The Hidden Realm

Chapter 37 – ERDETERRA

THEY immediately went back to the temple of Aderawiel. It was past midnight, and Eleand hurriedly went inside his room. Everything was peaceful during the party in Alsache. He was just anxious for nothing.

Eleand was in the midst of undressing his suite when Alva emerged from his sight.

“Holy s**t!” He almost punched her in surprise, thinking she was an intruder. He silently gritted his teeth when the priestess smiled seductively.

“Hey there!” Alva focused on his bare chest.

“What do you want?” He clenched his fist to control himself. No, he was not lusting over her. Although he could give in to her advances, it wasn’t a big deal. It might be thrilling since he had not tried making love with a faerie before. But something inside him saying that it was not right.

“I want you to try me tonight.” She bit her lower lip and pushed him to the bed without warning. Alva was strong, no doubt. In a blink, she was on top of him.

“W-What you mean to try you?” He tried to act stupid, but it was no use.

Shit! Eleand hardly closed his eyes. He was slowly being tempted to give in. Besides, she offered herself.

For a moment, he had let her do what she wanted. Her delicate lips touched his, and her tongue was gently tempting him inside his mouth. The priestess let out a soft moan.

Finally, he gave her the equal burning that consumed them. His hands caressed the curve of her perfect body.

Alva’s lips traveled down his neck, going down to his chest, going to his stomach. Then he was on fire inside when her mouth found his growing manhood. She was as if enjoying her feast, and he couldn’t deny that he liked it.

“Brandy…” he softly whispered.

Alva paused.

When Eleand opened his eyes, the priestess appeared annoyed.

“Who the hell is Brandy?” Her eyes narrowed.

He swallowed hard upon realizing how awkward their situation was.

“My wife...” he said, barely audible. But enough to reach her ears.

Alva rushed to stand beside the bed. “No one ever refused my body. You are the first who insulted me like this in my thousand years of existence. You must be really in love with your wife.”

He sighed in remorse. “I’m sorry.”

“We’ll start your training tomorrow.” She disappeared, hardly shaking her head.

Eleand breathed out heavily. It was not because he regretted what happened, but the reason that he just realized he was not yet over with Brandy. He felt terrible because until now, he still loved her. Yes, he was the great loser, pathetic and unbelievable!

AFTER the incident in his room, Alva acted as if it didn’t happen. She seriously taught him the Erdeterra. Eleand pretended it was nothing, and he didn’t make it a big deal.

Alva’s way of teaching was different. Because right after he read the book, he would practically wield the magic. But he still needed to memorize a highly complex spell to cast it properly, which he vigorously learned because it was essential for him. It was dangerous. But the priestess was generous to share her basic knowledge in healing using the power of the earth.

 Three weeks had quickly passed, and every day he spent in training, not allowing any distractions. Now he could control some plants. Even the soil he could somehow make it move. It was difficult, and he was not that strong to master the earth magic just yet. At least, he already knew the basic principles of manipulating it. Alva advised him to make a self-study in Aghenum since it was the last element of magic he had not yet mastered.

Eleand thought he’d practice his water magic once he got back to the Golden Palace. He was waiting for Alva’s approval for him to go back to Mirasaen.

And this day, he took a break, and Alva let him roam within the vicinity of the Autumn Region. He planned to capture a Migus to ask about his sister. Besides, he also wanted to try his strength.

Eleand went back to the same cave where they first found a Migus. He brought his bow while going around. He would often use the Vanire to hasten his speed.

 Until he finally found the cave after he was lost twice. And he ended up disappointed because it was empty.

He used his transportation magic to see the region entirely. He rested when tired. And at this moment, he was seated beneath the tree near a small river. He realized he was inside the thick forest. The birds chirped loud.

His thoughts traveled far, thinking about his family, especially his father and Elida.

But his self-reflection was interrupted when he witnessed a black creature at a distance. It stood near the large plantation of corn. And it was visible because the cornfield was pinkish, the leaves were vibrant pink, and the fruit was gold.

Eleand readied his bow. He smiled because he thought of the possibility it might be a Migus.

