7 Restriction

In her elegant study, Selnan's Great Mage, Soon-Yi, was reclining on a comfortable sofa while the First Prince's favorite wife, Lady Wei, was having some herbal tea to settle her nerves. It was already late at night but sleep just seemed out of their reach, no matter how drained they felt.

When they had to fight or make swift decisions in the midst of chaos, both women had been strong-minded and reliable. However, now that the danger was temporarily avoided, they couldn't calm down and rest, so they kept each other company, hoping to divert their minds from the events of the evening.

Lady Wei was doing most of the chatting, with an occasional answer from Soon-Yi. Contrary to her usual calm and restrained demeanor and even though she didn't like to complain too much or act spoiled, the events were too vivid in her memory and too nerve-wracking, adding fuel to her mood swings. She really hated being pregnant. While talking once more about what happened, Lady Wei realized that she felt both guilty and grateful towards Xian for saving them. However, it was impossible for her to ever tell him. It was always the same : she just couldn't be honest. How upsetting ! Moreover, she was aware that he was unwaveringly faithful even when she treated him badly.

Her mind was wandering even when Soon-Yi was willing to speak with her. She knew it was rude towards the Great Mage – such a powerful and highly acclaimed status – but she couldn't help it. The old hag was definitely not the one she wished to talk to.

Soon-Yi suddenly froze in the middle of a sentence. Her face visibly paled and her unblemished complexion turned a sickly grayish tone. Drops of sweat could even be seen on her forehead. Lady Wei wanted to call for a maid but Soon-Yi stopped her before she could act. Even though her poise and perfect bearing were on the verge of crumbling, Soon-Yi was still her assertive self, much to the younger woman's relief.

In the silent room, just behind their calm composures and facades of dignity, both women were on edge and the air around them was filled with the tension of the day. Moreover, Soon-Yi was already unwell – with such a deep injury that her guts spilled out – and her health just seemed to take a turn for the worse. Lady Wei couldn't help but worry.

– Are you sure you don't need a healer ? You're still recovering from the attack earlier. I feel so useless, no being able to help you in any way.

– Don't worry, I'll be fine in a moment. I can't believe that this brat healed me with this disgustingly unorthodox spell of his. It's so slow I can't even do anything !

Soon-Yi gritted her teeth and tried, once more, to increase the healing of her injuries but the spell Xian used was so powerful and overbearing that it repelled her own feeble attempts. On the other end, the healing was still currently proceeding, her wound was shining in the dimly lit study, the eerie white glow making her complexion look even paler. Thankfully, she didn't feel any pain but this situation was so frustrating. She was the most powerful mage in all Selnan but all she could do was wait until this sluggish spell managed to heal her properly. And, obviously, she was far from certain that she would be healed, this spell was really too weird.

Next time she got her hands on Xian, she promised herself she would drill him in magic and teach him a correct, efficient and fast healing spell even if she had to beat him up and pound it directly in his useless and unwilling head !

Seeing how angry she was, Lady Wei relaxed a little and hid her small smile behind her cup. She'd known the Great Mage for so long that she was able to decipher the slightest change in her otherwise stern expression. She didn't know every details but she always felt quite close to Soon-Yi and she knew that Xian's relationship with his foster mother was a complicated one. Unlike the stubborn and dense Xian, she was sure that Soon-Yi deeply loved him, in her own twisted and strange way. She was probably several centuries old if not more. Such a long life could definitely warp any personality, even the most balanced ones and Lady Wei had long be convinced that Soon-Yi as well as Xian and all magic users were weird, from the beginning.

Being from a family and a country of magic, she never took their oddity to heart but deep inside, she could honestly say that she was glad to be normal and at the same time she was envious of their powers. However, these conflicting feelings were not unsettling in the least. They were part of her and she was at peace with her heart. With her status, she could use and order the mages without wielding the magic powers by herself. It was convenient in every way. But right now, she felt Soon-Yi's frustration and couldn't help her. She hated this feeling of powerlessness. Anyway, if the Great Mage was unable to do something, who could ?

After the shock she received, Soon-Yi was feeling slightly better. She needed to hurry, Xian called for help but her magic powers were still too weak to use the basic teleport device she brought with her from Aliker when she escaped with him, so many years ago. She could control magic elements but she couldn't gather them with her injury only partially healed and they were too flimsy in this room, even with the magic artefacts stored on the shelves. Maybe she could find magic powers she could borrow but it might be a fool's errand and she lacked the time to search.

Xian fueled the medallion she gave him a long time ago with some of his powers. It had to be a life-threatening danger. She remembered cautioning him repeatedly when he was still a young child and indeed, he'd never used it before. For the very first time, he called for her through the medallion but she couldn't come to help. Guilt and worry were gnawing at her but most of all, she feared that once the restriction within the medallion was lifted, Xian would become out of control. The artefact he was carrying had several purposes and the main one was the powerful seal to limit his magic powers. In case of emergency, the seal could be temporarily removed, but the dangers for Xian's life might increase compared to the first threat.

