CHAPTER 3 - THE FRAVASHIS
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Recommended music : Dark Fantasy Studio - A new day begins (link in the footnote)
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Grandpa,
It's now been 12 days since you left and I've been living in the tower. I was afraid of being alone, of not understanding what to do, but I was lucky enough to find a friend here, an older boy named Wyann. He's a prince, Reginald's brother! I spend a lot of time with him and he explains a lot of things to me.
To protect me, he even had a duel against another student, Leonn. I don’t like this one... He comes from the Ostrenan Empire, a country larger than Alneatis and more advanced in the way of using magic. Maybe that's why Leonn feels so superior... Now that he lost, at least he doesn't bother me anymore. I explained to Wyann that I will one day become the best wizard in the world and that he will be on my side. We'll be so powerful that people everywhere will talk about Alneatis! It made him laugh and he made a little fune of me. I don't think he believes me, but he'll see! Until then, I am very happy that he is here with me.
Today is a great day: I will finally have my ritual to find my affinity. Normally it should have been later, but Wyann says Alisan moved it forward because he’s impatient to see if it matches my big magic potential. I hope my power will be as strong as Wyann's. I'm really looking forward to it...
Elenael, who was in the process of writing a letter to his grandfather Alric, suddenly heard a knock on her bedroom door. Without waiting for his answer, the door cracked open and Wyann's head appeared. He had his usual smirk on his face.
"Come on, it's time." He seemed excited and as motivated as if he was who was going to discover his affinity. On the other side, Elenael was stiff and his throat was knotted with emotion. Without saying a word, he folded the letter, put it away in his desk and rose up to join his friend.
As they walked through the corridors, the prince chatted cheerfully, trying to reassure his young companion. They finally reached the door of the ritual room and Wyann put his hand on Elenael's shoulder. He planted his gaze into Elenael’s and said, "No matter what, you have the potential of a genius. I'm sure your affinity will be perfect too! Everything will be fine!" The child took a deep breath, tried to smile as best he could, and crossed the threshold. Wyann watched him enter in silence. His own memory of this event was painful: he still did not understand the reaction of his family when his fire affinity had been discovered. He really hoped that things would turn out better for Elenael.
In this world, the way of using or experimenting magic was different depending on where you were. Each nation had tamed the elemental forces it in their own way, in respect of their culture and beliefs. In Alneatis, they used these strange stones to awaken the power that lied dormant in the souls of children and then teach them how to turn that energy into something that could be used. Since they had such a pragmatic approach, the starting point was very important. The shape of the awakaned power was crucial, and elements were even classified according to their potential. Among the primordials, fire, water, air and earth were considered very powerful and the sign of great wizards. Light and darkness were usually discarded as useless. The magicians could also have secondary affinities that were much more specialized and unusual. For these, there was no rule: ice was useful in a fight, crystal was an asset for enchanters, and so on. Elenael’s future in the kingdom of Alneatis depended on the affinity that he was going to discover in the next hours.
Several people were present in the ritual room. Reginald was there, with his characteristic cold attitude, and Alisan, who had a smile of anticipation on his face. Four technicians were working silently in the room, but fortunately it was big enough so that it didn’t feel too crowded. On the sides, several bulky devices were emitting small thuds. In the center, a large circle was drawn on the ground, surrounded by magical runes that glowed in the low light. Without a word, Elenael moved forward and sat cross-legged, his eyes closed.
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Alisan watched his new disciple settle in and nodded in satisfaction. He motioned for one of the technicians to begin the ritual. The man nodded respectfully and started to activate the circle. The ambiant light grew brighter and brighter, until it was almost impossible to keep on looking at Elenael.
