Chapter 24: Two Difficult Goals

At dawn, the soft sunlight caressed the ancient stones of the villa's courtyard. Luzbel rose with determination and left Ember resting peacefully in the room. He dressed in a simple shirt and linen pants, preparing for the new day ahead.

Just as he was finishing buttoning the buttons on his shirt, a knock resounded at the door of his room. Vlad, the butler, was on the other side and announced in a serene voice, "Luzbel, I'll be waiting for you in the courtyard for your fencing class."

Luzbel nodded, finished his attire and headed for the courtyard with a determined step. When he arrived, he met Vlad, an old man with a wise look and an imperturbable gesture. He approached one of the shelves containing wooden swords, but before he could take one, Vlad stopped him with a gesture.

"You don't need a sword today," Vlad said with an enigmatic smile.

Luzbel frowned in confusion and asked, "How am I to train swordsmanship without a sword?"

The butler dropped his usual serious expression and replied with a laugh, "A swordsman is more than a sword, Luzbel. If you want to become a true warrior, you must learn to fight even when you are unarmed. Today I will teach you how to dodge and fight without swords."

Those words awakened curiosity and determination in Luzbel's heart. From that moment on, he immersed himself in an intense dodging session, while Vlad, with a wooden sword in hand, taught him the techniques and corrected his mistakes with patience and wisdom.

Meanwhile, Morrigan, who had decided to get up earlier than usual, dressed in an elegant purple dress, her favorite color. She went out into the courtyard carrying with her a bottle of cool water and a towel. She sat on a bench under a majestic oak tree, watching Luzbel's training attentively.

When the training finally came to an end, Morrigan approached Luzbel with a smile and offered him the bottle of water and the towel. Luzbel appreciated the gesture, feeling gratitude for her new friend. Vlad, for his part, bid them both farewell with a gesture of respect and withdrew, leaving them to wait for their next class with Placida.

Morrigan and Luzbel waited together in the courtyard, until Placida, Morrigan's mother, soon joined them.

Placida, majestic and radiant, arrived in the courtyard greeting her daughter Morrigan and Luzbel, who accompanied her. In her hands she carried three blankets, and as she approached, she said kindly, "Hi guys, Luzbel, if you don't mind, Morrigan will be joining our classes."

Luzbel was a little surprised at the proposal, but shook her head in acceptance. Placida smiled at his response and added, "Good, then today I want to test your affinity for the elements."

Stepping forward, Placida handed each of them a blanket and motioned for them to follow her. They made their way to an area of the garden covered in lush green grass, where Placida spread out her blanket and sat in the lotus position. She invited Morrigan and Luzbel to do the same.

Once the three were seated, Placida began to speak in a voice full of wisdom, "According to my husband, Luzbel, you possess great talent in magic, but today I want to see how far that talent extends."

She took out of her bag five small pearls of different colors: green, blue, red, yellow and violet. Noticing the confused look in Luzbel and Morrigan's eyes, Placida explained, "These pearls are known as elemental crystals. They represent the crystallization of a prolonged concentration of the elements. They allow us to discover our affinity with them."

Surprise shone on the faces of Luzbel and Morrigan as Placida handed the crystals to Luzbel. Calmly, she said, "Luzbel, test your affinity first. To use the elemental crystals, you must place them around you in a circle and let your mana release to see how many crystals react to your presence."

Following Placida's directions, Luzbel arranged the elemental crystals around him and closed his eyes, concentrating on his mana and letting it flow outward. At that instant, the five crystals began to float and glow brightly in their respective colors.

Placida sat up with a start, her face reflecting utter amazement. She muttered to herself, "Impossible, absolutely impossible...".

Morrigan, at Placida's side, opened her mouth, surprised but not quite understanding the implications of what she had just witnessed.

Luzbel ceased the flow of his mana and opened his eyes, waiting for Placida's words.

Regaining her composure, Placida approached Luzbel and took him by the shoulders, staring at him, "Luzbel, you must become a wizard. Your talent is unfathomable and unique, something that not even the greatest magician in history has possessed. You must abandon swordsmanship and focus on magic.

Without leaving time for Luzbel to articulate a word, Placida was already making plans out loud. "I have to talk to Titus to get you admitted to Vigiles Arcanorum and leave classes with Vlad," she murmured with determination.

Luzbel, however, quickly interrupted Placida's thoughts and said firmly, "Lady Placida, I will not give up fencing. For me, it is something of utmost importance and represents the last legacy of my grandfather Roland."

