Yearning for Freedom

Several seconds stretched into an eternity after Ruele left the room. Jayden knew his plan was a long shot, a desperate gamble fueled by a surge of rebellion, he had to act now.

Why was that? Because he knew that his mother's emotions were fresh; she was upset with him and that was the time for Jayden to strike, while the iron was hot. If he waited, Jayden was pretty sure that Ruele would send Elora back to his room to supervise him again, and with that, his plan had almost zero chances of success.

'Think, Jayden, think!' he urged himself, scrambling towards the dresser. With haste born of urgency, he scooped up an armful of clothes and piled them on the bed. Working quickly, he molded the garments into a rough semblance of a human form, pulling the blanket over the makeshift figure to complete the illusion.

His heart hammered a frantic rhythm against his ribs. Each passing moment felt amplified by adrenaline. He grabbed a pillow, strategically placing it beneath the blanket to mimic the shape of a sleeping body.

A final touch – his favorite childhood plush nestled against the makeshift head, a picture of innocent slumber.

Stepping back, Jayden surveyed his handiwork. The figure on the bed looked surprisingly convincing. Time was a relentless tide, and he didn't hesitate. He snatched a spare pair of shoes, placing them strategically beside the bed to solidify the deception.

Just as he finished, the sound of approaching footsteps sent a jolt of panic through him. He forced himself still, schooling his features into a mask of nonchalance. Ruele entered the room with her gaze sweeping over the scene.

Relief washed over Jayden as she sighed, a weary acceptance in her eyes. "Fine," she conceded, her voice laced with exhaustion. "I'll give you some space for now. But don't think this gets you out of trouble."

With her departure, ease flooded Jayden's beating heart. Against all odds, his audacious plan had succeeded… for now.

He knew a single touch, a probe of her senses into the mana signature beneath the blanket, would have exposed his hoax, and even though his plan worked, he couldn't help but be stunned for a couple of moments. He thought that it was stupid and had no chance to trick Ruele, but the trick worked. The problem was that there were almost zero chances for it to work a second time.

He reached for a small t-shirt, pulling it over his head and fumbling for a moment before securing it in a makeshift knot. There were only three people with 'abstract' features in the estate: him, Ruele, and Elora. The rest of them had dark hair and dark blue eyes. He would stand out too much with his current features.

The absurdity of a child with a shirt over his head wouldn't raise many eyebrows. Children were known for their odd whims, and that was exactly the image he was cultivating.

"Good, that should work," he murmured, stealing another glance at the carefully crafted figure on the bed. Now came the truly daunting part.

He turned towards the expansive windows, their panes offering a view of the sprawling gardens that stretched behind the mansion. The villa had a ground floor plus two upper levels, and Jayden's room was exactly on the second level. As he looked out at the lush greenery around him, he knew that he had to be extra careful in carrying out the next phase of his plan.

'Movies always involve using bedsheets as makeshift ropes,' he thought, running through various escape methods. 'But I will waste too much time for this, and there are too many eyes fixed on the house, they will find it in a matter of minutes,' Jayden thought.

First of all, Jayden tried to calm his breath and his mind. He knew that what he was trying to do was very risky and if failed, falling from the second floor, the impact wouldn't be that nice for his body. And second, if his family found out, then any escape plan would have zero percent chance of success.

With his eyes closed, several minutes went by until his breath became slow and steady. His consciousness dived slowly and deeply into his mana core, and with a flash, the huge white ball displayed its majestic appearance in front of his eyes.

Jayden's body all of a sudden started to emanate a gray, almost invisible aura, and then, his eyes snapped, 'Is now or never!' and with a leap of fate he jumped without thinking anymore.

Immediately after he jumped, Jayden threw his right hand in front of him. The grayish hue around him moved and covered only his palm as he channeled as much mana as possible.

The world seemed to rush past in a blur. As the ground loomed closer, panic threatened to consume him. But then, instinct took over. He thrust his right hand forward, the grayish hue swirling around his palm as he poured every ounce of his concentration into controlling the flow of mana.

Two meters from impact, the world seemed to slow down. With a lightness, he weirdly felt the absence of gravity, his body becoming uncontrollable but, like a light feather his small feet hit the ground. He landed on his feet with a soft thud, the success of his maneuver washing over him in a wave of exhilaration.

'Yeeeess! I did it. I controlled gravity for the first time. That was freaking amazing!' while he was more than happy internally, Jayden didn't lose sight of his actual plan and he darted between the trees, weaving a path through the dense foliage and disappearing, leaving the mansion and his sheltered life behind.

While he was running, Jayden focused on his mana again, this time he felt it a little bit easier to control and manipulate it, and several seconds later, his feet were covered with it. He felt his body lighter and the power in his legs was boosted by many times,

'I need to reach the forest before they find out about my disappearance' he thought while sprinting between the trees.