"Damned Luka, just why is he making us run this way already?"
Hoya's complaints weren't reciprocated by Anatolia or Adelia as their carriage bearing the insignia of the royal family of Schwarz kept dashing ahead. On the worst pathway leading outside the kingdom of sages, they had been driving day and night at Luka's request who said something about an important outing with friends.
Sitting inside with them, was Dawn, yawning out loud.
"We're almost out of the kingdom of sages, though. I wonder when we'll be catching up to him," said Adelia, all smiles.
It was then that Dawn's nose scrunched. She had noticed something strange outside, and so had the bubbly Adelia.
They peeked out of the carriage, and there, a large box hopped up and down in the middle of the street.
"W-what is that?"
"EUGENE HALLL!"
The box screamed as a familiar voice came leaking out.
"YOU TRAPPED ME!!!"
All four inside immediately recognized the faint voice and turned their heads away.
"Should we just…"
"Let's ignore it."
And the carriage went past.
***
Night had rolled in. Thankfully, we had reached a city in the confederacy on time. The place, deeply attached with nature, had inns and restaurants connected to trees and rivers. Like elf houses in ancient stories, rooms made with dead trees joining living ones were the staple of this place.
Magic was further used to alter the shape of the nature, making it more hospitable in a rather artificial manner. But well, as long as the spirit was preserved? As far as I knew, the elves that did live in the deepest parts of the forest did not really rely on the magic alteration to the terrain, but they were a rather rare sight in the outside.
I told everyone to their faces that I won't be covering any of their expenses except the four of my people.
They had different reactions but agreed in the end.
As our misfortune would have it, it seemed we were going to meet up with Sophia and my siblings tomorrow right here.
"What was that thing though?" Leaning against a window, I muttered. The trees outside letting in a refreshing breeze as their leaves rustled in a sweet harmony.
"What thing? What did you see?" Asked Titania.
"A strange blue blob, it smiled and disappeared."
"Strange…"
Indeed. Now that she would mention it, I did think I was strangely attracted to whatever that was.
"Hey, was it anything like that thing?"
I turned toward Titania and saw her pointing at a tree ahead, behind it a small green blob fluttering up and down.
"Exactly like that."
The thing disappeared.
I then turned toward Titania again.
"AH!"
Hopping down the ledge, I jumped off from the inn room and dashed ahead. The roots and trees around had made the terrain messy, but I ran ahead anyway. Through the jagged paths, I reached the tree where the blob previously was.
After looking around, I noticed one more moving toward the canopy of the forest.
"Do you see them?" Asked Titania.
"Yeah, that thing is still there."
Titania sighed and placed a hand on my head. "Maybe it's because you're no longer human, but its still faint."
"What is?"
Slowly, a drop of Titania's energy flowed into me. As if all the cells in my body had frozen over and melted off at the same time, my body reeled in pain. A scream threatened to spill out, but no sound came.
Like that, I stumbled backward.
"Eugy, up."
My gaze shifted upward.
Hundreds.
Thousands of small lights fluttered around in the night sky. Their glow covered the trees and the leaves beyond. Green, blue, red, yellow, blobs of all shapes and sizes danced and fluttered around while laughing and singing.
The one that had seen me before came fluttering down, and so did a hundred others, filling the skies and the ground alike.
I took another step back, the pain that consumed me was nothing in front of the sight.
"Cool, right? It gets annoying really quick though."
"Kuh… w-what… is…"
It was tough to speak through the pain, just letting out two words had me heaving.
Titania fluttered over to my head. A few of those things came in her way, but she shooed them away. Slowly, she crossed her leg and sat atop me.
"Spirits. Beings that exist in every realm and in none at the same time."
The spirits danced and cheered once their name was called. Many of them circled around me while the rest hopped.
"They couldn't be seen by humans, or fairies or demons either, not of a small rank. I guess when the demon blood mixed in you've now become somewhat similar to them. A person who belongs to both realms but neither at the same time."
A demon and a human at the same time. Neither, at the same time.
My vision started blurring away and the sight of those beings slowly began to fade. With hastened breaths, I tried to lean against a tree and keep standing.
"Humans 7000 years back actually could use them, spiritmancers I believe. But it's too late now, I don't think that art exists in this realm anymore. The spirits have great powers, you see."
"They can be used then?"
Titania understood right away.
My eyes had curved down and my breathing had hastened more than before. I could feel myself salivating greatly as my mind started blanking away.
A way to grow stronger yet.
I wanted it.
"Not as you are now."
"Then… how?"
Titania looked skyward and slowly tapped my head.
"I'll teach you."
My vision blurred away completely as Titania's energy that had seeped in started to go away. It was too voluminous, too grand for me to stand against.
"You've grown much stronger than I expected, so I'll teach you how to use the spirits."
"And… what do you want…?"
"Rude! Aren't we partners? I'll do it for free for you."
I almost let out a laugh, but the pain blacked me out.
"That said, I still do want your safety."
I closed my eyes.
But before I went away, I heard Titania slump down and heave.
"Goodnight, Eugy…"
This chapt𝒆r is updated by free(w)ebnovel(.)com