Well, that was embarrassing.
With my shadow sorcery being the only thing in my arsenal that wouldn’t indiscriminately hurt anyone, I had no choice but to release enough of the energy to compensate for the mana remaining in the well. Despite the relatively small amount of mana needed to equalize the imbalance, the result of my cast was the largest cloud of shadow flatulence that had ever plagued Odissi, I was sure. For, inside the domain I created, I could see everything.
Almost in an omniscient sense, I could see the entirety of the estate and beyond, wherever I looked. Everyone in it, from my father, sighing heavily at his desk, to Gerolt and Ebbet turning and fidgeting around in a panic, I could see. Turning, the surrounding woods warped to my line of sight like I’d been dragged forward through space at lightspeed. Eager to find the edge, I continued on to see the docks and railways on the southern coast before turning tail and looking northbound past our complex, across the sea, and settling my gaze on the docks emplaced on the ice sheet surrounding the Twin Capitals. Looking east, I could even see the Emperor’s castle, thousands of kilometers away. And far past it to the eastern coast of the Ridge.
‘W- where am I?” Toril’s panicked voice rang out, summoning me back to the courtyard.
‘I forgot you all don’t have night vision.’ I turned with a sigh to see his unsaturated figure feverishly turning about in place. “We’re still in the courtyard,” I calmly said. “Just, expand your wells already.”
Each of them threw hesitant, concerned, or reluctant expressions at wherever they thought I was standing before going through the process; some of them at a slower pace than others.
“Remember that my well was a tier above yours.” I reminded them. “Mine was given to me by my mother, taken from, in her words, a Youteran divine beast. Yours are from demons. So the process will be easier.”
‘Should be, at least.’ I openly grinned. Then sprung forward just before Toril cursed under his breath.
“I- I dropped the bottle.” Toril sheepishly mumbled.
“Hold our your hands.” I quickly ordered.
Rather abruptly, he thrust his arms outwards like he pushed someone in front of him. From that and his blatant discomfort, I couldn’t help but silently laugh as my Umbral Hand placed his potion in his palms; and without further adieu, Toril knocked his head back to spill the liquid into his mouth. By then, most of the others had already consumed their brews and were sending resonating cracks through the domain from their energies slamming against their external wells. At which time I began floating around the immediate environment to carefully watch the process unfold.
Naturally, Toril experienced the worst of it. Almost like me, he fell to his knees in exhaustion after the well within his palm had been filled. Focusing my eyes, I then saw the ambient mana begin to cascade- or rather, dance and swirl into his entire body, falling from whatever space it’d been occupying to be replaced with more energy out of seemingly thin air. It was a much more elegant sight than what was seen in the others, a vortex, more or less. Yet nevertheless, their wells were topped off with vibrantly blue energy all the same. Then, thick snakes of the stuff began flowing back into Toril’s arms, causing him to double over in pain, but not to as high of a degree as I was. Yet far more than the others.
From my perspective, the effect lasted for only a few seconds before Toril recovered. And within less than a minute, all four of them were standing tall before me with wells brimming with much denser energy than what they’d just contained. Looking at them in my dual-vision, I could clearly see Ice Wells of varying sizes within the rest of them and a crystalline cylinder only a fair bit smaller than what existed in my knight's chest before. Conversely, mine resembled the recondite substance I saw in my mother down to the T. The only difference was, mine was a bit smaller and of a different color: a beautiful seafoam green with hints of white. Nevertheless, it was filled to the brim with arcane energy. Another tool in my arsenal that I was more than eager to experiment with.
Only…
“Amun!” My father’s voice came rolling through the darkness. “What did you do!?”
I turned to him at once, bowing apologetically. “I had a little accident. I’ll begin cleaning it at once.” I didn’t even give him a moment to reply before stepping aside to begin swarming the shadows into a dense ball and directing it into the shadow realm.
“That’s one way to do it.” He frowned in approval. Then joined in on my efforts.
“How would you do it?”
He finished throwing a mass of darkness into the gloom before relaxing his posture with a heavy sigh, then turned to me. Smirking as cryptically said: “It’s your mana, Amun. Put it back where it came from.”
My curiosity had been piqued.
