The Legend of Marvin

Elizabeth, out of breath, leaned on her hands, laughing lightly. The fatigue weighed on her muscles, but a certain pride shone in her golden eyes.

— "Alright, alright… You won this time, Richard. But I'm warning you, next time, I won't leave you a single opening!"

Richard sheathed his magical weapon with a smile and extended his hand to help her up.

— "Yes, I won, but you fought really well, princess. You're improving fast, and it's getting harder for me."

Elizabeth took his hand and stood up gracefully, dusting off her outfit.

Henry watched them with amusement before clapping softly.

— "Congratulations, children! That was a magnificent duel. You're both improving at an impressive rate."

Then, his gaze fell on Elizabeth with kindness.

— "Elizabeth, I especially want to commend you. You have overcome your fear of your power and are beginning to wield it with remarkable fluidity. But remember, this is only the beginning. There's still a long way to go."

Elizabeth nodded with determination.

— "Thank you, Master Henry. I won't stop here!"

Henry smiled at her enthusiasm, then turned to Richard.

— "As for you, Richard…"

Richard raised an eyebrow, expecting a remark from his grandfather.

— "You continue to impress me with your forging magic, but never forget that victory is never guaranteed. You must always be prepared to face someone stronger than you."

Richard nodded, a confident smile on his lips.

— "I know, Grandpa. That's why I won't stop here either."

Henry observed his two students with visible pride. They still had much to learn, but their potential was undeniable.

Richard and Elizabeth watched as Henry climbed into the carriage waiting at the manor's entrance. The coachman, an elderly man, closed the door and took his seat before giving a slight tug on the reins.

— "Well, I think it's time for me to leave. I'm counting on you both to keep improving."

Henry gave them a warm smile and raised his hand in farewell.

— "Goodbye, Richard. Goodbye, Elizabeth. Take care of yourselves!"

Richard clenched his fists as he watched his grandfather leave.

— "Tch… I don't like this."

Elizabeth, standing beside him, turned her head toward him, intrigued.

— "Why are you making that face, Richard?"

— "I have a bad feeling… Grandpa left earlier than expected. And this whole story about disappearances near the border…"

Elizabeth crossed her arms, her gaze hardening slightly.

— "Do you think something serious is going to happen?"

Richard sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

— "I don't know… But the Apostles of Shadow, that cult… If they really are involved, this isn't good."

A silence settled as the carriage slowly disappeared into the distance.

Elizabeth placed a hand on Richard's shoulder.

— "So what do we do? We're not just going to sit here and do nothing, are we?"

Richard looked at her, surprised by her determined tone, before smiling slightly.

— "You really are getting a taste for adventure, aren't you?"

— "Let's just say I don't really miss the princess routine."

They exchanged a knowing smile before Richard turned on his heels.

— "Alright, we'll prepare ourselves. If something goes wrong, I want to be ready."

Elizabeth nodded.

— "Me too."

As Henry's carriage slowly disappeared down the paved path, Richard and Elizabeth stood still in front of the manor, watching their master and mentor's silhouette vanish on the horizon.

Richard crossed his arms, a confident smile on his face.

— "Well, now that he's gone, we'll have to work twice as hard. I want him to be surprised when he comes back."

Elizabeth nodded with determination.

— "Yes! I want him to see how much I've improved. No more holding back, no more fear—I'm going to master my power perfectly."

Richard watched her for a moment, noticing the fire of determination in her eyes.

— "I like that mindset, princess. We're going to train even harder."

She shot him a teasing look.

— "Careful, Richard. If you underestimate me, I might surpass you soon."

— "Ha! I'll believe it when I see it."

They exchanged a knowing smile before the sound of footsteps behind them made them turn around.

Larry and Tristan were approaching, looking curious.

— "So, Henry left?" Larry asked.

— "Yeah. He left us alone with our training," Richard replied, stretching.

Tristan raised an eyebrow.

— "Which means you're going to push yourselves even harder?"

— "Exactly," Elizabeth said with a mischievous smile.

Larry sighed, crossing his arms.

— "Great… And here I was thinking I'd finally have some free time."

