An Oath [ Part 1 ]

Emre had been gathering mana to himself all night and all day. He felt that he was on the cusp of forming his second layer. Ragan had told him when he formed his first layer that because he was a dragon, his layers would be able to form far easier than a human's would.

He was focusing when he heard a knock on the door. His golden eyes flashed open and all the mana that was currently surrounding him en mass slowly drifted away from his form.

"Food is done." Ragan's voice came from the door.

'I'm coming.' Emre responded as he hopped off the bed and exited into the next room.

Ragan had stayed home today instead of hunting to rest so they were having a vegetable stew with fruit on the side without meat. The bowls were already set on the table alongside Ragan who was in the process of sitting as Emre walked in.

He hopped onto the chair and began to eat right away. Ragan and Emre didn't waste time in getting their bellies full once the food was finished cooking. Emre was using a spoon properly with his small hand this time as they ate. He didn't like eating soups without utensils anymore because he had accidentally got it into his nose once.

"How is your core strengthening going?" Ragan asked between bites.

'I'm almost to my second layer.' Emre answered.

Ragan must have been able to tell due to the fluctuating mana that had filled his room throughout the day.

"I wasn't aware that you had spells like the ones you used yesterday. I was surprised."

'Heh, did you think I could only heal with my radiant magic?'

"To be honest, radiant magic is so rare that I don't know much about it."

'Are there no books on it?'

"There probably are, but I never looked into them. I've only ever heard of three people who were able to use radiant magic in history. Four, if I count you." Ragan explained. "If there are books I doubt they are very extensive about radiant magic. Unless one of the people who could use it wrote about it themself, I doubt there is much in them other than that it is a magic bestowed by the Gods."

Emre's brows raised in surprise. 'I didn't realize that it was that rare. Who were the ones with radiant magic in the past?'

"Thousands of years ago, before the Kingdoms were formed there was known to be one. They call him the First Priest because no one knows what his name really was. Apparently, he introduced the world to Gods since he could hear their voices. Another one was a High Priest who only appeared once in history and tried to cleanse the Dead Land when it was still just one tiny area hundreds of years ago. She failed, obviously. The last one is actually supposedly still alive.

"The elven King, King Senteus of the Amar Kingdom is said to be able to use radiant magic. The legend that the King is friends with a dragon is supposedly because King Senteus healed the dragon when it was about to die. Of course, there is no way to know if this is true unless you were to talk to the King himself."

Emre listened with interest. If there was someone with radiant magic still alive in the world he wanted to meet them… Emre was eagerly eating his stew now as Ragan spoke up again.

"And then I met the only other person that knows radiant magic. A dragon that eats stew-like he's going to starve. Oh, and who talks back to his mentor."

Emre almost choked as he glared up at Ragan.

'Yeah, well, that dragon knows an old man who doesn't know how to not get attacked by his own chickens and has to heal his little scratches because if that poor dragon doesn't he'll whine like a baby.'

"I do not whine. You're making things up."

'Yeah, sureee.' Emre rolled his eyes.

Ragan scoffed before taking care of their empty bowls while Emre leaned into the table.

'Did you want to know more about my magic?' Emre inquired.

"I can't say I'm not interested." Ragan responded.

'Well, I don't know how it works for humanoids, but I'm actually a radiant being so using my magic is naturally within my grasp. I'm not just a Faerie Dragon, I'm a Radiant Faerie Dragon.' He then lifted his hand up as Ragan looked back at him in interest. 'Because of that, if my skin touches those corruptions, it burns them just like their touch burns others.'

"So, you're basically a living bane for them."

'Yes, basically.'

"So that's why you were able to kill them in one blow…"

'Can you not?' Emre was surprised.

"No, my attacks don't injure them as yours do." He responded, sitting back down. "Even if I hit them with my wind arrows, it still takes at least two to three blows. Their hearts need to be destroyed in order for them to die fully. Otherwise, they'll just keep coming even if they have to drag themselves. It was very odd to see them reacting with pain and fear toward your magic."

