The sun set as Tina sat on the bluff that overlooked the fortress alone and by herself as she looked at the moon in the sky, saddened by Astral's absence, even if it had been only for a few hours. She lay her back to the ground as she looked upwards and saw no one. Just the stars as she felt the books on her waist jiggle a little bit. She could be studying but saw no point in it if Astral wasn't there to guide her.
Her sadness casted a looming dark cloud above her as a small pocket of light appeared from behind her. She paid it no mind as the lantern of white light shined away the cloud. Tina looked directly up into the bottom of the lantern as the staff end tapped her on her forehead. "Didn't Astral say to work on what you want to. Why aren't you doing it." The woman's voice caressed Tina's ears gently as she rolled onto her chest and looked up to see Seraph.
"Because he was the one meant to teach me." She crossed her arms and pouted. Seraph chuckled a little bit as she planted down Beacon and sat with her legs crossed in front of her. "He told me to pursue my dreams, but my dream is to defend him like how he has defended me."
"There will be plenty of time for that in the future. For now. I will tell you how Astral was taught his magic." Tina scooted forward to listen to every detail. "Long ago in a battle he prepared to face a mighty foe. This foe had his own spell books that Astral had to defend against as Astral only had a hardlight shield spell, not even his more reformed one now that he uses to protect himself."
"During the most intense part of the battle where both of them were going at each other with their max physicality, Astral prevailed. Still having to fight an inner battle versus the man. Astral restrained the man in his soul and won. Gaining access to being able to use the spells." Seraph smiled as she pointed to the books left behind by Astral on Tina's side.
"So he never truly learned magic? He just was granted magical powers?" Tina asked as she lifted up the books on her side.
"That's the question I wanted to hear. Because for the most part, he did. But to become the master of magic that he was, he had to practice his spells. He did not settle for just having the ability and knowledge of them." Seraph opened the books as each page was in his handwriting. "He gave you a translated copy that all people who use magic can use. His binding to the magic is much like the original castor where it's binding to the creator of the books. More of a curse than a gift."
Tina was speechless as she looked at the books. "So he still has the original pages?"
Seraph nodded her head up and down as her hat slid down to cover her eyes. "He has the tomes memorized back and front. He can tell you what each spell does. Its counters and its uses in each spot. Like the spells I will show you tonight." She turned the books to three different pages. "The original had vows to be completed before the first mage could read the next. He was on a path of neutrality and even after his highest peak, remained at peace."
"So Astral never had to complete the vows?" Tina asked as Seraph bounced up and down again. "How did he get so talented at magic, it wasn't like he just was good? Was it?"
"Astral was always talented at picking up skills and using them for himself. His first little dashes of magic were mainly simple things to distract or to guard himself. Once he learned, and spent probably over a year learning and translating. Even then, its far and few between that he uses magic to the fullest potential, which is why he made you the heir to the mage sized hole he has."
"Why not you, why can't you show yourself to be a true mage and be his mage?" Tina asked as Seraph sighed in sadness.
"Well, there is one issue that you will be able to see at a later time." Seraph ruffled her hair as Tina swiped at her arms. "As for you, your size is your limiting factor. Timetable is two years before we attack the Crown Jewels, in that time you will be eleven? Not a fully grown warrior, which is the first spell I will show you."
"Why must everyone keep stuff from me?"
"Cause you are still a child. Patience isn't learned. It's earned." Seraph pointed to the spells she was going to use Tina read them as she nodded. "These two spells are fairly dangerous. The one can never be undone. However, the second will show you why I cannot speak it aloud." Tina nodded as she stood up.
"What will happen when the time spell is used on me? When will you stop it?" Tina was anxious as Seraph was doing math in her head.
"Elf aging is different than human, so I will be basing it off of size of the body, for how much he journeys how did he not run into an elf colony." Seraph rested her hand on Beacon as she stood up. She rested her left arm on her right as she muttered the incantation. A golden clock appeared at Tina's feet. The glow engulfed her as Seraph was very slow about aging her. Keeping the dial steady as Tina started to scream in pain.
'I forgot how much this can hurt for an inexperienced body. Shit make it fast then. Let it rip!' Seraph flicked the dial before the spell disappeared and did a light magical scan on Tina who was passed out on the ground in front of her. Her clothes shredded from growing from a small child to a rather large teenager. "Scan says you have the body of a twenty year old human. In elf years. No clue." Tina was passed out on the ground as Seraph covered her up with a blanket and a spare set of clothes awaited her as Seraph waited by her side.
Tina awoke and looked up to Seraph as she was still waiting. She looked down as she wrapped the rest of the blanket around her. "Why did you hurt me?"
Seraph's eyes filled with tears as she wiped them away. "Your misery hurts me more than your pain, I hate using that spell for this purpose. I will reveal it all in my mind. However, the practical reason is now that you have a larger mana pool than an eleven year old body."
She wrapped herself around Tina as not a single thing else moved. Nothing stirred as Tina put on her new clothes. She read the spell as she rested her forehead against Seraphs. Seeing everything that she couldn't speak about. From what Sora and she are, why she needed to use the spell, Astral and his relations, and the fact she will now be bound to silence on these matters. "Thank you. You are the best teacher I could have besides him." This warmed Seraphs heart as the two hugged.