"Hey guys!" called out Raven, her voice filled with excitement. The trio had become inseparable in the few months since the library incident. Raven couldn't resist teasing El, who was seated next to Thai. "I heard you'll be dueling Lucian tomorrow!"
Thai chimed in, sporting a mischievous grin. "Oh, my man is gonna beat that guy to a pulp!"
El chuckled, his confidence shining through. "Well, it's not going to be a sigbin ride, you know."
With only a few weeks left until the end of the second semester, anticipation for the upcoming duel exam was growing. Lucian, the son of a noble, had set his sights on challenging El.
"You know, after the duel exam tomorrow, I should treat myself to a vacation," Thai sighed, his frustration evident.
Raven leaned in, sharing some exciting gossip she'd heard. "I heard you're going to be on par with that guy specializing in dual swords."
El nodded, acknowledging the tough competition. "Yeah, and he wields a double mace."
Thai's expression fell with disappointment. "That sounds intimidating."
El then extended a warm invitation. "Why don't we practice later at my house?"
Raven, intrigued by the idea, blurted out, "I've never been to your house."
Thai, always enthusiastic, added his excitement. "Well, their house is huge!"
Raven couldn't resist teasing her noble friend once more. "Spoiled noble," she murmured, her words laced with playful affection.
El continued to encourage Raven to join them. "You can practice your spell casting there as well."
Raven agreed with a smile, realizing it was indeed a great idea. "Well, it's not a bad idea."
As the school day came to an end, the trio eagerly headed straight to El's home, where they were welcomed by Nuno, the household butler. "Young master, you're home!" Nuno greeted warmly.
El introduced his friends, saying, "Hi Nuno, this is Raven, my friend, and, of course, Thai is here."
Thai, always one to stir things up, teased, "Giiirlfriend."
"Am not!" Raven responded with an annoyed look, rolling her eyes.
El led his friends to their training ground in the backyard. Raven couldn't help but admire the house. "Nice house, brat!" she teased, her playful tone making El blush slightly as he flashed her a smile.
"Why don't you team up and duel me!" El suggested, eager to help his friends improve. Thai and Raven both wielded their weapons and readied themselves. "Ready?" called out El as he prepared to face their combined attack.
Thai and Raven charged at El with determination. "Kay'o!" chanted Raven as she cast a fireball from the seal she created. El, displaying his agility and skill, easily avoided each of their attacks. Thai, trying to catch him off guard, hastened his attack from behind, but El swiftly dodged him.
"He's fast!" Thai exclaimed in admiration.
"Taap!" El's strike landed on Thai's leg, but Thai managed to block it with the staff he was holding. Raven, casting as a double caster, summoned both fire and air elements, creating a massive fire tornado. However, El defused it with ease, leaving Raven grunting in frustration.
Despite their efforts, both Thai and Raven struggled to defeat El, who had become a formidable opponent.
After their practice session, the trio stopped, with El emerging victorious. Raven playfully called him a "brat," but El remained humble, patting his friends on the back. "You guys are improving, you know!" he encouraged, his words filled with genuine pride for his friends' progress.
The trio rested for a moment, and Raven couldn't help but notice a small cellar window at El's house. She asked, "You've been there?"
El replied, "Oh, I never knew where the entrance to that room is."
"How long have you been here?" Raven asked curiously. "If this were my house, I'd know every hidden room," she added.
Thai said, "They were from Misthaven before, so practically, he is as new as we are."
Afterward, the trio headed upstairs, only to be met with a surprise—a bare wall where a door should have been. "Dead end," Thai exclaimed.
Raven examined the wall and had an idea. "I think it's a seal," she suggested.
El agreed, saying, "You're right, I never noticed that before."
Upon closer inspection, the wall had a transparent inscription that read, "To reveal the concealed passage, chant 'enflame' in a cryptic tongue, igniting a blaze within the secret cavity." Raven read it aloud. Thai wondered, "What does that mean?"
El thought for a moment. "Hmm, perhaps we need to enchant a light spell?" he suggested. "Let me try."
Raven decided to give it a shot and whispered, "Liwanag." To their amazement, a door with a keyhole appeared right before them. That was fascinating. "A keyhole, it must be locked," he remarked.
Raven, somewhat disappointed, rolled her eyes and replied, "Obviously." But then, El noticed another inscription nearby and interrupted, "Wait, there is another inscription."
"To find the path, await the sun's gentle kiss, as it unveils the way through the portal at daybreak," El read aloud, puzzled. "Now, that is cryptic. What does it mean?"
"I think you must wait for the sun's light to touch the door," Raven explained.
El considered it but pointed out, "Make sense, but there's no window."
