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
HE woke up early in the morning to review the spells from Enkille’s book. He read some about the Vanire and shapeshifting, but it was complicated. He couldn’t self-study because a mistake would lead to his death.“You’re taking it seriously, Eleand.”Eleand looked in Enkille’s direction. She stood near the dining table with a tray of foods at hand. He used her transportation magic to get in and out of the room. He was not surprised anymore.“This is an advance study regarding shapeshifting and transportation magic. And you’re right, I can’t understand much of the context,” he closed the book and faced Enkille.“One magic at a time. I talked with Fariyah. She seemed thrilled with your fast improvement. Imagine, you mastered the Protexerium, and you survived the harsh condition of the Unforgiving Mountain.” She lightly laughed and added, &ldq
INSIDE the library, Eleand looked for the priestess, but she was not around. He found two male faeries busy reading from a thick old book. They wore hooded gray robes with gold embroidery. A moment later, Fariyah emerged near him. Her usual cold expression was all over her face again. “You’ll start your Vatranum training today. Fire magic is the most complicated among the four elements, be careful.” Fariyah earnestly said. He lightly nodded. Eleand tried not to raise his brow upon hearing her. She wanted him to be careful while she almost killed him twice. This High Priestess was a two-faced witch! One of his goals now was to get even with Fariyah for trying to end his life. He couldn’t forget what she had done to him. Once he became strong, he would not hesitate to ask her for another deathmatch. “I will give you a week to master the basics of fire elements. Then you’ll have to fight me again.” She clicked her fi