It was a warm, sunny afternoon at Arcanis Academy, and Elyas found himself enjoying the serene beauty of the academy's gardens. After a string of magical mishaps, he was determined to practice a spell that seemed harmless enough: a charm to summon small animals. Elyas figured it would be a peaceful exercise—just calling over some birds or squirrels to admire. What could possibly go wrong?
As Elyas prepared for his spell, he rehearsed the incantation under his breath, making sure to get the words just right. But, as usual, fate had other plans. Elyas's nerves got the better of him, and he ended up misspeaking one of the words. Instead of summoning animals, he accidentally cast a minor love spell—on himself.
Elyas (horrified): "No, no, no—this isn't happening!"
As if by some cosmic joke, Elyas felt an overwhelming surge of admiration and infatuation for the statue of a large, intimidating warrior that stood proudly in the middle of the garden. The statue, with its chiseled features and imposing stance, suddenly seemed to Elyas like the most magnificent being in existence. He blushed furiously and tried to look away, but his enchanted mind kept drawing him back to the stone visage.
Elyas (trying to shake off the feelings): "Get a grip, Elyas. It's just a statue. A statue. A... really attractive statue."
But no matter how hard he tried to convince himself, his eyes kept drifting back to the statue. The more he tried to ignore it, the stronger his feelings grew. He was on the verge of composing a sonnet about the statue's stone gaze when Marlowe appeared, a curious expression on his face.
Marlowe (raising an eyebrow): "Elyas? What on earth are you doing? Why are you staring at that statue like it's the most amazing thing you've ever seen?"
Elyas (frantically, his voice tinged with panic): "Marlowe, it's not what it looks like! I didn't mean to—"
Marlowe (interrupting, grinning mischievously): "Oh, I see. The old 'in love with a statue' routine. How original. So, who's the lucky statue?"
Elyas (desperately): "No, no, no! It's a spell gone wrong! I accidentally cast a love spell on myself! I didn't mean to—"
Marlowe (teasingly): "Ah, the trials of unrequited love. Don't worry, Elyas, I'm sure the statue will come around eventually. Maybe it just needs some time to warm up to you."
Elyas was mortified. He tried to focus on something else, anything else, but his gaze kept wandering back to the statue. It was as if the statue had an irresistible magnetic pull. He couldn't break free from the enchantment, no matter how hard he tried.
Marlowe (sitting down next to Elyas, still grinning): "So, how long have you been in love with this... exquisite piece of stone?"
Elyas (groaning): "It's not a romantic interest! It's a mistake. I've tried everything to break the spell, but nothing's working!"
Marlowe (mockingly): "Well, I must say, Elyas, it's quite a unique problem you have. Most people would be thrilled to have a love spell work, but you... you've fallen for an inanimate object. How quaint."
Elyas tried to ignore Marlowe's teasing and attempted various methods to distract himself from the statue. He tried reading, engaging in conversation, and even doing a few jumping jacks—anything to break the spell's hold. But each time he looked up, there was the statue, its stony eyes watching him with a stoic, if somewhat indifferent, gaze.
Hours passed, and Elyas's frustration grew. Marlowe, meanwhile, found the situation increasingly amusing. He decided to take advantage of the situation and began composing a ridiculous ballad about Elyas's newfound love.
Marlowe (singing dramatically): "Oh, Elyas, dear Elyas, so lost in stone so cold. His heart now belongs to a warrior bold..."
Elyas (covering his face with his hands): "Marlowe, please, not the ballad! I'm in enough trouble already!"
Marlowe (continuing unabated): "From the dawn until the dusk, he gazes with delight, upon the stony visage, in the day and in the night…"
Elyas (groaning): "I'm going to regret this forever."
Just as Elyas was about to resign himself to a life of unrequited love for a statue, Seraphina arrived in the garden, having heard about Elyas's predicament from Marlowe's incessant singing. She took one look at Elyas's forlorn expression and immediately understood the situation.
Seraphina (sighing, trying to hold back a smile): "Elyas, you've really outdone yourself this time. Let me guess—you've fallen in love with the statue?"
Elyas (miserably): "Yes! I didn't mean to. It was a mistake. Can you help me fix it?"
Seraphina (nodding): "Alright, let's see what we can do. But first, tell me—what exactly did you say in the incantation?"
Elyas (nervously): "I was trying to summon animals, but I might have said something like... 'Amor foris,' instead of 'Animalis summon.'"
Seraphina (raising an eyebrow): "Ah, yes. 'Amor' means love. I can see how that would be a problem. Don't worry, I'll help you out."
Seraphina began to cast a counter-spell to reverse the effects of Elyas's unintended love spell. She carefully recited the incantation, her voice steady and calm. The spell seemed to work—slowly, Elyas's feelings for the statue began to fade.
Elyas (relieved): "Thank you, Seraphina. I don't know what I would have done without you."
Seraphina (smiling): "Just another day in the life of Elyas. Now, let's get you away from that statue before Marlowe writes any more embarrassing ballads about you."
As Elyas and Seraphina walked away from the garden, Elyas couldn't help but feel a mix of embarrassment and gratitude. He had survived yet another magical mishap, and though it had been mortifying, he knew he could count on his friends to help him through the strangest of situations.
Marlowe, still sitting by the statue, began composing a new ballad about Elyas's narrow escape from a love spell gone wrong. He sang with gusto, his voice echoing through the garden.
Marlowe (singing): "Though his heart was bound to stone, Elyas has been saved, from the spell of love so wild, now his feelings are behaved!"
Elyas (rolling his eyes): "I'm definitely never living this one down."
And with that, Elyas and Seraphina headed back to the academy, leaving Marlowe to his musical musings. Elyas was just glad that he could move on from his stone-cold romance and return to the more mundane challenges of magical learning. As he looked back at the garden, he couldn't help but smile at the absurdity of it all. After all, if magic had taught him anything, it was that life was always full of surprises—even if some of them were a bit too romantic for his liking.