3.7

A building rose from the ground to a height as tall as the Magic Tower. She was close to the North of the city, but a little to the center. Just as important, it was the heart of the capital, as the building was nothing more than the Imperial Palace. With decorations on its walls and simple but elegant patterns, the land reserved for the imperial family was larger than the land allocated for the tower.

James looked at the castle that could be said to be amazing, while Brandon was buying the caramelized popcorn he wanted.

It was just a temporary visit, just to see, like the tower. James wanted to go into the tower, watch the wizards studying, read research and get a feel for the environment, but it just wasn't the same for the palace. The Imperial Palace had two main entrances, one used by the imperial family when they left and nobles entered official events and the other for nobles to enter areas permitted to them, such as the public library or a hall for a tea party, and the work.

That is, not very attractive for a twelve-year-old boy who is passionate about magic. Only books and conversations about adult subjects.

It had been some time since they had walked around the Bairro dos Encantos and they couldn't find anything else that could draw their attention. With the exception of James having bought a few extra surprise cookies and a few gifts he liked for the others, they hadn't done much around here; Brandon chose nothing and Nott just accompanied them. Then they went to Asther's second biggest landmark, the palace.

However, contrary to what he imagined, there was nothing very nice to see, other than the magnificent beauty of architecture and design.

The sun was approaching its peak when Brandon approached James with the popcorn, noticing him looking at the building opposite. He looked at his young master's childish face and then at the palace, wondering if there was anything so special. Not even in the Magic Tower had he been like that.

"Want to come in, James?" He asked, handing the bag of popcorn to the boy. Obviously, he didn't agree with the boy eating that now, it was almost lunch time, but they could just eat a little later, so he would have an appetite.

"Huh? No." He quickly denied, shaking the purple strands. "I just don't know what to do now." He used an excuse, but it was half true. The boy didn't want to go in, but he was thinking about where the group could go for fun.

"Why don't we go to the square to see the group of puppeteers Maquiattes? I remember you quoting him once saying that we could see their show. And the square is not far from the palace. It's even better, after watching we can go to lunch in some restaurant, as it is a place where many people gather and there is definitely one with good skills." He suggested.

James cocked his head a little, as if he thought. It was a good plan and he was also curious about the group. He had never seen a puppet show and would like to see one. He turned to Nott and asked him if there was a problem with going along with such a proposal.

"No problem, Third Young Master."

"Good, then let's go." He nodded and led the way.

Because they were walking and talking, sometimes distracted by the small sellers selling something, not noticing the whole crowd dividing like the red sea for two people. A man in all black clothes, with hair as black as his clothes, fierce face, square jaw and sharp eyes, his whole figure attracted attention, whether male or female, but it was because of the strong aura of pressure that made them feel like fear and with respect. The other was a little shorter, with glasses and a little chubby, his clothes were brown with dark blue; he was the magnetic man's assistant.

The crowd of people moved away as they walked, all wanting to get away from the cold, oppressive feeling they felt when they were next to them. It was as if, in the middle of the midday sun, the temperature dropped and the whole body shivered, a fear rising in the depths of the heart. Everyone commented on the feeling they felt and the desire to pull back and away they had, even more so on the identity of the other party. There was no one in the capital who did not hear about the fame of the man who walked down the street with rhythmic steps and was extremely handsome, like the height of male beauty.

"It's him. I thought it would be a while before he came." A man spoke to his colleague.

"Who?" The colleague asked, curious about the man.

"Don't you know who he is? He IS the Duke of Shadows!" He said, exasperated but still whispering.

"The Duke of Shadows!" A third person repeated the name in a low voice as well, but it didn't stop others from hearing the famous name.

Cédric Noir, or better known as the Duke of Shadows, is the sole Grand Duke of the Yulard Empire, ruler of the Duchy of Linden south of the capital, Asther, which has the main trade route from the Neptune Sea to the Eastern continent. In addition to these facts, he is famous mainly for his rumors since when he was just a child, a boy blessed by a God and becoming a Celestia, but, because his attributes were darkness, he was called a demon by his mother, leading her to craziness. Also about your excellent skills in everything. Of course, there are those old ones, but the most recent ones were about his exploits during the war and in battle since he came of age. A God of War who fought against a Celestia of the Torzik kingdom and thousands of soldiers, being a key player in the empire's victory in the war.

He was a hero to the empire and the people.

Therefore, everyone looked at him with respect but deep fear, because even if there were the rumors about his deeds and merits from the battlefield, there was also the other side of the coin, how ruthless he was, killing enemies without hesitation and torturing them in search of information. He did everything he could to achieve his goal. He was cold, calm, calculating and rational. A perfect troop general for the empire, but the worst enemy for those who oppose him.

A hero, but with countless lives in his hand.

The man who was the subject of conversation by those around him ignored them as if they were air and he was not the subject of debate. However, Brandon unknowingly bumped into him, stunned and taking two steps back, before looking up and forgetting what to say, in front of that man. His only thought at the time was 'I guess this is what Gods look like.'

Cédric looked at the one who bumped into him, lowering his head and staring into the male face, as well as the green eyes that met his obsidian. For a moment, his right shoulder burned like lava, before disappearing in the next second as if it hadn't happened. But he noticed, he just didn't express it. He was just staring at the redhead who didn't show any fear towards him, as if he wasn't affected by his Celestia aura that radiated from his body.

Even his own assistant was staring at the two with bated breath, let alone James and Nott who were practically frozen next to Brandon, feeling the low temperature in his body. Both couldn't move, the pressure wouldn't let them, as if indicating not to move, because there was an abyss that would swallow them at any movement.