With naught but a raised brow, I turned my attention to the vast cloud of shadows surrounding the empire and did just as he said. I pulled it inward, indiscriminately collapsed it into the spiritual body where my well resided; and much like it behaved on the way out, my shadow mana swirled and pooled and condensed inside my flesh, taking root in every cell of my body in mere minutes.
With the umbral cloud cleared, I found myself standing between my scattered vassals and my father. Staring dumbfounded at my grimoire, spawning a new page before my eyes.
[Semi-Permanent Wraith Form] - While saturated with darkness, your body retains the immaterial properties of the Wraith Form in both without using your mana. 719:59:59]
“I heard your mother spoke to you about your elven lineage,” Father said, prompting my vassals to step out from the courtyard to give us some privacy. “I assumed that had something to do with it.” He paused to gesture around us. “It’s not my place to ask the specifics, so I won’t. But. I will tell you that with your fifteenth birthday, comes freedoms you must be aware of.”
I turned to fully face and look at him to give him the entirety of my respect and attention before I nodded for him to continue.
“You are now considered an adult, Amun. On top of that, you are an Initiate Sorcerer. Even though you are royalty, you are now legally unbound to the Odissian Empire. You are hereby free to travel across the realm of Maru as you see fit. However.” He paused, seemingly by the hand of a weary, yet heartwarming smile that forced him to grip his chest tightly. “We’ll be accompanying you to the capital for the ceremony. after that, you never have to return to this place again.”
I took an unconscious step forward. “It’s not as if I’m unhappy here. I couldn’t have asked for a better family. I have always been happy.”
“That warms my heart to hear.” He smiled ever-wider. “But, I don’t want you to forsake your dreams, Amun. You’ve devoted yourself to exploring the Mortal Plane in its entirety, have you not? Worrying about our Empire or returning home after every adventure will do you no good.”
“But-”
“No buts!” He pointed. “Your Great-Grandfather has lived for centuries. He’s faced things we couldn’t imagine. He, the Emperor, and myself have contingencies in place to protect us in the event of things turning for the worse. You don’t have to worry about protecting us. Though.” He turned. “I would appreciate a visit every so often.”
“I’ll try my best.” I smiled, stepping in for a hug. “That said.” I pulled away to show him the devious grin plastered across my face. “I have been toying with the idea of integrating these lands into my own empire one day. But.” I shrugged, turning towards the exit. "Perhaps that’s a bit of a stretch.”
Leaving the courtyard, I wandered around the service wing to check up on my vassals’ progress and ensure they had their belongings packed away. As expected, each of their rooms was barren to the bones, though they themselves were huddled in the service wing for a light meal and amiable conversation with Gerolt. I hated to do it, but I interrupted their pleasantries to kindly remind my vassals that it was past midnight and the ceremony was to take place in the afternoon. Meaning, they should get some sleep. Unless of course, they wanted to be groggy on the big day.
Somewhat begrudgingly, they all mumbled their agreements and trotted off to their rooms. Leaving me to take their places and join Gerolt for a meal.
“You know, you should lead by example, Your Grace.” He teasingly chided.
“Need I remind you, that I’m half-drow.” I snickered. “Four hours of meditation is all I need.”
His cheerful smirk curled a bit higher as his head rocked backward, and he chortled. “So you say.” Before looking at the dishes strewn about before him for a few long moments. “Say.” He pointed his eyes back to me. Eyes that were without the exuberant fire that was synonymous with the name Gerolt Flay. “How about I cook you a final meal?”
“What about breakfast?” I lightheartedly snorted.
Thankfully, he seemed to lighten up a bit. “A custom meal!” He pointed after raising himself up on his toes. “What’re you in the mood for?”
“Actually“ I palmed the surface of the table, opening my Shadow Pocket while beaming as wide as I could. “This is the perfect opportunity to give you your gift.”
“My gift?” He shook his head and backed away, blinking madly.
“It’s a cookbook.” I nodded.
“THAT’S A COOKBOOK!?!” He sprang forward at once to measure the thickness between his fingers before slicking through the pages at a furious pace. “I mean, thank you! These are all recipes?”
“Every page.” I nodded again.
