Chapter 5: Revealing Secrets
"Stop following me."
"I'm not following you."
"You've been trailing behind me for the past five minutes!"
"I just happen to have business in the same direction as you. Why would I even want to follow you?"
"Is that so? Then pray, tell, where are you going at this ungodly hour?"
"Tsk. For a twelve year old, you sure are plenty satirical."
"For a thirteen year old, you sure are plenty immature!"
A pair of squabbling voices echoed through the still air as the pattering of footsteps sounded through the stone chamber. A duo of young boys made their way down a spiralling staircase, their pairs of glowing red and golden irises the only thing visible in the inky black darkness.
They finally came to a stop in front of an ancient oak door. A small hand groped it's way through the darkness, stopping when pale fingers curled around a sconce. A sizzling noise momentarily filled the air before a burning flame lit up the desolate chamber.
Having lit the torch, Avon whirled around in irritation, seething with anger. "Leave, Reas."
"You really expected me to not follow you around after you revealed all of that to me?" Reas said, hands raised in a placating gesture.
"I expected you to be a man of character." Avon hissed, fuming.
"How could I be a man of character? I'm barely a teenager."
"You know what I mean!" he exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at Reas. "Don't play dumb."
"Fine." Reas acquiesced. "How about this? You let me hang around while you practice your magic and give me access to those books you have, and in return, I'll teach you swordsmanship to the best of my abilities."
Avon paused, looking at Reas with a contemplative gaze. "You know how to wield a sword?"
"I do, how else do you think I managed to slice that tree in two? I was the bastard son of a baron before I was sent here- all nobles need to learn swordsmanship." Reas said, not a hint of deceit in his eyes.
"...very well." Avon sighed begrudgingly, beckoning Reas to follow after him. "Do as you wish."
He turned around, not wanting to see the triumphant grin that was sure to be on Reas' features at the moment.
Avon placed his palm against the door, his eyes fluttering close as he concentrated on something. A second passed, and an intricate green seal appeared underneath the knocker. It pulsed softly in the dark before an array of thin lines spread out from its center, running through the creases engraved into the wood. A soft click resounded through the stone passage, and the door slowly creaked open.
"Amazing..." Reas breathed. "Did you make that?"
"Of course not. I might be talented, but I'm no genius. It's only been two weeks since I first started practicing magic. It'll take me a year or two before I can control my mana with enough precision to create circles like that." Avon said, grabbing the torch with one hand and pulling at Reas' sleeve in order to catch his attention with the other.
"Be careful in here." he warned the other perfunctorily.
"You know, if the average mage heard you say that, they would be weeping tears of blood by now." Reas chuckled absentmindedly, his eyes flickering as they scanned their surroundings.
A set of stairs, wide enough to fit only one, descended into the darkness. An undertone of damp moss and dust permeated the air, cluing one to its neglected state. In the distance, the yellow glow of light could be seen, as if promising one a reprieve from the endless night surrounding them.
From the light of the torch in Avon's hands, Reas could see thin fractures spread all across the stone walls, looking as though it would come crumbling down with the slightest of pressure. Another inconspicuous wooden door stood at the foot of the stairs- which Reas assumed to be the entrance to the place where Avon practiced his magic.
"My, this place sure looks inviting!" Reas exclaimed, his tone mocking. "How did you manage to find it, though?"
"The book I've been reading is something that was the personal property of the last owner of this building." Avon explained. "He jotted down information about the location of this place in its pages."
"And no one read it before you?"
"No one else managed to find the hidden study in the library. That's where I found all those tomes. This book was just one of the many interesting trinkets inside." Avon bragged, smugness evident in his voice.
"You were checking for hidden studies in the library?" Reas asked, confounded.
"... sometimes, I really wonder if your brain is wired in the same way as the rest of us." Avon grumbled, rolling his eyes at Reas before proceeding to walk down the flight of stairs.
