24 Magic
Three days after I returned from the Dawn Village, news of what I had done there spread throughout the entire kingdom. Some of the dumb knights gossiped about me slaughtering orcs alone to other knights, who then told other people and eventually reached mother's ears.Had I not stopped her, she would have destroyed the elven knights, as she thought that they tricked me into going with them and fighting the orcs. After dealing with mother's rage, I visited Ryllae to 'relax.'
[Griffin Stables]
Deciding that I should begin my magic training, I informed Mother about it. She told me that before I began my magic training, I should get my griffin, so she took me to the Griffin Stables to get my own griffin. Sylianner didn't come with us since she was still angry with me.
"Melda, this one is specially bred for you. from the moment its mother laid the egg, and I ordered the stable master to look after it diligently. I also had a dozen sorcerers constantly feed magic to the egg," she said as we passed a room filled with eggs of different colors. These eggs were huge, almost half the size of a female elf.
After walking for a while, we come to a room with a barrier around it, guarded by two elves who knelt after seeing Mother.
"My queen."
"My queen."
"Dismissed," Mother said coldly.
'hmmmm'
After the guards left, Mother put her hand on the door covered with runes. After her hand glowed for a moment and emitted a humming sound, the door opened.
I looked at the room with an altar on which rested a huge black egg, at least twice the size of the other eggs, and it was covered in red runes.
[IMAGE]
"Go on, claim your griffin, Melda, and don't forget to feed the eggshells to your griffin," Mother whispered in my ear as she embraced me from behind and then handed me a dagger.
I tried to take the dagger from Mother's hand, but she didn't let go and held it tightly. So, I kissed Mother's hand to reassure her and took the dagger from her. Then, I moved towards the egg, standing in front of it. Even without any magic training, I was able to feel the magic pulsing through it.
I cut the palm of my hand with a dagger as I heard a faint whisper of mother saying 'no' and placed it on top of the egg. As my blood dripped from my hand onto the egg, the runes on the egg began to shine and move towards my hand, entering my body through the cut in my palm.
After the runes entered my body, I steped back as the egg started to crack. Inside, a black griffin with red eyes and a red gem on its mane emerged.
'SCREEEE'
The infant griffin tilted its head and looked at me with curiosity. Its eyes shone and it let out a happy screech, then jumped onto my body and started rubbing its head against my chest.
[IMAGE]
After patting the griffin for a while, I placed it back on the altar as it began to eat the eggshells. After eating, the griffin fell asleep.
"Melda...did it hurt? Let mommy take care of it," mother said as she caressed my face. Then she took my hand and licked the blood from the wound. As she did, the wound began to glow green and heal.
"Let's go back and don't forget your griffin," mother said as she let go of my hand.
Turning around, I hugged the sleeping griffin and returned to the castle with mother.
***
"I'm happy that you have decided to learn magic, Mally. I thought you were going for the brute route like the other two," Vereesa said as we made our way towards the magic district.
"Why are you here, Vereesa? I thought you were busy with the magic you created."
"When I heard that you were coming to the magic district to learn magic, I stopped my very important research and rushed towards your side to support you, and this is how you thank me?" Vereesa said as she jumped on my back.
"I do not need your aid, Vereesa."
"I dID Naot NeaeD blah blah.. why are you talking so strangely, Mally? Do you think you look cool when you talk like this?" Vereesa said as she mocked my way of speaking.
"It is how I learned to speak by listening to others, Vereesa."
"No, you didn't. No one we know talks like that, not me, not our mother or our sisters, or anyone else. You are speaking like this on purpose," Vereesa said as she began to pull my cheeks.
[Magic Distric]
"To think Mother was able to convince Archon to teach you, you are really lucky, Mally," Vereesa said as we entered the magic district.
"Hmmm," I said as I looked at the magic district. Two tall buildings stood in the corner of the kingdom, one for the students and masters of magic, and the other for the Elven Archon. This place was beaming with so much magic that it was clearly visible in the air, ground, and water as blue dust.
[IMAGE]
"Princess Vereesa!"
I turned my head as I heard someone shouting Vereesa's name and saw a group of sorceresses walking towards us while waving their hands.
"It looks like my friends are here, Mally. Come with me, I will introduce you to them," Vereesa said as she waved them back.
"No," I said as I dodged Vereesa and headed towards the archon's tower.
"My prince."
Sorceresses bowed to me, and I nodded back in greeting as I passed them.
"He is really cold."
"Yeah, I heard that he ripped a halfling apart."
"He looks so hot~"
They whispered among themselves as I entered the archon's tower. The moment I stepped into the tower, my skin began to feel really itchy, and my head felt like it was being ripped apart. But I ignored it and began to climb the stairs. With every step, my body felt heavier.
I reached the top of the tower, and now my body felt so heavy that I felt like my bones would break at any moment. But I didn't let my bent body show any weakness. I refused to break. As I reached the last step, the pressure on my body dissipated, and the gates of the archon's chamber in front of me opened.
I stepped inside and looked around. It was a luxurious chamber filled with magic. There were multiple bookshelves filled with magic books and tomes. There was an alchemy table in the corner of the room, and there was a ritual circle in the middle of the room.
[IMAGE]
"You passed my test, prince." I heard a sweet but emotionless voice as my body was covered in magic, and I began to float towards the window of the chamber.
After arriving before the window, I saw a woman and the magic on my body dissipated, and I landed on the ground. Then, I looked at the woman who was sitting in front of the window with a book in her hand.
An absolutely gorgeous woman with black-purple hair and purple eyes, long eyelashes, dark purple eyeshadow, and dark purple lips. She also had multiple earrings.
[IMAGE]
"Archon Lyrei," I said as I looked at her, the pinnacle of elven magic.
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