CHAPTER 2 - THE MAGE TOWER
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Recommended music : Dark Fantasy Studio - Lonely day (link in the footnote)
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Alisan got up quietly without taking his eyes off Elenael. His gaze was still as intense, but it was in a warm and friendly voice that he addressed the child: "Yes, I see the strength of your power, it is impressive! Welcome, dear disciple, at the academy of the mage tower. Here we will help you discover and develop your gift. You have the potential to become a very great magician, perhaps even more powerful than me. Have you any questions before Reginald shows you around your new quarters?"
Elenael hesitated, then finally dared to ask: "Master Alisan," he said, repeating the formula of the prince "If I want to succeed, what should I do?"
The adult laughed lightly: "I see that you can't wait to start. That's good! Learning magic requires knowledge, practice and a lot of motivation. The first step in your journey will be the second ritual that will allow you to discover your affinity and manifest your power. Then, like a warrior who trains himself by performing the same gesture many times every day until it is perfect, a magician will experiment and work until he is able to make the primary form of his gift evolve. This is a student's first step in his learning: only when he is able to control his magic will he be considered worthy of being one of us." Alisan spoke with passion, as if remembering a distant time with nostalgia. Elenael looked at him, a little confused. When he saw this, his new master continued: "Let's take my example if you want: when my gift manifested, my affinity was fire and my power allowed me to make a small flame appear. Through training, I managed to turn this sparkler into a flaming column reaching up to the sky, which earned me my alias. Then I continued to look for other ways to express my power, ultimately creating my mount, Emera." Alisan's incandescent horse was indeed known throughout the kingdom and many envied him this summoned creature that seemed almost alive.
The wizard continued to recount his exploits with pride, feeding on the candid admiration of Elenael. However, he saw out of the corner of his eye Alric who seemed bored and who was not really paying attention to his story, apparently uninterested in the magician's past or present. The masterr felt vexed, as he was used to being treated with veneration and to people trying to obtain his graces. The indifference of his new disciple's grandfather clearly annoyed him. He therefore concludes his explanation a little dryly: "But you will discover all this during your first lessons. The second ritual will only take place in a few weeks, so you will have the time to get ready for it."
"Reginald," he then said with authority, "Lead the boy to his room and teach him how the tower works. I have to go back to my studies, my time is precious." Then, without paying anymore attention to them, Alisan turned his back on them, his mind already focused on other subjects. The prince motioned for Elenael and Alric to follow him and they left the room in silence. They walked through many corridors again until they reached one where each door had a number displayed on it. Elenael hardly saw any adults anymore, only children of various ages, most of whom must have been students in the academy. In front of the room numbered 134, Reginald stopped, entered it and told Elenael to come inside. The boy followed and discovered a spacious and nicely furnished room, much larger than the bedroom he had in the farm.
Reginald started to explain in a neutral voice: "Here are your apartments. In this part of the tower, there are only students from the academy." he then turned to Alric and said "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. External people are usually not allowed in the tower, and I still have some information to provide to your grandson."
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Elenael suddenly had a small movement of panic towards his grandfather and clung to his arms. The idea of remaining alone in this new and strange world terrified him and he tried to delay the separation, if only for a second. Alric, faced with his grandson's distress, bent down and hugged him tightly. "Don't worry my boy, whatever happens, I'll be waiting for you in the village. If it's too hard for you, you can always send word and I’ll come to get you. Here," he said suddenly, handing him a package wrapped in brown paper, "This is for you. You can open it when you're alone."
Elenael, his eyes brimming with tears, looked at him gravely and nodded, clutching the gift to his heart. They clung to each other for a few more moments, then finally his grandfather got up and left the room in painful silence. The parting was difficult, even if it was necessary.
All the while, Reginald had waited patiently. His role was not finished: after Alric left, he explained to Elenael how the tower worked, where and when to eat, and where to find his masters to attend the lessons according to a chart that had been hung on the wall near the desk that was facing the window. He gave him all the important information for his schooling, and, when he was finished, he left the room without looking back.
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Recommended music : Dark Fantasy Studio - Remember me (link in the footnote)
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Then, alone for the first time since arriving in the capital, the weight of loneliness crushed Elenael. It was so strong, so painful that he felt his heart beating very fast and his head spinning. It was a powerful and uncontrollable emotion: all those who have always been surrounded cannot understand the distress of someone who finds himself lost, isolated, abandoned. Elenael was standing in his new room which seemed foreign and so unfamiliar to him that he didn't even dare to sit on the bed. Finally, he remembered the package his grandfather had given him. With trembling hands, he opened it feverishly. Inside he found a book and a letter. He flipped through the book quickly, but it was empty, so he started to read the note.
"My dear boy. I have always known that you had a powerful force inside you. Magic is something important, but your greatest quality is your kindness. You are a gift that your parents have offered to the world and it breaks my heart that they are no longer here to see how your presence is a magnificent and generous sun that shines on all those who are lucky enough to meet you. you're going to have to walk part of this wonderful journey that is life apart from me. I know you'll be fine and my unconditional love will be with you forever, wherever you are. This book I left you is the one of your story, don't hesitate to write your thoughts and adventures, and I look forward to going through it with you when you come back to visit me very soon. Be good, generous and studious, make some friends and some mischiefs sometimes, and always take care of yourself. With love, your grandfather, Alric."
Like a diver holding his breath, Elenael crawled to the bed and lay down mechanically, clutching the letter and the book as if it were a plank keeping it from sinking to the bottom of a deep sea. Alone, in this big room, so far from home, he wept. Through the curtain of his tears, the light of day grew darker and darker until it disappeared completely. Finally, after a long while, he let sleep take him in its benevolent course.
In the morning, everything seemed clearer and brighter. Elenael, with an odd sense of serenity, sat down at the desk facing the window. Outside, the sky was blue and cloudless. He looked at the sight below: Alnaet stretched out in all its whiteness, an immaculate urban landscape reflecting the sun.
A light, warm wind suddenly caressed the boy's face and the tranquility of this morning landscape acted like a bandage on the wounds in his heart. With infinite gentleness, he placed his grandfather's letter on a corner of his desk and gently brushed it with one finger. Then he grabbed the book and the pen and ink that had been prepared for him. With his childish handwriting, he carefully traced the words "Elenael's wonderful journey" on the cover.
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Recommended music : Dark Fantasy Studio - Ascencion (link in the footnote)
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He then opened the book: the first page was devoid of any inscription, like a path waiting to be taken. With enthusiasm, the boy wrote:
Day 1 of my journey
I arrived in the mage tower. It is here and now that my journey begins. One day I'll be the greatest magician that ever lived...