《Divine Arts》


 Prologue

    The dimness of the ever clouded sky roared as rain ripped through the coalescent swirls of the cold unyielding wind. The endless night stood at peek as the raging storm continued through the cold confines of the night. Dark clouds covered the half glistening moon. A swift echelon of sound could be faintly heard through the thunderous roars of the storm. Sauntering feet''s broke through the roar.

    Beneath the cold damp canopy of trees, a small figure rose and fell as he moved with urgency through the darkness. The figure strayed left, then right, slipping passed the soggy earth around the giant trees. Mud splashed upwards as black tattered boots hampered across the grounds. Cold droplets of rain drenched his outer coat. Torrents of wind slashed against his damp skin.

    The boy peeked up over his shoulders, rain blinding his vision. A faint bark could be heard over the howls of the wind. The boy slipped, tripping over a stagnant root protruding off the ground. Mud splattered over his body as he collided against the ground. Momentarily he sprung back to his feet, scuttling over the roots he continued his journey across the woods.

    The sound of barking grew louder. The boy''s chest heaved up and down rapidly. His lungs worked erroneously trying to keep himself moving. He panted in fits of waves trying to fight his bodies urge to stop him. Breathing with pained breathes, the boy scampered over the fallen logs of the forest.

    The whistle of the winds continued to haggard the movement of the boy. He fought with all his might. His stamina stood at a pivoting point. He sneaked another glance over his shoulders. A loud bark halted his heart. His pursuers were almost upon him. Cold fear ran up his spine causing cold sweats to drift from his pores.

    The boy closed his eyes, drawing in huge breaths of air, he darted across the forest. His heart pumped painfully as he surpassed his limit. Suddenly the sound of crashing waves made the boy stop. Wiping away the mud and water around his eyes, he looked ahead. A faintly lit up horizon greeted him.

    The forest had ended just inches behind him, in its place stood a small narrow cliff. A vast body of water thrashed against the cliff. Strong heavy waves rippled and tore at the rocks. Strong freezing wind carried droplets of water over the cliff.

    The boy coughed. He had never seen the ocean before. The rich aroma of the sea clogged his nose. The salty air brought tears to his eyes. The tears formed droplets running down his face. He was almost there. It was so close. He just needed to get over this hurdle and he would be safe. They were waiting for him not far from here.

    A loud growl alerted the boy. He twirled around to see a huge beast coming directly at him. He toppled, sliding across the slippery rocks. His movement came to a stop as his head stood over the edge.

    He screamed. Sharp Canine fangs bit into his torso. Kicking and punching he managed to knock the beast away. The beast stopped. It stared at him. Glowing black eyes glistened in the dark. It bent its knees, then pounced at him.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    The boy crawled backwards. Unfortunately, there was nothing behind to crawl to. He fell off the side of the cliff. Grasping around for anything he could get his hands on, he finally clenched onto a piece of vine. His body slammed hard against the side of the cliff, a crackling sound came from his side. His rib had broken from the impact. The beast wasn''t so lucky. It flew over the cliff, falling straight down into the cold waters. It whimpered as it splashed down into the surface of the ocean. The boy watched as the beast struggled against the waves, trying its hardest to keep afloat. The beast pounded at the water. In the end it was all in vain. The ocean quickly claimed him.

    The boy tried to reach up toward the cliff. Suddenly the vine started to tear. He fell and dangled further below the cliff. The boy looked up, a figure appeared over the edge. A man in black armor glared down at him. He frowned, lowering his arms down. He seemed to be offering the boy salvation.

    The boy slapped at his hand. This was the enemy, he no longer could live with knowing the truth. He could no longer go back to the life he left behind. Without any hesitation the boy swung sideways, launching himself over the edge of the cliff toward the massive waves below. This was the only way. This was his last chance.

    His body hit the waves. He sunk deep into the waters. His lungs started to fill with cold icy chills. His eyes stung. Cold waves of water rushed up against him. He felt his body grow numb as the water swallowed him into its abyss. His chest gurgled when the remaining air in his lungs left. His vision blurred. He felt his body being pulled further out to sea, farther into the unknown.The final moments of his consciousness pass as cold blackness embraced him.

    ...........................................................................................................................................

    Veering over the edge the man in black armor stared down with black anger. He watched the waves swallow the boy. Loud sirens stopped behind him, more armored men arrived with leashed dogs barking into the night.

    The man turned, taking a metal box off from around his belt. He pushed a button and howled into the night. He had failed. There was going to be strong consequences for this night''s failure. Unfortunately, he now needed to clean house. No one was to know of the boy''s fate.

    The other men in black armor gazed in streak horror at their commander. They knew what was coming next. They did not want to die. Slowly they all started to back away.

    The man took out an item from the box. It was a small metallic device, with a slender cylindrical shape. He pointed the item at the men around him. A silver light sprang from the item. In a blink, all the men including the dogs turned to dust.

    The man knelt, dropping the item back into the box. This had to be reported but it needed be reported as a slaughter. The boy was to be the criminal and he was to be the hero who stopped the boy. He tossed the box into the sea, allowing the water to swallow the evidence away.

    He stood, trying to think up ways to twist everything from this night''s events to his liking. This had to be executed in perfect order or else he would not survive this ordeal. The boy shouldn''t have died but now that he had, everything had to be rethought, and re-planned. Not all was a lost. He still had the pendant from the boy and with it he should be able to do the things he had planned from the beginning.

 Chapter 1 - Potions

    15 years later.

    Striding down the streets of Sappon. I watched as an Armored pushed down an old man. They plundered his goods in the distance. The Armored smirked. He''d took all the old man''s hard-earned money. Many scampered away from the Armored, trying to avoid contact with him. Some stopped momentarily to stare back at the old man who was still getting robbed, but in the end, everyone ran from the Armored. A spear plunged into the cement wall, scrapping the old man''s left shoulder.

    The old man pleaded and begged as the Armored retrieved his spear. Scampering across the ground the old man wrapped his arms around the Armored''s leg. I winced as the old man got thrown off. The Amour showed no mercy, no empathy and absolutely no kindness. He raised his spear ready to strike once again.

    I started to move. I wanted to help the old fella. A hand reached out from behind, grabbing me, pulling me back. I watched in vain as the spear pierced through the old man''s chest, striking straight into his heart, killing him instantly. I was angry, who dared to stop me. I could have saved that old man.

    I twisted as I prepared myself to punch my assailant. My eyes locked with a pair of pristine brown eyes. It was a middle-aged man with long ruff rugged curly black hair. He stared into my eyes. I knew him. He was my master, my teacher and my savior. I blinked, not believing what my eyes were telling me. He was not supposed to be here. He was supposed to be at the conference. What was he doing here?

    "Um... Master Kohl what are you doing here?" I asked, a little jiggly in the throat. He had just stopped me from doing what he had always taught me not to do. Never interfere with the Armored. They are not the sorts that we can trifle with.

    "Stopping you from doing something stupid, it would seem." He said pulling me away from the scene.

    "Master I..." I tried to say but was unable to finish my sentence. Master Kohl had pushed a piece of bread into my mouth, purposely stopping me from speaking farther.

    The Armored from before walked passed us at that very moment. He looked down at me and shook his head. My master apologized for blocking his way. He clicked his tongue and left.

    I starred at the Armored, anger and hatred flaring in my eyes. My master knocked me over the head. "Stop thinking about useless things." He said dragging me away. At that moment I really wanted to rip away from my master and launch myself at the Armored. Unfortunately, my master had a very firm grip.

    We arrived back at the clinic a few hours later. My master had to buy a few herbs for his potions. He was a healer, one of the best around that is if you did not mind his medicines problems. He had talent, he knew his art, he knew his craft, he even knows herbs better than any one in town. Unfortunately, he never seems to be able to heal people properly. His patients always get cured of their original ailments. His potions and pills all work, but every time people come back complaining about side effects caused by his medicines. These medicines would cause all sorts of problems.

    One time a patient complaining about his back pain bothering him came to the clinic. Master Kohl checked his pulse (that''s one of the methods of checking a person for what ailes them. Pulses can tell a healer all about the human body). Upon checking his pulse Master Kohl announced that this patient has a very serious back illness that could paralyze him if untreated soon. The patient got so scared that he immediately paid Master Kohl the fees and asked him to treat him immediately. Master Kohl whipped up a pill claiming it to be a high-end pill created with the finest of herbs and administered it to the patient. The patient immediately collapsed and stayed in a comatose state for 3 days. His family blew a gasket when they found out. They almost tore the clinic apart but luckily the patient woke up just as they came with their pitchforks and torches.

    When the patient woke up, his back pain was gone. Unfortunately the side effects of the medicine started to manifest. The patient started to cough bubbles out of his mouth. That lasted for over a month. Then the patient started growing weird flowers out of the top of his head. Then he started to bark like a dog whenever he saw a female dog. Finally, the patients family came with a mob and tried to burn down the clinic. We quickly left the town in the middle of the night leaving behind the clinic. We then traveled to countless other towns, but we never stayed there for more than a year. We have been in Sappon for 2 years now. The master has toned down the weird side effects caused by his potions. But still he has gained a bad reputation in town nevertheless.

    As we entered the clinic no one stood waiting to be seen. There was not even a fly that dared to enter the clinic. I sighed, business was not going well. My master smacked me over the head. I turned to see the old man pointing me in the direction of the potions room.

    I cried inside. I did not like making potions, it involved to much concentration and the knowledge involved was so intense. The techniques and runes involved was so complicated and complex. If the master hadn''t ingrained all the runes in my head since I was young, there would have been no way I could remember all of them. Unfortunately for me I was the masters only pupil and I had to inherit his craft. No matter how much I thought he was purposely making his patients suffer.

    "Master I thought you had a conference?" I said trying to vie him away from making me work on potion mastery again.

    Master Kohl''s faced blackened "Don''t even mention that! Those stupid old farts. What do they know about healing anyways. Healing is a fine art between the balances of Yin and Yang. One cannot live without Yang, but Yin is also very important to the balance. To much Yang and a patient would be over flowed with righteous energy and burst from over exhaustion. Too much Yin, the patient would just rot and decay. Yin represents all that is dark, while Yang represents all that is light. Those old farts! How dare they call me a fake healer. They are the real fake healers here. I am the only healer in the world that can claim to be a true healer. Why heal just what''s on the surface. One must heal all the ailments or else they would just continue to fester and comeback to haunt them when they least expect." Master Kohl puffed turning red with anger.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    I held in my laughter. Master Kohl always talks this way about other healers. One thing was true though, master Kohl did know the art of healing very well. He after all brought me back from the brink of death when I was younger.

    When I was younger my master found me by the sea barely alive with gashes and cuts throughout my body. Half of my blood was already gone. Almost every bone in my body was broken. I did not even know how I was still alive at that point, but when my master found me, he immediately started to administer potions to hold my life from expiring. Then he performed what I would never ever FORGET, a type of healing that turned the world upside down. My bones all cracked as a warm freezing sensation ran through my body. My blood boiled as a raging flame burnt at my veins. My head cooled as a cold liquid ran up and down my body washing the debris away from my body. Finally, my body jerked as it lifted from the ground while a warm thin layer of earth wrapped around my wounds sealing them up. I moaned in pain. Afterwards I collapsed but as my consciousness gave I saw a pillar form around me. When I woke a week later my bones had all healed. My cuts and gashes all scabbed up, every wound in my body inside and out was healed. I felt like a new person at that point.

    Unfortunately, master told me that my memories seemed to have been lost because of the horrendous state of my previous injuries. I remembered nothing from before I met my master, but I was fine with it. I followed master Kohl from that day on and have traveled to many places of the world healing the sick. Although most of the time we would be chased out of a place due to my masters healing practices. We still do well, because I knew my master was no croak. He had performed healing no healer could have performed before and he knew so much more than he let on. On the surface he may seem like a croak, but on the inside, he was the greatest healer in the world.

    "Logan stop trying to distract me, get into the potions room. You are to perfect all the processes of potions mastery today. I want to see you create a potion for common colds and cast it into a pill by the end of the day. Today!" Master Kohl smacked my head, then pointed toward the potions room.

    I rubbed my head, the pain still lingering. I couldn''t believe my luck, today was supposed to be my day off. Master Kohl was supposed to be at the Healers conference until tomorrow night. I curse those them old fools for angering the master. Why did they do such a stupid thing? They could have at least held it in until tomorrow morning. That way, I would have had at least one night of peace and quiet. Damn old farts! I curse you!

    Begrudgingly, I walked into the potions room which was located all the way in the back of the clinic. Pushing the double iron doors open I entered the room. The moment I entered the room a deep herbal aroma greeted me. The potions room was full of herbs of all types. From Morning flowers that help to heal coughs to deadly Thorax needles that kill with their poison. Every herb had its place. Every herb had a purpose, even poison can be used to heal instead of killing, that is if you knew what you were doing. Thorax needles for example can be used in small amounts to treat the deadly dream spiders bite. Poison against poison becomes antidote. It is one of the many herbs ingrained in my head from a young age. I can name every herb in the room and can name 10,500 more, after all I have memorized the book of herbs that contains 10,500 herbs of the world.

    I sighed, just remembering the years spent memorizing all those herbs made my brain hurt. I looked ahead, a large iron cauldron with a crystal lid stood in the middle of the room. This was the cauldron used to create all potions. My master has had this same cauldron since he was an apprentice himself. He had said that this cauldron was his masters and his masters Masters before that. It was a relic from the ancient times. It was strong though. No matter how much failed potions and explosions that has occurred in it. It is still standing to this day. I my self am extremely surprised that this thing hasn''t cracked or even chipped through all these years. Such an old thing, how could it survive for such a long period of time.

    Picking up some Morning flowers, Porc leaves and a bunch of other herbs I began my process of brewing the cough potion. It wasn''t a complicated potion, but to do what the master ask is. That is casting the potion into a pill. That process requires true mastery of the runes. Runes you see are ways to use magic in this world. As a healer, one must also be capable using magic stones to use basic magic. Of course, the magic required can''t really compare to the magic a mage uses. it is simply magic used through the help of magic stones.

    Pouring a bowl of water into the cauldron I started the process of potions brewing. Etching the runes for fire around the cauldron I placed a magic stone within the beginning rune. The runes ignited. Fire burst up around the cauldron. Using my hands, I drew the runes for wind on a wind stone and placed it in front of me. A slow breeze came out of the stone and circled around the cauldron. Slowly with tight precision the wind and fire mixed, creating slow harmony that made the fire stronger or weaker at times of great need. Each ingredient got added at the exact time with runes for potion making being cast at each step through the use of the different types of magic stones.

    Sweat slid down my forehead. My hands moved in harmony with the fire, etching rune after runewith a wind stone as the potion matured. I drew the intricate spell for the nine needles, a spell required in the casting of the potion into a pill. Nine needles formed in the air out of light. With swaying movements, I directed the needles to circle around the potion. The needles flew around the bubbling potion collecting the aroma and smoke produced from the brewing. Slowly the nine needles zoomed around every edge of the potion lifting it into the air.

    I breathed in slowly. Quickly I etched the chain of runes on another wind stone. These runes are required for locking the potion into a cast. Tiny air chains connected with the needled and started wrapping around the potion condensing the liquid into a ball shape.

    Finally, I etched the final runes called scripture on the final wind stone. It imprinted ancient runes on the outer layer of the potion. Slowly the runes became a chain of words that stuck to the outside of the potion.

    "Cast!" I shouted as the layer outside of the potion hardened and formed into a pill.

    I breathed rapidly. Holding out my hand I quickly caught the pill in a small vial and sealed the vial up, making sure nothing escapes.

    Sighing in relief I checked the time piece. It was nearly midnight. I had done it, finished the casting of the potion before the days end. Quickly, I stepped out of the potions room and went looking for my master.

 Chapter 2 - Divine Arts

    Divine Arts

    Master Kohl usually stays up late drinking tea in a gazebo overlooking the garden pond. The garden is located behind the clinic. Master had it built 2 years ago when we arrived here in Sappon. Where the master got the money from is beyond me. The master always causes trouble. We would always end up being chased out of towns, so we never get any compensation for the buildings we abandon. Naturally we should be broke right? WRONG. Somehow the master has an endless supply of coins. He never has to worry about money. He never worries about the amount of patients he gets either.

    I had always wondered where the master gets his money from. Unfortunately, whenever I ask him, he always says the same thing, ''children should focus on learning the art of healing and not ponder about useless things. Money is not your problem.'' Then he would hit me over the head and tell me to go back to the potions room.

    Stepping into the garden I could clearly see master Kohl gazing into the pond with a tea cup in hand. He gazed into the pond as if something really exciting was happening beneath the waters. The master had these very sorrowful eyes whenever he stares too long into the pond. I had often thought perhaps the pond reminded him of old memories. Memories that bring him grief and pain. He does this almost every chance he gets.

    I walked up the path brushing pass some Storm flowers, which happens to be a great remedy for allergies. I stopped and approached the master. He was still looking lost to the world. Curious I peeked over his shoulder and investigated the pond. I did not see anything special. It was still the same old pond we had built 2 years ago. A school of carp swam pass, a turtle bass on the rock over the side of the pond. A small snail slowly drifted downwards toward the bottom of the pond. Nothing else was going on with the pond. Nothing extraordinary anyways.

    "Logan have you completed the casting?" asked master Kohl taking a sip from his cup.

    I cleared my throat. "Yes master, I have done it and within the time limit to" I responded handing over the vial.

    He took the vial and uncorked it. Placing the vial under his nose he sniffed. "Not bad. It''s a little burnt and some of the medicine got lost before the casting. An ounce to much of morning flower was added. A pinch short of the Porc leaves and half a pinch to much of the grounded Pombo seeds. But all in all, its complete. This pill can be used to treat minor to medium grade coughs. Your skills are slowly improving but still need much greater precision. Work on that more starting tomorrow onward." He said corking the vial back up and handing it back to me.

    "Thank you Master, I will work on it" I said, thinking how did he get all that information from just one sniff of the pill? That is truly a powerful nose. "Um master?"

    "Yes" he said.

    "Master it''s getting late. Shouldn''t you go to bed?" I asked concerned. Although we have been together for 15 years, he still keeps many secrets from me. He rarely talks about his past. The only time his past comes up is when he talks about learning about the path of a healer. All I know is the master comes from a long line of healers. His healing art is only passed down through a single line of students, meaning he is only to pass his art of healing down to one student. The student is to do the same. He calls his healing art the Divine healing. It''s supposed to be a very prestigious healing school of art.

    "Don''t worry about me. Just go to bed. You have a lot more to learn tomorrow. Your master will be fine" he said urging me to leave.

    "Ah... okay master" I said walking away back toward my room. I looked back at him one last time as I entered the clinic. He still sat by the pond, staring longingly, but this time he was staring up into the sky.

    ....................

    I slept for a few hours before a loud bang and the house shaking woke me up.

    "What the?" I said as I fell from my bed. The clinic was shaking uncontrollably. Everything on my desk was scattered all over the floor. My bookshelf across the room unhinged from the wall and fell toward my bed. I quickly rolled out of the way avoiding the bookshelf as it slammed against my bed, breaking it in half.

    "Holy mother of God!" I yelled, goosebumps popping up all over my body. That was close. The room shook like crazy. What in the world was happening? Is it an earth quake? I quickly found my way to the door. It suddenly swung open, knocking me over the head. I fell back, crashing to the ground.

    "Ouch" I said looking up toward the doorway. Master Kohl stood there with his old staff in hand, the one he would usually carry around when we go on long journeys. A small medicinal pouch was strapped over his left shoulder hanging down to his side.

    "Logan, we need to go." He said with urgency. His voice showing a hint of distress.

    "Master what''s going on?" I asked confused. Master was always calm, even in the most dire of circumstances. But he was clearly not himself right now. This was wrong.

    "No time to explain. We need to get out of town immediately." He said pulling me to my feet.

    "Is the whole town going down?" I asked in fright. Was the earthquake that bad? Where would we even go in such a situation?

    "No, we must leave now. Follow me." He commanded tugging me out of my room, down the hall and out of the house. The moment we left the house I realized that the town was not shaking. It was only our clinic that was shaking. I looked on in shock as the clinic shook from left to right. Finally, after a few minutes of shaking the entire building collapsed. My heart stopped. "Our clinic!" I screamed. This had been our home for the last two years.

    "Hurry up" master Kohl ordered running down the hill. Our clinic was located in one of the hillier parts of Sappon.

    I looked back at the collapsed clinic and then at Master Kohl in confusion. How was it possible for an earthquake to only focus on our clinic alone? Was this really an earthquake? My head started to hurt. This was all so confusing. What was going on?

    "Master where are we going?" I asked running after him.

    "Far." He replied strapping his staff to his back.

    "Are we being chased out of town again?" I asked dejected. I was just getting use to this place. Sappon was a nice place to live in. I had grown fond of it. We had stayed here the longest. For a while I was beginning to think we had finally found a place where we could finally settle down in.

    "Stop asking questions we don''t have time. We need to get out before they find us" he said increasing his pace.

    "They? Whose they?" I asked confused. Did the towns people really dislike us that much? Were we really causing so much trouble? I didn''t really think so. Master had toned down so much already. He was almost normal and that was saying something.

    Bang! An explosion erupted in the distance. Master grabbed my hand and pulled us away from the explosion. I glanced back at the explosion. It was at the healer''s council house. What was going on? Why was the town exploding? Seconds later more explosions erupted throughout the city. The master smoothly avoided them all.

    We arrived at the city gate almost half an hour later, by that time nearly half the city was burning. I was getting very scared by then. What was happening? I had no clue what in the world was going on. Was this some sort attack on Sappon? Was the kingdom under attack?

    "Logan, get on my back. This is to slow." Master Kohl ordered.

    I looked at him in disbelief, my jaw dropped, and my throat was making a weird gawking noise. My master wanted to carry me? He who made me carry everything throughout my life, wanted to carry me. I looked at him and his frail build. He was not a very strong looking man. It would make more sense if he had asked me to carry him. He was getting old while I was still in my prime. I had only recently turned 20. "Master I don''t think I...." I tried to argue.

    He cut me off, "Oh for God''s sake boy. This is no time to be gallant. Just get on my back!" he commanded lifting me off the ground and throwing me onto his back. I was utterly dumbfounded. Where did master get his strength from?

    Suddenly we were leaping into the air. I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck. He was leaping up the walls of the city in quick succession. We were up and over the wall in no time. I couldn''t believe my eyes; my weak master was a skilled martial artist. Nothing could explain how he leaped over the city wall like that and don''t get me started on his strength. I stared down at the Master. Was this still the same master I had served for over 15 years?

    We glided out of town and into the forest in no time. My master carrying me on his back, leaped from tree to tree traveling deeper and deeper into the forest. What in the world was going on? Not only was my master a very skilled healer, he was now also very skilled martial artist. What''s next? Is he going to be an extremely powerful mage? That thought made me laugh inside. There was no way that could come true.

    The forest ahead of us suddenly cleared and we entered a giant field. In the middle of the field stood a man. His eyes locked with my masters. Master Kohl stopped and dropped to the ground. He started to back away, but unfortunately the forest behind us went ablaze. A huge wall of fire blocked us from leaving. Holy Crap! I cried inside. This was clearly the work of a mage. Why was there a mage here? What the heck is happening?

    Master Kohl sighed, "All these years of running and yet they have finally found me" he mumbled under his breath. "Logan get off and stand back." He said dropping me from his back.

    "Master..." I started to say as my feet hit the ground.

    "Logan, take my bag." He said handing me his medicinal poach. Then he took off his necklace from around his neck and placed it into my palm. "Keep this safe for me. This is the cauldron" he said.

    I looked at the pendant in my hand, it was an exact replica of the cauldron, but I was confused. How is this the cauldron? Yes, it did resemble it, but the cauldron was back in the collapsed clinic. Master was not making sense.

    Master Kohl smiled sadly. "This is not a replica. It is the cauldron itself. It''s a medium. A relic from ages far gone. It can be activated with your blood. I have already enacted the spell of passing. It just needs your blood for it to become yours." He said using a pin to prick my finger. A drop of my blood dripped onto the surface of the pendant. A medium? Had I just heard the right thing. Mediums are very special things. Only mages could own them. They are what we normal folks refer to as magic items. They can range from magic swords to magic pencils. Mediums almost never ever appear in a normal person''s possession. They are very expensive items. The lowest of them can fetch a hefty price.

    The moment my blood touched the pendant it started to glow. I felt a connection with the pendant instantly. Suddenly knowledge of how to use it came rushing into my head. I looked up at the master in confusion. Why was he giving this to me? This was a very important item.

    "Logan you are an excellent pupil and I have enjoyed every moment we have spent together. You are more than a student to me. You are my family. So, I leave my clans blessing to you." He said walking away.

    "Master!" I shouted trying to run after him, but suddenly I found myself unable to move. I was confined. Something was blocking me from moving. Something invisible stood before me and Master Kohl. What is this? Was this some sort of magic? Did the mage do this?

    "Logan remember my teachings. They are your inheritance from me. All the runes that I have taught you are more than just spells for creating potions and casting pills. I will show you today what they truly are used for" he said biting his thumb and drawing blood. Ripping off his left sleeve, he drew the runes for the nine needles on his left arm. The runes stretched from his elbow down to the back of his hand.

    "So, I have finally found you. Last survivor of the Life Clan. Give me the book of Divine Arts and I may spare you and that boy from a gruesome death." The man standing in the middle of the field said. Fire suddenly started to erupt around him.

    This man was a fire mage. I started to panic. Master run I wanted to say but I found no words could come out of my mouth. The presence that the mage exhibited made me unable to speak. This was the so-called mage pressure, a pressure that strong mages have. It is usually used to shock other lesser mages into obedience or to kill those lesser than them. It is a very useful art. I wanted to cry. How was the master supposed to fight a mage? Master run, please run I cried inside.

    "Logan don''t worry. Your master is no simple fella. This crappy mage will not be able to scratch me. Just watch how the runes truly work." He said holding up his left hand. "This spell''s true name is not the nine needles but the first spell in the first set of spells in the Holy Divine Arts. The first set of spells in the Holy Divine Arts is called the swords of Solomon. It consists of 10 spells. The first spell is called Iustitia." He explained drawing the same runes in the air. "First sword of Solomon, heed my call and come forth. Your lowly servant asks for your help." He chanted.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Lights started to gather around him. The blood from his left hand started to mix with the light. Soon the blood all vanished, in its place a glowing stream of runes was tattooed over his left arm.

    "First Sword of Solomon, Iustitia!" he shouted. A brilliant sword made of light formed in front of him. It radiated a brilliant white light. It glowed as bright as the sun in the night sky. Master Kohl grabbed the sword by the hilt and leaped into the air, heading straight toward the fire mage.

    The fire mage chuckled "You think using the first sword of Solomon can help you in this situation. What a joke." He said raising his right hand. "Fires of the abyss swallow." He chanted. The red flames around him started to flicker and move. It twisted, then shot toward Master Kohl.

    Master Kohl dodged in mid air. Then he brought his sword slashing down cutting the flames in half. The flames streamed pass him merging back together behind him. It shot at the master once again. Flames heated up the night air.

    Master Kohl fought with swift quick moves, using jabs here and there. Then blocking and slicing with the next move. He fought tirelessly against the flames. Unfortunately, the flames were endless. It kept reforming just as master Kohl slices them in half.

    The master stepped back. Wiping sweats from his forehead. The fire mage laughed. "It''s useless. My flame is of a higher class than the first sword of Solomon. You can''t win" he smirked moving closer to master Kohl.

    Master Kohl breathed out a sad sigh. "I guess relying on only Iustitia isn''t enough. Logan, watch carefully. Your master is about to show you how to use the other techniques. The Divine Arts have 9 sets of spells and 1 sub set of connection spells. Each set consist of ten spells except for the second set. The the nine Pillars of Purgatory only has nine spells. With each spell increase the harder it is to control and use. Your master at max can only summon up to the second sword of Solomon." He explained drawing a second casting rune onto his left arm. "Come forth second sword of Solomon ''Tenete''" he shouted.

    A blazing Yellow sword made of light appeared and started circling him. Master Kohl released the sword in his left hand. It joined the second sword. Both swords flew in an orbit around the master creating a field of sword light that surrounded him.

    The mage raised his eye brows. "The second sword of Solomon. That''s impressive, but it is still not enough. Let''s just end this already. I''m tired of playing around. Let''s increase the stakes in this fight. The Organization has grown tired of chasing you and your predecessors around. Their patients has waned through these many millenniums of playing cat and mouse. It is very tiring work chasing you guys." He said drawing runes in the air. "Let''s make this more fun and end it once and for all." He chuckled. "Gate open!" he shouted. A giant black gate appeared in mid air.

    The moment the gate appeared in the air, master Kohl''s face darkened. "You scum. You made a contract with the demons. How dare you betray the human race!" he shouted in anger. He clenched his fist together tightly, shaking from the anger brewing inside him.

    The fire mage laughed menacingly. "Don''t make me laugh. The demons are going to rule this world sooner or later. Why not become their servant now before the true gate opens. That way I can live when they get released, while all of you righteous idiots get eaten up and killed. It''s a great deal really" he laughed making magical signs with his hands.

    "You''re a sorry excuse for a human!" master Kohl spat on the ground.

    "Ha ha ha ha ha" laughed the fire mage.

    A deep roar came from within the gate as it slowly opened. Thousands of eyes glowed from behind the gate.

    "Damn it!" cursed master Kohl. He quickly backed away and returned to my side. I looked over at him and I mouthed the word "leave" to him. Go without me. I screamed inside. The mages pressure was still holding strong. I still couldn''t move nor talk. But the situation was getting worst.

    "Logan, I think I really have to go all out today. Inside the cauldron there is a book. You must protect that book at all cost. It is the most important item in the world. Learn everything you can from it. Everything you need is written in there. The history of the world. The way of the sword. The arts of healing and most importantly the Holy Divine Arts is listed in there. All 99 spells. Guard it at all cost. I''m sorry master had to give you this task, but I have no other choice. I wanted you to ease into this role, but circumstances are not allowing this to happen. But know this I truly regard you as my family. I love you my Logan" he finished pushing me back. He drew more runes into the air.

    "First pillar of purgatory come forth" he shouted. A crimson column descended from the sky and dropped directly behind me. I crashed into it. The moment my body touched the column I felt the mages pressure vanish and I regained all of my body functions again. I was ecstatic, finally I was free. I needed to get master out of here fast.

    "Master!" I shouted out preparing to launch myself at him and take him running with me away from here.

    "Logan stay close to the pillar." He said running toward the gate. I stopped unable to stop him.

    "You can cast the second set of the divine arts?" the fire mage shouted out in surprise. He looked genuinely shocked.

    Master Kohl chuckled bitterly, "That is not all I can do. Come forth first chain of sainthood hood and bind this gate from opening." He shouted. Black chains appeared around the gate and wrapped around it. The gate stopped opening but some of the demons had already gotten out. Hundreds of them flooded into the air crackling and screeching as they greedily breathed in the air of freedom.

    Master Kohl broke into a battle cry as he leaped into the air. "Scripture seal them within the premises." He shouted. Blue runes fill the sky forming into a ring around the plain. The demons tried to get pass the ring but soon found themselves unable to cross the ring of runes. Blue azure light blocked the demons from escaping.

    The two swords of Solomon started to zoom into the air at Master Kohl''s command. It sliced through several of the smaller demons. Then circled around and started attacking the larger demons. The demons were no match for the swords. They sliced through them like a knife through butter.

    "No!" screamed the fire mage who was unable to move from his spot because he was holding the gate open with his endless casting of runes.

    Master Kohl stopped in midair and unstrapped his staff from his back. The staff started to glow as soon as master Kohl held it in his hand. Ancient runes started to appear on the staff.

    "I call to you mighty dragon of the wind. I call to you Phoenix of the flames. I call to you Genbu of the waters, and I also call to you earth serpent basilisk. Come help me in this dire time of need. I offer my essence and all of my being as sacrifice for your help. Come forth the four judgement of void." He chanted drawing rapidly in the air with his staff. Endless amounts of runes shot into the air.

    Soon raging hot flames shot down from the heavens, torrential streams of water gushed up from the ground. Rings of condensed wind sliced through the plain and pillars of earth erupted from the ground.

    "How is this possible!" screamed the fire mage in shock. "You... you can use the connection spells and almost every first spell of the Divine Arts. That''s impossible! No one can learn that many of the Divine Arts!" he screamed in outrage.

    "You''re wrong. The Divine arts are not impossible to learn. They are just near impossible to truly master. I can only use the first spells of most of the Divine arts. But that is enough to end this fight today." Master Kohl said coughing up blood. He looked like death.

    "Master!" I shouted getting really worried. The master was hurt somehow. These spells must be hurting him. I tried to move away from the pillar but found a chain wrapped around my legs that prevented me from getting away from the pillar. I cursed. What was this stupid thing. Why was I trapped again? Master! I needed to get to the master.

    "Logan, stay where you are!" commanded master Kohl.

    "But Master you...." I cried unable to hold back my tears. Master was using his all to fight this mage. I wanted desperately to help.

    "This is my fate and I have known it since the day I found you. Long ago a seer told me that one day I would have to chose to protect or to abandon. If I chose to protect then I would die. But if I chose to abandon then what my clan has protected will truly come to an end. She said when I meet my pupil that is when I must choose my path. If I save him then I choose the path of protection, but if I choose abandonment than my clans destiny will end when I die of old age because I won''t have anyone to pass on my inheritance to. I chose to take you on as my pupil that day at the beach and this is the path I chose. I don''t regret it. You are a blessing in my life. Logan Remember this, your master must protect and so must you." He whispered under his breath. Somehow his voice traveled to me. Was this some form of magic to?

    He raised his staff. The four elements combined as one and shot toward the gate. The gate exploded and vanished in an instant. The mage coughed up blood and fell backwards, landing back on the spot he originally stood. He looked up at Master Kohl and cursed. His eyes showed endless hatred.

    "Damn lowly human, how dare you! You will suffer for this!" he screamed in rage. Getting back on his feet he leaped into air. A maelstrom of fire formed into a crimson sword on his right hand. He slashed at the master.

    Master blocked it with his staff. An explosion erupted when they collided with each other pushing them both back. Master Kohl landed on the ground stepping back several steps before he could steady himself. The fire mage landed on the ground but unlike master Kohl he was far more skilled. He quickly regained his composure and leaped at master Kohl once again.

    Master Kohl did his best to block off the mages attacks, but the mages attack grew stronger and stronger. Finally, master Kohl''s staff cracked in two and the mage cut the master on the side. Master Kohl leaped backwards holding the side of his left abdomen, blood dripped from the wound tainting his clothes.

    The mage howled in delight and pounced at Master Kohl once again. Master formed a quick sign with his hands and the two swords of Solomon returned from attacking the demons. They slammed against the mages fire sword forcing the mage to step backwards.

    Master Kohl breathed in rapid breathes, taking in as much air as he could. He coughed up more blood. The demons from the sky started to zoom down toward him. Quickly master Kohl directed the swords at the demons once again. Blood sprayed everywhere as more and more demons was slain by the two swords of Solomon.

    The fire mage changed his fire sword into a whip and lashed it at master Kohl. Master Kohl tried his hardest to dodge but the whip hit him several times over the shoulders. His shoulder got burnt badly, his left leg got hit next. Then the whip caught his left hand where the tattoo for the swords of Solomon stood.

    The moment the runes got burnt, the sword Tenete started to fade. The mage bellowed in excitement. "So that''s how I can get rid of those swords" He raised his fire whip up for his next move.

    "Master!" I yelled like a fool. I really wanted to help him, but I was chained, and I did not know mage magic. The master said those runes were the runes for the Divine Arts but still I did not know how to use them. I tried to do what the master had done, but all that happened was my left arm being smothered in blood and my thumb bleeding profusely.

    "Logan, it''s no use, as long as I live the seal I placed upon you will not be broken. You can''t use the true Divine Arts yet. You can''t fight right now. Don''t worry your master will not lose" he said his voice traveling into my ears once again. I cried. This was all just a bad dream. It had to be. This is not happening. I tried to convince myself.

    "Logan, watch as your master summons the third sword of Solomon for the first time. I know I can do it now." He said in my ears.

    With quick precision master Kohl drew another rune onto his arm while retracing the damaged runes at the same time. "Third sword of Solomon come Forth ''Concursus''!" he shouted. A hot red blade appeared and flew toward the whip and met in mid air.

    A huge explosion occurred as the flame whip and the red sword collided. The fire mage went flying from the impact. A full mouth of blood came gushing out from his mouth spewing all over the place. He landed on the other side of the plain. Master Kohl flew back and landed next to the pillar. I tried to reach him, but the chains grew tighter making it impossible for me to move.

    "Master Kohl" I screamed out. "Please release me from this chain. I can''t watch you die!" I screamed tears running down my cheeks.

    He looked up at me and smiled sadly. "I''m Sorry Logan but you must stay safe. Let''s end this with a spectacle shall me" he said sitting up. "I don''t think I can stand anymore" he sighed looking at his legs that were riddled with wounds. They were wrecked from the explosion. "I''m a healer but unfortunately, even if I can heal these wounds I can''t restore the life energy I used to force the summoning of the four Judgements of void. Those spells were truly not spells I could use. Same with the one I''m about to use" he sighed. Digging into his pocket, he took out a yellow vial. He uncooked it and poured out one single blue pill. Clouds of blue mist gushed around it. It was the single most stunning pill I have ever seen. It was a work of mastery. It had to be at a level I did not even know existed.

    "I didn''t think I would ever use this, but I guess fates fate. No stopping it. I do hope that you can fight it better than me." He smiled bitterly looking at me. He popped the pill into his mouth.

    The moment the pill entered his mouth blue smoke gushed up from every pore in his body. Instantly all his wounds vanished, and he was back to normal once again. He stood up and tossed the vial over to me. "Never use these pills. But if one day you do find you must use them make sure it really is the last resort. These pills are called ''The final-destination''. They were created long ago. No one knows how to make them, and no one knows if there is even a cure for them. But once they are used, they grant the user immeasurable powers and heals all their wounds in an instant. Unfortunately, the side effects are dire. Once used, the user will die within 7 days. That is if he doesn''t do something stupid like I''m about to do." He said walking away from me.

    I stared at him in bleak confusion. What did the master say? My eyes and ears stopped when he became all healed again. This was an amazing pill. I never dreamed anything like it could exist in the world. It was like the elixirs of legend. Then his words came to me. What was the master about to do? What did he mean?

    "Master what are you doing!" I shouted trying to shake the chains off. I had a very bad feeling. Master was about to do something that would kill him. I had to stop him. I needed to save him.

    "Logan if one day you find a woman that has a necklace cauldron like yours please tell her I''m sorry I couldn''t keep our promise and that I love her very much. Tell her to continue living no matter what and that even though I can''t be by her side I will look after her from the beyond." He said a drop of tear sliding down his cheek. "Five elements heed my command. Embrace the world and spin. Come forth the wrath of the final arts" he chanted drawing intricate and complicated runes into a ring around himself.

    "90th Divine art of reincarnation, Termination of all cycles!!" he shouted. A streak blinding light came down from the heavens and the ring around master Kohl quickly expanded. Soon it surrounded the entirety of the plains.

    The mages face grew pale as he saw the ring of light "Impossible.... Impossible!" he mumbled under his breath. "How... how is this even possible. How could you use the last set of Divine Arts? The Divine Arts of the Cycles of Reincarnation can''t be used. No one has been able to perform it since the Great Collapse!" He screamed in horror. Sweat dripping from every pore in his body. He started shaking uncontrollably.

    "Well that''s where you are wrong. Yes, what you said is true. It hasn''t been used since the Great Collapse but it can be used. Under normal circumstances no one would dare use it , but the 9th set can be used if one is willing to give up all forms of a reincarnation and use it as a catalyst for the spell. Normally people aren''t willing to do such a thing, but I can''t let you go and I can''t allow these demons from escaping from here. Also, I really hate demon spawns like you. So, let''s go to the beyond together. We can both be stuck there for all of eternity. Let the world stay clean from those vermin''s" He said closing his eyes.

    "No!" screamed the fire mage and me at the same time. I couldn''t bear with my master dying. This was an absolute nightmare.

    The bright ring stopped expanding. Then everything went black. I heard the sound of flesh completely and utterly being turned to nothing. Then I heard my master whisper into my ear for the last time "Good bye Logan. My seal on you is officially broken. I also sealed your memories when I met you because it seemed to cause you immeasurable pain. With my passing the memories will slowly come back. Stay strong and always remember your master will watch over you from beyond. Even if we never meet again I will pray for your safety and happiness always. I love you my pupil" he said as his voice faded away.

    I screamed and lost unconsciousness.

 Chapter 3 - Visions

    No one can really tell the future. That is what I had always believed in, until I met them that is. I laid on the ground unconscious for the whole night. Memories of the past started flooding back as nightmares. I remembered the last moments before I plunged into the sea. I remembered the man who reached out his hand offering me salvation. Unfortunately, it was all just a ruse. I remembered running through the forest. Sadly,I could not remember any farther back.

    I woke to something poking me on the face. What was happening? I felt confused, the fear of the memory still lingered in my head. I jerked and swatted the stick away. Moaning, I slowly opened my eyes. Bright light flooded in. Rubbing my eyes, I found myself staring at a young girl. She held a stick in her right hand. I blinked, thinking this must be a dream. I must still be in bed, tired from last night''s potion casting. Then flashes of Master Kohl''s final moments came rushing back

    I yelped, jumped to my feet and looked around frantically. Did last night''s events really happen? Was master really gone? I searched the field around me, nothing remained. The entire field was empty, devoid of all life. Not even a blade of grass remained. It had all been abolished. What had happened? Then I remembered the masters final spell. Yes, it was the master. He had done this. He had destroyed everything. That last spell had destroyed all life around the field. Everything except me that is.

    I checked myself for injuries but found that I was unscathed. The master had thought everything through. The pillar was some kind of barrier spell that blocked me from harm. I had been completely safe while the master had died. I felt pain in my chest. Dropping to my feet I started to weep. I wept for my inability to help. I wept for the death of my master and I wept for not being able to do a single thing in that situation. I felt totally useless. Why was I so useless?

    "Hey, are you okay?" asked a girl''s voice. I looked up and found the girl from before placing a hand over my back, trying to console me. I continued to weep. I had lost everything. The one person who had ever cared for me was dead. I was once again alone. Alone to face a world I wasn''t sure how to face. Master had always been the one to guide me. He had always been the one that knew where we should go next and what we should do next. But now, I was all alone. The clinic had been destroyed and the town was probably completely burnt to the ground. Where was I supposed to go now? I went into the fetal position, I felt so lost and miserable. Why didn''t master take me with him.

    "Maria, allow the boy to cry." Said an older lady.

    "But..." said Maria.

    The older lady cut her off. "This gentleman has obviously gone through something terrible. Allow him to collect himself first" she said her voice gentle and kind.

    I felt to my side and found Master Kohl''s medicinal pouch. I held it tightly against my chest. This was all that the master had left for me. I cried for a very long time that day. I felt so lost and so miserable that I didn''t know if I could ever get out of it. But then I remembered Masters'' many lessons. He had taught me to be strong. Never give up in dire situations. He wanted me to live a very meaningful life. He had said as a healer the world needed us and wherever there is a need for healing we should be there. We as healers have a duty to heal the world. Then another memory popped into my mind. "Protect the book." My hand unconsciously found the cauldron around my neck. That''s right I still needed to follow the masters final wishes.

    When I finally stopped I found the older lady and the girl still patiently sitting on a rock. I did not know where the rock came from, but it was not there before. But I did not care. I looked up at them. The older lady was at least 50 years old, grays covered most of her hair. She tied it up into a bun. Circular spectacles hung on straps dangling over her neck overlooking her bosom. She wore an old fashion grey dress that covered up her body. She looked like a teacher. An old fashion lady that was stern yet kind.

    The young girl looked opposite to the older lady. Her golden long blond hair drifted in the wind wildly and her colorful dress shifted colors in the light. The young girl looked to be in her teenage years, 15 perhaps 17 at most. She rocked back and forth on the rock seemly a little bored but she did not dare to move because the older lady was sternly watching her. Her eyes locked on to mine and our eyes met. She grinned and jumped off the rock. "Grace he stopped crying!" she shouted in excitement. She quickly ran toward me. The older lady looked my way and smiled gently. She stood up and gracefully walked toward me. Who were these people? Could they be connected to the fire mage somehow?

