Chapter 23 : Training (1)

The dinner was something else.

He was celebrated as a very important person. He was not used to something like this. Maybe he had been to one or two parties before in his last life, but he was not the centre of attention.

The elders, the teenagers, and the children warmed up to his presence quickly. He knew that it had been long for them to have a visit from a human except Asteric's secretary, but wasn't this too much?

"Eh no. I'm fine."

He was pestered into trying everything they offered him. He felt reluctant to reject their kindness, so he just ate until he was full. This moment made him remember back to the time he went out with Rezal to the city, just two days ago anyway.

The children his age asked to play with him. He just entertained them with their idea of playing. He has fun, really. Maya never left his side.

He also met the other chiefs here. Like what he read in the book, the Forest of Miracles was inhabited by elves, fairies, and nymphs. Each of the creatures has its chief, but they live together in harmony.

Tereni is also there, of course. He ignored her at first when he remembered what she had done to him earlier that day. Tereni began to apologize and whine because he didn't talk to her but just the other two chiefs, who looked more responsible and reasonable than her.

Tereni stuck her face in his, never letting him go until he finally spoke to her. She kept apologizing for minutes, so he felt that it was enough.

"You are so different than that brat of your father."

Tereni said before letting him go. The celebration continued even after the food was finished. They began to sing and dance. He finally got to know that this is what they usually do when their guests are staying here. Like their culture, they would celebrate their guests to make them feel welcome.

The people here are nice.

"Are you having fun?"

He looked at Maya, who was sitting next to him. He was already tired from playing with those kids, so he just sat here at the side while watching them continue to play. On the other side, he saw adults drinking and singing.

"Yes. You guys are so nice."

Maya chuckled.

"They go all out because it has been so long for them to celebrate this. I hope it is not a burden for you."

"No. I am thankful for this warm welcome."

"You are so mature for your age, Your Highness."

He shrugged.

"I get that a lot. How about you? You looked my age but also matured."

"Your Highness, I am a year older than you."

"Not any different; you are still a kid like me."

"Hmm, maybe because I would be the next chief after Chief Yosen retired?"

He looked at her with curiosity. That is the name of the chief for elves. How are their titles being passed down? He knew Chief Yosen was not Maya's father because he saw her calling another man her father. But they looked similar.

"Are you guys related?"

"Chief Yosen is my uncle."

Ah, that's why.

"My uncle is my father's older brother. He had no intention to change his single status, so he named me, his only niece, as his successor. Therefore, I've undergone training since last year."

Maturity comes with experience. The weight of responsibility on her shoulders may be the driving force for her to act maturely.

"Will you go to the academy too when you're 13?"

"Of course."

"How...?"

Maya smiled, aware of what Michaelis wanted to ask. She can't use magic after all; it would be a liability when she entered the academy later because aura is forbidden to use there without approval.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out, Your Highness."

With a cheeky tone from Maya, Michaelis' lips twitched upward.

"I hope to see you there, Your Highness."

"Me too."

They ended their night when some of the adults got drunk by drinking too much beer. He went back to his designated room and succumbed to sleep.

×××××

"How was his aura compatibility test?"

The long, strawberry-blond-haired man asked his niece.

"It was astonishing. I could see three affinities in the detector just now."

"Wah! Michaelis sure is something else!"

Chief Terani voiced her amazement.

"Do tell the three affinities, Maya."

The light-green-haired woman asked in a soft voice.

"The first one is wind. The second one is fire, and the third is water."

"An opposite and similar ones. We need to ensure he can control three of those completely to avoid any incident."

"That's true. We can't let our little crown prince get hurt again."

They remembered the news about the drowning incident that had spread throughout the empire. The news is devastating, but they feel glad that the crown prince is finally awake. If ever the crown prince dies at that time, the citizens of the empire will surely fall into despair.

They have never met the crown prince face-to-face. Just hearing the story from the emperor himself whenever he visited was enough for them to feel love for the boy. They have been living for hundreds of years to see the lives and deaths of the imperial family. Humans sure have a short life span compared to them.

