Chapter 22: Young flame

The following morning was extra lively as the entire village celebrated the miraculous recovery of the soil.

Farmers worked tirelessly, planting all kinds of crops with renewed hope, while others prepared for a grand feast to honor the two young mages. The air buzzed with excitement, laughter, and the scent of fresh earth.

Kael and Abel, however, struggled to wake up-until James, at Vicrona's request, made sure they had no choice.

As usual, Abel was the first to stir. He groggily assured James they would come down soon, once they finished packing.

James nodded but hesitated before turning to leave. Then, pulling a small envelope from his pocket, he held it out to Abel. "Would you mind passing this to young master Kael?"

Abel took the letter, flipping it between his fingers before giving James a questioning look. "Who's it from?"

James hesitated, then answered carefully, "Young master Kael was kind enough to assist me with a personal matter-one that even Lord Arves isn't aware of. Apologies, young master Abel, but I've made a promise to keep the details between us."

Abel, still half-asleep, squinted at him. His brain wasn't fully awake yet, but something told him he already knew what Kael was up to. With a sigh, he tucked the letter away. "Alright, I'll pass it on. We'll come say goodbye before we leave."

James gave a polite bow before departing to continue his morning duties.

…

Abel decided the best way to wake Kael up was the most effective-by slapping him across the face.

Kael jolted awake with a loud curse, glaring up at Abel. "What the hell?!"

"Vicrona wants us up," Abel said with zero remorse.

Still grumbling, Kael got dressed, stretching out his sore limbs as Abel packed the last of their belongings into his spatial ring. As Kael slipped on his open vest, Abel wordlessly handed him the letter.

Kael took it with a knowing smile, tucking it into the inner pocket of his vest without bothering to explain.

Abel raised a brow. "You're not gonna tell me what that's about?"

Kael simply smirked. "Nope."

Abel groaned. "Now you're acting like a true member of our guild."

Kael chuckled, "Come on, we've got a big journey ahead of us."

With that, the two made their way downstairs to face whatever the day had in store for them.

…

Outside Mr. Arves' house, Vicrona stood with the bandit leader and the poison mage, both tightly bound.

Mr. Arves, his wife, and James the butler were also present to see off the young mages and their towering companion. However, Mr. Arves was far from pleased. His face burned with fury as he hurled insults at Vicrona and the bandits, utterly livid that criminals were standing outside his home.

Vicrona, as always, didn't seem to care. The bandits, on the other hand, did-and soon, the situation devolved into a full-blown shouting match between them and Mr. Arves. His wife and James did their best to calm him down, but one glance at Mrs. Arves' clenched fists and stiff posture made it clear that she was just as furious.

James, ever the gentleman, hugged Abel and Kael, offering them kind words and blessings for their journey ahead. The Arves couple, however, were far less sentimental. Mr. Arves made his desire for them to leave painfully obvious, while his wife at least maintained a semblance of decorum.

As Kael, Abel, and Vicrona finally set off, the villagers gathered to see them off, waving and cheering as they walked to the village entrance.

The road ahead was pleasantly quiet-no sudden monster attacks, no unexpected bandit ambushes… Well, besides the two bound ones trailing along. Still, Kael and Abel had a feeling that Orlae and a few fairies were watching from a distance, silently wishing them a safe journey.

About an hour into their walk, they emerged from the forest and spotted a passing carriage. Waving it down, they asked the driver if he could take them back to Eldoria.

The elderly man peered at them before nodding. "Aye, that'll be 50 pence-10 per person."

After explaining that Vicrona wouldn't fit inside, the price dropped to 40 pence.

For reference, Vellum coins were the highest denomination-large gold pieces, with 1 Vellum worth 10 Pence. Pence, the silver-like currency, were the standard for most daily transactions, while the smallest coins, Motes, were made of copper or bronze, with 10 Motes equaling a single Pence.

Abel shook his head, declining the ride immediately. "I'll walk," he muttered. It was ironic-someone from a country filled with ships and pirates like Abel couldn't handle a simple carriage ride without getting sick.

Vicrona patted Abel's back with a heavy hand. "Strong lad! Sticking to the old ways of travel, I respect it!"

Abel groaned. "That's not why-"

Kael was confused but didn't question it as he and the bandits got in. The bandits, however, weren't willing to talk.

Vicrona handed over the payment for the ride and then grabbed and threw Abel in the carriage. "Alright, alright. You can suffer in peace. Let's get moving."

…

Abel was suffering. Every bump in the road made his stomach churn, and he was struggling not to puke. 

