Chapter 39 - The General Meets a High Elf (Part 2)
Nathan Evenhart:
I was walking down the hallways with an annoying woman trailing behind me, begging for forgiveness.
"I promise, Icarus! I won't mention your past anymore, okay? I'm waving the white flag here…"
Okay! Now disappear and go back to wherever you usually stay!
I thought to the Goddess Athena.
"I want to make a pact with you. We've lived side by side for these past years, and I've literally seen your mom wiping your butt when you were a baby."
I sighed.
A pact? A pact with you, the Goddess of Strategy? Not a chance.
The annoying Goddess could read my thoughts, so this was my way of talking to her while walking in a public place. I was heading towards the castle with her following me.
"It's quite simple… I want to help you. If you die, then I die since we're somehow linked. I want to tell you a secret, but it comes with a price."
I looked at her.
What secret?
She placed a finger on her lips. "If I tell you the secret, then there's no reason for you to make a pact with me to find out, right?"
I ignored her and kept walking.
"Wait, Icarus! I'll tell you then… part of what I know."
What do you mean by part of what you know?
"It's quite simple. I'll tell you the secret of this body of yours, a secret I doubt you'll discover. In exchange, I only want one small thing…" she said.
You want me to negotiate with the woman who thinks a thousand steps ahead? No way… but what do you want in return? Just curious.
"Don't worry, it's something you can give me right now."
And what is that?
"A kiss… I want a kiss from you."
I laughed.
Go to hell, Athena…
I resumed walking towards my destination with her trailing behind.
"Hey! I just wanted to do it before someone else steals your first kiss."
I ignored her and walked away faster.
You're crazy, you know that?
She sighed.
"Alright, General Icarus… but know that the secret hidden in this body of yours is real. Too bad you'll never know what I know."
Knowing you, even giving a kiss could be dangerous…
***
I was heading towards the throne room. Martha was guiding Chloe and me to where our teacher was waiting for us. I found my eager cousin on the way, and she was waiting for me along with Martha.
She had waited all these years for this moment, and before I met her, the little monster spent her days reading books. She's naturally anxious… in this situation, her mind must be experiencing countless explosions.
I let out a small internal laugh.
Good thing she doesn't have the fire element... imagine an anxious girl with that element? I'd be in trouble if she asked me to hold her hand.
"What do you think she looks like?" Chloe asked me. She was clearly nervous.
"Probably some really old woman. My mom said she trained our parents when they were kids," I replied.
Martha chuckled and opened the door for us.
"Good luck with your old teacher, kids," she said, winking at us.
As soon as the door opened, she left, leaving us to enter the throne room. I saw my mother and Aunt Margie talking to someone.
"Finally, you arrived. You took your time, didn't you? Even though your teacher has the time to train you, it's not a good way to start your relationship with her," my aunt said.
"Sorry, Mom..." Chloe said.
"It's okay, I got to rest a bit," a voice said.
There was a tall woman with her back to us, and as soon as our teacher turned around, I saw her.
WHAT? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? SHE'S YOUNG!
Standing a few meters in front of me was a beautiful, attractive woman who appeared to be around 30 years old. She had dark silver hair, almost gray. Her hair was tied up, which made her beauty even more mysterious. The woman wore elegant, formal clothing with a long brown overcoat, and underneath, she even had a tie. She was smoking a pipe, and what caught my attention were her eyes. One of her eyes was green, but the other was a beautiful, almost glowing purple.
Special eyes?
In the purple eye, she wore a monocle, and besides her fair skin and angelic face, her ears stood out the most. I had read about them, but seeing them up close was impressive. Her ears were very pointed. My teacher was very beautiful and attractive, and it seemed like she had absorbed all the beauty in the room. I didn't know how, but she somehow exuded elegance.
"Pleasure to meet you, Evenhart children. My name is Adrihna, and I am a High Elf. I will be your trainer for these months, and with my special eyes, I will create a training regime exclusive to your talents. I am one of the few users in the world of the Light Element and also a teacher at the Apsalon Magic Academy."
Chloe and I gulped.
"I hope you pay close attention in my class because I am a strict teacher, and people and families from the three kingdoms try to buy my time to teach their idiot children. My name has been famous in these lands for almost two centuries, and my eyes are highly coveted... so I will only say this once. Are you ready to be initiated into real magic?"
"Yes!" Chloe and I responded in unison.
"Good! Because I would pack my bags and leave if I didn't feel with my eyes that you were worth it. Let's go! We have much to extract from your magical potential."
And that's how I was introduced to the first High Elf I ever met in my life, and she would be my magic teacher.