“Where did you learn these dishes?” He airily gasped after a few moments. “They’re so… exotic.”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“Just some things I picked up or imagined over the years." I meekly shrugged. “Mixed with a few things I saw in the mainland.”
“Ooh! This looks good. Car- Carbon.”
“Carbonara.” I corrected.
He pried his face from the pages, gasping in disbelief. “How do you come up with these names.”
“I have an extensive imagination,” I said. Hastily taking the book from his hands to flip it to my most desired entry at the moment. As frustrating as his questioning was, I couldn’t exactly be surprised. I spent years transcribing and tailoring each and every recipe I knew of to fit the delicacies of this world, after all; not to mention an original version. The result was thousands upon thousands of dishes that could be traced to all corners of the Sol System. Cuisines from every corner of the Earth made up the bulk of it, of course, but over half of the contents contained literal otherworldly dishes.
There was, of course, the infamous Saturnian dessert: Kraken Arms. A cold, yogurt pasta-type dish with freeze-dried berry ‘rocks’ that broke apart into a crumbly powder in the mouth. Tinting the dish the same dark blue hue as its namesake, Kraken Mare. And then, there was the obligatory Martian Kibble. A sort of cereal made with freeze-dried bits of vegetables, dough, and gravy mixed with bite-sized pieces of spicy dried or smoked meat. A favorite among space farers as it could be eaten dry right out of the bag or mixed with hot water or milk to make a thick stew. Plutonian Powder Cream; or ice cream frozen so coldly it was shaved into a fine powder. Neptunian Sea Jellies; a type of watery, fruit-filled donut. Uranian Sky Candy; like cotton candy, but spun from sugary ice on Titania. Lunar Lava Tubes; or hoagies baked on Luna, where the low gravity makes cavernous air holes that were stuffed with entire meals. Absolutely nothing was spared, for magic could fill in the gaps made by missing infrastructure. Making it my most prideful piece of literature to date.
Though, much like Ebbet’s gift, I only wished I would’ve given him his copy before I released it to my inner circle. If only to make his reaction that much better. ‘Should’ve, would’ve, could’ve, I suppose.’ I internally shrugged, then returned the book to him.
“Fried chicken and waffles.” He slowly read. I think I can make that. Never thought of using so much oil to fry a bird, though. Should be interesting!"
“You'll be needing this,” I said, withdrawing a rudimentary waffle iron made from salvaged materials. Then proceeded to revel at the sight of him toiling over a relatively simple dish. Though much to his credit, he made everything from scratch. Still, I had to continue deflecting whenever he inquired about the ‘controversial’ method of frying meat in such a way. Even going as far as to go down a small rabbit hole revolved around dipping chickens in eggs. In the end, though, we both were satisfied with his work and remained silent while I ate. Yet he let out a heavy sigh the moment I pushed my plate toward him. “You know, I’m going to miss you, Your Grace.”
“Don’t get all sappy on me now.” I laughed, turning towards my room. “Besides, I’ll be back eventually. So instead look forward to my return.”
Back in my room, I took Gerolt’s advice and did as I ordered my vassals to do. My entire nursery was stripped of everything but a few pieces of furniture. Books, towels, clothes, chairs, busts, and even a few paintings were stored away in my Shadow Pocket. And after a short bout of meditation, my bed was stored away as well. Everything in the wing was mine, after all. And for whatever reason, I still felt a particular connection with my bed. Perhaps it was due to me having remembered the day of my birth, or maybe some type of magic or elven secret I had no understanding of. Whatever the reason, I decided it was something I’d keep for the rest of my days. And with that, I emerged at around five-thirty to see my forefathers talking outside the service wing.
“See Ebbet. Put on your family clothes, then give out your hugs and kisses.” Grandpa Lich coldly spat the moment he laid eyes on me. “We’re to leave at 7 sharp."
‘Again?’ I internally shook my head, dreading another hair appointment.
Doing as told, I went to the service wing to see Gerolt whipping up a breakfast of hash browns, sausage, and beans for my eagerly waiting vassals. I hadn’t even made halfway to the table by the time Ebbet rounded the corner, gripping me by the arm to drag me by force to the salon.
Thankfully, Gerolt was kind enough to bring my meal to me.
“Honestly, Your Grace.” She scoffed. “How do you intend to protect yourself in Ulai if your hair is so long? Or do you think it practical to never have your hair cut?”
