“You’re leaving today as well?”
Hearing Eilae’s voice, Shaden stopped before the door and slowly turned around. Eilae was on the bed as she had just woken up, but it seemed like he had been caught while he was trying to sneak away. Lytha was still sleeping on her bed, and her body was covered with a blanket.
“Well…yes.”
“Are you going to meet that beastman boy again?”
“……yep.”
“Is it necessary? You’ve been going there every day for the past three days.”
Eilae had somewhat of a dissatisfied look on her face and her forehead was a little scrunched in a not-so-scary way. She looked like a grumpy cat. Her calm, cool voice didn’t match her expression.
“I promised to teach him about magic,” Shaden said, putting his hand on the doorknob. “Besides, he seemed like a nice person, although he is a crybaby. He’s still eleven.”
“Is he worth your time?”
“It’s not like he’ll be staying with us forever. Just only for this period.”
Shaden began to slowly open the door, and Eilae crossed her arms together. Despite her hair being all tangled up and her body in pajamas, she had a sort of mature air around her. Shaden could feel her disapproving stare on his back.
“Want to come along?” he suggested. “I know you’re very smart, Eilae. You’d be an excellent teacher. You’re the most intelligent person I’ve met so far in my life.”
“……I am?”
“Absolutely,” said Shaden quickly after hearing Eilae’s mood improve a little. ”I’d love it if you joined us. I’m sure Prem would love it too! There’s no one who could reject you.”
“Tch. Flattery won’t get you anywhere. But I suppose I can come along.”
Eilae pushed off her blankets and fetched a bag of her personal supplies from the side of her bed.
“Will you wait for me while I get dressed?” she asked, straightening her hair with a comb.
“Of course. I can help dry your hair as well,” Shaden offered.
“I’ll take you up on that offer,” said Eilae. “I’ll be finished within ten minutes.”
She passed by Shaden and headed out the door towards the showers. He didn’t know why she still had to shower in the morning since she always showered at night, and she didn’t even smell bad. On the contrary, she smelled wonderful. Shrugging, he walked to his bed and sat down.
“You managed to convince Eilae,” said something under the bedsheets.
“You were awake.”
“Now I am. Ah, it’s wonderful to hear youngsters quarrel in the morning…”
“I wouldn’t call that a quarrel, though.”
“Hmph. Really.”
Lytha’s blanket came flying off, revealing nothing but—empty space? Her body was gone, and—
“I’m here.”
Shaden’s body was already instinctively circulating, and he warily sensed around for any kind of danger. Finding none, he slowly turned around to where his tutor was.
“I told you before, didn’t I?” she said casually. “Just enjoy the trip.”
Lytha was seated on one of the chairs, fully dressed and prepared for anything. In her hand was a dagger which she tossed around between her fingers in a fluid motion. She lazily glanced at its shiny blade.
“It’s good that your senses haven’t dulled. You’ve been practicing daily.”
“Of course. I don't want to be stabbed.”
“I’m not going to stab you during this trip.”
“Then again, you told me to always be wary.”
His tutor let out a small giggle, and the dagger that was dancing within her palm vanished into thin air. But the very next moment, all smiles were wiped off from her face.
“You used telekinesis, didn’t you? A few days back. I could sense it from a mile away.”
“You’re exaggerating. I did use it, but it was an emergency. Prem was drowning, and—”
“I’m not scolding you. But you need to be more careful. Especially in elven territory. They’re very sensitive to magic.”
“…yes.”
“Try not to use it again. Ah, and I heard you were going to teach the boy some magic?”
“He seemed curious, so I offered to give him some simple lessons.”
“Mmm. I see, I see. Just remember to chant out everything.”
“Of course. That much, I know.”
Lytha gave Shaden a nod and walked back to her bed. She then covered herself with a blanket once more and returned to sleep.
Shaden quietly waited on his bed until Eilae returned.
〄 〄 〄
“I call upon the currents to blow softly – Wind?”