    Wiping away my tears I stood up. I looked over at them. If they were connected to the fire mage then were they after me? But they didn''t look like bad people. If they had bad intentions, they would have done something when I was unconscious. So, who could these people be? I clenched onto the bag tightly. Not letting it out of my sight for a second.

    The young girl stopped in front of me. I remembered the older lady calling her Maria. She grinned at me. "Oh, you finally stopped. I thought you would never stop. I don''t like waiting for people very much. But yet I have to wait for you. It''s really quite annoying you know." She blurted out in one breath.

    I raised my eyebrow. This girl could sure speak fast. "Who... who are you?" I asked. "I don''t think I''ve ever met you before." I said unsure what to say.

    Maria rolled her eyes showing me the whites of her eyes, "Of course we''ve never met before stupid. If we had. You wouldn''t be meeting me now. Geeze people these days. Asking such stupid questions." she tapped her temple.

    "Maria don''t be rude." Said the older lady.

    "Grace, I just find him odd." She said. I eyed her, was her brain screwed on right? She looked pretty but she acted so weird.

    "Maria there is a lot that he is confused about. Of course he would ask questions. Plus, we are strangers to him. Asking us who we are is a very common question." She said smiling at me. She stepped in front of Maria and apologized for Maria''s rude behavior.

    "Okay then, I am Maria Oracan and this is my master Grace Fateside. We are very important people. Master happened upon a vision last night and felt that we must come here or else something very bad would happen. So that''s why we are here." She explained iterating every word as if I could not understand her.

    I starred at her, this girl definitely had a loose screw somewhere. What the heck was she talking about? She was not making sense. I backed away.

    Grace chuckled. "Maria, you need to explain who we are first."The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Maria smacked her hand over her forehead. "Oh, I''m sorry, I thought you would know who we are from just hearing our names." She said implying that if i did not know that it would be somehow in the wrong. I blinked at her. How in the world was I supposed to know who you are from just your names alone? I was not a psychic.

    Maria frowned. "Hey, you''ve really never heard our names before?" She asked. I shook my head. She was shocked. She opened her mouth in shock. "Oh my Goddess! I can''t believe that there could be a person in the world that doesn''t know us. This is truly an abomination of the world. How is this even possible" she complained dramatically raising her hands to the sky.

    Grace coughed. "Maria get to the point" she was obviously getting annoyed with the girl.

    "Yeah, yeah. Okay have you ever heard of the great theater?" she asked tipping her head and starring at me with a weird look on her face.

    "Great theater?" I repeated. "Can''t say I have." I said. I really haven''t heard of it before. Generally, all I''ve ever heard of growing up was herbology, potion mastery and rune memorization. I haven''t really had much time to do much. Master had always been a little strict on that category. Even though I had sneaked around trying to do other things. Master always found a way to stop me and made me study even harder. Oh master I miss you so much.

    "Holy mother of cow. YOU REALLY NEVER HEARD OF THE GREAT THEATER!" she yelled. "Grace can you believe it. I just can''t. Wow!" she continued to say dramatically. Her hands in full swing now.

    "Maria just get to the point" Grace tapped her left boots on the ground. Her patients seemed to be waning.

    "Okay, she said. "We are actresses from the theater. Very famous ones to" She iterated. "But we are also a little more than that. My master here sometimes has visions of the future. She is a partial seer and I am a oracle in training. My master saw a vision of bleak darkness for the world if we don''t come here, so here we are. But I really don''t see anything special about you. What''s so important about a normal boy like you." She said taping her hand on her chin seeming to ponder that question. Then she placed her hand on my face.

    The moment her hands touched my face her eyes turned white. I was about to back up when it came. A vision rushed into my head. The world burnt in crimson flames. My body strapped to an alter, while Maria dangled on top of me with a sword through her chest. A demon floated in the air with a book opened in his hands. He started to draw runes similar to those master had drawn previously.

    A gate opened in the distance. A giant gate much bigger than the one master Kohl had destroyed. Millions of demons emerged from the gate and took to the sky. The sky suddenly became dark as the demons blocked off the sun. I screamed in rage as the straps drew blood from my wrist. Then everything went dark.

    I fell back as I came out of the vision. Breathing in rapidly I gasped. I looked over at Maria and she too was on the ground. She looked frighten as hell. Cold sweat covered her face. Her hands and leg were shaking. Her eyes shifted in pure fright.

    "What was that?" I asked scared for what I was about to hear.

    Grace walked over to me and knelt down. "That my boy is the end of the world." She said in a calm tone. I looked up at her. How could she say it so calmly?

    "Grace I.... I" Maria stuttered unable to gather her words. She was still in shock.

    Grace craned her neck and looked over at her pupil. "Maria that is the vision we came here to stop. Sometimes fate gives us these visions so that we can stop them. I saw more than just that vision. I saw two sets of visions. One where that future comes true and another where that future can be changed." She said turning her gaze back to me. "That is where you come in my boy." she said gently. She held her hand close to my face. I jerked and swatted her hand away. One experience was enough. I did not want to experience it again.

    "What do I have to do with any of this?" I asked unsure what to do. Those demons in the vision was far scarier and stronger than the ones master Kohl had fought. This was getting more and more complicated.

    Grace sighed "My boy. Something about you can change the future. I don''t know what, but I know if we meet today the future can change." she said gently, her hand back at her side. She did not mind my swatting of her hands.

    "I think you got the wrong person lady. I don''t have anything that can change the future." I said backing away. I had a feeling that what Master protected was deeply involved in this vision. Although I said I didn''t believe it, I knew that it could all come true, because the book the demon had in his hands within the vision, was masters. I recognized it. I had seen it several times before.

    Unfortunately, master has never allowed me to look into it. He said the book was advanced healing knowledge that I would learn eventually someday. Then I remembered masters last words. The book was inside the cauldron and the cauldron was around my neck. I could feel it. My connection with it was deep. I couldn''t allow anyone to know about the book. Master''s dying wish was for me to protect it. I had to keep his dying wish.

    "I think you all got the wrong guy. I need to go" I said turning around and running away. I can''t be around them. I can''t trust them.

    "Wait!" shouted Maria. She had calmed down now.

    "Let him go. We will meet again. Today''s meeting has already altered the course of the future. I don''t know by how much, but we will see." said Grace. I heard her say it loud and clear as if I was standing directly beside her.

    I had felt odd after I awoke today. My senses had heightened, and my vision had become clearer. I could see and hear things from afar. Was this somehow connected to master releasing the seal on me. Was this related?

    I closed my eyes and felt for the difference. I felt a fresh form of vitality running through me. It somehow resembled magic from the magic stones. Suddenly a thought popped into my mind. Was this magic? Did the breaking of the seal also allowed me to be able to use magic without using magic stones? Could this be true? I tried to remember the magic book I had sneaked into my room when I was eight. At that time, I was beginning to test my limits with other things. I had thought once that I could one day become a mage. It was a dream many boys that age dreamed about.

    Unfortunately for most it was only a dream. Mages were rare, and most people did not have enough magic in them to touch the elements. The elements, controlled magic. Everyone knew that. There were 4 elements Earth, Fire, Wind and Water. If a child could touch any of the elements they can become a mage. I tried to touch the elements, remembering the words from the magic book I had when I was young.

    Touching the elements required someone to summon the elemental particles from the air as magic and running it through ones body. It was something that was natural to mages. Any mage to be, can do it by age eight. I stretched my mind out like the book instructed. White particles started rushing into my body.This felt so odd, yet amazing at the same time. The white particles filled my veins and splashed through my mind. But something was odd. Why were the particles white? None of the four elements were white. Fire was Red, Water was Blue, Earth was Green, and Wind was Clear. Could it be wind? It was clear. White and clear were almost the same.

    I tried to form wind like the old magic text book I had when I was young instructed. Wind was supposed to form into a tiny whirlwind in my palm, but the white particles did not do that. Instead they gathered around my palm and formed a white light, making my hands glow like the moon in the night. This was strange. I definitely can summon enough magic particles, but it was not any of the four elements. Then what was it? A fifth element? I laughed at the thought. That was impossible the 4 elements were the only elements of the world. Magic only formed around the 4 elements. Nothing else. Did this mean I was not a mage?

    I shook my head, I will think about this later. I ran till I could no longer hear or feel the ladies anymore. When I finally stopped I realized I was deep into the forest. I did not know where I was anymore. I was lost.

    "Well that''s just great." I said to myself. "First I meet those weird ladies now I got my self lost in the forest. Master passedthrough here in no time, but I''m not master. I can''t move that fast, nor can I leap from branch to branch" I mumbled to myself, sighing as I kicked a branch into the air. It went flying and hit a tree in the distance.

    "Master, I really don''t know what to do without you." I screamed out dropping to the forest ground.

 Chapter 4 - Life Magic

    Life Magic

    The night felt cool and breezy inside the forest. I looked up toward the canopy. The trees did not block the moonlight from shinning down on to the forest floor. The moon was full tonight. I remembered the last time I had seen the full moon. Master was still with me. We had sat in the gazebo in the garden admiring the silver moon light. I really missed him.

    Remembering master made me remember his teachings. I remembered all the times he had urged me to master potions, all the times he made me memorize the steps in casting. It was a tedious task. But in the end, I had done it and it was something that I could never forget.

    The memory of Master that night came back to me. He''d said the casting runes were actually something called the Divine Arts and it was a very powerful set of magic. The 9 needles were actually the swords of Solomon. I placed my hand over the cauldron pendant around my neck. The book was inside. I took the necklace off. Holding up the necklace I examined it under the moonlight. No matter how you look at it, the pendant looked just like a normal pendant. It did not show any signs of being magic. It did not seem like anything out of the ordinary. If I did not have a connection with it I wouldn''t believe it to be a medium at all, but I knew this was a medium and it was the cauldron. There was no denying it.

    Taking in a deep breath I felt the inner workings of the cauldron. My mind broke from my body and entered the cauldron. It was a simple thing to do. The instruction passed on by the cauldron showed me just how to do it. The pendant started to glow. Slowly it drifted into the air. Moments later the cauldron was life size once again. It glistened brightly in the night, shimmering as it landed on the ground.

    Tracing my fingers against the crystal lid, I reminiscence the memories of the time spent with Master Kohl. They were hard but also the best times of my life. Master was like the father I could not remember. He was the one who raised me and the one to hug me when I had a nightmare as a kid. He did everything a father would do and I was grateful to be raised by him.

    Slowly I lifted the lid off the cauldron. An old leather bond book laid in the center. It had a single ancient rune inscribed in the middle of the book. I recognized the symbol, it was the rune used to start off the chain of runes used for most of the casting spells. It was one of the first runes I''d ever learnt.

    I lifted the book from the cauldron. It was light for such a thick book. The cauldron shrank back into a pendant when the book left the cauldron. I placed the pendant back around my neck. I opened the book, it was written in the old language of the healers. A language the master had said was rarely used theses days. Now that I think about it, out of all the healers that I''d met in my life, none of them could read the old healer language. Was this really just an old healer language or was it a language so old that none except the master and a few could read. I did not know this for sure but now that I knew the truth about the master. I can''t stop thinking that some of the things he had taught me was more than just common knowledge. Master knew so much more things than I could ever imagine.

    The book was divided into 5 sections. The first section marked the history of the world. It had dates marking as far back as before the Great Collapse. That was truly extraordinary. To the extent of my knowledge nowhere in the world except the great library of Grandlin is there even a remote record of the Great Collapse. The Great Collapse described by the book of Divine is said to have happened 5000 years ago. Before that the world was divided into 5 kingdoms, each had the ability to travel beyond our world and out toward the stars. The stars described by the book are all giant sun''s in the far far distance unreachable by normal means. I froze. Toward the stars? Was there worlds beyond ours? I looked up a the night sky. There were so many stars. Were they really all sun''s? If that was so, were there truly different worlds out there? This was amazing.

    I continued reading. The 5 kingdoms each had a mastery of one of the five elements. The kingdom of Aquarius were true Masters of water magic type spells. While the other 4 kingdoms each had mastery''s over fire, earth, wind, and life magic.

    I stopped, life magic what was that? I had never heard of a fifth element before. So there actually was a fifth element. Everyone in the world only knows of the four elements, water, fire earth and wind. Could life magic be involved in healing? I wondered. Was that what the white particles were? Did I have the potential to use life magic? I started to get really excited.

    As the world became more and more advanced. A great war broke out between the Kingdoms. The war saw the rise and fall and many great mages. At the peak of the war they came. The demons. The demons were a race of entirely different beings. They had magic that the world had never seen before. They had knowledge of our world that we did not even know. They came to our world from the outside and was set to conquer our world. Wherever they went death followed. The demons presented more danger than the five kingdoms combined.

    During this time, the five kingdoms realized they could no longer be divided. Their enemy was not each other, but the demons that came to our world from the outside. The five kingdoms gathered together all their forces and started fighting the demons. At first they were able to drive the demons back a bit. Unfortunately, the demons had more up their sleeves than anyone could have imagined. The entire mage army got decimated. The five kingdom was in a bind. The army they sent was destroyed. If they did not come up with a new plan the next army they send would also be destroyed. The demons were just to strong.

    At this time one of the younger elders of the Life Kingdom came out and suggested a plan. She suggested to reveal the secret scriptures of each kingdom to each other so they could attempt to reassemble the ancient spells of the Divine Arts. The Divine Arts was the single most powerful set of magic in the entire world. But it had been scattered since times even before the five Kingdoms. But over the centuries the five kingdoms had each found parts and pieces of the Divine Arts and secretly been trying to decipher them. Of course none of them were ever able to succeed. The five Kingdoms were shocked at the suggestion. The scripture they kept were all top secret and most definitely not to be shared with mages outside their kingdom. The mage elders of the five kingdoms argued endlessly unable to come to a decision. They locked themselves up in room until they could come up with a solution.

    The elders stayed in a long heated discussion while the outside world continued to fall to the demons. At this time 5 young elders sneaked away from the meeting and gathered together for a meeting of their own. These five elders were Clarissa of the Water, Issac of the Flames, Noah of the Earth, Laura of the Wind and Byul of the Life. They met in the dark of the night and each brought with them the secret scriptures of their kingdoms. Together they studied the scriptures and finally on the tenth night they unraveled the first set of scriptures which happened to be the swords of Solomon. Then the next night they deciphered the second set the pillars of Purgatory. Then followed the Chains of Sainthood, Scripture, Holy dragons breath, Phoenix inferno, Genbu''s Wrath, the eyes of Basilisk, and finally on the twentieth night they deciphered the final set of spells the cycles of Reincarnation. They also discovered a sub set of connection spells that was called the Judgments of void. That completed the 99 spells of the Divine Arts.

    They then set out together to fight the demons. Together the five young elders brought with them their most trusted followers. When the elder council found out about this, they went into a rage. Each of the five kingdoms sent an army to try and stop these five idiotic mages. But when the armies finally found the five mages they were already in a heated battle with the demons.

    At first the elders who lead the army''s to stop the five young elders watched from the side line as the young elders fought off the demons. The five young elders did pretty well fighting and fending off the demon army. But then the stronger demons started to join the fight and the fight became fierce and one sided. The demons were winning once again. The older elders decided then to join the fight but what happened next surprised the hell out of them. The five young elders performed magic they had never before witnessed before. These spells broke through the demon army like knife through butter. In less then an one hour the demon army was completely destroyed.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    The older elders were dumbfounded by the sudden change. Then a thought broke into their minds, these new spells must be the Divine Arts. They could not believe it. The young elders actually deciphered the ancient spells said to be the most powerful spells on the face of the planet. The elders and all of the different armies gathered and were about to patronize the young elders when the sky grew black and a single demon draped in darkness came through a rift in the sky. The demon looked down at the mage armies and raised his right hand. Black fire appeared out of no where and descended down toward the army.

    The elders all started to panic. They knew who this demon was. He was the demon king. He had never once joined in the battles but they knew he was strong. But they did not know he was this strong. The black flames swallowed up the armies and within seconds three quarters of the mages had all been turned to dust. Everyone started to run. Even the elders shifted from their spots and raced out of there with their feet''s scampering at full pace.

    Only five mages did not run from the flames. Together the five chanted an ancient spell. The spell was the 96th spell of the Divine Arts. It was also the 6th spell in the cycle of Reincarnation, called Tarterrus. Soon the black flames were blocked out by an brilliant white light that descended from the heavens. Wherever the white light touched, nothing remained, not even the black flames could escape the white lights purification. The demon king fought the white light with all his might but in the end even he was purified by the light. With a death scream the demon king vowed he would rise again and destroy the world. Soon the white light went through the rift and sealed off all of the demons in the world.

    Sadly, after the spell was completed four of the young elders died instantly and the remaining elder had all her magic stripped away from her. The only surviving elder was Byul of the Life kingdom. She laid there on the barren battle grounds for days. When she woke she found even the armies that the older elders had brought were purified by Tarterrus. She realized then that the Divine Arts were actually to dangerous to be used. So she gathered the deciphered spells and hid.

    Unfortunately her actions and the news of the revival of the Divine Arts spread throughout the world. Soon mages from all nooks of the world started searching for her. When they could not find her, the world turned on her kingdom. Within a decade the Life kingdom was completed wiped off the face of the planet. No life mage survived the decimation of the kingdom. To hide the truth behind the destruction of the life kingdom, life magic was abolished from all books and records. Soon the world forgot all about Life magic.

    The world continued to search for Byul but she hid so well that no one could find even a trace of her until her death. Byul died in a small town of the edge of the water kingdom. When the mages looking for her found her on her dying bed, they tried their best to get information from her but she died shortly after they found her. No one knew where she had hidden the revised Divine Arts but the world knew it was somewhere out there.

    The truth was that Byul took in a orphan apprentice and taught him the way of life magic during her time hiding away in the small secluded town of Organ. When she was about to die she sent him away and with him the Divine Arts. She made him promise never to reveal his magic to the world as long as he had the Divine Arts under his guard. She told him never to allow the Divine Arts to fall into the wrong hands, for if it did the world would end because the Divine Arts was to powerful. Throughout her life she had created a way to mask the divine arts and taught it to her student. The way to mask the Divine Arts was to implement it into healing.

    Her pupils name was Kai. Kai continued his life acting as a healer. He traveled the world and through his lifetime understood the workings of the Divine Arts more than anyone in the world. More so than even his master Byul. He found out that if one could master all of the Divine Arts even the cycle of life and reincarnation can be broken. The strings of Fate would also be torn asunder.

    As he approached the age of 90 he passed on the responsibility of protecting the Divine Arts to his son whose name was Theo. Then he vanished and was never seen again. Some say that he unraveled the true meaning of the Divine Arts and escaped the cycle of rebirth. Some say he died. But no one truly knows what really happened do him. Theo unlike his father was not that talented in the Divine Arts but he was an excellent healer. As it goes the book continued to be passed down the line of Theo''s descendants until it reached its final descendant.

    The world changed many times over. Kingdoms fell and kingdoms rose but the duty of the one protecting the Divine Arts remained the same. The Divine Arts must not be discovered by the world for it is to dangerous for the world to learn. It held the power to completely wipe the world clean of life if used in the wrong hands .

    I skimmed through the other sections of history then closed the book. It contained many more, but I was to tired to go on. So this was how the Divine Arts came into masters hands. Now it was in mine. I felt a tightness in my chest. This was a huge responsibility. All those mages before me had managed to keep the Divine Arts secret and hidden. Could I continue the legacy?

    I sighed. This remains to be seen. I took a few hours of shut eyes. When I woke up I continued on reading the book of Divine. I flipped to the next section it contained the way of healing and how life magic worked. It was very interesting. Life magic used the fifth element the life particle. Life particle existed in all life. Everything that can move and breath had life particle in them.

    The book father explained life magic can only be used when the Life orb is formed within ones body inside the magic core. The life orb is a reservoir for life particles, without it life magic could not be truly used. The magic core is the human bodies central magic core. All magic must go through the magic core to be able to be used. The magic core is located in the lower abdomens but it is not a physical spot. Most people will have a magic core but without magic inside the core, it is just an unopened space that is the size of a grain of sand.

    The steps in creating a life orb looked easy enough. All one needed to do was locate the magic core inside ones body with their mind and try to fill it up with life particles. Then with the life particles one must shape them into runes and cast them, similar to casting of a potion into a pill. I stopped at those instructions. It was not only similar, it was almost the exact same except I had to use different runes to do the same thing. So master had prepared me for this to. He truly did teach me so much more than I had ever thought.

    I closed my eyes and attempted to find my magic core. It was hard at first because my mind kept wondering but I found it at last. My magic core was just like the book had described. It was like a grain of sand located in my lower abdomen. Slowly I pulled the white particles from the air and into my body. So these white particles really were life magic. It was beautiful. The life particles slowly injected themselves into the magic core. At first I felt a slight pain when the first particles slipped into my magic core, but soon it started to feel really good. My magic core continued to expand. It expanded until it reached the size of a large orange. Once the core stopped expanding. I did just like the book instructed and grabbed the particles with my mind. I started to shape them into the runes and started the process of casting.

    Slowly I curved the runes until the edges connected. Then I made the sides connect. When everything connected with each other, I started to let life particles into the deflated rune ball. The life particles liquefied the moment it entered the rune ball. As more and more Life particles entered the rune ball, it started to inflate. Soon it became a ball. The newly inflated rune ball filled up in a few minutes and soon I did the last step in casting, binding everything together. With a tug the rune ball glowed and became a white orb. It shone brilliantly as it completed.

    When the life orb was formed I felt it pulse and it spewed out life magic. The life magic slowly ran through my veins. Black smoke started oozing out from my pores. This was the so called process of magic washing. During magic washing a normal person gets cleansed of all the dark particles that has built up in their bodies through out their life. Once all the dark particles gets cleaned out. A person becomes a mage.

    I opened my eyes in excitement. I had done it. It was so easy. I looked down at the last part of the instructions. ''Warning this process may be difficult. MUST TREAD WITH CARE'' it read. I burrowed my brows. It was not difficult at all. It went very smoothly actually. That was odd.

    Following the book I performed the first spell in life magic. Sensing life sparks around me. I closed my eyes and soon a rune within the life orb started to glow. I felt amber''s of life all around me. I could sense a rabbit hopping about in the bushes. I could sense the trees breathing in and out. I could even sense a bird flying high above the canopy.

    "This is amazing!" I shouted. This was the first spell I had performed that didn''t require me to draw runes on a magic stone. The life orb continuously collected magic from the air without my asking it to. It was like an endless suction cup . This was riveting. So this was a what it feels like to be a mage.

    "Life magic is so amazing!" I shouted into the forest.

    I wanted to try more life magic but I soon realized that although the life orb continuously sucked in magic, my body could not take the pressure of using magic for to long. I felt so tired and worn. Closing the book I sealed it into the cauldron once again. This was all I can do for tonight. I looked up into the night sky and breathed in a breathe of fresh night air. This was a new step in my life. Master I wish you could have see me now.

 Chapter 5 - Divine Art: Swords of Solomon Iustitia

    Divine Art: Swords of Solomon ''Iustitia''

    The sun was just rising in the east. Dim morning sun light warmed my eyes. Suddenly I felt a vibrating in my mind. My sleepy senses suddenly came on full alert. Something was approaching. I jumped to my feet. Activating my senses, I discovered a life spark not far from here. It was rapidly approaching. It moved at a considerably fast pace. Faster than anything I had ever seen before.

    Bracing myself, I ran, making sure to choose the path away from the approaching danger. I closed my eyes trying to hone in on the life spark. I swallowed hard, it had changed directions. It was coming straight for me. I started to panic. What could it be? Could it be an enemy? How did they find me? Did they even know I existed?

    Harnessing life particles from my life orb, I pushed them to every muscle in my body. A small rune activated within the orb. This was a very neat spell I learnt from the book. It allowed a person to change aspects of themselves for a short period of time, so that they could perform things that they would otherwise not be able to perform. My speed increased as my muscles absorbed more and more of the life particles. My heart rate started to stabilize at a pleasant rate. My mind cooled, allowing for my thoughts to connect.

    My body moved like never before, soon I was moving through the forest in a steadily increasing pace. I was starting to move at speeds I never dreamed of. So this was the mechanics behind masters increased speed that night. I looked up toward the canopies of the forest. They seemed to be calling out for me. I felt a slight tug inside my life orb. Another rune activated by itself. Suddenly I found my body moving on its own. Before I knew it, I was already leaping up the trees and racing up toward the canopy. When the tips of my toes touched the top of the canopy, streams of life particles wrapped around them and I felt like I weighed nothing. Before I could understand what was happening, yet another rune automatically activated inside my life orb. My body started gliding from tree to tree, as if gravity did not exist. What the heck? I thought to myself. Why were these runes activating on their own?

    My body glided through the canopies with increasing speed. It moved as if I was a part of the forest itself. I liked this feeling. It felt amazing. I tried to think hard on what I read last night. The first rune I activated was called Channel. Through Channel I could activate muscles I never had and speeds I never reached. There were also two other spells that came with Channel. Mix and Glide. They were spells that accompanied the activation of Channel. If upon activation of Channel, danger is felt by the caster, the other two spells were supposed to activate on their own. The First spell Mix allows a person to mix their own aurora with any life force around them. The second Glide makes sure the body can maneuver around all forms of life. So this explained why I was gliding through the canopies and why I felt like I was part of the forest itself.

    Life magic was definitely awesome. Being a mage was even more awesome. So this was why everyone in the world wanted to be a mage. Magic was the elixir of life. I looked back down toward the forest ground. Did I loose the enemy? A rustling sound in one of the bushes caught my eyes. Something was coming out from behind the bushes. My heart almost stopped when I saw what came out of the bushes. It was a demon. Why was it here? How did it get here? I thought Master Kohl killed them all that night. The Divine Art master used that night killed everything. How did it escape?

    The demon was green in color, it blended well with the leaves and shrubbery around it. Its pitch-black eyes looked up at me. I shivered inside. How could its entire eyes be pitch black without any whites at all. It opened its mouth and dark green liquid seeped through its sharp canine like teeth. The green liquid slid down its brown leathery skin. I could see that its skin was charred at spots but still it was alive. This demon really survived the spell Master Kohl had cast? This was a truly a mishap that was not meant to have happened. It must have somehow slipped away from Master before he sealed the premises. That was the only way to explain it. Otherwise there was no way he could have survived that last spell. Not even master survived the last spell.

    It growled and started to climb up a near by tree. Soon it moved up the tree in a incredible speed. I breathed in a fresh batch of air, calming myself. I continued gliding from tree to tree, trying my absolute best to keep a good distance away from the demon. I did not want to come face to face with the thing. It was ugly and definitely not my type. I was not ready to fight it with magic. I had just started learning it after all. No way was I ready to fight anything with it.

    I glanced back at it and my heart nearly froze. It was moving through the canopies with just as much precision and speed as me. It was even gaining on me. I tried to make myself move faster. But the spell could not do anymore than it was doing. My level of magic was not proficient enough to increase my speed. I cursed at my luck.

    Thinking hard, I summoned the book out from the cauldron. I did not need to enlarge the cauldron for this to happen. I only needed to think about what I wanted from the cauldron and it would appear in my hands. Opening up the book, I flipped to the third section of the book. This was the section that held the Divine Arts. This was the section that the mage and his organization had wanted all these years.

    The first page described the first set of spells in the Divine Arts ''The swords of Solomon''. It described just how to summon the swords and the requirement to do so. The first spell required the user to have established at least the creation of one of the elemental orbs whether it be water, fire, earth, wind or life. The second required higher control of the said magic through something called Purifying. The third required mastery of the said magic. The fourth required one to have control over two of the magic orbs. The fifth required 3 magic orbs. The sixth required 4 magic orbs. The seventh required all five magic orbs. The eighth required the orbs to be all mastered. The ninth required something called Unity. The tenth had no requirements because not even the writer of the book knew what was needed to summon it.

    My eyes bulged. What kind of requirements were these? How is one person supposed to master so many magic orbs all at once. No wonder Master Kohl could only use three of the swords. He had only managed to summon the third one for the first time that night too. I groaned, this was not going to be easy. I tried to look at the other Sets but found myself unable to. They were sealed. The seal had a message over it. It read ''the next Sets can only be accessed when one has learned at least the first spell of Solomon or have reached the requirements of accessing them.''

    I cursed, this was not helpful at all. I can''t use the other spells unless I learn the first Sword of Solomon or I reach a mysterious requirement that it does not state. I sighed a breath of defeat. Alright, first things first I needed to learn the first spell of Solomon. I looked at the runes, they were exactly the same as the nine needles. Master had not lied. He did teach me the runes before. I knew these runes well. The only difference between them now than before was that I had to draw blood for it to work. That''s only the case if I didn''t have the runes tattooed to my arms or that I have reached a greater height in magic. If I reached a greater height in magic, I could potentially store the runes inside my elemental orb. That way the swords of Solomon could be summoned at will without the tedious method of using blood.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    I took in a deep breath. Glancing back, I could see the demon getting closer and closer. I had no more time to spare. Gliding over a Fig tree I quickly imagined the process of drawing the swords of Solomon on my arms. It shouldn''t take to long. If I did it properly I may be able to buy myself more time to escape. I needed to do this quickly. Sliding my left sleeve up, I bit the tip of my right thumb. Blood started to seep out. Without hesitation I drew the runes of Solomon on my left arm.

    Just as I finished drawing the runes, the demon had caught up to me. It howled in delight. "Human child. I finally caught you. Its really useless you know. Hand over the book and whatever that other stupid human gave you before. I might just spare you, or else you will die very painfully" the demon bellowed. His voice coarse and sharp. It sounded as If a bug was stuck in his throat and he couldn''t get it out. I stopped moving and dropped to the forest floor. The demon followed.

    I backed away as the demon landed a few feet ahead of me. He crawled forward. His leathery skin started to smoke. A black mist seeped out from his pores. It started spreading into the air. Everything the mist touched withered and became dust. The life particles around me started to diminish. My heart started to race. I wanted desperately to run. My mind desperately tried to persuade me to run, but I could not run. I remembered the way master faced up to the mage and the horde of demons. He was not afraid. He showed no fear. He fought them with his bravery and courage. I must do the same now. I was the masters student after all. What would he think of me if he saw me running away without even trying. I clenched down my jaw and glared fearlessly at the mist. I was no coward. The master raised me better than this.

    I started pushing the remaining life particles from my life orb through my veins and out my hands. I used them to draw the Swords of Solomon in the air. Moments later it was complete. "Oh First sword of Solomon, heed my call and come forth. Your lowly servant asks for your help. Awaken from from slumber and bring Justice down on this lowly Demon. Awaken Iustitia!" I shouted.

    A piercing white light shot down from the heavens as the runes in the air combined with the runes on my left arm. The light shot through the black mist that was about to reach me. A thunderous sound echoed through the forest as torrential ripples of light pulsated through the air. Light gathered in front of me and started to form into a sword. Brilliant ripples of light waves pushed the demon back. It flew through the forest and crashed into a giant fig tree. The demon screamed in pain as it slid back down to the forest ground.

    I stared at the sword dumbfounded. It already did this much damage with its summoning. How much stronger would it be if I wielded it? Iustitia was a little different from the the last time that I saw it. When master Kohl had summoned it, it was a just a brilliant set of white light. But this time the sword was more defined. I could clearly see the fuller on the blade with ancient etchings stretching through the middle. A pommel could be faintly defined on the handle of the sword. On the edge of the blade the words for Iustitia was etched clearly in ancient runes. This was the same sword Master Kohl had summoned, yet was also a different sword than the one he had summoned. This was strange. Why was the sword I summoned clearer than the sword Master Kohl had summoned?

    I reached out my hand and grabbed the handle of Iustitia. The moment my hand touched it, a white hot light gathered around the blade of the Iustitia. My eyes adjusted to the light as I held it up into the air. A moment later ancient knowledge flowed from Iustitia''s hilt into my hands and up to my brain. The knowledge showed me how to use Iustitia and the hand movements required to command her.

    The demon coughed out black blood and stood up from the ground. It growled in rage. Then it charged at me. It''s claws grew longer and sharper. Horns started to sprout on top of his head. His eyes turned from a pitch black to a crimson red. The dark mist around it became thicker, swallowing him up as it coalesced around him. Every step the demon took, plants wilted and trees decayed.

    I could not hold back anymore. Iustitia gave me strength. Iustitia gave me a chance to fight. I suddenly found my self unable to stop. Adrenaline shot through my body. I swung Iustita and a bright crescent ring of light broke free from the edge of my blade and slashed toward the demon. The demon snorted and the black mist around him transformed into a giant hand. The crescent sword light and the giant hand collided in mid air. The giant hand grabbed the Crescent light and with slight resistance the crescent light dissipated. I continuously swung the Iustitia in a fluid motion. Countless crescent rings of light zoomed from my blade and zipped toward the black mist. Through the countless number of collisions the giant hand started to thin. The demon growled in dismay. I moved up the trees and swung Iustitia like a tiger dancing in the wind. Brilliant rings of crescent light rippled through the air. The grounds around us broke and the trees started to fall. The giant hand of mist continued to battle the crescent rings of light.

    I stood on top of a fig tree and released Iustitia. I cleared my mind and focused on the hand gestures required for the next move. My pinky finger, ring finger and thumb closed down into my palm while my index and middle finger stood together in a pose for grandeur. This was the hand sign used to control the Iustitia while it was in the air. I slashed and jabbed my fingers in the air curving as I directed Iustitia down for the charge. Iustitia followed my directions and zipped toward the giant mist hand. It zipped through the giant hand, breaking one of the fingers as it passed. I twirled my fingers into a circle and the Iustitia stopped and started circling around the giant hand. My fingers slid up then down from the top of my forehead to the center of my chest. Iustitia zoomed over the giant hand, then with its tip jabbed downward with increasing speed. As Iustitia came colliding down with the giant hand. Iustitia started radiating an intense swirl of white light . The swirls of white light spiraled around the tip of the Iutitia''s blade and heat started to flicker from the intense collision.

    Iustitia slammed into the giant hand. For a few seconds it looked like the giant hand would be able to block Iustitia''s attack, but then Iustitia pierced through the giant hand. The spiral of light and immense heat vanquished the giant hand. The giant hand evaporated.

    Iustitia pierced through the black mist and straight into the demon. The demon screamed in pain and disbelief as Iustitia''s blade drove through its heart. "How is this possible! This is just a sword made of light. This boy here couldn''t possibly be capable of killing me. No! I don''t Believe it. This is a sick joke!" he screamed as heat from Iustitia burned his body asunder. Moments later the demon was no more, only a mist of dust remained.

    Iustitia slammed hard into the ground, shaking the forest as it pierced into the earth. A huge cloud of dust rose from the collision and quickly expanded outwards. Trees blew apart , while rocks crumbled into dust. I was sent flying when the tree I stood on shattered. I fell through the forest until I hit a tree and collapsed. The last thing on my mind before I fell unconscious was disbelief. Holy mother of pearl I did all this!

 Chapter 6 - Dragons Heart

    Dragons Heart

    I drifted above a cavern, underneath stood an alter. On the alter a single sword laid embraced by rings of fire, water, wind, earth and life particles. The blade looked rustic and ancient. Its hilt worn out from years of use and neglect. Its blade dull, from many years of battle. Strapped around the pommel of the sword, five ornate gems dangled lackluster against the stone alter. Its brilliance dulled by the dust collected through many years of confinement. Nine intricate ancient number runes ran down the fuller of the blade. Etched on the guard of the blade was a single rune. It was the rune for Solomon. I realized for the first time that this blade was somehow related to the swords of Solomon. That''s when I woke from my slumber.

    ...............................................................................................................................................................

    The hooting of an owl echoed in the night air. It was night time already. I had been unconscious for a whole day maybe more. I could not tell exactly how much time had passed. My stomach started to growl. I felt really hungry. I realized I haven''t had anything to eat since the night Master Kohl woke me up in the middle of the night and took me away from Sappon.

    My stomach hurt from the extended time of hunger. My mouth felt really dry, I hadn''t drunk anything either for a while. This was no good. If this continues, I would be dehydrated in no time. I quickly rummaged through masters medicinal pouch. There at the bottom, a metallic bottle laid against a few vials of potions. I shook it, there was water inside.

    Uncapping the bottle, I downed the water. As it went down my throat, I felt my thirst starting to wane. This water was not any simple water. It was a special batch of water my master usually kept around. He uses a special potion that helps to hydrate faster and mixes it in with the water. The potion does not make the water taste any differently, but it was a life saver. With the water alone, it can help a person regain much of his lost energy. I felt my stomach settling and my throat regaining its moistness as the water settled in. I capped the bottle back up and placed it back into the pouch. ThenI placed the pouch back inside the cauldron. The cauldron was a neat storage unit.

    Standing up, I looked up toward the night sky. Stars glistened in the distance, the moon glowed behind the dark clouds. I needed to find food. This was not going to last. The water can restore energy, but it was still only just water. I needed real food. I desired real food. I was a fully-grown man after all. We needed our nourishment''s. These past few nights have really been taxing on my body, mind and soul.

    I had hunted many times before when master and I traveled from town to town. We sometimes spent months in the wilderness, so we couldn''t exactly buy food from a shop in the middle of no where, could we? The wilderness was full of animals and vegetation''s that could be consumed. It was the perfect place to hone one''s skills at hunting and identifying eatable plants.

    I spotted a rabbit in the distance. It''s life spark flickered within my senses. I used my new found magic and used Mix to conceal and blend my aurora with my surroundings. The rabbit did not notice me at all. I slowly approached the rabbit. Just as the rabbit lifted its head, I swept my hands down and snatched it over the ears. The rabbit tried to struggle but I knocked it unconscious.

    This was so much easier than before. Life magic sure was useful. With it hunting was ten times easier than before. I realized now why Master Kohl was so much better at hunting than me. He had used life magic all theses years to hunt, while I struggled at it like any normal person would. I remembered the smirk on Masters face whenever I took hours preparing for a hunt, while he just walks up to a deer and smacks it over the head and pulls it back into camp. I got alittle angry with the master. Why didn''t he just do all the hunting back then, instead of making me do all the work? I sighed, I knew the answer to that. He wanted me to learn things through the normal process first, so if later on I gained magic, I would not take it for granted. Master was a kind person after all.

    I created a fire with materials found in masters pouch. Then roasted the rabbit over the fire with tools I carved from wood. The rabbit tasted good. I felt so full as I laid there against a tree with my legs crossed at the ankles. I rubbed my belly; the rabbit did taste pretty nice. Of course, my cooking skills weren''t exactly top chef quality. This was enough for me. I wasn''t going to complain about it like master would each time I cooked for him. He would always say that my cooking skills were atrocious even though I cooked for him every day.

    I looked into the distance and suddenly something shimmered deep in the forest grounds. I squinted my eyes at it. What could that be? Could it be some kind of animal? Some animals did have glowing eyes at night. I honed in on it with my senses. It held a small trace of life particles, but it was clearly not alive. At least not anymore.

    Getting back to my feet, I extinguished the fire and gathered some of the cooking tools. I placed them into masters pouch within the pendant and started walking toward the glimmering thing in the distance. When I started to get closer to the shiny object, I realized it was in a spot within the forest that was destroyed. Then I realized this was the spot where I had fought the demon before. This mess was actually my fault. I stopped before a large crater. This was the spot where Iustitia pierced into the earth and destroyed the surrounding grounds. This huge crater was the cause of this huge mess.

    I jumped down into the crater and slowly walked down toward the glimmering object. I stopped as I reached the it. It looked old, it''s glow dulled through the passage of time. Most of it''s body was encased in hard rock. The only part that was not encased in hard rock was a tiny gem like object. It glimmered in the moonlight as I picked it up. Using a small knife, I carved the hard rock away from the gem. As the rocks fell away, the gem revealed itself. It was a big clear crystal of some sort. The crystal was the size of my fist and it was kind of heavy. It must be worth a lot of coins. Crystals can fetch a fair amount of coins. This was perfect, with all the things that''s happened to me in the past few nights, this would be a great help for me. I was broke now without the master and his mysterious source of money. I needed something to help me along. This Crystal was definitely the item for the job.

    I decided to put it into the cauldron and was about to place it away when suddenly I cut my finger on one of the sharp edges of the crystal. My blood dripped onto the crystal. The moment my blood touched the Crystal it got absorbed into the crystal. I stared at the thing perplexed. How did my blood get absorbed by this crystal? Was there a crack in the Crystal? I held up the crystal and examined it. No, it was perfectly undamaged. Then what happened?

    Just as I started to give up, a slight breeze came out from the crystal. I looked down at the thing in astonishment. Was this thing a magic stone? But it did not look like one. Magic stones were Rocks made with the infusion of certain types of elements. They were never made with crystals. Crystals had other uses in magic. Yes, magic can be stored in crystals, but they generally don''t last long in crystals. They dissipate much faster than compared to normal magic stones. Of course, if certain spells were to be used on them, magic can stay inside the crystals. Was this one of those kinds of crystals?

    The breeze slowly grew stronger and stronger. Soon the breeze became so strong that a whirl wind formed around me. I wanted to throw the crystal away at this point but found my hand stuck to the crystal. "What the Heck?" I yelled. "Damn it, why is everything I touch something magic" I hollered. This was getting out of hand. Yes, I loved magic but I did not want to get involved in too many things all at once. I had enough to deal already.

    Suddenly a clear silhouette slipped out from the crystal and joined the whirlwind around me. My eye brows furrowed, what now? The wind around me continued to spin faster and faster until finally it became a raging tornado. Trees started to rip from the ground and rocks and dirt started to spiral into the air. I covered my eyes in disbelief with my free hand. Holy Cow, its happening again. Is this something else or could it be the demon returning back from the dead? I just couldn''t deal with this anymore.

    I looked up into the tornado and saw the silhouette soaring within the winds. It did not look like a demon. It had four legs and a pair of huge wings. A large spiky tail wiggled behind the large creature as it glided around the tornado. From my point of view, it somehow resembled a large lizard with wings. What could it be? But one thing was for sure, it was not alive. I could feel no life spark coming from it. The creature rolled its eyes and looked directly at me. Then it spiraled around the tornado, gaining speed as it started to rise upwards. Suddenly it burst out from the winds and started descending toward me.

    Finally, I could see the creature more clearly. My jaws dropped when I realized what I was seeing. This creature was a dragon. A dead one, but never the less a real dragon. It glided down to the ground and landed right in front of me. I could clearly see right through it. It was a spirit for sure. A dragon spirit that is.

    The dragon was dark red in color, its wings were leathery. Dark glistening scales covered its body. I could tell when it was alive this dragon was quite the looker. It was magnificent. Two large horns curved backwards from the dragon''s forehead. It starred down at me with its yellow pupils. The dragon snorted, and wind came rushing down at me. I lost balance and fell on my butt.

    "Human child what is your name?" the dragon asked. His voice echoing inside the eye of the tornado. The dragon was clearly male. His voice was deep and unlike the demon he sounded just like a young man. If one closed their eyes and listened to the dragon speak, one would never know that it was a dragon speaking.

    "I''m... I''m Logan, why are you here?" I asked getting back on my feet. Most people these days know dragons only through myths and legends. They did not exist in the world no more. No real dragon has been seen in the world for over 10, 000 years. They were stuffs of old legends. Older than even the five kingdoms described in the Book of Divine. The Book of Divine did mention them though. It described the dragons as a proud race. They were once one of the Five great races of the world. It was written in the book that the Dragons had all vanished 4000 years before the founding of the five kingdoms. During the time of the dragons, humans along with the other 3 great races lived along with the dragons. But all was not well during those times. War often broke out between the races. But mysteriously they along with the other 3 great races disappeared one day leaving only the humans behind in this world.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    I looked up at the dragon. If this was truly a dragon then it must be over 10, 000 years old. How did its spirit survive this long? Then I remembered a verse in the book. Dragons have a heart made of crystal. If ever a dragon dies, it leaves behind its heart. They do this because they have an ancient ritual that allows them to be reborn again from their hearts. But only few can withstand the passage of time, because not all dragons can survive the years trapped inside their heart. Most vanish through the turning of the ages.