Meanwhile, the bandits found his misery endlessly amusing, snickering at his expense.

Kael, on the other hand, was having the time of his life-relaxing against the side of the carriage, completely unbothered. Eventually, he dozed off, his steady breathing the only sign of life.

Seizing the opportunity, Abel turned to Vicrona, his voice unusually serious despite his pale face. "I'm sure you have questions. I can answer most of them now."

Vicrona mulled it over for a moment before nodding as she was keeping up with the carriage while walking. "Alright then, Pebbles. Let's start with the big one-why do we suddenly have another kid besides, flower girl in the guild?"

Abel had expected that question. He took a deep breath, then immediately regretted it as his stomach lurched. Swallowing hard, he forced out, "Well, we've got time-" He gagged. "So it all started with a duke who wanted a bodyguard for his daughter at the academy…"

By the time they reached Eldoria that afternoon, Vicrona was wiping away a few stray tears.

The sadistic poison mage attempted to make a snide remark about the still-sleeping Kael, but the two mages silenced him instantly with a pair of sharp, unyielding glares.

The bandit wisely shut his mouth.

Abel woke up Kael, who had a bit of drool at the corner of his mouth. They thanked the carriage driver and got off, Abel almost fell as he was still feeling a bit sick, Vicrona told him to take the bandits as she wanted to visit a couple of stores.

Abel took the tied bandits and decided to head to the Magical Association first to drop them off and inform the officials that the rest were still in the village. Kael followed suit, as he wanted to see what the magical association and the magical guild association were like.

…

The Magical Association building had the air of an official office-clerks and enforcers busy with paperwork, sorting documents, and handling legal matters. Unlike the guilds, which handled all kinds of job requests, the association served as a law enforcement body filled with mages.

Since Abel and Kael were carrying criminals, they were allowed to bypass the usual lines. One of the officers took their report and accepted custody of the bandit leader and the poison mage. As a reward, the two mages received 25 pence.

With that taken care of, they left and headed toward the Magical Guild Association.

Eldoria's seaside scenery was breathtaking. The sun had begun its slow descent, casting golden hues over the water. The streets remained lively, with merchants still calling out their final deals for the evening.

The Magical Guild Association building didn't look particularly impressive from the outside-just a three-story structure with large windows on the entrance floor. Inside, however, it was a different story. The place was bustling, filled with small offices and staff hurrying back and forth, carrying stacks of documents or discussing quests.

Kael and Abel had to wait a while before someone was available to assist them. Eventually, a kind-looking young woman with brown hair and glasses, likely in her mid-twenties, greeted them with a warm smile. "Good evening! Are you here to post a quest or submit a completed one?"

Abel handed over the quest sheet. "We're from Second Dawn, here to submit a completed one."

The young clerk took a careful look at the paper before flipping through a thick ledger on her desk. After a moment, she smiled. "Ah, found it! Poisoned soil, Sylverholt Village, E-D rank quest. We lacked enough information to give it a proper difficulty ranking. The quest giver's signature is here, so everything looks in order so far. Can you tell me what caused the poisoning?"

Abel leaned back in his chair. "Bandits were deliberately poisoning the soil. On top of that, a special-rank horned direwolf had left its pack and was lurking in the forest nearby. But we took care of both."

The young woman nearly choked on air. "A special-rank horned direwolf? Those aren't supposed to be anywhere near Sylverholt! Their habitat is much further north." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm sorry, but do you have any verification of that?"

Without a word, Abel reached into his spatial ring and pulled out the wolf's severed head.

Both Kael and the clerk jumped slightly at the sudden appearance of the gruesome trophy.

"To continue," Abel said nonchalantly, "I fought the bandit leader, and my guildmate here took care of the poison mage. Oh, and he also took care of the wolf by himself."

The clerk turned her wide-eyed gaze to Kael, now looking at him with newfound respect.

"You look extremely young to have taken down a monster like that. Horned direwolves are ranked A when in packs. Alone, they're C-rank… but if this one was special-rank, then it should be around A-rank all on its own." She muttered to herself before asking, "What's your rank?"

Kael hesitated, realizing this was his first official quest.

Abel, not missing a beat, answered for him. "He's a beginner, so technically F-rank-but skill-wise, I'd put him at C-D rank."

The clerk quickly grabbed another thick book and flipped through the pages like a whirlwind until she found the section listing Second Dawn's members. "Can I have your names, please?"

After both Kael and Abel gave their names, she erased something and wrote in its place without missing a beat.

"Congratulations, Mr. Kael. You're officially being promoted to C-rank," she announced-before sighing heavily "Or at least, I'd like to. Unfortunately, I can only move you up to D-rank for now."

