Chapter 7 : Dreams, visions, and swords (2)

She woke up the next day perfectly rested. Phos was sitting near her, alone.

- So, it's your last day?

Nihal rubbed her eyes:

- Yes, I think. Soana would probably come soon to get me.

- We are now friends, aren't we?

- Yeah! Of course!

- Then I have a gift for you. As a token of our friendship.

The little elf stretched his small hand, when he opened it Nihal could see a big white pearl, where in its center we could see thousands of glitters with all sort of colors, like a rainbow. Nihal took it, and inspected it everywhere, she was dumbfounded by its beauty and pureness.

- It's a "Tear", explained Phos. We found them close to the roots of the Father tree: (A/N: it's the biggest tree of the forest, I decide to change its name for convenience.) it's basically ambrosia that dried up and formed those pearls. It works as a catalyst for magic. Your magic power and duration of spells will be enhanced.

- We thought that it was a nice gift for you because it'd be useful when you'll become a Wizard too. Oh, it also works as a sign of recognition: trees like the Father of the forest are unique, there's only one in each forest. That's why the Tears are our people's symbol. Everywhere you go, Wisp-elves will know that you're an ally.

- Thanks, Phos. It's... magnificent, whispered Nihal touched by his gift.

She wanted to gift him something too but she hadn't any valuable items on her. Her gaze froze on her sword resting near the rock.

- Look, I've got nothing precious to give you, she said. But the thing I like the most is my sword! I would ask my father to melt it again and forge another one smaller for you.

Phos flapped his wands enthusiastically:

- Yes! You'll see, I will learn swordsmanship and will become the strongest swordsman - or elf - in the world!

They laughed together but out of the blue Phos erected his ears:

- Here comes Soana! I better be on my way, she won't like the fact that I helped you!

He gave her a last smile before disappearing.

Soana came right after, followed by Sennar. She was even more beautiful than the day before yesterday. This time the Witch was wearing a sumptuous purple tunic, embroidered with golden-black runes and magical symbols.

- How did it go? She asked Nihal.

- Good. I managed to enter in sync with Nature, it was an incredible experience!

Soana smiled mysteriously and gestured Sennar something:

- Mmh, we shall see...

The young wizard took 6 little rocks from his bag: he laid them on the ground following a precise pattern. As soon as he finished, six rays of light linked the stones to each other, forming a star. Then Sennar put his hand in the center, and what followed his move were big flames...

It was only then that Soana approached the fire. She closed her eyes and raised her hand, her palm facing the sky:

- ~By the Wind and Water, by the Sea and the Sun, by the Fire and Earth, I summon thee, O Supreme Spirit, to consume my disciple's soul with your test.~

The fire suddenly became brighter.

Soana opened her eyes and looked at her student with utmost seriousness:

- Put your hand in the fire Nihal.

- Sorry?

- I told you to put your hand in the fire. Repeated Soana.

The young girl felt her determination wavering:

- What do you mean by "put your hand in the fire"?

- Nihal! Obey.

Soana's cold gaze didn't allow her to protest but Nihal's legs were trembling in fright and her arm didn't want to move. It was now her turn to close her eyes and pray desperately for Nature's help.

"All is One, One is All. All is One, One is All. The fire won't burn me if it's part of me, and if I am part of it", she repeated in her head what she learned during her meditation before stretching her hand toward the fire.

When she felt the warmth of the fire getting closer, her determination wavered again. Her lips were dry, her heart started to pound like crazy. "All is One, One is All. All is One, One is All. It's now or never!".

She held her breath and dived her hand straight into the fire.

No pain.

Nothing, not even a bit of warmth from the usual flames.

When she opened her eyes, she was flabbergasted: her hand was surrounded by flames like a glove.

Soana snapped her fingers, the flames disappeared and everything returned to how it was before. Nihal looked at her hand, dumbfounded: it was still rosy and cool.

- It's a miracle! She whispered quietly to herself.

- No Nihal. It was a magical fire. If you lied to me back then, your hand would have turned to ashes.

Soana gripped her shoulders:

- You were very courageous, my 'dear disciple'.

It was only then Nihal knew she had finally won.

*****

It was now time to learn.

For Nihal, it was a very tiring period of her life but an incredibly interesting one. A period where she learned to like magic little by little. Each new spell gave her the sensation of being part of the life around her, like she things the experienced in that clearing.

In fact, the meditation and the thousands of warming-up exercises to master a new spell were boring: however she liked working hard, she liked the taste of the effort, and the more she trained the more her inner thoughts were calm.

Despite all this, she came to learn soon enough that magic wasn't her destiny. She could learn easily, but she didn't have the innate magic reserves or power required to be a Wizard, contrary to Sennar, who had them without a doubt.

Since that night where he came to save her, their relationship improved a lot. Even if after the trial she was a bit prideful of her success but she didn't stay that way for a long time. So without knowing, she got used to treating Sennar like her best friend. They were always together, to the point that Nihal stopped frequenting her group at Salazar: she found in this red-haired boy the friend she always wanted.

Even if they shared Soana's teaching, Nihal and Sennar were also united because they felt different from other children: he was a Wizard - and under the Tyran's reign, Wizards were frowned upon; and she was a warrior, which went against the public opinion where women must stay at home to look after their kids and husband.

They felt like rebels, did whatever they wanted, and dreamed about their future accomplishments. Because for Nihal, it was a matter of fact: she will join the rebel army that is fighting against the Tyran. Soana and Sennar spoke about him quite often: they explained to her how he usurped with his army the thrones of a few Lands in the Emerged World and how he reigned on them with a regime based on terror; which was the cause of the moral decline and poverty for the inhabitants.

