Chapter 99: Flaw Of Magic
Kael nearly choked. "So you keep your mouth shut only while eating, and here I thought you finally had some manners," he thought bitterly, then glanced nervously at Seraphina. "So, what will your answer be, my dear…"
Seraphina tilted her head slightly and looked at the girl, "Girlfriend? Well, in a sense you could call me that... though our relationship is a little more than that, of course. But if you ask me what I truly think of him, then actually he is no one. Still, I am surprised a child your age knows such words. When I was little, I did not even know what they meant… though I suppose times change quickly."
Kael felt his heart nearly leap out of his chest. "What the hell… she actually called herself my girlfriend, in front of someone no less, while when I called her my wife, which she legally is, she grew furious," he thought. "Wait, no, that is not it. It seems she does not even believe me after all, she still thinks I am a liar who may have betrayed her. This must be her way of testing me, just like last night when she acted so strangely, even smelling me like a wolf…"
Arienne's mouth dropped open. She looked from Kael to Seraphina, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You… you are actually his girlfriend? No way… you are… but how could that even be possible?"
Seraphina's gaze sharpened, "And what is the problem?"
Arienne flung her arms out stubbornly, her voice rising, "Problem? Just look at yourself, miss! You are like a fairy from the stories I have read, a beautiful princess, so tall and graceful, with silver hair that shines like moonlight and blue eyes that look like blue flower petals when they get wet. You are breathtaking, like something from another world! And then look at him!" She jabbed a finger toward Kael. "He always looks like a walking corpse, his face is gloomy, his body looks like it is always tired, his eyes so dried, his dark circles even worse and of course there's this whole mess of tendrils in his head and the two of you do not match at all. Even if you stand together he barely reaches your shoulder! How could someone like him ever manage to get someone like you? I must be dreaming, right?"
Her words struck Kael like a volley of arrows piercing his chest, and he staggered inwardly, glancing at Seraphina as if begging for support and he thought bitterly. "Ah, what a little poor soul and a poor generation who doesn't understand what true handsomeness actually means... I miss the old ones..."
Seraphina exhaled softly, her lips curving in the faintest trace of something unreadable, "Well, you are wrong. He is taller than you think. But aside from that, everything you said about him is exactly true."
Kael felt his very soul leave his body, his face twitching as if struck by lightning, and he thought in despair, "On days like this I truly wish I had been born a handsome and tall man… wait… I actually am tall."
It turned out Seraphina had already noticed Kael's expression long before he even realized it himself, and now she was quietly looking at him with an amused smile that only made his face grow darker and his irritation sharper, as though she found delight in teasing him without a single word.
Arienne let out a heavy sigh, her small shoulders rising and falling with exaggerated weight, before she spoke in a matter-of-fact tone that carried more sharpness than her age should allow. "Also, miss… you really don't know anything about this man at all… he is cheating on you."
Kael got another strike from her words and thought, "Why're you so desperate to make her give me a divorce huh... you little..."
Though, the moment those words fell, Seraphina's eyes changed instantly, turning sharper than blades, though her lips curved into a cold smile that seemed to silence the air around them. Her voice came evenly, steady and precise, "How exactly?"
Arienne didn't even spare her a glance, as if Seraphina's cold tone meant nothing to her. She answered without hesitation, "When I asked him if he has a girlfriend, he always says he's single. Don't you understand why? It is because he doesn't want other girls to know he already has one, so that he can find another one. Even though he has such a beautiful girlfriend like you, he still hides it. You see now, don't you?"
Kael's face turned completely blank, not because he was guilty, but because the absurdity of her reasoning almost made him lose the will to speak. His thoughts burned inside his mind, "When did I ever say I was single, huh? You… not just you but everyone asks me this same thing, and I always give the same answer. I always said no when they asked if I had a girlfriend, because that is the truth. I don't have one. That doesn't mean I am single. If you want a true answer properly then ask if I have a wife or not instead. Why would I ever bother to explain these things about my life to anyone?"