“Say it with more confidence,” Shaden instructed.
“I call upon the currents to blow softly – Wind.”
Prem looked at his open hand and frowned. “It’s not working,” he said sadly. “I knew it wouldn’t work. Beastmen can’t use magic.”
“Who told you that?” said Shaden.
“It’s common sense. Beastmen can’t use magic.”
Shaden glanced over at Eilae, who was watching them from the side with a blank expression on her face. Or rather, a bored expression. Her nonexistent enthusiasm was already running dry, and Shaden felt a little bad for bringing her over.
“Let’s try one more time,” urged Shaden to Prem. “Anyone can use magic. I know of a beastman who can use magic, so you’ll be fine,” he said, thinking of Mistilia. “Remember, you need to imagine the air moving. Feel the wind currents and picture your mana coming out from your body.
“I never learned about mana before.”
Shaden pat Prem on his back. “It’s always difficult the first time. Keep practicing and chanting. You’ll start to feel something eventually.”
“……okay.”
Time ticked by as Prem repeated the same line over and over but to no avail. The atmosphere was becoming more awkward by the second, and Prem’s chants gradually became weaker and weaker. Shaden scratched his head. He looked towards Eilae for help.
“You’re doing it all wrong,” she said from the back. After getting up from her seat, she walked over to the boys with her arms crossed, who stared at her dumbly. “You can’t expect people to simply chant a spell and make magic come out.”
“Really?”
“Shaden, who did you learn magic from?”
He let out a small laugh. “I kind of learned it by myself.”
“You—what?”
“I didn’t have a teacher. I just read the books on magic and learned how to chant.”
“That’s—never mind.”
Eilae sighed. “People can’t learn magic on their own unless they can feel the mana around them, which is very difficult. Normally, you would need someone to stimulate your senses. Only then can you begin to chant.”
She stretched out her arm to Prem and motioned to him. “It’s very simple. I’ll do it now. Give me your hand.”
Upon her serious glare, Prem sheepishly put out his hand.
“Hold it steadily,” Eilae instructed, putting her hands around Prem’s.
“I call upon the currents to blow softly – Wind.”
Suddenly, a weak gust of wind rushed through the room, making everyone’s hair flap. After a few seconds, the magic disappeared, bringing calm to the area once again.
“Did you feel the mana?” questioned Eilae. Prem’s eyes were round. He looked at his hand, then looked at Eilae and nodded. She sighed and put her arms away.
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be a spell,” she explained. “You just need to be very close to the source of mana when the magic activates. A skilled teacher wouldn’t even need a spell to stimulate your senses; he would simply inject his mana straight into you to give you a feel for it. That’s what my tutor did for me.”
“Makes sense,” Shaden admitted.
“It also means that people secluded from everyday spells have no access to learning it,” Eilae said. “Which is why you would think that beastmen cannot learn spells. In a way, you are correct, since none of you would have a tutor.”
She sighed again. “But lots of beastmen know about magic. Where did you even live? Deep in the mountains? Are you from some excluded tribe?”
“I…well…we lived in a small village…and we didn’t have any shops…”
“As expected.”
“But we did have traveling merchants come by!” Prem stated.
“That’s not what matters. Anyway, try chanting the spell again. If it doesn’t work, Shaden can repeat what I did again. I’m going back.”
Then without saying another word, the young girl picked up her dress and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her with a stifled bang.
“She’s scary,” mumbled Prem. “But she’s pretty…”
“Ah, well, yeah. So Prem, try chanting again.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Okay.”
Prem put out his hand and chanted the spell again. Nothing happened.
“I did feel something, I promise.”
He continued to repeat the chant over and over again, but nothing happened. Eventually, Shaden assisted him by casting the spell himself which caused Prem to become enthusiastic even more so than before. They repeated the process a few times.
“I call upon the currents to blow softly – Wind.”
Finally, on their sixteenth attempt, a very weak gust of wind swept into the room, vanishing in mere seconds.
