Ror and Sari watched with wide, excited eyes as I carefully wove two magic circles. It wasn’t an array this ti, but a legitimate second-circle spell. My soul trembled with the strain of supporting the spell, but my mana held out until the circles flashed and the spell resolved.
A small dot of distorted air appeared above my cupped hands. A mont later, it expanded rapidly, swelling to envelop the small, secluded clearing. The rustle of the wind in the trees and the cheerful songs of the birds vanished. Even the sound of my own heart stilled, the noise swallowed up by the wavering distortion in the air. Sari clapped, staring gleefully at her hands which made no noise. Ror leaped to his feet, ears twitching in uncertainty, his mouth working soundlessly.
Snapping my fingers, I dismissed the spell. The sound distortion vanished and noise returned to our ears. The two foxkin children both began talking at once, their voices loud and startling after the utter silence.
"What was that?" Ror asked, tentatively retaking his seat.
Sari nodded, stroking her furry tail with a simple, happy grin. "Can you teach to do it too?"
I settled back onto the stump, leaning back and resting on my hands. "It’s a second-circle spell called Sound Ward. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to cast it until you’re ready to progress to second level."
"Aw, okay," she said, ears drooping. "But I can’t even cast first-circle spells very well."
I reached forward and ruffled her hair, causing her to giggle. Her hair just brushed the tops of her shoulders and was soft and silky like kitten fur.
"Magic takes lots of ti, and there aren’t very many shortcuts. Just do your best and the rest will follow, and don’t get discouraged when everything doesn’t work out exactly like you planned."
"Okay." She closed her eyes and leaned into my touch, purring contentedly. The sound caught by surprise, but after a mont, it seed only natural. She was a beastkin, after all.
I rubbed her head for a mont longer before withdrawing my hand and sighing. The fight with VIthrass had pushed beyond my limits, leaving ntally and physically exhausted. I still trembled thinking of the dark tendrils, and sotis awoke in the middle of the night shaking.
But sothing about that encounter left a change in my soul. Over the past few weeks, I found the fragnts nding at an accelerated rate, my mana growing stronger than ever. In between the many quests we took on in the village, I tirelessly exercised my soul until, a few days ago, I cast my first second-circle spell. It left on the ground panting, but I did it all the sa.
"There you are," Tana’s voice floated over.
The three of us turned as she and Sorrin pushed through the trees, entering the clearing. Ror bounded to the Wolfkin, pleadingly holding up his wooden training sword. Sorrin grinned and tapped his spatial ring, withdrawing an identical blade. As the two wandered off to the far side of the hollow, Tana slid onto the ancient stump beside , so close our thighs touched. My tail curled as I tried to edge away, but found the stump too small to accommodate further.
"How’s the training going?" She asked, leaning toward Sari.
The foxkin girl’s eyes lit up and she raised her hands, palms out, and began to chant. Almost a whole minute later, a magic circle began to take shape, the runes blinking in ti with her cadence.
"Light!" She cried in her sweet, childish voice.
The circle wobbled mid-air, hesitating as though considering whether or not to resolve correctly. But after considering the foxkin’s wet, hopeful eyes, it flashed decidedly, and a glowing sphere of light appeared in the center of the circle. The runes faded away, but the light remained, bobbing up and down cheerfully in Sari’s hands.
"I did it!" She cheered, pushing the light toward us.
Tana backed away before she accidentally smacked her face and grinned. "You’re amazing. I didn’t even know what magic was when I was your age. We didn’t have things like that in the Beast Kingdom. We were just lucky to get clean water and enough seeds for the harvest."
Sari bead, humming softly, but the sound died in her throat. Her ears drooped, and she looked at anxiously, holding the light close to her chest. I blinked at her and tilted my head, confused, until Tana nudged my shoulder.
"Praise her," She whispered in my ear.
"It’s beautiful," I said quickly. After a mont, I sighed, and my voice took on a hint of longing. "I was just thinking of sothing that happened long ago."
"Is it sothing sad?" Sari asked, eyes wide.
"Not this ti. Light was the very first spell I cast, too, although I didn’t know it was called that. All the other mages were so surprised, and even my teacher couldn’t believe it."
I leaned back, closing my eyes and reliving the experience. Even now, I didn’t fully understand how I used magic without understanding runes or chants, but the rush of pure, unadulterated joy I felt was locked in my mind. That was the mont I truly fell in love with magic and it beca a sustaining light in the shadows of my life. That was part of what made my slavery at the hands of Byron so unbearable. The constant torture and beatings were only made worse by the magical drought I was put through.
