Zephyros leaned against the door of Kael's room and smiled. "Today is your day off, Kael. We are going to the city. I'll show you around the center of the Eastern Kingdom."
Kael's eyes lit up. He had never stepped out of his small village since birth. They prepared quickly and set off in the carriage his uncle had arranged. To the rhythmic sound of wheels on the dirt road, Zephyros asked, "How is your training going? Have you adjusted?"
Kael replied while watching the landscape outside, "My training is going very well, uncle. Thanks to Master Grimm's training, my body doesn't feel as heavy as before. I've started to control fire magic more effectively. By the way, Master Pyros told me about Signature Spells. He said they are unique magic techniques that only mages of the 6th circle and above can use, and every mage must create their own signature spell when they reach that level; he even mentioned it's a graduation requirement for the academy."
Zephyros nodded. "Yes Kael, every master mage has a signature. This is a mage's hidden ace; some manipulate the surrounding area, while others create a destructive spell. For instance, I told you about the 9th-circle mage Luminos, didn't I? His signature spell is called 'Cathedral.' I saw him use it once; suddenly, the area we were in turned into a giant cathedral."
Kael jumped in with excitement: "Uncle, I would really love to see Luminos!"
"Ah, that old monster?" Zephyros laughed. "You wouldn't want to encounter him, believe me. Look, we're almost there, Kael. Here is the heart of the Eastern Kingdom!"
As the carriage topped the hill, Kael's breath caught. On the horizon, Silver Wing Castle rose to challenge the clouds. Towers made of white marble shone like pure diamonds in the sunlight. Right next to the castle stood the Academy Building, the pinnacle of the magical arts; it was like a living monument with rune rings floating around it.
When they entered the city, Kael experienced a complete culture shock. Giant dwarves, slender elves, and beast-folk with hair resembling lion manes lived side by side. The Eastern Kingdom was the most liberal place among the five kingdoms; there were no shackles here, only the sounds of trade and magic. The Eastern Kingdom was the least discriminatory among the 5 kingdoms; slavery was forbidden, and every race had equal rights. As they walked through the crowd, they stopped in front of a giant stone statue. The statue symbolized hands of different races linked together. Zephyros pointed to the dwarves and the beast-folk trade caravan joking around and spoke:
"This feels strange, doesn't it, Kael? In your village, you only saw humans, but here the world boils in a single cauldron."
Kael replied while looking in awe at an orc passing by with a giant axe on his back, "Yes uncle... Everyone is so different but no one reaches for their sword. It's as if everyone has been friends for a thousand years."
Zephyros smiled slightly but there was a serious sparkle in his eyes. "Because the Eastern Kingdom is built on one rule: 'Talent stands above bloodline.' In other kingdoms, you might be a slave if you're an elf or just a laborer if you're a beast-folk. But here, if your mana is strong or your craft is unique, you can even sit at the King's table."
While Kael looked at the crowd in the square, his uncle put his hand on his shoulder. "This freedom is beautiful, Kael, but it is just as dangerous. Such different powers living together in peace depends on how strongly those at the top establish pressure. If this balance breaks, this city turns into the world's largest battlefield. That's why everyone here has to push their own strength to the peak to protect the peace."
Kael clenched his fist. "So being strong here is not just for survival, but also necessary to protect this order..."
Zephyros nodded. "Exactly. Now come, let's satisfy that growling stomach. Look, that werewolf's pies over there are famous!"
They approached a small food stand. A vendor of the wolf race with gray fur stood at the stall. "Hot meat pie! The best in the kingdom!" the vendor roared. Zephyros took two and handed one to Kael. Kael was mesmerized by the spicy taste in his mouth as he took a bite. "Thank you, Sir!" he said with a smile. The vendor gave a slight wag of his tail in response.
Zephyros grew serious as they moved through the crowd. "Kael, use the mana perception Pyros taught you now. You are in the best place to practice while there are so many people around."
Kael closed his eyes. He radiated his mana out like waves from a stone thrown into a pond and pulled it back. Thousands of different colors flashed around him. Weak and flickering manas, strong and determined auras... "Uncle, I can feel it but it's so complex! Everyone's mana is mixing. I can't tell which mana comes from whom," he said.
