Chapter 2 Understanding the Stones

As I woke up from the sunshine shining through the window and into my face I looked around me.

Nobody around me but the smell of vampires made me realize I was home.

Calmly trying to get up I realised I was extraordinarily hungry and very weak from the fight.

I decided to stay in bed waiting for anyone to appear,

Eventually a maid came in with breakfast.

Smelling like a vampire I asked her for her name and where we were.

She answered that her name was Anya headmaid of Count Volgar Dreadskull, Owner of Castle Dreadskull.

Laying it really on the fact that we were at Castle Dreadskull I thanked her for the food as I started to eat like there was no tommorow.

Later that afternoon while talking with Anya, finding out that the rescue was a great succes and the miners and warriors together brought me back home I heard a scream coming from the castle.

It was my Mother but I couldnt exactly hear what she was saying.

I asked Anya to make sure my mother could come to see me.

As she told me she could not promise anything, she headed downstairs.

A few moments later she came back upstairs with a few knight, The Count and my mother.

My mom in the poor clothes she was always in was being held back by the knights.

Then the Count asked if this was indeed my mother.

I calmly nodded and my mother was given acces to the room where I was.

Completly in disbelief that some little vampire from the outskirts had saved about fifteen men from an unknowning to the masses hostile enviroment, he obviously thougth I was from a higher social rank.

As my Mother hugged me tight with tears of joy in her eyes, the count thanked me for what I had done and told me that we could stay in the castle until I am back in shape.

Just like that a few days passed and I was back in shape.

In the main hall the Count was waiting for me.

Wanting to talk to me about my hand that absorbed the stone.

He explained to me that the stone picked up was a magic stone, yet he could not tell me much more about it since he never really cared for magic, and so did have much knowledge about them.

Still as a way to thank me for what I had done would make sure that I would get an audiance with the twin fox maidens in their shrine.

As I left the Castle I made my way towards the blacksmith and trader who gave me the quest to inspect the mine.

Once arrived the trader thanked me and the blacksmith gave me a chainmail as an extra thanks for saving their mine and men.

Seemingly their business was blooming once more and they wanted to thank me alot for that.

I thanked them for the chainmail and left heading for home.

As I was walking home certain townsmen and guards recognized me it were the warriors I helped in the mine, guess they were of duty for tonight and running into me they also thanked me for saving them.

No problem I said as I continued my way home completly overjoyed with the good deed I had done.

The next morning I woke up from someone knocking on my door.

It was Anya, she told me the twin fox maiden will expect me at dusk.

She also told me that I have permission to fly in the city which was a quite rare privilege and gave me the medal which came with that privilege.

The medal in the shaped of six vampire wings.

My first medal, I would carry it with me for years to come.

I thanked Anya and had breakfast with my mother.

Afterwards not wanting to use my privilege to much I walked towards the city gates once outside the city I flew to the mine seeing people on the route towards there with compleet caravans and all made me smile.

Enjoying the sight for a while I eventually decided to explore more of the surroundings

finding grasslands, forrests and mountains as far as the eye can see flying over the beautifull terrain i eventually turn back not wanting to go to far out at this moment.

Not with new powers I don't understand and don't fully control.

Yet with these powers I knew I could at least protect my hometown.

At the break of dusk I stood at the doors of the shrine.

As I opened the door I could not believe my eyes, Beautifull flowers in nice looking pots and a calming pond with a little fountain.

The whole shrine felt calming.

I stepped inside to find two fox maidens, I made my way towards them bowed and introduced myself.

After I introduced myself they introduced themselfs as Aegrith and Maelith.

After the introduction we both them and me wanted to ask some questions.

I let them go first.

They want to know everything that happened that day, from the moment I got up untill I fell down.

And so did tell them the whole story.

Afterwards it was my time to ask questions.

I asked them if they know more about this kind of magic.

Where to start was the first thing that came out of their mouth simultaneously, as they taught me everything the know about jewel embedded magic or magic of the stones.

They taught me that alot of jewels are connected to diffrent kinds of elements.

That if you have an affinity for an element that connects to that stone, the stone wil power up your power for that certain element.

That every person can have up to three

elements.

Embedding these certain stones into jewelry or weaponry is the safest way and so has always been the way to go for those who use it,

yet by taking the stone in your body like I did has some up and downsides.

Most known downsides were how you live less long as the stones affect you physical

State and then your mental state or vice versa.

Stil an upside to this was that when taking the stone in to your body that the magic output could be better controlled and the options with your element could be much wider.

Eventually becoming stronger then someone who equips the in jewelry or weapons.

Then I asked how I could train this new power of mine.

"We can train ya" they said in unison as they showed me their paws, I saw that they had stones inbedded too.

In Maelith's paw was a White/Grey like stone while in Aegrith's paw was a green stone.

They then told me which element they had

Maelith could control wind and with help of her staff which was embedded with a blue stone which helps her use the element of water she can even control the current of the weather

Aegrith uses the element of earth, however she also has a staff yet this had a lighter shade of blue.

She explains that her staff which helps her with her lunar element gives her and any nocturnal creature in her party a tremendous boost at night.

After that they explained that i had the "Void element."

An element to warp, teleport and move through any object.

Before I knew it midnight came and I accepted their offer to start training with me.

Breathing exercises came first to channel my magic in the appropriate way.

By the break of dawn I had to leave, the twins were getting sleepy.

However they promised me to train with me everyday from dusk until midnight from now on. And just like that I took my leave, trying my new powers out I wanted to teleport home.

It failed and only got me halfway home.

Still being able to already teleport this distance felt great, I was pumped and could not wait for the next training and with a big smile I ran home. Weeks passed as I trained with the twins. Having better control of my power I started sensing magic power.

Wanting to train these senses the twins suggested a game of hide and seek, They would completly go up in there elements and I would have to sense them to find them.

Full of confidence I accepted and started counting, One Two Three...

At that moment I felt them dissapearing behind me. Then when I finished counting I started looking around, No sign of them being around even their smell was everywhere on the furniture but nowhere else.

So smelling the out is out of the options as well. I started to try and sense magic.

Nothing, nothing, nothing...

Going to ever corner of the shrine I eventually sensed Maelith's wind, I felt stoked.

Pointing at the direction of where the wind came from I screamed, Found you Maelith!!

She came out of hiding turning back in her fox like self and congratulated me.

With a confident smile on my face I thanked her and started to try and sense Aegrith.

Walking past the beautifull flowers of the shrine I sensed something and found an odd stone in one of the flower pots. I smiled as I threw the stone towards the pond.

Halfway there it turned into Aegrith. who after landing in front of the pond called me a big meanie. Next I wanted to try and go up in my Void element and let them go and find me, but they begged me only do that if my life was at risk. Explaining to me that that had risks of never returning as the void is all around Roquxestremia.

Void is everywhere and so also in space.

Seemingly unsenseable too as you can go up into nothingness yet it drains magic and stamina like crazy, tiring you out in a matter of minutes or worse. Using it with little training would mean getting sucked up into the void, being uncontrolably teleported to a unknown location or instant death if you even don't have enough magic left to use it.

Seeing them caring about me made me promise them to never use it unless indeed my life would be in danger.

And so they smiled as we carried on with the training.