Fantasy Cruelty of Swine | Private

[LONELYRAIN]

Sybil didn't know how long it had been since she had fallen asleep, was it perhaps days or mere hours? The dreamscape within her mind seemed endless, dark and cold, the prison where her Iulla still slumbered. However, unlike where Iulla would normally threaten her or loom above her, there was silence as if nothing was there. The sensation was... odd to say the least. Had Iulla moved elsewhere within her prison? Or was Sybil simply wandering around in a random direction? Nonetheless, the darkness was suffocating, heavy as it bore down on her body, her legs struggling to keep herself upright the more she walked, even her breathing was becoming more labored with each passing second.

It was beginning to hurt. The pressure felt as if it were squeezing her lungs, pressing down on her chest and trying to drag her to the floor. She wheezed, her legs trembling before they gave out from underneath her, knees hitting the inky darkness as the pressure continued to increase, freezing her in place and pushing her to the darkness.. until she realized the darkness she was wandering through tasted distinctly like blood. Even if the coloration was wrong, it was similar to the Old God's, it stunk, it was foul and it filled her nose and mouth, burning her skin and making her choke, her struggling body doing little to help save her as she tried to keep her head above current.

It was rising, slowly but surely in her position, swelling until it reached her nose and filled it, robbing her of breath, of oxygen as she desired to cry out for help. Was Iulla doing this? Making her suffer? But the Old God did not respond, a chill being her only reward as the blood swept upward in ominous waves above her head, sinking her within.

...​

The waking world was a shock to Sybil's system, the mage's eyes fluttering open wide as she struggled to bring in air to her lungs, the chilly wind scathing against her throat and causing her to quickly surge upward, a hand being placed upon the rapid rise and fall of her chest, as if she was trying to check if whatever pressure had vanished. She had stopped breathing if only for a few minutes, evident alone by the struggling for air and the dizziness that wracked through her body, which in turn resulted in the woman pressing palms to her eyes as a groan left her lips.

She hated being summoned back to that place.

However, the more she was coming back to her senses, the more she smelt a rare scent on the wind, causing her stomach to immediately disregard the panic inside of her and draw heavy eyes toward the stripes of glistening meat being held up by sticks over a fire. Pork... when was the last time she even had meat? The scent made her mouth water, hunger overriding her fear just as quickly though her attention eventually turned to Arthur and immediately looked away. Right... he had probably woken up early and went hunting. Though, she had no idea that the man had went off to try training his mana, thinking it was merely a passing interest. It wasn't as if one would want assistance from her anyways.

On hands and knees, Sybil had struggled to force her weakened body to move, shifting through the leaves and dirt as her eyes settled upon the meat, a hungry light to her eyes as she settled away from Arthur, speaking though her voice was hoarse, perhaps due to her just waking up from sleep as she rubbed her eyes, "...When did you find this..?" An innocent enough question to ground herself in reality.

 

[Key of Stars]

Arthur shifted his eyes from the fire to Sybil for a moment. "I got lucky. Found it a little ways out from our camp while doing my daily training routine." He answered her with a slight shrug, returning his attention to the meat above the fire almost immediately after, not wanting it to burn. "Another rough night?" He didn't look away from the fire as he asked the somewhat unnecessary question, a single glance at Sybil made it more than clear that the woman had had a rough night. Interestingly, the prince himself didn't remember anything about his own night, no dreams, good or bad, though he supposed that might be for the best. "Iulla again, I assume?"

He rose, climbing to his feet and walking over to the horse, pulling two small wooden bowls out of the bags before returning to the fire. He carefully removed the meat from above the crackling flames, placing it in the bowls and holding one out for her to take. "Here, boar for breakfast isn't exactly usual but I hardly care and I doubt you do either." A slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he settled back against a nearby stump opposite of her with his own bowl. Sybil had been a noble before, amateurishly prepared meat would hardly make for the best meal she'd ever eaten. Even so, it had been a long time since Arthur had last eaten fresh meat of any sort and he suspected it might have been even longer ago for her.