Placida sighed, understanding Luzbel's attachment to the sword, and replied calmly, "Luzbel, you must understand that, for mages, the number of elements we can control is an indication of how far we can go in our power. Generally, a mage with only one element ends his climb in the rank of mage. If he possesses two elements, he becomes a master mage. With three elements, he reaches the rank of Archmage. And if he were to possess four elements, he could aspire to become the Great Wizard, a legendary figure hidden on the continent. But you, Luzbel, possess five elements. Your potential in magic is practically limitless."

Luzbel remained unwavering in his resolve and replied with determination, "Then I will be a wizard and a swordsman, but I will never abandon the sword."

Placida sighed again and uttered with resignation, "That is a path many have tried, but none have achieved greatness. Most magical swordsmen do not advance beyond the rank of knight mage. However, I suppose with your talent, it might be possible. If that is what you desire, both myself and Titus will support you in your choice."

Luzbel nodded in thanks to Placida, acknowledging her support. He was determined to forge his own path, defying established conventions and exploring the depths of his potential as a mage-swordsman.

***

After witnessing Luzbel's affinity test and hearing his firm resolve to follow the path of the magical swordsman, Placida turned her gaze to Morrigan, aware that she had yet to awaken her magical potential. A spark of hope shone in Placida's eyes as she spoke to her daughter. "Even if you have not awakened, there is a way to force your awakening," she revealed in a gentle but meaning-laden tone.

Carefully, Placida extracted an intense deep blue gem the size of a fist. "This is a mana core, the solidification of the heart of an eternal level magical beast. Your Father and I hunted it when we were young and I believe we will be able to put it to use today. From it we can extract pure mana that will help you form your core," Placida explained, displaying the gem before Morrigan's eyes.

Morrigan nodded cheerfully and earnestly, understanding the value of the object for the ridiculous difficulty of obtaining one, and decided to follow her instructions. She reached out her hand toward the gem, allowing her fingers to touch it gently. In that instant, a magical connection was established between Morrigan and the mana core.

Concentrating, Morrigan turned her attention to the sphere, feeling the energy flowing within her. A warm, comforting feeling came over her as she let the energy circulate through her body, creating a feeling of warmth in her chest.

Suddenly, from outside, a mini explosion of power manifested, causing the red and violet colored mana crystals to glow brightly. Morrigan opened her eyes and waited for her mother's assessment, longing to hear her words.

Placida sighed regretfully, aware of the high expectations she had placed. "Not bad, Morrigan. You've awakened an affinity for two elements: fire and wind. I shouldn't have expected two extraordinary geniuses," she admitted with a mixture of pride and sadness.

Placida's words struck at Morrigan's heart, who began to shed tears imagining a future in which Luzbel would walk away from her because of her poor talent. Worse, the image of Luzbel holding hands with another smiling girl brought an inexplicable pain to her chest, though she still did not fully understand why.

Placid, noticing her daughter's expression, she imagined the feelings that were seizing her and rushed over to her, hugging her tenderly. "Morrigan, my little one, the fact that you do not have an affinity for many elements does not mean that you cannot achieve great accomplishments. It simply indicates that your path will be more difficult," Placida comforted, conveying love and understanding.

At her mother's words, Morrigan calmed down, wiped away her tears and posed a question loaded with determination, "Can I be as strong as Luzbel?"

Placida hesitated for a moment, carefully evaluating Morrigan's question. Then, with an encouraging smile, she replied, "It will be very difficult and it will depend on how far Luzbel can go, but you wouldn't be the first Archmage who is only attuned to two elements. However, you must be aware that the fewer kindred elements you have, the more difficult it will be to obtain the mana from the environment and form layers in your core."

Morrigan was filled with conviction and determination at her mother's words. Her eyes glowed with a new intensity. "Yes, I will. I will train harder than anyone else," she stated with unwavering determination.

Placid, proud of her daughter's willpower, she hugged her tighter. "That's my brave Morrigan. No matter how many kindred elements you have, your will and your dedication can take you to great heights in magic. I am here to support you every step of the way," she assured in a soft but supportive motherly voice.

Morrigan broke away from the embrace and looked at her mother with determination in her eyes. "Then, I will begin my training and do my best to strengthen my magical abilities. I will not stop until I reach Luzbel," she declared with a firm resolve.