Chereads / Raphael's Journey / Chapter 3 - Book 1, Chapter 3: Circe

Chapter 3 - Book 1, Chapter 3: Circe

After sleeping for 3 hours, Raphael left the orphanage to work.

While he was walking around the town he was looking at its modest beauty . 

Raphael saw the vibrant colors in the flowers attached to houses, the hardworking merchant that were selling their product, from swords to elixirs, the child's playing tag at dock and around the cities, the taverns filling his ears with happy, epic and romantic songs that the people inside the taverns sang.

The boy saw people playing cards and even some Pleniura acolytes, from the church of Rathbarrow's, who were dressed in red robes with golden phoenix drawings all around, with a white cape that reached the waist and had a fire dragon's head painted with the color red in it.

Pleniura was the goddess of fire, sun and volcanoes, and it was the god that was worshiped in the region.

Raphael was now in a tavern named blue lily serving a green haired elf, she had ordered a mug of red wine, and now was talking Raphael about trivial things, when a man entered the tavern with a horrified look on his face, but that wasn't the worst part, he didn't have a left arm but it seemed the missing part tired from its owner not so long ago as the wound was still open and dripping blood.

"Ple...ase…he…lp…me". Said the man in a weak tone.

Raphael was frozen in place, he was horrified, it was the first time he saw an injury that gruesome.

"Hey kid, give me a bottle of water".

"Wait me?". Raphael asked.

"No,the kid behind you".

".....". Raphael didn't know how to respond 

"Oh for god's sake yes you". After she said that Raphael rushed to the kitchen and picked up a glass of water, he rushed to the lady's side and gave her the glass of water, as she drank it Raphael stood there in shock.

"What, I was thirsty, oh you thought it was for him,no no no a cup of water can't fix this".

"But are you going to help him?". 

"Ah yes of course ". Soon as she finished her words, fire started to ignite in her hand, but it was no normal fire. It had a brilliant emerald tonality, as she enveloped her hand with that fire and passed her hand, engulfed in emerald fire, on the wound, it started to heal. In the end of the process the fire was extinguished and the wound was sealed.

Raphael was still awestruck, when he heard a scream outside, he saw as the lady picked up a green cape and rushed outside leaving a trail of green fire.

When Raphael looked outside, there was a giant, albine, winged lion wreaking havoc in the vicinity.

When his eyes landed on the elf, the lion suddenly ignored what he was pursuing and he focused solely and the elf.

The elven lady stopped a few meters in front of the lion, then stopped abruptly. 

Raphael could see a golden aura emanating from her body and flowing 

around it the gathering around her arms and legs, after a few seconds, in her arms golden patterns could be seen.

She disappeared for a second then appeared in the lion's flank and landed a right hook. The beast was sent back a few meters.

"Come on big guy, you can do better".

She was taunting the lion, he responded by opening his mouth and shooting a white fire beam.

The elf, to counter the attack, raised her hand to the same height as her shoulder and shot an emerald fire beam. When the two fire beams collided, the ground below started to melt. 

The lion shot several medium sized fireballs, this frightened the elf, because just beating it with more fire wouldn't suffice, so she reached her left side and drew a longsword with the intention to counter the attack.

As the fireballs were nearing her, she rushed the lion deflecting or redirecting any fireball. She succeeded in avoiding this attack and now was just a few meters from the lion.

With the help of that golden aura she dashed towards the lion breaking the ground beneath her, with the longsword ignited with emerald fire, she began slashing the lion all over his body. 

The lion, now wounded all over his body, opened his wings and took flight. The monster, seeing the advantage in aerial combat, created a barrage of fireballs that were heading the elf's way.

Raphael was marveled about the elf's power, but saw something interesting, she was with her right hand pointed towards the lion and said some words that Raphael couldn't distinguish, seconds later huge vines were coming out of the ground and targeting the winged beast.

The lion couldn't react in time, the vines were now all over his body, immobilizing him. Then the vines dragged the lion out of the sky towards the elf. 

The lady with the longsword still ignited, rushed in the air and beheaded him.

The elf gracefully landed on the ground, but was exhausted, and as a consequence of that she fell but on the ground.

"Hey kid, help me a little here". Raphael rushed to the elf, and helped her lift herself. At that moment the vines swiftly put the headless lion's body on the ground.

"Thank you so much miss".

"Just call me Circe". Circe said

"Ok miss Circe".

"Good boy".

"Miss Circe, can you tell me where you learned all of that magic?".

"Listen here uhhhh". It was clear that she didn't know the boy's name.

"Raphael"

"Listen here Raphael, in 3 months a new school year will start in Tilios".

"Tilios??? What is that place?". Raphael asked as he was clueless about this place.

"The magic school with its name inspired by the magic and mana god".

"Mana and magic?". Raphael asked.

"If you want to know, you should think about studying there, listen now I've got to go". Circe graciously dashed away in a whirlwind of fire.

Raphael was now excited to tell Ember about the fight of Circe with the giant flying lion.