"So," He started after eating in silence for a while. "I have a few questions... about magic." He took another bite before continuing. "You said my mana regenerates naturally as long as my body is in good condition, right? If that's the case why don't you take some of my mana to increase your own supply? I can't exactly use magic yet, in fact I can't even direct the mana in my body, you can. If we use my mana to increase your supply we might just stand a better chance in our next fight." Of course, he didn't know if it actually worked like that, it had simply been something he came up with when thinking about what to do next.

"Also, I was wondering what exactly Celestial magic can... well... do." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "The application of the four primary elements is clear enough to me but I can't say anything comes to mind directly when I think about Celestial magic. He'd allowed his mind to wander more than once, coming up with grand spells much like those in the many legends he'd heard and read about as a child, but legends were legends, and Arthur himself didn't have a clue how far his magic could actually go.

"Putting that aside for now..." He continued, placing his bowl on the ground. "I was hoping you'd at least listen to another selfish request of mine." He raised his eyes, staring directly into hers. "Swords alone are not enough to make myself useful in a fight, not enough to achieve my goal, that much is clear to me." He lowered his head in something that resembled a polite bow. "That's why, I ask you to please teach me how to use magic."

 

[LONELYRAIN]

Sybil's lips pursed as he had explained that he had gotten lucky while training and found the boar that had become their breakfast. "I see." An absent response, the woman relaxing herself once more against the tree that would be her support for now, her lips parting in a sigh as she gazed ahead of her, expression tightening for a moment as Arthur had asked her if it was another rough night. A snort had left her then, shrugging off the unnecessary questions, "Yes." Iulla always was there in the back of her mind, it was truly nothing new. Judging alone from the paleness to her skin and the shadows that lingers in her eyes, she was not willing to elaborate nor did she seem inclined to open up further about it.

Rustling of footsteps upon leaves and the eventual bowl that had been handed to Sybil as she gazed ravenously down at the meat, an emotion other than the apathy that had been controlling her features just moments before had delved into hunger as she took no time in beginning to tear at the flesh. There was no seasoning upon the meat, but it certainly was a welcome change after so many years of not having the flavor of meat on her tongue. "Mmmph!" Was her only verbal response in regards to the prince's comment, far too preoccupied with satisfying her hunger than to pay him much heed.

The following silence that had settled between the two was interrupted as the prince had spoken, prompting Sybil to stop in response to her meal, swallowing the meat she still had within her mouth as she raised an eyebrow at the prince. This eyebrow was raised further as he followed up with he had a few more questions about magic, which made a sharp exhale leave her nose in response, the wooden bowl now resting inbeteeen her thighs as she crossed her arms at him, a frown upon her lips then. She thought this would be a passing interest, nothing truly serious... however it seemed as if she was proven wrong.

Cautiously, the woman had fit a bit of the boar meat within her mouth as he had begun to elaborate on a suggestion... a suggestion that made her blood chill as she sucked in a sharp breath, nearly choking on the food still within her mouth, a sudden flare of crimson overtaking her usually pale face as she forced herself to swallow before snapping, "Absolutely not!" The vicious bite to her words were shocking, a frazzled appearance to her face as her usual composure had been stripped away. Though the suggestion was certainly appealing due to the promise of mana that lay in the prince's body, black magic was the only thing that could draw it out but to do so would require... no! She wasn't about to seriously consider this!

"Don't you ever suggest that again, though yes it is possible but the- the method to do s-so..." She closed her eyes and shook her head rapidly, a scowl quick to flow upon her face, "...Besides, chances are you will die. Don't put that much faith in me to be able to control myself, I'm still very much a danger to both you and myself." A bit of bitter reality to ground her before her head spun, her expression pinching as the flare of red had faded gradually from her cheeks, amber eyes losing the spark of nervousness that had been there as she proceeded to eat, allowing him to continue uninterrupted through the rest of his words.