“Your magic is weak, but you’ll improve as you practice,” Shaden said. “This spell is also a weak spell, and you’re about a fifth from mastering it completely.”
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“……this is awesome. I can use magic. I can use magic!”
Prem excitedly jumped up and down on his bed, squealing with joy and doing a little dance of satisfaction. Shaden couldn’t help but smile at the boy. He understood Prem’s feeling of satisfaction very well. He had suggested magic to Prem to cheer the bashful boy up, saying he could use it to impress his brother—
“Thanks, Shaden! This is amazing. This is amazing!”
—and it seemed to have worked. Quite splendidly in fact.
But—he couldn’t be happy. Not completely.
“Prem. I’m going to go to my room for a while. Make sure to practice the spell while I’m gone.”
“Got it! I’ll try my best!”
Shaden waved to the boy and exited the room. This time, he was the one who sighed deeply.
“How am I going to talk to Eilae…”
When the girl had turned around to leave the room, Shaden had caught sight of something he hadn’t expected at all. No—rather, he was an idiot for not expecting it. The moment he had laid eyes on it, a small chill had swept through his back.
Her face had been distorted with anger. A pang of subtle, inner anger. He couldn’t believe such an expression could manifest itself on the face of a nine-year-old.
Shaden covered his eyes with his hand. Had he done something wrong? Everything had been going well, right?
When he met Eilae again, her face had returned to normal, as if nothing had ever happened. She smiled innocently at Shaden and asked him if the tutoring had gone well.
Shaden felt another chill.
〄 〄 〄
“Don’t ask me,” said Lytha while stifling a yawn. “If you’re curious, ask her yourself.”
“But it’s not that simple. She looked so…so angry. I didn’t understand her expression,” Shaden said quietly.
He had been traveling with Eilae for a little under a month now. But it had been the first time he had seen her display so much hatred. She probably didn’t notice that he had noticed, as it had just been a split second, and he couldn’t casually bring it up when she acted as if nothing had happened.
“She looked angry? She must not like the boy.”
“It wasn’t that simple. She wasn’t angry before. Then…I don’t know. Should I really ask her? I…realized there are so many things I don’t know about her.”
“Nor does she know much about you.”
“I know. It’s not even been a month.”
Shaden looked at his hands. Why was he so anxious over a nine-year-old?
“Why not give her some more time before you ask her?” Lytha suggested. “With time, she will reveal more of herself to you. Patience is key to any relationship. Sometimes, silence works better than any interrogation. Your mouth can say stupid things if you are not careful. If you have the patience, wait. Wait and observe. I’m sure you have plenty of patience, Shaden. That is my advice.”
“You...might be right.”
Just then, he heard Eilae’s footsteps approach the room from the hallway.
“Thanks, aunt. I’ll wait for now.”
“Don’t call me aunt. It makes me feel old.”
They broke off eye contact as Eilae entered the room. Her wet hair was tied around with a towel, and she wore light black pajamas under her dark, thinner coat. Shaden still didn’t know where she produced all of her clothes from. They just appeared when she needed them.
Eilae glanced at Shaden and smiled.
“Do you need—”
“Thank you,” Eilae interrupted, sitting down on a chair. With a shrug, Shaden got up from his bed and took a seat behind Eilae. She proceeded to unravel the towel, making all of her lush hair fall down behind her back. They were somewhat dry, but a generous amount of moisture still clung on to the silky hair.
Looking at her like this, she was just a little girl who needed help with drying her hair. It had become his duty to dry her hair somewhere along the trip. He didn’t dislike it. He could show off his magic and make memories with a cute girl.
He put aside his negative thoughts. Everyone had their secrets, even him. He wasn’t the one to judge.
Shaden summoned warm air with his right hand and cradled Eilae’s silver hair with his left. Gently, he let the warm air pass through Eilae’s hair. The moisture slowly began to evaporate off the surface of the hair, allowing the silky threads to spread apart and fall gracefully downwards like feathers. After a few dozen seconds later, Eilae’s hair was completely dry.
