Chapter 13: Chapter 11: The Warmage Pupil Arc

On our way to the base via the master personal wagon that took us anywhere necessary, the elder placed the back of his head onto one of its wooden walls. “I’m truly glad the ceremony was a success, but... you haven’t told me your name.”

With a beatific expression and cheerful voice, I started blabbering everything that happened, causing surprise to appear on his side. “I met the guardian of the eight doors! He was a bit stubborn in the beginning, but after some talking, I received my name. It is Aura.”

“So that’s my successor's name.” He joined his fists middle of the air, praying to the goddess of water. “It has a good ring to it, though it could cause some confusion during the lessons.” 

Despite the elder feeling joyful, he showed a troubled face, making me giggle, as not many things were arduous enough to cause such a scene to happen often. “Before I forget, I didn’t account for you to meet him during our ceremony rehearsals, but while it is uncommon to meet the guardian, few have done so, hence you don’t have to worry about it.”

With my concerns washing away, I took a deep breath, alleviating the body of its extra and unnecessary weight. 

“Also first lesson.” He raised his right hand, which I mimicked. “Water aura.” On his side, a blue hue appeared, but on mine, nothing happened. “The other hand, girl, you have two elements.”

I smiled awkwardly and embarrassed, believing that either hand would do the trick. “Ah, right?” I did what he showed me successfully, emanating a beautiful light with a weaker brilliance than his. “Now, if you don’t want to waste away your energy like you were doing so in the church, the words are, Liberate water.” 

Once again, I pronounced exactly the same way, making it vanish.

“If by chance…” I gulped dryly. “…I was to lose my left hand. Would I no longer be able to use it?” 

The elder, understanding my concerns, nodded in disagreement. “Any part of the body can do it, but in the beginning, it’s easier to focus on the spot it first appeared in. At some point, you’ll be able to channel it outside of your body, by then chants will come with it.”

I smiled happily as I remembered that concern from having removed a couple parts from Rival and Josie's bodies. “Once I master the water element under your guidance, should I join the church to learn how to use the light power?”

To my question he rubbed his beard, understanding my point clearer than myself who brought it. “If you’d like. Just don’t allow yourself to be used by them. Instead, become a mercenary like me. It’ll grant you a lot of wealth, and nobles will seek you out.”

“I understand. Should I have at least brought a tier-one light grimoire?” 

To that, he laughed loudly, making me smile nervously.

“Not at all. Once we start, you won’t have the time or energy to do anything else.” I sweated slightly from such words, knowing there were no truer ones. In the end, he was the warmage. After a year of learning high-level pronunciation and meditation, reading, writing, and doing a moderate amount of exercise with hunter, my magical training would finally start today. Or at least, that’s what I expected.

As soon as we reached the base, they attacked me with a big surprise party. “Congratulations on becoming a named!” The diverse youths, some older and others younger than me, shouted happily while clapping, leaving the little ones to hug my legs and waist. Unlike the ones at the orphanage, the kids gathered by Timothy, the hunter, didn’t hold prejudice and showered me with great respect.

Although, I knew it was not love, but solely that I was to be the one inheriting everything, soon to command the future of their lives within the palm of my hand. With that knowledge engraved in my mind by the master, everything felt superficial, and yet I smiled at them while patting their small and soft heads as a motherly figure would. Having withstood pain it made me cold, strong, and within me there was a decision to only cause it towards those who became a menace to my future. These children knew nothing of the world, therefore, they too were innocent lambs, and didn’t deserve to be sacrificed like I was. “I am back, everyone, and thank you all for this wonderful surprise!” 

They cheered happily and clapped louder, eventually falling into silence as they grew expectant to hear it. 

The elder stood next to me, and we traded glances. Upon getting his permission and confirmation through his nod, I announced it loud and clear. “My name is Aura!”

“Congratulations Aura!” Their unison was loud enough to reverberate deep into my eardrums, almost making me go deaf, but that was satisfying in its own way, and it completed part of the emptiness within me.

Next to me, soft, unexpected words reached me. “Go have fun with them. Tomorrow morning, we start your training.” The cane struck the ground as he nonchalantly walked inside, followed by Rubia, who waved at me with a smile, one that in the past times I thought to be lost.

That day I spent the entirety of it by playing with them, chatting, eating, dancing, and eventually, I headed to my room with a full stomach, leaving a board with some bread on top of my desk, taking a seat on my bed while faced to the wall. 

A large room compared to the ones I had before. It had a mirror covered with a jacket, windows whose curtains remained closed, and at times when one of the girls opened them, the windows stayed completely opened to the outside. A part of me came to hate reflections, mainly due to the person I had become. In the comfort of the luxury linens, while hugging a pillow, I spoke with myself. 

“Today was a fun day, filled with celebrations and kind smiles.” I nodded in accordance with my voice as a chill went through and the door shut by itself.