'I see. I didn't realize that it was that difficult for regular magic to kill them.'

"Yes. Regular fire magic wouldn't be able to do half the amount of damage you did in one blow."

Emre's eyes narrowed as he thought to himself. Was he more powerful than he originally believed? It was possible because of the fact that he was a dragon. He knew he learned faster and was able to strengthen his core faster but were his actual spells stronger?

He had been mostly practicing by himself while Ragan was out so he hadn't been able to compare strengths for a while. It was possible that he could be closer in strength to him by now. Or it was possible that his radiant magic just seemed powerful merely due to the fact that dark creatures were weak to it.

'Ragan, do you feel well enough for some late practice?' Emre suddenly asked.

"Yeah. You healed me enough to where it feels like it happened days ago." Ragan answered, standing up with a small stretch.

Emre hopped off the chair with a huff. It would be great once he could just sit and walk around like a human. Jumping up onto his bed and the couch was just a little tedious.

As Ragan opened the door and the small alarm he had set on it went off in his head. He almost jumped out of shock. The alarm remained there even after being set last night. He considered removing it in the spur of the moment but then again it might be handy if someone tries to burgle them.

As unlikely as that would be, it wouldn't be nice if they returned home one day to all the herbs and vegetables being stolen. For now, he'd leave the alarm there. Following Ragan out, he glanced at the tiny golden rune at the bottom of the base. It wasn't really noticeable unless you knew it was there.

On their way to the backyard, Emre purposefully walked slowly so that he could put his stat points into his stats. He had earned quite a lot. Once he hit level 20, the stat points he earned from leveling up were now 3 each. He also quickly checked out the new skills he got from hitting level 25.

[ Name, Emre ] [ Radiant Faerie Dragon ]

[ Lvl, 25/30 ] [ Exp, 1050/1300 ]

[ Stats ] [ Stat Points, 0 ]

[ Str, 15 ] [ Dex, 17 ] [ Int, 21 ]

[ Con, 13 ] [ Wis, 15 ]

[ Skills, Swimming [Lvl 6], Climbing [Lvl 3], Venom Bite [Lvl 8], Venom Spit [Lvl 2], Claw [Lvl 4], Ambush [Lvl 7], Perception [Lvl 7], Stealth [Lvl 7], Light [Lvl 1], Healing Touch [Lvl 4], Light Bolt [ Lvl 1], Radiant Flame [ Lvl 1], Healing Breath [Lvl 1], Radiant Flame Breath [Lvl 1], Dragon Detection, Telepathy, Circle of Protection [Lvl 1], Radiant Claws [Lvl 1], Dispel Magic [Lvl 1], Dragon Aura, Wind Manipulation [Lvl 7], Wind Burst [Lvl 4], Wind Arrow [Lvl 5], Wind Wall [Lvl 3], Wind Blades [Lvl 2], Shield [Lvl 2], Light Arrow [Lvl 1], Radiant Bite [Lvl 1], Alarm, Beacon, Levitation, Divine Oath, Divine Eye [Lvl 1] ]

[ Titles, Other-Worlder, Tirian's Angel, Frog Slayer, Destroyer of Corruption ]

[ Beacon, creates a giant beacon of light to attract attention ]

[ Levitation, allows the caster to fly with ease ]

[ Divine Oath, a spell that binds someone to their word by swearing to Tirian and stating any consequences that would follow should the oath be broken ]

[ Divine Eye, a spell that allows the caster to see within their surroundings within 32 feet without restrictions ]

Beacon could only be used in certain situations. Levitation was interesting though. He could already fly, but it would be useful if his wings got tired or for when he was finally able to shapeshift into a human.

Divine Oath was basically chaining someone down by their own words. He didn't know when he would use a skill like this, but it was reassuring to have. Divine Eye would be good for something like spying. Judging by the fact that it had a level gauge, the range would probably expand as it leveled up.