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Recommended music : Darren Curtis - Drifting through space (link in the footnote)
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Elenael was also blinded by the light, but after a few seconds it suddenly disappeared. When the boy opened his eyes, he wondered at first where he was. He looked around, lost. He was in the middle… of nothing. A great blue-black void, similar to the bottom of a deep ocean. Here, all his senses were blocked: he saw nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing... Yet, instead of being afraid, Elenael had the strange feeling of having returned home after being gone for a very long time. He enjoyed that feeling for a moment, then he realized something was missing. Something important, he was sure of it, even if he didn't know what...
The idea suddenly came to him to use the power he had always had and which allowed him to see the aura of other people. Perhaps he could, thanks to that, distinguish something in this endless darkness? When he activated it, it was as if hundreds, thousands of stars lit up one by one. Gradually, they appeared one after the other: some were tiny, others giant, some close at hand, others so far away that the eye caught them for a moment before losing them. The void had become a sky filled with an infinity of stars and Elenael was floating in the middle of it all.
He remained motionless for a long time, hypnotized by this magnificent sight. He observed some that were grouped together in constellations and others that were standing alone. He admired some that were tall and stately and smiled fondly at others that looked tiny and lovely. He couldn't tell how long he stared at it all, but his gaze finally settled on one star in particular.
Brilliant, blinding even, it seemed to be calling him. She had a familiar, intimate feel, the appeal of a lifelong friend. Without thinking, he reached out his arm and brushed it with his fingertips.
Everything then disappeared and the darkness suddenly returned. Seized with great dizziness, Elenael lost consciousness for a second time.
Meanwhile, in the room where the ritual was taking place, Alisan turned to one of the technicians and asked him in a dry, authoritative voice: “So what about it? Do we already know how many affinities the boy has?”
The overseer looked at the console for a few moments and then replied: “That is strange, Sir Alisan. The reading should be clear now, but it's...changing. At first it showed two affinities, maybe even more, but then it stabilized on one. Obviously, it is not possible to know which one until the child wakes up.”
Alisan seemed to exult: “A unique affinity, and a potential like the tower has never seen! This boy is a genius, he is worthy of me. Under my tutelage, he will become the most powerful of all, and his fame will be further proof of my greatness.”
The technician nodded as Reginald watched Elenael, who could be seen vaguely in the middle of the circle, with an unreadable gaze. Even though he was standing next to his master, the crown prince's mind seemed to be somewhere else, lost in his memories.
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Recommended music : Dark Fantasy Studio - Day 365 Earth (link in the footnote)
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Elenael slowly regained consciousness. This time, he was no longer in the void, but lying on the grass, in the heart of a strange forest. He got up slowly, assailed by an incongruous feeling. He looked around and realized what was bothering him: the colors seemed more vibrant here than in the real world. Everything he saw, every object was shrouded in a halo of light. He even wondered if his power hadn't stayed active, but that wasn't quite the feeling he was used to.
He observed the surroundings in silence. He was standing in the middle of a clearing barely larger than the ritual hall. Large majestic trees with well-furnished leaves, bordered this green space except where a path made it possible to leave the premises. Without thinking too much, Elenael decided to head that way and follow the path. After a few minutes of walking, he heard the enchanting and soothing echo of a river not too far awat. Every step he took brought him closer to the source of the noise.
When he emerged from the forest, the late afternoon sun glared at him for a few seconds. He squinted and observed the scene before him. The stream he had been perceiving for some time now was meandering slowly below, singingly caressing the stones of the bank. In front of him, a small green space overlooked the river and created a natural terrace. A gigantic tree stood there, alone. Its trunk was oddly twisted, as if it had been shaped into a wooden throne. A woman sat there with grace and elegance, her eyes closed. She was enchantingly beautiful and goddess-like, still and serene. Her blond hair seemed to sparkle in the sun and her dress was the color of pale gold.
Almost despite himself, Elenael stepped forward and approached the stranger. When he was only a few feet away, she slowly opened her eyes that looked like a cat's, yellow and shiny, and her gaze was friendly. Wehn she saw him, the woman's lips stretched into a happy smile.
"My child," she said in a melodious voice, "I've been waiting for you for so long."