“It is at times like this where I almost accept the deaths of those two, in particular.” My head swayed sideways in disagreement.

“That’s not right, is it Aura?” It didn’t feel honorable, sure, but without a different option, I took them as it felt proper to me. It was my justice, and no one had anything to do with it. There was no attachment or regret towards my actions.

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“It is what it is. No. It is what it was meant to be.” I disregarded the words that went against my conviction, embraced by the darkness of the room and the faint brightness of the moon where cold air flowed in.

“Today I passed by the underground passage. I’m starting to notice fewer mouses as of late, ever since they began cleaning that putrid place.” My stomach growled, possibly annoyed at overeating and right after that instant, the bread made a crunching sound, surprising me. My soul almost left my body from such a scare.

I placed the hand in front of my face, frightened by my own craziness, and then I opened my four fingers in half, peeking through the gap in the middle of them, noticing a crow pecking at the leftovers. 

“What great timing you had! You scared the hell out of me!” I shouted at it, but as wild and brave as he appeared to be, possibly starving too, the bird chose to ignore me.

“Fine! Have it your way. I don’t care enough.” I crawled inside the sheets seeking some peace within myself, falling asleep shortly after, still shivering. 

That night, among many others, a certain dream went by. On top of the snowy white plains there was a beautiful girl, blonde with green eyes, pointing in a certain direction. Like anyone would do, I gazed through the entire line from her shoulder to arm and lastly finger tip, towards where it directed me, finding what appeared to be a red crimson looking-door.

Despite feeling confused, my feet took a few steps forward, and then before continuing further, I looked at the girl once more, who was now pointing at me with a concerned expression. 

‘What a strange fellow. Does she want me to go there or not?’ As dreamy as it felt, my legs didn’t wait for this illusion to make me walk there, so I did it out of my own volition. The moment I reached out for the door handle, a small hand grabbed mine, spooking me.

I woke up and quickly noticed the light that hurt my sensitive eyes, closing them, waiting to adjust to it. I used my left hand on the bed to get my back out of it, placing my right one in front of my forehead, granting me some protection from the sunlight, enabling me to see what was under it. The normal white bed linens stained with a dirty red along with a bit of pain followed through in my belly. ‘What the? What’s this!?’

Without a second to waste, feeling terrified, I lifted them thinking that my body suffered an injury or something alike, examining not only the bed but also under me, finding my pajama pants to be dirtied. With a bit of strength, I pushed them away and peeked inside, understanding that for some reason, it came out of there.

At that particular time, the door opened, and Rubia caught me in a strange situation. She, who looked at my horrid expression, started laughing, finding it hilarious, in a way easing part of me. 

“That’s the sign you’re a grown-up woman now, which means you can have babies and the like.” She explained to me the whole procedure and how things worked towards menstruation, sex, and pregnancy. 

“That’s... annoying,” I complained, making her chuckle further, she who removed me abruptly out of bed, taking the linens with her.

“You should go take a warm bath Aura, it’ll help with the pain, and the master awaits you for a long day of training.” A sudden shock of realization came through me, making me beam merrily, as today was finally the day. Though, unlike my expression, I placed my right hand on top of the belly, in its lower section, grumpy with the pain.

As I moved towards the exit, at the edge of my eyes, the window was closed and the bread was gone. 

‘Did Rubia come by earlier to shut it?’ I pondered as she did it a couple of times before, remembering the crow who was likely very satisfied by now. 

‘Hope I see that little black runt again.’ 

Despite everything, I smiled as animals were one of the very few things that I didn’t hate.

A while passed, and I was now outside fully dressed in brown casual clothing as the garments and vestments of silk and linen weren’t for my skin to possess till I completed my training. Only then would the master bless me with a robe and a staff for him to show to those around, with the typical proud smug whenever he got something successfully done from the diverse masteries within his grasp.

“Now that we both serve the goddess of water, we will initiate your training.” I nodded, unsure about the god’s part, as the guardian didn’t allow me to open any of the doors.

From the diverse rehearsals that I did with the master, such was a requirement to be able to use magic. However, the world now looked different to me and I felt the powers within my hands so that no longer mattered. 

‘If the master asks, I’ll go along with the same divinity as him.’ I incarcerated that truth inside my mind, confining it into one of many jails within it's vast prison, locked with a white key, a detail of a strange, faded dream.

“I’m ready master, please enlighten me of your art.” The man hit the staff on the ground, excited by my wording, one that could not be without his prior teaching, causing some of the children around and himself to radiate with joy. 

There was no better place to be than close to the sea, he told me once, but I did not understand why back then. The elder pointed towards the waves that drove their madness towards the sand, as today the winds ravaged and the seagulls cried. A storm was brewing, Fafia taught me once about it, a piece of knowledge that I would never forget.

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