"Now, what would be the fun in that?" Reas chortled, following after him.
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"Again."
A jarring screech filled the air as metal clashed against metal, the impact reverberating through the entire room. A blur of gold and white swirled through the room as the weapons thrust, parried, and dodged at the will of their bearers, producing a chaotically beautiful dance of blades.
The two boys fighting jumped, arced, and slashed at each other, each move more intense and graceful than the last. Their features were obscured in the darkness, but whenever they neared the hanging lights, one could make out their exhilarated smiles and wide-blown pupils.
After a few minutes, the fighter with a slimmer frame than the other started moving sluggishly, his slashes carrying less force than before. In a few more moves, the taller figure had him sprawled on the ground, the dull edge of his blade pointed at his opponent's throat.
"I win." Reas smirked.
"You're the instructor. It'd be a travesty if you didn't." Avon groaned, accepting Reas' outstretched hand and allowing himself to be pulled onto his feet. "Besides, I bet I could whoop your ass if you'd let me use mana in our spars!"
"Oh my, you have quite the tongue." Reas said, abandoning their swords in a corner. "What I want you to learn is pure, unadulterated swordsmanship. Only once you master it will you be able to bring out your best in a battle. Imbuing mana into your moves in order to make up for your lack of technique will only make you sloppy in the end."
"Yes, yes." Avon rolled his eyes. "Where did you learn such powerful swordsmanship, anyways? It doesn't make sense for a Baron to be able to afford such an amazing master for his son."
"My master was an ex-member of the Imperial Guard. As for why he decided to teach me, even I myself don't know." Reas shrugged his shoulders. "Enough talk. Now that our daily sparring session is over, it's time for you to make good on your promise and show me some of your little magic tricks that you learnt from your books."
Reas walked towards a brightly lit area before plopping down on the ground, exhausted.
"They aren't little, and they certainly aren't tricks." Avon scowled. "What will you get by watching me practice, though?"
In response Reas held his palm out, and a condensed ball of water instantly formed on top of it. "It's been almost a year since I've awakened my mana, but due to a lack of proper material and guidance, I've yet to make any progress." he said, sighing in self-pity.
"You'll be surprised by the things other mages can learn simply by watching someone who is naturally gifted- just like you- channel mana. That, coupled with the interesting books and supplies that you found in that hidden study of yours will definitely help me become better at manipulating mana." he explained, leaning his back against the stone wall.
"I see." Avon hummed, nodding his head in acceptance before turning away from Reas.
He exhaled softly, his eyes closing shut as he concentrated on sensing the mana surrounding him. He focused his senses as he tried to manipulate the mana around him in the way that he desired.
After his brush with death a few weeks ago in the forests of Fanfir, Avon had made great progress in the fields of spell casting and mana manipulation. Aside from his initial struggle in producing a single flicker of flame, Avon had found it surprisingly easy to use magic, and soon found himself speeding through his instruction manuals with great speed and fervor.
Slowly, a cascade of water formed above his palms, the liquid knitting and meshing together before taking the shape of a small bird. He commanded it to soar through the room, and sent it flying towards the ceiling, before letting it perch on the hilt of his sword. Avon smirked in triumph as he whirled around to face Reas, internally laughing when he saw the incredulous look in his eyes.
"You-" Reas sighed, running a palm over his face. "You are absolutely crazy, you know that?"
"I know." the corners of Avon's lips shifted upwards. "But why the sudden remark?" he asked, tilting his head in faux confusion.
"Because, what you did right now is something that even seventeen year olds struggle to do, and you somehow managed to learn it in weeks!" Reas exclaimed, amazed.
"Oh." Avon said simply, making Reas' eyebrows twitch at the lackluster response.
"That's it? That's your reaction, 'Oh' ?" Reas asked, his golden eyes narrowing.
"Would you rather I broke out into a celebratory dance?" Avon snarked, an eyebrow raised.
"Funnily enough, I do."
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