CHAPTER 13

280 ac

I heard that the ravens could solve easy problems and puzzles, but I didn't think they could open a latch lock. It looks like I was sorely mistaken about it. I took them out of the cage and secured the murder scene. Erebus was raising his wings and cawing at me. Is this little prick challenging me? I looked inside the cage, and it was horrible.

Blue and white feathers were everywhere, and almost nothing was left of it. Poor Blue, you will be missed a bit. Let's be honest: I never treated it like a pet; it was just a tool to be used for my magical training, but when I was done with it, I wouldn't kill it, and I would have gifted it to someone else.

I cleaned up the mess and threw away the cage because I wouldn't need it anymore. I took Poe to my hand and started to familiar bound spell. It was like, as always, a slow process. The process feels like building a bridge by adding tiny little bricks to each other. If the other side doesn't reach out to you, you'll have to spend more mana.

For Poe, she was reaching a bit but not that much. It is still a wild bird, even though I have been feeding it for the past 6 to 7 weeks. At least it is not resisting to the bond. I'm almost spent; I have only 1 or 2 mana left. It feels like I can touch it with my fingertips but still not there. I focused one more time and pushed with the rest of my mana. It will work; I know it. The second I spent my last mana, everything went white, and I saw a big visage as big as mine, but my eyes were unable to focus yet.

I closed my eyes again and took a big breath, trying to calm down and focus. When I opened them again, I saw a giant raven. It was Poe, as big as me. The visage was her. Wait a minute. Is she as big as me, or am I as small as her now? Ihh, my brain hurts. Whatever it is, it feels weird. I look at her, and she looks at me; when I turn my head sideways, it does the same, I raise my arms, and she raises her wings.

I can feel her. She is curious about me, this room, and the lights coming around the blinds. She is curious about everything. I can feel the bottomless desire to fly and be free before everything goes black.When I woke up, I saw the lights trickling down from the small cracks between the blinds. I got up, opened the blinds, and looked out the window.

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The sun is on the east side of the castle. When I got to my room, the sun was setting. I tried to establish a bond and succeeded; yes, I can feel it now; I can feel Poe. It means I was out for 12 hours, at the very least. It must be because I have exhausted my mana.

Now that I have a familiar, what can I do with it? I'm really curious. It is unfair to Erebus, but I can't take him outside yet. I just will it, and Poe looks at me and caws. After a few seconds, she starts to fly clumsily and perches on my shoulder.

I went out while Erebus was cawing at us. I go towards the Godswood. I think it is the perfect place to train in the castle if you want to be alone. Yes, most people go there to pray to the old gods, but they only go to the weirwood tree, and I always go to the ends of the forest close to the walls.

With elemental magic, when I contemplate it, the spells come to me instinctively. I still don't know which language I'm using to cast. I set Poe on a rock and focus on the connection we have. The tether is like a two-way street. I can feel her, and she can feel me. I can order her, but it feels like she is free to do it or not.

She can refuse an order or resist it if she doesn't want to do it. It is about our will, too, because I have a stronger will. She can't refuse my orders that much. If I hold the tether connecting us, I can make her do what I want, but it will hurt the tether; it might even break it.

The tether will get stronger if I treat her well. It will get weaker if I force her to do things she doesn't want to. Now I'm starting to understand the bond. I'm starting to get magical applications of it, too. I can use my magic to sense where my familiar is. It will be a good scouting spell if I can strengthen it to last for kilometers.

The bond provides me with a buff, and now I can use the bond. I have better eyesight. It feels like I can see two times the distance. This time I'm trying something else. I sent my consciousness through the tether and opened my eyes, thinking, "Oh, god, this is weird." This was the first time I had seen my face in this life. It feels bizarre. I have dark black hair that looks like a bird's nest. That figures. I never comb my hair; I don't even own a comb.

I should start looking after myself. My eyes are silver colored, and I have a pale white face. My eyes are open, and I'm blinking, but it is like I'm sleepwalking. Literally, there is nobody at home. I start flapping my wings and try to fly, which feels natural. I can feel Poe's weak wings getting tired. So, I perch on a branch. I can even feel her consciousness, too. She is starting to feel uncomfortable, so I end the connection. It goes black, and I get back to my body.