"This part is very important. Remember well (inaudible mumble). These five key elements are essential in runic portal creation. We are going to write them here in the outer circle.

Start the new page for the lesson.

Now, which key element you choose to be written in…"

The words fell around him changing from clearer to fainter and hollow as if they were coming through a tunnel. Every passing moment added a little more distance to the source.

He didn't recognize the person who was sitting at the desk cluttered with thick volumes of old tomes bound with a dark material, perhaps deer skin. It was used as a prominent material for a book cover in the old days mostly by wealthier scholars to keep their work alive for generations. The gold letters engraved in the spines were glistening in yellow candlelight light, dancing around weaving their straight lines in curves and deformed circles.

But, those weren't what he noticed first. A white parchment lay in the middle covered with complex masses of runes and diagrams which he knew somehow that he had learned at least a few. The man was pointing a fountain pen at something in the paper, however, only a vague image was all that was left in his mind. Later, when he recalled the scene, there was one little detail he missed at first, the side of the parchment had been darkened by an outline of a shadow of someone leaning on the table. Him?

As the scene faded into a mess of swirling colors which rearranged in a hazy image of woods surrounding the clearing where he stood, he mumbled the answer to the question.

"Destination."

He was staring down at a complicated runic circle drawn on a stone plaque. The dark-colored runes were emitting a whitish-blue glow. A silvery thread coming from the center of the circle was connected to a bright object resting on the palm of a tall blurred figure standing at the Northern point and with one or more dark-clad figures huddling behind.

Danger. His senses were screaming of danger. From all around. Colored streaks of light, a magical attack. Then it exploded. The world exploded into a blinding white light, and he flew into the air. He felt his skin charge and burn. The light was gone as fast as it emerged. All Gone. The darkness descended faster.

"RUN," a voice, his own voice.

He has to run. He knew that and felt the urgency deep down in his mind. Run faster. Run far away. Run. But how? With his body weighing like a thousand bricks tied to it, he stayed frozen on the ground. Malice and rage emerging from the woods were getting closer.

"Run," even when his thoughts were freezing in fear, running was not an option anymore.

"Noooo."

The last bit of dying strength escaped from the paralyzing fright. A piercing scream tore through the small cottage waking up every inhabitant in it.

Eiden woke up screaming. Something was holding him. Get off me..get it off..he didn't know he was actually yelling or loudly thinking.

CRASH.

He landed on a hard surface making him aware of the surroundings.

"Eiden, it's a dream, stop struggling."

What. There was an explosion. Wait. A dream? Eiden briefly stopped fighting with what was holding him and blinked trying to remember where he was.

"Eiden, let me help."

"Clade?"

Clade untangled Eiden from his enemy blanket and supported him to sit on the couch.

"There wasn't really an explosion right?" he asked amidst panting.

"No, but you nearly caused one,” Cissa said.

"The house rattled, you got some juice, Kit," he grinned.

"Mm..oops, sorry." Eiden looked apologetically at everyone. The little mantle clock chimed 5 am.

"I will make some tea, my lord," Ierma said, turning away.

Eiden relished the warmth of the beverage, flooding his inside, melting the frozen bits of the residual fright. The darkness that was enveloping him slowly lifted. Eiden turned to Ierma, he had many things to complain to someone who'd listen.

"Ierma, do you know anyone who could help me to renew my cryslet? I feel the need to expand the depth of my training. I think Uncle was holding me back. He was telling me, I'm not strong enough after the accident.”

"My lord, how badly did you hurt?" Ierma asked kindly.

Eiden sighed, talking about his major weakness wasn't something he enjoyed. It doesn't matter. Does it?

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"My wings are damaged." Eiden's harsh tone surprised even him.

"I'm sorry," he immediately gained his composure.

"It's a sensitive topic. But, it doesn't matter"

Eiden suddenly realized Ivar wasn't there.

"Where's Ivar?" he asked. His heart skipped a beat thinking Ivar was going to the Palace. Apparently, others had sensed his doubts too.

[https://i.imgur.com/P5rIZcm.jpg]

Ivar's cottage and the boathouse

"He's a fisherman, remember I mentioned boats? At this time of the year, he goes out to sea early and will come back about 8 or 9 in the morning." Ierma quickly explained.

"Er..I'm sorry, did I offend you?" he asked, embarrassed by the mistake of judging them without looking for evidence. Ierma good-heartedly said, the lord was bound to make a mistake about Ivar, as he was being a bit arrogant and suggested they should sleep a little more.

The small table was laden with a platter of fried fish and roasted meat, a large bowl of steaming soup in the middle. Eiden's friends already started breakfast while Eiden was trying to discourage Ierma from offering him special treatments. He thoroughly enjoyed the home-cooked meal, especially the fish, which he guessed came with Ivar's morning fishing expedition.