Richard gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

— "Don't worry, we won't force you to train with us… well, not too much."

They all burst into laughter.

— "By the way, Tristan, I haven't seen you in a while," Richard said with a skeptical look.

— "Sorry, I was with Lucille. She's an amazing girl, you wouldn't even imagine," Tristan replied with a grin.

Richard crossed his arms and gave Tristan a doubtful look.

— "Yeah, yeah… But it's strange. You've been hanging out with her for a while, and we barely see you anymore."

Tristan raised an eyebrow and lifted his hands in innocence.

— "What's with that suspicious tone? I just found someone I get along with, that's all."

Richard narrowed his eyes at Tristan.

— "Really? Since when do you spend so much time with a girl?" he asked skeptically.

Tristan shrugged, smirking.

— "Since I met Lucille. She's different, man. Honestly, she's incredible!"

Larry crossed his arms and studied Tristan with a doubtful expression.

— "Yeah, yeah… Still, we were starting to worry about you. Disappearing like that without a word—it's not like you."

Tristan laughed and threw an arm around Larry's shoulders.

— "Come on, man, you guys are worse than my mother! I'm fine, okay? Lucille and I just… talked."

Larry, still unconvinced, patted his friend on the shoulder.

— "We're just saying it's not like you to vanish like this… And honestly, this Lucille girl… We don't know much about her."

Tristan let out an exaggerated sigh, clearly annoyed.

— "You guys are unbelievable. The moment I start spending time with a girl, it's like I joined a cult!"

Richard frowned slightly.

— "It's not that… But something feels off. I don't know what, but I have a bad feeling."

Tristan burst into laughter.

— "A bad feeling? What, you think Lucille is a witch or something?"

— "I'm just saying be careful…"

Tristan rolled his eyes.

— "Seriously, guys, relax. I'm not in danger, alright?"

Richard and Larry exchanged a look. They weren't convinced.

Suddenly, a soft yet confident female voice interrupted their conversation.

— "Oh? Sounds like you're talking about me."

The three boys turned around in unison. Lucille stood there, a slight smile on her lips. Her long silver hair shimmered under the light of the setting sun, and her piercing blue eyes observed them with amusement.

— "Richard, Larry… You're Tristan's friends, right? Nice to meet you."

She tilted her head slightly, her smile unwavering, but something in her gaze unsettled Richard.

His bad feeling hadn't gone away.

Richard looked at Lucille warily and asked,

— "What are you doing at my house, Lucille?"

Lucille crossed her arms and met Richard's gaze with a look of feigned offense.

— "Why are you talking to me like I've done something wrong?" she replied, a small smirk forming.

Richard didn't lower his guard and continued to eye her with suspicion.

— "I just find it strange that you're here, at my home, when no one invited you."

Lucille shrugged, pretending innocence.

— "Oh, but Tristan told me I could come. He mentioned the training you do with Master Henry, and since I want to improve myself as well, I thought I might watch and learn."

Richard exchanged a glance with Elizabeth, who also seemed skeptical.

— "Is that true, Tristan?" Elizabeth asked, turning to their friend.

Tristan winced slightly, caught off guard.

— "Uh… Yeah, I figured it wouldn't be a problem…" he admitted.

Richard sighed, running a hand down his face.

— "Tristan, this isn't just any training session. We're under the supervision of my grandfather, a legendary mage. It's not some free spectacle."

Lucille, far from being intimidated, smiled and took a step closer to Richard.

— "I'm not here for sightseeing, Richard. I just want to see what you're capable of… and maybe show you what I can do."

Her tone was enigmatic, and Richard couldn't shake the strange chill he felt as he listened to her.

— "So, you practice magic too?" Elizabeth asked, intrigued.

Lucille nodded, her eyes gleaming with a mischievous glint.

— "Of course. And if you want a demonstration, all you have to do is ask."

Richard didn't like this. Something about this girl felt off, but he had to admit—he was curious to see what she could do.

— "Alright," he finally said, meeting her gaze. "Show us."

Lucille's smile widened.

— "With pleasure."