NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41: With Power Came Fear
Warlock Ch 41. With Power Came Fear
Evelyn raised an eyebrow, still a bit surprised, and crossed her arms, leaning against the edge of his desk. "The drinks and food are in the far chapters, though," she said, a hint of confusion in her voice. "Didn't you just start reading?"
Damian chuckled, unable to hide the pride bubbling up inside him. "Yeah, I thought the same thing. But honestly, I learned all this stuff pretty fast." He pointed to the stack of books beside him, the ones he had already finished. "Look, that's the book I just read. Can you believe that?"
Evelyn blinked and glanced at the stack, her eyes narrowing slightly in disbelief. She reached out and held the books, thumbing through the pages, checking for herself. "Wait," she said, her voice skeptical. "You didn't lie to me, right?"
Damian snorted, shaking his head as he took another bite of his long-forgotten sandwich. "No. Why would I lie? I've been reading for hours." He chewed slowly, savoring the food, before noticing Evelyn's silence.
She stood there, still holding the books, her eyes darting back and forth between the stack and Damian. After a moment, she frowned, her expression shifting from disbelief to something more serious. "Damian," she said carefully, "you've only been reading for two hours."
Damian nearly choked on his sandwich. He coughed violently, grabbing for his drink and taking a huge gulp to wash it down. "Wait—what? Two hours? That's impossible."
Evelyn simply pointed at the clock on the wall, her gaze steady. Damian followed her finger and stared at the time.
It was true. Only two hours had passed since he had sat down to start reading. He glanced back at the stack of books he had finished, each one thicker than a dictionary, if not thicker. The realization hit him.
"That doesn't make sense," he muttered, his mind spinning. He looked at the books, flipping through a few pages just to reassure himself he wasn't imagining things. "I swear, I'm not lying," he said, his voice shaky with disbelief. "I read all of that. And I understand everything."
His mind raced. How could he have absorbed so much in such a short amount of time? It wasn't like he skimmed through the pages or half-read them. Every word made sense. The knowledge had settled into his brain like pieces of a puzzle fitting together perfectly. But two hours? That was insane.
"I'm reading about crystals now," he added, his voice quieter, almost as if he was trying to convince himself more than Evelyn. He lifted the book on magical crystals and stared at the open page, wondering if this was some sort of trick. Something he wasn't seeing.
Evelyn, who had been silent for a moment, set the books down and turned her gaze to Damian. Her expression softened, her eyes filled with something like understanding. "It's okay," she said, her tone gentle. "I believe you."
Damian looked at her, surprised by the calmness in her voice. "You do?"
She nodded, her gaze steady. "I do. It's not just about how much time has passed or how many books you've read. It's more than that. You're different, Damian. More capable than you realize."
He stared at her, still processing everything. "But... how? How did I do all this in two hours? It doesn't make any sense."
Evelyn leaned in slightly, her voice soft but filled with meaning. "You've been connected to magic in ways most people aren't. Your warlock mark, the artifact in your dreams... they're influencing you, pushing you faster than you realize." She paused, her gaze locked on him, but there was something deeper there—something Damian couldn't quite figure out. Nostalgia? Love? Longing? He couldn't put a name to it.
For a moment, the air between them felt heavier, charged with unspoken words. The usual lightness in Evelyn's eyes was gone, replaced by something far more serious, something almost… vulnerable.
Damian frowned, his voice quiet as he asked, "Evelyn? You okay?"
She didn't respond immediately, her eyes lingering on him, like she was lost in a memory or a thought that had resurfaced after being buried for a long time. The silence stretched out, thick and uneasy, and Damian couldn't shake the feeling that there was more going on here than she was letting on.
Finally, she blinked, snapping out of whatever trance she had fallen into, and forced a small smile. "I'm fine," she said, but her voice wasn't as steady as usual. "It's just... seeing how fast you're learning, how quickly you're connecting with the magic—it reminds me of someone."
"Who?" Damian asked, leaning forward slightly. He could tell this wasn't just about him learning magic—it was about something much bigger, something personal for Evelyn.
She hesitated, her fingers tracing the edge of his desk absentmindedly. "My mentor," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "He was… like you. Exceptionally gifted, but it came with a cost."
Damian's heart thudded in his chest, the weight of her words settling over him. "What do you mean, a cost?"
Evelyn glanced away, her eyes clouded with an emotion Damian couldn't quite identify. It was like she was staring at something far beyond the room, something distant in her mind. He could feel the tension in the air, the heaviness of whatever memory had surfaced.
"He... he was too powerful," Evelyn said quietly, her voice barely more than a whisper. "His magic came naturally, just like yours." She trailed off, her fingers tightening against the edge of the desk.
Damian felt a shiver run down his spine. "What happened to him?" he asked, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer.
Evelyn took a deep breath, her gaze distant, her voice heavy with memory. "Everyone started to see him as a danger. At first, they admired him—his power, his control, his potential. But then, as he grew stronger, they grew more afraid. They saw him as something they couldn't control, something that needed to be dealt with." Her eyes flicked toward Damian, as if weighing whether to continue. "They wanted him dead, Damian. Or worse—they wanted to steal his power, to use him as a tool, a weapon. He became too powerful, and with that power came fear."