He had also bolstered his stats. He was keeping his intelligence high with his dexterity following it. Intelligence would help his head comprehend spells easier while his dexterity would help him in battle. For now, he would leave his strength lower but not allow it to slack too far.

"Are you coming or what?" Ragan was standing in the middle of the dirt clearing already.

'Sorry, I was thinking.' He answered quickly as he boosted himself forward with a few flaps of his wings.

"Thinking about what?"

'How impressed you're gonna be when you see how far my wind magic has come.' Emre made something up on the dot.

"Well, let's see it then."

'Heh, sure.'

Emre turned to the side and narrowed his eyes at a nearby tree. His Wind Arrow was at level 5, and his Wind Manipulation was at level 7. Using his free-flowing Wind Manipulation he combined the skill with Wind Arrows to form a thin spinning arrow without even needing to lift his hands.

The arrow shot forward with a thought. It whistled through the air and impacted the tree with a loud thud. Just like the first time Ragan had shown him this move, his arrow had bore a basketball-sized hole within the bark.

It was hard to imagine this destructive force not being able to kill those weak corruptions in one blow.

"Nice demonstration." Ragan spoke nonchalantly. "But how about we spar this time?"

Emre turned this Ragan with a look of surprise before putting some distance between them. Emre had never sparred before so he was nervous. Ragan seemed lively though. Probably thanks to his day of rest.

'Okay, what are the rules?' Emre asked.

"Wind magic only." Ragan stated, "Oh, and try not to kill me." He added on with a chuckle.

'No promises.'

"Okay, on three."

Ragan lifted up his hand with one finger up. Then a second. And finally the third. Emre immediately shot forward, using the wind to make himself faster as he shot across the yard. Ragan quickly made a hand swiping motion and a blade of wind sliced in Emre's direction.

Emre kicked off the ground, the blade causing a cloud of dust under him as it landed on empty ground. As he was midair a second wind blade had been shot toward him. Emre clicked his tongue and waved his arm in front of him. A burst of flowing wind created a Wind Shield in front of him.

The blade impacted the shield and Emre used his wings to retreat a few feet. As his feet touched the ground he formed two wind arrows that whizzed out toward Ragan. He reacted by flicking his hand upward.

A torrent of wind began to rapidly form into a small whirlwind that easily gobbled up his wind arrows. The mini-tornado started to beeline for him and he couldn't help but feel his heart thud in his chest.

He could only use wind magic but he only had so many skills. What if he just copied Ragan? With a quick circular motion, Emre began to form a similar whirlwind. It was wobbly at first but still managed to meet the sturdiness of Ragan's as they clashed in the middle. Emre's whirlwind was smaller at first but quickly grew in size. Now it was just a power competition as they tried to combat their winds like two spinners clashing together to see which one would lose balance first.

Emre had been too focused on the whirlwinds to notice an arrow sweeping around the side. He just barely noticed it as it impacted his side. Luckily, the blow was blunted so it only knocked him to the ground.

His whirlwind dissipated in response as Emre lost his concentration and he attempted to scramble back up in time. The small torrent was coming for him again. With a small growl, he sent out a few wind blades. The blades sliced through the whirlwind and caused it to crumble as Ragan focused on the next spell he was preparing.

Emre was faster though as he swept the dirt with his hand. He created a wave of wind, purposely picking up the dirt and rocks as it swept over. He had it aiming for Ragan's legs at the start before the wave picked up into a towering flurry of sand, dirt, and rocks.

As the wave passed over Ragan, Emre could see the middle part splitting open as Ragan formed a shield of wind in front of him but he didn't look unscathed. The rocks and dust had scratched his arms and face a bit. It was only a second after when Emre felt several impacts on each of his sides. He yelped in shock as Ragan's wind arrows bombarded him. He hadn't even noticed them. Where did they come from?!