The consequences of a berserk Xian running amok would indeed be disastrous. The anxiety and stress were enough to make Soon-Yi sick. She wanted to throw up. Had she not promised the Queen of Aliker, her benefactor, she would have killed Xian when he was still a young and helpless child. Instead, she did the exact opposite, protecting him and enhancing his body to a high degree. His powers were so formidable and he was the last of his kind. She couldn't find the resolve to waste such a gift and therefore, she couldn't kill him. Maybe she created a monster.

He was such a clumsy child, albeit a very strong one, and a dangerous time bomb since he stubbornly refused to learn how to control his powers. This was probably some kind of punishment for Soon-Yi that the only time that the restriction on Xian's powers was lifted, she could not be there to help him.

Even through the numerous ordeals she faced in her very long life, this was the first time she felt so helpless she could die. Her heart was bleeding when she thought that Xian's life was in jeopardy but if she could see him again, she would probably scold him, punish him and even bash him, for being reckless. Before that, she was already about to beat herself up for being useless at such a critical time. She was so ashamed thinking of her overconfident-self falling for such a crude trap. If she could get her hands on the wretched, despicable fake maid that stabbed her and attacked her magic core, torture would be too lenient a punishment.

Thankfully, the damages were not that serious but she needed time to fully recover her strength and time was the one thing she lacked of, if she wanted to save her son.

Soon-Yi leaned back on the sofa and sighed. She seemed a little weary but she felt at ease now that she made her resolve. She then asked Lady Wei to fetch the teleport device from the shelf. She intended to bring Xian back even if it cost her her life.

While Lady Wei was busy rummaging through the mess on the shelves, sorting with care the various precious artefacts abandoned there and covered with dust, in order to reach said teleport device, Soon-Yi closed her eyes and concentrated on the injury on her abdomen.

She studied magic spells from all over the world for more than eight centuries and was confident she could unravel any spell, given sufficient time. Xian was only a beginner, no he couldn't even be qualified as a mage yet, not an apprentice either. It should be easy for the Great Mage of Selnan to see through the unusual spell he created. She needed to analyze and carefully unravel the crude and unrefined threads instead of using raw power to subjugate and overcome.

A little while later, Soon-Yi opened her eyes, still weary but quite satisfied. She found a weak point in Xian's healing spell and, even though she couldn't comprehend it completely yet, which frustrated her somewhat, it was sufficient to remove the spell. This kind of reverse engineering was quite taxing in term of concentration but required very little magic elements, which suited Soon-Yi well in her frail condition. She didn't have the time to dwell on the details and niceties but she would not give them up, only postpone the study. She felt that this spell, contrary to her first impression, was quite interesting and unique and was oddly very pleased and proud of Xian. Of course, she had no intention of telling him. The kid needed to be disciplined. She knew she was a strict teacher and he resented her but his stubborn character would probably be the end of him and she wanted to avoid that at all costs.

Lady Wei was patiently waiting with the teleport device in her hand. Soon-Yi didn't tell her to wake her up so she wisely chose to refrain from disturbing her. She knew Soon-Yi had an awful personality. She was already insufferable years ago when she came to the Selnan empire to enroll as a court mage before taking over the title and position of Great Mage. Lady Wei was still a child, newly betrothed to Zhou Xi, the First Prince of Selnan. Truth be told, in these early days, Lady Wei often had to rely on Soon-Yi to avoid the scheme of her rivals.

In general, Soon-Yi was difficult to deal with. Even though they had a cordial relationship based on years of struggles in the Imperial court, Lady Wei was always careful and respectful, a diplomatic behavior even if they were rather familiar. It was closer to a partnership than a true friendship. They more or less used each other. The family ties between them were loose, Soon-Yi was supposed to be the foster mother of her very distant – but only surviving – relative. Lady Wei didn't really care for the Great Mage and she supposed it was the same for Soon-Yi. However they needed each other.

As shown in the event which occurred just a few hours earlier, where Soon-Yi protected her with her body when she was about to be slashed, Lady Wei couldn't afford to lose an single ally. Dangerous enemies lurked everywhere inside and outside the Palace. Her utmost priority was to have a healthy baby boy in order to secure and strengthen her position. Thanks to years of plotting and with the help of Soon-Yi and Xian, she managed to have Zhou Xi send the empress to a remote temple but she was not appointed empress yet, because her family was murdered and she lost a lot of influence compared to the others wives.

Lady Wei felt that her position was really uncertain due to the fall of Aliker's royal family, even if it happened several years ago. She desperately needed to gain the upper hand to secure her future. To a certain extent, even her baby was a tool to reach her goal. She was ready to do everything and use everyone for survival. She certainly would not bear to be demoted and would fight tooth and nail for power.

As usual, she displayed a meek and concerned face with a small smile to talk to Soon-Yi, as if worried about her health.

However, the older woman was not fooled in the least. She just couldn't be bothered to play along as she usually did and only took the teleport device from her hands. She didn't even go out of her way to inform Lady Wei about Xian's call for help. She knew the younger woman was useful under certain circumstances but would be a burden in her current endeavor to save her son.

Strengthening her resolve, Soon-Yi forcibly removed Xian's healing spell and poured the freed magic elements in the teleport device. It then automatically brought her to the location where the medallion had been activated as per her wish.

When she became aware of her surroundings, a wave of nausea washed over her. She wished she had some time to prepare herself but the medallion didn't give any details regarding the place. How could she expect Xian to be buried deep in shit, literally...