She then turned to Abel with a smile. "And as for you, Mr. Abel, you're almost eligible for a B-rank promotion."

Kael blinked, momentarily dumbfounded. He was happy about the sudden promotion, but something about it felt… wrong.

Noticing his confusion, the clerk smirked. "I know what you're thinking, but don't worry-it makes sense. E and F ranks are basically for people still learning how to wield magic. You took down a bandit that could use magic and a special-rank monster. Honestly, it's a shame I can't promote you further."

…

By the time the sun had nearly dipped below the horizon, they finally reached home-the beautiful beach where they sparred, the towering castle adorned with their guild logo, and Abel's lush gardens

They were finally back.

The moment Abel got his belongings from the spatial ring, he took off toward his gardens, eager to check on them.

Kael smirked, watching him for a moment before stepping inside.

In the guild hall, the familiar sight of Dorian greeted him. As always, the older mage sat at a table, sipping tea with his usual dead-fish eyes. But the moment he spotted Kael, a faint glimmer of life sparked in them.

"Welcome home, Kael," he said in his monotone voice.

Such simple words, yet they brought a giant smile to Kael's face. Without hesitation, he rushed over to the wizard who rarely spoke and immediately launched into the full tale of his first quest.

It wasn't long before Jesp, Davit, and Liana showed up to welcome him back.

Kael wasted no time, pulling Liana into a hug. "Your dad is a giant prick. Also, Orlae and James say hi."

Liana burst into laughter. "Yeah, he is! I can't believe you met Orlae! How are they doing?"

Kael let her go, smirking as he returned to the table. "Come and find out."

The group gathered around as Kael recounted everything.

Davit leaned back in his chair, grinning. "Look at Mr. Hotshot almost getting eaten alive."

Jesp chuckled. "Cut him some slack, he did great."

Once the storytelling was done, Kael handed Liana a letter. "It's from James. He actually seemed to care about you, so I figured you might want to catch up. If you ever write back, use my name to spite your dad-just to make sure he doesn't find out."

Liana pinched his cheeks with a warm smile. "You cheeky brat."

When she finally let go, Kael rubbed his sore face. "Alright, where's Orin? I wanna thank him for the lighter."

Dorian, usually unreadable, let out a small, deliberate cough. He toyed with the braid on the left side of his hair-his and Orin's way of helping other distinguish them when they were kids-and said, "The lighter was actually my idea. He just wanted to act cool and say it was his."

Kael blinked, surprised. Then he grinned. "Thank you too, then, Boss #2. That lighter was a lifesaver."

Dorian, despite his best efforts to keep his cool, couldn't hide the faint satisfaction in his eyes.

…

After Abel and Orin joined them for dinner, the guild hall was filled with lively chatter and the clinking of dishes. The warmth of home settled in-but it didn't last long.

Vicrona strode in, carrying a large sack slung over her shoulder, the contents inside making strange metallic clanking noises with every step.

She stopped in front of Kael and dropped the sack onto the floor with a heavy thud.

"Wolf cub," she declared, her eyes burning with determination. "Tomorrow morning, I'm taking you with me. We're going training for the next two months-until you have to enroll in the academy."

There was no room for negotiation.

Kael tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "Wolf cub?"

Vicrona smirked. "You're young and weak like a cub. And the first time I saw you, you were fighting a horned direwolf. So, I figured it made sense."

Kael opened his mouth to protest, then shut it.

Liana snorted. "Congratulations, you're getting kidnapped."

Davit grinned. "Time for training for the depths of the underworld."

Kael let out a sigh, slumping back in his chair. "How do you even know about the academy…?"

Vicrona turned toward Abel and said, 'That rock-for-brains told me. Speaking of which, lend Kael that ring of yours, why don't ya?

Abel stood his ground, "No way, you're gonna be gone for 2 months."

Vicrona took a good look at Abel and said, "I'll take it by force."

Abel gulped and tossed his ring at Kael, "Don't lose it."

"Wise choice." Liana muttered.

Everyone besides Kael nodded.

Kael whispered to Dorian, "How strong is she, cause even you and boss #1 looked nervous and nodded."

Dorian took a moment to answer and said hesitantly, "She's comparable to SS rank, which means that she is much stronger than me and brother."

Kael realized that Davit was actually telling the truth with the "Training from the depths of the underworld comment."

Kael stared at Dorian, hoping he had misheard. "Did you just say SS-rank?"

Dorian gave a slow nod, his usual deadpan expression unchanging. "Yes."

