Enchanting Embers: Dance with the Divine

Chapter 14: Dispute

Aurora wasn't a very diligent person.

Most of her day was spent sleeping, but once she determined to accomplish something, she could invest herself with an unimaginable amount of enthusiasm and energy.

Like changing accents.

From stress patterns to intonations, from softening sounds to rolling 'r's, including notable or slight differences in certain consonant pronunciations—changing them all wasn't an easy task.

However, her parents came from different races, each with their own native language. Her upbringing was filled with the lingua franca of humans, and after moving to the Eastern Continent, she had to learn demon language as well. Since childhood, she was in a constant state of learning languages.

Her parents never used a unified language in daily life. During occasional arguments, things became even more chaotic. Learning languages wasn't unfamiliar to her; she even dared to say she was quite experienced.

She gritted her teeth and refused to live a life where she slept whenever she felt tired, even after the festival ended. She kept going to the town every day—chatting with elderly folks sitting on the steps, shopkeepers idling at the market due to scarce customers, and even the orcs drinking in the tavern. As long as the other party didn't show any signs of rejecting her joining the conversation, the girl would politely chat with them.

While listening and speaking, Aurora imitated the pronunciation and habits of everyone around her—even if they were dissimilar. Still, they were significantly different from the accents in the Haiden Empire.

Occasionally, she encountered Vivian and Alex, a couple of very young individuals from their races, who always seemed very busy lately. They had different tasks to handle, and getting married seemed quite complicated.

They exchanged greetings, and the girl, holding her pile of notes, watched them leave in a hurry, biting her lip.

Both of them had praised her progress. She sounded more and more like a resident of the Eastern Continent, and the remnants of her life in Magnolia City seemed to fade away with time.

As midsummer approached, the weather grew hotter. There was a constant turnover of orcs at the tavern—many were warriors from the outposts across the Red River, coming to drink in the human town and leaving with a few barrels of alcohol. Some were passing cavalry; their mounts waited outside the tavern—nimble black panthers, winged pegasi, rhinos clad in heavy armor, proud and winged griffins, and occasionally even dragon beasts. They stood or crouched, waiting for their partners to come out, their gazes cold and sharp as they surveyed the surrounding humans.

A few orcs set down their empty cups and walked out of the tavern. Among them, the werewolf captain was in a good mood; he reached out, lifted the golden-haired girl onto his mount, and then sent her back to the village.

When they reached the doorstep, Aurora jumped off the bird dragon's back and absentmindedly touched the creature's massive head.

The usually proud bird dragon hummed contently, tilting its head up. Its beautiful plumage, shimmering in green and purple, trembled in the wind, expressing its joyful mood.

The werewolf rider on the dragon was somewhat surprised, "She likes you."

"Oh."

Aurora looked at the bird dragon. It had a pair of amber eyes, half-transparent eyelids, bright as sparkling yellow crystals. The vertical pupils seemed a bit intimidating, but she didn't feel that way.

"You're very beautiful, miss," Aurora plucked up the courage to touch her again, then looked up at the wolf rider, "How could one have a companion like her, sir?"

The dragon creature hummed again, obviously quite satisfied with this confession. The group of orcs had never seen such a scene; they exchanged glances. The werewolf glanced at her, "In the northern part of the Whispering Forest, there are many of her kind. Fight with them until someone among them acknowledges you."

The cavalry squad galloped away across the plains and soon disappeared at the end of the road.

Actually, Aurora had more questions to ask, such as whether they would swarm and tear her apart, or if she might starve to death in such a vast forest without finding their lair. However, if she were to ask, these bloodthirsty orcs, accustomed to battle, would surely look down upon her.

The girl turned back to her home in a huff.

What she didn't know was that, several kilometers away in the fields, orc cavalry soldiers were rolling off their mounts, faces filled with horror. These elite warriors knelt on the road, their postures showing reverence and humility.

Pressing their hands against the ground, they almost buried their heads into the roadside grass.

Even the magical beasts or dragon-like mounts all bowed down on the ground. The lead bird dragon was trembling all over, fear evident in its golden eyes.

Not far ahead of them, someone stood in the middle of the road, lost in thought.