    "Young human I am here because you hold in your hands my heart." He said confirming my suspicions.

    I looked down at the crystal. This thing was a dragon''s heart. I still could not really believe it. I was holding something that was over 10, 000 years old. Then I remembered an old legend about dragon''s hearts. In the old times when dragons roamed the world. Mages would often slay dragons just to get at their hearts. When they gained a dragon''s heart. They can absorb the dragons magic and make it their own. But not without a price that is. The price often outweighed the magic gained. Of course, I had no idea what the price was because the old legends did not say what it was. It just said the price often out weighed the gain.

    "Now that you know what you hold in your hands. What will you do human? Will you take my hearts magic and take it for your own?" he asked his tone blank.

    I starred up at the dragon. I did think about it for split second, but the warning made me hesitate. What was the price in taking dragons heart? I decided against it. I had magic of my own. Plus, I already hold in my hands the strongest magic the world has ever seen. The Divine Arts. It really beats any old dragons heart any day.

    "I think I''ll just return the heart to you." I said holding out the dragon''s heart.

    The dragon looked down at me with a perplexed expression. "You are one odd human. Why not take my powers? With it you can gain the abilities of flight, breath attacks, your skin will be impenetrable, my magic type would be passed on to you. Your level of magic would grow exponentially. Your body would heal so much faster that no number of wounds can harm you. Your life expectancy would be that of a dragon. One hundred years is just child''s play to us. You can live for thousands of years, perhaps even tens of thousands of years. " He explained. "Now that you know the full benefits of absorbing my heart, do you regret your decision?" he asked pointing his claws at me.

    I continued to hold out the heart. "I don''t want it. This is power that is not mine. I only want power that I gain myself." I said.

    The dragon laughed. "I see. If that is what you wish, then so be it. But your blood has already touched my heart. It can not be returned. Even if you don''t absorb my hearts powers. My heart has created a link with you already. I can help you with if you like. I can help you create a power that is similar to mine but not mine at the same time." he said.

    I eyed the dragon. His eyes were a little shifty as if he was hiding something from me. "What do you mean?" I asked concentrating on the expressions of the dragon.

    "I can help you form a wind magic orb within your magic core. That would entirely be yours. " he said not looking me straight in the eyes.

    My heart skipped at the suggestion. But I stayed calm. The dragon was hiding something from me. I couldn''t trust him just like that. I did really want to form a second magic orb. If I did, I would be able to summon more of the swords of Solomon. That was the requirement for the fourth sword of Solomon. Of course, I had only recently succeeded in summoning the first sword. It was never a bad idea to plan ahead. The swords were clearly a strong power I could use against the organization that was after me.

    "What''s the catch. You''re not trying trick me, are you? " I asked skeptical.

    The dragon chuckled bemusedly. "Young human. If you had attempted to absorb my dragons heart. I would have tried everything in my power to stop you. But now that you are willing to not take my dragons heart. I feel a sense of gratitude against you. So, I just whole heartedly want to help you that''s all." he said trying to form a grin on his face.

    It was not a nice thing to see. A dragon grinning looked so unreal that shivers ran up my spine. I examined the dragon. What was his real motive? Did I have something he wanted?

    The dragon sighed at my continued silence. "Alright, I''ll come out and say it. You don''t trust me." he said.

    I gave the dragon a thumbs up "Of course I don''t trust you. Would you if someone suddenly comes out and say they would help you create a magic orb without gaining anything else in return?" I said.

    The dragon shook his head. "No, I wouldn''t either. Okay I''ll tell you what I want in return." he said breathing out a fresh batch of wind.

    I was nearly knocked off my feet once again. Luckily, I was ready for the wind. I used life magic to artfully dodge the in coming wind. It missed me by mere inches. I looked up at the dragon he was smiling at my dilemma. "Okay what do you want in return?" I asked him not happy with his sudden outbreak of air.

    "I need your life magic." he said.

    "You need what?" I said perplexed. Did he want to take my life magic away from me? If that''s what he wanted, he was not going to get it. I prepared myself for battle.

    The dragon held up his front claws and made a crosswith them while shaking his head. "No you got the wrong idea. I just need you to put life magic into my Dragons heart. I''m not trying to steal your life magic. I can''t even if I wanted to. I''m a spirit you know." he said eyeing me as if I was talking nonsense.

    "Why do you want me to do that?" I asked unsure about his weird request. "What was the use of pushing life particles into this dead dragon''s heart? It''s not like doing so wouldmake you come back to life?" I mumbled to myself. Then the verse from the book and my outburst clicked together like a piece of puzzle finally clicking in place.

    The dragon nodded his head, "That is exactly what''s going to happen. We dragons like the Pheonixescan be reborn. Of course, we aren''t Pheonixes. So, we can''t be reborn from our ashes. We can be reborn through restoring life magic back into our hearts. That is why we leave our hearts behind when we die and our spirits to of course." he explained.

    "If this is the only case, why aren''t any of you still around anymore?" I asked. If all it took was restoring life magic into their hearts. Shouldn''t more of them be back from the dead?

    The dragon sighed "Of course we should, but life mages and us aren''t the best of friends. Well during the time of the great Chaos anyways. We dragons also had some dragons that had life magic once to, but during the great Chaos they too all perished. I''m not sure what happened to the rest of my race, but I was one of the ones to perish during the Great Chaos" he said,

    "The great Chaos?" What the heck was that? Was this a part of history that we humans have no records of?

    "Never mind that. Will you be willing to help me or not?" he asked.

    I took in a deep breath, "I can, but only if you agree to put this into an oath and promise to form a partnership contract with me when you are reborn. Only if you agree to these terms will I help you. I don''t want you killing me or betraying mewhen I go through the trouble of restoring you back to life" I said.

    The dragon pondered on the terms. He looked down at me and furrowed his eyes. He walked circles around me and thought intensely. I started getting dizzy just following his movements. Finally, after a whole fifteen minutes of thinking it through, the dragon nodded his head. "I agree to your terms. What type of oath would you like to use. I have many I can suggest" he said grinningdown at me.

    I looked at the dragon strangely. This fella probably had someway of finding a loop hole to slip out of the contract. I was not going to let this opportunity slip away from me like this. Having a dragon under a partnership contract was a once in a life time opportunity. No one in the world had one, of course that was because this here was the only dragon in the world. But still even if dragons were still around partnership contracts between races were rare.

    Partnership contracts allowed two individuals to share their magics with each other. When a contract is established the two sides could decide on who would be the main contract holder and who would be the tenant. The main holder could freely use all of the tenant''s magic, while the tenantrequired permission from the holder to use their shared magic. In some instances, these contracts can even be slave contracts if done properly. Of course, equal contracts also exist, but those where even rarer than normal partnership contracts.

    "I think I know what oath to use," I said summoning the book of Divine from the cauldron. I opened the book to the fourth section and flipped through the pages until I found the spell for oath magic. I located the strongest oath magic which was called the ''Lusiurandum est Magicae''. I read through the instructions, making sure that I understood the spell and processes involved. After I thought I had gotten the spell down pat, I started pushing life particles out from my life orb. The life particles flowed up into the air and I grabbed them and reshaped them into chains of runes. Slowly a magic circle started to form from the chains of runes. Within a minute an intricate magic circle surrounded us.

    The dragon''s eyes bulged. "You.... You... How do you know the "Lusiurandum est Magicae"?!" he shouted in disbelief! "This.... This... How is this possible? This is from the Sacris Fuu. How could you possibly know such an ancient spell? Not even we dragons know the full spell. What is that book?" He screamed attempting to grab the book.

    The spell activated just as he reached out with his front claws. Chains appeared out of thin air and started to bind the dragon as his claws stopped just inches from the book of Divine "The spell has been enacted. You either agree to the terms or we both dismiss all of this all together." I said grinning. This was a good opportunity to gain a very helpful underling. With an ancient dragon I can gain knowledge that even the book may not contain. This is definitely the opportunity of a life time.

    "Damn it, you tricked me human! This is more than just a magical oath. This is a contract that can bind even my soul." he yelled.

    "You are the one that suggested this. What? Were you not going to honor your side of the bargain by slipping in something, so you can cheat me?" I said my grin widening.

    "You..." the dragon stuttered, his voice sounding defeated.

    I looked up at him. I knew this old thing had something up his claws. Luckily for me I can also be sneaky and cunning. Old thing don''t think you can trick me that easily. I laughed inside.

    The dragon sighed a breath of defeat. "Alright, I admit defeat. Let''s sign this thing and get on with life." he said.

    "Okay let''s do this" I said activating the rune in the middle of the circle. The spell glowed bright white and suddenly I felt my soul being pulled out from my body. Wedrifted upwards toward the sky. Soon we arrived at a gate. The gate opened, and a giant pair of eyes greeted us.

 Chapter 7 - Luisurandum est Magicae – Eye of the Oath Licarus

    Luisurandum est Magicae �C Eye of the Oath ''Licarus''

    The eye looked at us and I felt like it saw everything within my soul. It felt like I could hide nothing from it. This was scary. The eye was dark in color. It was a color I had never seen before. It was both the darkness of the night and the light of the day. The eye rolled to the left to look at me, then rolled to the right to look at the dragon.

    This was the eye of the oath Licarus. The divine book mentioned it. Licarus lies in wait at the gates of heaven. It guards all that is true and all that is honorable. It is the oath bearer of the God''s. Legends say that Licarus use to be a giant, but during the war of the God''s Licarus died. Then the god''s saw that Licarus was a truthful and honest giant, so they granted him this job. His eyes were to watch and over see the oaths of the world until the end comes again. At that time all the powers gained from the oaths would be bestowed upon him. With it he to will rise again as a new god. Ready once again to go into battle.

    "Child of human and child of dragon. Why do you come before me?" came the thunderous voice of Licarus. His eye rotating around taking both of us into his view.

    "We come to make an oath contract under your guidance. Your grace." I said suckering up to him. He was a god after all. Well, a god to be, but who cares. It was practically the same. We were just ants compared to him. He had the power to crush us at will.

    "I see. I have not seen my seal used for many a eons now. Most of my oaths are usually performed via my underlings. But you have summoned me today, so I will overlook your oaths. What is the contents of your oath? Who is the instigator?" he asked turning his eye in my direction as he spoke.

    "The oath shall be instigated by my side, your grace." I said. Licarus did seem to know that I was the one who summoned him. He was looking at me more often than most.

    "Alright. Do you agree dragon?" he asked. The dragon nodded his head. He was frozen in fear of Licarus. Licarus was the closet thing to a god. So, the dragon was naturally very fearful of him.

    "What is the provisions?" Licarus asked. Once again turning his attention to me.

    "Provision one is that in exchange for my help in restoring this dragon back to life. He promises to help me create a second magic orb within my magic core." I said.

    Licarus starred at me with interested eye. Then he looked at the dragon. The eye seems to have smiled. If eyes can smile.

    "Do you agree, dragon?" he said.

    "Yes" answered the dragon. Licarus examined him closely.

    "Provision two: the dragon will sign a contract with me as my magical beast when he is reborn from the ashes of his dragon heart." I continued.

    "Interesting." Said Licarus. "Dragon do you agree?" he asked.

    "Yes" sighed the dragon. He had no choice in this anymore. I was the only one he could depend on. I did bind him through blood.

    "Provision three: he will not betray or try to trick me in any way or else the oath will be void. Even if he is reborn his powers and essence will all be mine upon betrayal." I added sneaking an eye at Licarus. He did not show any expressions. Of course, he was just an eye.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The dragon yelped when he heard my words. He was not ready for such a provision. I snickered at him. Ha, dragon did you think I would not properly protect myself. I think not.

    "Do you agree dragon?" Licarus asked.

    "Yes. What I....." The dragon stuttered.

    "Agreement confirmed" said Licarus.

    "Wait... I...." Said the dragon. He wanted to take back his words.

    Licarus eyed the dragon "Do you have a problem with the agreement?" he asked, his voice stern and authoritative.

    "My essence..." squealed the dragon.

    "Your essence will be fine if you keep to the agreement." Licarus said. "Anymore provisions?" he asked amusement showing in his voice. you can tell he was having fun.

    "No, as long as he keeps his end of the bargain I will be fine" I said.

    "Wait what if he betrays me?" asked the dragon.

    "Well that is a good question." Said Licarus amused. His eye focused on me.

    "I will not betray the dragon unless he betrays me first. This can be provisions 4" I added.

    "Will this do for you?" he asked the dragon.

    "I guess" the dragon sighed bitterly accepting the agreement.

    "I need a clear answer!" boomed Licarus''s voice.

    "Yes" replied the dragon scared.

    "That''s good. I here by declare the oath binding. If either side breaks their oaths, they will be removed from the cycle of rebirth and be forever damned within the helms of one of the 18 layers of purgatory." He said. A silver thread shot out from his eyes. It twisted in the air. Then one end wrapped around my wrist and the other end wrapped around dragons front paws.

    "Good this ends our session. You may go back now." He said sending us away. As we drifted away, Licarus spoke in my head. "Young human the end is coming, prepare well. Your Magicae seven must be completed, for you to stand a chance against what''s to come. I see much potential in you. I will give you a chance. Nine it is. Nine it stays scattered. If you can collect all nine, Sacris Magicae will once again return. If you discover the real sword of Solomon, then come back to see me. Perhaps one day you can stand beside me in the battle of the end. We will see if your future is bright or if it is dim. Good luck human child" he said.

    ............................................................................................................................................................

    When I got back into my body, I felt a dizzy. I guess spirit traveling was not my thing. I looked down at my wrist to see if the thread was still there, but I couldn''t find it. Instead I found a very tiny, almost mole size rune tattooed on my wrist. So, this was the mark of the oath. I tried to think on what Licarus said at the end, but sorrowfully interrupted.

    "Roar!" The dragon howled into the sky as it descended onto the ground. "You...You... I can''t believe I got trapped by you." The dragon said bitterly.

    "Oh, buddy we''re friends now. At least acquaintances. We will be spending a lot of time together from now on, so do try to be less sour." I said grinning. I finally got someone by my side. I was not about to let go.

    The dragon hissed. He then turned into wind and drifted back into the dragon''s heart in my hands. "Whatever, just remember our agreement." He said sourfully.

    "Hey, wait! You said you were going to help me create my wind orb." I said talking into the dragon''s heart. Was this dragon already dishonoring his words?

    "I need to rest. We can do that tomorrow. Seeing lord Licarus has tired me out. We can discuss this tomorrow. First, please give me some life magic. I can''t do my job if you don''t help me get reborn" He said scornfully.

    I starred down at the dragon''s heart. "Alright, I will help you out. Only this once. If you don''t follow our agreement. You will see my wrath" I said pushing some life particles into the dragon''s heart. It glowed and started to show a tiny shade of pink.

    "Don''t worry, I made an binding oath. If I don''t want to spend eternity in purgatory, I''ll help you create your stupid wind orb." He said.

    When I was finished pushing life particles into the dragon''s heart, it started to shrink. Soon it was the size of my finger tip. I was surprised by the sudden change in the dragon heart''s size.

    "Is this normal?" I asked unsure if I should be concerned or not.

    "Yes, it is. In this form my heart can be carried around much easier. You can place my heart inside somewhere safe. Make sure not to lose my heart. Or you will not be able to contact me" he said mockingly.

    "Alright" I sighed. This dragon was going to be a handful. "Right, I never asked for your name. What is it?"

    "My name is Carter" he responded.

 Chapter 8 - Basic Magic: Alchemist Cauldron

    Basic Magic: Alchemist Cauldron

    The next day, the sun rose early in the morning. I did not get to much sleep through the night. I was thinking about what to do next. What was my path from now on? Should I follow the path of all the people before me and just hide away as a healer just like Master had done and his ancestors before him? Or, should I follow a new path? I did not know what to do.

    I walked down the path toward Sappon. The first thing I must do is to go back to Sappon. Even if it��s in shambles, I still wanted to see it. I wanted to see the last place the master and I had spent together.

    The journey toward Sappon was quiet. I met no one and saw no one. As I approached the gates of Sappon, I saw the walls to the city charred and in runes. Some parts of it had already collapsed. Men walked around clearing the fallen debris. They all looked dejected and lost. You could see the sadness in their faces. My heart hurt. This was in part my fault. All these people displaced because the mage was looking for the master and me. I felt an anger growing inside. The organization that sent the mage, I promise I will destroy them one day.

    I approached the gate. The men by the gate saw me. ��Who goes there?�� one of the men asked. "Sappon is closed for rebuilding�� he said blocking my path.

    ��I��m from Sappon.�� I said, showing him I meant no harm.

    One of the young man looked at me and he seemed to recognize me. I recognized him to. He was once a patient of masters. If I remember correctly his ailment was really smelly feet. Master fixed it in no time. He even did it without giving the young man a major side effect. The young man only had sweaty hands for a few weeks.

    ��Oh, you��re the old healers apprentice. Where have you been?�� he asked pushing the other guard aside.

    ��The master and I went out to collect some herbs�� I lied. I couldn''t exactly tell him the truth, could I?

    ��Oh, I''m sorry to tell you this, but the clinic is gone. Along with half the town.�� He said sadly showing me the fallen walls.

    ��What!�� I said acting surprised. I didn��t want to act if I knew. The towns destruction was partly our fault.

    "It happened three nights ago.�� He said opening the gate and allowing me inside.

    The moment I walked into the town I could smell the aftermath of the fire that destroyed half the city. Houses and complexes everywhere were either burnt to the ground or charred beyond recognition. There was not much that didn��t get caught in the fire. My heart hurt. These people did not deserve this. They were victims of a far greater power at work. Master was not at fault either. He to was a victim. It was that mage. It was his fault. He and his organization.

    ��The fire started in the night. We don��t know how it started, but suddenly buildings inside the city started to catch on fire. Some witnesses say it may have started at the healers'' society, but no one knows for sure.�� He said sadly shaking his head.

    ��How are the towns people?�� I asked genuinely concerned. The people should not have had to go through this.

    ��Many have died. Most of the healers have also perished. Those that remain have been working tirelessly healing the injured. I��m glad you came back but where is your master?�� he asked looking around as if expecting master to pop out from behind us. I wanted that to happen to. I wanted it so badly.

    ��He went on a long journey. He won��t be back for a long time�� I said. It was true, master had gone on a journey. A journey to the world beyond.

    ��Oh�� said the young man. ��Why didn��t you go with him?�� he asked.

    ��Master said it��s time for me to learn to be independent. So, I stayed. I don��t know what to do really. Master just left and now I��m all by my self.�� I said, my words true.

    The young man patted me on the back. ��It��s all good. A man can��t depend on their master all their lives. You''re of age to be independent. How is your healing ability? Is it the same as your masters?�� he asked eyeing me. I knew what he was implying. Master was known as the side effects healer. But he still healed people better than anyone around.

    ��I think I��ve learned most of his skills�� I replied. Master had taught me many things. I had inherited a lot from him.

    The young man chuckled. ��Maybe you can help out at the temporary healers'' society across town.�� He suggested pointing toward the south end of the city where the damage was less severe.

    ��Maybe,�� I said. I wasn''t sure if I could help or if I could even stay here.

    We stopped. The clinic was just up the hill. It was so close, yet so far. I knew what to expect. I had seen it collapse a few nights ago. But I still felt nervous.

    ��Here we are.�� the young man said. ��I��m Sorry but nothing really survived the clinics collapse.�� He apologized.

    ��It��s okay,�� I swallowed, calming my heart for what was to come. Walking up the hill, the spot where the clinic once stood came into my site. My heart sank as I saw the rubbles of the clinic. This was mine and masters home for the last two years. It was also masters last home. I felt empty inside.

    As I stepped in front of the collapsed clinic, a tear ran down my cheeks. Everything was gone. Nothing remained. I really lost everything. ��Can you let me spend some time here alone.�� I told the young man.

    ��Of course, man. You can find me at the gate if you need me. The healers'' society��s new location is written on this piece of paper. You can go over there if you want. It may help to heal others.�� He suggested walking away handing the piece of paper over to me.

    I held the piece of paper and placed it into my pocket. I��ll think on it later. Right now, I wanted to see if there was anything I could salvage from the collapsed clinic. There could be things I could salvage. Plus, the masters secret chamber might still be intact.

    Walking over the rubles, I took in a deep breath. ��Wow. Is this your home?" asked Carter appearing by my side.

    I jumped. Surprised by Carter��s sudden appearance. He floated in front of me. This time he was no longer the giant dragon of before. He appeared to me as a tiny palm sized dragon. He was almost cute.

    ��What are you doing? People will see you.�� I said trying to block him with my hands but realized to late he was a spirit. My hands ran right through him.

    ��Don��t worry. No one but you can see me. Only those who have my heart and have made a blood bond with me can see and hear me. Normal people will just think you are talking to yourself. Like a crazy person that you are.�� He said laughing. He twirled in the air finally landing on my shoulder.

    I rolled my eyes. This thing was going to be a pain in the butt. Why the heck did I make an oath with it. I sighed, taking in a deep breath, trying to calm myself. ��Why are you out of your heart?�� I asked.

    ��I just wanted to see your house. Plus, I did agree to help you create your wind orb. Can��t do that if I stay inside my heart all the time, can I?�� he said blowing out wind from his nose. It was like a light breeze touched me.

    ��I don��t want to do it here.�� I said. This was no place to create my second magic orb. There could be enemies here.

    ��It��s okay, we can schedule a time that fits you. So, what happened here?�� he asked eyeing the rubles of the clinic. His expression curious.

    ��It��s a long story. I��ll tell you later. But right now, I need to clear some of this rubble.�� I said. Bending done and lifting a broken piece of beam from the rubble. It was heavy.

    ��Why are you lifting it like a normal chap. You��re a mage for god��s sake. Use magic.�� Laughed Carter zooming from beam to beam.

    ��I don��t know what to use. I can only use enhancing magic and none of them can help me lift these beams.�� I said. If I could use something useful, you think I wouldn''t. I thought to myself.

    Carter sighed. ��Didn��t anyone teach you about basic uses of magic?�� he asked.

    ��No. I learned magic from a book.�� I replied. It was true. Master never taught me about magic. He only taught me healing, herbology, and perhaps the Divine Arts.

    Carter gawked at me. ��A book. What book?�� he asked.

    I looked around making sure no one was around. Then summoned the book from the cauldron. ��This one�� I said carefully opening up the book of Divine.

    Carter leaned over to see the book. The moment he saw the book he screamed. ��Holy mother dragon! This��. This is the Sacris Magicae. A copy anyways. How��how could have such a thing!��

    I sighed, ��Yes, yes, I don��t know what Sacris Magicae is, but this is the one and only book of Divine. It also contains the Divine Arts.�� I said rolling my eyes. Was it that surprising? You already saw it last night. You even tried to grab it.

    Carter breathed rapidly. ��I can��t believe you have a copy of the Sacris Magicae. No wonder you can use the Luisurandum est Magicae. So you humans call it Divine Arts now. The Sacris Magicae is said to contain the 99 spells of a god. It is a legendary set of magic. Legends have it that if one can master the Sacris Magicae they will have the right to walk the path of a Godhood.�� He said jealously.

    ��Oh I see, so the Divine Arts previous name is the Sacris Magicae.�� I said. So, the dragon race knew of the Divine Arts before hand too.

    ��Logan, can I have a glimpse of the Sacris Magicae.�� Carter pleaded.

    ��Why?�� I questioned getting a little protective holding the book away from him.

    ��The Fifth set in the Sacris Magicae is the Holy Dragon''s Breath. It is a very ancient dragon magic. If I can learn it. I would be able to awaken some of my dragon inheritance. With it. I can advance and farther evolve.�� He said dreamily.

    ��Sorry, the Divine Arts is not to be shared.�� I said putting it back into the cauldron.

    ��Wait, I can teach you. I can teach you all about magic and the works. Please let me see the Sacris Magicae. Remember we have an oath together." he pleaded getting on his knees.

    ��I don��t think so. Unless���� I said raising my eye brow.

    ��Unless what. I��ll do anything.�� Carter pleaded.

    ��We can set up the partnership contract now. Then perhaps.�� I said.

    ��What, no I can��t do that�� he refused, getting off his knees and floating back in front of me.

    ��Why not? You were going to do it eventually anyways. Why not now?�� I pressured. Thinking, if I could do the partnership contract now. It should make my creating the wind orb much easier. Plus, I could access his magic. That would help tremendously.

    ��Because if I do it now. The contract would be bound by soul. If that happens I will be contracted with you even if I reincarnated. That is a very cruel fate. I can never get away from you. You��You cruel human.�� He said pointing his claws at me, his eyes full of fury.

    ��Oh, that is a problem. No worries I will unbind your contract with me if you happen to die. Isn''t that enough?�� I asked.

    ��I�� I can��t trust you on this one.�� He said keeping his distance.

    ��Then I can��t help you either.�� I said, lifting another beam from the rubles. I could faintly see a cellar door. That was where master''s secret room was.

    Carter sighed. ��Alright, if you swear you would release me if I die. Then I agree.�� He said dejected.

    ��Alright, so teach me how to use this basic magic of yours.�� I said, I couldn��t let him browse through the book here. Who knows who could be watching?

    ��Life magic like all magic requires the formation of a magic orb for it to function properly. This part you have already done. I am curious, how did you create it with only reading from a book and without an actual guide either.�� He asked.

    ��I don��t know. I just followed the instructions in the book�� I said. "It looked simple enough."

    ��Huh,�� he said. ��Never mind, an orb once formed will continuously take in magic. But what happens if you don��t use it. It all gets released back into the air. Right?�� He asked.

    ��I see�� I said understanding finally why I continuously sucked in magic, but the orb never gets full. So, this was how it was. The divine book only explains things in simple terms. It is more of a spell book than anything.

    ��So, how do we get it to work differently? We must compartmentalize the magic orbs. Then we can compress magic and purify it. That way more magic can be stored. With stored magic, one could use magic in places where there is no magic at all. That is one of the basics of magic theory. After that, veins can be developed within the orb to allow magic to flow. This way magic will not just flow out when it is not needed. Also, the more adapted you are at magic. The more magic can be stored at once. The rest will continue to flow out, but greater spells can be used if your magic storage is greater and spells can be performed at a much faster rate. Like for instance the legendary swords of Solomon can be summoned with just a thought if enough magic was available.�� He said watching my reaction. I gave him none.

    ��Okay, Great. What does this have to do with me lifting all these ruble?�� I said pointing at the collapsed clinic.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ��It has everything to do with it. With stored magic, you can use magic more efficiently. Also, magic vines can be used. Magic vines can only be formed through purified magic.�� He said.

    ��Okay, how do I do this?" I asked interested.

    ��Right now, you haven��t compressed your magic yet. You can feel the raw particles of life magic around you right?�� Carter asked.

    ��Yes. I can feel it from the air and all the life forms in the city. It''s the magic I can use.�� I said.

    ��Those particles are raw magic. Most magicians and commoners use them and only them for magic. Even some mages use them in their original form. That is the wrong way to use magic. Raw magic first needs to be refined and thoroughly purified for it to be used. First these raw particles are to be taken into your magic orb, then Purified through a process called Purification. After that magic can be compressed. All compressed magic once used is ten times stronger than raw magic.�� Carter explained.

    ��So, in the end I still need to create sections in my magic orb.�� I said rolling my eyes. This guy, after explaining all this and we are still stick back to square one.

    ��Yes, that is basic magic, but as you don''t have the proficiency to compress or purify magic I can help you with that.�� He said placing his paw over my right palm.

    An ancient rune appeared. The moment it appeared, I could feel the magic inside my life orb reacting. Soon all the life particles hurried through my veins and passed through the rune on my palm. Then returned to my life orb. I felt flabbergasted. What just happened?

    ��What is this thing�� I said waving my palm. It just did something to the life particles inside my life orb.

    ��This my boy is a compression, refining and purifying rune. It��s called the Nei. It��s very ancient, we dragons use it for training newborn dragons who can��t control their magic well. You can use it to purify, refine and compress magic. It works just like the method I mentioned before. But it does have its limits. It can��t store magic, but the compressed magic can be stored inside your life orb.�� He explained.

    ��Really" I said. "How do I use it?�� I asked even though it seems to have already activated by itself already.

    ��Very simple, guide the raw magic particles into the rune. Then it will simply refine, purify and compress your magic. Then simply just store them away. Oh yeah it would be better if you create a magic link between your orb and the Nei." He said.

    ��How do I make a magic link?�� I asked unsure what to do.

    Carter grunted in disbelief. ��Wow you really don��t know anything.�� He complained.

    I rolled my eyes at him. ��If I knew what to do. Would I be asking you?�� This really exhaust my patience.

    Carter took in a deep breath. ��Okay, a link can be formed through connecting raw magic together and then using the runes for enhancing and tubing. I know you probably don��t know this either. Here.�� He said drawing the runes in the air.

    The runes were simple runes. I actually used them before. They were the connection runes used to join the runes together in a chain. ��Oh, I know these runes. I didn��t know that they can be used to form a magic link.�� I said. Drawing in raw life magic particles. The particles grouped together into a long line forming a connection between my life orb and the Nei. As the two started to piece together, I imprinted the connection runes on the surface of the life magic particles. The moment the rune was finished, the particles bubbled and started to merge with each other. Soon it became a tiny thread that connected the life orb and the Nei together.

    ��It��s done.�� I said excitedly.

    ��Good. Now draw the life particles into the Nei.�� Carter suggested.

    I did what he told me. Life particles slowly drifted into the Nei. As soon as the life particles went into the Nei, I felt a cool sensation. I looked inside my self with my magic senses. I saw little strings of thread flowing through the connection thread and into my life orb. As it reached my life orb the thread curled up and started to twine together. As more and more thread came into my life orb. The original balls of thread shrunk down allowing more thread in.

    ��So, this is refined and purified magic.�� I said summoning a piece of threaded magic out.

    ��Yes. For the purpose of magic vines. That piece is enough.�� Carter said.

    ��What, this small amount. How is this enough to perform magic�� I asked not believing him.

    ��It��s enough. Now use this rune.�� He started drawing another rune into the air.

    I followed him and used the small thread to draw the rune. The moment I started to use the thread I felt the thread bending to my every will without me even lifting my finger. It shaped itself into the rune with just my thought alone. When the thread formed into the rune. Smooth rays of magic flowed down into the rubles. Suddenly beams started giving way and an entrance formed from the rubles.

    ��This���� I said disbelieving how easy it was. I didn��t even need to do anything. The magic just followed my thoughts. I wanted to clear a path into the cellar and it did. This was amazing.

    ��Yeah that is the difference between purified magic verses raw magic. Completely different levels of control.�� He said flying down the entrance toward the cellar door. I followed.

    At the bottom, the cellar door stood roughed up, but otherwise unharmed. I knelt down placing a key into the lock and pulled the door up, opening the cellar door. It creaked, and dust floated upwards. I coughed. Carter zoomed through the door and down into the cellar. I promptly followed.

    The cellar was where master''s secret room was. It was a place I rarely visited but master kept some very important herbs down there. Masters potions room was also down there. I had only ever been in this place once. As I walked down the dark stairs of the cellar I wondered if master had time to take his items from the cellar. There weren��t any herbs in his bag. Just some simple necessities. It was clear master too was caught by surprise this time. Usually when we leave a place. Master would always be prepared, even if we were to be chased out. But this time was different.

    ��It��s so dark down here. Don��t you have a flint or something�� asked Carter flying back toward me, landing on my shoulder.

    I thought for a second. Then felt around until I found a table located on the left side of the cellar. Rummaging across the surface of the table I found the flint jar. Opening up the jar I broke the flint in half and a fire ignited. I shone the flint up looking around the room. It was a mess, books scattered everywhere. Dishes shattered on the ground. But the room was still intact. That was good. It meant perhaps masters things still could be recovered.

    ��So why are we here?" asked Carter.

    ��I wanted to see if Master left anything behind.�� I said. Looking around the room.

    ��Your master? Was he your magic teacher? If so, I don��t think he did a very good job.�� He said clawing at his ear.

    ��No, he was my healer teacher. He never really taught me magic. Well not the kind you know anyways.�� I said remembering master stern words when I first started learning potions mastery. He was a strict teacher. But he really never taught me magic, at least not the basic type anyways. He had taught me the Divine Arts disguised as the healing arts. I sighed, master really had me fooled.

    ��What did he teach you then?�� asked Carter flying away to play with a broken vase.

    ��Healing Arts�� I answered.

    ��Oh, so your master was a healer. Not a bad profession, but how did you come across a copy of the Sacris Magicae?�� he asked running his claws through the vase.

    ��Master passed it on to me�� I said without thinking. I was at the door. I took in a deep breath and pushed the door open.

    ��He gave you what?�� Carter yelled.

    ��He passed on the Divine book to me�� I said. The room was a mess too. Herbs were all over the floor. I picked up some rare Thicknesse stems and Succubus flowers. Then some Wyvern grass. These were all useful herbs that can be used to heal different illnesses. As I collected more and more herbs soon my hands were full. I wanted to put them into the cauldron but wasn��t sure if they would all fit. I summoned the cauldron and it landed in the middle of the room.

    ��Your master had the Sacris Magicae and he passed it onto you?�� Carter asked again still stuck on the question.

    ��Yes, I��ll tell you about it later.�� I said walking up to the cauldron.

    ��Wait I want you to tell me now�� Carter said flying up to the cauldron. The instant he got near the cauldron he hissed and fell back hiding behind me. ��What is that?!�� he hissed.

    ��My cauldron�� I said looking at him weirdly. Has he never seen a cauldron?

    ��That�� that is not a normal cauldron�� he whispered under his breath.

    ��Yeah I know. It��s a medium." I said. Trying to put some herbs into the cauldron. But as soon as I placed them into the cauldron the herbs dissolved.

    ��What the.�� I shouted, quickly dropping the herbs on the floor and tried to catch the liquefied herbs before they touched the book of Divine. But it was not needed. The herbs floated in the middle of the cauldron, not even touching the book or the contents at the bottom. ��This is strange.�� I said reaching in to touch the liquefied herbs. It was cool and sticky. What just happened?

    ��This has never happened before.�� I said confused and mystified. I had used the cauldron many times before, it never did this before.

    ��That is no mere medium�� Carter said. ��Don��t put any thing with life energy in there. Or else they would all be turned to liquid and be made into potions.�� Carter said keeping his distance from the thing.

    ��What do you mean?" I asked confused. What is going on now?

    ��That cauldron, if I��m not mistaken is the alchemist Cauldron. An ancient spirit ware from the age of great magic�� Carter said.

    ��What time period is that?��

    ��The time of great magic falls back to after the dawn of time, when all things were created. When the Gods created the world. They left the ancient races relics created by them. There are thousands of these items, but no one has ever been able to make these items. The closest people got was creating mediums. But mediums can��t even compare to these relics. Through time these relics became lost as the ancient worlds changed. Most of these relics are thought to be sealed away after the fall of the time of great magic.�� He explained.

    "We dragons owned quite a few of these relics during our time. But during the fall of our race, these items were lost once again." He said sadly.

    ��It seems history keeps repeating itself.�� I said.

    "It does, doesn''t it? Kingdoms fall. That is a fact. No kingdom can last forever. No race can either. You humans may also one day face the end" he said sadly.

    I ignored his words. I did not want to think about the human race falling. "What happened to the dragons anyways. The Book of Divine doesn''t have records of what happened" I asked.

    "I don''t want to mention it. Maybe one day" he said. looking at the cauldron he sighed. ��This alchemist cauldron is a perfect protector for the book. I see why your master passed it onto you. If you ever find it impossible to pass the book on. Then seal the book inside the cauldron. It will keep all life away. I don��t know why no one has done that yet.�� He said eyeing the cauldron warily.

    ��How do you do that?�� I asked.

    ��Simple,�� he started to say. ��Wait the cauldron is not whole. It is sealed somehow. With a very powerful seal. I see.�� He said. ��So that��s why your master can��t seal the book inside.�� He said.

    ��What. What did you discover?�� I asked confused. Why was the cauldron suddenly something far greater than a medium. Mediums were rare enough already. Spirit ware? I''ve never even once heard of such a thing.

    ��The cauldron is not at its full power. You see these seven spots.�� He pointed to the seven dents on the side of the cauldron. .

    ��Yes�� I nodded looking at the dents. They did seem to have once held something.

    ��There use to be seven gems here. Those gems represented the cauldron spirit. With it the cauldron can think and even manifest itself. But without it the spirit is lost. Without its spirit it��s full power cannot be used. So sealing it is not possible. It also seems that it has not been truly used as an alchemist cauldron for tens of thousands of years. I don��t think your master or the ones that had it before really knew what they had.�� Carter said. ��What do you guys use this thing for?�� he asked.

    ��It��s our potions cauldron�� I answered.

    Carter��s jaw dropped. ��That��s all you use it for?�� he asked in disbelief.

    I nodded my head. Of course, that��s what we use it for. What else would we use it for. Was it really as special as he described? I looked at the old thing. I felt my connection with it, but it still felt like the cauldron can only be used as a storage device and as a cauldron.

    ��This is the alchemist cauldron. Using it for simple potions is like using a fork to eat soup. It can be done but not at all effective at all.�� He said a gleam in his eyes growing. ��This ancient relic can be used to make elixirs, forge magical weapons, make dimensional rings, create mediums, combine elements together, the works. This is a gold mine and you just use it for making simple everyday potions�� he shouted in outrage.

    I scratched my head, that was quite the list. Was this cauldron really that special? Did the master really not know any of this? I wasn��t sure. He kept to many secrets from me. I could not tell anymore.

    ��Never mind that, if I can��t put the herbs inside the cauldron. How am I supposed to get them out of here? There is a lot of them.�� I said worried about the herbs. I was still a healer first. Herbs were my life.

    ��Is this even a question.�� Said Carter rolling his eyes. He flew over to a corner of the room where an old ring laid buried in Yukon Mushrooms. He blew a breath and the Mushrooms flew away. The ring shimmered in the dark. ��This here is a dimensional ring. Not a very good one but should suffice with your needs for now.�� He said lifting the ring up with his wind magic and placing it in my hand.

    ��This ring�� I croaked, tears welling up in my eyes again. I remembered this ring. Master usually wears it on his right-hand ring finger. So that night, he did not have it with him. I thought it had perished with him. But it was here. A tear ran down my cheeks.

    ��You are so sentimental.�� Carter teased. ��It��s just a dimensional ring. A very low grade. No, below low-grade level dimensional ring. It can��t store to much stuff.�� He sighed disappointed.

    I wiped away my tears. ��It��s my masters ring. It��s precious to me.�� I sniffed. ��Wait what did you say this was?�� I asked.

    ��It��s a below low grade dimensional ring�� he said.

    ��A dimensional ring?�� I gasped. Those were things of legend. No one I��ve ever seen, not even the riches of people have these things. It was said to be a very rare kind of medium.

    ��Don��t get to excited about it. That thing is beyond low grade. It can maybe store all these herbs with a little more room left. Possibly for a few more items. Nothing more really.�� He said.

    I was excited. That��s a lot of storage compacted into a small thing like this already. ��How do I use it?�� I asked excited. This was even better than finding out the cauldron was magic.

    ��That��s easy. Put a speck of magic into the center there�� he pointed at a rune etched in the center of the ring. ��Any magic will do. Don��t waste purified magic. Raw magic will do.�� He said yawning.

    I snatched a magical particle from the air and forced it into the ring. The moment the magic touched the ring. It glowed and a picture of the inside of the ring showed up inside my head. I was so surprised at what I saw. Inside the ring was a closet size space. It was filled with gems and metals of all sorts. It also had a lot of coins and I mean a lot. So that��s where master stores his coins. No wonder he never needed to worry about money. He had a hell lot of platinum coins, gold coins and silver coins. There were a few pieces of copper coins too. I guess he did not need to much copper coins. Copper coins was worth way less than silver coins. 100 copper coins makes one silver coin. While 100 silver coins make one gold coin and 100 gold coins make 1 platinum coin. I took in a breath of stale air trying to calm myself, instead I made myself cough.

    ��The ring is already full�� I said dejected and happy at the same time. I was happy I suddenly came across so much money, but I was sad because I couldn��t take the herbs with me.

    ��Full, what with?�� asked Carter. I passed the ring over to him and he looked inside.

    ��Mother of dragon!" he shouted.

    ��Hey stop yelling.�� I yelled back at him. He was going make me death always screaming in my ear like that.

    ��Sorry, he said. But I am surprised at the gems and metals your master has collected. That black metal in there is boron steel, a very rare kind of metal. If mixed properly with that red metal which is called blood copper can make a very strong weapon. If you add those gems in and you can create a magic sword that is at least a medium, maybe even high grade magic item. Your master has some good stuff. Wait, is that Star Titanium? Wow with that we can upgrade this piece of trash of a dimensional ring.�� He said flying in a circle.

    ��Hey, this ring is very precious to me. Don��t call it names." I said sternly.

    ��Whatever�� said Carter dumping all the contents of the ring onto the ground.

    ��What are you doing.�� I said displeased. Why was he taking all the contents of the ring out. It��s not safe to have all that stiff out in public. Okay we were in the cellar of my collapsed clinic. No one could be down here except me and Carter. But I was still upset.

    ��I said you can upgrade this ring.�� He said pointing to the black metal on the ground. ��Hurry up if you want to take these herbs with you.�� He said.

    ��How?�� I asked. Taking the piece of metal and my masters ring into my hands. The moment the black metal got into my hands I almost dropped it because it was so heavy. For such a tiny thing, it was heavy as hell. It was just a little bigger than masters ring.

    ��Use the alchemist cauldron of course. Use these runes he drew a few complicated runes in the air.

    ��What? Will this harm masters ring?�� I asked worried. This was masters ring. I didn��t want to damage any of his things.

    Carter rolled his eyes. ��Of course not. It would only make it better. It would still be the same old ring, but the space inside would be far bigger.�� He said urging me to start.

    ��Ok, guide me through this process. I said.

    ��Of course�� he said.

 Chapter 9 - Memory

    Memory

    The upgrading of the ring was actually pretty simple. All I did was use runes he gave me and added the ring and metal into the cauldron at the right time. Then waited for the metal to forge into the ring. It was a little like casting potions. But a lot less complicated.

    "See it''s simple isn''t it. Didn''t I say you can do this with your eyes blindfolded." Carter laughed lifting the ring from the cauldron with his magic. He was no longer afraid of the cauldron. He discovered that the cauldron was not as dangerous as he had originally thought. He acclaimed it all to the cauldron being sealed and broken.

    "Yeah, it''s simple, but if I hadn''t cast potions before, I don''t think this would have gone so smoothly" I said taking the ring from him. I quickly inspected the ring. It looked exactly the same. It was black in color with a tiny rune inscribed in the center of the band. Pushing magic particles into the ring, I quickly found myself seeing the inside once again. The inside of the ring was no longer the size of a closet. It had grown to the size of the cellar room, which was a pretty decent size. I put all the coins into the ring sorting the different coins into different piles. Then I sorted the gems and metals into the ring. Next I started sorting the herbs and placed some racking into the ring. The racks from the cellar room were still perfectly good to use. It was just a little battered. The herbs all got sorted again. After finishing everything. I looked around the room for anything else the master may have left. But at last, there was nothing. I was about to leave when Carter pointed me toward a hole in the wall.

    "This here looks suspicious." He said pulling up to the wall.

    "What, it''s just a hole." I said inspecting the hole in the wall. It looked perfectly normal.

    "No this is a seal." He said. "Something is sealed inside."

    "Really" I said curious. What could be sealed inside. Did master seal something here?

    "This spell is very intricate. It almost looks like..." he said trailing off.

    "Looks like what" I asked, please finish your sentences Carter. I rolled my eyes.

    "It looks like scripture. The fourth set of spells in Sacris Magicae." he finally said after a few minutes of silence.

    I immediately examined the hole more closely. I still didn''t feel anything, but with the mention of scripture, I remember the final stage of casting potions into a pill. The technique scripture was used. So, could this really be the 4th set of magic in the Divine Arts? was this even possible?

    I took out a pen out from the masters pouch and started to draw the runes for scripture on the wall, in a circular manner. Soon, the runes for scripture encircled the hole.

    "This... this is scripture. So, you do know the spells of Sacris Magicae." Carter yelled out in excitement. His eyes glowing with wonder.