It was only when he had finished had Sybil peered at him from her spot with an iciness to her eyes. He seemed sincere, very much so in his desperation to even so much as turn to her for guidance... and that alone unnerved her, the sight of him bowing to her to further express such sincerity had made Sybil sigh as a hand came to her still relatively warm face, scathing underneath the iciness of her hand. "...You're really annoying." The complaint left her lips automatically, the woman in turn lowering her hand from her face to rest upon her lap, cradling the bowl within her grasp as she shakily stood, crossing the distance between herself and the still bowing man and promptly smacked his head lightly with the wooden bowl, "First of all, cut that out."

The woman's expression was firm as she gazed down at Arthur, eyebrows pinching in an all too displeased expression as she desired all so strongly to turn him down... but perhaps it would be useful instead to make him far stronger than she. No, she needed him to be far stronger than she was at the end of this journey, for Iulla was their final target. "Fine. But I can only show you the very basics, the rest you'll be on your own to figure it out." Sybil then placed the now empty wooden bowl, drained of all its contents on the leafy floor before him, "As for celestial magic, from what records that I looked at before fleeing Moonhaven, it is the magic of the gods, specifically to purify but also to burn away evil. Being the complete contrast against Void, it can reduce or nullify the body manipulation that Void magic specializes in. In other words, Celestial can be considered the restoration of order through healing or other methods to destroy foes, Void is the power to take away a victim's control and manipulate the body, to make chaos reign... if that makes any sense."

Sybil's amber eyes shifted away from Arthur then, a huff leaving her lips, "But, honestly I should count our blessings that you have celestial magic, it'll make things a hell of a lot easier for the both of us... if you get stronger that is."

 

[Key of Stars]

Sybil's fierce reaction to his suggestion of sharing mana caught Arthur off guard. In fact, the suggestion had drawn more emotion out of her than the prince has yet seen her display before. He quickly raised a hand in a gesture asking her to calm down but Sybil continued her tirade without interruption. He nodded sharply when she had finished talking and had taken a moment to calm herself down a little. "I understand, I won't speak of it again." Seems like he had really misjudged how dangerous it was to share mana. "I thought perhaps I could simply manifest some of my mana outside of my body like yesterday, I suppose reality is rarely as straight forward as one wishes it would be." He shook his head, it would have put them in a much better fighting position if his suggestion had been feasible, well, all the more reason for him to train in using his own magic.

He could have argued when she called him annoying, or he could at the very least have let her know she wasn't exactly being original. She'd called him annoying more times than he could count by now over the short course of their journey. Even so, he stayed silent, feeling it was probably for the better to simply let her keep talking without taking the risk of annoying her even further by responding with a quip of his own.

He raised his head as she struck him with the bowl, rubbing the back of his head as he stared up at her. It wasn't like it had hurt, but Sybil had caught him off guard for the second time in the span of five minutes. A hint of a smile played around his lips as she conceded to helping him with the basics, eagerly nodding when she finished. "That is all I ask for." He wasn't really sure where to go from the very basics, but perhaps getting a grasp on the basics would make it easier for him to experiment and train on his own. At the very least, he would probably be able to somewhat manipulate the mana inside of him, which would be a massive improvement from the non-response he'd gotten this morning when he tried to manipulate it.

So Celestial magic could reduce or nullify the body manipulation that Void magic specialized in? That was interesting. He stared back into her amber eyes for a moment, he wouldn't actually tell her, she would simply brush it off or call him too weak, but the moment she'd spoken those words his mind had wandered to the connection between her and Iula. While the connection between her and the Old Gods was what allowed them to locate their targets it was also dangerous, not just for Sybil but for him as well. If he could somehow sever the link between her and Iula, perhaps even before they would have to face Iula in battle, that would make things a lot easier.

Instead of voicing those thoughts he asked her a different question. "When you say healing, do you simply mean the healing of wounds? How far does this go? Reattaching limbs? Resurrecting the dead?" He quickly shook his head. "Just ignore that, of course not." Still, he was curious. Then again, she might not even know the limits of healing through Celestial magic, from the way she spoke about it all her knowledge came from records and who was to say how complete those records were.

