The Sight Beyond The Haze

Chapter 29: The Land of Magic

At the beginning, there was a queen who went against the odds and world to create a safe haven for every magicians.

Dalcanoraz was still an odd place to hear about, it felt as though it came out straight out of a fairy tale book where Mages were not a rarity, talking trees were only normal, and where people were all beautiful and kind. I looked at Miss Eris who was looking at me in return with eyes expectant and still waiting. I nodded though it was quite hard since I was reclined too much that I felt as though looking at Miss Eris, who was by my side, was drowning and my eyes were turned on the side of their sockets.

"I have no recollection of it though," I told Miss Eris. She nodded, agreeing of what I was saying.

"You have never been, that's why," she said, "you can remember your father though? Sir Adonai? You were raised by him until you were taken away by Lady Erina to be hidden when your father was overthrown out of his own faction. His death, you know, made your uncle, Lord Araqiel Elliot the head of the Haefen which is supposed to be yours as of today. Then enters the decade-long war, Haefen against the Eirni. It's a terrible day for business, I could remember not even having access to Dalcanoraz. You mustn't worry, Seraphin, Deo is doing his best to get you out of the situation your immediate family dragged you in. We are doing our best, you relax there."

I could not care any less about those organizations that I also have no recollection of. Even the so-called decade-long war that seemed too remote from me, out of reach and not happening in any sight.

It was difficult enough trying to remember what happened to me in the past years, what more of the memories that have happened more than a decade ago? And as of now, my body was still rather weak. I could feel my injuries all over my body and there was also that matter that I was a little drowsy, maybe it came from the medicines.

For now, I just want to be certain.

When Miss Eris mentioned to me that country, Dalcanoraz, there was this memory I think I could remember clearly when Deo told me the story of the land of magic.

Under the Eirakian clouds that marked the boundaries of the land, Dalcanoraz could only be accessed with those who have enough power and energy, Deo told me. We were sitting under the same shade on the garden back then. Like the usual routine of ours, he brought along thick clusters of books with him and he would tell what were the contents of them to me.

I would ask him sometimes why he must read each line to me then he would look at me, or maybe direct the direction of his mask towards me. I knew by then that there was wryness on that look. It was not that I could not read, I just lack the concentration to do so, I would defend my self with a surprisingly neutral voice.

"But what about the residences?" I asked curiously, my fingers flipped through the pages of the books he brought inside the dome garden. "What if they went out of the country's boundaries and don't have a magician's power?"

"They will be trapped outside of the country," he answered indifferently. "The Eirakian does not discriminate between the country's people. There are even some records that shows some of the royal family could not get in."

That was sad and also kind of hilarious if one wanted to make fun of the situation.

To take my mind off the Eirakian Clouds, I watched the books Deo brought from who knows where.

Honestly, how could he come up with these books?

Surprisingly, they were all thin with pretty, colored images all around each of the pages. Surprised turned into annoyance though when I realized what sort of books Deo brought as my eyes went along to the leaves of each thin colores books which turned out to be children books and coloring books for ages six and under.

"I am not a kid, you know?" I threw one book at him which Deo only caught easily without much fuss. My eyes turned into little slits and I pursed my lips at him, appearing annoyed though there was some humor on it which I knew he also saw.

"You cannot handle textbooks," Deo stated in such a matter of a fact ton that infuriated me more, I only looked at the mask on his face impassively. "As all presence are aware. I only brought those I thought would help you immensely. Not some childish books."

I still glared at the children's books with a hateful gaze, my lips protruded slightly. As all presence were aware, we both know that Deo was only saying those to make me feel unburdened that I was never able to read such big volumes of book. With being cooped up within myself, one would think that I would be as imaginative and creative in such a unique way and not be a skeptical half-Mage and half-Warrior who does not really have the slightest hint of idea what she was doing.

I do not know if I already expected this of me, and when I said this I actually meant to be the kind of skeptic that won't believe unless it happened right in front of my eyes, but I still reach towards one of the children's books and flipped again on one of its pages.

"What are these?" I pointed at one of the colored pictures on the book of mythologies I was holding. "These are some really nice depictions of myths," I muttered while running my hand over the hard cover of the children's book embossed with golden butterflies and glimmering inked leaves.

I started flipping each pages, finding all of the pictures agreeable to the eyes.

"For us," Deo started, "mythologies are real. I understand that your perception is still one of the mortals, but what stories most mortals would regard as only myths and legends might be true in our reality, might be your reality," he gave emphasis to the second to the last word of that sentence which made me bow my head slightly. "Always remember that," Deo said gently before he placed his hand over mine to look closely at what I was interested on.

I was scolded, I knew that and I heard the delicate admonition laced with his tone.

"I will remember that," I answered, not knowing the need to rebut when what Deo said was a fact. Even with that, I was just fine. It was better to be corrected early on.