    "This is scripture, master did teach me these runes, but I''ve only ever used them for casting potions into pills. I don''t know how to activate these in the magical sense. Only in casting can I use them somehow." I said.

    "What type of nonsense is that! If you can use it in casting potions. You can use it in real life. What did your master teach you?" Carter said rolling his eyes in exasperation.

    "I really don''t know what to do. The swords of Solomon had to be etched in blood for it to work and I haven''t unlocked the other sets of the Divine Arts. So, I can''t use them." I explained. did you think if I could use them I would be telling you this? I thought in my head.

    "Okay, how do you use these runes for casting?" carter asked trying to point me in the right direction.

    " I place magic stone in these spots." I pointed to the runes with open circles. "Then I inscribed casting runes in them and scripture just starts working." I said.

    "Mother of dragons. You are so dimwitted." Carter cursed.

    "What, why am I dimwitted" I refuted. I was not dimwitted. If i had to describe myself. I would call my self smart, intelligent and charming. dimwitted was not in my dictionary.

    "Okay, so you draw these casting runes in these spots with magic stones, right?" he repeated my words.

    "Yes" I agreed. That''s what I said.

    "Well isn''t it obvious" he said tilting his head.

    "What, what''s obvious." I said looking at him. He was not making sense.

    He took in a deep breath. "You can replace the magic stones with real magic and this problem should be solved. Oh lord, how did you ever survive in this world?" He said clasping his claws over his eyes to cover his embarrassment in knowing me.

    A barrier in my head suddenly broke and I collapsed.

    "Hey! What''s wrong...!" Yelled Carter in the distance as I lost myself to blackness.

    ............................

    Flashes of memory started to flood into my head. My master sitting on the ground teaching the 7-year-old me the concepts of casting and the runes involved.

    He drilled the runes into my head until I Memorized every last one of them. "Logan with these stones, magic will be infused into the runes and a chain can be formed. That way scripture will commence." He explained.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    "Why don''t we just draw these casting runes into the circles, then place the magic stones on top. Isn''t that the same?" I asked not understanding why we had to carve the runes into the stone. Magic stone could be used by simply placing them on top of runes. That was basic knowledge. Why go through the hassle of drawing on them? Wasn''t that a waste of time and effort?

    Master Kohl laughed. "That is true, but if you actually drew the rune into the circle, the spell would be complete. Also, if scripture was active before the the start of casting. It would be to powerful for you to handle. You are not ready for that yet. Maybe someday. He said drawing the runes into the circle and chanting under his breath.

    The next moment I found myself collapsed and unconscious as a blinding light shot into my head. When I woke, I had forgotten the previous incident and I no longer questioned the method master taught me.

    "Logan, just remember this moment in the future and know that this was all done to protect you before you are ready" master said his eyes full of worry.

    I looked up at him confused but nodded nevertheless.

    ..................................

    "Logan what the heck is wrong with you?" shouted Carter. "Hey, you still haven''t helped me to be reborn yet. You can''t die!" he shouted into my ear.

    "For God''s sake stop yelling into my ears" I groaned out loud. I blinked and shook my head to release the pressure building in my ears. I then sat up and looked over at the hole.

    "Oh, you''re okay. Good. Why did you suddenly faint?" Carter asked worriedly. He dashed around me trying to see if I was hurt anywhere.

    I rubbed my temple, it still hurt. But I knew why I had fainted. Master had yet again sealed some parts of my memory and the seal had broken just now. So, the sudden flooding back of my old memory caused me to black out. My God. how many times did master seal my memory. First it was my past which is still very foggy. Now even some of the times I''d spent with master was sealed. This was getting to be very stressful. "Master why did you do these things? I would think I would have understood these things if you''d explained it to me." I mumbled to myself.

    "What? What did your master do?" Carter asked curious. I explained my memory and master''s seal to him.

    "Oh, that makes sense" he said stopping in front of my face.

    "What? What makes sense?" I asked more confused then ever.

    "Your master sealed these memories so that you would be able to remember them at important times. These are his final lessons to you. If he hadn''t sealed them, you would have forgotten them with the passage of time. Sealing them ensures you can receive them when you need them." He explained.

    I took in his words. Was this really why master had done it? Was he planning to give me lessons even after his death? Does that mean there could be more times like this in the future? Master could pop up in my head again and again teaching me things I did not know. Master you knew you would leave your burdens to me someday, so you planned ahead to leave me these final messages? Was this your plan from the beginning?

    A tear formed in my eyes. I quickly wiped it away. I shouldn''t cry no more. Master had entrusted me with the mission of protecting the Divine Arts and I should do it. I need to grow stronger. The enemy whoever they are, will come find me someday. I needed to be prepared.

    I stood up and looked at the hole in the wall. Picking up the pen, I drew in the casting rune into the circles. The moment the runes finished being inked. Scripture started to glow. Slowly old runes that was once drawn on the wall started to resonate with the scripture that I drew. One by one, the runes started to unravel.

    "Wow, so that''s how you unseal scripture." Carter whistled.

    When the final rune disappeared, a black wooden box floated out of the hole in the wall. I caught the box as it started to fall to the ground.

    I examined the box. A single rune I did not recognize was carved on top of the box. The box was otherwise plain. It was locked with an iron black lock. I fiddled with the lock, but it was very strong. I tried using some of my magic on it, but the box seemed to be immune to my magic.

    "There is another kind of spell binding this box." Said carter. "looks to be a different type of magic. I''m not sure what it could be though." Carter said. He turned to me and said. "it seems your master knew more magic then he let on." He said.

    I nodded remembering masters battle with the mage. He did know all the first spells of the 9 sets of the divine Arts.

    "So, what should we do with this box?" I asked holding up the box.

    "Not much we can do. You recognize this spell?" Carter asked.

    "Not really. This rune is not any of the runes master had taught me." I replied. It looked very odd.

    "Then you just have to hold onto it first. Place it in the ring, no put it in the cauldron. It could be important. Why don''t you tell me about your master? He doesn''t seem to be that normal after all." Carter asked.

    I took in a deep breath. "Alright" I said starting from the beginning. I explained how he found me and raised me. Then I explained his final night and his battle with the mage. I tensed up when I talked about his death.

    Carters ear raised when I finished. "That is certainly not a normal man." He said. "Your master can use 8 of the nine sets and even has resources that allows him to temporarily use the 1st spell in the 9th set. It''s amazing really. I understand you a little now too." He said keeping quiet for a few seconds. "I have decided. I will help you after all and sign an official contract with you." He declared.

    I rolled my eyes up. "Didn''t you already agree to this." I said reminding him that he already agreed to this before. Was this dragon right in the head.

    "I agreed before yes. But I did not wholeheartedly agree. This time, I actually wholehearted agree. You may be a crybaby and a cheating bastard, but I like you. So, we can be partners from now on. We can explore the world together and maybe discover who you were before you met your master. Maybe discover some of your master''s secrets while we''re at it too." He said floating above my head.

    I chuckled haphazardly. "So, all in all, you''re just interested in my master." I said.

    "No, I am interested in you to." He said dropping onto my shoulder.

    "Whatever. Okay let''s go. I don''t want we stay in town for to long. I have a bad feeling about this" I said walking away.

    "Wait, I thought you wanted to make a contract with me" he said flying after me.

    "oh, please, you just want to see the Divine Arts." I said rolling my eyes.

    "Come on. It''s not a bad deal. You gain my powers and I learn the ancient dragon''s arts. If I learn them, I can awaken my inheritance from the dragon God''s. If that happens, you can use those powers to. It''s really working in your favor." He said sugaring up to me.

    "Oh please" I said walking up the stairs.

    When we finally arrived back on the surface I peaked out first. It was already dark. Oh great, another day spent. Days were starting to pass by so fast.

    When I found no one around, I quickly came out from the debris. I was feeling really hungry. I was about to take out master''s water bottle when I smelled this really good food smell.

    I followed the smell all the way to an old worn-down theater on the other side of town. I was surprised this placed wasn''t burnt down like the rest of the town. It was pretty worn. A slight fire should have destroyed it.

 Chapter 10 - Encounter

    Encounter

    "Hey Logan, why did you come here?�� asked Carter. He was still sitting snugly on my shoulder. He was only a spirit, so he weighed nothing, but still I don��t like having someone talking directly into my ear.

    ��Carter please don��t speak right into my ear.�� I told him sternly. It was irritating to have to tell him a second time.

    ��Hey, would you prefer me to speak on your other shoulder�� he said flapping his wings ready to glide over to my other shoulder.

    ��No�� I said, my head hurt from talking to this dragon. My stomach growled.

    ��Then where would you like me to sit. Your shoulders very comfy. It��s tiring flying all the time.�� He complained, folding up his wings.

    I glared at him ��Do whatever you like" I really did not care anymore. "But please speak in a lower tone. I don��t like hearing you shouting all the time. I don��t want to go death. I��m still very young you know. I have a long life to spend and I would like to hear properly for the rest of it.��

    ��Okay, okay�� he whispered. ��Is this low enough?�� his voice lowered to mice''s frequency.

    ��Perhaps�� I said, this could work.

    ��Okay, you never answered my question. Why are you here?�� he asked his tone back to normal.

    I rolled my eyes. This dragon never learns, but I did not complain about it anymore. My stomach was growling like no tomorrow. My attention was elsewhere. Why was I so hungry?

    ��I��m��. I��m hungry�� I said. When those words came out of my mouth I found out how ridiculous that sounded. Yes, I was extremely hungry. But I could have just gone and cooked something myself. I shouldn��t have followed the smell halfway across the city. Then it hit me, the smell. There was something weird about it. Before I smelled the aroma, my stomach was fine. But, after I smelled it. It started to growl uncontrollably. Could this be some sort of trap?

    The moment that thought popped into my head, I started to back away.

    ��Hey, where are you going?�� asked a familiar voice from behind the theater doors.

    I stopped. The voice sounded familiar. I''d heard this voice before. I turned and saw a girl with golden blond hair leaning against the doorway. Her multicoloured dress shimmered under the moonlight. It was Maria. The girl I had encountered the morning after masters'' death. What was she doing here?

    ��You, why are you here?�� I asked pointing my finger at her, bewilderment growing over my face.

    ��Master Grace told you we would meet again, didn��t she? So here I am�� she giggled, her voice echoing into the night.

    "It��s good bye time again.�� I said quickly, backing away.

    She grabbed my arm and wrenched me back. She had a firm grip. I tried to wrestle my arm free, but she was not letting go. She was strong. Stronger than I could imagined.

    ��For goodness sake. Don��t run away so quickly. You should hear me out. Come inside and have a cup of tea. I��ve prepared food. You look hungry" she smiled, her face lighting up under the moonlight.

    I looked at her ��That aroma was your doing?�� I accused. It had to be her. Was she some kind of mage to? I wanted to walk away.

    ��Yes, I knew it would attract you. Spending that much time in the wild. You must be really yearning for a good home cooked meal.�� She said taking us into the theater.

    ��How did you know I was back in town?�� I asked finally letting her pull me along without resistance.

    The Theater looked newer inside than out. Streak ornaments decorated the halls leading to the auditorium where the Theater''s main attraction, the stage stood. We walked pass the great doors leading into the auditorium. Turning a corner, we stopped at the end of the hall by a black door. Maria pushed the door open and pulled me inside.

    Through the door we entered a small room. A lounge sofa stood leveled with the wall. A few other small lounge chairs laid around a small glass tea table sitting by a fireplace. On the other side of the room, a big wooden table surrounded by ten black chairs stood beneath a painting of a great mountain. Hot dishes of all kind laid in the center of the table. Maria released me and sat down in one of the black chairs. She pointed for me to sit next to her. I chose to sit across from her. She did not say anything.

    ��You never answered my question.�� I said, my mouth watering from all the food on the table. There was a roasted turkey on a silver plater, mashed potatoes in a big bowl, fried rice in a deep dish, stir fried vegetables in a glass plate and a big bowl of ginseng soup heating under a magic stone. My stomach growled in complaint. I pushed my stomach in, trying to take control of it. It needed to stop.

    ��Please help yourself to the food�� Maria said pouring hot tea into a cup.

    I hesitated. My stomach kept growling. I cursed it for acting up like this. This was embarrassing. The food on the table did look really tasty. No, I shook my head. I could not give in to my urges.

    ��Just eat. I��m not going to poison you�� she giggled drinking from her cup. She watched me with her deep hazel eyes.

    ��Yes, these things do look very tasty. I wish I could eat, sadly I��m only a spirit.�� complained Carter. His mouth was watering. Spirit saliva dripped onto my shoulders.

    Carter��s saliva looked nasty. I jerked, knocking the tea over. It spilled all over my pants. It was hot. I felt the heat seeping into my thighs. Great, talk about embarrassment. This takes the cake.

    ��Are you okay?�� Maria asked picking up a towel from the table. She attempted to help wipe at a spot near my groin. I jumped away from her. That was no place for a lady to touch.

    ��I can do it myself�� I said taking the cloth from her. I dabbled at the wet patch on my pants. It was not helping. The heat was still seeping through and the pants were completely soaked.

    ��You don��t have to be shy.�� She giggled. Walking over to a closet, she took out a pair of new pants and a shirt. ��Here, change into this. You look like a hobo in those clothes. How many days have been in those?�� She asked holding her nose.

    My face reddened from embarrassment. I had been in these clothes for several days. Plus, I haven''t washed up for days either. I must smell really bad. I took the clothes. ��Where can I change.�� I asked trying to save my self from death due to embarrassment.

    ��In here�� she pointed to a white door located inside the closet. ��You can wash up while you��re at it.�� She said handing me a towel to. Her eyes gleaming with mischief.

    ��Thank you�� I said taking the towel. Maria was not acting the same as before, she seemed different. I went through the door. The room behind the door was a washing room. A large tube stood in the center of the room. A large mirror stretched across the four walls, filling up the entire room. I saw myself for the first time in days. I was dirty, dirty beyond belief. My clothes were all tattered. There was dirt everywhere. Even my face was darkened by all the dirt.

    My jaw dropped. How did I get so dirty? I''d actually walked through town like this. This was so embarrassing. ��Carter why didn��t you tell me I was this dirty!�� I shouted at him. This dragon could have warned me.

    Carter did a circled around me. ��You look fine. This is the way I found you. You look no different from before.�� He said calmly.

    I glared at him. Dragons what do they know? He clearly was wrong in the head. ��Whatever, I need to get cleaned up.�� I filled the bath with the touch of the water and fire stone located by the side of the tub. Water quickly filled the bath. I undressed and stepped into the warm water. The temperature was just right.

    ��So, that��s what that thing looks like on a human.�� Carter said examining my private area.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ��Would you mine!" I shouted covering it up. This perverted dragon. "I would like some privacy here!��

    ��Oh please, you��re a human I have no interest in you in that way at all.�� He said.

    I rolled my eyes and splashed water at him. ��Go back into your heart! I don��t want to hear or see you right now!�� I shouted. The water did not affect him one bit. It just passed through him and landed on the floor.

    ��Okay, I��ll stop joking. Who is that girl? She seems to have a thing for you�� he teased.

    ��She does not. I don��t know really. She claims to be some kind of Oracle. She and her master found me the morning after the incident.�� I said avoiding the mentioning of master. I didn��t want to cry again.

    ��Oracle?�� he said landing on the edge of the tub. ��That��s interesting. I have not seen a real one for a long time. You know there use to be a clan of Oracle��s and Seers when we dragons roamed the world. They were a bunch of stuck up fools. But like my race they too perished. If she is an oracle, she must have a bit of the old blood in her. I guess that��s why I feel a little connection with her�� he said.

    ��You really think she��s an oracle?" I asked rubbing grime off my legs. They were so dirty.

    ��Not to sure, but I do feel an odd sensation coming from her. By the way, the food is fine. There is most likely no poison in them. Why don��t you just eat it? Its not like it can do you any harm. If I could eat it, I wouldn''t hesitate" he said once again his mouth watering. I splashed water on him again.

    ��I don��t like to eat food offered by strangers.�� I said putting shampoo on my hair.

    ��If she is an oracle. She probably knows a fare bit about you already. She has touched you more than once�� Carter grinned, his sharp jagged teeth shinning under the pale light.

    ��What!?" I shouted lifting my head, shampoo bubbles and water spraying everywhere.

    ��Oracle��s can predict and read the past through skin to skin contact." Carter said like it was an everyday occurrence.

    ��You mean, she can see everything from my past and future through touch" I swallowed hard, sinking into the waters.

    Carter shook his head. ��No, not everything. They aren��t Fate after all. They can glimpse minor things and occasionally important things, but they can��t control what they see as much as what they can��t see. It��s all up to chance. But she probably can see a fair bit about you. As for the Sacris Magicae probably not. Her powers, if she has them, cannot penetrate the secrets of anything that powerful. Although, what you have is not the real thing, but I still doubt it. Of course, future events are exempt if they involve her.�� He explained.

    "Oh�� I said remembering the vision I had when we touched that morning. She was in the vision. So, that really was a prediction of the future. If it was true? Did this mean the demons will eventually get their hands on the book someday? That is bad, really bad.

    "About the visions of the future? Is it already predetermined those events will happen?�� I asked nervously.

    ��Of course not. Nothing is predetermined for say. The future is yet to be completely determined. But, a single result from the present can change the future. Also, some events can be more likely to happen. For example; you are meant to die at a certain point. There could be many paths that can lead to that certain death. But, there could also be paths that can prevent it. There is more likely for one that has more paths to occur�� he explained.

    ��Oh, I see,�� I said. I lifted myself out of the waters. Taking the towel from before, I patted myself dry. I looked at myself in the mirror. My rough brown hair was darker under the coating of water. My ambient blue eyes looked less innocent. My body was still not very broad, but it was very fit. I stood at a height of 6 feet. A fairly good height for men my age. I took the new clothes and put them on. They fit perfectly. Why did she have men''s clothes though? I shook the thought away.

    Using the towel, I patted my hair dry then walked out of the room. Maria was sipping tea by the table, her expression gentle and calm. I could not beat the feeling that she was someone else instead of the girl I met the other day. I know we had only brushed against each other that day, but she still felt odd. I walked up to her and sat down across from her.

    She gave me a smile. ��Well don��t you look handsome.�� she commented. ��You look much better cleaned up. Now, will you have some food?�� she asked pushing the plates of food toward me.

    I took the plate and started eating. The food was good, much better than my own food. The turkey was cooked to perfection. The rice was super. Maria did not disturb me while I ate. When I finally finished eating, my stomach was bulged into a giant balloon. This was the biggest meal I had in years.

    Maria held her hands on her chin and leaned on the table starring at me. ��I don��t think we��ve really been properly introduced before. Last time, I told you my name, but I still don''t know yours." she said her voice teasing.

    ��My names Logan�� I replied taking a sip from the tea. I really shouldn''t drink it, but tea is known to help with over eating.

    ��Logan" she mouthed the name. "Such a nice name. What do you do for a living?�� she asked.

    ��I��m a healer. Shouldn��t you know this already? You did claim to be an oracle.�� I said eyeing her weirdly.

    She laughed. ��Oracle��s don��t know everything you know. Small things don��t come through to us. I��m an oracle in training, remember? My full powers have not been unlocked yet. I can only see glimpses of things. Like for example. I can see a vision of a boy hanging over a cliff when ever we touch. That must be a vision of your past. It looked scary�� She commented.

    I coughed when she mentioned the vision of a boy dangling from a cliff. That was the one memory that came back to me after master Kohl��s death.

    "I also see something about a pedant. But its very foggy. It could be your past or your future." She added.

    A pendant? Did she mean the cauldron? I could not be sure if that was what she saw. It could mean something else. A faint vision of a pendamnt also hung in my faded memories.

    "The only other vision I have of you is the vision from last time," she finished.

    For a second, I thought I saw something light up in her eyes. But it was gone in a blink of an eye. I couldn''t tell if it was just my imagination or not. It was a feeling I could not describe. It just appeared and disappeared like a blink. I could not hold it long enough to tell what it was.

    She tilted her head, ��Logan I know I don��t come off as very mature last time we met, but please be assured, I am very much so. Doesn��t my actions today prove it?�� she said pouring us more tea. The steam from the tea faded into the air.

    I straightened my self. She was different. Last time, she felt like a girl who was youthful and immature. Now, she felt like an woman who was a seductress and have had many years of perfecting her art.

    ��Maria why did you bring me here? Don��t deny it. I know you did it. That aroma had to be magic. It couldn��t have traveled that far otherwise. Plus, there must be some sort of attraction spell involved. Speaking of last time, why isn��t your master with you?�� I asked searching the room, expecting that older lady Grace to pop out at any moment.

    Maria sighed and leaned back on her chair ��Master Grace had some business she had to attend to. She will meet up with us later.�� She said sipping more tea.

    ��What do you mean meet up? I never said I would stay here with you girls." I said getting a little suspicious. What were they getting at? I was not going to trust them. I just couldn''t, not with the duty master left me.

    ��Logan, do you know how much danger you are in? Just by you coming back into town today has already put you in great danger. I don��t know what it is about you that they want. But if they are involved, then you are in grave peril. Although neither master Grace nor I can see your future well, we do both agree you have something that is very important to the future of the world.�� she said seriously, her voice changing back to a stern and steady tone.

    I was starting to get very uncomfortable. She was stepping to close to the truth. Wait, who are these ''they'' that was after me? Could they be the same group of people that was after Master Kohl? I had to find out. ��Whose been looking for me?�� I asked studying her closely.

    Maria''s eyes changed, her eyes seemed to pierce right through my heart. It was like she could see my very soul. What was this vibe? She was scaring me. She was definitely not the same Maria I had met before. Could she possibly be someone else? She looked the same. Even her life energy felt the same. But why did I feel this way?

    ��The people I am referring to is a group of cloaked men. I��m not sure who they are. But they came to town looking for you and your master. They were asking everyone in town. I happened upon them when they came over here. I knew what they were the moment I saw them, and if they are looking for you. Then you are in great danger.�� She warned, her hand started taping on the table.

    ��What are they?�� I asked feeling I knew the answer. Could they be the fire mages acquaintances? If they were, then that would make them mages. If it was a bunch of mages, then did I even stand a chance? I had only started to learn magic. I couldn��t possibly fight with a bunch of mages.

    ��I think you know who they are. I can see it in your eyes. These people are mages�� She announced, her gaze penetrating.

    I stood knocking over the chair. ��I think I better go." I said out loud.

    Maria chuckled. ��Logan you have no where else to go. If you leave now, then they will find you. I��m sure they have already found out about your arrival in town. They would surely have already blocked off all exits out of town. You are better off here with me.�� She persuaded, her hands stopped tapping.

    ��I think I can take care of myself.�� I said leaving the table. She had no right to keep me here. I needed to get out of town fast. Maybe I could do it before they have the town blocked. Coming here was a waste of time. Not only did she not help at all, now I was in more trouble than ever.

    ��Logan I can help you get out of town�� She said standing up.

    I stopped. ��I can do it myself�� I said. I wanted to trust her, but my heart told me not to.

    ��Alright, do whatever, but know this. They are a bunch of mages. Although you seem to be one too. I have to say, you still stand no chance against them.�� She said coldly. Her stare turned cold as ice.

    I shivered from her stare, ��How do you know that I��m a mage?�� I asked, backing away.

    She giggled. ��Have you forgotten what I am." she paused and picked up her cup from the table and swirled the tea around. ��I am an Oracle. We can see magic to. We may use a different set of magic then mages, but we are also very much magic beings. I can tell if someone is magic or not just by looking at them. Touch helps a lot to.�� She smirked looking at me.

    ��Can other mages tell too?�� I asked, my voice growing unsteady. If all mages also had this ability. Where could he even run to? There was no where he could hide.

    ��No, this is an Oracle power alone. Of course, some mages may have other talents that can allow them to tell. Can��t really say for sure.�� She said shrugging her shoulders. She sat back on her chair and crossed her legs.

    ��Thank you�� I said leaving the room. That information was helpful. But her stare and that aura around her felt so wrong. Were all oracles like this? If so, I did not want to be involved with any of them.

    ��Logan, come back here if you change your mind�� she yelled into the night.

    I''d already high tailed it out of there.

 Chapter 11 - Contract

    Contract

    ��Why did you not take her offer?�� asked Carter. We were stealthily walking through the city. Now that I knew they were here. I had to get away as fast as possible. I can��t stay here any longer. I needed to get stronger. Only when I am stronger will I be able to come after them. Right now, I would die with just a flicker of their fingers and I am not kidding. The mages had far greater powers than me.

    I ran pass the fallen city hall. ��Because, I don��t trust her�� I whispered under my breath. I wanted to use magic, but I didn��t know if using magic would attract them. Wait, I had an expert by my side. Why didn��t I just ask him? ��Carter, can mages sense when other mages use magic?�� I asked, hoping that they couldn��t. I couldn''t just trust Maria''s words alone.

    Carter laughed. ��Now you think of asking me? Didn''t you just ask that girl?" he said grinning, his fangs glowing under the moonlight.

    I gave him the wicked eye.

    He coughed "Only like mages can sense each other when using magic. For example, wind mages can sense wind mages and water mages can sense water mages etc.�� He explained.

    I was ecstatic, if this was true, perhaps I could use life magic. If I could use it and not be found out. I should be able to avoid them with the senses. I activated sense, so I could feel all life sparks around me. Then I activated Channel, increasing my abilities. The compressed magic inside my life orb started to stir. Magic threads flowed through my veins.

    Once my senses came into action. I could sense all the life sparks within a few miles radius. I felt the life spark of Maria in the distance. She was still sitting in the same room we were in earlier. But, something was not right about her. Her spark seemed to flicker from one color to another. It was like she had two souls. I knew something was wrong with her. So, she had two souls. But how was that possible?

    I put it in the back of my head. I had more pressing matters to attend to right now. Focusing my senses to the north, I sensed two unique sparks. These sparks were different from those of the normal folks that sparkled everywhere. They were directly standing in front of the north gate. One spark was blue and the other was red.

    ��Are life sparks colored? Is this affected by the magic they use?�� I asked. I''d never imagined that mage sparks could be so different from normal sparks. Normal sparks were all grey in color.

    ��How did you know that?�� asked Carter. He was surprised. ��Oh right, you are a life mage. That makes sense. You can sense life sparks. Yes, water mages will have a blueish life spark, while fire mages will be red, wind clear and earth green. Life mages are pure white. Normal people have grey hues as life sparks. That is how it works. But this knowledge has been lost for a long time. I don��t think you humans know of this any more. Luckily you are a life mage, that makes you an exception.�� He finished.

    I was nearing the spot where the two mages were. ��Carter do you think you can lead them away, so I could escape?�� I asked in anticipation.

    Carter frowned, ��Boss man, are kidding me?�� he said lifting his front claws up in protest.

    ��Why?�� I asked. He had performed some incredible wind magic back in the forest? Couldn��t he do the same here? This would be a synch for him if he could reveal his true form to these mages.

    ��I��m a spirit, boss man. I can��t do anything.�� He shouted pointing at his transparent self.

    ��But�� you did some incredible wind magic back in the forest.�� I complained.

    Carter chuckled. ��That was because you dropped blood on my dragon''s heart. I could perform magic only to those that has tainted my dragon''s heart. Sure, I can move minor things to, but its useless against these mages. Any other time I��m just a spirit. I can��t even leave your side for to long. That��s the bad part of being bound to my dragon''s heart. Of course, being dead has something to do with it to.�� He said sarcastically.

    ��Oh.�� I said. If Carter can��t do it, then what should I do? I was sure not going to out magic these fellas. Even master had resulted to using the final set of the Divine Arts, and that was beyond his abilities. I was only able to use the first sword of Solomon. I was no match for these two. What should I do? Did I really have to go back to Maria? No, I can��t. She isn''t right. She can''t be trusted.

    ��Carter isn��t there any other way?�� I asked, hoping for in to come up with something.

    ��Yes, but you won��t agree.�� He said.

    ��What is it?�� I asked, trying to think along his train of thought.

    ��Let me see the Sacris Magicae. If I could see the Holy Dragon''s breath. Maybe I could access ancient dragons magic and be able to affect reality, even though I am a spirit.�� He pleaded.

    ��That is impossible! Out of the question!�� I said sternly. There was no way I would allow that. Not just because the book was what those people were after, Carter still haven��t made a contract with me yet. How was I supposed to fully trust him? I needed the power of the contract to bind him.

    ��See, I told you. I guess we have to go back to the girl.�� He said digging his claws into my shoulder. I did not feel a thing.

    I thought on our dilemma. Was this really the only way? Could there be another way? Then the contract popped back into my mind. If I made a contract, then Carter wouldn''t be a problem no more. With the contract he should be able to affect reality.

    ��Carter can a contract be established without magic exposure?�� I asked. If no magic was exposed, then no one would feel us establishing the contract. Therefore, solving one of our problems.

    ��Possibly, but the contract would have to be done with equality or else magic from one side will over power the other, resulting in magic exposure. That��s why most contracts make so much ruckus when they are first made. It��s not easy to do. No one is willing to do equal partnership contracts. It puts the dominating side at an disadvantage.�� he said, his mouth forming into a frown.

    I thought for a second. This could be a possibility. ��Carter, if we do an equal partnership contract, will you be able to break it?�� I asked him.

    ��No. If we did one, especially under my circumstances, the contract is forever. Even if I was reincarnated. But I wouldn��t be your celestial beast, I would be your partner for real.�� He said not believing I would be willing to do such a thing.

    I thought hard. I couldn��t trust Carter because our link was still not strong enough. I was afraid he still could break our oath. But with a contract, even if it was an equal partnership contract, he would be bound to me for all lifetimes. If he betrayed me, I would be able to track him down, no matter where he hid. It even works after he reincarnates. Of course, if he betrays me, the oath also will activate, effectively sending him to purgatory. Purgatory is no la la land. Carter would not want to spend all of eternity being tortured there. I made up my mind. ��Carter let��s do it. But you can not betray me. Or else we can both travel to the great beyond together.�� I warned him fervently. My eyes stern and determined.

    Carter��s eye''s watered. ��You��re�� you''re willing to do an equal partnership contract? But�� but you just said you couldn��t trust me. Why?�� he asked wiping away his tears.

    ��Because I have no other choice. I��m placing a bet on you. I want to believe that you can be trusted. If you can do this properly. I will allow you to browse the Divine Arts. I really need someone on my side, Truly on my side. I hate being alone�� I said my throat blocking up. I can''t stand being like this anymore. Divine Arts or not, why did it have to be like this? I just wanted to live a normal life. Master you really passed on to me a great burden.

    Carter sniffed. ��Alright, you won��t regret this. From today onward. I Carter Dragongrave will become your loyal companion. As a loyal companion we can rely on each other.�� He said loudly. He offered his right claw out for a shake.

    ��Okay, let��s be friends.�� I agreed, shaking his claws. I hoped I was doing the right thing. I was giving up a very good chance to have dragon a servant. But instead, I was betting on this new friendship. Will this really work? Only the future will tell, but it is better to try then never to try at all. Having someone else to bare this burden with me is better than baring it alone.

    ��Let��s retract" said Carter. ��We are to close to the mages. Even if I had confidence in my abilities, I don��t want to be this close for comfort.�� He said flapping his wings and gliding into the air.

    I silently traced my steps backwards, making sure to monitor the mages and all the life sparks around me. I needed to be sure no one noticed us.

    We stopped by an abandoned warehouse. It was burnt, but the fire did not damage it to much. I cleared away the debris with the life vines Carter showed me before.

    When all was done, we sat in the middle of the warehouse facing each other. Carter had shown me what to draw by etching the runes in the air. I checked it with the information from the book and it was a complete match. Carter wasn��t lying.

    I quickly drew the runes and linked them into chains around in a circle. This was all done with a pen. Magic did not need to be involved until we activated the spell.

    ��Okay with this contract we will become equal partners. If you want to back out, I am willing to stop now.�� Carter said his voice unsteady.

    ��No, let��s do this." I said determinedly. There was no going back now. I needed this reassurance.

    ��Alright, place my dragon heart in this circle. Then release a drop of your blood into this circle.�� He instructed pointing to the circle opposite his.

    I did what he asked. ��Alright, we will begin now.�� Carter said. I nodded in agreement.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ��By the rights of the ancient contracts. I Carter Dragongrave today wishes to enter an equal partnership contract with Logan��. Wait, was is your last name?" he asked in the middle of the ritual.

    ��I don��t have one�� I replied. I really didn''t have one. Master never gave me a last name and I did not remember mine. So, I''d always just went with Logan, just Logan.

    ��Okay just Logan then.�� Carter said. ��We through blood and soul will from this day onwards, be bound under the fair-trade partnership contract." he said breathing wind into the ring of runes. He gestured for me to do the same. I forced life threads into the runes.

    The wind and life magic swirled around in the circle. It lit up every rune as it traveled around. The magic circle had one side filled with wind magic and the other side filled with life magic. When the two elements met at the center, they started to spin and began to mix together.

    It felt painful when our elements mixed. My heart started to hurt, and my head started to pulse. Carter told me to hold on. This was part of the spell. Our magic stayed around us. A magic shield blocked the magic from being exposed. This shield was created from equal amounts of our magic. It stayed equalized by being in perfect harmony with the two elements. We couldn��t add more or less to the shield or else magic would leak.

    Just as my heart was starting to drop into chaos, a silver light started to rise up from the circle. At first, the light spread everywhere. Then the light started to group together, and it collected into tiny silver particles. They looked just like raw magic. But, it couldn��t be. It was not any of the five elements. I looked over at Carter, he did not seem to notice the particles. He continued to focus his attention on the wind and life elements mixing within the circle.

    The particles danced around us and began to link together with one another. Runes took shape. Soon the runes linked up and became a long silver chain. Its two ends connected with my blood and Carter��s dragons heart. The moment the chain touched my blood and Carter''s Dragon''s heart, a connection was formed between Carter and me. The chain slowly faded away. I knew I had witness something extraordinary. This was a sort of element I had never seen before.

    ��Well, that was simple. See no magic leakage. There wasn��t even much magic to leak. Our magic has mixed together perfectly, and the bond is formed." Carter smiled happily.

    ��Carter did you see the silver particles?�� I asked him.

    ��What silver particles?�� he asked confused.

    ��Never mind�� I said. So, that was the legendary partnership contract. Carter could not see the silver particles. In truth the silver chain was the true link that joined us. But why could only I see it? Carter never even noticed it. Was this really a new element the world has never seen before? Still the question remains why was I able to see it?

    ��Carter I can feel something else inside me." I said feeling inside myself with my mind. It was a new source of magic. Was this Carter��s magic?

    ��I can also feel a new source of magic inside me. My spirit has also become more stable.�� He laughed. He was over joyed.

    ��So, this is what it''s like to be in a contract with someone.�� I said. Carters wind base magic felt different than life magic and it also did not feel the same as normal elemental magic.

    ��Okay Logan, with this advancement, I can manifest little bits of my magic and some of your magic. I should be able to distract those mages long enough for you to leave.�� He said.

    ��That��s good. Wait, didn��t you say you couldn��t leave me for to long. Is this going to be a problem?�� I asked remembering his words from earlier.

    ��True, but now I can leave for a while longer. Plus, when I want to, my soul can return to my Dragon''s heart at will. So as long as you have my heart. We can still communicate, and I can come back anytime.�� He said.

    ��That��s good. Can they hurt you?" I asked, another question popping into my head.

    ��Only if I manifest myself for to long. But don��t worry, I know what to do.�� He said flying up into the night sky. ��Hurry up. You need to get out of here fast�� he yelled. I followed him.

    ��������������������������������������������������������������������.

    When we arrived at the north gate the two mages were still there. I felt for any abnormal sparks around, there was none. I gave Carter the okay. He flew toward the mages.

    The mages guarding the north gate were sitting at a table playing cards when Carter approached. It was strange, with the contract, I could see through Carter''s eyes. This was indeed the strangest thing I��ve ever done before.

    Carter stopped in front of the mages. He floated there for a while waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

    ��Hey, do you really think that Gerald really failed?�� spoke the mage with red fiery long hair.

    ��I think so. But, it''s strange. Gerald was the strongest in our group. He even got the higher up��s blessings. Rumour has it they allowed him to create a contract with them.�� The black-haired mage said lowering his voice, looking left and right making sure no one was around.

    ��Them?�� the red-haired mage asked in confusion.

    ��Yes them. You know, them.�� The black hair mage said iterating the word them.

    ��Oh, the de���� the red hair mage started to say. The black hair mage clapped his hands around the red hair mage''s mouth, stopping him from speaking the word out loud.

    ��Are you an idiot. You can��t speak that word out here. No matter where we are, that word is still taboo. If the mage council discovers anyone having even a tiny connection with them. They would not hesitate to eliminate them. Our organization is not ready to fight the mage council head on�� he said.

    The red-haired mage nodded his head. The black-haired mage released his hand. ��The organization has been preparing this for to long for us to mess it up. Plus, The Armoured rules this land. They aren''t a bunch of no bodies either. We have to be very careful here. If we can get our hands on that prized item from that healer. We would become elders in the organization. When the right time comes, we to can rule the world.�� The black-haired mage chuckled dreamily.

    The red-haired mage laughed ��So, why do we even have to stay here any ways. Does the group leader really think that the healer actually beat Gerald? That��s to much, don��t you think?�� he laughed.

    The black hair mage sighed. ��Actually, the group leader knows Gerald failed. The group leader was given the life badges of all of us under his command. If any of us dies, the badges would dissipate. Gerald��s dissipated several days ago. That��s why we increased our pace and arrived her today. Gerald really went over board with destroying the city. The Armoured may step in soon if we don��t find the healer. Plus, the mage council might move as well�� He said concerned.

    ��Okay, you think the healer is still alive. We only got information that his apprentice came back to town.�� Said the red-haired mage.

    ��Maybe. Can��t be sure. But if Gerald can be defeated, then anything is possible. Gerald was after all even stronger than the group leader. He was on his way to gaining his commander badge.��

    ��That boy sure is slippery. When we got word of his arrival. We immediately sent people over to the old clinic. Unfortunately, he had already left. We sealed the exits fast enough. But, what if he had already left town before we sealed the gates?�� asked the red-haired mage

    ��Let��s hope he hasn��t. Or else, the group leader will be really mad. We need to catch that little rascal in order to get information about his master. From what we know, the kid hasn''t inherited the book yet. The organization has not gotten word of the old healers passing. But, we never know. We are far from the organization. It could have happened, and we just didn''t get the info yet�� the black-haired mage said.

    ��It��s possible. Wait, where do we get these information''s from?�� the red-haired mage asked.

    ��You��re such an idiot. Don��t you ever read the organization��s postings?�� The black hair mage said rubbing his temple. ��Our organization has a great seer as one of the elders. He can see and predict the future. Especially, about the books passing. He is a very old and powerful seer. He has been right every time the book passed. It is usually during the passing of the book that we find these stupid life mages. Unfortunately, we still haven��t been able to get a hold of that book. Those life mages are so slippery.�� The black hair mage grumbled.

    ��They are.�� agreed the red hair mage ��Here, drink more of this sake�� he said pouring sake into the black hair mage''s cup.

    ��This stuff is good. These peasants here sure know how to make them." the black hair mage smirked, downing the sake.

    ��They sure do�� the red hair mage smiled lifting the corner of his lips.

    ��Wait, why do I feel odd?" the black hair mage said shaking his head. He started to sway sideways. ��I feel dizzy, but�� it��s not possible for me to be drunk. I have the best alcohol tolerance in the group." He said, his hands holding onto the table for balance.

    The red hair mage laughed menacingly, ��That��s because I placed some paralyzing agents into the sake.�� He said standing up.

    The black hair mage wobbled to his feet. He could not stand still. His eyes opened wide in shock. ��Why�� why would you do that?�� he asked confused, his hand constantly rubbing at his temple.

    ��Because, you have to die�� the red hair mage said. He took out a dagger from underneath his cloak and used it to attack the black hair mage.

    The black hair mage jumped back just as the dagger scrapped off chunks of his shirt. The dagger just missed his chest by a fingers length.

    The black hair mage shook his head and glared at the red hair mage. ��Why are you doing this?�� he shouted in anger. A swirl of wind forming around him. He was fuming with furry.

    ��Because, I can��t stand disgusting myself any longer. You annoy me!�� the red hair mage said licking his lips. Water formed around his feet.

    Carter and I watched on with amazement. What was this? How did this happen? Carter came rushing back to my side.

    ��Um, I don��t think I need to distract them anymore.�� He said breathing out a large laugh.

    ��I guess not�� I replied eyeing the two mages in the distance.

    The black hair mage threw slices of wind toward the red hair mage. The red hair mage summoned water and blocked the winds. The red hair mage shifted and appeared by the black hair mages side in an instant. He moved so fast my eyes almost couldn��t follow.

    The black hair mage dodged just as the red hair mage''s dagger came close to his throat. Wind suddenly exploded around them. The red hair mage was caught off guard, the wind pushed him back. He went flying, but he came rushing back with swift movements. He twisted in the air using the walls around him to propel himself onwards back toward the black hair mage. Water vapours surrounded him. Soon a whip made of water formed in his hands. He whipped the whip at the black hair mage.

    ��We better go now.�� whispered Carter.

    I nodded my head and quickly rushed toward the north gate, hiding myself as much as possible behind buildings. When we were only one building away from the north gate, I realized something. How was I supposed to get out? I couldn��t leap up the wall like master. Glide required a connection between life forms to work. The wall was not a tree. It had no life magic in it. It was a dead object.

    I suggested my doubt to Carter and he yelled at me. ��What are you talking about! You can use my magic to get up the wall. You idiot!�� He yelled.

    I winced, his voice was so loud. ��That��s right. But I don''t know how?�� I said. His magic was completely foreign to me.

    ��Oh brother, here." he sent runes into my head. The link worked in stupendous ways. "Summon the runes onto your feet''s. Wind will form, and we can start gliding up the walls�� he explained, his jaw grinding together.

    I accessed his wind particles through my link. The runes formed around my feet. Wind started to gather, when the runes appeared.

    ��No! Not so much wind�� screamed Carter. He used the link between us and adjusted the runes. It was a very unique sensation. Carter and my link allowed not only us to share magic, but also allowed us to help each other in the control of magic. It was a very unique bond.

    ��Okay, now you just need to move quickly.�� He said looking toward the battle in the distance. ��We can climb to the roof of this building first�� he suggested taking flight and gliding up the wall. I followed. The climb was not very smooth, but I was still a newbie when it came to wind magic.

    I landed on the roof and crouched down watching the two mages fight down by the gate. It was reaching its climax. The black hair mage had gashes all over his body. His movement was getting more and more sluggish. The medicine was affecting him badly.

    ��Why are you doing this!?�� the black hair mage screamed. His voice filled with anger and desperation.

    The red hair mage laughed ��No reason, you were just in my path, that''s all.��

    ��What?�� the black hair mage said in confusion. That��s when it happened. The red hair mage vanished, reappearing behind him.

    At that very moment Carter ordered me to jump. It was the perfect opportunity. I leaped from the building, propelling myself with the wind.

    I looked down at the mages battle when I was halfway across the air. Suddenly the red hair mage lifted his head and gazed right at me. Our eyes met. He smiled at me. He knew! He knew I was here all along. How?

    Slash! The red hair mage slid his dagger across the black hair mages throat. The black hair mage collapsed to the ground, his eyes still filled with shock and bewilderment. He still could not believe that the red hair mage had killed him.

    I landed on the top of the north gate. I glanced over my shoulders, the red hair mage waved at me and started wiping his dagger with a white cloth. My heart sank. I leaped over the gate and sped away.

 Chapter 12 - Pursuit: Wind! Wind! and more Wind!

    Pursuit �C Wind! Wind! and more Wind!

    The night sky was lit by the bright moonlight. Clouds could not be seen anywhere. The hooting of an owl radiated through the night air.

    I ran through the field as wind and life magic rushed around me helping in my escape from the city. Channel, Mix and Glide worked very well out here. Grass also contained a lot of life energy. It was a plant after all.

    I did not dare look back. The red-haired mage had known I was there and had even spotted me. What was his deal? If he had known about me before, why did he not go after me? Instead he had let me leave without blinking an eyelid.

