Aethernea : Soulbound [Book 1]

Episode 14 - Homeschooled

This week, I want to thank everyone who voted, and especially thank AshleyStaar for leaving me several heartwarming comments and Jetjacky for leaving me too many comments to count. Welcome to Aethernea ;)

Previously on Aethernea:  

Elaru reveals her connection to Hot Pot. Kiel doesn't want to share a room with her, let alone the small bed in the room. Elaru teases him about it and reveals the existence of two important (and eccentric) people in her life - her father and cousin she grew up with. 

* * *

Kiel took off his sword, and bags. He started taking off his arm protectors when Elaru stopped him.

"Don't take it off. Your brand will be visible."

She was talking about the mark of the Aetherneal Bond.

Kiel almost forgot about the mark. Well, he would have remembered as soon as he saw it. But remembering only after seeing the brand would be unacceptable in the future. Who is to say someone else wouldn't be in the room with him?

I should learn some light magic in the future to camouflage the brand. Light magic is a branch of transmutation magic that specializes in the manipulation of light, which can be used in a wide variety of ways, such as changing the color of things, making them emit light or making them invisible.

"How about I teach you how to hide the brand?" Elaru offered him her left hand without waiting for his response. "Pay attention."

Elaru slowed down her spell casting intentionally so Kiel could catch every movement of her mana.

When she wasn't concealing her presence, she was like a bright sun – countless tendrils of light formed by her mana surrounded her and danced a slow, chaotic dance.

When she started casting the spell, the mana around her arm stopped moving aimlessly and instead started congregating into a single spot. It was like the mana drops were snowflakes blown by the wind, they layered on top of each other, forming a curvy pattern.

The attraction force mashing them together didn't lessen at all, like gravity it pulled at them harder and harder until individual drops of mana could no longer be seen. They turned from countless gaseous particles into a liquid ribbon of bright light. If mana drops were little stars, then that ribbon was the moon. When it appeared, all else dimmed.

That formed, bright pattern of light was "the spell". Association of Magic defined "a spell" to be a reality altering phenomena. And just like its definition foretold, a soft pulse of magic power spread out from it, creating a distortion in reality.

After the initial pulse, the spell started revolving around Elaru's arm on its own in a periodic dance. This special movement of the spell continued to distort the reality around her arm.

Kiel saw that spell in a book covering the basic types of magic. It was a basic color manipulation light magic spell.

As Elaru exerted control over the spell, it started moving around like a hyperactive child, causing the black markings on her arm to fade out until they completely disappeared.

Technically, a spell was still made out of Elaru's mana, and she could exercise her mana control to deform the spell. However, if drops of mana were like drops of water, then a spell would be a block of ice. If she tried shifting the mana forming it, it would break and fall apart.