Aqua's eyes fluttered open as she jumped out of bed. She rubbed her eyes as she approached the mirror.
She stretched her hands in the air before pulling out a small wooden chair as she picked up a brush and slowly combed her hair.
The elven girl yawned as she slowly and methodically straightened and fixed her bed hair, This looks good enough.
"Aqua! Are you ready for your illusion training?! Don't be sleeping in like usual!" A young woman's voice reached her.
She giggled. "Almost, Mistress Umbra! Just brushing my hair!" Aqua smiled as she tilted her head slightly.
She stood up and made a twirl. She wore an elegant red dress, which covered most of her skin, and it was incredibly comfortable. Umbra had gifted it to her since the first time she came to her; she looked like a ragged beast then.
"Ok! I am waiting for you downstairs!"
Sun God had advised her to seek out mentors for every possible discipline of magic, including illusion. While she was not the best at it, she was finally able to attain enough mastery to cover the rather large areas.
Still rather pathetic compared to Mistress Umbra. The pompous girl had hidden her from the Exterminators and had offered to teach her everything she knew. No matter how much they worked at breaking her illusory domain, they would never approach her.
Aqua squirmed, Mistress Umbra is so cool!
She reached toward the lip balm she liked to use and applied a thin layer. For a moment, she thought about Umbra, and her cheeks became slightly red. She did not know what she felt, but she was certain of something: Umbra made her feel safe and warm.
She and Sun God were her only friends and source of safety. Everyone else either tried to enslave her or bring her to the Supreme God's cage.
While she was infinitely more powerful now than she was when Exterminators killed her family, she still could barely hold a candle to the elites of exterminator squads. They could easily beat her and put her back in the cage she had worked so hard to escape.
Sun God had protected her; however, she could not rely on him forever. If she was to fulfill her promise to him, then she had to learn independence.
Aqua nodded, her face wore a look of determination, "Today I will master illusion and make Umbra proud!"
With a hop in her steps, she opened her bedroom door and made her way down the long wooden stairway.
She passed the kitchen. And made her way toward the training room. She approached the large wooden door and turned the knob.
"Aqua, you don't need to spend so much time preparing yourself, you do know that, right?" Umbra was harsh as usual, yet it brought her peace.
"I am sorry, mistress. I merely wished to look presentable to you!" She blushed slightly.
Umbra groaned, "I appreciate it, but I am not into little girls."
"B..but!" Aqua placed her hands on her chest.
Umbra smirked as she crossed her arms, "When you mature a little more, we will see."
Aqua let out a dejected sigh, "Sure…"
Umbra stepped back and turned her back toward Aqua, "Today, I want you to expand your illusory domain to at least a level of a small village. I want you to make this room look like an empty village, then we can work on adding inhabitants."
Umbra flicked her wrist, and the room around them transformed.
Instead of gray stone walls and small windows, the duo found themselves inside a bustling village.
"This is an illusory settlement. I want you to create an empty version as a starter." Umbra snapped her fingers, and the illusion dissipated.
"While the illusion does not change the space, it can trick the mind into believing that the space is indeed large. After all, it is an art of tricking the world!" She proudly stated as she moved her finger under her nose.
Aqua clapped as her eyes sparkled, 'So cool, mistress! I will try my best!"
Aqua put her hands forward and channeled mana to construct a veil of illusion. Soon, the walls were covered and the space distorted.
"Good. Keep going!" Umbra urged.
Aqua nodded as the space distorted even more, and the buildings emerged, yet they lacked detail.
"Very good, Aqua. Now try to add details, after all, detail is what differentiates bad tricks from lifelike illusion." Umbra walked behind her and leaned toward her ear and whispered.
"If you do this well, I will make you your favourite food~" Umbra giggled as Aqua squirmed.
Aqua blushed as she nodded, she frowned as she pushed herself to add more and more details to her illusory village.
Then it collapsed, in an instant, the entire illusion became a muddy puddle and disappeared.