Seraphina, however, walked a few graceful steps toward the girl. She bent down on one knee and, with a gentleness that contrasted her sharp tone earlier, began to stroke Arienne's lavender hair with the tips of her fingers. Her voice, calm yet edged with hidden layers, replied, "I cannot deny that either. He has always been like this as far as I know him. What I mean is that I have already known about him claiming himself to be single a long time ago."
Arienne tilted her head slightly and studied her, "Don't you get mad about that?"
Seraphina exhaled softly, then shifted her gaze toward Kael who was only standing there, silently staring at her face with a gloomy expression, before she turned her eyes back on Arienne. "I do not. In fact, I have no reason to. It is because, no matter how deadly and gloomy that man may appear on the outside, he carries a good heart and a childish soul within him. You may not believe it, but it is the truth. So, he might have his reasons to do so which really don't concern me at all. And even though he is like that… I do not trust him at all."
With that said she withdrew her hand from Arienne's hair and rose to her feet with the same precise elegance that marked all of her movements.
Arienne blinked, baffled, and asked stubbornly, "What does that even mean?"
Seraphina's cold eyes swept over her, "You need to grow up a little to understand that. Also, I have a request for you. Do not tell anyone about my true appearance. It may cause unnecessary problems for both of us. But… if you want, you may tell everyone that he has a girlfriend. In fact, you should make sure to inform the guild as well, especially since you will soon become a new adventurer of our town."
Kael's face turned into another mask of blank disbelief, his thoughts rushing once more, "Alright, alright… I get it… you don't need to twist your words around and use this poor little girl as your messenger. Why is she always so indirect? And why is she so fixated on the guild? Come to think of it, I did once say good things about Celeste and she still remembers them to this day. So this is her jealousy then? Well, it seems jealousy knows no boundary. If only her jealousy was like any other woman's, perhaps I would have felt a strange happiness seeing it. But hers… hers is completely different and maybe twisted... I really hope she actually doesn't kill me."
Seraphina finally turned toward him, her cold poise unbroken. "Well then, see you soon, Kael. Oh, I mean, my dear boyfriend."
With those words, her body blurred slightly, though he could see her lips curved into a quiet smile and then the lines of her form growing hazy until in the next instant she had vanished entirely, as though she had never stood there at all.
Kael let out a long sigh at her departure, then turned his eyes to Arienne, expecting her to be confused or perhaps nervous. What he did not expect was the mischievous grin spread across her small face as she stared at him. Before he could speak she laughed softly and declared, "Heh, I know, mister… you're a double timer."
His face twitched, his brows furrowing as he looked at her, "What? I am not… how could you even think like that? And how does a kid like you even know what 'double timer' means?"
Arienne's grin did not fade in the slightest. If anything it widened with stubborn pride as she leaned closer, "Hey, I am not a kid. How come you are not a double timer, huh? You have a girlfriend yet you love another girl who is already dead. What else does that make you, huh?"
Kael rubbed his temple with his fingers, letting out another long breath as if her words were draining the strength from his bones. "You really are a child. Listen, not every kind of love is romantic love. There are other kinds as well, bonds between family members. The girl I told you about was someone who was once part of my family. At least, that is what I think."
Arienne tilted her head stubbornly again, "How does that even make sense?"
Kael exhaled and tried to put his words together carefully. "I am not good at these things either. But think of it this way. Don't you love your father?"
Arienne quickly nodded, "Of course I do. Oh… now I get it. The woman you keep talking about, the one you never say the name of, she must be your mother then. Why didn't you say that in the first place? If you had, I wouldn't have misunderstood everything."
Kael's lips tightened slightly as he tilted his head. A strange thought crossed his mind, "Come to think of it… I have never once truly thought about what kind of relationship I had with her. Could she really be my mother?" Then, out loud, he replied with a distant tone, "I am not sure how to answer that exactly. Let us leave the topic aside. We should head out. I am sure Darian must be worried about you by now."
Arienne did not answer immediately, instead she clung to his hand once again. As they began to walk she finally sighed and said softly, "Hey, mister… I realized something. Your girlfriend actually cares for you very much… maybe she even loves you a lot."
Kael's eyes flickered toward her, his voice quiet, "Only if you knew how exactly she cares for me."
Arienne frowned stubbornly, "What does that mean?"