A demon-faced boy tilted his head, his eyes shining like molten gold. He held a completely icy-blue four-winged frostbird in his hand.

This eighth-tier ice-type magical beast, capable of freezing an entire ocean with a single breath, was a formidable existence wherever it went. However, at this moment, it lay dead, showing no signs of injury except for its neck twisted into an odd angle.

Yet, none of the orcs, including their mounts, dared to look at the person or even glance at what he held in his hand. They fixed their gaze on the ground, counting the clumps of grass in front of them over and over.

The person walked past them as if they weren't there at all.

In truth, he had only stopped because of the orcish aura nearby; otherwise, these individuals wouldn't have noticed him.

After a while, the werewolf captain raised his head. He hadn't heard the person's footsteps; it was only through a mental link that he felt his companion suddenly relax, confirming that the individual had left.

He sighed in relief and called his silent subordinates back to attention.

The orcs mounted their steeds with various expressions, their mounts drooping. Silently, they urged their companions to gallop away, fearing being turned to ashes by heavenly fire if they lingered for a second longer.

Aurora was oblivious to all this.

Shortly afterward, the girl, holding her compendium of magical beasts, now accustomed to flipping through it backward, quickly found the page about the four-winged frostbird.

An eighth-tier ice-type magical beast, elusive and proud, usually having its own territory, relentless toward intruders. They often froze enemies into ice sculptures and then shattered them. Given they typically resided in snowy mountains, encountering these beasts in the Eastern Continent was only probable north of the Frostblade Mountains.

She placed the neatly arranged meat into the oven, sat back to sort through the feathers, and asked, "Where did you find this? Did you go to the North?"

The feathers were long and sturdy, the covers slightly softer. They spread out on the skirt like brilliant ice-blue frost flowers.

Reluctantly, Ian nodded.

Markas was quite distant from the northern regions in the central part of the continent, and it was virtually devoid of fire trolls. She asked curiously, "Why?"

"I had an argument with my mother," the young demon grumbled, twisting his mouth. "She hates it."

...Never mind.

Aurora stopped dwelling on it. She put down the feathers and looked at the cold magic crystal.

A layer of frost mist covered the core, tiny ice crystals oozed out, gradually melting into vapor in the air. Then, faint whispers of ice elemental spirits resonated, either singing softly or summoning something—voices coming closer and then fading away.

When Aurora looked up, she could even see these ice spirits dancing around her, like fairies in a snowstorm from a fairy tale. An indescribable force surged like tides, and the girl excitedly stood up.

Ian, sitting on the table, glanced at her.

The ice spirits emitted frightened screams, dispersing like ashes melted by intense heat, vanishing into thin air.

Aurora was shocked. "What did you do?"

The young demon looked at her, tilting his head. "Are these the elemental spirits you mentioned?"

"I think so," the girl said uncertainly. "Why... do they seem so afraid? I didn't know elemental spirits could feel fear?"

Unfortunately, she couldn't answer her own questions, and the other person was likely equally perplexed—

"Of course," unexpectedly, Ian nodded without much expression, stating a fact, "They fear me."

If there was something in this room that could frighten elemental spirits, there might be only one answer. However, Aurora found it strange, "Do you... do you really know about magic and elemental spirits? I feel like you were just messing with me earlier."

"I know them; they're everywhere—"

Ian hesitated, looking at her without knowing how to articulate it, "I don't know their names in human languages."

He could sense the existence of elemental spirits but didn't know how they were named in the lingua franca. Aurora guessed that was the meaning, "So... do you know where they went?"

The young demon paused, pointing into the air. "They're still here."

Aurora and Ian stared at each other, a standoff that lasted a few seconds. The girl opened her mouth, suddenly realizing the issue, "So, it's not that they disappeared, but my mental strength isn't enough to sense their presence—is that it? But why?"

She fretted while holding the magical crystal, but this time, Ian couldn't provide her with answers, as he hadn't fully understood what was happening either.

"Never mind. I'll figure out what's going on sooner or later," Aurora slumped back on the couch. "Did I tell you that in a while, maybe next month or at the latest in autumn, I'm going to Belya—the capital of the Tavren Empire? There's the most famous magic academy, countless ninth-tier mages graduate from there. I plan to take their test; if I'm admitted, I'll stay, and if not, I'll find another school. Anyway, I'm going to study magic."