They also talked about how much the Tyran disliked other races and wanted to enslave them to his dark magic. The young girl memorized their words and never stopped thinking about it even when she returned to Salazar.

She also noticed now that, more often than not, unknown people would appear in Livon's workshop and plunder his weapons, using the 'treaty' between the Tyran and King Daniel as an excuse.

And each time it happened Livon told her to hide somewhere. So she could only look, powerless: shady people stealing her father's work. Nihal's anger was burning her from inside, she was tightening her hold on her sword until her knuckles turned white but she couldn't do anything.

The said sword was in fact a new one that her father reforged to uphold her promise to Phos: melting down the old one, Livon create a mini-sword for Phos, and with the rest of the now-melted-sword, he crafted a new one for his daughter.

As for the Tear, she gave it to her father saying:

- Old Man, can you forge me a sword with the pearl set in the hilt?

Livon didn't need to be told twice.

During her absence, he got all the time he wanted to re-think their relationship. His daughter was now growing up, and it wasn't fair of him to chain her wings because he wanted to keep her close. Up until now, while he raised her, he followed his instinct but now he remembered when he was a teenager how obsessed he was with being free and traveling. That caused him to argue a lot with his late father back then.

Therefore he knew the sensible and wise choice for him is to allow Nihal to roam free wherever she wants and only look after her from afar while helping her if she is in a crisis; preventing her from falling but letting her stumble in her path.

So Livon invested a lot of his time. He wanted to create an extraordinary sword that would never let Nihal down and reminds her of him.

Fate wanted that one of his suppliers, a crafty gnome with an acute sense of business, offered him a reasonable deal for a block of black crystal, the sturdiest material that ever existed in the Emerged World!

We could only find it in the Land of Rocks, and it was supposedly with this rock that was built the whole Tyran's Fortress! Livon never worked with this material but he knew the technique to do so. Just the idea of crafting a black sword excited him! He started by drawing the design.

The smith thought of her daughter, how she is, what she likes, and settled with a Dragon-patterned weapon: it was the creature that looked the most compatible with his little girl's temperament. Nihal also loved Knights, and the most powerful ones were exactly Dragon Knights!

The sword design appeared clearly in his mind with its most intricate details: he only needed to work on the black crystal now. Which he did, tirelessly, especially during the night because he wanted to surprise Nihal. He used the time when Nihal wasn't in Salazar and stayed for long hours above the black crystal, with his tools beating it non-stop. He even neglected his usual work and he received a lot of complaints from his clients.

- Are you chilling out? Teased Nihal.

But she quickly added, seriously:

- Do you need help, Old Man?

Livon shook his head negatively and said that he had important work to do that required his whole concentration. He didn't want to admit that he was neglecting his demands for her.

Truthfully, every smith or artist hoped, even once, to know what it feels to be in Livon's place, working on his newest sword with 'enlightenment'. Everyone of them would've wanted to live just to see the birth of this weapon.

The crystal sword will be his masterpiece!

Finally, during a random morning for Nihal, Livon called her. He looked tired, like someone who has been working the whole night for a month straight. We could see it thanks to his clothes full of black dust.

- Are you all right? Asked Nihal, worried.

- I've never been so good! It's one of the best moments of my life, answered Livon while giving her an object wrapped with a cloth.

When Nihal unpacked it, she saw something breathtaking. In the morning light sparkled a black sword, even more bright than glass with its usual transparency.

The blade, flat, was as sharp as a razor and sharpened slightly on the hilt side. Around the said hilt, that was rectangular, we could see a Dragon coiling up around it; with its black background we could clearly distinguish its white head: it was the Tear.

The creature's mouth was wide open, its wings were deployed around the blade, so delicately chiseled that we could see its veins, and so thin that it seemed transparent.

Nihal didn't even dare to touch this fabulous piece of work. Livon had already produced a huge number of extraordinary swords but this one was a veritable masterpiece!

- You asked for a sword, here it is, said the smith. This time it's not a toy. It's *your* sword. I made it while thinking about you, it can defend and attack: it's a perfect weapon for a true warrior.

Livon smiled, and Nihal looked at him with shining stars in her eyes.

- What are you waiting for? Here take it, go on! He encouraged her.

Nihal delicately raised the sword and was shocked again by how comfortable the blade felt in her palm, and by how light and maneuverable it was.

Livon started laughing:

- It's not made of glass you know! It's from black crystal, the sturdiest material that we know of! Look here.

He took the sword from her hand, put it on his workbench, and struck the wings with a big hammer blow.

Nihal shuddered but the sword didn't have a single scratch.

- With this sword you can go on every quest and adventure around the world, it will never fail you!

Nihal jump on her father's neck and hugged him tightly. She then loosed her hug and raised her sword in the air:

- It's my sword, and I would never lose it!

Livon smiled again:

- Good, I can finally rest in peace.

*****

That sword became Nihal's most trusted companion. Every day she would strap it around her waist. Most of the time, she used it for her training, being alone with whom to train: Sennar was too busy with his studies, and even if they sparred together it was useless, Sennar swordsmanship was clearly inferior to her's.

As for Livon, she now beats him way too easily and she was also almost always at Soana's house anyway.

So every time her apprenticeship freed her of her duties, she ran in the Forest to perfect her techniques with the help of Phos: the little Wisp-elf would throw small seeds at her, and Nihal would cut them in the air. If not she dealt big blows to the dry tree trunks around her. It wasn't 'training', but it was Nihal's only way to stay in shape and work on her dexterity, skills, and power.

Nihal always did her 'training', she never skipped it. Because her body never stopping wishing for something more than the way of the sword.

She waited for this opportunity, and it finally came.