The Weight Of A Name

"His daughter?"

"Yes, she passed away a while ago..." Idril grimly informed Nina.

"She passed away!?" Nina was wide awake now. This was her first time hearing this and she had no idea that Gildor named her after his own daughter. "What happened!?" He never told her any of this...

"I can't tell you any more than that," the elf shook her head. "It's best if you ask for the rest from him. Also, we should also get started," she reminded Nina of the reason why they were here today.

"Oh, yes! I almost forgot..." Nina got up from her seat on the small flat rock and looked at Idril. The elf was a lot taller than her, and despite being over a hundred years old, the elf looked no older than twenty-five in human age. She had beautiful long silky brown hair and bright forest-green eyes. It was hard to believe that someone like her is part of the Sylvs.

Idril noticed Nina staring at her face and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Stunned by my appearance? Unfortunately, I'm not interested in looking for a spouse, much less if it's a human female..."

"What- No, I was-"

The elf waved her hand, cutting Nina off, and laughed. "You really are as the rumors say. That was a joke," she told Nina.

"That was?" She couldn't tell at all. Idril had a very serious face when she said that and she really thought that she meant what she said. Also, what rumors about her? She knew that the elves spoke of her behind her back, but she never knew what it was that they really said about her.

"Don't worry," Idril told Nina that it wasn't a big deal. "Anyway, let's get started." Idril began to walk to a more open area with fewer people but Nina stopped her.

"Wait." Before they got started on her training, she wanted to ask her a question.

"What is it?" Idril turned around and crossed her arms.

"Why did you agree to help me?" Nina asked the elf. She heard from Gildor that she hated humans, and wanted to know why she chose to agree to teach her ice magic, especially when she was a human.

"Oh, that?" Idril pursed her lips, "Hmm... I guess you heard about my past, right?" she asked Nina.

"Yes..." Nina knew that Idril lost her husband to the humans and that is the reason why she hates them. It is also the reason why she chooses not to remarry. That aside, Nina is still technically a human even though she has been blessed by the lake. She didn't understand why Idril agreed to teach her when she knew this fact.

"Well," the elf shrugged her shoulders, not sure how to answer her. "Not all humans are the same, I guess?" she said in an uncertain tone. "I mean, you saved one of us just for the sake of it, didn't you?"

"Mytill?"

"Yes. That boy lost his family in Silverfield and he considers you as his last family member now. That alone tells me exactly what kind of a person you are."

"I see..."

"Well, that's enough talking. Every minute we stand here is a minute we could be training. Let's not waste any more time and start already." Idril took Nina's arm and began to drag her towards the open field where most kinds of training took place. The elf didn't let go of her arm until they made it to the field. When they got there, Nina hunched over and took a moment to catch her breath.

"Out of breath just from a short walk?"

"Sorry..." Nina apologized to the elf. Although she was physically weak, she had no problems walking that amount of distance. It was more so that she wasn't used to Idril's pace at which she walked. Nina didn't know if it was because her legs were a lot longer than hers, or if she just normally walked this fast. She took huge and quick strides like she had somewhere to be and had no time to waste. Maybe this was a Sylv thing as they are always so busy.

After catching her breath, Nina stood back up and looked at Idril. "Okay, where do we start?"

"Depends," Idril nodded her head at Nina. "How much do you know already?" she asked her.

"Umm... None?" Nina embarrassingly answered the question. She didn't know how to use ice magic at all. She didn't know the basics and could only use water magic. Actually... If water magic was considered the basics then she guessed that she did know the basics then.

"That's expected," Idril said unsurprisingly. "Human magic is way too far behind for this kind of stuff."

"What do you mean?" Wasn't it that they couldn't use this kind of magic that they didn't learn it?

"Hmph, I know exactly what you're thinking. Humans can't use ice magic, right?"

"That's what I heard, or was taught..."

"Well, that's false. It's just that human magic digressed to the point where it's impossible to evolve or take another form."

"Evolve?" Magic can evolve? This was another thing that she hadn't heard about until now. She was learning so many new things today.

"Yes, that happens when your magic mutates and takes a new form, transcending beyond its original form. I can't explain it well, but that's the gist of how it works. The best example of that would be this..." Idril held out her hand and tiny white flakes began to condense from out of the vapor in the air into ice. They then gathered together into a giant snowflake, though the size was actually no bigger than her hand.

"Wow..." Nina stared at the snowflake in amazement.

"Pretty, but useless." Idril snapped her wrist and the snowflake shattered into pieces, sprinkling the grass with small bits of ice. "Something like this is more practical," she showed Nina another spell that was much better suited for fighting. She opened her palm, causing ice to gather again. Instead of becoming a snowflake, like before, the ice formed a sharp cone-like shape, an icicle. She then shot it into the ground, where it dug halfway through the dirt before exploding, sending shrapnel everywhere.

Nina held up her arms to protect her face from the sharp ice shards. They bounced harmlessly off her sleeve, some sticking onto it. But due to their size, it was nothing to worry about. She would've been fine even if she just let the ice hit her. Idirl chuckled at Nina's overreaction to the spell.

"Will I be learning something like that?" Nina asked her, lowering her arm and looking at the elf.

"Yes. That will be what we will be starting with today, or that was my plan anyway..." Idril mumbled. "But... As it seems, you are unable to even create ice yet, so instead, we will have to start with that instead..."

"Sorry..." Nina apologized, seeing how the elf was disappointed about how she couldn't even do the most basics of basics.

"No worries. I will be stationed here for a bit so I have time to teach you," Idril told her.

"Stationed here?" Nina asked. "As in, you're taking a break, or you have a mission here?" She still didn't know the elf's speaking habits so she didn't know what she meant by it. Although she made it sound like a mission, she could just be on standby until her next mission.

"Oh, it's exactly what it sounds like," Idril told Nina. "The poisoning of the trees..." Nina's eyes shot open when she heard that. "I'm here to investigate it."

"You are?"

"Yes, why are you so surprised? I heard that you're the one that first discovered it."

"I am, but if you're here to investigate that, then why are you here teaching me?"

"Oh, that? I was requested by Elder Gildor to help you. I mean, I could've declined it, but considering how I'm going to be here, for the time being, I decided, why not? I mean, I'm only teaching you in my spare time. I am going to focus on my mission," she clarified to Nina. In other words, she was going to focus on her mission and only teach Nina when she had the time to. Nina would have to do most of the practicing and learning herself.

"I see." It seemed that Idril wouldn't be able to help Nina all that much, and she would have to depend on herself mostly. Whether or not she learns ice magic by the time Idril finishes her mission, that was entirely up to her.

"Yes. Anyway, now as you know, I don't have all that much time to waste. I also heard that you want to become a Sylv. That's no easy task so you better be ready to give it your all."

"Hm? Where did you hear that?" The only person that she told that to is Gildor. Did he tell her about her goal?

"Elder Gildor told me," Idril answered, confirming what Nina thought was the case. "I have to say... You're quite ambitious despite looking so innocent and clueless," she added, smiling at how big of a goal she gave to herself. "I was originally going to decline, but when he told me that, I reconsidered..." Idril told Nina the real reason why she accepted Gidor's request. "So, you better not disappoint me."

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