    The forest was just ahead. I was very close. The life magic inside me was itching to come out the closer we got to the forest. Suddenly the earth ahead started to rise. A figure started to form from the dirt and rocks. It stood there as the rocks and dirt started to settle.

    I stopped in my track. ��What the heck?!�� I yelled. "What was that thing?

    ��It��s earth magic,�� shouted Carter.

    ��But, I don��t feel a life spark ahead�� I said, backing up, unsure what I was facing. Was this a something undead? That was possible. It would explain why I couldn''t sense a life spark from the thing.

    ��It''s a mage, but he is not here in the flesh. This is substitution magic, Earth based substitution. He is very skilled, be careful.�� Carter warned slipping onto my shoulders.

    ��You don��t say�� I said eying the earth man. It looked dangerous.

    ��So, you are the kid we��ve been searching for�� said the Earth man, his voice echoing in the night. It was clear and distinct.

    "It talks!" I said surprised.

    "Of course, it can. It��s a substitute. The mage controlling can speak and see through it. It''s like he really is here in the flesh.�� Carter replied rolling his eyes at my ignorance.

    ��Oh�� I said with my mouth wide open. This was neat magic. I wonder if I could do it some day?

    ��There is no where you can hide.�� The earth man said. Lifting his hands, a wall of earth rose from behind me, blocking our passage back.

    "Shit�� I cursed. I was planning on backing out of here. I eyed the fields to the right. I started to move. Suddenly another wall of earth blocked the fields to my right. A second later the field to my left also got blocked, I swore really hard. This guy was not letting me go.

    "Boy tell me where your master is?" he said taking a step forward.

    I pricked my thumb with a pin behind my back. I sent an image of the runes for the swords of Solomon to Carter through our connection. I whispered under my breath. "Draw that image on my arm."

    Carter nodded his head. He did not know what I had up my sleeve, but he trusted my decision. He quickly climbed over my shoulder and used the tip of his claws to draw the runes on my arm.

    I winced. What was he doing? He was supposed to use my blood, not carve the damn thing on my arm. I wanted to complain, but I guess this could work to. Blood was coming out from the scratches.

    "Master you say? I can��t really tell you where he went. I don��t even know where he went.�� I said trying my best not to show the pain that I was going through. Carter was not doing this lightly. It hurt!

    "Carter can you be a little gentler" I grind my teeth together.

    "I am doing this gently." He said playfully.

    I took in a deep breath, "Whatever, do you think we stand a chance with this thing?" I asked him.

    "Do we really have a choice." he said pointing around us. The walls of Earth were growing higher and higher. There was no way we could climb them now.

    ��Oh brother, this is a nightmare.�� I grumbled. I really don''t want to fight this thing.

    ��The only path out of here is through him.�� Carter suggested.

    I nodded in agreement. Yes, the path ahead was our only escape, but there was a problem the thing was blocking our path. We really had to fight it. I had no confidence we could defeat it.

    "Logan don''t think about defeating it. We just need to get pass him. You don''t have the skill or power to defeat him. I will try to help as much as I can. With our contract, my magic can affect the physical world now" he said.

    I nodded. He was right, there was no way I could win against this thing. It was a mage even if it was a substitution. It knew way too much more magic than me.

    ��Well, if you aren��t going to talk. I��ll just have to make you talk." The earth man said. The ground beneath him started to stir. Soon a sharp pillar of earth rose up into the air. He directed it at me. It zipped toward me with amazing speed.

    I reacted at once. Reactivating Channel, Mix and Glide all at once. My body reacted and avoided the pillar. Then I leaped into the air and quickly pushed life threads out and drew the runes for Iustitia. ��Come forth Iustitia!�� I shouted.

    A brilliant light descended from the heavens, lighting up the night. Before my eyes a sword formed. I directed it right at the earth man with the hand signs. As soon as Iustitia zoomed toward the earth man, I glided around the field using glide. The earthman hollered in surprise. Carter at the same moment materialized in front of the earth man. A stream of wild torrential wind blasted in his face. He was not ready for either of the attacks. The earth man crumbled and fell to the ground.

    I glided pass the crumbled remains of the earth man. I was not foolish enough to think that our attacks were enough to kill it. Running ''Glide'' in full swing, my speed increased as my body glided away from the earthman. Behind us the earth man screamed as it reformed, dirt and rocks pilled around him.

    I entered the forest. The moment I did, Mix came on with full force. My body swung around a tree and seconds later I was at the top of the canopies. Glide started to work even better. My body slipped from one tree to another gliding over the top of the forest. Glancing behind, I found the earth man riding on a wave of earth coming at me with full speed. Trees in his path uprooted and joined his growing tsunami of earth.

    "Holy crap!" I yelled gliding even faster than before. My life magic was decreasing by the minute. I haven''t replenished it in a while now. I looked around trying to quickly replenish my supply of life magic but found for some reason, life particles were vanishing. I could not understand what was going on. Why were the life particles disappearing? I told Carter about it when he caught up to me.

    "That''s because in a mage battle. Magic particles can change properties depending on the strength of the mages. That guy is turning all the life particles into Earth particles." Carter pointed his claw at the Earthman.

    I cursed. This was bad.

    ��Yeah, he''s not letting us go that easily" agreed Carter.

    ��So, how the heck do we shake it off.�� I asked getting frustrated.

    Carter thought for a second. Then his eyes glowed with determination. "Ahead there is a valley, right?" he asked.

    I nodded my head. There was a valley. I remember it clearly. Pass the forest was a valley split through a mountain. It was a very old place. It was also a very dangerous place because there were extremely strong winds that guarded the valley. No one knows where the winds come from, but it has been there since before anyone could remember. That was why that place was called the wind valley.

    ��Ahead stands the wind valley. But we can''t go there. Deadly winds block the valley. No one can get through." I said.

    "Don''t worry about that." Said Carter. "I can take care of it. If we can get into the valley and through it, we will be safe because there is a huge lake on the other side." Carter said.

    I thought for a second. He was right lake Simcoe was on the other side. But no one travels through the wind valley. It was a death trap. Did Carter really have the ability to allow us to pass? I looked at him questioningly.

    "Just trust me. Earth magic is weak against water. There is no way he can continue pursuing us if we get into the water" he said.

    I decided to trust him. So, I nodded my head in agreement. I changed my direction and headed straight for the wind Valley. We glided through the forest for over several hours. My magic was really low. The earthman was still close on our trail.

    The wind valley stood ahead. When I spotted it in the distance, I swallowed hard. It looked scarier than from the pictures in the books. Two large mountains stood to its left and right. A single large valley ran in between them. Winds of all kind continuously wrapped the valley in mystery. I could not see pass the entrance of the valley. The winds were just to strong.

    "I hope you really can get us through" I said to Carter skeptical.

    Carter just nodded his head. He was looking at the mountain with sorrowful eyes. When we reached the end of the forest I was close to empty in life magic. We landed back on the ground and I quickly switched over to Carters wind magic. It was still weird using another person''s magic. But with the contract I could endlessly tap into his powers. Carter showed me a few runes to use in speed and we were zooming toward wind valley in no time.

    The forest behind us disappeared as the Earthman''s tsunami swallowed it up. I shivered just looking at it. This guy was so strong. If his substitute was this strong. How strong was the real thing? I had to stop myself from thinking further. It was no time to ponder about such things.

    We entered the valley shortly after. Carter created a wind shield around us and it actually worked. We were shifting through the winds without any resistance. I was amazed. I looked around the valley, most of it was still clouded by the winds but I could see it was very big. Nothing grew here, the only thing around here was wind, wind and more wind.

    ��So, this is the wind valley." I said "It''s big. I wonder how this wind is formed. No one knows where it comes from you know." I said.

    Carter looked up at the wind and sighed. "This wind is magic" he said.

    "I guessed as much, but what type of magic can last for so long?" I asked slowly walking through the valley. I was not that worried about the earthman anymore. This wind should be enough to stop him.

    "Do you know how this valley was formed?" Carter asked his voice sad.

    "I don��t know. Some legends say the valley was created when two great gods fought here, and this was the result of their battle." I said.

    ��That sounds about right�� said Carter.

    ��What, Its true? How do you know that?" I asked curious.

    "The part about a battle is right. But it was not gods that fought here. It was a dragon." He said.

    "A Dragon?" I said. Then a thought popped into my head. No way. No way it could be what I was thinking.

    ��During my last battle, I created this valley." Carter said.

    My face froze. It was exactly what I was thinking. I looked at the Valley closer. It was big, really big. How could Carter have created this? Was he lying?

    "I fought in a war close to the end of my life. The war was between all five races and a mysterious being. We don''t know who this being was, but he was powerful. Stronger than anything the world has ever seen. In the end, I fought one of the being''s generals and our battle created this." He pointed at the Valley. "Although, I defeated the enemy. My injuries were to grave. I died in the forest ahead. It was not a forest at the time. It was just a plain back then.�� He said his eyes full of sadness.

    "I''m sorry" I said placing my hand over his head.

    "It��s in the past now" Carter said. "This wind is a remnant of my magic" he explained.

    ��What?!" I shouted. This wind, this endless wind was a remnant of his magic. How strong was Carter when he was alive? According to him he died ten thousand years ago. If the wind still remained after this long. Carter''s magic when he was alive must have been phenomenal.

    ��The wind in this valley was part of my magic. Logan, take out my dragon''s heart." He instructed.

    I took his heart out from my pockets. "Why?" I asked him.

    "I can take this wind back.�� he said.

    "Really?" I said surprised and excited at the same time. If Carter could take this wind back. Wouldn''t his magic become stronger? I grew anxious with just the thought.

    Carter placed his claw on his dragon''s heart and runes started to float into the air. Soon the runes grouped together into chains. Later the chains linked together to become a magic circle. The magic circle started to glow and wind from the valley started rushing into Carter''s dragon''s heart. I was amazed at the turn of events.

    ��This will increase our chances at survival now" Carter said.

    I nodded my head. Yeah with this magic why should we be scared of that stupid mage.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Carter looked at me. "Don''t over think things. My magic needs time to merge with me again. I still can��t help you to much in battle." He said breaking my day dream.

    "Oh," I said disappointed.

    "However, it can help us escape faster" he said grinning.

    ��How?" I asked.

    ��Just wait and see" he said speeding up the suction on the wind. In less than half an hour, the wind had all been swallowed up by Carter''s dragon heart. A howl of triumph came from behind us. I turned and found the earth man standing at the entrance to the valley. His mountain size tsunami was still beneath him. I yelped in fear. I was getting to excited about Carters magic increasing, that we did not gain enough distance from the thing. What were we going top do now? He was going to catch up to us in no time. Now that the winds were gone, there was nothing blocking him from us.

    "Ha ha ha ha" The earthman laughed. "Finally, I have caught up with you."

    "We better run" I shouted to Carter putting his Dragon''s heart away.

    "Don''t worry" Carter said.

    He started floating up into the air. With his right claws he pointed it at the earthman. Suddenly a magic circle formed in front of him. Winds started to gather and soon the wind valley was full of wind once again. Obviously, these winds were no where near the strength of the winds from before. Carter mumbled something under his breath and the winds exploded. Carter came flying back. Grabbed me and we both flew backwards through the valley with awesome speed. The explosion provided us with an initial push. We flew out of the valley in no time.

    Soon we flew pass the end of the valley and we were flying over lake Simcoe. I could not believe my eyes. I looked back at the valley. It was no longer a valley. The two mountains to its side had caved in on itself. Now the valley was part of the mountains. A pile of earth reformed at the end of the once wind valley. The earthman starred up at us and howled in rage.

    ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

    The breath I held in got released. Flying over the lake took over three hours. By the time we touched ground again Carter was so exhausted that he went back into his dragon heart and ordered me not to bother him for a month. He needed to merge with his old wind magic. ��Logan stay alert. You are alone for this month. During this time why don''t you try to create your wind orb. With my contract your attribute with wind has increased exponentially. Follow these instructions and your wind orb will form easily." he instructed planting a set of runes and instructions in my head. Then he slipped back inside his dragon heart and went silent.

    I was alone once again.

    ������������������������������������������������������������.

    Over the course of the few days. I hunted and journeyed as far from Sappon as possible. I didn��t know where I was going, but I just continued onward. This was a life style I was actually quite familiar with. Master and I had done this so many times. I was already a pro. Surviving was not a problem.

    During my travel I considered destroying the book. If I did that wouldn��t this all end. I set the book on fire, but nothing happened. The fire just died on its own and the book remained undamaged. I sighed and continued on my way. I knew it was to good to be true. All those before must have tried this to. Why was the book still around? Because it was magic. Byul and the others must have put some amazing spells on it to protect it.

    I also considered abandoning it, but what if the wrong people picked it up. I decided to continue on with the burden. The book did hold the most powerful spells in the world.

    As I traveled farther and farther away from Sappon. I studied the runes for the wind orb creation. I did not try to rush into it. It was not something one should be rash with. On my seventh day on the road, I finally decided I was ready to attempt at the creation of the orb. Life magic was great, but it was simply not an attack base kind of magic. At least I was not at a level in which I could use it for attacking.

    I found a secluded place up a mountain with a cave. I cleared out the cave with wind magic and started to prepare for the creation. I crossed my legs into a sitting position and started to clear my head of stray thoughts. My mind needed to be at full alert during the whole process.

    I dived deep into my conscious. Than I followed my veins till I reached my magic core. Inside a mist shrouded the inner body of the core. Floating close to the outer layer of the core was a white pearl shape orb that was continuously breathing out mist of life magic. This mist was what kept my core from being an empty reservoir. Yes, the life orb was used to store life magic, but the magic core was the transfer point of all magic throughout my body and also the storage area of the orbs. It was a very important part of a mage. Most people only think of their magic orbs, but the magic core was extremely important in a mages life. Without it magic orbs could not exist.

    The mist kept the core alive. It was like the organs inside my body. All organs require energy and sustenance to survive and so does the magic core. It required magic mist created by the orbs. It was very much alive.

    I took in a breath of fresh air and started the process of guiding wind particles inside my body. Clear colored wind particles came rushing into my body through the pores of my skin and traveled through my veins. The veins carried blood but in mages it also carried magic throughout the body. The wind particles traveled and gathered near my magic core. As the wind particles entered my magic core the mist moved away from where the wind particles entered.

    Quickly I grabbed on to the wind particles and reformed them into runes. As the runes took shape, a magic circle formed. Within the magic circle wind particles flowed in an infinite ring. I took in another deep breath. Runes started to appear around my body. Soon a magic circle appeared outside my body. Wind particles rushed in from every direction, converging in the circle.

    I bent the runes and slowly the magic circle inside my magic core started to fold. First edges connected, then sides and finally it started to look like a flat ball. At this moment I let in all the magic from out side. They quickly rushed into the flat ball. Soon the flat ball started to glow a hue of clear light.

    A day and night passed as magic continuously rushed into the newly formed magic orb. This was an important part of forming a magic orbs. The more magic the orb can take in, the stronger it will be. Wind particles from miles upon miles started rushing toward the cave. As time continued to pass, soon, six nights had already passed. One more hour and it would be the seventh day. Seven was a very important number in magic. Seven represented the Seven days of life. Seven represented the endless cycle of rebirth. Seven was a magic number.

    The wind orb inside me was almost full. I could feel it. Soon, it would be finished. I was beyond flabbergasted by the amount of time required to create it. My life orb formed so fast that I thought it would be the same for the wind orb. Who knew the wind orb would take this long to form.

    My stomach had been growling for a straight 5 days. But I couldn��t stop the process. If I did. Everything would be in vain. Plus, my magic core would burst from all that gathered wind magic. That would be a disaster. I would die from the explosion itself. Not a thing I wanted to happen.

    A noise outside caught my attention. Sauntering feet could be heard in the distance. It was headed in my direction. I tried to block it out, but the noise was getting closer and closer. I just couldn''t ignore it. Then a pair of legs stopped right outside the cave. Holy lord please go away I said in my head. I did not want to get involved in whatever was happening out there. In the far distance more scuffling of boots could be heard. The person outside the cave fell into the cave. I opened my eyes to see a boy of 7-8 years of age laying face up on the cave floor.

    We starred at each other as our eyes met. The boy had these blue hazel eyes. His hair was dirt ridden, but you could tell, they were once blond in color. He blinked. I could see desperation in his eyes. He was on his last straw. He could no longer run anymore. He was scared out of his wits. At that moment his eyes reminded me of myself. He was like me the night Master died. Desperate and alone. I felt a connection with him. My heart skipped.

    ��I��m Sorry" said the boy. Flipping over and sitting up. He tried to stand, but his legs no longer followed his will. I looked down at them. His legs were riddled with wounds. A set of broken chains locked his ankles up. His clothes were torn from the treacherous journey he had traveled. This boy was not well. His pale face showed signs of extreme malnourishment.

    ��I��m sorry to disturb you sir. But I��m being chase.�� He explained his voice scratchy from the long bouts of time without water.

    I summoned up enough strength to speak with the boy. I split my attention in half. One focusing on the orb and the other speaking with the boy.

    ��Why are you being chased�� I asked trying to keep calm. I was no saint, but I could not stand others hurting the weak. This boy was still so young, how did he become like this?

    ��I ran away" he said nervously.

    ��Why�� I asked suspecting that I knew the answer. I saw the mark on the boys left arm.

    ��You see sir. I��m a slave.�� He said his voice growing faint.

    ��I see. Are these people the ones that own you�� I asked, anger over flowing. Slavery was wrong. No one had the right to own other people.

    ��Yes�� he answered.

    ��How did you become a slave?�� I asked.

    ��I was born one.�� He answered

    "I see�� So his parents were slaves to. That was sad. But it did happen. ��Do you wish for my help?�� I asked him.

    ��No sir. I just need to rest a bit here and I��ll go. I won''t bother you�� he said his voice quaint as a mouse.

    ��Why did you run away?�� I asked him

    ��Because they are forcing me to do something that I can��t do�� he said.

    ��What are they forcing you to do?�� I asked thinking of the many cruel things people could do to each other.

    ��They�� they want me to give them my magic.�� He said.

    I raised my eye brows. ��Your magic?�� That was not an answer I was expecting.

    ��Yes, my magic. I am a mage you know, but its been sealed�� he said pointing to a tiny unnoticeable rune behind his shackles on his left ankle.

    I looked at it. It was a seal. Not a very complex one nonetheless, but a seal it is. "Why can��t you give it to them." I asked him perplexed how anyone could take someone''s magic.

    ��Because this is all I have left of my mother. She passed this on to me. It is my inheritance" he said proudly.

    ��She passed on magic to you?" I asked, sure magic was hereditary. But one''s magic was always ones one. A strong mage parent did not guarantee a strong mage child.

    ��So was she a slave to then.�� I asked.

    ��No, I only recently found out. She had been killed by those evil people and they had taken me from her when I was born.�� He said grinding his teeth together.

    ��How did you find out?�� If he was taken at birth. He shouldn''t be able to know any of this.

    "Through my inheritance�� he said.

    This was getting confusing. He kept mentioning inheritance but what was that? His magic was in born but memory of past mages did not get passed down.

    ��This kid is not normal" said a voice inside my head. I almost jumped. Carter surprised me.

    ��Carter? I thought you needed to stay away for a month. It��s not a month yet." I whispered under my breath.

    "That''s true, but this boys'' presence made me curious." He said appearing on my shoulder.

    "Why? Is there something special about him?�� I asked examining the boy from head to toe. He looked nothing out of the ordinary.

    "Yes, I smell Phoenix blood in him. Faint but it is present." He answered eyeing the boy.

    I nearly choked. Phoenix blood, how is that possible? ��Is he not human?�� I asked stuttering at the implications. Phoenixes were one of the 5 ancient races along with the dragons. Weren''t they birds? How did they mate with humans?

    ��Of course, he is. He is a full human, but you know, other races have mated with humans in the past before. This boy is descended from such a union. One of his ancestors from a long time ago was a phoenix. His blood seems to have awakened, but its not very strong." He said examining the boy.

    " Weren''t phoenixes birds? How did they mate with a human?" I asked raising my eye brow.

    Carter laughed, "All five races can turn into human form. You humans just remain in it always" he said.

    I choked, this was very odd. ��Is that what he meant by inheritance?" I asked changing the subject.

    "Yes, when his blood awakens he will inherit memories and magic from his bloodline. So naturally he would have seen his mother being murdered. It is the closest phoenix blood relative he has. If he continues farther. He may even see his first ancestor, but that is rare. Especially with his faint trace of phoenix blood." He explained.

    "I see." I looked at the kid. This was getting interesting.

    "Sir are you okay?" asked the boy.

    I coughed "I��m fine. I was just mumbling to myself. Where were we? Yes, you got your inheritance. How do these people expect to take this magic from you?" I asked perplexed.

    ��By cutting my chest open and eating my heart" he said, his whole body started shaking. His teeth chattering from just mentioning it.

    ��That is very bad�� I said, my face in shock. These sick people wanted to eat his heart. That was disgusting!

    "Yeah" agreed the boy, tears forming in his eyes.

    Suddenly, the sound of boots grew louder. Two men jumped into the cave. I looked up at them. One man was rough with a large sword tide to his belt while the other was skinny and looked almost like a girl. They looked at the situation and licked their lips in cruelty.

    ��Finally, we found you kid. What do we have here? Boy who are you?" the rougher man asked me.

    ��I��m just a simple person" I answered, glaring at them. These are the people that wanted to eat this kids heart. These aren''t humans. They were worst then the demons. Such scum!

    ��Brother, I sense a lot of wind particles here" said the girly man. His voice even sounded feminine.

    ��Is that so?" he laughed, his laughter sounded like a horse''s sneeze. ��That can mean only one thing. This boy here is trying to create his wind orb. He''s a mage." He took in a deep breath. His hands were shaking in excitement. "This is our lucky day." He laughed. "We can harvest his magic orb at the same time while we enjoy a meal with this boy''s heart. This is an opportunity of a life time.�� He grinned lecherously.

    "Is that so?�� I said my face darkening. "How would you go about doing such a thing?" My anger was getting out of control. I wanted to kill. My heart was racing with each breath I took. These people cannot be allowed to live.

    "You''re really unlucky. Normally, people can''t steal magic orbs from others, but our family knows of an ancient spell that can do such a thing. You should feel honoured to be part of such an ancient tradition." The rough man laughed menacingly, his mouth watering from the thought alone.

    "Yes. I guess I should be" I said grinding my teeth together. My anger had reached a pivoting point.

    The rough looking man glared at me. "Boy don''t even think about struggling. Its no use, even if you finish creating your orb. Your minimal magic will not save you" he said unsheathing his sword from his belt.

    I was very angry. My face was red with rage. These filthy people did not deserve to be alive. I did not care anymore. These scums of the world, I swear I will eliminated them all. Just as I was about to give up on the wind orbs creation and start attacking these people, something clicked inside my body. My wind orb was full. I quickly did the last casting on it and it was complete.

    ��Logan, you want me to take care of them?�� asked Carter, his voice sounded angry to.

    Istopped. "No Carter. I can take care of them." I breathed slowly. Uncrossing my legs. I slowly stood up. I slowed the beating of my heart. This needed to be handled calmly.

    ��Okay Logan. But do remember not to make to much or a ruckus.�� Carter laughed and slipped back into his dragon''s heart.

    I smiled and grinned at the two men. They were still slowly approaching me. My eyes started to glow in a clear light and I pushed wind particles out from my body. Wind runes started circling me. I grabbed the boy and pushed him behind me.

    The two men stopped in their tracks. ��What the heck. He''s using wind magic!�� shouted the girly man. ��He��he��has completed his wind orb. But this is not possible! Even if he did, he shouldn��t be able to control this much magic." He stuttered.

    ��This is your unlucky day men. Today I will show you what wind can really do�� I said my face darkening. Raising my hands, I opened myself to the wind. The runes around me started to chain together. I did not know what I was doing but this felt right so I went with it. The chains of rune formed into a complicated magic circle. Suddenly winds whirled around me coalescing around the magic circle.

    The two men screamed. They tried to move but the wind was to strong. It was keeping them in place. The girly man tried to use magic of his own but the wind particles in the air all gathered toward me. The moment his wind particles came out from his hands, it zipped away from him and entered my wind circle. The girly mans eyes grew wide. His body started to shake.

    ��We''re sorry, please let us go�� pleaded the girly man.

    ��Is that so. Then were you going to let me go a minute ago?" I asked my face dark as the night.

    ��I��I��" he stuttered unable to form words. Wind was entering his throat causing him to suffocate.

    "Guess not." I said, raising my hands. I could feel it, my control over wind was far greater than that of life magic. It was also much stronger to. I guess having a contract with Carter helped to strengthen my bond with wind magic.

    ��Rain of wind!�� I chanted a spell suddenly came into my mind.

    Cruel unyielding wind descended from the heavens. Suddenly the cave was jammed packed with wind. Even I, was finding it hard to breath in the cave. The two men tried to scream, but no sound came from their throats. Moments later the cave exploded. The two men flew into the air and wind sliced them into bits and pieces. I grabbed the boy and covered his eyes. This was to gruesome for him to see.

    I glided through the wind and out of the destroyed cave, using runes that allowed me to float with the wind. When I landed outside the cave. I felt a sense of urgency, so I took the boy and jumped into the air floating away from the small mountain.

    When I looked back, my jaw dropped. I was in utter shock. A huge pillar of wind dropped from the heavens and sliced right through the small mountain. Seconds later, the entire mountain collapsed into itself, burying the remains of the two men and all traces of the once mighty mountain. All that remained after the winds dispersed was a pile of rocks that was no longer a mountain. It was more like a huge hill. I did this? Was this even possible? I thought to myself in disbelief.

    I landed back onto the ground. I was still in shock. I didn��t even realize we had landed. This was utterly the most astounding thing I��ve ever witnessed. It was so unreal, I thought I was dreaming. I slapped myself. There was pain. This was not a dream.

    ��Holy cap! What did you do!�� screamed Carter appearing beside me.

    ��I��I���� I stuttered. I did not know what to say. This was so new to me.

    ��I told you not to make to big of a ruckus and this is what you call not making to big of a ruckus?!�� he shouted.

    ��I didn��t mean to do this. It just happened.�� I said still dazed.

    ��Holy mother of dragon. You and this kid better get out of here fast. This thing can be seen a mile away.�� Carter warned slipping back into his dragon heart.

    I shook myself out of shook and grabbed the kid. He wasn��t very heavy but not light either. I summoned wind around us and we high tailed it out of there.

 Chapter 13 - Riley

    Riley

    We reached a town finally. The boy and I had traveled for a whole night. We had finally found a town. Before that I of course removed his chains and healed him up as much as I could. I even took off his slave mark. We couldn��t have that lying around, could we? That would just be trouble in the making.

    The boy was pretty battered up. He had cuts and scraps all over his body.  Bruises and old wounds riddled his body. He was treated really badly. His spine was cracked at several spots. I tried to fix them, but I couldn��t without a few essential herbs. Plus, I needed to make a few potions myself. The herbs I got from master''s chamber were rare herbs. I needed common ones. Master never kept those around. Those could all be easily found in towns.

    ��So, what��s your name?�� I asked the boy as we approached the town gate.

    ��Name?�� he said confused.

    ��You know, what people call you?�� I said.

    ��Oh, they call me yo kid, yo scum and yo idiot�� he answered.

    I raised my eyebrows. "Oh" I said. "They never gave you a name then.�� Those bastards couldn''t they have at least given him a name?

    ��No, that��s what they call me. I guess those are my names.�� He said giving me his most flattering smile.

    ��No those are not your names.�� I said holding my head. This was not good. We can��t have him being called by those names. It would end very badly.

    ��Okay, we will pick a name for you. What kind of name would you like?�� I asked him.

    ��Ummm. I always liked to be called All Mighty�� he answered.

    ��No! That is not a good name. How about Riley�� I suggested. All mighty? What kind of name was that? I guess he was still very young. Kids can have very vivid imaginations.

    "I guess. But�� I still like All Mighty better. It sounds awesome.�� he said.

    ��No, Riley will do. From now on your name is Riley�� I said. ��So, Riley how old are you? Seven, eight, or maybe nine�� I asked looking at his miniscule body. I opened a bottle and started drinking water, it was hot today.

    ��No, this year will be my eighteenth year of life" he answered grinning up at me.

    I spat out the water that was in my mouth. ��Are�� are you sure? You don��t look eighteen at all. At most you look Nine, perhaps ten.�� I said not believing the boy. How was it possible for him to be eighteen? There was no way!

    ��No, I��m eighteen I��m sure of that. How old are you sir?�� He asked.

    I coughed, the water left in my throat was suffocating me. ��Well, I��m older than you. I��m... I��m�� twenty�� I answered trying to sound up right and authoritative. If the kid was really eighteen, we would only be two years apart. How was this possible?

    ��Oh, you��re older than me by 2 years. That��s not that much. That��s good. Can I know your name sir?�� he asked.

    ��Call me Logan.�� I said, coughing the last of the water out, finally clearing my throat.

    "You really don��t look like you are eighteen. Do you know how to count? Maybe you counted wrong?" I insisted, still not believing his age.

    "It''s very possible for him to be eighteen. His Phoenix blood can slow his growth" said Carter. I jumped. Why was he always popping out when I least expect him?

    ��What?�� I said glaring at Carter. He was laying on my shoulders once again.

    ��I��m sorry Logan sir. I can��t help it if my body doesn��t grow. I find it weird to.�� Riley said pouting.

    ��I wasn��t talking to you Riley�� I said, patting him over the head.

    ��Then who?" he asked, looking left, then right.

    ��Never you mind�� I told him, stroking the top of his head.

    Riley stopped talking.

    ��So, how does that work?�� I asked Carter. He had one eye open while his other eye laid buried under his front limbs. His body was curled up in a very comfy sleeping position.

    ��Phoenix blood can keep people from aging. So, once his blood awakens he can��t grow until his first rebirth�� Carter said opening up his mouth wide into a yawn.

    ��His first, what?��  I shouted. Riley jumped next to me. He was looking more confused then I was.

    "Sorry Riley, don��t mind me." I stroked his head. ��Rebirth?�� I craned my neck to look at Carter.

    ��Yes, his rebirth. Phoenixes are creatures of the cycle. They grow by being reborn over and over again. Rebirth works by having their entire body and soul destroyed and restructured by phoenix fire. It��s really a simple process, but also very complicated. Some Phoenix can only perform rebirth once in their life and others can do it endless times. This kid only has a faint trace of Phoenix blood in him. He probably can only do rebirth once.�� He yawned.

    ��Fascinating" I said. I''d never heard of rebirth before. Legends did call the phoenix the undying bird. But I''d always thought that to be a myth.

    We stopped by the city gate. ��Stay close Riley" I instructed him. He nodded his little head. I smiled down at him. He was so innocent looking. Who would have thought he''d just recently escaped from a lifetime of torture and slavery?

    We approached the city gate and joined the line. There was a lot of people wanting into the town.

    ��Did you hear about Sappon?�� a lady ahead of us said to another lady standing next to her.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ��No, what happened?�� she asked curious.

    ��Awful business there. They say the entire city''s been wiped clean off the map�� She said, her tone sad and solemn.

    ��No way! How is that possible?�� the other lady gasped, her hand clasped over her mouth.

    ��Yeah lady, how is that possible? I heard only half the town was burnt down.��  I said before I could help myself. This was news I did not want to hear. This had to be a rumour. Sappon was already pretty battered when I left. This can''t be true.

    The lady turned and faced me. She shook her head and frowned. ��That was old news. Just a week ago the city was completely destroyed. Not a single survivor.�� She said her voice doleful.

    ��How?��  I asked shocked. This can''t be true. The people of Sappon had suffered enough already.

    She looked left then right and waved for us to get closer. ��Rumour has it, that the enemy mages from the South kingdom met up with the Armored and they got into a huge battle and boom! Sappon got wiped clean from the map. But, don��t spread that around. The official statement is that Sappon met with a natural disaster and got demolished." she whispered.

    My jaw fell open. This is to much. How could Sappon be destroyed. I couldn��t believe it. All those lives. All those people. Then the face of Maria popped into my head. Did she leave Sappon in time? I felt a faint pain in my heart.

    ��Young man, are you okay?" asked the older lady.

    ��I��m okay.�� I wiped a tear from the corner of my eyes. ��I''d been there before." I said pausing to articulate my words. "The people there were nice people. I can��t believe such a thing happened.��

    ��I know. I''d visited Sappon several years before to. It��s really a disaster" she said dolefully. She moved up the line. It was her turn. The guard at the gate asked why she was here and registered her entrance and allowed her through.

    ��Next!" yelled the guard.

    I stepped up pulling Riley with me. I composed myself. I couldn''t allow it to affect me so much.

    ��State your business here in Banff?�� the guard asked.

    ��Here to visit�� I answered.

    ��Do you have anywhere to stay?�� he asked scribbling on his clipboard.

    ��Not sure yet. We will have to find a place when we get inside.�� I responded.

    ��Alright. I would recommend the Grand Pierce. Excellent hotel. Best in town.�� He suggested.

    The guard next to him chuckled. ��Don��t believe him. His father owns the place. So, he advertises it every chance he gets�� he laughed smacking the guard over the back.

    ��Hey! Stop interfering with my business." The first guard hollered, glaring at the other guard. "Don��t believe him. The Grand Pierce is the best in town, even if my old man owns it. I��m just telling you the truth here." he said handing me a business card.

    I smiled and put the card away. ��I��ll think about it when we get into town.�� I amused him. I wasn''t going to a hotel a guard who happens to be the owner''s son recommends. That was plain stupid. Besides, I had lots of coins. I could go to any hotel in town.

    ��Alright, please state your names and we can let you on your way" he said turning back to his work.

    ��My name is Peter Parkside, and this here is my little brother James Parkside." I lied. We couldn''t use our real names, could we?

    ��Peter Parkside and James Parkside.�� He repeated, writing the names down on his clipboard. "Okay you��re both good to go. But, let me tell you. Your little brother needs some new clothes. Those don��t fit him anymore.�� He suggested pointing at Riley.

    ��I know, but we��ve been travelling for so long that he grew out of them and this is the first town we��ve come across in a long while.�� I said pretending to be exhausted. I had already washed and tried my best to patch up his clothes. But I couldn''t make the clothes stretch, could I? Well, maybe. If I was more skilled in magic that could be possible. Unfortunately, I was not.

    We walked into town and the first thing we came across was the aroma of tasty food.

    Riley''s stomach growled. So, did mine. He quickly covered it up. Seemingly afraid I would say something bad if I found out.

    I smiled down at him ��It��s okay. We are both hungry from this long journey. We will eat as soon as we get you some new clothes.�� I said. Grabbing his hand and guiding him through the crowds of people.

    Firstly, we needed to find a town map. I located it by the corner of the wall. I searched it and found the nearest clothing store. It was just a block away. It also so happened to be right next to a restaurant.

    We traveled up the road and found the clothing store. We did not take long to find Riley new clothes. I bought him seven new sets of everything. I also bought several sets for myself. I threw them inside my ring.

    We booth took showers and cleaned ourselves at the local bath house, which happened to be located right next to the clothing store. Riley washed up in a separate room from mine. I offered to help him, but he refused. After getting all cleaned up and dressed up, we came out of the bath house.

    Riley cleaned and properly dress looked like a normal handsome boy. He gave me a glowing smile and I patted him over the head. He was eighteen but from looks and attitude he was no different from a small child. I couldn��t help it.

    We walked into the restaurant. The lady at the counter sat us down and told us the specials for the day. I ordered them all. The table was so full by the time our food came, we had to switch to a larger table.

    Riley tried to hold himself back, but I urged him on. His face lit up when I said he could eat till his hearts content.

    He ate everything up really fast. Never in my life have I seen anyone eat so much, so fast. I only managed to eat a small portion of the food. It was like eating with a beast.

    ��This kid needs food to grow�� said Carter appearing beside me.

    I sighed. ��Carter, are you back for good now? Or are you just appearing for fun?�� I pointed at him with my fork.

    ��I��m back for good. This little Phoenix here needs a lot of energy before it can even begin to attempt rebirth. Plus, that seal needs to go. Why haven��t you unsealed it yet. It doesn��t look to complicated�� Carter patronized me. He flew next to Riley.

    Riley stopped eating and looked directly at Carter. Carter tilted his head and grinned at Riley. He held out his fronts claws and waved them in front of Riley''s face.

    ��Little boy can you see me?�� he asked.

    Riley just stared blankly at Carter.

    ��Riley do you see something?�� I asked him. Carter was supposed to be invisible to all beings except me. Could Riley see him?

    ��No, but something seems to be here.�� He said running his hands through Carter.

    Carter giggled and flew back to my side. "It tickles" he laughed.

    Riley blinked. ��It��s gone. It��s strange, but I think a spirit of some sort was here. I can��t see it, but I can feel it.�� He shivered looking left and right. His eyes swaying.

    ��Really?��  I said interested. So, Riley can feel spirits.

    ��Yes, but I know you wouldn��t believe me. Ever since I could remember, I can feel the presence of spirits if they are near me. It��s really scary.�� He shivered.

    ��I believe you. Why wouldn��t I. I��m a mage, aren��t I?�� I said smiling and patting him over the head.

    He smiled. His croaked teeth showed but it was a pure smile. The boy was a good kid.

    We finished off and payed for the meal. We walked pass a hotel. I looked up at the sign. It was the Grand Pierce. The hotel was worn, not very welcoming. I wondered who in their right minds would pick this place over the others in town

    I started to walk away. But Riley did not follow me. I turned to see why he wasn''t following along. He usually did exactly whatever I instructed.

    Riley stood in front of the Grand Pierce and he started to shake. His eyes grew foggy and he fainted.

    ��What the?!��  I yelled, catching him just in time. I checked his pulse. It was perfectly fine. Why did he faint? I checked his eyes, they were back to normal. What was wrong with him? His breathing was normal. He looked like he was just sleeping.

    "Don''t worry. He is starting his process of rebirth. But he won��t be able to truly start it with this magic sealed. You should just rest here.�� Carter pointed at the Grand Pierce.

    I eyed him. "This place?" I pointed at the Grand Pierce.

    Carter nodded his head. "Why not, it looks perfectly fine. Plus, I think there is something here that is attracting Riley. Did you not see his foggy eyes before he fainted? That is a sign from his phoenix blood that something here can help in his rebirth" Carter explained.

    I rolled my eyes at him. "Are you sure. This place!" I pointed once again at the Grand Pierce. "What could be here at this stingy old place?" I said sighing.

    "I don''t know. I''m not a phoenix" shrugged Carter.

    I sighed and begrudgingly lifted Riley and walked into the hotel.

 Chapter 14 - Spirits

    Spirits

    The hotel was old with a pungent smell that revealed its age. There weren��t much people in the lounge area. Several people sat by the chairs gossiping about the daily events of the city. A few even mentioned the Sappon incident. But once we entered the room they all went silent and looked up at us while pretending to read their papers.

    I walked up to the counter carrying Riley on my back. He was fast a sleep. Although I had only met him a few days ago, I felt a connection to him. Somehow, I felt like he was like my little brother. He wasn��t lucky like me. He had no master to save him when he was younger. Instead he had been trapped as a slave in a household that only wanted to take his magic when his phoenix blood awakened. I felt sorry for him. He needed someone to care for him. I felt like that someone could be me.

    He was eighteen years old, but he looked and acted like a ten-year-old. He really still had a child��s heart. I wanted to take him in and hug him and tell him ''from now on it will all be better''.

    I stopped in front of the counter. An old lady sat behind the counter looking down seriously at a recent news print. I saw in big words ''Sappon destroyed by natural disaster''. But she was not looking at that, she had the news print folded up. She was looking at the cross-word puzzle. She bit the top of her pencil and frowned. You could tell she was stuck on the last question. She looked frustrated.

    I leaned my head over and read the question. It read ��out of the four-mythic beast which one was called the earth beast?�� it asked.

    I almost chuckled at the question. I knew the answer. I had read through the divine book recently and learned of the four-great beast of old. Of course, the four-great beast was really the four-ancient race, but these days, they are only stuff of legends. The first was the great dragon. I looked to my side and Carter yawned while curled up sleeping. Here was a real dragon by my side.

    The second was the undying bird Phoenix. Well they definitely were not undying or else why would all of them be dead. I glanced over my shoulder at Riley. He was sleeping soundly on my back. I guess I also have a Phoenix by my side. What a coincidence.

    The third was Genbu, the turtle with a snake for a tail. It was one of the gentler beast of legends.

    The last, of course, was the earth snake Basilisk. Legends say the earth snake can transform any living being to stone with just its stare. It was truly one of the more frightening beast of legend. Mages feared fighting it because there was no way to fight it. Its single glare was enough to petrify a person. Only those skilled in earth magic stood a chance against a Basilisk.

    ��The answer is Basilisk" I pointed out.

    The old lady raised her head and frowned at me. ��Young man I would have gotten it eventually. You did not need to interfere. I guess you must know your legends pretty well huh?�� She said scribbling Basilisk on the paper.

    ��Now, how may I help you? Young man.�� She asked leaning back on her chair and staring up at me. She raised her eye brows when she saw Riley on my back.

    ��He��s my little brother. He��s very tired�� I explained.

    ��I never said anything.�� She said tapping her pencil on her knees.

    I coughed. ��Mistress��." I said until I found her name on the plank on the counter. ��Mistress Hodge, I need a room�� I said.

    ��That��s what we are here for.�� She said opening a drawer and taking out a log book.

    ��How many rooms would you like?�� she asked.

    ��One room with two beds�� I replied.

    ��A double room then. We have a few of those left.�� She said looking at her almost blank log. I raised my eye brows. There looked to be more than enough left. Your log book is almost blank.

    ��Okay, I just need to register you. What is your name?�� she asked.

    ��My names Peter Parkside�� I answered.

    ��Peter�� Parkside�� she repeated writing the name down on the log book slowly. ��Good. One double room will cost one hundred copper coins per day. If you book your days in advance. We can give you a discount. Otherwise it is one hundred copper coins each day. So how long will you be staying with us?�� she asked.

    ��I��m not sure.�� I said. ��Book me in for seven days for now.��

    ��Sure, booking for seven days will be six hundred and thirty copper coins with the discount.�� She said placing a bowl on the counter. ��All rooms must be prepaid in advance�� She said sternly.

    I pretended to search inside a poach I had prepared earlier and took out seven silver coins from my ring. I placed it into the bowl.

    Mistress Hodge took the bowl and poured the coins into her hands. ��Seven silver coins. That��s good. That makes for way less of a mess in counting." She said taking out 70 copper coins from inside the drawer. ��Here is your change. Just remember this, on the seventh day if you need to stay longer. We will need more money." she said handing over an old key. With a number 309 on it. ��This is your room number�� she said returning her attention back to the puzzle.

    ��Thank you�� I said taking the key and climbing up the stairs to the third level. The stairs creaked as I stepped on them. This place was so old. If it wasn��t because of Riley I would never have come here.

    Finally reaching room 309, I used the key and unlocked the door. The door creaked as I pushed it open.

    The room was simple with two wide beds on the side. A small table leaned against the opposite wall. There was a white door that lead into the washing room.

    I gently put Riley down on the first bed and covered him up with the blanket. Then I walked over to the window and opened it. Dust flew into the air as the window slid open. I coughed. This room was clearly not cleaned as often as it should have been. Why the hell did I choose this place? Master left me with plenty of coins. I could stay at a much better place. I sighed.

    ��Are you sure there is something here that is attracting Riley?�� I asked. Using a small breeze to clear the dust out of the room. Wind magic was becoming really easy to use now. It was so much easier to use than life magic. The connection with Carter really helped a lot.

    ��Logan I''m certain about it. I''ve had a fair bit of encounters with Phoenixes in my time. That was a clear sign of his blood reacting to something. Plus, this place isn''t bad.�� he said cozying up on Riley''s bed.

    "When will Riley enter rebirth?" I asked him.

    "Don''t know." He replied.

    "I thought you said he was nearing it?" I questioned.

    "He is, but there is no way of telling. It could be tomorrow, or it could be next year. Its hard to tell." He replied. He curled up in bed and started to snore.

    I rolled my eyes at him. This stupid dragon. What good was he if he could not even answer my questions.

    I washed up and went to bed. I really needed rest. These days resting was so hard to come by.

    ��������������.

    The Rustic sword once again appeared. This time I was no longer drifting above it. I was standing not far from it.