“You’re very good at this,” Eilae complimented, examining herself through a mirror. “Thank you.”
“Glad you like it,” Shaden replied.
After each drying session, she looked so content.
He wished he could forget about her expression. It had almost shattered his image of her and had complicated his thoughts about her character.
“I’ll go take a shower now,” said Shaden while fetching his supplies.
While there was a bathroom with a toilet and sink located within their room, the showers were separately positioned as a public washing place at the end of the halls. Shaden hastily entered the male section of the showers and went into one of the stalls after stashing away his belongings. He turned on the water.
Freezing cold water splashed against his body. Hot water was a luxury the ship could not provide outside of mealtimes. Shaden quickly doused himself while shivering and rubbed the soap all over his body. The females of his group used some kind of liquid extract to wash themselves, but he was content with some simple bar soap. It smelled lightly of green herbs and had a delicate minty linger.
Elves hated people who smelled. As such, everyone could enjoy the showers, even the beastmen. Perhaps they had disliked beastmen so much since they had smelled putrid to them in the past.
Shaden came out and dried himself. After equipping comfortable clothes and fresh underwear, he dried the towel he had used like he always did. It was difficult drying his body directly with magic as he would often find untouched wet spots on his back and behind his legs or under his arms. It also took longer, so he preferred using a towel.
The boat lurched to the side violently, almost sweeping him off of his feet.
“Woah!” he exclaimed unintentionally, steadying himself. Had something slammed into the boat?
He looked around and felt the floor, but the boat had returned to its normal, rhythmic swaying. He stood still and sharpened his ears for anything unusual. No one was saying anything, so it was probably just another large wave.
Just one more night, he thought. The capital was very near.
〄 〄 〄
“What do you mean you won’t be able to leave?” said Shaden in surprise.
“I made a mistake, just a small one,” replied Ronar, scratching his neck. He was smiling, but Shaden could see his tail nervously swishing around from the corner of his eye. “There was a crash last night. Maybe you felt it. It was after dinner.”
“I remember,” sighed Shaden, his uneasiness growing.
“It turns out a chunk of ice rammed into the boat. Oh, don’t worry. The boat’s fine. But according to the captain, the monster-repellent crystal broke. So we had to go change it.”
“We?”
“I help him do some chores from time to time. And well, I was helping him fix the crystal too last night. And well…there were a few people around, but since the river was pretty violent and all of them were helping the captain change the crystal, I volunteered. Everything was…going fine, really. The crystal was fixed, and the broken crystal was brought to the deck. Since everyone had their hands full, they kinda passed in on to me to hold it for the time being…”
Ronar let out a weak laugh. “The boat shook, and I dropped it over the deck.”
“You dropped it—”
Shaden knew anything mana-related wasn’t inexpensive, especially if it was a device that was important to the boat. Even if the crystal had been damaged, there was no telling how much it was worth.
“Never mind. How much was it?” asked Shaden.
The air stood silently as Ronar’s lips slowly split apart to utter,
“Around two gold coins.”
“Two gold coins!”
“Wait, wait, wait, that’s for the undamaged crystal,” waved Ronar frantically. “I dropped a damaged one, which is worth much less, but it was still repairable, which means…I don’t know. Half the price. No, no, quarter the price!” Ronar exclaimed after seeing Shaden’s expression stiffen.
There wasn’t anyone around to hear the conversation since Ronar had secretly called him out, and Shaden was relieved that Eilae wasn’t around to hear of it. There was no telling how she would react.
“I’m not asking you to pay for it,” said Ronar. “It’s just…how long will you stay in the capital? And my brother…”
The teen held his head and groaned. “I’m such a mess. Just when I was trying to do something, I mess up. I always mess up.”
“We’re going stay for a while. I heard the capital is a huge place. Anyway, you said you wouldn’t be able to leave. I’m assuming you’re going to work for the captain?”
