"A war of that scale will spell ruin for Nephtis." Nox finished the tale on that somber note.
The story was a lot to take in at once, Even Lily was quietly sitting on that table, eyes focused on something far away.
"That's terrible." said Dorian after a pause. "But I don't understand what it has to do with us and why do you keep calling me Dorian Stormsky. I am no prince. The only magical thing about me is my consistent poverty despite working for almost a decade now."
"Me too. Well, on second thought, some freak turned me into a cat. That's magical right?" added Lily.
"There were rumors of a hidden prince, of the last heir of Stormsky, hidden in the mundane world. Perhaps the last Lord hid you away to protect you, or maybe to let you gain experience of the outside world. Who knows? But you most certainly do have the blood of Stormsky.
And recently, when your mana surged, I was able to locate you here in the mundane world." continued Nox.
"Mana surge? Nothing of that sort happened to me." Dorian countered.
"Perhaps in your sleep? Presently, your sensitivity to mana is negligible, so it wouldn't have been too noticeable for you. A mana surge happens when the body of an Awakener prepares to form a mana core." said Knox.
"A mana core? Does that mean I would be forced to stay in the city too?" asked Dorian.
"There are some complications. It takes about three months for the core to take form after the surge. But you cannot wait that long. The rumors, which lead me to you, are quite widespread. There are people who don't want you to exist, Dorian. People who want the throne for themselves. You can't wait for months here in the mundane world. You will be safer in Nephtis, where you can gain powerful allies to counter terrible foes. Also awakeners with one layered cores, are protected to some degree by the Academy of Awakeners. But to survive, you will have to become strong, and you will have to do it fast, before the war truly starts. Therefore I will have to awaken your mana core by force." explained Nox.
Dorian was already suffering from a mild headache due to the ton of information dumped on him in the past hour. Even Lily was uncharacteristically quiet. He tried to remember any unusual events in the past week but he didn't recall anything to do with any sort of mana surge. Although, the story along with Lily's transformation were convincing enough, he found himself even more confused than before. And what was the guarantee that this guy was not one of those people who want the throne for themselves? The people who wanted him gone? Maybe instead of killing him, this person was trying to manipulate him to do things which he shouldn't? Still, a part of him was starting to trust this veiled stranger. Maybe it was a case of Stockholm syndrome? "What do you mean by forced awakening?" he asked.
"Instead of waiting for months, I can awaken your core in a matter of minutes, but it would require me to force a lot of mana inside your core, through your body. Although it won't have any lasting effects, it would be quite painful." Nox informed.
Before Dorian could reply, Lily's own shadow surged up, turned into an opaque liquid and covered her completely before settling back on the table and disappearing completely along with Lily. All of it took only a fraction of a second.
"I apologize but your acquaintance is quite loud. We cannot afford any distractions during the forced awakening. I have transferred her in a nearby room." whispered Nox.
Dorian felt his heart skip a beat when Lily disappeared into the shadowy pool but again, for some strange reason, he knew she would be safe. And as for the matter of Awakening, if there was a chance for him to be stronger, why would he not take it? What's a little more pain? All his life he has only known pain and suffering and he was okay with it, as long as he got to live another day. He was willing to bear pain, but not weakness. If more of these 'Awakeners' were coming after him, he'd have to be strong, stronger than all of them, to protect himself, but more importantly, to never fail his friends again. The image of her lying dead in the alley was still fresh in his mind, probably always will be.
"Fine." said Dorian. "What will I have to do?"