    I could see the sword more clearly now. It was actually lying on a rock this time around. The rock was black and white, splitting up into two at the middle. It resembled a Ying Yang. The symbol that was very widely used in healing arts.

    As I moved closer, I realized the black and white rock was actually a crystal with a black and white liquid moving inside.

    The five elements still protected the sword, but this time wind was not feeling so foreign. I could clearly get pass through the wind. The white liquid also looked welcoming. The other four elements still blocked my path. But I could not put my mind on what the silver element was.

    The sword was less rustic this time. The old feel to it was still there, but the sword had a glow to it. The clear gem hanging off the pommel was glowing faintly. It was the gem representing wind. A new symbol also appeared on the sword hilt. It was a Ying yang. The white part was lit up, while the black part seemed to be waiting to pounce.

    I walked closer to the sword. The four elements started to attack me, so did the black liquid within the rocks. I backed away, then faded back into the mist.

    ����������������������������������������������������������.

    I sat up in bed cold sweat dripping from my face. The early morning light was shining through the window. The singing of birds filled the air. A cool breeze blew in through the window. I had left the window open last night.

    I got off the bed and walked up to the window. The sun was just coming up the horizon. The amber hue of the sun��s ray lit up the sky, the morning sparrows soared high in the horizon.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Breathing in the fresh morning air, I thought about the weeks events. So much had happened. Life was getting more and more complicated. I wanted my old life back, but it was gone with the wind now.

    A voice groaned in the background. I turned around, Riley rose from his bed. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and yawned. He blinked sleepily and looked over at me. He smiled and jumped off the bed and ran over to me.

    ��Good morning Logan Sir. I feel refreshed today. Should I assist you in getting ready for the day�� he said.

    ��There��s no need for that�� I said. Riley had been serving people for to long. I needed to wane him off from this habit

    He was a free person now. He needs to be more independent.

    ��You can wash up first.�� I suggested.

    ��Me wash up, no sir I can��t. I" he stuttered.

    I smiled at him ��Riley you are a free person now. After we go out today. We will unseal that seal of yours. You can start being yourself again. Don��t belittle yourself. You had the courage to run away. Why not have the courage to live on bravely and proudly." The moment those words came out of my mouth I couldn��t believe myself. Was this actually me speaking. I sounded so mature.

    ��Okay Logan sir. I will do what you say�� he said running into the washing room and closing the door.

    The sound of rushing water came from the washing room. Riley started to sing. He sounded pretty good. I smiled.

    Carter got off the bed and jumped onto my lap. ��You know if we are unsealing him we need to be prepared. Maybe set up a barrier around here. I have several barriers that are pretty good.�� he suggested.

    I eyed him. This fella was getting more comfortable around me. I sighed. It was about time to allow him to see the book. I didn''t need to guard from him no more.

    I summoned the book from the cauldron. The instant the book appeared Carter��s eyes glowed. He could not believe his eyes. He did not expect this at all.

    I opened the book to the section with the Divine Arts. The second section of the divine Arts suddenly clicked and unsealed. I almost jumped. Then even more unexpectantly the fifth section unsealed itself. My jaw dropped. How did this happen. I thought they were supposed to unseal in order?

    Carter started to breath hard. I rolled my eyes. This dragon was anxious to read the section on the holy dragon''s breath. I flipped to the page with the unsealed holy dragon''s breath.

    ��Carter you can have a look�� I said.

    ��For reals? Thank you.�� He said flying down beside the book and reading it with excitement and reverence. I looked at it at the same time.

    The fifth set was complicated, more so than anything I��ve ever seen. But somehow, I could understand it. It just clicked somehow.

    I read through as much as I could see. It read ''The first spell of the dragon''s breath is like the newly hatched dragon weak yet full of potential. This spell is called the Dragons hatch. Runes must be formed from the inside for it to truly show its full potential. Preferably a dragon should perform this set of magic. Only through dragon calm can this spell be at its strongest.''

    ��Dragon calm, what is that?�� I asked.

    ��That is the magic source of a dragon.�� answered Carter. ��Through our contract you can access it to.�� He said, still fully immerse in reading the spells for the Holy dragon''s breath.

    "I see�� I said. I tried to read farther but the spells ahead made no sense to me. I could not decipher farther than the first spell.

    ��Carter how much can you read?�� I asked him.

    ��Only the first one, but this is amazing. With this magic I can be reborn even faster. The first spell is a hatchlings spell which can speed up my hatching day''s" He said excitedly.

    "But something seems odd. This spell feels incomplete" he said.

    "How so?" I asked him.

    "I don��t know. But I will not use it until I''ve fully understood it" he said. "You shouldn''t try it yet either." He suggested.

    I nodded my head. It was not a spell I was ready to learn anyways. Why did it unlock so fast? I wasn''t ready for it yet. Maybe the wind orb has something to do with it?

    Riley came out of the washing room; a towel was wrapped around his chest. I frowned. This was not where a towel on a boy should be wrapped. Only girls wrapped it around their chest. I was about to say something to him. But Riley snatched some clean clothes from the bed. I had set those there last night before I went to bed. He ran back into the washing room.

    I raised my eye brows. Why was he so hung up on not letting me see him change? We were both guys. There was nothing I don''t have that he doesn''t have. I sighed and sat down by the table and started to write down herbs and other things I needed for my potions and Riley''s barrier.

    Riley came out of the washing room and his face was red. I patted him on the head and headed into the washing room to wash up.

    ������������������������������������������������������������

    I finished off and left our room. Carter returned to his dragon heart. The divine book was returned to the cauldron.

    We walked down the hall, then stepped down the stairs. They creaked as we stepped down. The same ladies sat in the lounge. The old lady was not behind the counter today, instead a young man stood behind the counter. He smiled at us when he saw us. We walked up to the counter.

    ��Good morning sirs. Are you going out?�� he asked politely. He was better mannered than that Miss Hodge. I read his name tag. His name was Carl.

    ��Yes�� I replied. ��I want to ask you where the best herb shop in town is?�� I asked.

    ��Are you looking for herbs?" he asked.

    I nodded my head.

    "There are several herbal shops in town. The best is of course the shop owned by the healer''s society. But only official healers can buy herbs from there." he said pausing to see if I happened to be a healer.

    I do have a healer''s license issued by the healer''s society. I had gotten one last year when master said it was time I got one for myself. I��ve never officially used it for anything, but it was registered with the healer''s society. Unfortunately, it was under my real name. I couldn��t exactly use it now could I. What if the mages from that mysterious organization traced its use and found me. It was not something I wanted to have happen.

    ��No, I don��t have such a thing�� I answered, acting disappointed.

    ��Then sir, there are three open herb shops in town. Uryus is the most expensive one but it is the best. It is located not very far from here. The second is call Heroes. It��s located in the town center. Its prices are actually reasonable. The last, I would not recommend, it''s called Divine Herbs, its located the farthest. It is all the way on the other side of town. They are actually pretty expensive and most of the time, customers complain about their services. I suggest if you could find the herbs at the first two, then not to visit the last�� he recommended.

    ��Thank you. Can you give me all three places address?" I asked politely. "I��ll have a look at all of them. It��s the perfect chance to explore the town anyways.�� I grinned.

    ��Of course, sir.�� He said righting down the three shops name and addresses. He listed them from closest to farthest.

    "Thank you�� I said taking the piece of paper and putting it into my pocket.

    ��Oh, one more thing where can I find crystals, candles and incense?�� I asked.

    ��Those things can all be purchased at the house of craft. Sir are you a mage?�� he asked.

    I chuckled. ��No, do I look like one?" I laughed.

    Carl furrowed his brow.

    "I just like to collect these things. I dreamt of being a mage when I was a boy but found out I did not have the talent for it. As compensation I like to collect mage items every town I come across." I said chuckling.

    ��Oh, that��s disappointing. I was hoping to find a mage. But never mind, here is the address of the house of craft." he said, handing me another piece of paper.

    I took the sheet and walked out of the hotel. A few of the ladies stared up at me. I glanced at them. I almost stumbled when I realized that I could feel some sort of magic from one of the older ladies. So, there was a mage here. Could she be a wind mage? There was no way she could be a Life mage.

    ������������������������������������������������������...

    The town of Banff was not a big town. It was two thirds smaller than Sappon. But still the walk across town was treacherous. We had visited all the shops on the list but the last one. I had purchased the candles, crystal and incense without trouble and even found most of the herbs needed. But the last herb which should have been the easiest to find was not available in neither of the stores.

    Lax weed was a very common herb. Sometimes when you walk outside you would come across it. But for some reason, the entire town was out if it. Plus, there wasn��t even a trace of it growing anywhere in town. It was strange really, I actually haven��t seen it all since I left Sappon. That was really strange.

    We stopped before a shabby old shop. The windows had old vines covering it. The door even had vines encasing it. I looked up at the sign, it read Divine Herbs. This was the right shop. I opened the door and entered. A bell rang on top of the door.

    When we entered the shop, an old smell of Arcane incense filled the air. It was one of the oldest kind of warding''s against evil spirits. I recognized it from my studies. Master had always said Arcane is most commonly used for warding off evil spirits. It had no use otherwise. But most people don��t know about this. It was actually a real thing, I even read about it in the book of divine. If used properly with warding spells Arcane can even ward off vengeful spirits.

    I glanced around the room and found traces of old runes hidden in the walls. If one did not know them to be runes, then they would just have seemed like the decorations of the shop.

    I searched the room some more, sure enough, close to the center of the shop a crystal ball stood embedded inside a support beam. That is definitely a warding spell. I stopped in my tracks. Why was there a warding spell inside this shop?

    I eyed the shop. This was no normal place. That spell was a very strong spell to ward off evil spirits. I suddenly remembered Carter. Would this work on him? I wasn��t so sure. I quickly sent him a message through our connection. Telling him not to come out. He responded with a claw''s up.

    I walked up to the counter, a young lady sat behind it. She was about seventeen to eighteen. Her sleek black hair hung loose over her shoulders. A pentagon hair pin held her bangs back. She looked up at me, then returned to reading her book. It was a romance novel.

    ��Hi Miss, I��m looking for Lax Weed. Do you guys perhaps have any?�� I asked her.

    She looked up at me and shook her head.

    ��Oh�� I said disappointed. What was with this town? How could they be out of the simplest of herbs.

    Of course, I didn��t have to use Lax weed in most potions. It could be effectively replaced. But for this potion it was needed. Of course, it could be replaced too. But, at a greater cost. I would have to use 6 rare herbs to replace it this time. That was just not practical.

    ��Logan sir�� Riley tugged at my sleeve.

    "Yes, Riley" I said looking down at him.

    ��I feel very uneasy here" he said his voice sacred. He looked left, then right. ��There��s a lot of spirits in here�� he murmured under his breath.

    The girl over the counter dropped her book and looked over the counter at Riley.

    ��Young man. Don��t say things you know nothing about. There are no way spirits can get in here�� she said sternly.

    Riley hid behind me and continued looking left and right, his hands were shaking. ��Logan sir�� the spirits�� are very mad." he said his voice stuttering.

    I knelt down next to him, ��Are you sure? This place is very well warded�� I said.

    ��Logan sir, the spirits are saying that something bad is going to happen if this warding doesn��t come down this instant�� he said, his teeth chattering.

    I took him into my arms and held him tight. He was very scared. This can''t be a lie. I glanced around the shop. How was this even possible. The shop was well warded. Spirits shouldn��t be able to get in. Why was Riley saying they are trapped here?

    "Stop spewing nonsense. This shop does not welcome you. Please leave.�� The girl behind the counter said pointing us to the door.

    I lifted Riley off the ground and carried him toward the door. I glanced back one last time. That��s when I saw it. The runes inside the crystal ball was reversed. I almost broke out in curses. This was bad.

    I tried to hurry myself out of the shop, but suddenly, the door slammed close and a dark cloud of smoke blocked the exit.

    ��Freak ''in hell" I cursed. Why is everything happening to me?

    ��What''s going on?!�� screamed the girl behind the counter. A dark cloud had surrounded her, and she was trapped.

    I sighed ��Shit! This was a trap!�� I said, cursing my luck. This was just perfect. Why is everything happening to me? This stupid shop had gotten the spell wrong. Instead of warding off the spirits, it trapped whatever spirits happen to be prancing through the place.

    What��s worst is if Riley nor I hadn��t come here, this would not have happened. The spell reacted to our magic resonance. Even though Riley��s magic was sealed. It still released a residue from magic.

    The spell got agitated by our magic and jolted the spirits into rebellion. It was nasty business.

    I sighed, bitter feelings running through my body. This was yet again going to be another bad day.

 Chapter 15 - Witches

    Witches

    The dark clouds started to fill the room. The girl behind the counter started to scream. Then I heard the scuffling of feet coming from upstairs. It was people rushing down the stairs. The back door swung open and out came an old lady and an old gentleman. When they saw the dark clouds inside the room, they both cursed.

    ��What is this?�� questioned the old man. He was scanning the room with his dark black eyes.

    ��I told you that something always goes wrong with your spells! Old man! What did you do this time?�� the old lady said angrily, hitting the old man over the head with her cane.

    ��Grandma, Grandpa. Help me!�� pleaded the girl, her body was being lifted off the ground.

    The old man glanced over at her and frowned. He took out a talisman. Then chanted a few words under his breath and threw the talisman at the clouds of spirits around the young lady.

    A sharp shriek came from within the clouds and it dispersed releasing the girl. The old lady walked over to the girl and started releasing talismans of her own. Soon 8 talismans formed into a circle and protected them from the clouds of spirits.

    ��What happened? Why is this happening?�� asked the old lady leaning down to help the young lady back to her feet.

    The young lady shook her head. She looked in my direction and pointed. For the first time the old lady and the old man noticed Riley and me.

    The old man snickered and continued his work. Talisman after talismans flew into the air. I watched in amazement. What kind of magic was this? It was not elemental based because the energy released looked completely different. The magic exhibited a silver aura.

    The old man chanted. The talismans shot through the air, wherever the talisman touched, spirits screamed and vanished. Fifteen minutes later, every spirit in the room was destroyed. The old man wiped his brows with the back of his sleeves. He called the talismans back and placed them neatly into a rectangular leather sack on the side of his belt. He lifted his head and glared in my direction.

    ��Who are you?�� he asked walking over to the old lady and standing in front of them, seemingly guarding them from me.

    I chuckled bitterly. I felt annoyed. Hey, I��m totally innocent here. It was you guys that set the stupid spell up wrong. I scratched my head ��Sir, I��m just a lowly customer. I was just about to leave.�� I said with mixed feelings. I reached for the door.

    A talisman flew pass me and landed on the door. Silver light spread out effectively sealing the exit. I breathed out a sigh of regret. I��d almost got away Scott free. I really was a simple person. I��ve been through enough already. I did not want to get involved in any more supernatural stuff. I had enough things on my plate. The organization was still on my trail and probably will be for the rest of my life. I really did not want another set of people after me.

    I put Riley back onto the ground. He was no longer shaking. The spirits were all gone. His demeanour had come back. He stood silently behind me.

    ��Old sir, I really don��t want trouble here." I said holding my hands up to tell them I meant them no harm. "Please just let us go and we can both forget any of this ever happened.�� I suggested showing them my brightest smile.

    The old man snorted. ��No one is leaving this room until I find out what the heck happened?" He took a single talisman back out from his leather sack. "Did you do this? Did you let all those spirits in here?�� he questioned, the talisman pointed at me.

    I frowned. ��Old sir. First off, I am just a customer and that is all that I am." I spread my arms out in exasperation. "Secondly, I did not let any spirits into here. That was all your doing,�� I said pointing my fingers toward him and the crystal ball inside the support beam.

    He glanced over toward the crystal ball. A weird expression appeared on his face ��It looks fine.�� He said perplexed. ��Looks perfectly normal to me.�� He smiled. ��I��d personally installed it just last week,�� he finished, proud of himself.

    I laughed inside. Yeah you did an awesome job old man. I rubbed my temple. This old dude still did not realize his rune was in reverse. ��Old sir�� I said stepping forward.

    The old man flinched, and silver fire ignited around his talisman.

    ��Woooh!" I hollered and stopped. "Old sir. Hold your horses. I��m just going to point out what the problem is�� I said, holding my right hand out to stop him. Slowly I squeezed pass him and stopped next to the crystal ball. I pointed at the rune inside the crystal ball.

    The old lady watched me with amusement and the young girl looked at me with suspicion.

    ��Okay sir. First off. This rune is reversed�� I pointed out. "It should be the other way around" I finished.

    The old lady gasped. ��Holy Lord. I knew you would have messed up!" She pushed the old man and me aside. She craned her neck down and examined the rune inside the crystal ball.

    ��I can��t believe this!" She shouted in exasperation, her hand clasped over her head. "The one thing you were in charge of and you mess it up!" she paused to take in a deep breath. "My dear lord. No wonder all those spirits were in here. You set up a trapping ward!" she exploded. "Not an actual spirit warding. My goodness! I can��t believe you can mess up on such a simple task. The stupid rune was set into reverse!�� she shouted, then drew up her cane and smacked the old man over the left leg.

    The old held his left leg and winced. He then limped over to the crystal ball and looked inside.

    ��This is the single most outrageous thing you could have done. Luckily the spell wasn��t up for to long or else every freaking spirit in the city would be here. If that happened even your stupid talismans can��t extinguish them,�� She admonished lifting her cane once again. The young lady stopped her.

    "Grandma!" she shouted.

    The old lady let her cane down and took in a deep breath. She glared at the old man.

    ��Wifey, I was sure the rune was supposed to be this way�� He said taking out a small book from underneath his clothes.

    "See the rune is exactly the same," he pleaded.

    I peaked over the drawing and laughed. The old man had the book upside down.

    ��What��s so funny?�� he said angrily, holding up his talisman in warning.

    ��Your book is upside down." I said trying to hold in my laughter.

    ��What?" he said confused. He looked down at the book. "This looks up right to me. See these words are all read from left to right." He said.

    ��Actually," I said flipping his book around. "This language is read from left to right and the words should be this way." I said pointing down at the words.

    The old mans eyes bulged in disbelief. "How does this even make sense? Look at all this empty space up here. This surely is the bottom." He complained.

    "This language is the old language of the North Kingdom. They actually have a tradition of leaving a huge chunk of space at the top of the pages. Their reason is that later people can add their own interpretation to it." I explained. This language was the official language of the North Kingdom. The North kingdom existed from 4000 to 2000 years ago and it collapsed shortly after. A deadly fog suddenly destroyed all of the northern lands. To this day, the northern lands are still devoid of life. No one dares going up there. The deadly fog still clouds the lands. It ensures no living creature can enter or exit from the land alive.

    ��No way," said the old man.

    The old lady placed her hands over her eyes and shook her head. She was too embarrassed to continue looking.

    ��See, like I said this thing has nothing to do with me. It was all your handy work. So, can I go now?�� I asked taking Riley��s hand starting to back away.

    ��Wait, how do you know so much about the warding spells?�� asked the old man suspicious.

    I rubbed my temple. ��I just happen to be very knowledgeable.�� I said trying to explain my wide knowledge.

    ��This doesn��t sound right." The old man said getting more suspicious.

    ��Young man, why did you come to our shop?�� he asked.

    I sighed. ��I was simply here looking for an herb, but unfortunately, you guys don��t have it�� I answered.

    ��An herb we don��t have?" he muttered skeptically. "What type of herb is it? Is it a rare herb?�� he asked.

    ��Actually, it��s not rare at all, but strangely no one in town seems to carry it.�� I complained.

    ��What herb are you looking for?�� asked the old man.

    ��I was looking for Lax weed�� I replied.

    The old man furrowed his brow. ��Lax weed? How is it possible for us to be out of Lax weed?�� He said, turning to face his granddaughter.

    ��That��s exactly my question." I agreed. There shouldn��t be a reason for a shortage of Lax weed. It was the most common herb out there.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ��Actually, we are out" said the young lady.

    The old lady furrowed her brows questioningly at her, ��Really? Explain?�� She ordered.

    ��Just yesterday, the mayor''s assistant came here and bought all the Lax weed we had in stock. He said the Mayor needed it for something." She explained.

    ��Really? That��s strange. No one needs that much Lax weed. Lax weed is really not that useful. Except for being used as a basic ingredient, it has no other uses.�� She said, furrowing her brow in thought.

    ��Young man, why don��t you use something else instead of Lax weed?�� The old lady suggested.

    ��I can, but for my potion Lax weed is important. Replacing it would require 6 rare herbs. Its not a fair trade" I said letting slip that I was a potions master.

    ��Oh, you are a potions maker" she asked, eyeing me. She examined me for the first time.

    ��Young man, you seem to know a lot about spells. Are you perhaps a student of the academy?�� she asked.

    ��No,�� I said. I didn��t know what the academy was?

    ��Oh,�� the old lady said disappointed. ��Then are you an member of the healer society?" She asked.

    ��No�� I lied. I couldn��t tell her I was. That could leave a trail.

    She narrowed her eyes. She seems to have caught onto my lie. I started to feel nervous. This lady was very sharp.

    ��That''s strange. How are you a potions maker if you aren��t part of the academy or healers society?�� she asked, hee cane tapping gently on the ground.

    ��Actually, I just like to read a lot." I swallowed nervously. "I learnt a lot of things from books.�� I said giving her a smile. This lady, why did I feel like I was facing master when I see her? Her every move and word felt like master. It was a strange feeling.

    ��Young man, I know you are lying, but I don��t care. All I care about is that we can��t let you go today�� she said tapping her cane on the ground once again.

    ��Why?�� I asked my expression darkening. I may be feeling uneasy around her, but this was outrageous.

    ��Because you saw to much.�� she said. She took the talisman from the old man and flung it into the air. She tapped her cane on the ground and silver light shrouded the room. Soon piercing silver needles above our heads.

    I tensed. This kind of magic was unlike any I had ever seen. What was she?

    ��Wait wifey, I know we need to keep ourselves from being found, but this young man seems to be genuinely a good person. You don''t need to go this far.�� The old man said.

    I was surprised at the old man. A few minutes ago. He was the one not letting me go. Now, he was the one helping me. I did not understand this old dude at all.

    ��Old man, you don��t understand. This young man is not what he seems. There is no way the spirits would react this way, even if you had set up the spell wrong. So, this young man here is either a mage or something else. Only with the addition of outside magic would the spirits rebel against us this quickly.�� She said, taping her cane on the ground once again. The silver needles above our heads started to gather.

    I covered my eyes. This old lady was pretty perceptive. It was our presence that made the spirits react. But my god, did she think we wanted this to happen? I started to tap into my orbs.

    Suddenly Riley stood in front to me, his arms spread in a protective mode. ��Old lady, this has nothing to do with Logan sir. This, is all my fault�� he said.

    I froze, what was this little fella doing?

    The old lady blinked. ��Who are you child?�� she asked perplexed.

    ��I��m�� I��m... a mage�� he answered.

    Everyone starred at Riley. I was not amused. What was he doing? He did not need to do this. I could handle this by myself.

    ��Riley���� I started to say.

    ��Logan sir, I know this is my fault. I felt the spirits the moment I entered the shop. They must have somehow riled up because of me. I am a mage after all. I have to stand up for my wrong doings.�� He said his will unwavering.

    I was beginning to get a headache. Riley there is a time to say something and there is a time to keep quiet. Why are you admitting you are a mage? Actually, you''re not a mage at all. You��re a Phoenix. I screamed inside my head.

    ��You��re a mage?�� questioned the old man starring down accursedly at Riley.

    ��You don��t look like a mage.�� The old lady said. She flicked her cane and the silver needles spread out and the room was entirely surrounded by the needles.

    ��Grandma it��s true. This boy did say that there were spirits here before it all started,�� the young lady complained hiding behind her grandparents.

    ��I don��t sense any magic coming from this child. Not even a trace.�� The old lady said eyeing Riley. ��This young man though, is full of magic" she pointed her cane at me.

    I froze. This old lady could sense my magic? How was this possible?

    "Although, I can��t tell if he uses it or not. But he does have a high possibility of being a mage.�� the old lady said her brows furrowed into a crescent shape.

    I swallowed hard. She really could see my magic. What does this mean? She was no wind mage or Life mage. Could it be related to her unique magic?

    ��I am a mage���� Riley stuttered. ��My magic is just�� just sealed�� he admitted.

    ��Sealed?�� questioned the old lady, she narrowed her eyes. Then, she nodded her head. "Yes, there is a seal on you. Not a very powerful one." He admitted.

    ��You see. This is all my fault. If you have to blame someone, blame me.�� Riley said taking a step forward.

    ��It��s possible that sealed magic can interfere with the spirits�� the old lady said. ��Alright then, child, we will have to take you both into custody. But this young man can��t be let go either.�� She said. ��We can��t afford to let the word out that we are witches�� She said nodding to her husband then waving her in a circular motion. The needles in the air dispersed and a talisman returned to her hand.

    ��But��.�� Riley complained.

    I placed a hand on Riley��s shoulder, holding him back. ��Riley that��s enough.�� I said staring him in the eye. ��I will take care of this�� I said getting ready to fight these people. I was starting to push magic out from my magic orbs.

    ��Wait Logan!�� Carter��s voice rang in my head. I stopped. What the heck did he want at a time like this?

    The old man threw 7 talismans into the air and chains appeared. Within seconds the chains linked around my four limbs and tightened. I was startled by the sudden action of the old man. I did not react in time. Carter��s voice made me loose concentration.

    When I tried to access my magic orbs once again, I found myself unable to access them. What the heck? What did the old man do? I started to lose my composure. I glared across the room at the old man.

    ��Shit!!�� I cursed in frustration.

    ��Sorry young man. Don��t worry, we won��t hurt you or the boy. We just need you two to stay put for a few more days. Then we will release you.�� The old man said.

    ��That remains to be decided.��said the old lady. She tuned and took her grand daughter with her up stairs.

    ��Come on, I will show you to a room for now�� said the old man pulling on the chains.

    ��Wait!�� I said trying for one more time to access my magic orbs. It did not work.

    ��Young man, its useless. You can��t access it�� said the old man, a smile was plastered on his face.

    I starred at him. He knew. So, I had revealed myself?

    ��I knew the instant I saw you. You are a mage. Plus, just before, my chains hit you I saw a flicker of magic around you. Don��t worry though. We don��t have anything against you. But we can��t afford to allow our presence in town to be known at all.�� He said, pulling Riley and me down a set of stairs leading into the basement.

    ��Who are you people?�� I asked.

    ��We are witches. Didn��t my wife just say so?�� he said chuckling.

    ��Witches?�� I said. ��Aren��t witches just mages?�� I asked.

    The old man laughed. ��I guess the mages that taught you did not ever explain to you the difference between mages, and witches?�� he laughed. His laughter was strong and hardy.

    I shook my head. I actually didn��t know. I had always thought witches were just another name for mages.

    ��I guess you weren��t taught at a mage school either.�� He stated.

    I shook my head. I was definitely not taught at a mage school. I was self taught more then anything.

    The old man��s eye brows twitched. ��That��s rare. Where did you learn magic from?�� he asked.

    ��I had a master�� I answered.

    ��Had?�� the old man asked.

    ��He��s kind of gone�� I murmured.

    ��Oh, I��m sorry.�� he said expressing his condolences. ��Any how, we witches are not mages. Mages gets their magic from the elemental orbs inside their magic cores. But we witches use a whole different kind of magic. We get our magic from the sealing orb. Of course, like mages we have a magic core, but the sealing orb is not one of the five elements. It is a completely different kind of magic. The mages don��t have access to this power. That��s why the majority of them are jealous of us.�� He laughed.

    Sealing orb, I thought. So, there was other kinds of orbs other than the five elements. That��s strange the book of divine never mentioned them. It should have at least said something. This was big news.

    ��We witches like to stay under the radar. There isn��t many of us left in this world. The mages and us are not exactly friendly with each other. So that��s why we are wary about you. But you seem okay to me. But my wife is the boss. So, I can��t let you go.�� He said pushing a door open and walking into a small room. The room was fully furnished with a single bed, a small table and a tiny washing room. Old paintings hung on the walls.

    ��Here we are, for the next few days you and your little friend here must stay here.�� He said.

    He then placed a talisman on the wall and the room changed somehow. I did not know how, but it felt different.

    ��Here.�� He said. Placing his hands over the chains. They suddenly transformed into a bracelet around my right hand. The chains on my feet and left hand vanished.

    ��This looks better than the chains. But it does the same thing. Your magic is sealed for the time being�� he said. Then he walked out of the room and the room clicked. He had locked us in.

    I could not Believe it. We were trapped here with no magic. I was angry. Riley sat on the bed and started pouting.

    ��Carter!�� I screamed.

    Riley jumped at my sudden outburst.

    ��Carter, get your butt out here!�� I shouted.

    "Logan sir are you okay?�� Riley asked walking up to me, taking my hands into his.

    I looked down at him. My eyes were still full of furry. I took in deep breaths. ��I��m fine Riley. Just sit over there.�� I pointed to the bed.�� I have some business to take care of."

    Riley sat down with reluctance. He watched me with a worry expression.

    I sighed. This situation was just not ideal. What was I supposed to do now? My magic was sealed. If it wasn��t because Carter distracted me at the last moment, I would have been able to react in time. Life magic may not have helped during that instance, but wind could have. I was getting angrier and angrier. The deep breaths were not helping.

    "Carter, get out here this instance!�� I shouted, taking out the dragon��s heart from inside my pocket. I had kept it there. I still did not know where to keep it. I couldn��t put it inside the cauldron. So, the only place I could put it in was inside my pocket. I know this is not a safe place to keep it, but what could I do?

    The dragon heart flickered and suddenly Carter appeared in front of me.

    ��Carter, why did you interfere like that?" I questioned him sternly.

    ��Wow, he sealed your magic.�� he smirked.

    I tried to hold in my anger, but it was not helping. ��I asked you why?�� I shouted.

    ��Shh,�� Carter said raising his claw up to my mouth.

    I wanted to strangle him. This dragon was playing with me.

    ��You should see your face.�� Carter laughed. ��Okay. Actually, there is something here in this building that is resonating with me? At least I think. It��s my intuition working. It feels like something related to my race is here. So, naturally you had to be captured for me to be able to study it�� he explained.

    My head exploded. This dragon did all this for a simple intuition. I breathed even more heavily. ��You��. You�� I said my word lost with my anger.

    ��Logan sir���� Riley''s voice interrupted. He sounded scared.

    I turned to face him. He was staring at me with his eyes bulged. I almost forgot that Riley did not know of Carters existence. Well at least not formerly. He''s felt his presence before.

    ��Who�� who are you�� talking to?�� he asked stuttering. His eyes full of fear.

    ��Riley, let me explain�� I said.

    ��He��s talking to me�� answered Carter. He materialized before him.

    Riley''s eyes rolled up and he fainted.

    I quickly ran over to the bed, placed my fingers on his pulse. ��Phew, he only fainted from shock. He��s fine otherwise.�� I said relieved.

    I glared up at Carter, ��Why did you do that?�� I scolded him.

    ��Hey if you are planning on taking in this Phoenix. He��s bound to find out sooner or later. It��s better to be sooner. I don��t want him to think you are a wacko. Always talking to yourself,�� he said.

    I gave him a glare. This dragon just doesn��t know how to do things in moderation.

    ��Okay, what are we going to do now? They sealed my magic,�� I said.

    ��That��s alright,�� Carter said.

    ��How is that alright. We are prisoners right now,�� I iterated my words so that he could understand our situation.

    ��If I say it��s alright. It��s alright. Have you forgotten you have a contract with me? Your own powers may be sealed but my magic is not,�� he said.

    I starred up at him and blinked. I had forgotten about his magic. ��But how do I access your magic without my magic core?�� I asked him unsure how to get at his magic without my core.

    ��Simple.�� Carter said landing on my shoulders.

    Magic flowed down his legs into my body and I suddenly could feel his magic source.

    ��If I stay physically attached to you my magic can be used.�� He said.

    I frowned at him and turned my head. But that was one problem solved anyways.

 Chapter 16 - Healing

    Healing

    When Riley woke up, he sat in a corner of the bed and starred at Carter with fear in his eyes. Carter grinned and looked to the doorway. My head felt tight, I did not want to deal with this situation.

    "Riley, this is Carter. He is an ancient dragon, that is currently my contract beast." I said. Carter dug his claws into my shoulder in protest at my explanation. He was no contract beast, he was my Partner under the equal partnership contract. "Okay, he''s my partner. Nevertheless, he will not hurt you." I explained.

    Riley did not let his gaze fall away from Carter. "Logan sir," he said with hesitant breath. "But, he''s a spirit," he pointed out.

    I nodded my head, "Yes, he is a spirit. But someday he won''t be," I replied.

    Riley furrowed his brows. He didn''t seem to understand what I was saying. "I don''t understand what you mean? He''s a spirit and he will stay one forever. Do you mean he will reincarnate soon?" He asked hopeful.

    "Something like that. But don''t worry, he is perfectly friendly," I assured him.

    Carter dug his claws into my shoulder once again. "Actually, I can be very fearsome if you act up kid," he warned.

    Riley tensed, rolling into a ball. The one thing the kid feared the most were spirits and here was Carter, a real-life ghost sitting on my shoulders. I scratched my head in frustration. Why was this happening at a time like this?

    "Carter, stop joking!" I warned him.

    Carter flew off my shoulder and landed on the bed. He slowly crawled over to Riley. Riley screamed. He attempted to crawl backwards, but he was already at the corner. There was nowhere else to go.

    "Riley, if I wanted to hurt you, I would have already done so. I was there when you met Logan," he said sitting down on the bed.

    "You�� you were there?" he asked surprised.

    "Yes, I helped save you. You know," he said.

    "Really? But I didn''t sense you there. I usually can sense when spirits are around." He questioned skeptically.

    "I was there. Ask Logan if you don''t believe me." Carter pointed his claw in my direction.

    Riley followed his claws and looked up at me. His eye yearning for my confirmation. I nodded my head. "Carter was around," I said. He was around. He even offered to help.

    "Oh," he said. "But, you are still a spirit. They''re all evil!" he said.

    Carter shook his head. "Why would all spirits be evil. Do you think you will turn evil if you become a spirit?" he asked swinging his tail left and right.

    Riley nodded his head. Both Carter and I starred at him in amusement. This was a narrow way of thinking.

    "Why would you turn evil? If you aren��t evil now?" Carter questioned.

    "Because��because�� I don''t know why. It just is!" He shouted.

    I interrupted. "Riley not all spirits are evil. Believe me," I told him, patting him over the head.

    Riley looked up at me skeptically, but he nodded his head in the end.

    "Okay kid, lets be good acquaintances." Carter held up his claws to the kid. Riley reluctantly shook his claws.

    "Now, that we have this over with. Let''s find that item and then get out of here," Carter declared.

    "What item?" Riley asked.

    "A very important item, my boy," Carter said cozying up to Riley. Riley still seemed a little scared but accepted it anyways.

    "Carter, you don''t really even know if this thing is real or not. Where the heck are we supposed to find it? Plus, we are not exactly free to get out of here. Look at the room, that old man sealed us in," I said.

    Carter lifted off the bed and made a full circle around the room. He then landed back on the bed. "This is witchcraft, a very odd kind of magic," he said. "So, those people really are witches. That is strange." He said.

    "What''s so strange. They admitted to being witches already." I said giving him a weird look.

    "What''s strange is that witches really are a rare breed. Even in my time, there was not a lot of them. But their magic is truly unique. They don''t use the five elements, but their power is pretty much similar to that of the mages. You guys both store your magic in the magic core and both use a magic orb. The only difference is that theirs is called the witches core and only those with the witch bloodline can attain it. No one else in the world can attain it. But witches also can''t attain the five elements either. It is truly a strange thing indeed. It almost seems like they are not the same race as you humans. But, no matter how you look at it, they are humans. There is no difference between you guys other than the use in magic."

    "How is that a problem? Most people can''t use magic, and everyone has their own attributes. So, what''s strange about them only being able to use a sealing orb?" I questioned.

    "You don''t understand. Every race''s magic is slightly different. The humans have the five elements. We dragons also only have the five elements, but the wind element is our preferred element. Our dragon magic works through our dragon calm. It is much stronger than your magic orbs. It is the same with the other races. But the witches sealing orb is only available with those few humans. Isn''t that strange?" Carter asked.

    I raised my eye brows. "Not really, maybe its some sort of mutation in magic," I suggested.

    Carter laughed, "Mutation. That is not possible. Magic has been the same since the beginning of time when the nine gods created the world. The five elements have always been the only magic around. There is no exception, magic does not change." he stated sternly.

    "What about the magic used by the demons?" I asked. "They don''t use the five elements. They use a different kind of magic."

    "They can''t be considered. They came from the outside world. Who knows what kind of things exist out there?" Carter said.

    "Then maybe the witches are the same," I suggested, considering the implications.

    "No, they have been around since the beginning. History is very clear on that. The same can be said about the Oracles. They are also weird humans that don''t follow the same rules. Never mind this. We should find this item first." Carter said.

    I wanted him to explain more about the Oracles, but he seemed dead shot on changing the subject. "Okay, but how do you suggest we go about doing this?" I pointed around the room once again.

    "I''m a dragon, their magic does not work on me, unless they specifically ward against dragon magic. They can''t keep me in." He said, flying over to the door. He flew right through the barrier.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    My jaw dropped. Carter just passed right through the barrier. But this�� but this�� I have no words for this. Being a dragon sure helped in such situations. Carter flew back through the door and landed on the bed.

    "Logan, just stay put. These witches don''t know there is a dragon here. Their warding''s and magic won''t work on me. So, I''ll be just fine. I''ll come back for you guys when I have the item. In the mean time, why don''t you do something about this kid''s back. Your cauldron should still work. It is connected with you through a blood bond, not your magic. Use magic stones if you have to. Its not like you don''t have any. The ring will also work if you use my magic. My magic will also come through if you keep skin to heart contact with my dragon heart. ADOOS" he said dematerializing and flying out of the room.

    I sat there lost, this dragon was really just going to leave us here while he went out searching for his item. I couldn''t believe his actions. He could have at least figured out a way for all of us to get out first. Then go searching. What if something happened to us while he was gone. Sure, I had his magic, but it was better to have two fighters than one. I wanted to catch him and ring his neck. That idiotic dragon.

    Riley breathed out a sigh of relief. I turned around and faced him. He seemed really relieved that Carter was gone. "Riley are you still scared?" I asked him. I just couldn''t help but care. It was strange, I feel so connected to this boy. There just seemed to be some king of cord that attached me to him. It was a strange feeling.

    "I''m fine Logan sir. I think I can get over it, if Carter is your friend. Then he is mine to." He said acting strongly.

    I patted him over the head. Then I closed my eyes and sure enough, I still felt my connection with the cauldron. That was strange. I thought I was connected to it through magic, but even without my magic I could feel it. I ordered it to become full size again. It floated off my neck and landed down in the middle of the room. Riley was not surprised. He''s seen it before.

    I studied the cauldron. Carter called it the alchemist cauldron. But besides acting up that time in master''s potion room, this cauldron has not melted or done anything differently afterwards. I threw herbs inside and not once did it liquify like that time. Was there a way to turn on and off the cauldron? Was it in off mode right now? I would have to ask Carter about this later.

    I turned my attention back to making the potion. Although I did not have Lax weed, I just had to make with what I have. Lax weed could be substituted with other herbs. It��s just that the other herbs are much rarer items and it requires at least six to replace Lax weed. It was a waste to use rare herbs like this. Unfortunately, there was no choice in the matter now.

    I took the book and the other things out of the cauldron and placed them inside the ring. Then I took out all the herbs I needed to work with. This potion required bubble wort, summers grove, maple flower, uptown leaf, creampot clove, mirrors stem, spring phantom, thousand Island blossoms and last but not least dream weavers sap. It was a nine-herb potion, one of the more complicated types of potions. It would have been a much simpler potion if I had Lax weed. Originally it only required three main herbs and a few sub herbs, but now it needed nine main herbs and ten sub herbs. This has become more complicated than it should have been.

    I sighed, then took out the magic stones I had bought earlier. Who knew I would have required them. I had just bought them for show and reminiscence, but it ended up being useful. What a coincidence.

    Using a pen, I started drawing the runes required for potions brewing. Slowly a fire erupted around the cauldron. I added some water in first, then I started the procedure for adding in the herbs. Herbs needed to be added in at different points in time for them to work and mix properly. Slowly the herbs mixed with the water. I summoned wind from Carter��s dragon calm and used it to control the fire.

    Slowly the potion started to finish. With wind magic, I started the casting process. The nine needles were used, so was scripture. Undoubtedly, using magic made casting so much easier. Before it required me so much more effort just to cast the potion into a pill. Now, it was still complicated, but the process went so much faster and smoother compared to before.

    In no time the pill was cast and finished. I placed the pill into a vial and corked it off. The cauldron returned to my necklace and I wiped sweats from my face.

    Riley came up to me using a cloth. He dabbed the cloth around my face, catching the remaining sweat droplets.

    ��Thank you�� I said smiling.

    ��Logan sir, that was amazing. Do you think I can learn to do that to?�� He asked his eyes sparkling.

    I starred at him, for some reason I just couldn''t refuse. ��Sure, I��ll teach you. But right now, take this pill and rest.�� I handed the vial over to him.

    ��Thanks sir.�� Riley said excitedly and swallowed the pill. Once he swallowed the pill he fell asleep.

    This was all part of the process. I laid him on the bed. I took off his shirt and flopped him on his belly, leaving his back exposed to me. Slowly I used wind to form the nine needles. With it I slowly pieced the different areas of his spin that was cracked.

    As the needles pieced through his skin and into his nerves, the pills medicine started to work. The cracks in his spine started to heal as my needles pinpointed every fracture and crack. Then the nine needles pinpointed the spirit points located around his spine, the medicine followed the trail my needles left behind. Healing started to take place. It would still take a while but with the medicine being activated. The cracks will eventually mend itself.

    When I finally finished, my whole body was full of sweat. Healing took up a lot of energy and concentration. But it was finally done. Riley was healed. He only needed to rest for some time. I summoned the needles back to my hands. I was about to dismiss them when a voice spoke from behind.

    ��My God, that really is the nine needles.�� I whirled around to see the old man standing there starring at my hands. The nine needled was in plain sight.

    I could not believe it. How did I miss him entering the room?

    ��You�� you�� are Logan?�� he questioned. His eyes bulging.

    I opened my eyes wide at this. Yes, I am Logan. Riley had mentioned my name previously. Was this that big of a surprise?

    ��Logan do you not remember me? I am uncle Fredrick. You know, Kohl and I use to be the best of friends back in the village. We even grew up together. Oh, what am I saying you were only 5 when we met. You spent almost a year in the village. That damn Kohl," he swore. "He hasn��t contacted me in over 14 years. I can��t believe it you are so big now�� he said looking me up and down.

    My jaw dropped. Was this true? Did this old man really know master? I don��t remember him. Could this be a trick? Was he part of the organization?

    The old man came down and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a hug. ��Logan, you can only be Logan. The nine needles can only be passed on to his disciple.�� He lifted me up and held me out to stare at me. ��So, where is your master? I miss that idiot.�� he said, his smile wide with excitement.

    ��I.. I��" I couldn''t speak. This old man knew about the nine needles. Only master and I knew of the nine needles. Sure, all of Kia''s descendants knew of the nine needles, but every last one of them were dead. Even master was dead. Only I remained.

    My head started to hurt. Suddenly another block inside my head broke. A memory resurfaced.

    ��Logan this is my best friend Fredrick. You can call him uncle Fredrick. We will spend some time here.�� He said smiling and hugging Fredrick.

    I looked up to the younger Fredrick and smiled. He looked friendly and kind. I''d only been with master for a month. I was still getting use to the flow of things.

    We spent about 10 months at the village. I spent the majority of the time with the village children, playing and enjoying my time. Master had not begun his lessons with me yet. He''d spent most of his time spending it with his best friend.

    Then suddenly one day a lady returned to the village and master had a huge fight with her. The next day we left the village.

    Time jumped, and I was 10, we stood outside the village once again. Master did not move from the entrance into the village. He seemed afraid to go into the village. He sighed and knelt beside me ��Logan, it was a mistake to come back here. Let''s go," he pulled me back along the path away from the village.