"Great for a start," said Zephyros. "Later, when you learn to distinguish them, you will be able to see your enemy even with your eyes closed." Zephyros said, "Today we are going to visit a friend." Kael grew curious.
They arrived at a magnificent mansion in a calmer but more lavish part of the city. Zephyros stood in front of the door and shouted with a voice that echoed through the street: "Hey Hestia! Come out, you library rat!"
The door opened suddenly. A middle-aged woman appeared with a wise depth in her eyes but slightly messy hair. "Ah, Zephyros! You old geezer, what do you want now?"
"Oh come on, we are old friends and I'm only in my 40s!" Zephyros said with fake offense. "Besides, I've come to have a chat over a cup of tea. I need to ask you something."
Hestia sighed, "I have work, Zephyros, I really don't have time to listen to your jokes." Then she noticed Kael. "Who is this child?"
"This is Kael, my nephew. I brought him for training."
Hestia looked into Kael's eyes. She had seen the seal ring on Kael's hand, but Hestia's eyes saw beyond that ring, the dark ember slightly flickering deep in Kael's soul. "So you took the poor child from his family and brought him to the central kingdom," she said. Zephyros said, "Oh come on, am I such a cruel person? His mother asked me." Hestia looked into Kael's eyes; despite the seal ring on Kael's hand, she saw the light-burning dark magic inside. "Ah well, since you have a guest, come on in."
The inside of the house was a total genius mess. Ancient scrolls, boiling potion cauldrons, and floating star maps were everywhere. While Hestia put the teas on the table, Zephyros whispered to Kael: "This is Lady Hestia, one of the smartest mages in the Kingdom Research Facility. She is a user of the rare Star Magic (Astrological Magic)."
Hestia cut in: "Stop praising me, Zephyros. What you're going to ask is about the boy next to you, isn't it?" The atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Zephyros nodded seriously: "So you understood... I want you to take a look at Kael's magic."
Hestia sat in front of Kael. "Stretch out your hands and look into my eyes, child." Hestia wanted to enter Kael's consciousness using Star Magic and see the source of the dark magic. Normally, people's seas of consciousness appeared like a clear lake or a starry sky. But the moment she dived into Kael, Hestia found herself in the middle of an infinite, pitch-black void.
Suddenly, a pair of giant eyes opened from within that darkness. These eyes did not belong to a human; it was as if they were looking into an ancient, cold, and all-consuming void. Hestia's soul froze at that moment. Inside Kael, a giant shadow that was breathing but not yet awake was growling as if tied to a chain. A voice echoed in her mind; it was like the simultaneous whispering of thousands of corpses. Hestia felt that she was drowning in that dark sea and that if that sleeping monster woke up, it would bury not only the room but the entire kingdom in darkness.
Hestia quickly pulled her hands away from Kael. She stumbled back and hit the table, cups fell and shattered. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, cold sweat was pouring from her forehead. Under Kael's innocent boyish look, she had seen the claws of a darkness that had been lying in wait since the beginning of the universe. Her lips trembled, "This..." she could only whisper.
"Hestia? Are you okay?" Zephyros asked anxiously.
Hestia tried to pull herself together and spoke with a trembling voice: "Magic... is a legacy from mother and father. Sometimes you take your mother's magic, sometimes your father's. Kael... Your mother was a nature class mage, but you have Fire and Dark magic. People with two types of magic are rare. Your dark magic is in a form even I cannot perceive. That's why I can't help you."
Kael smiled kindly. "It's okay, Lady Hestia, thank you for trying."
After sending Kael outside, Zephyros turned to Hestia and asked, "I know you, Hestia. There is no type of magic in this world that you don't know. What exactly is there so deep that you can't tell Kael?"
Hestia looked into Zephyros's eyes with fear. "You are carrying a small monster with you, Zephyros. A bottomless monster that hasn't awakened from its sleep... I hope you realize what you are doing."
When they went outside, Kael asked anxiously: "Uncle, is Lady Hestia okay? She turned pale all of a sudden."
Zephyros gave a forced laugh. "He he... I guess she caught a cold, she took care of us while she was sick. Come on, let's not bother her any more."
When Kael turned back and looked at the mansion, he felt Hestia's deep eyes looking at him from behind the window. Everything was bright in the center of the kingdom, but the darkness inside him had hit another power for the first time today.