It moved fast as if it was chasing something. He hastened his move; with his wind magic, he could make his steps lighter. He went inside the cornfield and followed the Migus.

He was out of breath when he finally caught up. But he was dumbfounded when he realized he was not chasing a Migus.

Shit! His faerie sight betrayed him. That creature was not a Migus but a Muhlerian Shadow!

He was sure, now that it flaunted its sword emitting a red smoke.

Oh, f**k! He was even more surprised upon realizing it chases the Golden Deer—Unaeth was wounded!

Eleand inhaled deeply and chanted in faerie language to wield his magic. It was the combinations of the elements. A blue flame came out from his arrows, and he took aggressive action against the enemy.

The Shadow was distracted for a moment. It left the deer. Unaeth managed to run away, and the Shadow faced him.

Their gaze met. Its b****y red eyes were void of emotion and ready to kill.

He snapped his fingers and chanted the spell to remove the oxygen from the creature’s body, but it wasn’t effective. He found out later that the Shadow wasn’t even breathing—a moving corpse!

What kind of monster are you?

Eleand stopped attacking when he ran out of arrows. The creature prepared for the onslaught. Fortunately, his reflexes were fast enough to avoid its strikes. He knew that it would only take one mistake to lose in this battle.

He spread his arms, and on his right hand, he controlled the fire and wind to the other. The scattered corn leaves from the ground and levitates it. In an instant, he made it change to a dagger-like shape to weaponize it.

Simultaneously, he released the flames and the dagger leaves. But his opponent could also use transportation magic. It disappeared to keep away from his attacks.

Damn! Eleand cursed even more.

The enemy appeared behind him, trying to plunge his sword. But he avoided it. It seemed that he would need to practice his hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship. If he would just rely on his magic, the probability was high for him to lose. Like this Shadow, it could easily use magic and a sword in perfect sync.

“What do you need? Why are you here?” he asked at a safe distance.

The Empire will take back everything.

His eyes widened after hearing its cold voice in his head. This creature knew about thought communication magic! But it won’t affect him since his protection magic was in place.

“What do you—” he couldn’t finish his question because it attacked him again. He needed to strategize to defeat this opponent. It was fast and strong. He had to think of a plan that would work.

Right. He enlarged the fire dancing in his hand. He only had to wait for one perfect timing once he familiarized himself with its movement.

At this point, he could not make the wrong calculation. He would turn it to ash once he touched its body. But he had to move closer.

Eleand patiently waited until it was the best time to attack. He disappeared and emerged behind it. But the Shadow was also fast. It faced him immediately.

A triumphant smile painted his face when his blazing fire hit it. Not until he realized that its sword plunged into his stomach. Its evil laugh echoed inside his head, even if it was slowly disintegrating right before his eyes.

What an asshole.

He scoffed, looking at the sword stuck in his body. Once he removed it, his blood would spill. What were his chances of surviving?

He momentarily forgot his situation when he saw the wounded deer a few meters away. It was lying on the ground. The fire in its antlers slowly faded. She was in agony, her breathing was slow, and her wounds were looked deep.

Eleand gritted his teeth and tried not to scream when he removed the sword from his body. It was okay for him to lose his life since he was not that important in this world. But he would not let this faerie die. She had a huge role in this realm.

He slowly walked towards the deer.

Eleand hardly pressed his aching wound to control the bleeding. When he finally reached her, he tattered his clothes and used them as a band-aid to the faerie’s injury. At the same time, he used the remaining fabrics on his own injury.

He remained calm, thinking about the best spell to cast for healing.

“Don’t die. Please hold on.” He hadn’t tried to use the magic he had in mind, but it was worth giving a try. He chanted the complicated spell for healing using the power of the earth.

Eleand gently held the deer’s body and felt the rush of magic from him going to the faerie. Although, it was not that powerful. Just enough to partially close her wounds and fill a bit of her fading mana.

He tried to heal her more, but the deer suddenly shone brightly—a purple light surrounding its body. The deer suddenly transformed into a golden-haired faerie with antlers.

“Unaeth?” he whispered her name.

She smiled and spoke an ancient faerie language.

“Thank you…” she murmured before she disappeared.

Eleand smiled back and examined his wounded body.