The young demon needed a moment to react to this long speech. He pondered for a while, realizing the crucial point of the matter: she was planning to leave the village.

In truth, Ian didn't care much about where Aurora lived. Given he wasn't constantly in the Dark City, which was too dull for him, he wouldn't kill his soldiers casually. Without someone to fight, they lost their purpose.

The young demon's eyes lit up. "I can go with you!"

Aurora couldn't quite place her feelings; this proposition was entirely unexpected.

She looked at him somewhat bewildered, but deep down, she realized she didn't have much reason to refuse. Subconsciously, she had already accepted it.

Moreover, these several feathers from eighth-tier magical beasts would be enough to buy a house and pay for tuition. As for the rest, she could take care of herself and this guy.

"But can you leave here for a long time? I remember you said you were in the army... Won't the people around you mind?"

Ian frowned. "Mind what?"

Aurora pondered for a moment, suddenly feeling something was off. "Although I've never served in the army, commanders or soldiers... Aren't they supposed to be at their posts except during holidays? What if the Holy See's army or some deity's followers return?"

The young demon's face visibly worsened in an instant.

He grunted irritably, "Those useless bunch!"

Ian didn't hide his disdain. He grabbed a pastry and grumbled incoherently, "They... Elvis's underlings... that trash... always seeking death... and then I have to go..."

Although Aurora wasn't fond of spending money, considering someone's preferences, she bought a bunch of pastries and sweets in town as snacks while waiting for the barbecue. Seeing him finish one, she pushed over a tin of snacks again but couldn't quite make out what he was saying, likely about military matters or the battlefield.

"I know many mixed-race individuals from dark races studying in the Tavren Empire. They only reject spies from the Western Continent," Aurora said with experience. "So, it's fine for us to go to Belya together. And for you, maybe you can request leave from your superiors?"

Ian looked at her perplexed, repeating the word, "Leave?"

"Um, leave means telling your superior or someone that you need to be away for a while—" she wasn't sure if it was feasible, the girl gritted her teeth, "Or, if he or she likes something, we could bribe them..."

At other times, Ian might not have dwelled on parts he didn't understand. But now, the situation was different. He pondered for a moment with his head tilted. "What's a superior?"

"You—the person you report to for work?" Aurora noticed his continued confusion. She thought for a moment. "Oh, on the battlefield, who do you take orders from?"

"No one orders me." The young demon understood this time. He stated firmly, "I do whatever I want."

"Is that so," Aurora said skeptically. "I find that highly unlikely."

Ian thought hard for a moment. "Well, sometimes I don't want to go, but my mother, like last time, she just sent me there, and those people, they died instantly. So boring."

"You... what?" Aurora stared at him in disbelief, unable to picture the specific scene. But when this guy spoke, she had to use her imagination. She pondered for a moment, "Are you saying she used some kind of magic to teleport you from one place to the battlefield?"

The young demon thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Wow," Aurora couldn't help but marvel, "She sounds really powerful. Talents in spatial magic are much rarer than elemental magic, and it's said to be particularly difficult to practice—perhaps you should learn from her."

"...I don't like these messy things," Ian didn't quite agree with the suggestion. He shook his head with some annoyance. "Forget it, don't go."

"You can't decide what I do," Aurora sighed helplessly. "I absolutely have to learn magic, and you can't teach me. You don't even know what's going on—"

"What do you want to learn!"

The young demon interrupted her loudly, extending his tail to hook around her waist and abruptly dragging her off the couch.

Aurora almost stumbled but didn't fall to the ground. Instead, she was lifted forcefully. The devilish demon stared at her unrelentingly.

"I'll take you to meet Mother! She knows everything!"

Aurora was suspended in the air, feeling the tightness around her waist and abdomen, her ribs almost crushed.

She thought of many swear words but found it incredibly hard to speak in this situation. "...Let me go!"

Ian stared stubbornly at her, the golden-like eyes again exuding a savage gleam. The air around them became heavy, an indescribable pressure converging from all directions. "No."