"Spirits? Do you mean ghouls, ghosts and the undead?" Avon furrowed his brows.
"There's no such thing as ghosts, boy- only souls exist. Besides, I'm referring to elemental spirits." the cardinal explained.
"You mean, the elemental spirits that were said to be used by Druids during the Ancient Epoch? But aren't they just myths?"
The oracle laughed at that, resting his chin on his entwined hands as he drawled in a low voice, "They certainly aren't myths, Avon. They are just as real as you and me."
Avon's blood-red pupils shook in disbelief, his jaw dropping in shock. "Druids and spirits actually exist? Are you sure?"
"'Existed' is the key word in this scenario. With the passing of the ancients, the techniques required to summon and contract spirits were lost as well." the cardinal paused, his expression unnaturally serious. "However, I recently managed to find an ancient spell tome- the one you just saw- that details the entire process. The day you achieve six stars and become a grand mage is the day that I'll give you that book and allow you to form an elemental contract."
By now, Avon's entire mind was numb with shock, and he could only foolishly stare at his master. When he had read countless tales about the Great War, he had often dreamt about being a warrior himself- cutting down enemies with a single swing of his sword, or transforming entire legions into ashes with the help of mana or legendary spirits- but never once had he thought that he would be able to do just that in the future.
"... don't you think that you're taking too much of a risk by revealing such well guarded secrets to a twelve year old?"
"It's not as though you're going to go around spreading this information- you're far too sensible for that. Besides, in order to fulfill your destiny, you need to get stronger using every method available." he retorted, letting out a light snort.
"You know, you still haven't told me just what it was that you saw during your divinations." Avon cribbed. "Won't it help me if I know of my problems beforehand?"
"I'll tell you all about it when the time comes, Avon." The cardinal was not affected in the least by the look of betrayal that Avon shot his way. "Besides, even I don't know much about this situation other than just your identity and a vague feeling about your situation."
"Fine, fine, keep your secrets to yourself." Avon snarked. "Can you tell me more about the spirits, then? Are they really exactly like the ones in the stories, or is that simply an exaggerated version?"
"As you wish, I'll tell you. But first, you need to practice attracting and channeling mana by increasing your mana sensitivity and repeatedly casting basic spells. I noticed that even though you can use intermediate spells, your casting speed is still at three stars. It won't matter if you have monstrous comprehension if you can't even use the spells to their proper potential." the cardinal stood up, walking towards the door. "I'll be back in two hours. If I feel like you've made sufficient progress, then I'll let you borrow my books on spirits- don't worry, they're all accurate."
"You want me to increase my casting speed in two hours? That's nearly impossible! Besides, as my master, shouldn't you supervise me?" Avon exclaimed, running a hand through his messy hair in frustration.
"I wouldn't have asked you to do it if I thought that it was out of your scope- you just have to increase it by a bit. Also, surely you aren't so inexperienced that I'd need to supervise something so simple?"
"Haa..." Avon sighed, grumbling in his heart. "Alright, I'll try. Who knows, maybe I'll break some sort of record once more."
The cardinal merely laughed at his sarcastic and overconfident words. "Indeed, you might. As the disciple that I've chosen, I expect no less. I'm an archmage after all- my standards will always be high."
The cardinal left the room, shutting the ornate doors behind him with a soft click, leaving Avon to what would be the most grueling two hours that he had ever experienced.
__________
"So? How was it?"
Golden eyes shined softly in the muted light of the room, their corners curving upwards as they beheld the sight of a tired and bedraggled, white haired youth laying in bed.
"Bugger off, Reas. I'm much too exhausted to entertain your inquisitive nature today." a muffled voice sounded from under a bunched-up blanket.
"Surely it couldn't have been that bad, right? After all, it was only your first day." Reas' voice sounded much too amused for Avon to think that he was actually worried about him.
He wanted to wipe that smug smile off his face, but that would require Avon to leave the comfortable embrace of his soft bed.
"It was horrible." he grumbled, sounding extremely miffed.
Reas let out a low bark of laughter, a palm pressing up against his lips to hide his smile.
"Will you be up for our little sparring sessions tomorrow, then?" Reas paused, his arms curving under his bed before pulling out a pair of sheathed swords. "I painstakingly went through all the swords in the hidden study and chose the best of them all."
The swords were thin and long with sparkling scabbards that were etched with whorls of gold and silver. A black jewel lay embedded in the hilt of one, while the other had tens of faceted crystals littered across its guard- perhaps meant to flaunt the wealth of its owner. Despite their ornamental exterior, the blades of the swords were wicked and sharp, tough enough to easily cut through a beast's hide.
"We're finally going to use real swords?" Avon's eyes sparkled in excitement. "In that case, count me in."
"What about your exhaustion? You won't be able to appreciate proper swordplay if you're busy nodding off."
"Nothing a good rest won't solve, Reas." As if to prove his point, Avon tugged the blanket onto his face, hiding himself from view before shifting away from Reas. "Sleep."
"Very well." Reas grinned.
In the darkness of the night, no one saw the black jewel on one of the swords start glowing.
__________
"Father, where will you be going tomorrow?" Avon heard himself say.
He was in a room of extravagant tastes, with pillars of ivory and curtains of gilded silk. Rich paintings depicting lush sceneries hung proudly on the smooth walls, neatly held in thick golden frames.
A map hovered in front of him, depicting sprawling fields and rising mountains with unknown names scrawled in an ancient script. It spread over half of the room, transforming the place into a myriad of colours and textures.
Sunlight played against the dips and curves of the landscape, dotting random areas in splotches of shining white. Avon found his fingers tracing a rugged mountainside, a low thrum of surprise buzzing under his skin when he found his skin striking solid- apparently, the map wasn't an illusion as he had thought of it to be- but his fingertips remained undaunted, as though their owner was already expecting this.
The realism of his dreamscape was astounding.
Avon's perusal of the map was interrupted by a low chuckle, and his eyes automatically turned to gaze at the only other occupant of the grand chamber.
The man had long silver hair that flowed over his shoulders, and blue eyes reminiscent of the morning sky. Decked in robes of the palest green, he looked like a mythical being who had manifested from the era of the ancients. He was elegantly reclining against a plush couch, and was watching Avon lovingly, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"I'm going somewhere very important, child; it's a place that your mother loves very much." His voice was low and soothing to the ears.
"Really?" A childish voice resounded from Avon's own lips, without any prompting on his part, and he was left wondering about the bizarreness of his dream. "Can I come too? I want to see the things mother likes as well!"
"It's not someplace a child like you can go to, Ahir. When I return, I'll be sure to take you somewhere even better." The man's tone was dripping with notes of fondness.
Avon felt his body move towards the regal man, a stubborn hand raising to grip the man's forearm.
"But I want to go with you!" The petulance in his own words amazed Avon, but try as he might, he was unable to seize control of his own body- if the child's, Ahir's, body could currently be called his own.
"I'll definitely come back soon, Ahir." The man's warm palm covered his own. "So wait for me, alright?"
"OK! It's a promise, father." Avon felt like it was impossible for his smile to be any wider.
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