Kael felt a chill run down his spine. He turned to Abel, who was still glaring at Vicrona but clearly not willing to fight her over the ring.

Liana sighed. "Vicrona doesn't do half-measures. If she says training, what she actually means is two months of barely surviving."

Davit grinned. "If you make it back in one piece, you'll be a whole new person. Or, well… what's left of you."

Kael slumped even further in his chair. "Great. Just great."

Vicrona clapped him on the back-hard enough to make him lurch forward. "Don't look so miserable, Wolf Cub. You'll thank me when you're not dying every time you fight someone stronger yourself."

Abel crossed his arms. "You better bring him back alive."

Vicrona waved him off. "Relax, Rocks-for-Brains. He's gonna be just fine."

Dorian and Orin exchanged glances but said nothing.

Kael sighed in defeat. His fate was sealed.

…

In the morning, Kael woke up early as always, sighed heavily as just when he returned to his room, he would have to leave again.

He got dressed , stored the rest of his clothes inside the ring after taking out all of Abel's stuff, he would give them to him later.

He wore his black glove and put the ring on the middle finger with the glove, he felt the the iron lighter on his pocket before he grabbed Abel's stuff and dropped them in front of Abel's room.

The whole guild was there for breakfast, minus the ghost, which was probably still in the library.

As Kael waved his guildmates goodbye, he and Vicrona hit the road for no one knows where.

The morning and beautiful roads of Eldoria were filled with all kinds of smells from bakeries and the sea, filled with people as always, someone as big as Vicrona had difficulty moving around but she managed to.

As they reached the outskirts of the city, she looked on the horizon and tried to decide on a route, after a while she started walking towards a direction and Kael followed close behind.

…

The morning sun was bright, casting a golden glow on the road as Kael walked alongside Vicrona. Kael's attention was fully on the road ahead, trying to brace himself for the coming months of intense training.

As Vicrona led the way, she was surprisingly nimble for someone of her size. Kael couldn't help but wonder just how much experience she had with this kind of travel. She had a quiet, almost unbothered air about her, as though she had walked this path a hundred times before.

"Where exactly are we going?" Kael asked, breaking the silence.

Vicrona glanced at him with a smirk. "Nowhere specific, I just decided that this would be a good way to go, why limit yourself when you don't have a specific place to go."

Kael thought this was an extremely cool answer and didn't complain further.

After walking for an hour, they found a large plain in the middle of nowhere, they had long left Eldoria, Vicrona started stretching and instructed Kael to do the same.

Vicrona grinned, "Now time for the first lesson." As she put hands on the ground, the ground moved around her hands and gauntlets were formed from the earth.

As she rushed at Kael, Kael barely managed to roll away, before he threw a punch engulfed in black flames. The black flames wrapped around his fist like an extension of his own will, proof of his progress. But Vicrona was ready. With the speed that Kael hadn't expected from someone her size, she dodged the punch, her movements fluid and controlled.

Before he could even react, Vicrona's hand shot forward, her gauntleted fingers gripping his wrist with an iron-clad force. "Not bad," she said, her voice low and almost teasing, "but you need to be faster than that."

Kael twisted his body, attempting to break free, but Vicrona's grip was unyielding. With a grunt, she pulled him toward her, using his momentum against him, and threw him onto the ground. The earth around them seemed to hum with energy, as if responding to Vicrona's presence.

"Come on, get up, I'm still not done with checking your strength." Vicrona smiled.

Kael got up, as Vicrona slowed increased her distance, giving him space to prepare his next attack.

This time Kael ignited his legs and propelled himself forward, as Vicrona sighed in disappointment, she took a swing at Kael, but Kael had anticipated this and side stepped with a second propulsion dodging her attack and propelled himself forward once more with a knee kick dipped in the black flames.

Vicrona grabbed his knee kick with a grin and before she could throw him to the side, Kael ignited his entire body and released a large amount of fire from his mouth at the same time.

The fire shot from Kael's mouth, a torrent of black flames that roared through the air, but Vicrona simply stood there, unfazed. "You've got the potential, kid. But you've got a long way to go." 

Kael's eyes widened as the flames dissipated harmlessly into the air. His breath came in short bursts, his flames flickering with confusion. "What...?" he gasped, right before he got sent flying.

"Ok I got a rough idea now." She smiled as Kael fell to ground.

Vicrona studied Kael carefully as he tried to catch his breath, her eyes narrowed in thought. The silence stretched between them, filled only by the soft rustling of the wind through the grass.

Finally, she spoke, her voice low but pointed.

"Have you ever fought with a weapon?"