Snow was whipping down in thick, swirling sheets.
All of a sudden, Fleur felt something warm and wet against her cheek.
The next instant, her vision cleared, and she found herself staring into the enormous face of a horse—one with a fiery red mane and huge, blazing eyes that blinked curiously at her.
A young Abraxan foal had lowered its massive head and was gently licking her face again with its rough tongue.
That explained the warm, damp sensation.
"You're awake?"
Following the calm, gentle voice, Fleur turned and saw Lucien standing a short distance away, holding an open silver pocket watch in his hand.
Even though the blizzard raged all around them, not a single flake touched his black wizard robes or the sky-blue scarf wrapped around his neck. His dark-gold hair wasn't even ruffled by the howling wind.
It was almost as if the wind and snow themselves were politely giving him space.
But the moment her eyes met those deep emerald-green ones again, Fleur instinctively looked away.
That bone-chilling stiffness that had seeped straight into her soul still lingered in her memory, and her heart started racing all over again.
Seeing her reaction, Lucien figured she hadn't fully shaken it off yet. His Demon-Gazing Eyes—crafted from basilisk parts—had a petrifying effect similar to an actual basilisk's stare. The students who'd been petrified the year before had all said it was an awful experience.
Well… this was awkward.
Lucien glanced down at the pocket watch. The petrification had lasted two minutes and thirty-seven seconds.
Was it stronger because they'd been so close?
Probably the magic level too.
Thanks to his SS-rank magical talent, Lucien's power had been growing fast—noticeably stronger every couple of months.
The petrifying strength of the Demon-Gazing Eyes scaled directly with his own magical reserves. The bigger the gap between him and the person he locked eyes with, the more powerful the effect.
Clearly, the gap between him and Fleur was huge.
Once she'd calmed down a little, Fleur realized that no snow or wind was touching her either. She didn't even feel cold.
She glanced at the Abraxan foal prancing happily beside her, its warm breath and faint magical glow chasing away the chill. Or maybe it was something else…
She started to look toward Lucien again, but he spoke first.
"That was an accident. I'm sorry about it."
Before he could finish, Fleur waved her hands quickly. "No, no—it's fine! Really, just an accident. Don't worry about it."
She tilted her head slightly, a guilty flush creeping across her cheeks.
She didn't exactly understand how Lucien had frozen her like that, but she could guess it had something to do with eye contact—specifically, those eyes of his.
Truth be told, staring at him from that close had been incredibly rude. Hardly ladylike.
And it was all because she was curious.
Fleur was really, really curious about Lucien.
She wanted to know how a boy three years younger than her had impressed Nicolas Flamel enough to become the legendary alchemist's personal apprentice—what kind of genius and talent did that take?
But more than that, she was curious about his "gaze."
Her grandmother was a full Veela, and because of that bloodline, Fleur had been breathtakingly beautiful her whole life.
The Veela charm in her veins also gave her an unusual pull on men.
She'd seen obsession in their eyes, adoration, even wilder things.
But that first meeting at the school gates—when Lucien had looked at her, registered her beauty, and then calmly moved on like it barely registered—that kind of clear-headed reaction was rare. Especially from a boy around her age.
So yeah, Fleur was dying to know: just what kind of person was Lucien, really?