THE guards arched their heads down to acknowledge Winzi. At the same time, Eleand was apprehensive when he entered the temple. Winzi just tilted her head to the guards, and she guided him inside.
The vast hall startled Eleand as they strolled. Six large blue chandeliers were hanging on the ceiling, the intricate details on the wall were painted in gold.
At the center of the hall, there was a colossal statue of a woman made of ice. The sculpture held a lance. Maybe this was the representation of Fariyah.
“That is the ice statue of Viera, the Goddess of Winter,” Winzi said upon reading his thoughts. She even rolled her eyes and spoke again, “She is Fariyah’s ancestor.”
“Nice,” he was amazed to know. It seemed like the source of the mythology from his world had a basis.
They were both stunned when a female faerie emerged from nowhere. She wore a white hooded swirling gown. Her
ENKILLE provided him breakfast when he woke up in the morning. She proudly showed him the walk-in closet where his clothes were neatly hanged. All were winter clothing and several battle armors.“Today, I suggest you wear special armor and a fighting suit because Fariyah will test your strength. Physically and mentally. Best of luck!” she said when he finished his meal.She immediately left after giving him some advice for his first day of sparring with the priestess. Although he was agitated thinking about what could happen, Enkille reassured him that everything would turn out good if he did his best.Eleand chose the appropriate clothing according to Enkille’s advice. He picked the black suit with silver linings. That combination became his new favorite for an unknown reason. He just really loved dark colors.He went down with his golden bow. Better be prepared because he could not wield any other weapon.
THE worried face of Enkille welcomed him. There was a blue light emitting from her hand, and she was gently pressing his stomach. He was shirtless, but surprisingly, he could not feel the cold around. He was lying in his bed, and the faerie was using her healing magic.“Wait, hold on. I’m almost done,” she lightly exhaled.“I can’t believe that I’m still alive!” he exclaimed. Still remembering how deep his wound was and the loss of so much blood. He was still lucky after all.Eleand tried to get up and leaned on the headboard.“Luck is on your side. I heard you call my name. You were dying.” Enkille shook her head.“Fariyah tried to kill me. How could I fight back to a goddess?” His face contorted when he sensed the throbbing pain in his back and stomach.“Turn around. You have a wound on your back as well. Let me fully close the wound behind
ELEAND still sensed the loud thump of his heart. His sick stomach turned, and he was about to throw up. He had witnessed an entire army being slaughtered. The Faerie Queen was there again, unleashing hell.Enkille stood beside him when he opened his eyes.“You have to master the Protexerium even in your sleep until you breathe with it. If you didn’t do that, those nightmares would haunt you forever.” Enkille looked worried. She scrutinized him with her arms crossed.“Why I see the Ancient Queen? It seems her power is lurking over me.” He weakly sat down on his bed.“When did this nightmare starts?”He pondered. “I guess it was the time I saw the queen in the Golden Palace.”Eleand could not think of any reason. The pattern of his sleep was good for the past nights before meeting the Ancient Queen. He was sure it had something to do with her threats since she kn
ARRANO flew, and they rode around the sky.Eleand witnessed the panoramic view of Velidia. The Winter Region was so magical above. He bellowed, not because he was afraid but ecstatic. He spread his arms wide, letting the snow fell in his body.“Look at that mountain, it’s a part of the Winter Region, but it looks barren and dry.” He pointed to the mountain on the southern side of Velidia.“That’s the Steri Volcano. We call it the Unforgiving Mountain. For some reason, no plants thrived there, and no water source. Even the snow immediately melted when it hit the ground.”“I can see that it’s dangerous.” He tilted his head, thinking he would never dare to set his foot in that volcano.Enkille tapped Arrano. “Fly higher!”The creature followed her command. While they flew higher, Eleand sensed freedom. If only he could fly with Arrano and Enkille in hi
THREE days’ rest was over. Eleand filled his lungs with air when he went out to his room. The day of his fight with Fariyah finally came.He calmed himself. At least at this moment, he could wield the basics of the Protexerium. But still, he needed to prepare himself for the worse outcome. Fariyah’s magic was out of his league. Another wrong move, then he would be in the afterlife.“It’s a good thing that you recovered at last.”Eleand looked in the direction of the voice. He composed himself when he recognized the priestess.Her face was void of expression. The usual cold appearance. But this time, she was not wearing her combat suit. She wore a turquoise gown with a white fur coat on her back. Her gray hair softly flowed down with a braid circling her head.Better. He breathed loosely. It seemed she wasn’t planning to go on a fight.“It’s
TODAY, Eleand equipped himself for the battle. He wore the battle armor, the best suit he could get compared before, and brought his golden bow. He would fight the priestess the way he could defend himself. How could he explain to her that he studied everything in the book, but there was no improvement?He uttered his prayers again when he saw Fariyah waiting near the ice statue of Veira. He was somehow relieved that the priestess was not wearing her white battle suit, and her sword was nowhere in sight.“Are you ready?” she asked.He silently swallowed hard, and he managed to nod his head in agreement. Because even if he would honestly inform her that he couldn’t wield the water, they would still fight. Maybe it was his fault. Because she gave him enough time to practice the basic spells, but he failed to make it happen.Fariyah brought him again to the peak of the waterfall.“I want to see how m
“WAKE UP…” An angelic voice reached his ears. Eleand slowly opened his eyes. The smiling face of a female faerie greeted him. “Swasah…” Her smile broadened when she witnessed him blinking his eyes, adjusting to the light. He was immediately drawn into the stranger’s golden eyes. Wait, she looked familiar. She was the same faerie he saw after the accident. The one who healed him before Ahldrin and Nahil found him. “Who are you?” He tried to get up, but a stinging pain in his chest forbid him to do so. Eleand surveyed his eyes around. He was half-naked, and his body was submerged in water. He was in a green water lake. “My name is Kharyn. And yes, this is the second time I saved your life.” Her voice was vvery comforting. “Thank you. I’m Eleand. But where I am?” The place was not familiar. He was confident it was not part of Velidia. “I brought you here at the nearest lake below Steri Volcano, in thi
KHARYN left him at a safe distance, a few meters away from the gigantic gate of the temple. She used her magic to make him appear like he just got back from the Steri Volcano.Eleand was in a total mess. His battle armor ripped, and the speckle of blood spread over his body.“What the hell is this?” he complained. He looked decent earlier. Now he came to view as ten goblins had played off him.“I told you, they shouldn’t know that I helped you. It’s time to show them what you’ve got. Master the fire magic. I’m sure we’ll see each other soon,” her smile was reassuring.“Don’t leave me yet, I have tons of questions—”Then she was gone.Eleand could not utter the hundreds of questions playing in his mind.He cussed harder. When he realized the distance that he had to walk to reach the foot of the temple, it was like walking in the Gr