Shadow Author



Rising the seat back up I went to open the door but it was locked. Looking over at Charlotte I was expecting her to open them but she only looked back at me.

After a few seconds I broke eye contact and manually undid the lock yet just as I was about to open the door I heard a clicking sound and the door didn't open when I pulled on it.

Giving up I turned back around to face Charlotte.

"Yes?"

She remained silent for a moment before whispering:

"Did I do something wrong?"

I shook my head.

"No."

Although my words were honest Charlotte looked skeptical and continued to study my expression.

"Are you sure?"

Without missing a beat I quickly answered.

"I'm sure."

By this point I just wanted the conversation to be over as I had much more important things to take care of.

Plus we were running out of time before the first period started. Thankfully we managed to leave the hotel early enough and not get stuck in traffic so we still had a few minutes before classes started.

Yet Charlotte's next question made me pause.

"Do you love me?"

Hearing her words it was my turn to fall quiet as I realized she was being completely serious.

"I don't know."

Charlotte didn't have an immediate outburst but I could feel anger in her voice when she responded.

"You don't know?"

Giving up on making it to class in time I figured I was in for a long conversation.

Thinking it over for a bit I eventually sighed before revealing what I was feeling.

"Look, whatever feelings you have for me I know mine are not at the same level but I can say that I value you."

Hearing my words Charlotte seemed to calm down slightly but continued her interrogation.

"Will you ever be able to love me?"

The questions she was asking were extremely difficult for me to answer and it didn't help that my head was still pounding from the migraine.

"It's too early for me to give you an answer right now."

Even though that was the truth Charlotte didn't seem to like that and only pushed further.

"How long will it be till it's long enough? A week? A month? A year? I can't wait forever, I need someone I can rely on.."

Charlotte continued to rant but after a while, her words began blurring together and the pain in my head was only getting worse.

"… the world is changing Lucas and our lives aren't guaranteed…"

The pain was worsening and I was trying hard to listen to her words but eventually, my ears stopped working and everything turned silent.

That was until I heard a single word.

"… at least Elijah…"

After hearing his name a spark erupted from my body and everything came rushing out.

Instantly Charlotte's words were cut short as all the glass in the car shattered and exploded outward.

"Do not compare me to that man."

*

The sudden sequence of events left Charlotte shocked but when those words came out of Lucas's mouth Charlotte realized how badly she messed up.

Not minding that all the windows in her car just exploded, what worried her more was that her entire car was beginning to creak and a heavy pressure crashed down on her.

A hint of fear crossed her eyes as she instantly understood that Lucas was at a much higher level than her.

Previously she always thought that she was stronger than him but she also knew that he wasn't as weak as he portrayed himself to be.

Yet at that point, she realized how truly wrong she was and the reason why, was because Lucas was manifesting his magic! That was something only someone could do when they were C-rank!

This terrified her as it meant that if Lucas wanted he could crush her like a bug and it also meant that Lucas was far more complicated than she originally thought.

If someone that strong was pretending to be so weak that they were at the bottom of the ranks then they obviously had an agenda and currently Charlotte was interfering.

Although Charlotte's thoughts were partially correct there were a few things she was wrong about.

The first being that Lucas wasn't actually a C-ranker, it was just that his magic stat was nearing that level.

If he was truly a C-ranker the car and Charlotte inside would have been done for but Lucas was only able to touch upon that power which was why the car was only shaking.

Secondly, Lucas was doing this subconsciously as his anger was about to burst so he had no real control over manifesting magic.

In addition, he should have never been able to even make the car shake because of how far he was from being a C-ranker. It's true that he was close but he would have needed to be much closer to have the same effect. So the real reason why he was able to shake the car was because of his elemental affinity with water which had a drastic impact on his overall magic abilities.

However, Lucas was unable to recognize this or even realize that he was the one who was shaking the car because he was already voicing back his emotions.

*

"What do you mean how long? We've only been together for a few days and you expect me to be in love with you? I barely know any of your interests!"

My voice kept getting louder as I shouted at her.

"What even is our relationship Charlotte? Are we truly boyfriend and girlfriend or are we just using each other?"

By this point, tears were falling out of Charlotte's eyes but I didn't care.

"Remember the deal we made? Well, I got the dungeon and it's only a matter of time before I get rid of Elijah so what's the point in being close with each other?"

Charlotte's tears turned into full-on sobbing as her body started to shake uncontrollably. For a moment it reminded me of another experience she went through but I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind.

"Of course, the world is changing, you have no idea what's coming and how dangerous it's going to be. That is why I need to stand at the pinnacle of the world to stop any dangers from reaching me. Due to that, I'll do whatever it takes to ensure my life even if it means sacrificing everyone else!"

At some point, the tires in the car exploded and my shouting turned into full-on screaming.

"And do not dare compare me to Elijah! You're the one who asked me to ruin that bastard and I swear he will not become the hero he is meant to become. I will not allow him to take away what's mine!"

Breathing heavily I continued:

"Charlotte I know you better than anyone else, I know where your feelings come from and the scars that come from your past. I know how small you feel and how you cling to anyone who will provide for you and keep you safe. After all, that was the main reason you were with Elijah!"

Concluding my message I ended with:

"Yet I already told you I would stand with you and keep you with me. It may not be the same love as yours but I will never let you go through what you went through before. You can stay with me or leave but I will conquer this world and make it fit my every desire!"