He nodded again as she shifted her gaze away from his. "I will try to live up to my own expectations." He climbed to his feet. "I suggest we stay here for the day, you might be able to sit on the horse now but you're still in no condition to fight. Also, there's still boar meat left and I'd prefer to not make our horse overwork itself by carrying us and the boar." He walked over and gave the horse a quick pat on the nose. "If you think your body can manage it, would you be opposed to teaching me the very basics right now?"

 

[LONELYRAIN]

Sybil's eyebrow raised as her gaze returned to Arthur, though his questions had managed to make the woman's expression soften a little. That genuine curiosity reminded her a bit of when she'd been younger, still bright-eyed and absolutely enthralled by the endless possibilities that magic could give her. It was a whole new world, a world that she'd been so eager to explore. Closing her eyes, she dismissed the softer thought as she took in a breath and exhaled lightly, "No, the more questions you ask, the more you'll know. It's better to know the limits now while you're still beginning." At least this was a welcome change to her previous agitated mood, her eyebrows furrowing as she was considering his questions with care.

"Celestial magic can be used to heal wounds and illnesses, but no, not resurrecting the dead. That is necromancy," She pointed a finger at him, "Which I'm warning you now, do not attempt it. That's in void magic's territory, and quite frankly it comes with a dangerous price, what price it is depends on who is bringing the soul back from death... something that the Old Gods can do with ease, but for us mortals we aren't too lucky." It was a bargain, though necromancy was strictly forbidden for good reason, for when mere mortals attempted to reach the realm of divinity, the souls they brought back were no longer themselves, mere mockeries of how they'd been in life. Nothing like when an Old God would attempt the some feat... something that Sybil had to acknowledge herself as her expression darkened, a tightening to her features as memories threatened to pull at her mind, to chastise her for her insolence all those years ago. She had been such a fool, but a fool that was dancing to a puppeteer's tune.

Arthur's suggestion had made Sybil's expression sour in return, almost tempted to protest though she was quick to be placated this time with the facts being all too harshly dangled before her face. She knew that and yet, they didn't have time. But, that perhaps would fall in deaf ears and force her to submit which made the woman return to her spot beneath the tree, her eyes shifting to the boar meat that still remained, then shifted back toward Arthur as she nodded her head in agreement, though it was obvious there was some reluctance there, "Fine, we'll spend the day here but I expect for you to pay attention when I'm teaching you. I'm not some council member, my patience is not like theirs." She added with a dismissive sniff, and a cross of her arms against her chest, though the council members certainly were far more experienced than she when it came to mentoring, she had to try... even if she felt a tinge of nervousness in her gut. How could she begin to explain the basics that he would understand?

Her eyebrows furrowed as amber eyes had turned to the leafy floor beneath them, eyeing the dead leaves underneath as her expression seemed truly lost in thought, mumbling under her breath, "Where do I begin...?" Her lips pursed as she turned to eye Arthur and then the horse, only for her to hesitantly begin to speak, "Well, I suppose I should explain at first how to sense mana, at the very least then we can build off from there." Sensing mana was purely opening one's senses to the world around them, to be able to feel and sense the magic flow and with it to follow the gateways of magic within one's body. That certainly could help.

"Mana has a flow to it, like... like water or a stream. It flows through everything on this continent," She motioned to their surroundings, "Though, mana flow at this moment is very slow, however if we can get you to sense not only that, but the mana in your own body, it'll make it so much more easier for you to begin to cast spells. It's just a matter of reaching in and allowing your mind to manipulate what you desire the mana to become. It's an art that thrives off of the user's creativity, so the more you strengthen your mind, the easier it will become." At this point, there seemed to be a liveliness within Sybil's eyes as she was explaining, a twinkle in the usually agitated or anger amber eyes as a smile was slowly beginning to flare to life upon her face, a thin hand patting the ground before her, "Through mana you can feel the earth around you breathing, feel life on the breeze... and if you get really good at sensing it, you can see the color of mana before you. It was so-" She caught herself then, her lips pressing together as she closed her eyes and shook her head, shoulders sagging as guilt weighed heavy on her then. It had been so beautiful... and she ruined it. It was so ugly, so dead and withering before her eyes now, the beautiful colors faded and sluggish, the land crying out in dying gasps... all because she wasn't strong enough.

