"I am sure you have some questions," Richard began on our way back to the mansion. I indeed had some, so I asked, "You seem to have known about my talents for Wind and Water beforehand... Why is that?"
"Do you remember when I told you that a part of your soul belonged to one of my clones?" he didn't answer my question but asked one of his own. I nodded, which made him continue, "The clones were different from each other when it came to talent in studying the elemental laws.
"Some could study fire, death, life... But some were unique. They were able to study combined laws like space and time, and Ice. Ice laws are indeed interesting because it is made from the combination of Wind and Water. Naturally, you could still use the latter laws along with the Ice laws."
"So," I looked at him with a complicated expression, "I came from your ice clone?"
He nodded his head calmly and replied, "Yes, that soul part escaped from the ice clone and fused with your soul. Although I knew what your talents were before coming here, I wanted to confirm them. And now that we tested you, it seems that my previous thoughts were correct."
I had accepted that I was Richard's clone after our conversation yesterday, but it still felt weird whenever I thought about the matter. "Will I be able to study the Ice laws too?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied, "But I doubt that you will be able to at your current stage. After some time passes, I will teach you how to combine Water and Wind into Ice."
I asked him a few questions and then headed to my room for a nap once we reached the mansion. After resting, I went to find Farbauti and Mimir to make a weapon and a wand.
I found my two senior brothers in the mansion's armory which had a smithing area. Mimir was on a table, conversing with Farbauti who was seated beside it, sharpening his battle axe.
I cleared my throat and greeted them, "Good evening, Senior Brothers."
Mimir stopped talking as both of them looked at me. The head smiled at me and said, "Ah! Junior brother Orion! How can we help you, lad?"
"According to Richard, I am to find you to make a wand a suitable weapon to start my training."
"We have already prepared the materials for you, Junior Brother," he said and Farbauti placed some materials on the table. One of them was a grey wood branch that was slightly shorter than my forearms.
I arranged all the materials, including the feather that Richard gave me, according to Mimir's instructions then chanted some words. Invisible fibers connected them all together, and after some swirls, all of them fused into the grey branch that now looked more elegant, polished, and refined.
"Congratulations on making your wand, lad. Now tell Farbauti what kind of weapon you would like?" Mimir smiled and asked. I looked at Farbauti and said, "Can I have a sword?"
"A fine choice," the big guy responded in his deep, low, and grumbly voice. "Do you have the piece from Pangu's axe?"
I nodded and handed him the crude piece of metal. He took it and started forging the blade. His work was beautiful, like an art. After two hours, he handed me a simple-looking longsword with a black wooden handle and said, "Treat it well."
I took the blade. It felt balanced in my hand as I swung it a few times to get used to it. The metal hummed when it slashed the air beside me.
I thanked my two Senior Brothers and went to find Merlin for a magic lesson.
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Author note: Updated on 26/4/2024