Ronar nodded. “According to him, it will take…three months.”
“Three months!”
“And that’s ignoring food. He said he’d shorten the time if I did well.”
“……………….”
Shaden put his hands to his chin. Three months. Spending three months in one city, even though it was the capital of Yrmar, was too much. Would they have to leave Ronar behind?
“Just…tell me one thing. I can manage to go back if I work for the captain for around half a year. But Prem, he’s just a kid. Will you still take him with you?”
“That was already decided. You don’t need to worry.”
“Thanks. I mean, thank you. Really, thank you.”
Seeing the older boy’s grateful expression, Shaden had the urge to give him another generous offer.
“What if I paid for—”
“No, no. Please. You’re a nice guy, I’m sure. But your companions…they wouldn’t agree. Please, don’t tell them anything like that. Please.”
He sounded genuinely worried, much to Shaden’s confusion. A slight tremble was weaved into his words. His eyes were focused on the ground, and though his hands were behind his back, they were likely held together tightly.
“Alright. I don’t know how long we will stay, but good luck.”
Ronar nodded. “Thank you, I mean it. I really do.” He looked around and straightened his coat. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go work,” he said.
The teen’s body turned around the corner of the ship and left Shaden’s vision.
Shaden looked up. The skies were blue, and the waters had become calmer, though still violent. The day was a peaceful one, and they would arrive at the majestic capital soon.
“Why do I feel so…”
His voice trailed off into the wind. Ronar was older than Demund, but he was still a teen who would have been in high school.
Perhaps it was Ronar’s fault for being clumsy. You couldn’t blame the river or the boat.
But he could help. He had the wealth to do so.
He knew Eilae would never agree to it.
“…………”
There was plenty of time. There was no telling what would happen during that time. He would think it over, his companions would think it over, and Ronar would do his best to repay his damages. Everything would be fine. Everything was under control. There was no need to stress about the situation.
〄 〄 〄
The seconds continued to tick away, and the ship continued to make its way up the Hyla River. But for Shaden, time had stopped in a mental sense. He was lost within his thoughts as he blankly scrutinized the pattern of the ceiling, overthinking things like he usually did. It was during these moments where he was quietest; not a single part of his body uttered a sound.
From the corner of the room, a variety of clacking and clinking noises softly emanated from Eilae’s suitcase. She was putting the finishing touches on her supplies as her parents, brothers, sisters, and servants had taught her. Within her clothes, which she had properly equipped after being somewhat aloof on the boat, a variety of tools lay hidden in the darkness. Her flowing hair gleamed like polished silver, and her black hat lay on the bed.
“You should prepare, Shaden,” she finally said after fastening the locks her suitcase. “I presume we will arrive in roughly an hour.”
“That’s plenty of time,” replied Shaden, waking from his thoughts.
“It’s better to always be ready.”
Shaden blew air through his nostrils and got up. After stretching his arms, he began to fold his clothes and put away the few items he had into the group bag. It was a good bag, complete with a multitude of pockets of various sizes.
“You’re always so diligent,” remarked Shaden, glancing at Eilae who was relaxing on her bed. “How do you manage to keep all your things organized?”
Eilae’s suitcase was like a magical bag. She pulled out whatever she needed from it which blew Shaden’s mind.
“Proper organization is crucial,” she answered. “Once you know where everything belongs, you simply need to put the item back where it came from after its use.”
“It only sounds easy.”
“It’s good to make it a habit. Besides, you’re very diligent yourself.”
“I guess we’re two different types of diligences.”
“Hmm, I guess we are,” replied Eilae with a smile.
She never talked like a kid. Shaden wondered if his younger sister would act like that too. Probably not. He wondered how she was doing. He really hadn’t spent much time with her, had he? Maybe after the trip was over, he would be able to enjoy some family time. Melany would be able to speak by them.
Shaden finished packing the bag and jumped onto his bed, facing the ceiling once more.
