The body of the talking oak tree trembled in agitation. He was shocked beyond his wits when he saw an alive and kicking ability user right before him. Others might not be aware of the importance of the existence of this race but as someone who lives for thousands of millennia, the talking oak tree knew it very well like the back of his hand. If he could just happen to have one. Back at the old times when the world was still young, deities and all creations of light used to coexist with one another.
During that time, there was a forest that is located near the sanctuary of the Supreme Being and it was called Land Of Dawn. The talking oak tree that serves as the guardian of the forest and of the school originally came from that grove. His eyes glistened with tears when he recalled its homeland. The Supreme Being created both creatures of light and darkness, as well as brought deities into existence. Deities and creatures of light were arranged to live togeth
Right after completing the simple ritual of asking permission to the guardian tree, Audrey's group becomes shrouded by the brilliant light emitted by the golden leaves. As soon as the light covered their body, they were teleported away from the heart of Enchanted Forest. Space warps before Audrey's eyes and she saw myriad of colors passing around her. The influx of energy whirling around her makes her feel lightheaded. Her teleportation this time does not feel as pleasant as her previous experiences in teleportation. When Audrey's feet finally felt the solid ground and the gleaming lights before her vanished, she looked around her and saw that Nike and the others had already arrived and they were standing not too far away from each other.The abrupt jolt after the teleportation left the group staggering. They were still feeling a little bit dizzy and nauseous from their teleportation but they don't feel like wasting any time. When they finally scanne
"Woah... This place is so beautiful..."Allan offered his sincere compliment while looking around.Despite their amazement, the groups didn't stop by to immersed themselves and admire the beauty of the place. They still continued to move forward while observing the wonders of the surrounding."Pssshhh.... psshhh...pssshhhh"All of sudden, the wind whistle as if something fast was coming on their way. They felt goosebumps and cold sweat drenched their back."Crap! where under attack!"Nike shouted in panic. Before they could even react, something that looks like needles rained on them. The needles shoot at all direction and the group was caught off guard. Each of them crushed a pearl-like object and in an instant, a protective shield enclosed them. His action was swift but some needles still managed to prick them. The shower of needle-like objects continued to rattle on the protective shield creating a sound remini
The light that was cast on the group by their protective shield was also starting to show signs of dissipating. After some time, it vanishes altogether. Audrey and the rest of the group continued to move deeper into the forest but this time, they become more cautious lest another sneak attack springs up in their group. Yet as if fate was playing tricks on them, when their group started to heightened their wariness and proceeded with more caution, the place becomes relatively safer. It feels like they were traveling into a safe haven instead. They no longer encounter any delays or mishaps, so as a result, the journey went on a lot smoother than expected. Not long ago, they reached the other end of the forest.Taking the place in sight, everyone was befuddled. They all turn their heads and look at Niccoli's direction to ask him what is happening. According to their friend, the outskirt of Dystopia supposed to be right next to the other end of Luminous Mounta
"Very good! That's more like it. Anyways, I'm the newly recruited guardian from The Ancient Domains of Mystery. I was chosen to guard the entrance of Dystopia and if not because of your untimely interruption, I would have done my introduction already. You know??? Gosh! These lads, how troublesome."The group was rendered speechless by how the merpire talked to them.Is that the common norm shared between guardians? After all, it was just a couple of hours when they met the guardian at their school. The talking oak tree is as weird as this merpire before them.[It seems that being weird is part of the basic work etiquette among guardians, I suppose.]Nevertheless, the group still did not lower their guards. It was still unsure whether the merpire was saying the truth or not.On the other hand, seeing how the young warlocks were following clapping obediently after being told to do so while eyeing her suspiciously the merpire chuc
Half an hour later, the group experienced the thrill that only the deep water could bring. So far down in the water, the sunlight is a soft diffuse glow. Those once golden rays from above are only blue in this water and the deeper they swim, the less light can penetrate. The rocks are now silhouettes in the dim. Some feet beneath the surface, they saw the underwater life. Everything was cast blue by the filtered light. The place was festooned by an entrancing panorama. A rocky wall stood up like a sky scrapper. While underwater weeds, kelp, anemones, and corals rose like a Gothic architecture. With the increasing pressure, Audrey began to feel like the water is becoming thicker, like soup. She glanced upward to the surface and her heart rate rises."I've never been this deep before. "She thought to herself. But she knows that there is no going back now. The only way for her is to move forward and dive deeper. Finally, they reached the place. Among the di