Leaning back against the tree, the previous happiness that had blossomed across her face had evaporated, "..Anyways, to be able to sense mana, you need to be able to feel the mana flow within your own body, and that comes from paying attention to your breathing, clearing your mind and opening it up. It might take you a few tries though, and by all means do not try to force it out of desperation or frustration, you'll never be able to sense it that way. Just.. clear your head and take in deep breaths, feel your heartbeat, feel the blood flow through your veins."

 

[Key of Stars]

Arthur nodded. "Alright then I won't refrain." Her mood seemed rather fickle today and a single wrong question would probably flip her mood right back to annoyed, but if she was allowing him to ask questions he wasn't going to hold back. "So I'm just wondering, how exactly does mana work? I know the magic objects we used in everyday life were made to be used by anyone and I assume those are a whole different story from other forms of magic. But basically, what I mean to ask is, what exactly is it that makes the mana inside of me so different from the mana inside of you, or why are we bound to different elements?" He wasn't sure if that question made any sense, he hoped it did at least. If not, he could live not knowing the answer. It wouldn't impact him negatively if he didn't know, he was just curious.

"I understand, I won't attempt it, I won't mention it again." He'd thought about it, the thought had wormed its way into his head when he heard Celestial magic could heal. Secretly wishing it would be able to bring back those he had lost, perhaps even the entire kingdom, but deep down he'd already known bringing back the dead wouldn't be possible for a mortal. If it was, stories and legends of it being accomplished would have certainly spread and, while the prince had barely cared for stories about magic, tales as fantastical as bringing people back from the dead would have reached even him.

"Of course, I wouldn't dream of not paying attention." He couldn't stop a small smile from appearing on his lips as he thought back to his lessons in the palace, he'd sworn a very similar thing back then, though he hadn't actually upheld that promise back then. This time though, he wanted nothing more than to receive her lessons and grow stronger, partly for himself, but, more than that, for those of his kingdom that still remained.

He nodded along with her explanation, not that he understood quite yet. While the concept was simple enough in itself, the prince didn't have the faintest idea of how to go about sensing mana, both around him and inside of him. Still, for the first time since they had started their journey, Sybil actually seemed excited. Not the forced fake glee she'd displayed before but actual genuine excitement and an actual genuine smile. Though she seemed to have been reminded of something towards the end of her explanation, cutting her explanation short while her expression returned to her usual somber look.

"Understood." He sat down cross-legged, closing his eyes slowly. He already knew what he was looking for, he'd felt the melody-like beat of his own mana twice before. That said, he had no idea how to actually look for it, her instructions were simple enough, at least, partly. Feeling his own heartbeat was a simple matter of focusing on it, but feeling the flow of his blood through his veins, was that something others could do? Try as he might, he could somewhat visualize it but actually feeling the flow of his blood was a difficult task. He opened his eyes briefly, looking at her. "Are you sure this how it's supposed to be done?" He shook his head immediately after, of course she was sure, he closed his eyes and tried again. He wasn't sure how long it had been, it felt like an eternity, an eternity in which he did nothing but sit and concentrate until at last. "I think I've got it." He opened his eyes, the feeling was faint, much less present than it had been yesterday, but, unlike yesterday, the melodic beat inside of him didn't dissipate or go silent without Sybil's help.

