Chapter 18 – PROTEXERIUM
1248 Words
THE worried face of Enkille welcomed him. There was a blue light emitting from her hand, and she was gently pressing his stomach. He was shirtless, but surprisingly, he could not feel the cold around. He was lying in his bed, and the faerie was using her healing magic.
“Wait, hold on. I’m almost done,” she lightly exhaled.
“I can’t believe that I’m still alive!” he exclaimed. Still remembering how deep his wound was and the loss of so much blood. He was still lucky after all.
Eleand tried to get up and leaned on the headboard.
“Luck is on your side. I heard you call my name. You were dying.” Enkille shook her head.
“Fariyah tried to kill me. How could I fight back to a goddess?” His face contorted when he sensed the throbbing pain in his back and stomach.
“Turn around. You have a wound on your back as well. Let me fully close the wound behind you since it’s not that deep.”
Eleand moved his body. He showed his bareback to Enkille to tend his wounds.
“It’s healing.” She gently touched his back until he sensed her soft hand going to his nape.
“Is there a problem?” He noticed the lady went wary.
“Nothing, you have a birthmark,” she studied the imperfection of his skin.
“Ah, that one,” he laughed lightly and shook his head, “I think it’s just a weird birthmark. It’s like a large mole resting on top of an unfinished trapezoid.”
Enkille nodded. “I suggest you keep that birthmark. Faeries do not have such defect, or else they will know you are human hiding on a glamor.”
“I will do that,” he agreed, even if it sounded weird.
“For now, you need to learn the basic magic that will help you survive Fariyah’s wrath.” Enkille clicked her fingers at instantly two old books emerged at his bedside.
“What kind of magic is that?”
Enkille ignored his question. “You must keep this a secret. Fariyah must not know that I’m helping you. Understood?”
He nodded. “I perfectly understand.”
“Good, because once she found out, I will kill you myself.”
His mouth opened, but no words came out. He just slightly tilted his head to agree. Eleand thought he was not safe in this place. But he had no choice but to stay.
Enkille moved to his front after tending his wounds behind. She concentrated her magic to heal his abdomen carefully.
“Why it seems everybody wants to kill me?” he asked while examining his wounds. The pain was slowly fading away until only a light scar was left.
“You need to strive for your survival. Remember, compared to our enemies’ wrath, Fariyah’s training is nothing.”
“What enemy?” his forehead creased.
“Don’t think about it yet. Just study the ancient alphabets so you can read the faerie language written in that book,” she pointed out the books beside him.
“Faerie alphabets?”
“Precisely, the second book will provide you the magic you need. I suggest you learn the Protexerium first—that’s shielding your thoughts and body. So that no one can infiltrate your mind and control your body.”
“Right,” Fariyah did that to him. And Winzi could read his thoughts, too. If by chance, he could perfect this magic, it would be a great help indeed.
“Good thing that Fariyah can’t read other’s thoughts. But she can control the mind of any living being. That is why the Protexerium is important.”
“The priestess controlled my mind during our sparring,” he gently shook his head. The feeling still lingered. Until now, a shiver ran to his spine, remembering what happened. What if Fariyah did not stop and he instantly died?
“Don’t worry. I will provide all the books you need. You just have to study it well. And most of all, toughen yourself every time you train with the High Priestess. As you can see, she will never hesitate to kill you.”
“Thanks for your help. How can I repay you for saving me?” he asked sincerely. He would be dead by now if Enkille did not help him.
“You better rest.” She ignored what he said. Enkille went to the walk-in closet and chose winter clothing, and handed it to him.
“Thanks,” he put the clothes on.
“The heat will not last long once I’m gone. I will convince Fariyah that you need to rest for at least three days. I guess that would be enough for you to learn the content of that book.”
“Yes, trust me.” He nodded with assurance. Even in his mind, he wanted to slack off a bit. Besides, three days was short of learning everything. However, considering his situation, he had to force himself to familiarize the context of the books because his life was at stake.
“Hide those books, just call me if you have something to ask. I’m going.” She examined him for a while before she disappeared.
LUCK was always in Eleand’s side because he was given three days to rest. He had no plans of leaving his room. He focused on studying the books from Enkille. The faerie was very attentive about his health, and she patiently corrected his wrong understanding while he was deeply immersed in his study.
The ancient alphabet was challenging to learn. It contained different symbols that looked similar yet different in meaning. Enkille warned him to be extra careful in reading the faerie alphabets because even with the slightest error, the magic would be void.
On the first day of his rest, he spent his time memorizing the alphabet. He didn’t stop, even if his eyes were already sore. He had learned that their writing system was similar to the human world. There were vowels, but most were symbols written in different strokes. Some were upward and downward, while others were perpendicular strokes.
“I can read the basic words,” he proudly announced to Enkille after they finished their lunch. She taught him the correct enunciation of the words. And after a few repetitions, he finally grasped the basics.
“Amazing, you’re a fast learner. I’m glad. You just have to practice more.” Enkille genuinely smiled while fixing the dishes.
“Please be here tomorrow. I will try to master the Protexerium. I don’t want to experience the same thing during the first sparring. My mind froze even she wasn’t touching me.”
Enkille nodded. “All right, study it well tonight. Try some intermediate spells, too. I know you can do it.”
“I’m putting my mind in it.”
When Enkille left, he wasted no time learning the basics of Protexerium. The spells were quite complex, especially that he found it hard to read the ancient faerie language.
Eleand spent hours before he could memorize the spell. Hoping he didn’t make any mistake.
He felt the shiver run through his body when he finally wielded the spell. Sweats dampened his temple, and his heartbeat was abnormal.
Eleand was satisfied with the result. Slowly, he dozed off, facing the thick book.
Until the same nightmare haunted him again.
- Writer