Kael sighed once more, "Nothing… forget it."
For a while they walked in silence until Arienne suddenly brightened up, tugging his hand as she asked with a stubborn gleam in her eyes, "Mister, buy me another ice cream."
Kael looked down at her, "No. You will catch a cold."
Arienne puffed up her cheeks, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she leaned close and made a cute little pout, "P-Please… good Mister…"
Kael held firm for a moment, but in the end he could not resist the stubborn charm of the little girl. He gave in and bought her another, and as always she was overjoyed, her small hands holding it with delight as though she had won the greatest treasure in the world.
By the time they finally reached close to her mansion, they saw Darian running frantically here and there, his worry so strong that when he spotted her he nearly tripped over himself in his rush to reach her. He embraced her tightly, his voice trembling as he lectured her for running away, and for a moment it seemed as if he would burst into tears.
Only then did Kael come to learn that Arienne had left the mansion without telling anyone. Naturally he scolded her as well, though she paid him little mind, her attention fixed completely on the ice cream she was eating. And so, with her stubborn silence, the matter was set aside as her training session finally arrived.
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After reaching the training ground Kael let his gaze wander across the open space, and in front of him stood the familiar fountain whose waters spilled gently downward with a soft and steady rhythm. The air, as always, carried that faint lavender fragrance that clung to this place and never seemed to fade. The sun hung slanted at one side of the sky, giving the place a mellow golden glow that told him the afternoon would soon arrive.
At his side Arienne stood with her sparkling eyes fixed on him, her lips curved in that mischievous little smile of hers as she asked in her eager voice, "Hey, mister... what kind of spell are you finally going to teach me?"
Kael paused for a while and seemed to turn the thought around carefully before he finally answered, "Well, since we already know the nature of your element, I think the first thing you should try learning is sound magic, which I imagine is exactly what you were hoping for. If you can manage that then later it will be much easier for you to move into healing magic as well. But before we begin, there is something important we must consider. We need to know if your magic carries some sort of weakness, or flaw if you will... or what some call its origin."
Arienne tilted her head slightly and touched her lips with a finger, her eyes narrowing with confusion before she asked, "What do you mean by flaw or weakness? I never heard about anything like that before. How could my element have some flaw? The only weakness I know is the caster himself, if he doesn't know how to control his magic properly... isn't that how it works?"
Kael looked forward at the clear water of the fountain where the sun reflected like a bright shard of light and answered with calm certainty, "Actually, no... you are only half right. As I have already told you, there are common elements that behave in very simple and familiar ways and those fit your description well. However, I also told you that there exist unique elements, strange ones, even countless variations, and in truth nothing is impossible in this world of magic. Even common elements sometimes carry traits that set them apart, making them different from the rest. Sound is one such element. It is not in itself too rare, but what makes it stand out is the very nature it carries. Many mages, even the skilled ones, notice this nature and tread carefully, yet they do not call it a flaw but instead respect it as the nature of the element. I too used to think that way, until someone made me see the truth behind it."
Arienne stayed quiet for a time, trying to piece together his words, and then her brows furrowed as she said with some impatience, "Can you be more practical? I did not understand anything at all. If it is the nature of the element then how can it be someone's flaw?"
Kael let out a small sigh and lingered in silence before replying in a steady voice, "Let us take your sound magic as an example. With sound, you have countless possibilities at your disposal. But what if the unique nature of your element restricts you to only producing the sounds you speak aloud? That would make your magic special, yes, but at the same time it becomes your greatest weakness. Because if an enemy were to silence you, then your magic would be cut off, and you would stand powerless in battle. Do you see now why it can be called a flaw in magic?"
Arienne began pacing a few steps back and forth, then her lips curved with a smile of understanding as she replied, "I see. So you want to know whether my sound magic carries that kind of flaw, or perhaps what its origin is. But how exactly are we supposed to figure that out?"
Kael rubbed his chin and let out a reluctant sigh, "Actually... I do not exactly know how to find it either."
Arienne raised one eyebrow high and gave him a sharp look, "What do you mean you don't? Then how am I supposed to learn spell, huh?"