 

[LONELYRAIN]

Sybil was optimistic, a rare feeling of true optimism beginning to flare in her chest as she stared expectantly at Arthur to do as she told. Of course, she probably could have done a better job of explaining how to slip into such a state to sense mana, but for her it was as natural as breathing, a simple intake of breath and a closing of eyes and she could reach and sense with ease. However, this was only due to her having too much experience, she had forgotten truly how difficult it could be for someone starting out; which in Arthur's case the woman's expression had immediately soured as he opened his eyes and asked her if this was how it was supposed to be done. A clenching of her jaw and a narrowing of her eyes was her response, prickly and annoyed already, but she refrained from allowing her anger to guide her tongue.

Silence would follow as he closed his eyes, time that Sybil took to analyze his breathing, and for once allowed herself to slip and sense the mana within his body again. To her eyes, he was as bright as the sun, a blinding light that seared her soul and all the same made jealousy stir again in her stomach. Blessed one indeed, blessed and lucky. Her expression turned sour as a thin hand came to frame her gaunt cheek, hollowed eyes lowering to the dead leaves beneath them as her thoughts served to guide her. If only it was different, why wasn't she given such a gift? If she had then perhaps she wouldn't be in this situation with her "grandmother", would it have been enough to ward the Old God away? Perhaps.

Her eyes dropped down to her other hand, closing her eyes to observe the mana flowing under flesh, and it was sluggish. Sluggish perhaps due to the anti-magic cuffs, but strong in the sense there was still color there, but it was no longer the color belonging to fire, instead the vibrancy was deluded and blackened, a sickly ooze that robbed and ate away at everything she had been before. It made her snort as she opened her eyes again. Yes, this seemed to be her fate, wasn't it? As cruel and unreasonable it was, there was nothing she could do now but whine in her own self-pity how truly unfair everything seemed to be for her.

Then he had spoken again. The sound of his voice had made Sybil snap out of her thoughts, the amber of her gaze settling upon the prince, "You do?" Incredulous was the voice that responded back to him, though he certainly took awhile, if he did indeed seem to have the hang of it, or even begin to actually feel the flow then... well, she was impressed. Her thin fingers clasped together as her eyebrows furrowed at him, "Well, if you do, then it's only a matter of reaching deep and 'seeing'... but how to explain..?" She grumbled as she crossed her arms, at a loss for words.

"Once you do it, it'll be easier to replicate it later. Just.. imagine your hands reaching deep for the mana flow within, sometimes imagining it in your mind makes it a bit easier. And don't get frustrated if it doesn't work the first few tries, you're still learning so I don't expect perfection." She was even surprised enough he was already getting a hold of the centration it required at least for someone who was unexperienced, but again the little trickle of envy was tainting her surprise as she sat and waited, though keeping in mind his earlier question, something that she would answer later, but only once he had achieved what she had told him to do.

 

[Key of Stars]

Arthur nodded, though the gesture was more hesitant than he'd liked. "Yes. Or, well..." Sybil's surprise at his statement had made him unsure, had he been too fast in completing the task? It had felt like he'd been sitting with his eyes closed for hours, though one look at the sun told him that couldn't have been the case. Still, he could feel the melodic rhythm of the flow of mana inside him, a stark contrast to the more rigid constant beat of his heart alongside it. "Yes, I think so."

He attentively listened to her new instructions, occasionally moving his arm and fingers, feeling the slight impact the movement had on the flow inside of him. The steady presence of the new flow and beat inside of him felt surreal in a way. A new constant in his life, but, unlike with other sudden changes in his life, the feeling didn't make him uncomfortable or ill at ease. Instead, it felt natural, like it should have been present all along, like he'd found a missing part of himself rather than just discovered it. He nodded as she finished her instruction, a little more confident than before.

Even so, he wasn't actually sure of what to do. Her instruction was clear enough but imagining his hands reaching out for the mana inside him was a rather abstract construct. So like before, he simply closed his eyes and tried. For a while, he didn't get a response no matter what he tried. The mana simply kept flowing as it had before. Eventually, after staying still for what felt like another eternity, he could feel the mana gathering where he wanted it, following his instruction, though after a brief moment he could feel his grip slip away and the flow return to normal.