"I…I failed…"
"No, you are doing very well. Some students will struggle with the basics, while some will struggle with advanced techniques. This is completely normal." Umbra reassured her as Aqua made the illusion once again.
Yet this time, she did not fail. Instead, the village gained more and more details until it was indistinguishable from the real settlement, although it still lacked the population that Umbra could create.
"Very good, Aqua! I am proud of you!" Umbra clapped slowly.
Aqua's lips curled up and her hands wandered behind her head, "Thanks…"
"No need to thank me, I am incredibly happy with your progress. You are a prodigy! You could possibly surpass me in the art of illusion soon!"
"Really!? But… I can't even approach your level…"
"For now, but give it time. You are an elf, Aqua, you will outlive me and become someone who would crush me in a battle of illusions!" Umbra grinned.
"Do you really think so, mistress?"
"I do! However, do not let it get to your head, no matter how powerful you become. Always assume your opponent is better than you, never abandon the use of your pretty little noggin."
"I understand!" Aqua nodded.
"Good, we should g…" Three crows made their way inside.
"Attack… Attack… Attack!" The crows repeated.
"Shit…" Umbra frowned. "Aqua, go to your room NOW!"
"Why?" The young girl tilted her head.
"I SAID NOW!" Umbra shouted as the 3 crows landed on her.
"Ok, mistress! Keep yourself safe! Please!" Aqua shouted as she made a mad dash toward her room.
Yet instead of entering her room, she found herself in the middle of the burning field.
In front of her were legions of exterminators. Yet they did not move.
She rushed forward, her legs trembled, and her face carried the stare of a desperate girl.
She did not know where she was going or if she would survive.
"Where is the elf girl?!" She heard a distorted voice shouting.
"Bah! You idiot, you do not realise what you are doing?! You are on the verge of triggering the Reorigination of the world!" Umbra's voice echoed around her.
"Reorigination? What nonsense are you spouting, by Supreme God's Will, she is to be prepared and presented to him! You WILL tell us!"
"Fuck yourself! You don't even realise how pissed off Sun God is right now?!" Umbra spat at the man's face.
Aqua observed from a distance as the man tied Umbra to the pyre. Her crows were impaled on 3 spears and placed next to her.
"We will find her! She won't hide forever!" The man cackled as a spark of flame set the pyre ablaze.
"My spirit will laugh at your pathetic deaths when Sun God decides to end you. He was never a forgiving entity." Her laugh pierced the air, "May your death be painful and excruciating, for you are fools beyond fools! That very girl you are hunting will be the one to make your so-called god pay."
Umbra's final scream reached Aqua's ears.
"Umbra no! Please, NO!" Aqua reached forward, and yet the burning pyre seemed to distance itself from her.
She fell forward, yet the image escaped her.
***
Gasp Aqua rose from her bed in heavy sweat, her heart beat fast, and her hands trembled. "Umbra…"
"Aqua, what's wrong? A nightmare?" The fiery bird at the edge of her bed spoke in a crackling voice.
"Yes…" She slumped forward as she calmed her breathing, a stream of tears flowed down her face, "I dreamt of teacher Umbra… how they burned her when she protected me."
She brought her knees to her chest. "Why me… why did I have to live through such pain and misery! I just wanted to be happy!"
Sun God flapped his wings and glided into Aqua's embrace. Her tears slowly evaporated.
"It is not your fault; it was all the fault of the corruptor. You have avenged them all; there is nobody who can hurt you anymore."
Aqua chuckled, "I guess… and I have you to thank for it."
Every time she felt sad or lonely, Sun God would give her guidance and reassurance. Words could not describe how much she loved the fiery avian.
"How long have I slept?"
"It is almost dawn, Aqua."
I should probably head out and explore the palace.
She brought her legs closer before she jumped out of bed, despite the nightmare she had still felt refreshed after a rather long sleep.
She let out a soft moan as she stretched, "Let's go explore."