"However, something unnatural occurred."

"Unnatural?"

Gurina, the chief nymph, asked in worry.

"I could feel two unknown affinities that were compatible with his aura. It is something I did not have knowledge about."

"Could you describe it in detail?"

Maya nodded.

"At first, the test went normal, and I could see the three affinities shown. However, the sudden aura outburst came from the crown prince. His wind affinity was running wild until I got thrown away. I did try to call for him by yelling, but he seemed not to discern my voice. I'm aware the wind was not normal because I feel suffocated and like the space itself is crumpled in there. When I smacked the detector away from his hand to stop the turmoil, I could feel his hand was cold."

"Hmm, that's concerning."

Chief Gurina bit her lips while lost in her thoughts. The other chiefs also looked concerned.

"Also, there is a crack on the detector."

Maya brought out the detector from her bag and put it on the table for the chiefs to see. There is a huge crack in the middle of the aura detector. Chief Yosen trailed along the crack with his finger.

"This never happened before."

Chief Yosen nodded in agreement with what Chief Tereni said. It seems like they need to do more research and take out the old records about aura users to see if something like this has ever happened before. There should be something to describe this unusual event.

"For now, let's put a close eye on him. Maya, assist him in controlling his fire and wind affinities."

"Yes, sir."

Maya nodded. She already knew because she had those two affinities.

"He may have more affinities than the three Maya stated, so we need to ensure he is safe and under control. Gurina, I'll leave the task of reporting his growth to His Majesty."

"Will do."

"And you, Tereni."

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Don't be too ruthless with him while training him. You're the only chief here who could use an aura, so be mindful. I heard you use giant dryads to chase after him today."

"That was unintentional!"

"Whatever. Remember my words."

Chief Tereni pouted.

"Yes, sir."

"You can go now, Maya. Make sure to brush your teeth before sleeping."

"Yes, uncle."

Maya walked away from the office.

××××

"Are you ready for your first training, Your Highness?"

"Yes."

The first week of training with Maya started smoothly. She explained to him his three affinities: wind, water, and fire. Maya will teach him how to control wind and fire.

For three days, they will practice with the wind.

"The wind is one with you. Create the wind with your aura. Like this."

Maya is actually bad at teaching.

"I don't understand."

"Eh. Okay, maybe you should try to float these one by one. Look how I did it, okay?"

He saw Maya's yellowish aura surround the rock without touching it. The rock began to float.

"Look, this is how you use the wind's affinity."

He creased his forehead and just did what he understood from Maya's explanation.

'How do I want to make my aura touch the rock without me touching it?'

He channelled his aura, but he failed to touch the rock.

"How did you touch the rock without actually touching it?"

"Like this."

No, that's not helping at all. When Maya looked at Michaelis' hopeless face after her explanation, she pursed her lips.

"Okay, I apologise. I am really bad at explaining. Please take a closer look at my aura."

He looked at her aura.

"You would not see my aura going towards the rock because my wind affinity brought it there. Bring your hand over to the space between my hand and the rock."

He extended his hand between the mentioned spaces. He could feel the wind. His mouth let out an 'oh'.

"That's how you do it. Change your aura into the wind and make the wind touch the rock."

But that doesn't explain how he wanted to change his aura to control the wind.

Okay, let's just try. After all, everything needs a trial.

He opened his palm. His aura already circulated his body. So he just thinks of creating a wind.

That's what he always does. Thinking about the things he wanted to do without running from the purpose of what he wanted to do. That way, he could control his aura properly without creating any unnecessary incidents.

A few seconds later, a small wind could be felt on his palm. He increased the aura again to create a bigger wind, creating a small whirlwind on top of his palm. He dissipated the whirlwind and let the wind flow towards the rock. It was quite hard when the distance increased, but he managed to touch the rock by using his wind and surrounding the rock with his aura. His wind lifted the rock slowly.

He smiled in satisfaction, not noticing the sweat dripping down his neck and forehead.

"You did it! Good job!"

His smile became bigger when he looked at Maya's proud smile.