So, he tried again. He could feel the flow gathering where he focused his attention once again. This time, only after keeping his grasp on it for a few minutes did he try something new, directing the flow from the center of his chest towards the palm of his hand in a straight line. The flow had barely started to move according to his instruction before his grasp shattered and the flow returned to its normal rhythm yet again. Arthur suppressed the urge to grunt in frustration, clearly he was doing something wrong, but what, he was doing as she instructed, wasn't he? Maybe... He took hold of the mana again, remembering Sybil's earlier words about blood flow, he only held steady for a minute before he started directing the mana this time, following the already existent flow of mana in his body instead of forcing the mana to take the shortest possible route.

The corners of his mouth curved upward as he retained his grip on the mana, feeling it flow from the center of his chest through his arm to the palm of his hand. He imagined a shape, one he was as if not more familiar with as a simple cube or sphere, his sword, before directing the mana the the final bit of the way into his palm and to the outside. He opened his eyes after the flow returned to its regular rhythm, but instead of a shimmering sword of light, a single tiny speck of golden light danced around on his outstretched palm.

He'd failed spectacularly at what he'd attempted to do, and yet, he didn't feel disappointed or frustrated. He opened his mouth to speak but instead of the words he'd meant to say the only thing that passed his tongue was genuine warm laughter.

 

[LONELYRAIN]

Patient. Sybil had to be patient. The woman gazed upon the prince across from her with some interest within her gaze, awaiting for him to try to replicate her instructions. His uncertainty had made the woman recline back slightly, crossing her thin arms as a frown crossed her cracked lips, amber eyes gazing upon the prince and the mana flowing within his body. Though, she could not properly see how it flowed, such a thing would be only be achieved by her attempting to reach for whatever mana within his body; a feat that could only be obtained if the anti-magic cuffs were to be removed.

Silence would follow; a silence she would grant for Arthur to concentrate as she studied the crown prince's face, finding that she had truly not done such a thing since their first true encounter. Was it because of Iulla's whispers in her mind? Or was it due to her now being bored and waiting for any sort of result from the man across from her? No matter, her amber eyes scoured the prince's face now, feeling a bit more comfortable with doing such a thing now than she had been before with her mind finally being settled.

Though the woman had frequently been subjected to the enthusiastic whispers of fellow noblewomen when Avrune was still whole, not once had she taken much heed to the gossiping about the crown prince, nor about how handsome he supposedly had been. The rare time in which she had seen him from afar, it was only from the back in the midst of one of the rare times she would be forced to attend a ball, and even then she was only graced by the back of his head at that point, certainly not having access to gaze upon his face... a face that she begrudgingly had to admit was indeed very handsome.

A bit of displeasure had settled upon her then, now tallying that fact along with the blessing of magic he'd been gifted, amber eyes now settled upon the scar that marred his otherwise handsome face.. which prompted guilt to once more surge in the woman's chest... to be envious of this man when he was nothing more than another victim because of her ineptitude was simply wrong. She knew this well, and yet the envy continued to burn bright within her chest.

The straying thoughts had been interrupted however as Arthur's eyes had opened, and with it the mana that she had been ignoring had caught her eye. Brilliant was the small sparks of mana that taunted her eyes, lovely in their golden splendor. It certainly wasn't anything grand, certainly not. But the fact that he had managed to get anything to spark upon his palm had made the twisted displeasure upon Sybil's face melt into surprise, and then proceed to intensify her shock with the warm laughter that had graced her ears.

The laughter she found she didn't find detestable. But, it was still very strange to her to hear mirth in her presence, but perhaps this moment did call for laughter? Sybil's eyes turned down to the faint glow upon his palm, feeling tempted to reach for it herself and yet she refrained. She didn't want to give herself any reason to be tempted to drown herself in the potency of his mana, "W-well, it's a start." She would concede with cold composure, not quite allowing herself to share in the warm laughter that left Arthur's lips, feeling instead very much uncomfortable with herself for her previous scrutiny.