He winced, definitely feeling the bruising of the impacts. So far Ragan has been able to get him twice and he hasn't gotten Ragan back once.

"You're lacking in strategy." Ragan crossed his arms. "You can't just do one attack after the other. While you're attacking the front, always remember to prepare extra to attack for when they are least expecting it."

Emre nodded. 'I have to get better at dividing my attention.' His perception skill was quite high level, but it seemed Ragan's ability to get past it was better.

"Yes. And always remember to not only focus on your enemy but also your surroundings."

'How was my magic, though?' Emre changed the subject. He wanted to know how strong his magic was at this point.

"Almost on par with my own. You need to get better at strategy, but you're not lacking in power, at least." Ragan said. "But usually, most fight with a weapon to aid them. Like my bow and sword… which are both currently missing in the forest."

'We can go find them tomorrow!'

Ragan let out a sigh. "Regardless of my weapons, you are a dragon. You don't have a weapon to aid you because you don't have the proper body for it."

'Right.'

"So it is inevitable that your magic will end up stronger and you'll get a better feel for it than I have."

When Emre was finally able to turn into a human he should probably learn how to use weapons… Did he want to be that ambitious? Learning how to wield weapons would take time. Just as magic would take time to learn. It was an endless void of learning this and that.

At least it wasn't school. Learning magic and how to use a sword would grant him strength. School only granted him a headache.

"Shall we head back inside? It's getting dark."

Emre glanced up toward the sky that was already dyed in reds and purples. It wasn't meant to be a long practice session anyways. Emre just wanted to know how far he'd come. He still had his second layer to form as well. But sleep was more important. He hadn't slept at all because he started to meditate right after they got home yesterday.

Plus there was still a strong corruption lurking out in the forest somewhere.

'Yeah.'

Emre began heading back first, bounding with quick steps, ready to finally get some sleep. He rounded the corner of the house when he heard a shrill yell behind him. He twisted, ready to run back out but stopped himself.

"Wait! Mister! Mister!" It was a woman's voice, screaming from the forest.

Did she see him? Emre flapped his wings and quickly flew up onto the roof. Peering over the edge of it he could see a woman with tattered clothes with bleeding black scratches on her arms and legs. Upon her back, she was carrying an older child. They were unconscious and hung limply against her.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. They must have been attacked by dark creatures in the forest. It must not have been the strong one Ragan fought because these plain-looking people would have probably died if they had run across it.

"Please, mister! My son! He needs help!" She was frantic as she ran toward Ragan who was halted in surprise. She must not have seen Emre.

"What happened?" Ragan's surprise was gone as he glanced at the boy on her back, his voice serious.

"It was— I don't—." She was gasping for breath. "A hunting trip. Black monsters came out of nowhere. Please! He needs—."

Ragan cut her off. "Come, follow me into the house."

They began to rush back to the house. Emre quickly jumped down and slipped into the house before they turned the corner. He shoved his body under the couch and held his tail close to his body as he turned his head to watch the door open.

The alarm flashed in his head as they came in hurriedly. Ragan was probably wondering where Emre had gone.

'I'm hiding for now.' Emre relayed telepathically just in case.

Ragan didn't respond to him as he ushered the woman in. "Let's put him on the couch."

He helped place the child onto the couch above him. Emre couldn't see what was going on but he could hear the movement of Ragan examining the kid.

"One of the monsters grabbed onto his arm. I couldn't get it to let go and… And his side here..." The woman's voice cracked as she informed Ragan of the worse injuries.

The sounds of movement paused and Emre stared at their shoes since that was all he could do.

"Miss…" Ragan's voice came gently. "I don't know if I'll be able to treat this. Injuries from dark creatures are—"

"No! Mister, please. Please try to save him! I'll do anything!"

Emre's eyes narrowed at her words. His voice emitted to the both of them at the same time.

'Would you be willing to make an oath that puts your own life at risk to save him?' He asked.