"You had a teacher too?"
Sari’s question pierced my mories, bringing back to the hollow. "She was a powerful mage, and though she was always kind to , she had a sharp tongue. Elves weren’t very liked there, so she understood , and even..." I looked down at my staff, which was leaning against the stump, "Gave my staff."
The two were quiet for a mont, and I stiffened as Tana laid her and over mine. "What happened to her?" she asked softly.
"I don’t know," I whispered. "It was all my fault. I didn’t know she stole it, and he asked out of the blue, so I just..."
I looked away, my eyes wet with unshed tears. Selena was safe. Thron had said it in his letter. But knowing that didn’t make it any easier. She had sacrificed everything she’d strived toward for hundreds of years to give that staff, lost her qualifications, her ho, and almost her life.
"Starlight," Tana said slowly, "What was your teacher’s na?"
"Selena," I sniffed, wiping the moisture from my eyes.
Tana sat bolt upright. "Selena? Like the Great Elven Mage Selena?"
Both Sari and I flinched at her sudden shout, and Tana quickly regained her composure.
"I’m sorry," Tana said, taking a few deep breaths. "But is that true? Did you really train with Selena? She’s a legend among elves, the only mage to earn the Divine Throne’s respect."
"Is that hard?" Sari asked innocently.
"Of course it’s hard! Only the best of the best are capable of becoming instructors at the Divine Throne. Every mage in the world dreams of going there and personally receiving their instruction, even more than becoming a student at the Western University!"
Sari blinked at the unfamiliar nas, but Tana took no note, gushing on like a brook.
"They say the priests and mages there are stronger than everyone else, that even the weakest ones can cast third-circle spells, and that there’s a prince around every corner, just waiting to sweep you off your feet."
Vorinth, the second prince of the Kingdom of Radia, ca to mind, and I shivered. "I-It’s really not like that. It’s dark and cold, and everyone is unfriendly. No matter how hard you work, no one ever understands, and they always try and criticize you. The priests are very cruel, and...and..." I broke off, covering my face with my hands. Tears, which had been gathering like a storm, finally began trickling down my cheeks, and a sob rose in my throat.
I felt a small, gentle weight fall against my side and glanced up. Sari wrapped her small arms around , laying her cheek against my chest. My eyes widened and the sobs subsided, and for the second ti today, I found myself rubbing the little foxkin girl’s head.
Soti later, after I had cald down, Tana stood and helped to my feet. "It’s starting to get late. Why don’t we head back?" she suggested.
Sorrin and Ror joined us as we left the clearing, talking and laughing about their sparring match. Ror was hot and sweaty, but his grin lit up his face. Sorrin wasn’t even breathing hard, and slipped his hand into Tana’s. I fell a little behind the two and gave my horn a rub. It had been a long ti since I thought of the Divine Throne, and I was dismayed to discover those wounds had yet to heal.
A few days later, we finished our last quest and prepared to leave Westfall Village. I dreaded saying farewell to the two foxkin, procrastinating the mont until the rest of the party stood on the road leaving town, patiently waiting as I bid my goodbyes.
"I’ll miss you," Sari said, giving a hug.
"Not ," Ror said, though his voice held an uncharacteristic waver.
"Be sure to keep practicing your magic," I reminded Sari for the fifth ti. "I’ll be sure to co and visit again."
Westfall Village was only a week’s travel from Heartland, and the Glory Chasers stopped by every few months. But even though I knew that, my heart ached at the thought of leaving them behind again. As I gave them one last hug, my mana tingled, sending a nervous thrill through my body.
"Stay out of the woods," I said, fighting to keep my heart rate down. "And watch out for anyone wearing a red rune with a sword through it, and if-"
"Alright, we get it. We’ll be careful," Ror said, rolling his eyes.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. Tana grabbed my hand, and, with a final wave, we left the village behind. I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder at the two foxkin, who were both waving with big smiles on their faces.
"Make sure to beco a powerful adventurer!" Ror called.
"Thanks for everything! I had lots of fun with you!" his sister echoed.
"Please, stay safe. May Fate watch over you," I whispered, turning back to the road. My mana was rarely wrong, and whatever dangers the future held, they would have to face them without . No matter how much I yearned to remain behind with them and live out my days in peace, I knew it was impossible. My path now led to Heartland, and whatever grim future awaited there.
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