“I planned to have it fall into my shadow once it got long enough.” I snickered through a mouthful of food.
“Well, we’re cutting it down, this instant!”
Even if I wanted to, I had no time to protest before she began snipping away. Then, the agonizing pain of having locked hair be pulled apart followed. An irony, that. Considering I was regularly beaten to death by my great-grandfather.
“Now you look like the Grand Duke of Odissi!”
Tender-headed and teary-eyed, I looked into the mirror made of ice to see a gilded headdress holding a palm-tree fan of locks in place on top of my head, leaving the rest to hang loosely down the back of my neck. After a quick study, I quickly grew disinterested and leaned down to pull out a trinket and a far thinner book than the one I’d given Gerolt. “Thank you, Ebbet.” I smiled. “These are for you.”
Hesitantly, she took the book in both hands, then looked at the small box placed on top of it for a long second before looking up at me. Blinking madly as she asked. “What is it?”
“It’s a book.” I cheekily snickered. And I swear I the woman was going to slap me for a second. “And a watch you can wear on your wrist, made by my vassal, Letta. The book revolves around food production and preservation.”
“Oh.” She beamed, setting the box down gently to begin thumbing through the page. "Like your bottling technique?"
“Precisely, but also more. For example, there are designs for self-contained systems that grow plants from farmed fish.”
“Plants AND fish?” She gasped, flipping through the pages with increased fervor.
“Yes.” I amiably nodded. “To put it simply, the fish's waste flows over the plant's roots, feeding them and in turn cleaning the water for the fish. Meanwhile, the fish are smart enough to regulate their population. Thus vastly less work is needed. And they can be built in the greenhouses.”
“Ingenious.” I heard Gerolt mutter from across the room.
“I’m honored to receive these gifts from you, Your Grace.” Ebbet bowed. “But you must hurry. You have just over half an hour before we depart. Please!” She gently pushed me out. “Change at once.”
Internally groaning, I did what was asked and was changed in less than five minutes. Deciding to follow my Grandfather’s instructions, I then drifted off to the only place I could think of to go. The library.
Upon my arrival, I waltzed right to the reception desk and hopped up onto the counter to give a great smile to my favorite person. “Good to see you again, Caia.”
Her head shot up from the desk in an instant, followed by her body leaping from her seat. The trademark strands of hair framing her face flopped all over the place as she pulled me into an embrace to scream in my ear. “Amun!
"Uh!” She quickly pulled me away to scan the library. “Your Grace!” She slowly hollered.
“It’s been a month, Caia.” I helplessly laughed.
“I know.” She giggled, waving the matter aside. “But no one holds a conversation quite like my little cousin.”
“Which is exactly why I’m here.” I sighed.
“You’re leaving soon.”
There were hints of both pride and sorrow in her voice. A waiver, mixed with a sharp intensity that demanded the acknowledgment of everyone standing in the vicinity. It was a sound that slowly snuffed out my amiable expression and replaced it with a placid stare. A shield that betrayed the feelings smoldering inside me.
“I will return one day,” I forced myself to say as I wheeled around on the desk to face her. “I’ll be forming my own guild. My own society. You’re welcome to join me when the time comes. But, before I go, I want to give you a few things.”
She stayed silent and watched me pull a long, slim, and thin box from my Shadow Pocket.
“A gift?” She beamed. If only a little. Then tilted her head in both surprise and confusion after prying open the box. “A pen?”
“A fountain pen.” I corrected. “Watch.” Taking the pen from her, I dipped the tip into her vat of ink and twisted the end cap clockwise until I heard a soft click, then I began pulling. “There’s a reservoir inside,” I explained as I reset the plunger and locked it in place. “This way, you won't have to keep dipping into your ink. And you can use this nub on the side to cap it off when it's not in use.”
“Aww, Amun!” She pulled me in for a hug, groaning all the while. “You shouldn’t have.”
Mere lies that I quickly denied. “I couldn’t have made it this far if it weren’t for your help.” I shook my head. “Besides.” I pushed her away to begin pulling mana from my well. “You’re my only cousin.”
“Well, not your ONLY cousin.” She amiably frowned. “But definitely your favorite.”
