Chapter 25
However, people cannot be so free. Living in this world means being connected to this world. Sylas lived among the crowds and eventually became a high-ranking demon beast that everyone coveted. Even now, hiding in the depths of the Elemental Gate, even if she could find a way to survive in this barren land, she would certainly cause an elemental catastrophe.
This world would definitely know of her existence and would surely react because of it.
The archmage gave her a thumbs up, while Sylas was spinning and releasing small fireballs that looked like shooting stars. They suddenly appeared, cutting through the air, and finally fell at the edge of the barrier, bursting into burning flames upon impact.
The child hid in the fire, tilted her head, and smiled at her. Some sparks from the flames ignited her hair, yet she seemed unaware and didn't dodge. Xerath quickly removed the feathers of the wind barrier, held onto the golden light, and rushed into the test field.
The tidal force caused by the golden light tore open the Elemental Realm, causing a large amount of water to surge out. Water bubbles surrounded Sylas, once again giving her that annoying feeling where she couldn't hear any sound. The archmage raised his hand in front of her, and raindrops appeared above her head. Each water droplet destroyed a spark, hissing sounds echoed incessantly. The archmage walked up to her and said sternly, "I remember telling you not to cast spells at yourself. Did I not?"
Sylas was startled and then swung her arms in the water bubble. Xerath dispersed the bubble, and Sylas fell onto the wet ground, while Xerath quickly pulled her up.
"Xerath...Xerath..."
"Answer me, yes or no."
"Yes..."
"Should I punish you?"
Sylas pursed her lips, while Xerath still spoke sternly, "When you make a mistake, you should be punished, yes or no?"
"...Yes..." the little girl pouted, and diamond-like tears fell softly.
However, Xerath remained unmoved, coldly uttering from her pale lips, "Very well, I command you..."
Sylas covered her shoulder, almost kneeling down, but Xerath pushed her shoulder, forcing her to stand.
"Admit your mistake and apologize!"
"I was wrong!"
"What went wrong?"
"I... I... tried to cast a spell on myself, but it didn't work... Xerath... sob..."
"It's okay now." Xerath gently touched her head and took out a handkerchief from the pocket of her robe. She wiped away Sylas's tears and softly said, "I'm sorry, I also apologize to you. It was my fault today. I should have cast a wind shield spell for you. Let's take a break, okay?" Sylas nodded, and a few more tears slipped from her eyes. Xerath had no choice but to pick her up and walk upstairs, using the handkerchief as a cushion on her shoulder so she wouldn't smear her expensive robe with snot. "Don't cry..."
Sylas obediently stopped crying, but she couldn't control the emotions that made her want to cry. She kept choking on Xerath's shoulder.
"..." The archmage patted her back and sat down, holding her. "You can still cry it out."
The weather today was gloomy, and the wind started blowing early. Combined with the dimly lit room and the sound of the little girl crying, a very heavy atmosphere was created. Xerath had to take her to sit by the window near the terrace, hoping that the scenery outside could slightly soothe her emotions.
It seemed to work a bit. Sylas's crying gradually stopped, and a small voice reached her ears from Xerath's shoulder. "I just..."
"Hmm?"
"Fire, like you, eyes, 'extraordinary', I don't do like, oh..."
The archmage had a moment of not knowing how to handle it. But there was still something important to tell Sylas.
"Sylas..." Xerath originally tried to face Sylas directly, but gave up due to the child's insistence. "Thank you for your praise. Besides that, I have something more important that I hope you understand."
Sylas even clung to her embrace, refusing to take her face out. Xerath sighed and gently patted her back, saying, "Magic is a dangerous tool. Many people have died from their own magic. Only careful people can eventually control it. You promised me, from now on, remember not to use harmful spells on yourself, okay? I don't want to see you hurt, and I definitely don't want to see you die by your own hands."
Sylas was still crying, but she nodded. Xerath sincerely hoped she would remember those words. Hyectra quietly brought a fresh handkerchief, and Xerath lifted her chin, wiping away the tears on her face, speaking as gently as possible, "It's windy now, would you like to see it?"
The Elemental Gate always had wind, and for Xerath, wind meant a storm. The storm was still a distance away from them, but Sylas was already drawn to the vibrant orange center of the storm, gradually ceasing her cries.
"Shall we... go outside to see? Even though I can't let you play freely, would you like to go out?"
"Hmm."
She could tell that Sylas was still not very happy, but her attention was undoubtedly drawn by the peculiar sight on the horizon.
"The wind and water interacted, forming clouds. Although the clouds look small, it's only because they are far away from us. A single cloud might be even bigger than the largest mountains on land."
"Really?"
Xerath said, "Yes, objects that are closer to us appear bigger, but once you move away, they seem to get smaller." She held a water droplet in her hand and then moved her hand further away. "This is called 'perspective'."
"Perspective..." Sylas chewed on the word, finding it difficult to understand. However, Xerath continued, "Clouds hold unimaginable energy within them, and lightning and rain come from them."
"Why?"
Xerath didn't quite understand. "Why what? Try to describe it clearly."
"White clouds, no lightning. Black clouds, yes lightning."
Xerath thought for a moment and said, "...no one knows for sure yet. Lightning is too far away from us, and it's also very dangerous. Some people speculate that different elements mix into the clouds, giving them different elemental properties. When these clouds come close together, the elements mix and cause massive elemental disturbances."
As she said this, a lightning bolt shot out from the distant orange Element Heart. Xerath opened the door, set Sylas down, and had an Earth Child help her carry something that seemed heavy to the fragile mage. Finally, she called for Titus as well.
Titus looked at the storm in the distance and whimpered, refusing to come over. Xerath smiled and said, "Titus, are you even afraid of the wind? I heard you come from the biggest sand wolf family in the desert."
Titus barked loudly, full of energy, causing its whole body to jump. Then it took two steps back and tried to jump over from the sofa in the center of the room. Xerath nervously sweated for it and held her breath as Titus narrowly landed on the sofa cushion.
As expected, Titus' hind leg got caught on the back of the sofa, causing the footstool to spin in the air and crash onto the ground with a loud noise. It rolled to Xerath's feet and quickly stood upright as if nothing had happened.
Xerath expressionlessly cleared a path and sat on the armchair, maintaining a serious posture. She picked up Sylas and sat her on her lap, pointing to the center of the storm in the distance. "They aren't scary. They are governed by some very simple rules, many of which have been discovered and confirmed by people."
