Liora gave Arion a surprised glance. Besides, which normal person would shout from their sleep.
"Sorcery of enthrallation?"
Arion, still panting heavily from his recent awakening, felt a mixture of fear and confusion.
He thought he dreamt of a grey haired old man with a wand...
Whatever it was, he couldn't grasp the concept then.
He had never seen that person before so why would he had dreamt that?
Arion rested on the edge of his bed, trying to make sense of the strange dream and his unusual sensitivity towards it.
"What did I blabber about?" He mumbled, perplexed.
Liora shot him a quizzical and slightly frustrated look, waiting for an explanation.
"What's the Sorcery of enthrallation? Why -"
"I have no idea. But it's possible that it's related to the dark magic used to create those monsters, the ones that attacked the sect a couple of years ago," Arion replied as he rose from his bed.
He stretched his arms, trying to shake off the weariness from being in bed for so long.
Liora nodded in agreement, "Ah, that may be true. Enthralled Shadows..."
Arion, still not himself, exclaimed, "I am stressed!"
He stretched his hand once more.
Realizing that his abdominal pain had subsided, he said jestingly.
"The attack was weak, and compared to the injuries I've faced, it's nothing. Why did I lose consciousness? It's making me feel like a weak man."
Liora observed his transformation with astonishment.
"Apart from hitting his head somewhere in his dream, he underwent transformation too. He has become slightly," she thought.
Liora told Arion,"Anyways, you may be different now, but you will change later on. Your personality is never constant."
She noticed a smirk on Arion's face, albeit a less sinister one.
"Really?"
He walked over to a nearby wooden table where he used to keep a kettle which was always devoid of water.
However, on grabbing the kettle, he found it empty. He exclaimed, "I've forgotten this is still my room."
Liora offered to get him a glass of water, to which Arion agreed.
"Water is not a problem," she assured him. Weaving her fingers together, tiny blue lights intertwined around them.
Arion watched with curiosity as she cast a spell and created a magical cup, though not particularly powerful.
He teased her, saying, "When people see you, you seem very dependent and weak. Why do you... cower in fear when you can create a water spell, huh?" The tiny lights coalesced into a cup in front of her interlocked fingers, and the cup gently fell into Arion's hand.
Arion was taken aback by the display. He almost assumed it was a prank, finding the cup empty. But then, mysteriously, water filled the cup. He chuckled and said, "Sorry, I almost took you for granted."
Liora couldn't help but wonder why he was so different today. She mumbled, "I am not going to fall for that. He's a one condescending jerk."
Arion later requested a cup of wine, but Liora explained that making wine magically wasn't as simple as conjuring water.
She suggested they could easily get wine from the palace, but it was a privilege reserved for nobles.
Arion questioned this rule, to which Liora replied, "I have no idea. Just a rule."
***
In the dark underground room of the Gnostic sect, a sinister voice echoed. The voice belonged to Thorian, and Seraphis stood at his side as they gazed into the vast chamber.
"Get me new members. The sorcery must be performed again."
Seraphis bowed before inquiring, "My lord, why are you keeping the man from Heka? He hasn't done anything and he is utterly useless."
Thorian, with a sinister smile, replied, "Hey, cut him some slack. A diamond can't be stained with dirt, you know. But the diamond's worth lies in the value it can bring. After that, it's as useless as a piece of rag. For now, get me perfect ingredients."
"Yes, my lord," Seraphis bowed before leaving through a door.
Thorian contemplated his hidden intentions. He was growing impatient and determined to achieve his goals.
He believed his sorcery would make him unstoppable.
"All of you in the outside world, just wait and see how I will transform everywhere. No one will rule but me. You'll all bow at my feet and tremble in my presence," he declared with a chilling laugh, echoing in the dark chamber.
Arion and Liora climbed the palace's grand staircase. Liora was panting and famished after scaling about fifty steps, but Arion was just okay as always.
Observing his unusual endurance, Liora attempted to address him, "Hey..."
Arion interrupted her, asserting, "I have a name, I am Arion. Call me by my name."
Exhausted, Liora asked with a hint of jest, "Are you an alien?" Her panting grew more pronounced.
Arion grinned, "Will you believe it if I am?"
"How...how could you scale that number of steps.. without getting exhausted a little?!"
She panted.
"It's a secret; I am not gonna tell you," Arion said with a giggle. As he saw that she was about to scale a step to his side, he offered a hand. "Here."
She took his hand and they walked through the palace gate.
Arion inquired about the location of the wine, and Liora pointed to a distant cabin.
Arion headed in that direction, leaving her behind.
"Wait for me!"
Minutes later, they arrived at the cabin's entrance. Arion dashed inside, but an elderly man stopped him, demanding proof of whether he was a noble or not.
Liora's presence ultimately allowed Arion entry.
Arion scoffed , saying, "Being born with a silver spoon has its benefits sometimes," prompting a sarcastic remark from Liora, who wished he'd shown more humility.
Arion reappeared with four jugs of wine, prompting Liora's surprise. "That's too much! Are we throwing a party?"
Arion explained, "I won't get the chance to drink palace wine anymore, so I want to enjoy it to the fullest."
They began to leave the cabin.
As they moved a few meters away, Arion noticed a fast movement near the cabin's left side.
He gestured to Liora to hide behind a building beside the wine cabin, and they complied. Liora suggested it might be palace officers passing by, but Arion insisted on remaining hidden.
Four black-clothed men appeared from the left side, arousing Arion's suspicions.
He felt something familiar about the emblem on their clothing. Peering closer, he realized they were moving four unconscious men.
Most importantly, he realized they were same as those that attacked him at the cliff.
"They aren't doctors yet they are taking away unconscious men? Those bastards!"
Liora questioned his reaction, and Arion grabbed her hand, following them closely.
Meanwhile, they had abandoned the jugs of wine.
Liora soon noticed the men were heading toward a secret gate within the palace. She voiced her concerns, "The gate they're taking is hidden and not easily found. If they're really bad people, then they have an informant within the palace."
Arion led her to hide behind a brick pillar as one of the men opened the gate.
He was amazed that they had a key to the gate, realizing there must be an informant among the palace staff.
Arion explained his plan: "I will engage the men, and you make sure the unconscious men remain safe. Okay?" He quickened at Liora's hesitation.
Liora asked, "How do I keep them safe, and why must you interfere? You might be framed if the palace officers catch you here!"
Arion, driven by his conscience, replied, "My conscience would trouble me if I ignored the fact that these men would be in a dangerous situation. Just make sure no one takes them while I deal with the four, and I'll handle the rest."
In the next few seconds, Arion confronted the black-clothed men in a physical altercation. He incapacitated them, leaving them unable to stand.
They all sprawled in the ground, moaning in pain from the attack. One of the men spat on Arion's clothes, eliciting a disgusted reaction. "Goodness, what a fine piece of jerk!" Arion exclaimed and then tied them up with ropes covered with milky purple color.
As he glanced at the gate, he noticed a figure standing behind it.
Arion couldn't make out the person's identity due to the darkness. He illuminated the area with a blue light, revealing the identity of the person behind the gate.
Arion was stunned to see the man he had fought against just hours earlier, Seraphis. The two locked eyes in tense silence. The gate suddenly fell open, and Arion instinctively manifested a sword in his hand.
"You rascal! Don't you get tired at all?" Arion gritted his teeth. "See? This bottom-tier piece of nonsense made me unconscious few hours ago!"