Samlas’ singing was repeating so much that everyone in the kitchen had already grown accustomed to it. Their conversation kept going despite the melody, which was often interrupted by a sudden stream of insults as the fairy messed up part of the ritual yet again. For this reason, when the expected lamenting was replaced with a victorious “Finally!”, everyone sprung up from their chairs and rushed upstairs to see the outcome.
Jin heard the call too. There was more he wished to discuss with Rudy, but there was little time. That and his own curiosity was also pulling him away. He wanted to see the outcome of Samlas’ hard work.
The quartet stared in silent awe at the result. They watched as the glowing pink bulb unravelled. Tiny drew drops adorned its surface like countless diamonds. As the leaves finally settled down, a gentle fragrance filled the room. A sweet smell that reminded everyone of a meadow blooming with life.
They had to agree, it was exactly like the one Manuel conjured up, yet the idea of how much it took to summon it granted the plant a certain aura of importance. A feeling that it looked far more beautiful than anything the local nature could offer.
“It’s perfect!” Samlas squealed. “Can you help me carry it upstairs into the hall? Not you, Manuel! I need manual work, not magic!” she snapped at the wizard and turned to the kids, who were eager to help out.
The petals were soft to the touch, yet firm. As Kaili carefully picked the flower up, it seemed to resist gravity with honourable determination. Only now did the children notice the rhythm of the glow. It seemed to pulse faintly like the slow beat of a relaxed heart.
The upstairs room was a mystery to everyone. On a normal occasion, it would contain anything from a few paintings, most of which depicted the maestro wizard in various heroic poses, to figurines wearing various sets of armour, either enchanted or ceremonial. Now, the place was different. Manuel cleared it up. The large circular room was barren, ready to be redecorated as the fairies would see fit.
“Cia?” Manuel grabbed her attention. “Can you go downstairs and fetch the Cordicon? We need to open the portal for our guests.”
The imp nodded and ran down into the basement. In the meantime, Samlas instructed the kids where to settle down the flower. Now, it was time to decorate. The trio smirked. They never saw Manuel dance to the orders of someone else, but it seemed like Samlas’ words were like rules of nature for him. Whatever she requested, he set out to provide.
He clapped and twirled his fingers. Large drapes of various colours and patterns began appearing all around the room in bright flashes of light, along with a couple of stepladders. Very quickly did the enthusiasm of the kids fade when they realized what crazy amount of work they had before them. Metal hooks were to be hammered into the boards on the ceiling, from which would the fabrics then hang.
While Airo and Jin worked on this task, Kaili’s attention was requested elsewhere. Large pots with miniature trees were teleported into the room. Samlas spoke her request clearly. They were to be aligned by the walls and decorated with small glowing gems. According to the fairy, only the young dryad had an eye for such ornaments and their correct placement.
“Manuel would probably arrange them in the shape of his face,” Samlas commented and flew off to help hang the drapes.
In the meantime, Cia returned with the Cordicon. Manuel headed downstairs to the library, where he opened up a portal with the push of a few buttons and a modest help from his own magic. Very soon, the guests began gathering in tower. Anyone from small fairies to speaking butterflies and moths. Their minuscule size allowed for a truly impressive number to fit into one room. Soon the place seemed overcrowded, and Jin kept looking around to make sure he wouldn’t accidentally squish someone.
Members of Samlas’ family brought baskets with petals. All the present relatives began tossing them on the floor and carefully arranging them into a pathway towards the flower, which would serve as an altar.
The boys were soon done with the drapes. The ceiling looked as if a rainbow decided to stop by and rest for a moment in Manuel’s not-so-humble home.
The next task they were given almost immediately after, without anything but a few seconds to catch their breath, was to bring out and arrange the chairs and tables. Manuel would always conjure them up, teleporting them into the room from gods-knew-where. Fortunately, everything was fairy sized. That made carrying the furniture around much easier. Unfortunately, the wedding was supposedly gigantic, as Jin swore there was no end to the chairs and benches they had to arrange.
Cia went down to check on Manuel. From beside the portal, he gave her a smile and thumbs up, however, his forehead glistening with sweat told a different story.
In reality, the entire ordeal was straining. His left eye connected to the magic upstairs, allowing him to oversee the entire decoration process. His right eye remained with him to greet the guests and check on the portal. The Cordicon was great at opening gateways, but holding it open for so long and without any sort of anchor on the other side meant that it required a steady income of magic to remain active. Not to mention a little mental tinkering here and there. Then, of course, there was the question of summoning the furniture, and eventually, even of transporting the food onto the tables where a crowd of fairies waited to arrange it properly.
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Manuel sighed. He tried to focus on the beauty of the process. There had to be something about it that made him happy, but no matter how hard he tried to smile, the whole ordeal frustrated him. It wasn’t any impressive magic, there was a crowd of unknown people in his home, everything was noisy, he had to mentally stretch himself thin, and to top it all off, he couldn’t even wear clothes of his favourite colour. The purple robes and hat mixed with lilac tunic made him feel like he was wearing a ridiculous costume.