    We stopped before the village was completely out of sight. Master, sighed and looked back at the village one last time. "Logan if ever something happens to me. Come back here. My best friend Fredrick lives here. He will help you. He is a very trust worthy fella." He said. Then we left on our journey once again.

    ��Hey, Logan! Are you okay?�� asked the old man who happened to be Uncle Fredrick.

    ��I�� I���� I said, tears forming in my eyes.

    ��So, you do remember me. Don��t cry it��s a happy event. So, where is Kohl? Is he in town somewhere. I miss him so much.�� he laughed.

    Tears ran down my cheeks. I could not look uncle Fredrick in the eye. Uncle Fredrick furrowed his brows. ��Did something happen?�� he asked, his voice faltering.

    ��Master��. Master''s�� dead�� I cried, the full feelings once again flooding through me. I did not know that even to this day the feelings were still so strong.

    Uncle Fredrick''s expression froze. ��How?�� he asked shock and sadness mixed in his words.

    ��It was����

    ��Was it the organization? Did they find you guys?�� Uncle Fredrick shouted.

    I nodded my head. "Those Damn bastards!�� uncle Fredrick howled. His howl sent chills down my spine. It was full of killing intent. ��Haven��t they done enough already!�� he cursed. He swore with words that I have never heard before.

    Suddenly an explosion rocked the shop. ��What the?" Uncle Fredrick shouted. The sudden explosion brought him back to his senses. He took out a talisman and placed it over the sealing bracelet around my wrist. The talisman glowed silver and the bracelet around my wrist vanished.

    Once the bracelet vanished, I felt myself able to access my magic orbs once again. My face brightened from the sudden release from the seal.

    ��Follow me. We will discuss this later.�� Uncle Fredrick said, knocking open the door with his left leg and racing up the stairs. The door slammed against the wall and started to bounce back. I quickly blocked the door from closing. I followed after uncle Fredrick.

 Chapter 17 - Letter

    <h1> </h1>

    <h2> </h2>

    The sound of the explosion came from the second floor. I ran up the stairs and reached the second floor. Before I knew it, I was down a hall and running into a room at the end. Inside, the old lady had ten talismans formed into a pentagonal star. Inside the star, was Carter. He had been captured. I could not believe it. The idiot was caught. He boasted so much that they couldn''t possibly catch him because they did not know there was a thief dragon roaming around. Yet, here he was, caught.

    ��Penelope what happened?�� uncle Fredrick asked eyeing the pentagonal star.

    ��Not much, something just got caught by my trap. That��s all," the old lady called Penelope answered grinning.

    She tapped her cane on the ground five times and the pentagonal talismans glowed silver. Small silver waves of electricity ran through the trap. Carter yelled, and his spirit started to materialize within the star.

    ��Isn��t that something you don��t see everyday,�� she said tilting her head, a grin was plastered all over her face.

    ��Holy Lord. It��s a dragon spirit.�� hollered uncle Fredrick.

    ��Yes, he is," said the old lady Penelope. She started walking over toward Carter. "Unlike you, old man. I prepare for all sorts of situations. This dragon here was trying to steal something from inside my room," she said, starring sternly at Carter.

    She stopped in front of the pentagonal talismans. ��TALK, dragon!" She suddenly raised her voice. "Who sent you?�� she asked. ��I know you can talk, so don��t play dumb with me.�� she said, tapping her cane on the floor. The electricity disappeared.

    ��Ha, you can��t get me to talk witch.�� Carter snorted.

    ��Is that so?�� Old lady Penelope said narrowing her eyes.

    ��Do you think I can��t hurt you?�� she said the corner of her lips raised into a wry smile. She taped her cane on the ground twice. The silver electricity reappeared. This time the electricity multiplied, and Carter shouted in pain.

    ��Curse you old witch. I will��" he shouted then stopped. He had spotted me. He furrowed his dragon brows in confusion. He apparently did not understand why I was up here.

    The old lady followed his eyes and found me. She raised her eye brows. ��Why is he up here old man?�� she asked lifting her cane to point at me.

    Uncle Fredrick blinked, then he remembered me.  His expression brightened ��Penelope, you won��t believe this. He''s Logan�� he said.

    "Yes, I remember his name. That small child mentioned it. So, what does this have to do with him being up here?" she questioned. Her eyes growing serious.

    "Penelope, you don��t understand. This is the Logan" he said.

    Penelope looked at him blankly.

    "You know Kohl��s kid," Uncle Fredrick explained.

    "Kohl?" she said the name coming out of her mouth slowly. She looked over at me skeptically. ��Are you sure?" she asked.

    "He can use the nine needles�� uncle Fredrick said trying to prove his point.

    Old lady Penelope flinched, but she still looked at me skeptically. "That does not prove he is that Logan" she said examining me with her dark eyes.

    "Plus, this dragon seems to know this boy�� she said wearily, pointing her cane at Carter and me. "He looks more like a thief to me" she added.

    ��Oh, come on. That��s not possible.�� said uncle Fredrick laughing. He looked over at us. I coughed. We were caught. I couldn''t lie anymore.

    I nodded my head. "That��s my dragon," I admitted.

    ��Oh.�� Uncle Fredrick said, his smile frozen.

    ��This is embarrassing�� I said.

    ��It''s fine Logan. I can give you whatever you want from this room,�� uncle Fredrick chuckled.

    "Is that so" said old lady Penelope. "Did you ask me?" she asked, her eyes growing cold.

    Uncle Fredrick coughed. "Wifey he''s really Logan" he pleaded.

    ��Really, do you have proof that Kohl is this boys master?�� she asked.

    ��Well, I���� he started to say. His eyes started to scan me from head to tow. Then his expression brightened. He took my left hand and lifted it up, "Here�� he pointed at my index finger. ��Look this is proof�� he said touching his finger to my dimensional ring.

    The old lady''s eyes widened. Her eyes showed her disbelief at seeing the ring.

    ��See this was Kohl��s ring. If he was not Logan, how would he have both the ring and the ability to use the nine needles. Kohl would not have taught it to anyone but his student." Uncle Fredrick said.

    "Alright, let''s say he is that Logan. But what is this dragon here to steal?�� She asked eyeing me.

    I coughed. ��Actually, he was only trying to find the key to our door, so we can escape. We don��t like being prisoners." I lied. It was not a good lie. I was a bad liar.

    "Really?" she said raising her eye brows. She did not believe me one bit.

    Uncle Fredrick laughed. ��Yes, this is all a misunderstanding. Penelope Kohl he��s��" his face froze. He seemed to have just remembered master Kohl''s fate.  "He��s dead." He said tears falling down his cheeks.

    Penelope''s face froze. She seemed to shock to move. Her arms shook. She quickly composed herself and looked my way.

    She took one step forward. "Explain boy," she said in her coldest voice.

    ��I��" I started to say, but under her cold eyes I could not speak. Her cold eyes resembled masters. I know they were two different people, but at that moment her eyes looked exactly like masters. My heart stopped. Why was this lady reminding me so much about master?

    Old lady Penelope breathed out slowly, "Boy explain" she said her voice cold as ice.

    "I don''t��"

    "Do not try to lie. I know Kohl very well. His secrets are not secrets to me. Boy do you have the book?" she asked

    My heart stopped. She knew about the book to. I didn��t even know about the book until the finally moments of master''s life. Who was this woman?

    Old lady Penelope took one more step forward. She held out her hand and ran them under my shirt and pulled out the cauldron necklace. Her legs faltered. She almost fell to the floor. Uncle Fredrick caught her just in time. She shook off his embrace and stood straight.

    "Logan." She said slowly. "That cauldron, did your master pass it on to you to?" she asked.

    I nodded my head.

    She breathed out slowly. "Then do you also have the box?" She asked.

    I was shocked once again. This lady knew everything.

    "Do not worry. We want nothing to do with that stupid book," she said coldly "Show me the box" she ordered.

    I pulled the box out of the cauldron and held it in my hands.

    Old lady Penelope finally broke. Tears formed in her eyes as she took the box from my hands. Her body shook, and uncle Fredrick had to hold on to her again. This time she did not shake him off. She placed a hand over the box and ran it across the fine rune at the top.

    She bit her finger and placed a drop of her blood on the rune at the top. The rune glowed silver and disappeared. The lock followed. It clicked and fell to the floor. I could not believe my eyes. She unlocked the box with her blood. What did this mean?You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Old lady Penelope opened the box. Inside there was a letter, a pendant and a pair of earnings. She picked up the letter and read it. Then she started to cry uncontrollably. Uncle Fredrick hugged her tightly.

    ��He really is gone. Otherwise this box would never have left his side. Old lady Penelope said tears falling controllably.

    Uncle Fredrick looked over at me "Logan please explain in detail what happened.�� He said, his own tears filling a pool.

    I starred at the contents of the box. And the letter in old lady Penelope''s hands. I wanted to have a look at the letter.

    Uncle Fredrick looked at me and sighed. ��Penelope shouldn��t you let the boy see the letter?" he suggested.

    She shook her head. "Not until he explains what happened." She said sternly.

    I took in a deep breath and started to explain the events of that night. When I talked about the last words of master, old lady Penelope cried even louder.

    ��That��s what happened,�� I finished. Taking in a deep breath trying to calm myself.

    ��That idiot.�� uncle Fredrick sighed. His tears running down his cheeks.

    "That fool, still thinking about her even when he was about to die.�� choked old lady Penelope.

    ��Penelope can you still not forgive him?�� uncle Fredrick said.

    ��He��s gone now. Thrown himself away for a cause that was not even his to carry�� She said, her throat choking. Her anger fumed. ��Yes, I��m still angry! Why shouldn��t I be. It was all her fault! And he is still thinking about her even when he was about to die. Shame on him!�� she hollered her tears filling a mountain.

    "Penelope, it was not her fault. Kohl chose that path" he said.

    "I don''t care. That idiot Kohl walked straight to his death, following her path. I will never forgive her for this. Kohl did not have to carry that stupid burden. It was all because of her and her ancestors." She shouted.

    ��You can��t say this about master.�� I said getting mad. How could she talk about master that way? Who was she to talk about him that way?

    ��Why can��t I?" Old Lady Penelope asked, looking at me with those painful eyes. She was deeply hurt by master Kohls death. "Do you even know who I am?�� she asked tearfully.

    ��You''re just the wife of masters'' best friend�� I said.

    "Really now. So that idiot never even mentioned me. I guess he had forgotten he still had me.�� She said storming out of the room. She did not even take her cane with her.

    ��Forgive her Logan. She is very upset. She is Kohl��s sister after all." Uncle Fredrick said, wiping away his tears.

    My jaw dropped. Sister! Master had a sister? But�� I thought he had no family. He never once mentioned a sister. Then it clicked, why old lady Penelope''s eyes looked so much like master Kohl''s. Why when we first met, she reminded me so much of master Kohl. It was because she was his sister. They shared a link through blood.

    Uncle Fredrick shook his head. ��It��s a long story. We can discuss about this later. Here,�� he handed me the letter and box. ��This pendant is yours. The earnings are for Penelope. She is just to stubborn to admit it�� he said taking the earrings. ��I need to go console her. Read through the letter. Your master has things to say to you," he said leaving the room.

    ��Hey! Aren��t you guys going to release me!�� yelled Carter from within the talismans. He was still trapped inside.

    I ignored him. Longingly, I starred down at the letter. My hands were shaking. Here was a letter from master. What could he have left me?

    I flipped it over and started reading.

    ��My favorite student. How are you? If ever you find yourself with this letter it means I am probably dead. Don��t be sad. I won''t regret my decision. I have many regrets in my life, but you are not one of them. I was happy the day I met you. You were the son I never had.

    I have a few things to say to you. If you can see this letter. Then you would have either met my sister Penelope or my best friend Fredrick. Because only one of them can open this box. Tell my sister, I��m sorry. I know she is still mad at me. But, I was never mad at her. I know why she feels the way she feels, but I can��t stop the way I feel either.

    Tell Fredrick that I��m sorry we couldn��t have one last drink together. It��s a shame really, that old fella loves to drink.

    Logan, I had done many things in my life and there are secrets I don''t even understand. During my last moments, I don''t know what I would say to you and what type of burden I might pass on to you. But know this, I know you can handle it all. Sometimes I don''t even know if what I decided is correct. I hope I would not choose the wrong path. But if I do, I hope you will never choose the same path I did.

    Logan, during these last few years, I feel that something is eating away at me. I don''t know what it is? But I feel the coming doom. My years are ending soon. I can feel it.

    Logan, there is a danger coming. Maybe I can prevent it. Maybe I can''t. I don''t know what to expect. I had once thought of the Divine Arts as my last connection to the one I lost. I had tried tediously to learn all I could, but no matter how much I tried, I was never successful. But after my countless tries I''ve figured out something. There is a fault in the Divine Arts. Maybe long ago Byul, Clarissa, Isaac, Noah and Laura did not really truly decipher the Divine Arts. Maybe those pieces that they grouped together was not whole to begin with. I do not know. Perhaps I am just insane. But, I feel that the last Arts should not be like this. It should not take away the life of its user. Allo could not have become a god if the last Art took away the user''s life.

    So, my student, never use the last Art, no matter what.

    PS give these earnings to my sister Penelope. It is my final present to her. Also, this pendant belonged to you. You had it with you when I found you. It may give you a lead into your identity.

    I''m sorry.

    Yours truly Kohl Witcher.

    I took in deep breaths. My feelings were all over the place. Master, you warn me never to use the last Arts, but why did you use it? I know you were in a very bad situation. Yet, I still don''t understand.

    A tear fell from the corner of my eyes. I picked up the pendant. This was mine. It did look familiar. My hands closed around it tightly.

    "Logan!" yelled Carter.

    I looked up, Carter was slamming himself against the talismans. I frowned. ��Carter stop making a ruckus.�� I told him.

    ��Hey! Do you not see my situation here?�� he said, using his claws to scratch at the talismans. But nothing worked. Witch magic sealed him in perfectly.

    I composed my self and grinned. ��I do. I remember you boasting about how the witches could not possibly catch you. Yet here we are." I teased him.

    Carter sighed. ��I was wrong.�� He admitted.

    I walked up to him. ��This is a neat spell. I��ll have to ask uncle Fredrick if he could release you. But, in the mean time please stop making a ruckus. It does not help your situation." I warned him.

    Carter nodded in agreement.

    Suddenly the door to the room opened and the young lady from before walked in.

    ��Hi" she greeted us. "I can��t believe it. Grandpa said you are great uncle Kohl��s student.�� She said excitedly.

    I turned to face her. I finally got a good look at her.  Last time I did not really care to remember her. She was just some girl, but now she was master Kohls grand niece. That made a huge difference. The girl was about 17 to 18. Like last time her black hair hung over her shoulders. She looked at me with those emerald green eyes. I blinked her eyes were distinct. She flopped her hair back revealing crescent moon earrings dangling from her right ear.

    The girl was not very pretty, just enough to make that special someone fall for her, but not enough for men to jump over hurdles and mountains for her. She wore all black, her black dress hung down to her knees. Her black boots came up to her knees. A sleek black belt wrapped around her waist. On the left side of her belt a black leather pouch stood secured to a strap.

    ��Did you not hear me?�� she asked.

    I blinked. ��Yes, I heard you. I am indeed master Kohl''s student�� I replied.

    She sighed. ��I heard great uncle Kohl died. That is really sad. I know grandpa really cared for him. Although grandma doesn��t usually show it, but I know she loves her little brother. She is devastated. I��ve only ever seen her cry like this once before. It was when my parents passed away." she said sadly.

    ��I see, how is aunt Penelope doing?�� I asked. I finally accepted the truth. These people really were master Kohls family. It was only right to address them in the proper manner.

    ��Aunt?�� she said raising her eye brows. ��Whatever, she just needs to cry it out. I heard your name is Logan. I��m Selma" she said holding up her hand.

    I took her hand and shook it. ��Nice to meet you Selma.�� I said politely.

    She glanced over my shoulder and squealed. ��So, this is what a dragon looks like. I��d always wanted to see one. The myths talked about them. But no ones seen a dragon in over ten thousand years. He��s so cute.�� She said admiring the adorableness of Carters miniature form.

    ��Girl, I��m not cute. I��m fearsome.�� Carter snapped.

    Selma widened her eyes. ��He can talk.�� She said surprised

    ��Of course, I can talk.�� Carter said. He was not very happy at all. ��I��m not a mindless beast. I��m a dragon. One of the ancient races of this world.�� He said proudly.

    ��Yes, Carter can talk." I interjected.  "All dragons can talk. Dragons were indeed one of the 5 ancient races.�� I said.

    ��Really?�� Selma said interested. ��So, that��s what the ancient races were. I''d read bits and pieces about the ancient races, but I did not realize the dragons were one of them,�� She said.

    Carter rolled his eyes. ��Humans. Do you guys think the whole world only revolves around you guys. Such foolishness.�� He snorted.

    ��I agree. I was a little foolish." She admitted.

    Carter nodded his head in approval.

    "Dragon, did you really try to steal something from grandma?" She asked nosily.

    Carter did not reply.

    Selma eyed Carter and smiled. "Fine, it doesn��t matter now. You are Logan''s companion, right?" she asked.

    I nodded my head.

    Selma smiled. "Dragon, do you want to get out of there?" she asked.

    ��Yes,�� Carter nodded his head.

    She looked over at me. ��Is it safe to let him out?�� she asked me.

    I nodded my head. Selma took a talisman from her leather pouch and walked over to Carter.

    ��I��m not very good with witchcraft yet. But this particular spell I should be able to do.�� She said placing the talisman over the pentagonal seal.

    ��You��re lucky. If I wasn��t grandma��s granddaughter. You would have had to get grandma to release you. She would not have done it. Witch seals can only be broken in three ways. One a stronger magic user forces it to break. Two the original witch releases the seal, and three a blood relative approved by the user releases the seal.�� She said letting a drop of her blood drip onto the talisman.

    ��Release!�� she chanted.

    The seal around Carter suddenly dissolved. Once the seal completely disappeared Carter sprang up and slipped back into his heart.

    ��Hey, I wanted to ask you a couple more things?�� Selma yelled after Carter, but he just ignored her.

    ��Don��t worry he will come out again.�� I said. Carter could not hide forever.

    ��Okay." Selma said accepting the fact. "Right, grandpa told me to tell you that you can rest in one of the guest rooms up here, if you want. He can��t come and see you at the moment. Grandma still needs him." She said.

    I thought on the offer and decided to accept, but I needed to go back to the hotel first. I needed to do a few more things before I came back here. I explained to Selma and she agreed.

    I went back to the basement and took Riley with me. I was not going to leave him here alone. Plus, one of the thing I needed to do involved him. We left the shop just as the sun was about to rise.

 Chapter 18 - Unsealing

    <h1></h1>

    Unsealing

    When I returned to the hotel, the old lady was once again at the counter. The older mage lady was also still sitting in the lounge chairs. She looked up at us as we passed. I glanced over at her out of curiosity. Why was there a mage here in this stingy hotel? I knew she was a mage because I felt a faint glimmer of energy around her. Only when I meet another mage with similar magic would this feeling come up. It was weird though, I could not tell what type of mage she was. I didn''t think she was a Life mage though. Perhaps she was a wind mage?

    Our eyes met. The old mage grinned at me. It was no normal grin. Her face looked twisted when she grinned. It sent shivers up my spine. There was something about her that was not right. I quickly walked away, making sure not to look back at her. She was creepy.

    I went into our room and set Riley down on the bed. I still felt chilly from seeing the old mage lady. Who was she? Could it be possible for her to be an enemy? Was she part of the organization? If so, we can��t stay here for to long. I shouldn''t have come back here. I didn''t really have anything to collect from this hotel. I just had a feeling that I should come here to do the unsealing for Riley. It was a feeling I could not explain. It just felt right to do this here. I felt like if I did not do the unsealing here, we would somehow miss something very important. It really doesn��t make sense. Yet my subconscious kept telling me to do this.

    I held my head and thought for a few minutes. I tried to clear my mind to think straight. But it all felt cloudy. I sighed and gave up on trying. Maybe it''s the goddess Fate that is leading me to do this. I suddenly thought. I laughed at the thought. Why would a goddess make me do such a minor thing? I laughed. Soon I placed the worries at the back of my mind. I needed to focus on the task at hand.

    I took out carter''s dragon heart. ��Carter, be my look out�� I said. He appeared next to me.

    ��Sure, what are we doing?�� he asked.

    "We are performing the unsealing," I replied.

    "Here? Why didn''t you do it at the witch''s place. I would think it safer over there. Even if I don''t like those witches." He said puffing out a breath of wind.

    "I don''t know. I just have this feeling that I should do it here. Don''t ask, it just feels right to perform it here." I said.

    Carter looked at me weirdly. "Alright, whatever you like." He said, flapping his wings. Wind circulated around the room

    I thought for a second and decided to ask Carter about the witch. ��Carter, did you see the old lady in the lounge chair?�� I asked him.

    ��What about her?�� he asked perplexed as to why I was asking him about that lady.

    ��She��s a mage,�� I stated.

    ��Really, I could not tell�� he said, landing on the bed.

    ��Are you sure? I was feeling like she might be a wind mage. If she isn''t, then what could she be?�� I asked perplexed. Carter was a wind type dragon, that means if he couldn''t sense her magic. She could not be a wind mage. But if she isn''t a wind or life mage, then what was she?

    ��No, she��s not a wind mage. There is no way she can be one. You must have sensed wrong.�� He said.

    ��No, I don��t think so. She is certainly a mage. But she is not a life mage. That part I am certain. If she isn''t neither, then what could she be?�� I pondered.

    ��Logan you must have sensed another kind of magic.�� He suggested, surprising me.

    ��What do you mean? I can only sense wind and life magic.�� I said perplexed as to what he could mean.

    Carter shook his head, ��Did I ever mention that when I first met you. I��d noticed that you had the magic aptitude for all five elements.�� He said raising his claws and drawing a five in the air.

    ��What does that mean?�� I asked confused. An aptitude for the five elements? Did it mean what I thought?

    ��That means exactly what it sounds like. You can potentially see all five elements. That is a very rare ability. To the extent of my knowledge, someone with such an aptitude has ever only existed once. This person was a legend and he existed during the time of great magic." He said.

    ��Who?�� I asked, wondering who this person could be.

    ��You may have heard of him, he was the creator of the Sacris Magicae. His name I do not really remember. His legends are old. But he eventually became a god. He even fought in the war of the gods at the end of the time of great magic.�� Carter said.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    I blinked. Did he just say the creator of the Sacris Magicae? ��Does that mean I can become a God to?�� I asked a little hopeful. If this guy had the same aptitude as me, shouldn''t I be able to achieve what he achieved.

    Carter laughed his belly puffing up and down like an inflating/deflating balloon. ��Don��t make such a silly joke. Having the aptitude does not mean you can do that what is impossible. The creator of the Sacris Magicae was a genius. No, he was beyond genius. He was one of a kind. He achieved things no one has ever achieved. If you can do what he did, maybe you would have chance, but it is beyond impossible.�� He laughed wind snorting out of his nostrils.

    ��What did this guy achieve that��s so special?�� I asked, wanting to know what was so special about him. Sure, he became a god, but he was a human to begin with. He started as a mortal just like me. What makes him that special?

    ��He fought and defeated the creator God in a fair fight when he was still a mortal." Carter released the first bomb.

    I blinked, this dude defeated a god when he was still a mortal? Is this even possible? This has to be exaggerated.

    Carter smiled, "He flipped the 18 layers of purgatory upside down when he was still a mortal," He released another bomb.

    My jaw dropped. "Flipped the 18 layers of purgatory upside down." I repeated. Purgatory. The place where evil souls get imprisoned. The place where the vilest of the vile gets imprisoned and tortured. Was this person even human? How could he do such a thing when he was still a mortal? It has to be a joke. Purgatory, that was the hell of the world.

    "He also single handily achieved Godhood through his own powers. He was a legend among legends. Think about it. A mortal fighting a god and winning. A mortal flipping purgatory upside down. Its purgatory, a place where souls are tortured. There is no way anyone can compare to him," Carter finished.

    I fumed. Sure, those things were definitely impossible things to achive. But he did not have to say it in that way. He could have said them in a more gentler manner.

    ��Whatever," I said. I did not want to hear anymore of this. I returned to the original problem. "If it wasn��t wind magic that I sensed from her, what other element could it be?�� I asked leading the topic back on track.

    Carter stopped laughing. He pondered for a second. ��Maybe water, earth or fire?" He said. "Any of them is possible. We��re you able to see earth particles when we escaped from that earth mage before?�� he asked.

    I shook my head. All I could sense was life particles disappearing back then.

    ��I don��t think it��s earth then. It could be either water or fire. The fire mage you met before does not count because your powers were sealed at the time. Plus, with an aptitude like yours, untapped element can be the culprit. Certain catalyst can trigger you to see new elements�� he said.

    ��Like what?�� I asked.

    ��For example. When you met me, my wind magic rubbed off on you. So, eventually wind became your second element. Your master probably triggered your life magic awakening. That was most likely why you could use life magic first. But, even though you have such a rare aptitude, I wouldn''t recommend you trying to achieve every elemental awakening. You are not the creator of the Sacris after all. Its better to focus on two elements than to spread yourself out to thin.�� He suggested.

    He had a point. Being spread out to thin wasn''t good. But did he have to add the part about the creator of the Sacris. I know I''m not him, but how does he know that I won''t be able to achieve what he did? Who knows, I could become even greater than him in the future.

    ��Forget it. We need to perform the Unsealing before Riley wakes. Unsealing his magic can help him heal better. Plus, we can��t leave him sealed forever.�� I said finally getting myself back on track.

    Carter nodded his head. ��Alright, I��ll be the look out. Setup the wards�� he ordered, flying toward the door.

    I started setting up the candles into a nine-point circle. Then I placed the crystals and incense in the spirit points of the circle. Then I used wind and life magic to inscribe runes into a magic circle. Hence, completing the ward. This ward should be able to keep all magic residue from releasing. We did not want any unwanted attention.

    I gently lifted Riley off the bed and placed him in the middle of the warding. Slowly I activated the warding. Wind and Life runes mixed interlacing into a complicated pattern. Soon the warding was completely activated.

    ��Carter, be vigilant. I��m about to start the Unsealing�� I said aloud, so that Carter could hear me.

    ��Okay, I got it," he replied through our link.

    Taking in a deep breath, I pushed wind and life threads out from their respective orbs. They floated into the air. With a flick of my hands, I sent them into the ward, hovering above Riley''s body. The threads started to link together. Soon ruins formed. Then chains and finally another complicated magic circle appeared.

    I lowered my hands and the newly formed magic circle descended down to Riley''s ankle. That was where the seal was located. As the circle and the seal touched, sparks started to fly. The seal was trying to fight the unsealing, but the magic I used was far superior to that crummy seal. The magic circle shrunk and completely took over the seal. Seconds later the entire seal dissolved into nothingness. No signs of it was left. It was completely destroyed.

    The moment the seal broke. Red hot light rushed out from Riley''s body. Soon, Riley''s entire body started glowing red. I watched with excitement as Red particles started appearing in the air.

    I gasped. This was fire particles. I could see fire particles. This feeling. I recognized it. This was the feeling I had around that old mage lady. Suddenly I realized that what I felt before was fire magic. I could not believe it. Fire magic looked so beautiful. Its red hue made it the center of attention. I hit myself. How could I have mistaken this with wind magic. They were so different.

    Fire particles were intense and tough. It felt like a warrior preparing for battle. Wind particles were calm and cool. It felt like a gentle old strategist that had everything under its control. Life particles on the other hand was energetic and lively. It felt like a kid playing with his friends. The elements were all so different.

    I couldn''t believe I ever confused the elements at all. It was such a dumb mistake.

    Riley''s body soon started to crackle. His bones were completely healed as the fire magic started to run through his body. I smiled. This was exactly what he needed. The fire magic would soon subside, and he would be truly whole again.

    Unfortunately, I as wrong. Dead wrong

 Chapter 19 - Rebirth

    <h1> </h1>

    Rebirth

    Fire Particles rippled as they collected around Riley. Minute by minute the fire particles continued to rush into the room. I furrowed my brow. Why were the fire particles growing instead of subsiding? I was getting concerned. Weren''t the fire particles supposed to subside? His magic has already been unsealed. What was going on?

    As the situation got worst, fire particles started to link together into more complex fire runes. This was not good. Why were the fire particles linking into runes? This did not make sense. These were raw fire particles, why was this happening? I could not stand by any longer, I tried to reach within the wards to get Riley out. Unfortunately, the fire runes suddenly all activated at once. Red crimson flames filled the inside of the warding.

    I started to panic, this was not supposed to happen. Riley was still inside the warding. The flames blocked Riley from my view. I could no longer see him.

    ��Carter!�� I yelled.

    Carter came rushing into the room. ��Holy dragon God!�� he cursed, his eyes bulged as he came to a stop right outside the warding.

    ��What the heck is happening?�� I screamed, panicking. Riley was trapped inside the warding. "If I don''t get him out quickly, he could potentially be burnt alive." I yelled.

    "Calm down Logan," said Carter landing on my shoulder.

    "How do you expect me to calm down. Riley is still in there. Why is this happening? This was only supposed to be a simple unsealing" I yelled, my mind was all messed up. I could not think straight.

    ��It��s rebirth!�� Carter said, he looked like he could not believe this was happening either.

    ��Rebirth?" I repeated the word. Suddenly I remembered Carter saying that a phoenix must go through a process called rebirth. I looked to the flames. They were getting hotter and hotter. This was rebirth? But wasn''t this a bit to intense. "Wait, Riley isn''t conscious right now. Why would rebirth happen when he''s not even conscious? Isn''t this dangerous?�� I asked worried.

    ��True, rebirth usually takes place when a phoenix is conscious. Usually the phoenix can even choose a time for it to be performed. In ancient times they even have a rebirth ritual. Unfortunately, we do not live in that time.  Riley is also not a full phoenix, plus his magic was sealed for a long time. He was also on the verge of rebirth. This all added up to make this occur at an unexpected time." Carter sighed.

    "Riley should be fine. Once rebirth takes place, a phoenix is protected from all sources of harm. Phoenix fire will not harm him. Well, not in a sense that he would die. Phoenix fire will reshape him. Every inch of him will be destroyed and reformed. That is the nature of a rebirth. Phoenixes are creatures that can be reborn from their ashes after all." Carter said.

    Carter looked intensely at the flames within the warding. His dragon brows furrowed. "This warding is not going to be able to withstand rebirth. We can��t stay here." he stated flying into the air. "Phoenix fire is no joke. We better get out of here.�� He said trying to pull me out of the room.

    ��What about Riley?!�� I yelled.

    ��He��s going through rebirth. He will be fine. He will only be charred to ashes and then be reformed again. Nothing new really. His race goes through this at least once in their life time. We should be worried about ourselves more. Phoenix fire is known to be the deadliest fire in the world. It can burn anything, even souls. So not only are you in danger, but I am as well. We better scram�� he yelled, releasing me and zooming out of the room.

    I glanced back at Riley one last time and sighed. This has gotten way to complicated and out of control. We only wanted to do a simple unsealing. Not burn down the hotel. The warding started to crack. Intense heat started to radiate out of the cracks. It was hot, really hot. It hasn''t even escaped yet and I could feel myself sweating profusely. Once my sweat came out, it evaporated at once.

    I ran out of the room and pressed on the magic stone in the hall. This was the emergency bell for the hotel. It was used for emergencies just like this. Obviously, no one could have ever imagined this kind of situation but nevertheless it was for emergencies. Once I pushed the button, a sharp siren echoed through the entire building.

    When I got out of the building I found I was not the first to be out. The old mage lady was standing there staring at the hotel in annoyance. Mistress Hodge was also outside. She looked really upset. It was to be expected, she still had shampoo in her hair. She looked like she was in the shower when this all occurred. A pink gown was draped over her body. Bunny shoes were at the end of her feet.

    I sneakily stood to the back of the crowd. Soon everyone was out of the building. There weren''t that many people. The hotel was not exactly a popular place to stay after all.

    ��What happened?�� yelled a middle-aged lady, she was still in her P.J''s and slippers. She had curling clamps in her hair. I recognized her, she was among the few ladies that sat in the lounge with the old mage lady.

    ��Don��t know. But the Emergency was pressed.�� Said a middle-aged man.

    ��Holy cow, look!�� shouted a young gentleman. I looked over at the young man, it was the guy that was at the counter yesterday.

    Boom, a pillar of red hot flames shot through the hotels roof. Everyone''s, jaws dropped. The flames soon spread and covered the roof.

    I could not look. This was my fault. Holy lord. I swear I did not mean this to happen. I really only wanted to do a simple Unsealing. Who knew that Riley''s rebirth would activate at a time like this.

    Another pillar of flames shot upwards through the hole the first pillar had produced.  This pillar did not stop though, it shot straight up to the heavens and exploded. A mushroom cloud of fire lit the sky. Flames continued to shoot from the hotel. Soon the flames became one giant pillar of continuous hot fire.

    ��Oh, my lord. Is that thing going to burn down the entire city!�� screamed another middle-aged lady. She was fanning herself profusely. The temperature around us was consistently rising.

    ��Everyone, please stand back from the building. The heat is not normal.�� Said the old mage lady.

    She held out a fan and suddenly fire particles started swirling around her. She swung her fan and flames suddenly appeared from runes produced by the fire particles. Her control of the runes was so fast. It all happened within a blink of an eye. She rose up into the air. She swung her fan. The flames danced in the air. Soon a ring of fire formed from her flames.

    ��Don��t worry. I��m from the magic council." The old mage lady said.

    I starred at her shocked, so she was from the magic council. The magic council was a group of the most powerful mages from around the world. They were the central army of the world. They looked after all the mages in the 4 kingdoms. The East Kingdom''s Armoured was the first army of the magic council. The West Kingdoms Black knights was the second army of the magic council. The South Kingdoms Black hoods was the third army of the magic council. The fourth army was from the Central Kingdom. They simply refered to themselves as the magic council. The four groups ruled the entire world. Of course, each kingdom had a king, who was above the magic council.

    This woman was from the magic council, she did not claim to be an Armoured. So, she must be from the Central Kingdom. Why was she here in the East Kingdom? Did the Armoured know of her presence?

    "I will have this under control in no time.�� She said showing her croaked smile.

    She rose higher into the air. She moved her fan in a rhythmic pattern. The ring of fire around her soon split into five rings. The five rings shot through the air and started circling the pillar of fire. It grew and wrapped around the pillar.

    ��That is not going to do anything. She��s better off not doing anything.�� Said Carter sitting on my shoulders.

    ��Why? That looks like some powerful fire magic.�� I said, admiring her control of fire runes. She was skilled. I could not do that with neither of my elements. She practically did not spend anytime in forming and linking her runes. I wish I was this proficient.

    Carter laughed. ��Her magic is mediocre. It''s passable. It may pass for magic in this time, but that is not magic from this time. That there is phoenix fire from rebirth. Phoenix fire during rebirth is near impossible to fight against. Her puny fire magic will not do anything. Watch and you��ll see.�� Carter laughed.

    I looked up at the old mage lady. The rings slowly started to make contact with the pillar of Phoenix fire and just as it looked like the rings would be able to snuff out the pillar. The flames from the rings started to flicker. Then, a small stream of phoenix fire detached from the pillar and transformed into a small bird. It was a miniature size phoenix. It glided around the rings. Then it opened its beak. Suddenly all the rings broke and transformed back into their original state, as fire particles. The small phoenix inhaled, and all the fire particles were swallowed into its stomach. The small phoenix belched out a small stream of smoke. It looked really satisfied with the fire particles.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    The miniature size fire phoenix, then glared at the old mage lady. It opened its beak and a huge jet of flames shot out, streaming toward the old mage lady.

    The mage lady swallowed hard, then she pointed her fan at the incoming flames. Flames swirled around her fan, preparing for the impact. Unfortunately, it was no use. As soon as the phoenix fire touched her flames, her flames all merged with the phoenix fire and started attacking her instead. She screamed and just as the flames came close to swallowing her. She cracked a gem in her hands. Hot red magic rushed from the gem and surrounded her. Then a massive magic circle formed. The magic circle blocked the phoenix fire for a second.  That second was enough, she sent out a burst of magic and the magic expelled her and sent her flying across the town, escaping death by a hairs width.

    The miniature phoenix huffed in satisfaction and returned to the pillar of fire.

    Everyone could not believe their eyes. I blinked. Phoenix fire was this strong. That was unexpected. ��Wait, what if the Phoenix fire burns down the town? I would be responsible for destroying another town. I can��t let this happen.�� I said worried. I could not allow another Sappon to happen again.

    ��Don��t worry. Once all the flames collect in the sky, no flames will be left on the ground. The town will be fine." Carter said assuring me.  "Look!�� he pointed toward the pillar.

    I turned my attention back to the Phoenix pillar. The last jets of flames shot up toward the heavens. As soon as the last stream left, the flames on top of the roof also rose up off the roof and zipped toward the sky.

    Up far above the clouds, a huge ball of fire was starting to take shape. All the flames that spread out from before had recollected and formed into a giant ball of raging fire, blazing brightly in the sky.

    I starred in amazement. That thing was brighter than the sun. Was Riley inside there? Then I looked back at the hotels roof. I could not believe it. it was still in tact. Not a single shingle was damaged. Okay the hole from before was still there but everything else was undamaged. My jaw dropped.

    ��I thought you said Phoenix fire can destroy everything. Why is the hotel in tact?��  I asked Carter confused.

    ��That��s right, Phoenix fire can destroy everything. But it does not destroy things uselessly. Rebirth is only meant to turn the old Phoenix into a new one. It usually will not damage its surrounding. Of course, if something is blocking it from reaching the sky, it will burn through it. That there is a perfect example," he pointed at the hole on the roof of the hotel. "It will also destroy anything that interferes with its rebirth. So never interfere with a phoenixes rebirth. Not even we dragons dare come near a rebirth in process. That��s just insane. You have to be out of your mind to interfere with a rebirth,�� Carter said grinning.

    ��Is Riley all the way up there?�� I asked looking up far into the sky.

    ��Yes. Rebirth can take a while. But it can also be very quick. It all depends on the Phoenix really. Of course, if the phoenix has access to a phoenix relic designed in helping with rebirth, it can make the process much faster.�� He said sighing.

    ��How much is long and how much is quick?�� I asked.

    ��Long can take up to one hundred years and fast can be as little as one month�� Carter replied.

    My eyes widened. Did he just say one hundred years? Was he kidding me? ��One�� one hundred years. Are you joking?�� I asked my jaw dropping once again. I did not have a hundred year to wait. I don''t think I could even wait a month in this town. What if the organization caught up with me?

    Carter looked like he was in a bind to. Then his eyes glittered. He looked straight ahead and grinned. ��Don��t worry, it shouldn''t take that long now. Look�� Carter said pointing to a shiny object flying from the hotel up toward the phoenix fire.

    ��What is that?��  I asked, trying to focus on the object. It flew up pass the clouds and entered the phoenix fire within a heart beat. There was no way I could make out what it was.

    Carter smiled, ��That my friend is a phoenix relic. Didn��t I tell you this hotel had something that attracted the kid." He grinned. "That, is it. This rebirth shouldn��t take more than an hour at the most.�� He said flapping his wings in excitement.

    ��Phoenix relic?" I said, thinking about what that could mean.  "Then it��s a spirit ware?�� I asked. Spirit wares were the relics from the gods. Why was there such an amazing item here?

    ��Yes, that is exactly what that thing is. We should get out of here before anymore finds out that the fire came from your room,�� Carter suggested.

    ��What about Riley?�� I asked.

    ��Don��t worry about him. He will come find us. Plus, once a phoenix begins rebirth. They will not be reformed in the same place as that fire ball up there. That my friend is a substitute. It will stay up there for a while even after a phoenix has completely reformed.  Once Riley has advanced farther in rebirth he will separate from that fire ball and reform near the person he feels safest with. That my friend is most definitely you. So, wherever you go, he will reappear there. I think you should consider going back to the witch''s shop. Anywhere else would just attract unneeded attention�� Carter suggested, making a loop around my head.

    This was interesting news. I looked up at the huge fire ball. That was a decoy. It was a very big decoy. I backed out of the crowd and gently merged into the people on the streets. I used Mix to blend my aura around with all the people around me. This was a skill I was slowly learning to advance. With it I could effectively almost disappear in a pool of life energy. It was almost like I could become invisible.

    After traveling for about 15 minutes we arrived at uncle Fredricks shop. I had used Glide to slip around the city. It proved to work very well. People also had lots of life energy in them. I could slip around and over them easily. With the mixture of Mix and Glide I was able to invisibly travel across town very effectively and quickly.

    I knocked on the door and Selma answered the door. She seemed surprised I came back so fast. ��What are you doing back so soon? I wasn''t expecting you to be back until later tonight�� she said.

    ��Something happened. I can''t explain right now. I need to go inside the shop," I said urgently. Carter said Riley would reform in about one hour but it could happen sooner. I couldn''t take the risk.

    She sighed and allowed me into the shop. Then she blinked as she saw the huge blinding ball of flames in the sky. ��What the heck is that!?�� she hollered.

    I grabbed her mouth and kicked the door closed. We did not need to attract anymore attention.

    ��That is not our concern at the moment.�� I said releasing her.

    She glared at me. ��What is the meaning of this?�� she shouted placing her hands on her hips.

    ��It''s a long story. I��ll tell you later. I need a place that is fire friendly.�� I said urgently.

    ��Why?��  she asked raising her right eye brow.

    ��I just need it okay. Do you have a place like that?�� I asked unable to contain my agitation.

    Selma nodded her head. "The basement has a lot of seals on it. One of them is fire." She said.

    I rushed toward the basement without a word. Selma moved faster than me and blocked my way. I could not believe she could move so fast. She raised her eye brows and crossed her arms. ��Answer me first�� she said sternly

    ��I really have no time.�� I said, trying to get around her.

    ��There is plenty of the time. What��s the rush?�� She asked interested.

    ��I��.�� I started to say. Then I felt it. I felt something approaching. Riley was coming. I pushed her aside and raced down into the basement.

    ��Hey!�� Selma hollered from behind.

    Just as I kicked open the door to the basement room. A huge crackling sound started in the center of the room.

    ��What��s all the ruckus?�� asked uncle Fredricks voice. He was rushing down the stairs after Selma. Aunt Penelope followed right behind. He caught sight of me as he came down. ��Logan?��  he said.

    ��Logan what are you doing?�� questioned uncle Fredrick.

    Selma stopped behind me and gasped.

    ��What are you kids up to?��  asked aunt Penelope. She stopped as she heard the sound from within the room.

    A small shiny object glimmered in the center of the room. Soon red fire erupted around it. Within seconds the whole room was engulfed in crimson flames.

    "Is that the spirit ware?" I asked.

    "Yes, isn''t it beautiful�� Carter commented, sitting snugly on my shoulder.

    ��Holy cow!�� yelled Selma.

    ��What the heck!�� hollered uncle Fredrick.

    ��My Lord!�� shouted aunt Penelope.

    ��What is this!�� ordered uncle Fredrick turning to face me.

    ��It��s hard to explain,�� I said.

    ��Try me�� uncle Fredrick said crossing his arms.

    ��Logan what the heck is this? This fire, its hot but it doesn��t seem to be burning anything within the room. Is this your magic?�� Selma asked.

    I shook my head. ��It��s Riley''s magic�� I said and started to explain.

    ��Phoenix rebirth!�� shouted uncle Fredrick. His eyes were wide open. He was really shocked.

    ��That is not something you see everyday�� commented aunt Penelope, she was her regular calm self once again.

    I eyed her. She looked okay now. She seemed to share in master''s skill at being calm in most situations. I guess they are siblings for a reason.

    ��Wow�� said Selma she was mesmerized by the flames.

    The flames were dancing around the room now. Streams of fire of every color started to swirl around the center. Slowly clouds of magic also started joining the swirls of colored flames. It was an eye-catching scene.

    ��So, let me get this right. You have a dragon spirit under a partnership contract with you and you also have a phoenix that follows you around.�� Said uncle Fredrick.

    I nodded my head. That was exactly what was going on.

