Veyric smiled, satisfied, and fell back in his chair. Liora leaned back against him, and he began patting her hair again.
"Fine, feel free to study our magic as much as you need to," Veyric said before turning his attention to Liora. "Darling, do you mind showing the prince how your magic works?"
Liora looked at me with sparkling eyes and nodded energetically.
"Yes, yes."
She then got up from Veyric's lap.
"We'll need a place to practice, won't we?" She placed her index finger on her chin as if thinking. "Hmm... I guess the garden will be fine. Come with me."
Before I could respond, she took my hand and led me off, leaving Veyric alone in his office. She brought me to what looked like a garden filled with luscious flowers and plants of all colors. I was left in awe at the colorful display. It felt as if I had stepped into a dream. But it wasn't just the flowers that amazed me. It was the various magic circles surrounding them.
"Did you plant all of these?" I asked.
She shook her head.
"Elves have a strong connection with nature. The environment itself feeds off my magic. That's how all these flowers came to be. I spend most of my time here basking in the sun and so they formed from just my presence."
A hint of sadness enveloped her eyes as she said this, but she quickly regained her composure and stooped down to meet my gaze.
"Well anyway, how much do you know about magic, my cute prince?" She giggled and brought her face so close to mine that our lips were merely inches apart. She really was a beauty and It felt as if she was letting down her guard with me since I was a child.
"I only know what I've learned about in books," I responded.
"Huh? So you've never used your own magic then?"
"I don't possess magic," I answered.
Her smile quickly faded and was replaced by a long look of pity. Before I knew it, she pulled me in for a tight hug, pressing my face up against her huge breast.
"Don't worry, okay? You'll be fine. It's a bit rare to be born without magic, and kids who normally do are killed very early on, but you're a prince. Plus, there are other ways to protect yourself. Tell you what, since you're going to be coming over here, how about I train you?"
"No thanks. I can figure things out for myself." I squeezed out as I tried desperately to stop myself from being suffocated.
"Hmm… What weapon should I train you with?" She paused and began thinking of ways she could train me, and by the looks of her, she was serious too. She completely ignored my plea.
"Look, I appreciate the offer, but—"
"Hold on a sec."
Before I could reject her offer again, she interrupted me and ran off. After a while, she came back holding something in her hand. It was a long chain with a sharp object at the end of it. No, the more I looked at it, I realized it was a sickle.
"This is a chain-sickle. It used to belong to Veyric's second wife, Arya, but she died a long time ago. She taught me how to use it before she died, but I'm more of a mage-type fighter. The weapon is dying out since it's so hard to use. It takes years to master, so it's best to start your training now."
"His second wife?" I asked.
"Oh yes, in the beginning there were three of us but that number quickly jumped to eight. I'm the third and final wife. All the others were humans so they died of old age." There was a hint of sadness in her eyes as she spoke so I decided to change the subject.
"I have no interest in fighting with any weapon. What use is it when there are mages who can blast you away with a single spell?" I told her.
"You speak like someone who isn't used to combat. It only takes only a second to kill. Thinking that someone can't hurt you because they're not using magic will get you killed." She smiled kindly and cupped my face. "Don't worry, I'll correct your way of thinking."
She handed me the chain-sickle and took a step back.
"The main advantage this weapon provides is its reach. I'll teach you how to manipulate the chain to guide your weapon where it needs to go. And by the way, I won't show you any magic until I'm satisfied."
I couldn't help but sigh. I came here to observe her magic but now I'm going to be trained with a new weapon.
…
Hours passed as I practiced with the chain-sickle, and when I finally grasped the basics, Liora began her lessons in magic.
"The first thing I should teach you is about the different ranks of magic. The highest form of magic you can perform determines your rank as a mage."
In total, there were seven classes of mages and spells. The first and the weakest is the basic rank, which consists of the first set of spells you learn when you awaken at five years old. Usually, these spells aren't dangerous. They can cause a small degree of pain but can't kill. They are like baby teeth in a sense.
Then you have epic rank spells. These are a step up from basic, and this is where things get a little more dangerous. Under the right circumstances, they can kill, but most of the time, they only severely injure your opponent. This is also the rank of average humans.
Next, you have premium rank spells. This is the rank of most adventurers and people who use their magic for combat regularly. A lot of the guards and soldiers in this kingdom are premium rank. This is also where most people cap in regards to strength.
Divine rank is given to most seasoned adventurers and talented nobles. Divine ranks are rare and extremely sought after. In fact, silver-cloaked knights like Dunken are actually Divine rank.
From there, the ranks start to get a little inhuman. A step above divine rank is the mythical supreme rank. This rank is given to noble vampires, certain alpha werewolves, arch demons, high elves, and finally heroes. People of this rank are usually regarded as kings and have their own kingdoms or people to lord over.
Above supreme rank is another rank called Legendary rank. Persons at this rank are usually a threat to the whole world, and usually only one creature manages to climb this high... the demon king. The demon king used to be the strongest creature in existence until it was outclassed by another creature that is even more terrifying… dragons.
Dragons sit at the top of the food chain in this world and are part of a rank called godly rank. They are like gods that rule over the world and stop wars between nations with no one to challenge them.