The next day started like any other, with Lilly getting ready for the day together with Mia. Since she had a lesson with Master Keldorn today, Mia would be staying home. She avoided him as much as she could, feeling uncomfortable having him close.
"Do you want me to find a dress for you as well, Lilly? Or will you use your mother's dress again?" Mia asked, preparing for her shopping expedition. She and Eolande would be going together to make sure she was safe. And probably to have some fun.
"I think I'll be fine with that one, but I should probably get some more dresses later. I'd like to try them before buying anything though, so just find something for yourself today."
"That's fine, you look great in that one as well! Good luck with your lesson today!" Mia kissed Lilly on her cheek as she was preparing to head out, making her smile.
"Oh, I'll be distracted thinking about our date. But that's a welcome change; usually, I'm distracted by him." Lilly opened the door and waved as she left the room.
She found Gramps in the bakery, baking some pastries as usual. He looked at Lilly with a hint of nervousness in his eyes. "You're sure about not having any bodyguards today? That's how Selene was attacked, you know."
"Don't worry, Gramps. I'll be there in seconds. I'm going to be flying!" She held the staff proudly in her right hand, smiling excitedly.
Gramps didn't seem entirely convinced and sighed. "Fine, just remember to be careful. Flying is also dangerous."
Lilly managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes, opening the outer door with her free hand. "I'll be fine, Gramps; I'm a big girl. See you later!"
He waved at her with a doughy hand. "Have a nice day!"
As she walked out to the street and greeted the guards, she immediately held the staff out in front of her and started focusing. And only seconds later, she was flying smoothly through the air. She heard some gasps from the guards as she ascended, but ignored them cheerfully.
'Now, let's see how fast I can fly without goggles!'
She sat up the speed to the point where she barely could keep her eyes open, feeling an incredible thrill through her body. The sense of freedom was incredible as she weaved above chimneys and roofs, twisting and turning at great speeds.
'Wow, I really need goggles. I could move so much faster if the wind wasn't so blinding.'
After having some fun, she felt it was time to head to the barracks properly. She couldn't be late for her lesson after all. It only took her a few seconds to land next to the entrance of the office building, ready to walk in.
'This staff is the best!' she thought, feeling grateful that Myndia trusted her enough to hand it to her.
Walking through the hallways, she was eventually greeted by Daisy sitting in front of the office. "Morning, Lilly! Master Keldorn has already entered, so please head on in!"
"Good morning! Let's see what he has to teach me today, then." She opened the door, finding Master Keldorn sitting on the chair in front of her desk like usual.
"Apologies if I'm late, Master. I was having some fun with the staff; I discovered a new way to fly with it."
Master Keldorn turned around in the chair, studying Lilly intently. "Oh, no worries, Lilly. I saw you discover it yesterday; it was incredible how fast you figured it out."
'Is he hinting at something?' Lilly thought, quickly finding an excuse while walking to the desk."Yeah, I tried something new in the office, but waited to get outside to test it properly. Some sort of field surrounded me while I was trying some new stuff with it, and I thought it might help me fly."
He nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer. "It's incredible how well you're able to figure out that staff. Since you've never let me look at it, I'm quite curious. But regardless, how is your transmutation getting along?"
Lilly felt her nerves getting taut, listening to him subtly make accusations towards her like that. "I have a very good reason not to trust you, Master, so stop complaining. My transmutation is quite good now, I think. Here's a material and bracelet I was working on yesterday." She presented two items from a drawer on her desk.
A scaly-looking silvery heart and a mithril bracelet. Both were of high quality, increasing the demand put on the transmutation. Lilly felt rather satisfied with her results this time, having aligned the energies at least 80%.
Master Keldorn put his hands on the items briefly before letting go of them again. A crooked smile showed on his face. "You really do have an annoying talent for enchanting, Lilly. This is quite remarkable for the time you've invested. It's not perfect, of course, but some more training will get you there."
Lilly was glad he seemed impressed. Even if he was an enemy, he was one of the best enchanters in the kingdom. "Thanks! I've been practicing a lot. My control of the flame has improved a lot as well, so that might have something to do with it. Is there anything else I need to learn, you think?"
"No, I think we're done here," he said, looking directly at her with a smug expression.
'Uh oh, I need him to stay here for another week… This wasn't part of the plan.' Lilly rapidly thought about different things she could ask him to teach her, but not much stood out to her.