With that, he did not answer me though, his eyes were already gazing at the artwork on the page that I was holding.

The book was actually quite large, its length could almost cover my arms and its width was as much as my whole chest. I had a difficulty on placing it on my lap since the ground where were both sitting at was not really even. The book was quite fancy with all of those engravings and embossed designs on each thick papers. The letters printed on the surface of each papers were nothing familiar to me though so I could not really read any of them even if I tried. Deo was looking at the picture with a sense of staid, he turned silent though I was certain it was only normal for him. The only thing that irked me was that I could not read any of his expression through that white mask whose one ide of the lips turned up while the other was casted downwards.

"The five Deities of Humanity and Magic," Deo finally answered the first of my question.

Elegantly colored, each of the five Deities were all beautiful and elegant. Even in picture, they all emitted a sense of powerful aura.

"The Immortality Deity." Deo pointed at a very handsome man whose eyes glow red. He was depicted in the picture with two Markhor's horns, twirled elegantly back. Out of all of the Five Deities, the Immortal Deity was undoubtedly the most beautiful one. He has the kind of face, at least on the picture, that was not eqsy to forget; shining despite being dark and sad despite the small smirk. "Controls the immortality of humanity and flow of magic. As long as he lives, then balance would be restored."

Deo's forefinger moved towards a woman whose face was as pretty as spring, bright and with warm. The woman has blonde hair and blue cobalt eyes, alluring but also exuded a sense of innocence. Her thin lips was pulled into a bright smile, gentle and delicate. Of the five Deities of Humanity and Magic, she was on the lower side, standing at the middle.

"The Seer, she who could saw everything. The past. The present. And most importantly, the future. Out of all the Deities, she is the only whose power is limited to an ordinary mortal's lifetime and should be passed down on to a successor. The next one is the Light Deity." Deo's forefinger touched the one who a hood over their shoulder, I could not tell right away its face with the hood and maybe the one who draw this picture was not aware of the Light Deity's facial features. "The next is the Lady of the Death Doors, the only one of the Five Deities to have a domain to rule."

I looked at the figure beside the Seer. Overflowing dark hair, she was extremely beautiful with her skin as dark as the night sky, beguiling to the eyes. Her eyes when I looked closely held another universe of its own, there was a wisp of smoke coming from her outstretched hand that made her even more mysterious than the other four.

Then we went on to one Deo has not mentioned yet. The last one that Deo pointed at me was Spirit of Viridescent. Atop of the nature spirit's head was a flower crown with thorns piercing his bald head and making his violet blood run out of his pierced skin. He has green to blue skin, his cheekbone was so high and sharp that I felt a pang of envy out of just looking.

The whole picture, with each Deity, was drawn really magnificently that it turned them otherworldly. Or maybe because they were otherworldly that the picture has became something more than just a picture, they become the picture and they themselves made it so magnificent. Their faces were still enticing on their own, but after the initial glance and wonderment, it turned theirs to a frightening sketch of beings that does not have any ounce of mortality. They were unlike us and maybe that was even more frightening than being so terribly beautiful to the point of being hideous with exaggerated grace.

I must commend the artist whoever they were. They must have scared a lot of children. Could that book even have the rights to be called as children book?

It was too vivid for children.

"He controls the growth of the environment, but lately, it was said that he hasn't been seen for almost two hundred years due to mortals creating a rift on the protective barrier he casted upon the sky in the beginning of times," Deo told me, he then continued to tell me all sorts of stories about the Five Deities until the page turned into another and the elegantly but viciously printed picture was changed into the visage of another woman.

At the bottom of the picture was a name in an elegant script.

Queen Leniesha, The First Queen of Dalconoraz.

Her complexion was smooth and deep as gold, the curled hair strands were flowing down with flowering clipped on them. Her eyes were like the Lady of the Death Doors, but her ears were pointed like those of elves making her feel otherworldly though there was the glint of temporality on her face.

"Leniesha was the one who established the first imperial court of Dalcanoraz, the hidden land of magic," Deo explained after seeing me so fixated to the queen's face. "Half-Deity, a quarter of an elf blood, and human, she was the first to have made everything. It was said she was powerful enough that she created the Empire in the Skies where winged people, angels as mortals called, lived and for them to be avoided to be hunted by magicians and mortals alike. She was also the one who made the seal that is known as the Eirakian Clouds."

Lines from a faraway story tugged at my memory with what Deo just mentioned to me. I think Deo has already taught me of the Eirakian Clouds when we were learning about different methods and way of creating seals and even their uses.

