THREE days’ rest was over. Eleand filled his lungs with air when he went out to his room. The day of his fight with Fariyah finally came.He calmed himself. At least at this moment, he could wield the basics of the Protexerium. But still, he needed to prepare himself for the worse outcome. Fariyah’s magic was out of his league. Another wrong move, then he would be in the afterlife.“It’s a good thing that you recovered at last.”Eleand looked in the direction of the voice. He composed himself when he recognized the priestess.Her face was void of expression. The usual cold appearance. But this time, she was not wearing her combat suit. She wore a turquoise gown with a white fur coat on her back. Her gray hair softly flowed down with a braid circling her head.Better. He breathed loosely. It seemed she wasn’t planning to go on a fight.“It’s

    “WAKE UP…” An angelic voice reached his ears. Eleand slowly opened his eyes. The smiling face of a female faerie greeted him. “Swasah…” Her smile broadened when she witnessed him blinking his eyes, adjusting to the light. He was immediately drawn into the stranger’s golden eyes. Wait, she looked familiar. She was the same faerie he saw after the accident. The one who healed him before Ahldrin and Nahil found him. “Who are you?” He tried to get up, but a stinging pain in his chest forbid him to do so. Eleand surveyed his eyes around. He was half-naked, and his body was submerged in water. He was in a green water lake. “My name is Kharyn. And yes, this is the second time I saved your life.” Her voice was vvery comforting. “Thank you. I’m Eleand. But where I am?” The place was not familiar. He was confident it was not part of Velidia. “I brought you here at the nearest lake below Steri Volcano, in thi

  HE woke up early in the morning to review the spells from Enkille’s book. He read some about the Vanire and shapeshifting, but it was complicated. He couldn’t self-study because a mistake would lead to his death.“You’re taking it seriously, Eleand.”Eleand looked in Enkille’s direction. She stood near the dining table with a tray of foods at hand. He used her transportation magic to get in and out of the room. He was not surprised anymore.“This is an advance study regarding shapeshifting and transportation magic. And you’re right, I can’t understand much of the context,” he closed the book and faced Enkille.“One magic at a time. I talked with Fariyah. She seemed thrilled with your fast improvement. Imagine, you mastered the Protexerium, and you survived the harsh condition of the Unforgiving Mountain.” She lightly laughed and added, &ldq

  “BLACK FIRE is a curse…” these words from Kharyn echoed in Eleand’s mind. Nobody should know about this. Everything was an accident, and he didn’t intend to do it. The black fire in his hand triggered because he was careless. He needed to take extra precautions not to repeat this mistake.Damn! Eleand thought of his faerie ancestor. Whoever he was must have had something to do with his magic. Now he firmly believed that his faerie blood was special. Could it be that his ancestor was a royal? Although, he couldn’t find solid proof as of now. But even Althy and Rade believed that his talents were extraordinary, considering the amount of mana resting inside his body. Even they were unaware of him being a mortal.Eleand continued his study on Vatranum, and the cousins were considerate of his learning process. He never mentioned the minor accident inside his room. They must not k

    DOUBTS started to fill in Eleand’s mind thinking about the possibility of leaving the Winter Region soon. Why the situation had to be like this? Even there was a constant threat that the High Priestess might kill him in another sparring, his confidence was blossoming that he could give a fair fight these days. Especially that he could wield the fire now, it was a massive improvement for him. Eleand let out a sigh. He did not hesitate to drink the liquor resting on the table despite his reservations earlier. He hurriedly gulped the beverage from his glass and tasted similar to beer! He drank, thinking about his high tolerance for alcohol. The sweetness was gently caressing his throat. He lost count of time, and he was overjoyed. At this moment, he felt like he was home.   The three went out, really wasted. They couldn’t even walk straight. It was dusk, and the sun was about to set on the horizon. They had to be back at the te