“You’re the only one I know, so you may as well be the only one I have. It’s because of that, that I want to make sure you’re safe. So, I’ll leave you with this.”
With my words, I stopped pulling mana from my well and contained the concentration of shadow mana in my hand while I thought long and hard about the result I intended for my spell.
For all intents and purposes, I was only preparing a summoning spell to spawn Caia’s Doppelganger. That said, the single spell I was preparing to cast contained roughly half of the arcane energy within my well. In all honesty, I had no idea if such a high concentration of energy would even make any changes to her umbral clone, but there was only one way of finding out. So I imagined the most overpowered, violent, and ruthless form of her doppelganger that I could before throwing the mass of energy at her feet. The result was a process I’d seen hundreds of times by now. The dark silhouette plastered onto the floor filled with a dense mass of energy that quickly aggregated into a solid dark mass. A disappointing outcome, I assumed, up until I placed my hands on the clone's shoulders and did something I’d never done to a doppelganger before.
“Listen.” I gently shook the clone. “Your orders are to help Caia. You’re to use every drop of your power to aid her any time she needs assistance. If she needs help carrying a box, you are to help her. Any time she’s in danger, you’re to help her fight with all of your might. Nothing is to hurt her. Understood?”
While the clone’s flesh was a bit denser than any Doppelganger I touched thus far, the rigidity of its skin seemed to harden or condense as I gave it orders. Once it gave a solemn nod and voiced an ethereal affirmation, the flesh seemed to fully realize into a material like vulcanized rubber. Evidently closing off the subtle leakage of darkness that once rose from the clone’s flesh.
“Our very own bodyguard.” Caia ecstatically exclaimed.
“Our?” I rose my brow in confusion.
As if in celebration, she pushed away from her desk and slowly stood to reveal a melon-sized bulge in her dress. “I’m having a baby boy!” She screamed, eliciting many disgruntled stares to befall our position.
‘How do you-’ I shook my head, brushing my curiosities aside. “Congratulations!” I beamed, coming in for another hug.
---
After a few more words with the one and only Caia Cole, I returned to the service wing to find my forefathers waiting alongside my vassals. After exchanging a few final words with Gerolt and the others, Grandpa Lich guided us into the main courtyard and turned at the entrance to casually push open a seamless steel door. Descending a rather long flight of steps brought us to a platform like the one in Corvus Tower. Complete with a train similar in appearance to the one stored in my shadow settled above a thick rail that undulated toward the mouth of the cave and bent around the corner like a snake peering outside its hole.
With my vassals settled in the caboose, I joined my forefathers around the table in the locomotive and sat idly until we began moving.
“I am aware that your need for sleep is lessened due to your nature as a half-elf.” Grandpa Lich said as he took his seat. “But you’ll have to change your sleeping routine so that you’re awake during the day. Fear not, however.” He raised a bear paw of a hand. “Even in the brightest light, the darkness remains by your side.”
“Okay.” I internally cringed. “Any more advice?”
“Yeah.” He grunted. “Epethia is nothing like here, So don’t act brashly, regardless of what you may or may not see over there. You are royalty, Amun. Your actions carry far more weight than a commoner's. That said.” He sighed. “Never let another step on you, not even the Emperor.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” I snickered.
“Good.” Grandpa nodded. “Now then, are your ambitions still the same?”
“They are,” I quickly said. “I’ll form a guild to conquer Ulai before creating my own empire.”
“Then, I shall see you at the academy.” He proudly harrumphed.
“You’re a teacher?” I squinted.
“I run a boarding academy.” He dejectedly scoffed. “But, I only teach part-time at the academy. Specifically, the summoning course.”
“Ah. Of course.” I nodded in understanding. “Necromancer. So, does that mean I’ll learn it there as well?”
“Unless you fail to learn it yourself first.” He snorted. “But I’ll let the headmaster and his staff explain everything. I’d hate to ruin the surprise.” He cackled. And with not much being said thereafter, I retreated to my cabin and immediately pounced on the bed to recline atop the covers and watch the coast pass by.
‘Mmm.’ I tossed and turned in place with a groan several moments later. ‘I should have Ed reinvent memory foam.’
'...and I wanna smoke.'