Kael gave a quiet chuckle and leaned lazily to one side, "How else? First we check if your magic is simply normal or if it belongs to the unique kind. That is the simplest way to begin."
Arienne puffed out her cheeks in frustration, her small face tightening with a pout as she snapped, "Then why give me that long lecture in the first place? You could have just told me this later."
Kael exhaled softly and answered with the same calm tone, "Because I thought you should understand it now. Besides, it is better to consider these traits as flaws instead of noble natures, since that way you will never forget they exist. If you remember them as flaws, you will always stay cautious and find ways to avoid being trapped by them."
Arienne crossed her arms and spoke evenly though her voice still carried that stubborn tone, "Alright then, but tell me this. How am I supposed to cast a spell when I am not even sure how to imagine sound? How can I picture something when I don't even know what it looks like?"
Kael gave her a look that mixed patience with faint amusement and said, "I understand your frustration, kiddo. You do not need to imagine sound as if it were a picture. Instead, close your mind and pay attention to the sounds that surround you... the fall of the fountain's water, the sway of the branches as the wind stirs them, even the calls of the birds above. Do not try to imagine them. Feel them. Let them sink into you. Once you fill yourself with those sounds, your mind will take over and repeat them for you. When that happens, you only need to guide your mana and hold on to it. Do you understand?"
Arienne thought for a while and then answered evenly, "Alright. So I must focus on the sounds around me and feel them, then repeat them in my mind while concentrating on my mana. That is what you are telling me?"
Kael gave a small nod, "Yes... that is all."
He thought for a moment that she was still angry with him, yet instead she lowered herself to the ground and sat in a meditative posture, closing her eyes and beginning to concentrate. Soon she could feel her mana core with unusual ease, even sensing the streams of mana flowing through her veins, and she managed to release them freely.
Yet when she tried to focus on the sound itself, it proved far more difficult than she had expected. She dismissed the frustration quickly and remembered what Kael had told her: feel the sound first. Again and again she tried, and at last she began to sense it. The soft ripple of water, the rhythm of branches swaying as the wind carried them without resistance, the birds crying above. One by one the sounds grew clear in her mind.
But she did not know what to do with them. As she sat still, a strange sensation swept over her body. She felt as though she were soaring in the air, drifting somewhere she could not explain. The sounds of the fountain and branches dimmed, fading away, and suddenly they were replaced by a crashing flood of voices, as if hundreds of people were speaking all at once. The noise struck her head like a hammer and she felt it would split her apart. The sound roared and growled, threatening to devour her.
Sweat rolled down her cheeks, her face tightened, and she gasped for air before her eyes shot open. She breathed heavily, almost collapsing to the ground before she caught herself. Taking one deep breath she muttered, "Mister... I could hear voices from far away, but they were all speaking at once... my head hurts so much. What was that...?"
She looked upward, expecting to see him, but he was nowhere near. Confused, she lowered her gaze and noticed him lying on the ground with his hands pressed tightly against his ears. The instant he saw her he sat up straight as though nothing had happened.
Arienne stared at him with a blank face and asked, "Uh... mister... what exactly are you doing?"
Kael let out a heavy sigh, "Shielding my ears, of course. You see, I value them very much, and there is no way I will let them be ruined. With the amount of mana you just released, you nearly made me deaf. So, as much as I would like to keep teaching you, I am not here to die."
Arienne crossed her arms, her voice sharp, "Oh, right, I sometimes forget that you are the weakest adventurer of them all. Speaking of weakest adventurer, I suddenly remembered a question I always wanted to ask but never did."
Kael rubbed his neck with a wry look, "And what kind of question might that be?"
Arienne remained silent for a moment, tilting her head ever so slightly before she said in an even tone, "You are so weak and seem so pitiful sometimes, but I have noticed something. I have read countless books about magic because I am addicted to them, yet none of them, not even all combined, explained things the way you do. Your understanding of mana far surpasses them. How come you know so much, and where did you learn it all if you are this weak?"
Kael leaned back on his hands, his lips curving with a fleeting smile as he replied, "Where else? From my Master, of course."
His expression then dimmed as a strange thought crossed his mind.
"Wait... did I even... have a master before?"
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(Chapter Ended)
To be continued...