Brandon woke up from his trance and felt a little embarrassed staring at the other man, but it didn't show on his face either. In front of such a large audience, he is naturally used to controlling expression. Deftly, he stretched his lips into a half moon and smiled at Cédric. The green stones in his eyes sparkled as if there were a thousand stars and they were going to say something very important.

But reality was a bucket of cold water for the atmosphere that, perhaps, only the two felt.

"Sorry to bump into you sir, sorry." Brandon said, his voice calm and melodious to the audience's ears, but Cédric just nodded, muttered an "hm" and left without saying anything else, not even giving him a second glance.

It looked like his pace hadn't stopped and that Brandon had never bumped into him. The assistant soon followed, worried that he would be abandoned by him right there. Knowing the Grand Duke as he does, he wouldn't doubt that if he wanted he would simply disappear from his sight and leave him there, standing there, not knowing what to do. After all, it wouldn't be the first and certainly not the last.

Brandon glanced at the wide, black-covered back moving farther and farther away and turned his attention to the other two as James tugged at his shirt sleeve. The startled and slightly panicked look on the youthful face made him feel helpless for a moment before he smiled at the boy.

"Everything is fine." He rubbed the boy's hair, glancing briefly at Nott who was also staring at him, but in a more serious manner. "What it was?"

"Didn't you feel it? The cold aura he exudes?" Nott asked. He might have been frozen and he was startled by this strange feeling of cold and pressure, but he still noticed every movement of the man in black and Brandon. It seemed that the redhead wasn't affected at all by this atmosphere.

"I am not." Brandon denied it. "Was there something like that?"

"Uhm, yeah. It felt like it was winter around him." James stated and nodded in agreement with Nott. The cold had raised the hairs on his arms. "Look, they're up."

"I didn't feel anything." Brandon smiled, shrugging. "Why don't we go already? We still have to see if the show is going on."

James soon turned his attention back to his original objective and walked forward. He wanted to see if the puppet show was still going on and, of course, forget that cold that made him startle because of its sudden appearance. Nott followed, Brandon at his side, not touching the subject. He thought that Brandon might be pretending not to feel it, but there would be no point in doing so. Anyway, he ignored the event and again focused on protecting the young master's surroundings.

*

Not far from there, but more and more distant, the man in black clothes continued on his way with his helper who looked at the sea of people who had split in two on the road just like the legend of the Emerald Sea, which was opened with the help of from Gods. The assistant pushed up his glasses, seeing all those people practically stiff, with unnatural expressions and, one could even see, sweats running down their foreheads. They were all very different from the boy they had just passed, who had bumped into the Grand Duke by accident.

The assistant had no idea how that boy managed to act so normally when he was in front of Grand Duke Noir, as if he wasn't affected at all by the feeling of cold. It's amazing in and of itself.

However, as a capable and worthy assistant, Zach Ferreira, as well as being a servant to a nobleman and Cédric Noir's right hand, he is not without ideas about how that boy was unaffected. His main theories were that he, the redhead with the green eyes, was an unidentified Celestia, but that was impossible. There wasn't a single aura around him, and yet, Cédric didn't pay attention to him, so he was expendable. The other was that the young man was strong enough to resist, which was acceptable and reasonable, as there were cases where people were able to not feel the aura's influence.

"Sir, how do you think that boy managed to act normally?" He asked, curious. Thoughts of him were questionable to hold back and not ask Cédric.

"Boy?" A low voice asked, calm and undisturbed, good enough to hear and want more.

"The one who bumped into you. The redhead with the green eyes." Zach detailed, looking at Cédric's handsome face from the side.

The nobleman didn't stop for even a second, however, if Zach had seen better he would have seen that a tiny part had been puckered.

"What do you think?" She returned the question, waiting for Zach's analysis. Noir knew that his assistant had already created an idea of what would have happened.

"He might be someone with enough skills to resist, as he didn't seem affected. However, such a conjecture only makes sense if he's a genius or a master. He's too young." He responded promptly.

"Is there another one?"

"A more unlikely one, that he's an unidentified Celestia, I just didn't feel anything coming from him."

Cédric listened to the theories and pondered. He understood why Zach would think that way, only there were so many holes. The impression he had of the boy was not that he was strong, nor that he was a Celestia. That in itself would put you on your toes. But it was like he was someone normal. An ordinary person who withstood the cold. It could happen, nothing was impossible.

However, thinking about it, the memory of the burn on his shoulder came back to her mind, making her eyebrows furrow.

"His gait was not that of someone who follows the path of the sword, let alone magic. Maybe he had some training, but not like the knight who was beside him, as the sense of gravity was different." Cédric spoke, thinking of the third theory. "Maybe he's a candidate."

"If so, should I keep an eye on him?" Zach asked, looking serious under his glasses. His face showed the importance of the matter.

The Grand Duke stopped for the first time as they entered the palace hall. He looked straight ahead, then turned to Zach. The black obsidian gave off a biting chill, but it didn't detract from the beauty that was harmony with the brows.

"Yes."

As much as he thought it was unnecessary to keep an eye on a boy he happened to meet, if he is a candidate it will be important to know in advance. Also, he felt somehow that he couldn't leave it unattended. It was more like a superficial instinct.

And with that answer, he closes the door and enters the room, leaving Zach outside and walks to the sofa to sit down, while being welcomed by a black man with blond hair and brown eyes who smiles at him.

"Hello, Your Highness, Prince Aiden."