"I have heard of them," I said, my hand instantly filled with energy, warm and vibrating. On the center of my palm was a miniature land at the center murky waters there was a fine white light turning into an enormous dome around the ares and it surrounded the land— it was my envisioning of what the Eirakian Clouds would look like. The white light shimmered under the real sun and the murky waters on my stretched out palm was untamed and deadly, typically how people would call the Pacific Ocean. "The protective seal that does not let anyone with not enough power to get inside and protected the whole land of Dalcanoraz from getting discovered and exploited by the mortals."

"You have gotten quite proficient," Deo complimented. The approval on his voice made my cheeks burn and I only pretended that it was not reddening out of shame.

I closed my palm and turned into a fist, turning the hologram into nothing then flipped to another page. The royal family was up next, but eyes wandered to the very center of the book where the spine was. I held the spine and inspected it, squinting my eyes at the missing pages.

"You should not have gotten these," I said while scrutinizing the spine.

"Whyever not?" asked Deo which made my head shook. The mask that was trained on my palm earlier has now been directed to the book I was holding.

"There were torn pages," I told Deo and gave him back the book which he closed with a single faint thud noise. I still eyed the book, after a second though, I moved on to another. "What could the torn pages probably contained though?" I muttered to myself.

"Then those pages probably does not have anything of significance on them," Deo finally imparted and threw away the book from where I cannot see.

"What is next with prominent figures inside the Dalcanoraz?" I asked curiously, my eyes scanning the child book I was holding.

"Prominent figures." I heard Deo echoed beside me. "There are none."

That was when I looked at him quizzically, not believing one bit of what he was saying and how serious he was. I raised an eyebrow as a form of questioning him and he seemed to understood what I meant by that.

"Just political figures," Deo finally declared his answer, "I never intend you to enter politics so it is also not my intention to get political talking on our lessons," he explained properly while I still looked at him, nodding my head as an agreement.

"I do not believe that I should ever be involved anyways," I agreed with him, "I see no reason to engage myself with political talks."

"Yes," Deo muttered after what I said, "that is good. No need to get your hands filthy regarding those with so much greed. Such is the nature of the politics."

I was brought back to reality by the creaking noise of the door. By my side, I could not see any trace if Miss Eris, her bright smile seemed to have provided the room with light earlier and with her absence, darkness seemed to have descended inside my room.

I sighed heavily, my mind was already taking off to wonder who was the intruder this time.

"Leigh asked me to keep you company," a voice said and, at that point, my hand was already filled with energy, vibrating and begging to be released.

I searched and called for the golden light butterflies, but they did not come. I realized that I have not seen them around all day though I was already awake with only aching limbs. I pursed my lips and coldly pointed my gaze at the one who just entered my room.

"Who are you?" I asked the person. I only heard a faint chuckle at my side.

"That won't help you," the person who entered warned me, though their tone lacked conviction and I became certain that they were not here to murder me or harm me since I do not feel any murder intent within them. "Your hands still hurt and your rib has yet to heal. Just recuperate, Lady Alaric. Or should it be Alaric Elliot?"

My blood boiled on my veins and arteries, and I wanted to rip the bandages out of my body jusy to prove to the i***t that I was fine and I do not really, definitely, need any of these apparatuses that was on my body.

But I was too weak, the only thing I could manage was to pierced the person with my glare, hoping that it was enough to convey my message to them.

"I. Asked. You," I enunciated carefully, giving great emphasis with each word. "Who. Are. You."

I do not plan asking a second time around, I have got enough shame not to do that. I weighed my options. I could not just get up and strip myself off this oxygen mask so suddenly and everything else that was monitoring my body. Besides that point, I do not, never, wanted to run around only on my undergarments and a thin hospital gown.

There was simply no way I would have a face for that.

"I'm hurt, Lady Alaric. I'm the one who told Leigh about your accident, even helping Deo on getting your injured self off the Eirini's hands. Don't you know that?"

"If you do not answer immediately," I warned them in return, "I will attack you no matter of what state my body is in."

"I went to such great length, even betraying my whole puppet of a family just to help you get out of there. You might know that, I just remember you came back from an accident, but it'd be nice of you tk be more appreciative."

My response was only the glowing energy on my hand, prepared to be released.

Another chuckle was all they did.

Footsteps arrived shortly after that chuckle and I was graced with the presence of one of the sons of the owner of Academia Amitiel, Cocytus Amitiel. There might humor in his voice earlier, now there was not even a hint of it.

The night was deep and I could see the stars on my glass window as I turned my head the other way, believing that he won't do anything untoward to me. The nurse must have forgotten about closing the curtains. I will have to trouble Cocytus Amitiel of closing them so the sunrise won't bother me in the morning.

"Lady Alaric," he greeted with a small bow.

He inclined his head downwards— a small sign of respect. Since I was lying down on a bed, I exempted myself from inclining my head and only looked at him rather coldly.

"Mr. Amitiel," I greeted back, "what brings you here? Not to kill me, I hope?"

This time, he did not chuckled with my dry humor.