When Candle and Vice appeared, it was no surprise that both were shaken. The last time they had been in the world, they had been on the verge of dying and even now, both were still severely wounded.
Everything within the snowglobe was frozen, even their thoughts. The good news was that they didn't experience any time passing so they hadn't felt confined. But, the bad news was that the moment they saw Leonel's face, they panicked and almost unleashed their strength once again.
Fortunately, though, they had obviously had no improvement in the last three or so years, while Leonel himself was on a completely different level. Just a flicker of Leonel's pale violet eyes made the pair freeze, their bodies trembling beneath his presence.
Leonel wasn't sure of the name of his fourth Lineage Factor, but he chose to call it King's Might. He didn't feel particularly bad picking out a name for himself either because he was certain that his current Lineage Factor was a mutation and not the same as any one of the originals it merged from.
This lockdown effect was easy to use when there was a large difference between himself and his opponent. It was most effective when there was direct eye contact, though his released aura had a similar, albeit weaker effect.
The main ability of this King's Might Lineage Factor was in its coercion. It seemed to add a mysterious Force to Leonel's attacks, defenses, and actions that made them harder to deal with. It was almost like a universal boost similar to Universal Force, but this one was reliant on his King's Path.
As expected, the greatest change Leonel experienced was in his Domains, but he had yet to try this out in battle.
Soon, realizing they couldn't move, Candle and Vice sat what they must have thought was still. But, their bodies trembled uncontrollably, their lips quivering.
Seeing them in such a state, Leonel sighed.
When he came here, he had every intention of killing these two. In fact, he knew well that the smartest thing to do would be to do exactly this and hand their abilities over to someone he could value and trust. However… Seeing them in such a state made his heart waver.
Ultimately, much of Candle and Vice's issues weren't their fault. From a young age, they had been trapped in a cage all alone, unable to see or experience the outside world, not for anything they had done, but rather for the small chance of what they might do in the future.
Leonel couldn't imagine the loneliness they had experienced, the hardship and heartache they couldn't even explain without the experience or references to do so.
Leonel could suddenly feel their fear almost innately as though they were bearing their souls to him.
He could see the cold, harsh nights they had suffered. He could see the timidity they cultured within themselves as whatever semblance of personality they had was snuffed out. He could see them wondering if there even was an outside world to experience… thinking if this really was all there was to life.
'This must be… a hidden ability of King's Might…'
The moment Leonel saw such scenes, he knew he couldn't kill them anymore.
It was his own grandfather who had chosen to lock these children away, likely wanting to find away to rear and control them in the future. If he took such a path, how different would he be from him?
'I don't always have to choose the least palatable decision…'
Leonel sighed. "I'm sorry."
Candle and Vice's gazes darted about. For a moment it seemed like they were trying to find out who Leonel was talking to, but their ability to read and pick up on social cues was too poor. Despite the fact Leonel was still gazing at them, it was like they were letting the logic of it being impossible for him to say such a thing override the reality that he had.
Leonel smiled bitterly, releasing his hold on the two.
Suddenly finding the invisible chains around their bodies loosened, the two Savants weren't sure how to react. The result was them naively sitting in place, too afraid to move in case they were punished for it.
Leonel gazed at them for a moment. He really wasn't sure what to do. He had come here with a purpose, but now he almost felt like it would be best if he simply put both back into the snowglobes.
"… When you chose to follow Lionel, what did he promise you?" Leonel finally spoke these words.
The two Savants were taken off guard by the question and began to fidget. They were too worried to answer, not wanting to say the wrong thing.
However, Leonel patiently waited, not saying a single word. He didn't want to influence them one way or another.
Candle clasped her hands together, erratically rubbing her thumbs and biting at the inside of her cheeks.
She kept throwing glances at Leonel as though she expected him to lash out. But, after several moments, she realized that Leonel was simply waiting for them.
She didn't know why, but Leonel's expression seemed pleasant. There was no harsh coldness in his eye, his lip was lightly curled, and his disposition was patient.
Was that a smile? Her vocabulary wasn't very deep. The only reason she knew how to speak at all was due to the time before she was locked away and from overhearing the guards speak.
How long had it been since she saw a smile…?
Before she realized what was happening, Candle's gaze began to turn blurry with tears. She couldn't control them before they came out in an onslaught, drenching her cheeks and the grey prisoner uniform she still wore.
Her breathing hiccupped, her chest heaving as she tried to fill her lungs with air to no avail.
The harder she pushed, the harder she seemed to cry.
"He said… He said…" Candle's breathing hitched. "… He said … we could … see the outside world…"