I nodded, before turning around and then signalling for Sirith to leave his cushioned perch on the side of the hall and to follow us. In the past week alone, Sirith had tripled in size and could no longer be considered a pup. No, my Hekate was starting to resemble a white tiger. Although I was very proud that Sirith had grown so much, I was sure that it couldn't be normal for any living creature to triple its size within a week. I went straight to Sir Jabari and Sir Sakaru to ask them if they could explain how this was possible since Hekate's were worshipped creatures from their homeland.
They explained to me that once the creatures latched onto a specific master or owner, they linked their spiritual energy to said owner. Thus deepening the connection between master and beast, as well as making the Hekate's growth depends on the master's growth. If the master grew stronger or more powerful, that Hekate would grow and gain strength in the same proportion. They had said that watching Sirith's growth would be a good indication for me as to how powerful I had become. Although it may seem that I haven't become any stronger since it took me a while two days to defeat Sakaru, I had actually grown a lot more powerful.
In accordance with tradition, I had been wearing a Constrictus ring around my finger. The rings were specifically designed to suppress my power so that I could grow stronger while battling against Sakaru in a weaker state. It's the same principle as an athlete wearing weights around their legs while they train, the extra weight makes them slower and takes a huge toll on them, but when they finally take off the weights they have actually grown much stronger and faster. When I take off my Constrictus ring my true power will be unleashed. By looking at Sirith, I can tell that I have grown at least three times stronger.
I watched happily as Sirith raised his head at my call and then gracefully lept off his perch and sauntered over to my side, just as Amren and Jabari reached me. Together we walked down the halls of the palace. The servants and nobles walking through the halls would bow and curtsey to me in respect as we passed them. I felt rude not greeting them back, but Leopold told me that it was more appropriate for me to just walk past then nod at them.
Today's route through the colossal palace was unfamiliar to me, the large windowed silver and golden hallways that I had become accustomed to, were not along the route I was taking this time. The further we walked, the smaller and less travelled the hallways seemed. The further we walked, I could begin to identify the Algrecian architecture that was popular during the time the first portion of the palace was built, in the time of the first Rosenheim man, the founder of Azlantean.
Algrecian architecture was quite similar to the gothic architecture seen on Earth. The high severe arches with their numerous pillars made this place seem so imposing. However, I could sense the goal at the end of this tunnel and the power that was emanating from it. The closer we got, the more powerful it became, so much so that the hair at the back of my neck stood up, and a wave of goosebumps flooded my body.
At long last, the hallway we had been walking down came to a dead end. Although the end of this hallway was blocked off by a stone wall, it was easy to sense the old powerful room that fell behind it.
Leopold approached the wall and put his hand up against the rough black stone. Leopold's long slender fingers traced the shape of a pentagon in the dust of the aged black stone wall, it was perfectly drawn even though he drew it with his finger. I watched intently as the pentagon he had drawn began to glow and icy cold blue. The illuminated pentagon on the wall gave way as icy blue streaks ran across the wall in the shape of the stone bricks that had been used to make it. My breath caught in my throat as the entire wall began to vibrate as the icy blue streaks ran rampant through the wall until each birch was coated in icy blue. The wall then exploded into sparkling blue dust, so serenely beautiful like a mixture of snow and fairy dust hanging still in the air.
Finally, the power that had been sealed away inside the room by the pentagon seal flooded out like a tsunami. I felt the pressure of this power so deeply, that I had to take a moment to catch my breath and assimilate to the power. It was a cold power, icy like the colour of the seal, unmistakably the power of spirits. The 'icy cold breath' of the dead was unmistakably described in the textbooks I had been studying. The breath of the spirits could 'freeze a weak man to his very core' were the words translated. People with weak magical power could not come into contact with spirits, otherwise, they would literally freeze to death. It was, unfortunately, the privilege of the strong to gain power from the spirits.
"This way, Your Highness," Leopold called out for me.
I glanced behind me to see that Sirith had inched closer to me for safety, obviously also feeling the effects of the chilling spirit power.
I walked into the room cautiously, carefully observing its bare interior. This room had no windows and didn't allow any sunlight to shine inside, yet the room was well lit by the blue hue of the spirits. At the very centre of this Algrecian room was well. The well I had learned about in my textbook, the private Rosenheim spirit well that the castle was built on. This was probably the oldest room in the castle, and the first room built in this kingdom, an object so valuable that the first Rosenheim went to war for it. A spirit well, an opening between dimensions, like a gate between the spirit world and ours. This gate was particularly convenient for humans because we could easily pass through it while spirits could not.
Like a puppet on a string, I walked closer to the well and its alluring power. Finally, I reached it and then bent over to see inside it. Instead of water, I could see hundreds of thousands of glowing orbs swimming deep into the depths of the well. Subtle whispers filled my ears, the voices of the spirits were calling to me, asking me to chose them, all wanting me to free them into the human world. This was my mission today, to pick two spirits to bind to my swords.
"Here, Your Highness." Leopold's voice drew me away from the hypnotic whispers of the well. "Here are the two swords you have chosen."
A few days ago, Leopold took me down to the royal armoury to choose a weapon for myself. I was told to take my time and choose carefully, as this weapon would be with me for a lifetime. The armoury was ginormous, and the man who kept it was so happy to tell me the history of each and every weapon. At first, I chose a magnificent long sword. Its huge weight and sturdy metal were the perfect visual of royalty. If anyone saw it, they would think that it was definitely a King's sword. Not only that, but I sensed a deep loyalty and valour from the sword. I was pretty much about to head out to show Leopold what I had chosen when something else caught my attention. From the corner of my eyes, a ribbed sword handle stood out to me.
Immediately I turned around and darted over to the pile of old discarded swords. It was a sad pile that looked like it had been neglected for years. I reached for the familiar looking sword handle and slid it out of the pile, I noticed how good it felt in my hand and knew I was making the right decision. Once I held it up I was astonished to recognize the type of sword it was. It was unmistakably a katana. A Japanese sword from Earth. It's long curved blade and ribbed handle were so recognizable. The armoury keeper looked extremely puzzled by my sudden preference and fumbled while trying to explain the history of this sword. He said that during the first century of this kingdom a famous blacksmith named Korance appeared in the kingdom and that for a good while his swords were very popular among nobles. However, he moved away from the kingdom to settle down in a quieter place during his old age. His gift to the king at the time was this old sword and nothing else. Everybody deemed it as a useless sword so it was stuck away in the armoury like this since then.
Even though the sword looked old and frail, I just couldn't bring myself to give it up. I marched outside the armoury determined to have them both. The first sword was like a representation of my status, it had the royal feeling to it. the second sword would be like my secret weapon. a sword that helped me from the shadows, my darker half. I just needed to find the perfect spirits for them. although taking two swords wasn't uncommon for a prince, Leopold had wanted me to only have one at first so I could truly focus on cultivating it. However, he let up after some convincing.
I stepped forward and took both swords from Leopold. The royal sword in my left hand, and the other in my right.
"Be careful in your decision, Your Highness. Spirits can be crafty, do not be fooled by their appearances or words, choose the spirits with the strongest energies only." I nodded.
"I will." I was determined to become the perfect prince, and finding suitable spirit weapons was the first step on this long journey.
With that thought aside, I climbed onto the ledge of the well and then dived into its depths with my swords in hand.