"Just make a sun," Thai suggested, which initially disappointed Raven. "Really?" she asked, somewhat disheartened.
"No, I meant, make a fireball and a luminous spell; it creates a small sun!" Thai clarified. "I did that once, boy, you do not want to look at that spell, it burns!" he explained.
El liked the idea and encouraged Thai to try it out. Thai chanted the spell, combining Kay-o and liwanag, which created an illuminated fireball. To their amazement, the door opened, revealing a massive balete tree in the middle of the room. The room appeared to exist in a different world, with dimensions that seemed larger than the entire house.
Thai pointed to a hole beneath the balete tree and asked, "Where does that hole lead to?"
The trio exchanged confused looks. Thai suggested, "We should hop in."
"Brat," murmured Raven once again.
"Not a bad idea," El agreed.
The trio jumped into the hole, and suddenly they found themselves in an unfamiliar place. Thai exclaimed, "Wow, this is awesome! Your house is huge!"
Raven, however, recognized their predicament. "Oh no, I've read about this; it's called a void."
"But where does this void lead to? Are we still in the void?" Thai asked.
El had a hunch. "I think we're in a different void spell," he suggested. "I think I know where we are. It's in the King's Palace."
Before El could explain further, a King's guard passed them and shouted, "Intruder!" The trio immediately ran as fast as possible, with the guards hot on their trail.
El, Thai, and Raven rushed around the house, desperately seeking an escape route. They eventually found themselves at the entrance of the King's Banquet hall, a place they least expected to end up.
"My father is going to kill us!" Thai exclaimed, clearly distressed by their predicament.
As they entered the hall, they were met with a surprising sight—the King himself, enjoying a peaceful dinner. The King looked up from his meal, his face breaking into a warm smile at the unexpected guests.
"Oh, finally, some good company," the benevolent King remarked.
The guards, who had been pursuing the trio, soon entered the hall. The King listened to their explanation of the situation. After a brief discussion, the guards confirmed that the trio posed no threat.
The King then extended an invitation to the three young friends, saying, "It's quite lonely dining alone. I'd be delighted if you'd accompany me for dinner."
The trio, though initially shy and anxious, accepted the King's invitation. El proceeded to explain the unusual circumstances that had led them to the King's Banquet hall.
El, feeling a sense of responsibility for the unexpected intrusion, insisted, "Your Highness, I am truly sorry for the disturbance. I would gladly accept any punishment, just not my friends. Punish me three times over to make amends."
The King, however, waved off El's concerns with a hearty laugh. "Nonsense!" he exclaimed. "I should punish all three of you! Your punishment, if you must have one, will be to enjoy this dinner with me."
The trio was taken aback by the King's unexpected response and a sense of relief washed over them. The tension that had gripped them moments ago was replaced with a warm and jovial atmosphere.
Curious about their presence in the King's Banquet hall, the King inquired, "Why did you end up here, by the way?"
El began to explain, "Well, there was this cellar and a tree, and..." Before he could finish, the King interrupted with a knowing smile, "Ah, so you've found that void spell Sirius created to come here immediately. Sirius and I used to play around their house when we were young."
The King's suggestion of visiting more often filled the trio with excitement. "We would love to, Your Highness," El replied with gratitude. "And thank you for your generosity."
As the evening drew to a close, the trio bid farewell to the King and made their way home, walking separately.
El and Thai walked together towards their homes when suddenly, a Pantianac appeared right in front of them. Panic gripped El as he remembered the traumatic day of the Pantianac attack.
"El!" Thai called out, noticing his friend's frozen state. Reacting swiftly, Thai chanted enchanted spells to stun the Pantianac, but it proved to be a formidable adversary. Just when it seemed they might be in trouble, Raven, who had been nearby, rushed to their aid. She cast an air spell that lifted the Pantianac off the ground and sent it crashing down, rendering the creature unconscious.
As the trio sought refuge at El's house, the town's alarm spread, and the guards rushed towards the incident. Lyria, seeing the shaken state of Raven and Thai, immediately extended her hospitality. She suggested that both Raven and Thai stay for the night, ensuring their safety. Lyria had an owl dispatched to the children's households, informing their families that they would be under her care for the evening.
Inside the house, Raven was visibly shaken, while Thai and El were still processing the adrenaline-filled encounter. Lyria approached El, her expression a mix of relief and concern. "You're in trouble, young man," she scolded gently. El hung his head, his voice filled with remorse as he responded, "I'm sorry, Mother. I was just worried about Thai." Lyria, though stern, couldn't hide her motherly affection. "I understand, but you have to be careful. I was worried too," she reminded him, her words a testament to her deep love and concern for her son.