense."

With that, he strode past Noctis, dismissing him as always.

But Noctis?

He was grinning.

His illusions were working.

And soon… they would be perfect.

As Noctis returned to his chambers, he sat by the window, watching the moonlit courtyard below.

Tonight had proven one thing—his powers were growing.

He could alter perception.

He could weave illusions.

He could manipulate sound.

These were the foundations.

But they were only the beginning.

A Trickster's strength did not lie in overwhelming force.

It lay in deception. In twisting reality itself.

And as Noctis refined his abilities, he knew one thing for certain—

The noble world had no idea what was coming.

The game had begun.