Eiden voiced his concerns about the missing magical training to Ierma.

"I need to find a teacher. I feel like I'm useless. I left a lot of books at home. Uncle mostly concentrated on law and administration after I was hurt, to avoid the strain on magic." Eiden poured out his stress.

"My lord, Pardon me, but I think my lord needs some recuperation time. There are not many people here, my lord can go out, safely. Her ladyship loved watching the sea. Told me that it is like meditation for her. If you climb the hill behind, you can see far into the North Sea." Ierma lovingly stroked Eiden's short hair.

"She's right, Eiden, let's bundle up and go for a hike." Cissa and Clade grabbed Eiden's hands to get up. Nub shook her head saying she was done with the cold.

"You want to come North.” Eiden laughed.

"I did that, didn't I," Nub flexed her nails and hissed to stop the boys from taunting her.

"I remember our lady telling me, very long ago, the heart of the North Sea is calling for her. And then she had a daughter with such lovely blue hair. Her ladyship used to call the young lord's mother, ‘the heart of the North Sea’."

Eiden watched Ierma's age-lined face soften when those beautiful memories came to the surface. He smiled sadly.

"I think watching the North Sea wouldn't give me any more trouble than what I already have. Shall we go then?" he asked his friends. Their initial disgust for the cold was gone after a good night's sleep and a hearty morning meal. Ierma prepared them some snacks and showed them a trail to follow.

The trees were sparse. Even the ones that dared to grow, were bent and twisted by the harsh cold wind that they had to endure more often than not. They reached the top to find a plain flat rocky platform, a perfect place to have a picnic and rest. The long hike was rewarding and they could see miles and miles out to the North Sea.

They ate the snacks and watched the vast open ocean.

"Hey, you're silent, what's up?" Clade poked Eiden with an elbow. Eiden didn't understand what he was feeling.

"Something is bothering me," he said.

"What kind of something?" Cissa asked, nuzzling for warmth.

"Ahh..get your furry ears away, it tickles." Eiden giggled, pushing Cissa.

"Something Ierma said. The heart of the North Sea. When I think of that something flashes in my mind. But it fades away just like that. Like snatched away.”

"Probably your memories. Already remembered your dreams. The first time didn't remember anything other than the explosion.” Clade tried to reassure him.

"Let's have a nap in the shade. It's getting sunny." Cissa yawned.

"It can get colder super fast," Eiden warned, but he'd like a nap too.

"Then someone not me stand guard." Cissa curled up and closed his eyes. Eiden also yawned, after the bad dreams, he only got a crappy sleep.

"You can sleep too. Want to see if can catch something, like a squirrel. Dying to eat a fresh kill.” Clade said, and Eiden didn't need to be told twice.

He felt immense sorrow and heavy tears fell nonstop. His heart ached like it'd never been before.

"Mama,"

He was held against a warm chest, hushed, and comforted.

He was sitting on a chair. His mother was pacing in front of him and his father stood still.

"Tell him, Enya, don't make the mistake your mother did."

His mother threw herself on his father and he heard distant fading sobs.

He was looking into a pair of warm blue eyes. His mother looked tired. He was swept into a one-armed hug, he turned to see his father.

"Star, mama has something very important to tell."

Mother took his hands.

"Eiden, you're my heir, if something happened to me, you need to take my place."

"Nooo."

"Eiden," his father said sternly.

"Listen."

His mother took a small jewel box and opened it. There, on the red velvet, sat the most beautiful crystal prism he'd ever seen. He touched it with a finger. Its triangular sides were so smooth and cold like ice. It glowed in bluish-white cold fire twirling inside it.

"This is the heart of the North Sea."

He felt a piercing pain, yet couldn't pinpoint where it started. His whole body burned in white hot pain, making him scream in agony.

"Eiden, hey,"

Eiden gasped for air and opened his eyes. The clear blue sky blinded him for a second, and he closed his eyes tightly.

"Eiden, you sounded like you were in so much pain. What happened?"

Eiden felt a cool touch of water on his lips. Still, with closed eyes, he gulped the water and then looked at his friends.

"I.. saw it." he gasped.

"Saw what, Eiden?" Clade lifted him into a sitting position.

"The heart of the North Sea." His friends looked at each other with questioning looks.

“Are you sure, not hurting anywhere?" Clade was checking his body for any injury.

"Down, let's go down. Help me up." he tried to get up.

They held his hands and supported his weight. Clade, being taller and physically stronger than Eiden, offered to carry him on his back for some distance until he felt better. Eiden needed to go down as fast as he could, so he bit his tongue, threw his pride to the North wind, and accepted.