“Hey, Eilae. I never really heard you talk about your family,” he noted after a while.
“You rarely asked.”
“I’m asking now. What kind of people are they?”
“Hmm…I would say they are hard-working. I assume it’s natural, as anyone who does not work hard does not eat.”
“Including you?”
“There are no exceptions.”
“Wow.”
“It’s nothing outstanding. I would say your family holds more things to ‘wow’ over.”
“Maybe. But unlike you, I’m not very familiar with the Limens. I only know three. And two of them are shrouded in mystery. Hmm…maybe three.”
Shaden tilted his head. “Actually…make that four. No, five. I have a brother and sister who are Limens.”
“One who is adopted, no?”
“Yes. I’m surprised you remember.”
“You would consider your brother a Limen?”
“Of course. We grew up together as brothers.”
Eilae made a confused expression, making Shaden clear his throat.
“I know how important blood is. But there’s more to brotherhood than that, right?” he added, making Eilae’s confusion become more apparent. “Why do you look so confused? You knew he was adopted, right? So, he’s my brother.”
“I…I understand adoption, but I never thought—”
Eilae shook her head. “I apologize. I thought—you being a Limen—I assumed—”
“I know. I don’t think my grandfather or Lytha approves either,” interjected Shaden, catching what she was implying.
“—!”
“But he’s definitely my brother. Oh, and please don’t apologize for everything. We know each other well enough for that. Or am I wrong?”
“No! You’re right. I understand.”
Eilae inhaled deeply and opened her eyes. “You sometimes say the most unexpected things. I was caught off guard.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
The two of them exchanged smiles. Shaden really hoped what he said was true, because that incident with Eilae’s expression had completely thrown him off. He wanted to shout, ‘You’re the one who caught me off guard! Why did you look so evil?’ but naturally, he would never. He could never.
“Come to think of it, I really don’t know what the capital is like,” Shaden pondered aloud. “The Hyla River goes through the city, or should I say the city surrounds it? How does a city surround something that is roughly a dozen kilometers wide?”
“It’s a little more than a dozen.”
“Then how? It sounds impossible.”
Sure, there were numerous bridges in Demund’s world that spanned for miles and miles, but never a city that had a giant river at its center.
“It’s very possible. Additionally, the city has a dam. Haven’t you heard of it?”
A dam?!
“A dam!?” Shaden exclaimed. “I’ve never heard of this before.”
“I’ve never seen it before, but I heard it is beautiful,” described Eilae. “Naera’s Gate. One of the wonders of the old world, dating back to a few hundred years ago. Some say a few thousand. Created by the goddess herself…”
Eilae continued to describe the structure with subtle liveliness, but Shaden was only half paying attention to her.
A vast city. Surrounding a ginormous river. His imagination was already picturing what it would look like, but Ofphlendum had already blown his mind once. He wondered if the capital would meet his expectations.
Still, a dam. Sounds pretty impossible.
Lytha entered the room just at that moment, turning Shaden’s eyes away from Eilae to her.
“Come on, you two. We’re nearing the city. Leave your bags here and come up for the view.”
“We’re going up just to view the entrance?” questioned Shaden.
Lytha smiled. “It’s your first time here, right? You have to see it. Hurry, come up.”
Heading their tutor’s advice, Shaden and Eilae followed Lytha out of the room and up a flight of stair to the deck. There was a small excited crowd of people who had come up to gaze at the city.
“I don’t see anything,” commented Shaden, looking around.
His tutor held out her arm and pointed towards something in the distance.
“See that?”
“That bump? Looks like a mountain.”
Shaden strained his eyes to get a better view after which he realized he could circulate. His eyesight improved magnificently, and he squinted at the bump once more.
“It’s still too far away to tell,” he said after a while. “But why is there a mountain in the middle of a—”
Shaden froze.
Oh.
All breaths stopped as the ship approached the colossal Tree-Gates of Naerathim.