"What about… Do you think I could consider myself a great enchantress now?" She asked, hoping he would nitpick something.
"Oh, absolutely. Your flame alone makes you capable of creating formidable enchantments, greater than any royal enchanter. The only thing you lack now is experience, and that will come with time, as long as you keep creating. " He gave her what seemed to be a very genuine smile.
Lilly had an idea, but wasn't sure it would work. "I'm planning to create a proper enchantment this week, with a palladium cuirass as the base. Could you stay here for one more week to check the result?"
"Oh, you've come to trust my judgment that much? Well, I would, but I don't really feel like dying."
Lilly felt her eyes widen in shock, hoping she had misheard him. 'No, he definitely said he didn't want to die.' Panic spread through her body, making her tense her muscles unconsciously.
"What… what do you mean?" Lilly swallowed nervously, as she felt fear spreading through her. She was alone right now, with no one around who could help her fight.
Master Keldorn sighed. "Let's just be honest, Lilly. I've known for a while. I assume Eolande told you everything, which made you see me as an enemy. It's understandable, considering what I did to the Vermilions." He looked at her with tired eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not planning to attack you."
Lilly felt everything crumble apart; all the planning and acting, all for nothing. "But… what are you planning?"
"Not much. But let me guess, Myndia is able to communicate with you as well?"
Lilly considered feigning ignorance but felt there was no point. "Yes, I've spoken to her. And she's not very interested in letting you go."
He sighed again, deeper this time. "That's what I feared. And now that she knows about me, there's no place in Eldoria for me anymore. It's just a question of time before she returns, which is what I hoped to prevent."
"Surely you don't blame her for coming after you! You heartlessly massacred her family!" Lilly felt herself getting angry, but she knew she didn't feel a fraction of the hatred Myndia was carrying.
"... Have you ever asked her why?" His eyes turned sharp, making her falter slightly.
"Yeah, she said it was most likely to prevent her from returning."
He nodded. "It was, but why would I be so eager to prevent her return? What do I put above everything?"
Lilly felt insulted by his simple attempt at convincing her again. "This won't work on me; you can say it was for peace all you want. Nothing excuses massacring innocents."
"There it is again, that narrow view of the child grown up in a cushioned box! No, whatever, we're not here to argue that again." He put his hand on his forehead, shaking his head. "Killing you would be stupid since that likely would make Myndia appear. Honestly, I regret not killing you before you let her know I was alive. Eolantas needs a proper scolding."
"Well, the cat is out of the bag," Lilly responded, not entirely sure what to do now. She couldn't kill him either, obviously. He was too fast, and had too many enchantments she knew nothing about. They were at an impasse.
"I… guess I just have to leave. Start over somewhere else. As long as people exist, there will be conflict. So my work is never done…"
"You're so high on yourself, Grandfather. You couldn't even prevent this war. What do you even have to be proud of?"
A sudden slap sounded out, and a burning sensation spread from Lilly's cheek. She looked at Grandfather, who she didn't even see move. He had returned to his seat in an instant, showing off his incredible speed. 'He dares to slap me then, just not to go too far…'
"You're not even a year old compared to me; what do you think your tiny knowledge of the world is worth? This can barely be called a war, not even 100,000 have died yet. And do you know why? Why hasn't the war started for real? Why is the only proper attack so far the one we were included in? If you ever stopped to think how bad things could be, maybe you would be able to use your cleverness for something useful!"
"Then fuck off! Leave us to our fate and go die in a hole somewhere!" Lilly didn't care about Myndia's revenge anymore, feeling it was better for him to disappear from this land forever.
He chuckled as he shook his head, removing his disguise in an instant and revealing his true form. "I really hope you live to feel the regret you rightfully should, child. Let me guess, you're planning to have the king pay for his actions as well? I'm sure that won't end in several massacres!"
He appeared mere inches from Lilly's face, suddenly looking deeply into her eyes. "And when you feel that blood on your hands, maybe you'll wonder if I should have killed you right here. Maybe you'll think that the world would have been better off without you. But you'll have to live with it, like I did thousands of years ago. I wish I could be there to see it, but unfortunately, dear student, this is goodbye."
Lilly didn't have time to think before an intense burning sensation was felt on her chest. A resounding roar from a young female voice, drenched in fury, was heard through the office.
"EOLANATHEL!"