    He scratched his chin. ��This feels familiar some how." He said. "I feel like I read about something similar in the witch''s almanac." He paused to think. He furrowed his brows in concentration. He shook his head. "I can''t remember it."

    Suddenly a deep melodic voice echoed in the room. ��When the dragon and phoenix walk together once again. So, will start the years to the end. When the turtle snake of old and stone serpent returns from the dead. So, comes the end. Seven elements combined in one shall face the end. The Divine Nine spells shall return. The five pearls of the lost race, the ten Swords of brotherhood, the chains of fate, the oath of the giant, and the pearl of death leads to the sacred spells. All who stands in the end, must first pass the test  the hells. Child of Seven may the light be with you.��

    Everyone looked over in the direction of the voice. I was surprised to find the owner of the voice to be Selma. She did not look like herself. Her eyes were white, and her voice sounded so different.

    ��Fredrick, she''s finally prophesying�� cried aunt Penelope.

    ��What���� I said in confusion. What was going on?

    ��I''m so proud of her. Her powers are finally awakening" Uncle Fredrick said proudly.

    ��Wait, what the heck was that before?�� I asked.

    ��That my child was a prophecy. Selma is a special child. She is both a witch and an oracle. She is one of the few successful mix bloods." Aunt Penelope said in excitement.

    "Wait, I thought witches can''t use other magic?" I asked.

    "Whoever said such a stupid thing. It''s true we can''t use the five elements. Kohl was an exception. He gave up his witch''s magic for that girl. Then he attained life magic after that girl''s death through his connection with at that book. Whatever, I don''t want to talk about this now. Long explanation short. We witches can attain oracle magic as much as oracles can attain our magic, as long as the said person has the bloodline in them." aunt Penelope explained.

    I blinked, this was the first time I heard of master giving up his witchcraft. I was wondering how he attained life magic before. This still did not clear up the question. But aunt Penelope did not seem to want to explain it at all.

    Suddenly, Selma fainted. Uncle Fredrick caught her in time.

    Aunt Penelope sighed "She can''t control her powers. This is how all oracles are. Fredrick take her upstairs. I''ll be up in a minute." She ordered. Uncle Fredrick took Selma and left for upstairs.

    Aunt Penelope turned and looked into the center of the room. "I don''t think I should be here when that child reforms. Logan come see me tomorrow morning. Dragon, I know you are here as well. You should also come see me." She finished then turned to leave for upstairs leaving us behind.

 Chapter 20 - Phoenix Tear

    <h1> </h1>

    Phoenix tear

    Multi colored flames swirled around the red pearl spirit ware in the center of the room. Fire particles constantly came in from the outside, joining into the colored flames. I stood there for a long time. Carter was wrong, Riley''s rebirth took longer than one hour. It was night time when he finally started to take shape.

    The clouds of magic suddenly grew thicker as a shape started taking form in the center of the room. First blue flames grouped together into the legs. Then yellow flames became the hands, orange flames formed the arms. Then Green flames became the waist. Red flames built the chest. Black flames created the neck and finally white flames produced the head.

    Riley''s figure started to take shape. He was not yet visible, but the flames merged to become his new shape. I stared at it weirdly. Riley looked just a little shorter than me. His frame was thin. Something looked odd though. His body looked curvy, which was weird.

    As the flames merged farther and farther together, the clouds of magic swirled and started mixing into Riley''s new silhouette. The temperature in the room started to rise more and more.

    I backed up, the temperature was even hotter than the hottest of flames I''ve ever experienced.

    "Logan, don''t worry this temperature shouldn''t last for to long. Stay focus. This kid is going to be completely reformed soon," Carter said. He was hiding behind my back.

    I glanced back at him, "Carter, why are you hiding back there?" I asked him.

    Carter snuck his little head up and peaked into the room. "Those phoenix flames are still very harmful to my health. I need to make sure I am protected agasint it." he said.

    "How is hiding behind me going to protect you," I said rolling my eyes.

    "If anything happens, I have you as my first defense." He said.

    "Really, if I get scorched by those flames. It would hit you just as fast." I said chuckling.

    "It''s a conscious decision. Stop talking to me. Focus on Riley''s rebirth. His rebirth is a perfect opportunity for you to see the many aspects of fire magic. Do you see all those colored flames? Each is a different type of fire magic." Carter explained.

    I looked back into the room. The flames each had its own distinct auras. So, there was this many type of fire magic. If fire magic had this many type, shouldn''t the other types of magic be the same. Could I be able to understand all the aspects of each type of magic?

    Suddenly a deep red light started spreading out from the pearl that was floating within Riley''s chest. Within seconds the entire room was shrouded in red light. The colored flames suddenly all flickered and started materializing into flesh. The clouds of magic started to swirl into the flames. Veins, organs, and nerves started to form within Riley''s body.

    I stared in amazement. I was able to see the reforming of every organ, vein, nerve and muscle within Riley''s body. It was amazing. Once all the organs became flesh. A soft faint song echoed in the room and bones started to form within Riley''s body. Finally, as the song reached its highest peak. Skin started to appear around Riley''s whole body.

    As all the skins began to appear, the song grew extremely loud and a blinding light showered the room. I closed my eyes in pain. I was almost blinded. I rubbed my eyes. Suddenly the song ended, and Carter gasped.

    I quickly opened my eyes, but everything was blurry. "Carter what''s wrong?" I asked, trying desperately to shake off the blurry vision.

    "This...this..." Carter stuttered.

    "What?" I asked, wanting to know what was going on.

    I looked ahead, my blurry vision could faintly see a figure walking toward me.

    "Riley?" I asked.

    The blurry figure nodded his head.

    I smiled. "Good, finally you have completed rebirth, my eyes are very blurry right now. I can''t see you correctly" I said.

    "Logan��" Stuttered Carter.

    "What is it?" I asked him annoyed. Why was he stuttering. Riley was finished with rebirth. We now had a phoenix on our side. The future was looking bright.

    "Logan Sir," said a velvety voice.

    I stuttered, this voice. It sounded velvety. It almost sounded like a girl''s voice. But there were no girls in the room.

    "Logan sir," the velvety voice said again.

    Suddenly it clicked. This voice was Riley''s, but why did his voice sound like a girl''s voice. I shook my head. Maybe his voice was not settled after rebirth. That must be it.

    "Riley, how are you feeling?" I asked still blinking, my vision was still very blurred. That light was very intense.

    "I''m fine Login sir, but��" he said.

    "But what?" I asked,

    "I''m naked" he squealed in a high-pitched voice.

    I furrowed my brows. Even his squeal sounded like a girl''s voice. "No worries. I have extra clothing. Here," I lifted my hand up and offered him my dimensional ring.

    Riley reached out his hands and slowly took the ring off my finger. His newly reformed hand felt so soft and smooth. Of course, it did. He did just get reformed. Everything is new. Obviously, it would be smooth and soft. I thought to myself.

    "Thank you, Logan sir" Riley said in a soft voice.

    I rubbed my eyes more and finally my vison started to clear. As my vision cleared. A figure slowly started to appear in my eyes. It was a young girl with beautiful long blonde hair. Her hair shone in the dim light of the room. She was just buttoning up a white shirt. She wore a thin underwear. The young girl was sitting on the floor. She lifted her leg and started putting them into a pair of black pants. She lifted it up and zipped up her pants.

    The young girl''s eyes glittered with sapphire blue as she turned her head. She brushed her long blond hair back and slowly stood up. She smiled when she saw I was looking at her. Her smile made the light in the room pale in comparison.

    "Who?" I asked confused.

    The young girl rushed up and pulled me into a crushing hug. As she embraced me, I could feel her breast pressing against my chest. My heart started to skip in increasing speed. My pulses all started shaking all at once. My hands grew sweaty. My mind felt like I was standing on clouds. I could not compose myself.

    "Logan Sir, I''m grown up!" the girl squealed in excitement, her body pressed harder against mine.

    I pushed her away and took a few steps back. I looked at the girl in horror. "Who�� who are you?" I asked afraid to hear the answer. I heard her words and there was no one else in the room, but I could not believe what my mind was telling me. This can''t be real.

    The girl pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "Logan sir, what do you mean? I''m Riley. Have you already forgotten about me? " The girl said.

    I tripped and fell to the floor. My heart could not stand it anymore.

    The girl rushed up to me and crouched next to me. She offered her hand, "Logan sir, are you Okay?'' she asked, looking down at me with her sapphire eyes.

    "Ri��Ri��" I stuttered. I could not complete the word. This girl was Riley. But Riley was supposed to be a boy. How is he a girl? Carter climbed on my shoulders and sighed.

    "I guess we all had it wrong. This kid was a girl all along." Carter broke out in laughter. "I can''t believe it" he laughed dropping to the floor, unable to contain himself. He rolled around on the floor, legs up in the air.

    Riley stared at Carter in displeasure. "Mr. Carter, right? What''s so funny?" she asked.

    Carter stopped, he took in a deep breath and sat on his butt. "I see you can completely see me without me materializing now" he commented.

    Riley nodded her head. "My inheritance has been activated. I can access information from my ancestors. I know what I am now and I know what you are. So, Mr. Carter I am no longer afraid of you." She said, a flame flickered in her left hand.

    Carter flinched and darted behind my back.

    Riley laughed. Her laughter was as sweet as honey.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    I blinked, my heart was still racing uncountably. "Riley?" I finally said.

    Riley smiled, "Yes, it''s me Logan sir. I''m sorry I kept this secret from you" she said lowering her gaze.

    My heart skipped even faster. "It''s okay. It just shocked me for a second." I said finally accepting the reality. Riley was a girl and she was a gorgeous young woman.

    Riley took my arms and pulled me back to my feet.

    "Logan sir," she said closing her distance from me. She was standing inches from me. My heart was about to explode. I gripped my chest and ran from the room. I couldn''t be in her presence any longer. She was killing me.

    "Logan sir!" Riley called from behind.

    "Riley, I need to rest. You can rest here for tonight. We can talk in the morning." I shouted not daring to look back. I raced up the stairs and ran down the hall. I saw a sticky note by a door in the hall. I stopped and read the sticky, Logan this is the room I''ve prepared for you. Signed Uncle Frederick.

    I took down the sticky and entered the room. I slammed the door shut and leaned my back against it. My heart was still racing like crazy. What the heck was happening? Why was I feeling like this? The shock should not have done this to me. Sure, it was shocking to find out that Riley was really a girl. But it shouldn''t have done this to me. I could not think at all. This was the first time in my life that I felt this way.

    I took in deep breaths. After minutes of breathing in and out. My heart finally settled. I slid to the ground. It was cold. But it was just the thing I needed.

    ��That was embarrassing�� said Carter appearing next to me.

    I looked over at him and took in a deep breath. ��What do you mean?��

    ��I mean your reaction to Riley back there.�� He said grinning.

    ��I don��t know what you are talking about�� I said.

    Carter looked at me sheepishly, "So isn''t Riley pretty?" he asked.

    "Yeah," I said without thinking.

    "See, look at your face," he chuckled.

    "What are you talking about?" I said my face reddening. Riley''s face was etched in my mind. I could not get it out. I shook my head. I needed to focus. This was no time to be thinking about useless things.

    Carter patted his left claw on my thigh and breathed out a breath of fresh air. ��Never mind buddy�� he said. ��Take a rest. The cities going to be in a riot tomorrow.�� Carter laughed then disappeared back into his heart once again.

    I took in a deep breath and went to bed. This was going to be a long night.

    ������������������������������������������������������������

    The morning came really early the next day. I looked outside, and the town was bustling. It was unlike the day before, armoured walked the streets. They were patrolling. I guess last nights Phoenix fire really jolted the town into action.

    I looked in the direction of the hotel and nearly had my eyes pop out of my sockets. The fire ball was still there. What was going on. Riley��s rebirth was over, why was that still around?

    ��Like I said before, that is a decoy.�� Said Carter appearing next to me again.

    I glanced over at him and nodded a greeting. ��How long is that thing supposed to stay up there?�� I asked.

    ��Oh, a month at the least and a year at most. It would usually stay there for as long as the Phoenix is still in rebirth, but Riley has already finished the process. So, it shouldn��t last to long. Of course, Riley can make it go away if she swallowed all that fire. But I would not recommend her doing that unless we are leaving town.�� Carter said.

    ��I see�� I said. This was so different. It looked like another sun hung in the sky.

    ��Okay, I guess we should go see aunt Penelope first�� I said remembering her words from yesterday.

    ��Why don��t you visit Riley first. I think the old witch would like to see her too. Plus, we should have a look at that spirit ware of hers.�� Carter said.

    I blushed remembering Riley from last night. I shook my head. I should not be thinking about such things. ��Why? That spirit ware belongs to her now. What business do we have with it?" I asked.

    "We should at least see if she has dealt with it properly. We don��t want the former owner finding out we have it, do we? We need to make sure that there is not tracking on it" Carter said.

    He was making a good point. Whoever had the spirit ware before might have put some sort of a trace on it. We couldn''t afford to be found.

    ��Okay then let��s go�� I said going into the washing room and making myself presentable.

    We walked downstairs and headed straight into the basement room.

    When he entered the room, Riley was already up and dressed. She had somehow found a red dress. She looked stunning in it. She looked over at me with her beautiful blue eyes. I shook my head. I needed my head to be clear.

    ��Logan Sir, what happened before?�� she asked me concerned.

    ��What do you mean?�� I asked back.

    ��Before, we were prisoners. But now you can move in and out of this room with ease. What happened?�� she asked taking a step closer to me.

    I took a step back, ��Oh, that." I said scratching my head and walking pass her and leaning against a wall.  "It so happens that the owners of this shop ended up being relatives of my masters''�� I explained.

    ��I see�� Riley said, she had her hair in her hands. She was twirling it.

    ��Stop the small talk and get to business already," shouted Carter. He did not look like he was enjoying all the small talk.

    Riley looked at him and frowned. ��Mr. Carter, what business do we have to attend to?�� She said releasing her hair.

    "It''s about the spirit ware you got yesterday," Carter said.

    Riley lifted her chin up and pursed her lips. A red pearl floated out of her mouth and it slowly floated into her right hand ��You mean this." She asked.

    Carter nodded his head, "Yes, that" he said flying over to her and taking a closer look at the pearl.

    "It doesn''t look like it has a trace on it" said Carter

    "This is a Phoenix pearl. It is a very ancient spirit ware. No one can put a trace it it.�� Riley giggled. ��Logan sir would you like to have a look at it?�� she asked handing it over to me.

    I took the pearl. It was light. But the moment I touched it. It felt warm. The pearl radiated a light warmth. The pearl was red in colour. It was the size of a marble and inside the pearl a tiny feather floated in the center with clouds of Smokey red flames swirling around it.

    ��It''s beautiful�� I said. It truly was.

    ��Logan sir. This is the spirit ware Phoenix tear. It was one of our races most treasured items. It was formed from the tears of the first Phoenix. It��s a very powerful spirit ware. It has lost some of its former glory, but with my Phoenix fire I can return it to its former glory one day�� she said.

    ��Wow�� I said handing the Phoenix tear back to Riley.

    ��Logan sir are you willing to form an alliance with me?�� Riley asked.

    ��A what?��  I asked.

    ��What!�� screamed Carter. ��Are you crazy?�� He said his face going pale.

    ��What��s a Phoenix alliance?�� I asked.

    ��It��s a lot like the partnership contract that you and Carter share. It will allow you to form a phoenix pearl within your magic core. A phoenix pearl is a higher-level fire orb.�� Riley explained.

    "That sounds pretty good.�� I said. It sounded really good. I know I shouldn''t add anymore magical burden on myself. I already had my hands full with learning wind and life magic. But if the opportunity offered itself, why not take it.

    ��That��s good. We can perform it right away.�� Riley said smiling. Her smile lit up the room.

    Before Carter could stop her. Phoenix Fire started to come out of Riley��s body and in a blink of an eye, a magic circle was formed. Carter scrambled away from the fire and cursed.

    ��I Riley Phoenixfire wishes to form an alliance with Logan�� she chanted. Red rings of Phoenix fire surrounded us. She pricked her finger and a drop of her blood floated into the air.

    She then leaned over and softly pricked my finger. My drop of blood slowly floated into the air. As the droplet met inside the magic circle, they mixed into each other and became one single droplet of blood.

    Red light started to once again shower the room. Riley raised her hand. The Phoenix tear lifted off her hand and headed straight for the droplet of blood. The mixed droplet of blood entered the phoenix tear. Suddenly something inside me shattered.

    I fell to the ground, breathing heavily. The flames vanished into the phoenix tear. The red light in the room faded and the phoenix tear retuned into Riley''s hand. She smiled while bitting her upper lip. She looked really happy.

    ��What the heck did you do?�� I asked in astonishment. My breathing was finally returning to normal. But I felt different somehow.

    ��I formed an alliance with you and forged a bond between you and me, through the phoenix tear.�� She said still biting her upper lip. She looked really adorable.

    Carter came racing down toward Riley. ��You, reckless phoenix!" he yelled. "How could you just offer yourself to him like that. Have you no pride as a phoenix?�� he flipped. His entire body was shaking with anger.

    ��Carter why are you so angry?�� I asked confused.

    ��She formed an alliance with you. That is prohibited.�� He said wind swirling around him uncontrollably.

    ��Why? Is that dangerous?�� I asked concerned.

    Carter glared at me "No." he said grinding his teeth together. "You��ve gained something far greater than you can ever imagine.�� Carter said huffing an puffing, he was not able to settle down.

    ��Really, what did I gain? I asked.

    ��She formed an alliance with you." Carter pointed his left claw at Riley.

    Riley was smiling smugly.

    "In ancient times this contract is called a union, it means that she has accepted you into her clan. That means that you are now an official member of the Phoenix clan. It also means. You can access all Phoenix inheritances and share in their powers. It��s like you are a Phoenix. In essence you really are a phoenix now.  It is a prohibited union. Why would you do such a thing. He is a human!�� Carter screamed, wind blasting around the room.

    Riley''s dress flutter in the wind. She pulled her hair back and eyed Carter. ��Carter you can also form a brotherhood with Logan sir, if you so please. I will not stop you�� she chuckled, locking her lips into mischievous smile.

    ��Hell no!" Carter screamed. "He already has a partnership contract with me. I am not taking him into my clan.�� He flung his claws up in the air and flew out of the room ��I��m going to see that old witch. Don��t bother me for a while." He shouted.

    ��What��s his problem.�� I asked. Still confused as to what happened.

    ��Never mind him Logan sir. Look inside your magic core.�� Riley said pointing to my lower abdominal area.

    ��My magic core? What about it?�� I said closing my eyes and checking in on my magic core. I almost stumbled when I saw it. There was a new orb inside my core. It was no ordinary one either. Its vibrant red color glittered inside my magic core. Intense power radiated from it. I could feel the strength of the magic inside. It was much stronger than my life and wind core combined. What was this? Was I dreaming?

    ��This��. this�� this�� I stuttered. "How did I form a fire orb without my notice?�� I asked in complete befuddlement. This was out of this world. Where did this orb come from? How did it form inside my core without my awareness?

    Riley giggled. ��Logan sir, that is no ordinary fire orb. That is your new Phoenix pearl. A far more advanced and superior magic orb than any normal fire orb. It is formed through our alliance.�� She explained.

    ��What!" I said in surprise.

    ��Yes, with the establishment of an alliance, you are given the same powers as a Phoenix. That means a Phoenix pearl will form inside your core. The phoenix pearl will grow in strength with our advancement. So, there is no need for you to worry about focusing your energy on the new magic orb. You can just sit back and relax. Through the awakening of my inheritance, you will also receive the information from my inheritance. So magic runes, magic circles will reveal itself to you without you moving an arm. You are now linked to me forever�� she grinned happily.

    ��This�� this is unheard of."  I said perplexed and amazed at the same time. I just gained a new magic orb and I did not even work at creating it. It will advance with Riley and me. That was so new to me.

    ��That��s the great thing about an alliance contract. It can give the other the powers of their tribe.�� Said Riley grinning wryly.

    I patted her on the head out of habit. ��Don��t do this again" I said. ��If it��s prohibited by you race. Then there must have been a reason.�� I said, I took my hand back. It acted on its own. I couldn''t just do what I did before. Riley was a girl, a grown up one at that. She was no child nor was she a boy.

    ��Alright, I will never do such a thing again. One Phoenix can only offer an alliance once in their lifetime. I gave it to you already. No body else can ever get this same treatment from me.�� She laughed playfully.

    I sighed. This silly girl, she really did grow up. ��Alright. I need to go see aunt Penelope. Do you want to come with?�� I asked her.

    Riley nodded her head and followed me upstairs.

 Chapter 21(1) - Revelation part 1

    Revelation

    When we arrived upstairs, Selma was already sitting behind the counter. She was staring out the window curiously looking at the Phoenix fire ball in the sky.

    I coughed to let her know I was in the room. Selma looked up at me. ��Logan, you��re here. Grandma is waiting for you upstairs.�� She said. She eyed Riley behind me and jumped. Suddenly she pulled me aside and whispered in my ear. "Who is that hot chick behind you?�� she asked taking small glimpses at Riley.

    I chuckled and looked at her weirdly. Did she just call Riley that hot chick? ��That��s Riley. You guys met yesterday, remember?�� I said raising my eye brows.

    She furrowed. ��I didn��t. I would remember if I��d met such a cutie pie.�� She said waving at Riley, smiling brightly. ��The only other person I met yesterday was that little brat.�� she said.

    This girl was she one of those legendary lesbians? I chuckled and smiled at her. ��That little brat and this young woman is one and the same. Remember the fire downstairs yesterday. That was Riley��s rebirth. She grew up after her rebirth.�� I said.

    Selma''s jaw dropped. ��But that kid was a boy. She''s a girl and she''s not a little kid�� She said her mouth unable to close.

    I sighed, I know the feeling too. I was so surprised yesterday as well. Now it was time for others to feel what I felt. ��Riley is 18. She just couldn��t grow up because she needed to activate rebirth.�� I explained.

    ��Oh, that means she��s the same age as me. That��s good. I have a chance then. I don��t want to be chasing a child around.�� She giggled. I rolled my eyes, why would you want to chase a girl around.

    I sighed, This girl really was one of those legendary lesbians. ��Do whatever you like�� I said. Then walked upstairs. Riley wanted to follow me upstairs, but Selma stopped her and started chit chatting with her. Riley started talking with Selma. She seemed to really hit it off with her. Riley looked awkward at first, but soon warmed up to Selma. I guess this was the first time she really talked to a girl. She was always used to hiding herself behind a boys'' fa?ade. I looked down at Riley, she seemed very happy now that she was no longer hiding.

    I decided to just let it be for now. Riley can talk with Selma for now, I needed to talk to aunt Penelope. I shrugged my shoulders and walked away.

    I knocked on the door and aunt Penelope opened, welcoming me inside.

    Inside, the room was not very big, but every wall was filled with books. I glanced at a few of the titles and they were almost entirely written in the old language of the healers. Was aunt Penelope a healer too? But when I read the titles they were not about healing. Some of them were history text. While most were about witchcraft. One was called 180 ways to create a Talisman. Another read, how to tell a cat apart from a were cat. There were so many books that I was getting anxious. I liked reading.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Aunt Penelope coughed. I took my gaze away from the books and looked across the room. She was sitting behind an old oak table. A few books were open on the table. They were also all written in the old healer language. I was beginning to wonder if that was really the healer language. None of them were about healing.

    ��Sit down Logan�� she said pointing to the chair across from her.

    I sat. ��Aunt Penelope, what did you want to tell me?�� I asked.

    ��Logan can you read the old language?�� she asked pointing down at the book in front of her.

    I looked at the book. It was a book about warding. I nodded my head.

    ��Good, I guess Kohl did not falter when it came to your education. How much of the old language can you read?�� she asked.

    ��All of them�� I said. Wasn''t that obvious. I could read the old language, then I can read all of them.

    She looked at me weirdly. "All of them. So, you��re telling me you can read every word in this book?�� she asked. She lifted the book and handed it to me.

    I took the book and read through the pages. I was right, this was about how to set up something called the five-point warding. ��Yeah, I can read it all. Master taught me very thoroughly.�� I said.

    ��Okay, read me what that page says�� She requested.

    I did what she asked. When I finished her eyes lit. ��This is excellent. So, you aren��t like the rest of us.�� She mumbled under her breath.

    I looked at her weirdly. Was it that amazing that I could read these few pages of the old language. I had mastered it at age 8 after all.

    She took the book from me and handed me another one. She instructed me to read it aloud once again. I did. This one was about the distinction between the ferret fairy and the bonnet fairy. It was interesting, but nothing to ground breaking.

    ��This is excellent�� she said. Then she looked at me and sighed. ��What a shame to waste your talents on protecting that useless book.�� She said.

    I tensed up. She called the book of divine a useless book. Lady this book is the most sought-after book in all of history. You at least should give it some credit.

    She eyed me. ��I know you must feel that book is the most special thing in the world. But I think it��s just trouble. If it was the original, then sure it would definitely be very special. It would be the most precious thing in the world, but it is only a copy. And if what I guess is right it��s not even a very good copy either.�� She said.

    I blanked. What did she mean? This book had the full history of the five kingdoms and it contain the 99 spells of the divine art. How could it be wrong?

    ��I know you won��t believe me. Even Kohl did not believe me when I told him about it years ago. But I am pretty sure there is something wrong with the Divine Arts in there. The first few spells are correct. I can vouch for that, but I can say the later spells of each set can��t be correct. Plus, Kohl seems to have finally realized something in that letter.�� she said.

    I dropped the book. ��Do you have proof. Don��t say anything if you don��t have proof.�� I said out loud. I know master seemed to have been questioning about the book, but perhaps it was all a misunderstanding.

    She eyed me and smiled. ��I know you wouldn��t believe me. I just happen to have proof. It just so happens that I finally got my proof today. Carter come out.�� She said.

    Carter appeared from behind some books. He looked both worried and excited at the same time.

    ��Carter, what does he have to do with this?�� I asked eyeing Carter.

    ��Do you know why your master and I fought those many years ago?�� she asked.

    ��From what I��ve heard it was about some girl that Master likes.�� I said.

    ��That is half the reason. But that was not all the reason. Did you know that Kohl is not a descendant of Kai?�� she said smiling.

    ��What!�� I said shocked. I was sure master was a descendant of Kai. Why else would he be protecting the book?

 Chapter 21(2) Revelation part 2

    Chapter 21.2

    Aunt Penelope laughed bitterly. ��Kohl is no descendent of Kai. He is my brother after all. He is a descendant of witches. Let me tell you the story of Kohl�� she said, her eyes growing distant as she drew from her memories.

    I could not believe it. Master was not a descendant of Kai. Then how did he get the book then?

    ��Yes, Kohl is a witch. He grew up with both me and Fredrick. He is only a year younger than us" she said.

    My eyes widened, master was only a year younger than her and uncle Fredrick. How was that possible? At most master was forty. Not sixty.

    Aunt Penelope chucked. ��You don��t believe me. It��s true." She chuckled. "Life magic can do wonders to a person��s body. Kohl is, was going to be fifty-nine this fall.�� She paused. She took in a deep breath. ��You see, Kohl left the village when he was sixteen. He was all happy to go out into the world. He first entered the magic tournament held by the magic council in the Central Kingdom. Did you know he won first place?" she said smiling at the memory.

    I shook my head. "I did not know very much about master Kohl''s past. He never mentioned his past." I said.

    Aunt Penelope sighed, "Kohl probably did not want to remember it," she said.

    I nodded remembering master''s eyes every night.

    "He was truly talented." Aunt Penelope continued. "He was the most talented out of all of us. He returned to the village shortly after he won the tournament. Then he went on a journey across the four kingdoms. When he came back after years of travel. He brought back with him a young girl. She was about 18 at the time. He told us that he and her had married. We were all shocked. But we were truly happy for them.�� She said pausing once again.

    "So, master was married once. What happened to his wife?" I asked.

    Aunt Penelope paused, "I will get to that part soon." She said. "They spent several years in the village and we all loved Sophia. That was his wife''s name. She was a good person.��

    I looked over at her, I remembered before she seemed really angry with the girl master was involved with. Was that this Sophia? But she didn''t seem to hate this woman. Could master have another woman?

    "It was the seventh year of their marriage. They decided on traveling the world once again." Her eyes darkened. "Fredrick and I went with them. During the time we spent with them I found something odd with Sophia. She was acting weirdly. She seemed different. I asked Kohl if she was not feeling well. Kohl said she was pregnant. We were all ecstatic. Time passed, and Sophia gave birth to a girl. They named her Tianna. She was a beautiful girl." Aunt Penelope stopped, a tear dropped down her cheek.

    "Master had a daughter? Where is she now?" I asked surprised. I never imagined master having a daughter.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Aunt Penelope lowered her eyes, "She is gone," she said slowly, sadness pouring out of her words.

    "What happened?" I asked.

    "It was our second year traveling, we were traveling in the West Kingdom near the grand mountains. Two mages blocked our path as we were about to reach Gorgon. They claimed to be from the organization." I tensed at the mention of the organization.

    "Sophia upon seeing the mages went rigid and backed away. Tianna was with her at the time. Suddenly the mages started attacking us. None of us knew what was going on, but we fought with all our might. Unfortunately, the mages were to powerful. Finally, the mages started talking and we found out about the Divine Arts. Kohl did not seem to about it." Aunt Penelope said taking sip of tea.

    "Sophia went hysterical when the mages mentioned the Divine arts. The mages ganged up on her. Kohl risked everything trying to get to her side. But in the end, he was to late. She had been cornered to a cliff. Sophia in her hysterics lost her mind and pushed her own daughter off the cliff. She seemed to believe that her one-year old daughter would be able to survive the fall. She then activated the Divine Arts that she had command over. Kohl was devastated." Aunt Penelope breathed shallowly.

    I could not believe it master''s wife pushed her own daughter off a cliff. Why would she do such a thing?

    "Sophia fought fiercely with the mages and in the end, she had won, the two mages had both died. She then fell to the ground and her eyes looked blank. Kohl got to her side and her eyes regained its color. But she was not the same any more. She cried and cried. Finally, she fainted. I looked after her. Kohl and Fredrick went down the cliff to see if they could find Tianna but there was no luck, her body was never found. After that day we found out all about the Divine Arts. We knew that Sophia was a descendant of Kai. Sophia never recovered from that day. She had lost her mind. Kohl took care of Sophia and started studying the book of divine in hopes he could fix her." Aunt Penelope stopped.

    "A few months later, another mage found us." She continued. "This time Kohl risked everything against the mage, he even destroyed his witch''s core, but he was still no match for the mage. Finally, Sophia entered the fight once again. She had somehow regained a little of her former self. But unlike last time she was forced to use the ninth set in the divine arts. She used the pillars of purgatory and protected us, and she activated the ninth set. The three of us were knocked unconscious due to the force of her magic. When we woke up she was already completely gone. Only the book remained.

    "Kohl was heartbroken beyond belief. All he had could do was hold onto the book. I wanted him to throw it away. That book was nothing but trouble. But he refused, that was all he had left of her. We returned to the village after that." She sighed and took another sip of tea.

    "He spent years just locked up in his house. We have all tried our best to help him. But it was all no use. When he finally came out he had somehow become the new bearer of the divine arts. He vowed vengeance on the organization. But he also vowed to keep the book forever away from the organization. He showed us the book many times after wards. We told him to stop his involvement with the book. All who possess it will end up dead. I did not want him to end up like all the others. We had a huge fight and he left the village."

    "Later, that was 15 years ago. He came back to the village. He had you in his arm then. I was away due to some personal matters. When I came back I tried my best to persuade him to get rid of the book. We told him to we can find a way to seal it away. But he refused. Then once again he left the village." Aunt Penelope paused to take in a breath.

    "He never returned to the village after that. Only when you came to us did I finally know of his demise. I warned him, I begged him. But he would not listen. Now I also want to tell you to do the same. The book is dangerous. I know there must be some kind of curse on it. How else can the organization find its bearer over and over again." She said

    "I know you will not listen either. So, I��ve got proof that the book is not what it seems. Carter it��s your turn." She said turning to the side.

 Chapter 21.3 - Revelation

    21.3

    Carter flew up and landed on the table. ��Old lady. I still don��t know what you expect me to do?�� he asked looking at aunt Penelope weirdly.

    Aunt Penelope took a black box out from the drawer and placed it on the table. Carters eyes glittered.

    ��Logan this here is a relic from times long gone�� she said running her fingers across the top of the box.

    ��A relic? You mean there is a spirit ware inside this box?�� I asked pointing to the black box.

    Aunt Penelope nodded her head. She placed a talisman over the box, with a click, it opened. Inside a clear colored pearl laid in the middle. It resembled the Phoenix tear. After examining it closely, I could see a small claw like item floating inside the pearl. My heart started to skip, this was unbelievable, why were spirit wares showing up like they were lax weed. Weren''t they supposed to be super rare?

    Carter howled in excitement. ��It''s��it��s a dragon calm.�� He stuttered.

    ��A what" I asked. Isn''t a dragon calm the source of a dragon''s power? Did this mean this used to be a dragon''s source of power?

    ��You are right, this is an ancient dragon calm. It is one of the 5 ancient pearls. This one belonged to the dragon race. This dragon calm was once called the Talon''s calm.�� Aunt Penelope said.

    Carter edged next to the pearl and reached out his claw touching the pearl. ��This��this really is Talon''s calm. I have not seen this pearl since the great war. How did you get this?�� he asked, his eyes glittering with joy.

    ��I found it by chance when I was exploring an ancient tomb when I was younger.�� She replied

    ��Okay, this is great and all. I''m very happy to see it, but what does this spirit ware have to do with the divine arts?�� I asked confused, not understanding the connection between this spirit ware and the divine arts.

    ��Everything.�� Aunt Penelope said smiling.

    I looked over at her then to Carter. Carter looked as confused as I was.

    Aunt Penelope turned her gaze at Carter. ��Carter did you know that the Saris Magicae was split into 9 pieces after the time of great magic?�� she asked.

    ��I know, everyone knows that." Carter answered rolling his eyes. "But no one knows what the nine pieces are?�� he added.

    ��This is one of the pieces along with four other pearls.�� Aunt Penelope said surprising us.

    I stared at the pearl. This pearl is one of those original nine pieces of the Sacris Magicae? Was this even possible? She''s not joking, is she?

    ��You��re kidding me!" Shouted Carter, disbelief in his voice.  "But my race has had this item for a very long time. No one told me about this? He questioned, not sure if he could believe Aunt Penelope''s words.

    Aunt Penelope sighed. ��This was a secret that not even the races that protected it knows of. I only found out when I stumbled on an old ancient almanac of the witches. It explained that the god Allio who was the creator of the Sacris Magicae gave these relics to the ancestors of the four races as tokens of his gratitude after the four great God��s used all their powers to seal away the darkness.�� She explained.

    ��Allio, so that��s the Divine Arts creators name. If he is a god how come no one knows his name? We often hear of the gods being spoken of, but no one knows the names of the gods. And how many gods are there really?��

    "The almanac mentions that in the beginning there were nine gods.  But at the end of the God wars only three remained. Four stood standing on the seal to the darkness. The God of the seal died in battle. But I do not know what happened to the others. Although it is mentioned that the three gods that remained were not part of the original nine. So technically all 9 vanished or perished.�� Aunt Penelope said.

    ��Wow," I breathed out loudly. "All the original gods vanished. This god war must have been one hell of a battle. Then Allio is not one of the original gods.��

    ��Of course not, he was a human just like you and me. He attained his god-hood because he created the Sacris Magicae. Legend has it whoever can master all of the Sacris Magicae will also be able to attain God hood. That is also one of the reasons I believe the Divine Arts you hold is not right. Because there is no way that casting the cycle of reincarnation would cost the caster its life." She said her eyes full of sorrow. "It just doesn��t make sense.�� She said.

    ��But master mentioned that it was because he did it under the wrong circumstances." I tried to argue, but I remembered masters doubts in the letter. I wasn''t so sure anymore either.

    "None sense. No matter what the last set should not have such an affect. Logan bring out the book.�� Aunt Penelope ordered.

    I did as she asked. I summoned the book from within the cauldron.

    ��Carter, the only way to have Talon''s calm reveal the Sacris Magicae is for you to form a brotherhood with a human.�� Aunt Penelope said facing Carter.

    Carter jumped. He did not look happy with what Aunt Penelope said.  ��No way! That is not possible! I can��t do such a thing! No way! That is impossible!" he shouted flying into the air.

    Aunt Penelope frowned. ��If you do not perform brotherhood there is no way to access it then. I thought because you already formed an equal partnership contract with Logan you would be willing to form a brotherhood. I guess I am wrong. Only through the strongest bond can we hope to access the Sacris Magicae.  Only if we can compare the two will we be truly able to tell if the divine arts are truly a fake or not." She said sighing.

    ��Old witch this is no joke. A brotherhood is never formed with a human. There has only ever been one exception and look where that led us. It was a complete mistake. We dragons are forbidden to form a brotherhood with humans" he said harshly circling the room.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Aunt Penelope shook her head in disappointment. "That��s very unfortunate, this was the only way. I guess I can''t prove it at all. Logan let me see the book anyways." She held out her hand.

    I passed the book over to her. She flipped through the book until she reached the section with the divine arts. "This is the section. I see its been sealed. This is the work of Kohl alright. Logan did you know that this was not sealed the last time I saw it." she said.

    "I did not know that. I thought this was always the case. " I said looking at the book.

    Aunt Penelope shook her head. "There is two ways to unseal the binding on this section. One is for you to learn the spells and advance. But I would not advise you to follow that path. I believe there is something fundamentally wrong with the spells in this book. Some may be the true arts. But those later spells are not. That has been my theory for a very long time now. I do not believe that even those mages of the five kingdoms could have had the complete version. If the complete Sacris Magicae was truly pieced together, there would have only been one way. Those parts that the five kingdoms had were ancient, but I can say for a fact that those were not the original parts. For starters this pearl has never been unsealed before. So, the dragons breath part would never have been shown to the world. Of course, Allio does have the complete set to. But I don''t believe he would have passed it on. He is a god. He has pride that would not allow him to pass on the Sacris Magicae that easily. " She said.

    "But the complete Arts is written here though." I said still trying to defend the arts, if this was truly a fake what good was masters sacrifice.

    "Those are recreations. That means some of them is real and some are human made. They might be good fabrications, but in the end, they are still fakes. That is why I believe the last set is deadly wrong. The one who fabricated it knew it and they allowed it to be used." She sighed.

    "Unfortunately, Carter here does not agree to do brotherhood. I can''t do anymore" she shook her head in disappointment slumping back on her chair.

    "Wait, you said there were other pearls." I said remembering her words. The phoenix tear popped into my head. Could that be one of them? "Is the phoenix tear one of them?" I asked.

    She looked at me shocked. "How do you know about the phoenix tear?" she asked perplexed.  "Yes, it is. That is the one that contains the phoenix inferno. But it along with the other 3 has been lost long ago. I''ve only ever come across this one here." She said pointing at the Talon''s calm.

    I took in a deep breath. So, the phoenix tear was really one of them. It seems I had some luck in this department.  "Actually, we have the phoenix tear" I said telling her all about how we came across the spirt ware.

    Her face lit up, "You�� you mean Riley already performed alliance with you" she said excitedly.

    I nodded my head.

    "Hurry and bring the boy here!" she commanded.

    I swallowed. "Actually, Riley is a girl." I said.

    Aunt Penelope looked at me weirdly. "I see, then bring her here." she said.

    She did not look as surprised as I thought she would be. I got up from the chair and was about to move. Aunt Penelope jumped off her chair suddenly. "Forget it, I''ll go get her myself." She said running out of the room. I could not believe she could move so fast. Before I even knew it, Riley was in the room. She looked as shock as I was. Aunt Penelope went back to her seat and ordered us to sit.

    Carter perched himself on the globe across the room and just watched us.

    "Riley, this is Aunt Penelope" I introduced smiling weirdly.

    "Yeah, I know" Riley said awkwardly glancing at aunt Penelope.

    "Both of you, forget formalities." Aunt Penelope said waving her hands. She turned her gaze toward Riley.  "Is it true you and Logan performed alliance?" she asked her eyes glittering.

    Riley nodded her head. She took a sneak peak at me. I gave her a smile. She twitched and turned back to face aunt Penelope.

    "Good good," aunt Penelope said, her smile so bright that it almost fell off her face.

    "Riley I also heard you have the phoenix tear?" she asked again.

    "Yes" Riley replied.

    "Take it out I want to see it." she ordered her voice super excited.

    Riley took the phoenix tear out. Aunt Penelope snatched it from her hands. She laughed, then jumped from her chair. She paced around the room in a circle spinning and examining the pearl at the same time.

    "Yes, yes. This is the long-lost phoenix tear. Boy you are so lucky. I can''t believe this legendary spirit ware just popped into your hands. This has to be the most peculiar thing I''ve heard of in my entire life. Yet, it actually happened. " she chuckled. Her laugh sounded so odd. "Alright, now Let me unseal this book" she said calming herself down and finally sitting back on the chair.

    "You can unseal the book?" I asked stupefied. I didn''t think it was possible.

    "Yes, I can boy. I did say there is two methods didn''t I. One was you reaching the requirements. Two is me unsealing it. This was done by Kohl. Kohl may have lost his witchcraft but there are ways for him to temporarily use witchcraft again. That��s what he used to seal the contents of the book. " she said.

    I stared at her, could this be true? If it was witchcraft, then it really would be possible for her to unseal it.

    She placed her hand over the book and suddenly, ten talismans appeared in her hands. She placed them into a circle. The talismans glowed red, then yellow, then blue, then green. It shifted through countless colors until finally a bright light broke through the book. Finally, words appeared on the sealed pages.

    I could not believe my eyes. She really did it. She had done it. The book was unsealed. I took it into my hands and started reading. It really contained all 99 spells. At the end of the list was the set for the cycle of reincarnation. It was exactly like what master had performed, word for word.

    My eyes fogged. Aunt Penelope really did it. Aunt Penelope took the book from me. "Riley look at this part" she pointed at the section with the 6<sup>th</sup> set the phoenix inferno.

    Riley leaned her head over and gasped. "This looks like an inheritance from my clan" she said studying the spells. Then she furrowed her brow. "These spells in the beginning does seem to cater to the fires of a phoenix but the later spells look weird some how" she said.

    Aunt Penelope grinned. "Yes, so you can tell the difference. Carter" she waved for him to come over."

    Carter zoomed over in an instance. Aunt Penelope flipped to the page with the dragons breath and allowed Carter to look at them. "Carter read on and let me know if it looks odd" she said grinning.

    Carter looked at the later spells. He had already seen the first two. "This looks wrong. But the beginning spells are real. Logan this really isn''t the correct spells. I can feel it. the 5<sup>th</sup> set is supposed to be an infusion of a dragon''s full power. But the later spells seem strong, but it only has powers a human can use. This is a fake" he yelled out.

    "You''re not all playing a joke with me, are you?" I asked, this can''t be true. Master had protected this his entire life. He even died for it. This can''t be a fake. It can''t. I could not believe it.

    "Its okay Logan. I know you need real proof." She held out the phoenix tear. "Have you both even attempted to look inside the pearl?" she asked.

    "Look inside?" I said perplexed.

    "Yes, look inside" aunt Penelope said holding up the phoenix tear.

    "How?" I asked,

    "You two are linked. So just hold the phoenix tear in your hands and push phoenix fire into the pearl" she said.

    "Phoenix fire, I don��t have that" I said confused.

    "You have it." aunt Penelope stated as if that was a fact.  "Stupid boy you have a phoenix pearl inside your magic core, right?" she asked.

    I nodded my head. "Yes, it appeared after the alliance." I replied.

    "Use the magic inside. That is phoenix fire" she explained

    "Oh, " I said finally understanding.

    "Riley, take his hand" ordered aunt Penelope

    Riley nodded her head and took my hands. Her hands were soft. My heart started to beat fast the moment she touched my hands. I wanted to take my hands back, but I forced myself to calm down. This was no time to be having weird thoughts.  Aunt Penelope dropped the phoenix tear in our hands.

    Aunt Penelope gestured for us to begin. We both started pushing fire magic into the pearl. The fire magic that came from my new orb felt so different than the other magic. It felt so much stronger. So, this was phoenix fire. It was so vibrant.