“No, you’re making it all possible. You’re a bridge that connects everyone. A god does not falter. Neither will you,” he muttered to him and his magic stabilized. The sense of duty helped him. He imagined himself a deity atop his throne. People relied on him now and he was there to aid them. That alone brought him joy in that moment.
The ceremony itself was long and tedious for many, but once it finally began, it required little assistance from the inhabitants of the tower. The kids stood at the side of the room as the furniture they brought in was too small even for someone of Cia’s height.
As per custom, the engaged couple began their song. Each started separately. First, they sang to the families of their partner. A promise that they would love their child and keep them safe. For a moment, the room fell silent as anticipation rose. Everyone awaited the response of the parents, but when they joined the fiancé in their song, everyone’s joyous mood returned. The second partner then did the same and received a similar blessing. Their songs then united, yet each sang separately. They took turns as they danced towards the large flower. A pause befell the whole room as the couple turned to the crowd, who all joined in for a moment like a large choir. Their blessing was the final one and they now stood witness to the act. The two fairies were finally bound in their life and fate. Their songs blended into one voice, perfectly synchronised.
The fairies stood up from their seats and hovered closer to the flower. With their gestures and humming, they commanded it to close, keeping the newly-weds safely within. The most important guests then picked the flower up and went to carry it into their private quarters.
The celebration downstairs was in full swing. There was so much noise that Jin and Manuel could still hear it even in the training room above. Fortunately for them, they managed to keep their mind focused on other things.
A burst of air hit Jin in the belly, sending him tumbling backwards and to the ground. The layer of golden magic laid out across the room cushioned his fall.
“Damn it! Again!” he growled and stood back up.
“No. Let’s take a break,” Manuel replied.
“I can keep going.”
“Your panting indicates otherwise. Come on, let’s have just a brief rest. We can continue sparring later.”
Jin rolled his eyes but agreed. He joined his teacher on the bench at the side of the room.
“Here, stay hydrated,” Manuel told him and passed him a metal flask of water.
“Thanks. Hmm? Mmm! Is that even water? It tastes…”
“Different?”
“Yeah.”
“A gift I got from a friend of mine. It’s probably the purest water one can create. With a healthy dose of minerals and the such.
A loud thud could be heard from downstairs, followed by thundering laughter. Jin smiled as he watched Manuel roll his eyes.
“Not too fond of celebrations?” the boy asked.
“I do not mind them but celebrating fairies are… Noisy. Not to mention that everything is just so colourful. It feels a bit overwhelming to the senses.”
“Kaili seemed to be enjoying herself. I’m happy that the guests showed interest in her art. She always kept to herself with the paintings, so it’s nice seeing her open up a bit more.”
“Indeed. I do wish Cia would share a similar modesty.”
“Hehe, you think she’s already manage to talk everyone’s ear off about her inventions?”
“Judging by the fact that she hasn’t joined us yet, I would guess that there still are some untouched ears at the party.” He took another sip of the water. “You’re not a big fan of celebrations either, I presume?”
“Oh, no, I actually like them, but I barely know all these guests. Just thought there was a better way to spend time.”
“By training? I have to say, this behaviour is quite strange in your case.”
“Huh? No it’s not! I always train a lot!”
“Well, yes, but you also aren’t someone who’d prioritize practising magic over some fun with friends. Nor are you usually this hell-bent on keeping the sparring going. I think this is the first time I didn’t have to encourage you to get back up.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Almost as if you’re in a hurry.”
Jin frowned at him. “You saw something in the future, didn’t you?”
“No, I haven’t used these powers for a while now. I just observed you and made a guess. I am very perceptive, as you can see.”
“If you say so.”
The wizard nudged the boy with his elbow. “So? Are you going to tell me what changed all of a sudden? I assume it has something to do with your little pirate adventure?”
“Well… kinda.” Jin took a deep breath before choosing his next words. “Lorican is powerful and he said he’ll be back after your death. Regardless of whether he succeeds or not, I want to be ready.”
“I see. Hmm… If it troubles you so much, I can always find him and deal with him for you.”
Jin turned to the wizard. “Deal with him? You mean kill him?”
“Of course not! Well, unless absolutely necessary. There are other ways.”
“Like sealing him inside of a weapon so he can’t move or do anything on his own?”
Manuel smirked. “Is that a passive aggressive tone I sense? What’s wrong with sealing someone away. It’s better than death.”
“How can you know that? Your solutions are either killing a person or giving them a punishment worse than death.”
“Then what do you want me to do?”
“Nothing! That’s the whole point!” Jin took a moment to calm down. “Look, you can’t always be around, Manuel. We saw that already. You’re not an omnipresent god. Even though you might want to be. Even if it’s not Lorican, there might still be other threats. I want to be ready. I want to protect others.” The wizard watched as the boy clenched his fists. “I will not let myself get taken out so easily next time. I’ll be better.”