The group knew their friend, Andrew, is not someone who will joke around in this kind of situation. So even though they were not sure what exactly was happening, they also started running with all their might while their eyes were tightly shut. Since they cannot see where they were going, they solely rely on their other senses, primarily their sense of hearing. The sound of their running footsteps was mixed with the mirthless laugh in the background. As a known fact, the enigma of being unable to see and left to imagine things is much worse than actually seeing.The giggling continues and it sounded like it was coming everywhere. This causes the group to run even faster and the sheer fright to the unknown that was lurking somewhere almost clouded their ability to think straight. They could only hope that they were taking the right path or they might risk being separated from the rest of the group and subject themselves to face a sc
On the other hand, just like what they suspected, Niccoli got separated from the rest of the group while running. Since his eyes were shut tight at that time, he doesn't know that he was already taking a different route. Although eventually, he realized that his friend was no longer around, he did not dare stop running. It was only when he can no longer here the eerie soft laughing in the background did he stop running. He released his cat, Monami from his storage ring to keep him company. At times like this, he doesn't want to be left alone. It is better to have his cat accompany him, rather than having no one at all."Where am I???? Andrew??????.... Nike!!!!!"He tried to call out for his friends' names. But as he expected, no one answered. It seems that he drifted too far away from them this time. He doesn't know where to go exactly but he was not willing to stay in one place either, so he started walking."Don't be afraid Luna... Ou
[Quick! I can sense Luna's aura... Tell them to follow us. Niccoli seems to found the Pyrusurrectio Fruit Fruit!]Nero told Audrey through their mental link. Since Audrey knew about Nero' ability, she did not hesitate and relay the news to the group."Guys, follow me. I know where Niccoli is."The group did not waste time any further and run after to where Audrey was heading.Fortunately, Niccoli decided to take Monami out of his storage ring.. Because there is no way Nero would be able to sense Luna's aura if she was kept inside the storage ring.Audrey and her friends also felt the tremendous shaking of the ground from where they are. But instead of slowing them down it further incites the group to move even faster. They have to find Niccoli as fast as they could. This sudden shaking couldn't mean anything good. They gritted their teeth to fueled up as they leap from time to time. The cracks seem to get wider. While r
[Distract them for me.]“Was it not only right for Steffi to get to use to eye whenever she feels like it?? I mean, she is older than the two of you so naturally, she was supposed to have more authority above both of you, no?.”“Ehhh… She’ll be fine. I’m the youngest so they should let me wear it more.” (Meredith)“The kid is right. The eldest should have the eyeball. She is a genius” (Steffi)Steve, on the other hand, seemed to get what Audrey was trying to do, so he said something that would surely add fuel to the fire.“But what about the middle child? I am sure, Ariel wants to have her turn too.&rdqu
“Now, where are we? Right, cooking.”Steffi changed the topic on purpose, before turning to her sisters.“I need the eye to check if it's ready, who has it?”“It’s around here, somewhere,”Meredith replied as she started to rummage through a pile of disorganized drawers. She felt obliged to respond since she was the last one to use the Magus Eye. Unfortunately, she forgot where she left it.“The last time I saw it, you put it in the utensils compartment, Meredith” Steffi insinuated using a lazy tone so the other party rebutted,“Don’t use that tone with my name.”Ariel on the other hand joined in this time to inform them that the eye was nowhere to be seen.“It’s not there this time.”After a while of contemplation, Meredith’s face lit up as she recalled something.“Aha! Steffi always put it in the dish cabinet:”And just like that, she found where her sister was hiding it.Consequently, the group found it interesting to watch how the three sisters could be talkative without having t
“I agree with Ariel. Why don’t we invite them over? This way, we could continue our chat there whilst they take their much-needed rest.” This time, it was Meredith who spoke and she deliberately told her sisters this. Nonetheless, she has spoken the words loud enough to be heard by others. The students, on the other hand, were beyond ecstatic when they overhear the ongoing conversation. But decided that it would be best not to allow their emotion to show on their faces. At this point, Meredith turned to the group and greeted them with a bow. “Let me apologize on my sister’s behalf. The thing is, it has been a while since we had visitors. As such, we are no longer accustomed to receiving guests.” She insinuated before she slowly approached the bunch of bewildered youngsters; careful not to bump her toe as she felt her way through the darkness. Her blindness was made obvious by her action and it made her appear pitiful to any onlooker. Truth be told, the Grae’s current act of displ
“Seriously, when will they stop obsessing over Cercei?”Tsking in annoyance, Steffi stealthily moved her slender fingers next to the Magnus Eye with the full intention of taking it back from her younger sister’s possession.“These people were getting on my nerves!”She purposely added this to appeal to her sisters’ sentiment so that their minds could focus somewhere else and they would not notice it once she started hogging the magic eye all for herself again. Meanwhile, her plan worked, as it always did. Ariel readily agreed to her and with a voice full of despondency, she said,“That’s how the mage community works. They fear what they could not understand and so they are set on destroying anything that they cannot control.”Ariel finished with an exasperated sigh. Meredith, on the other hand, could not help but clenched her fist as she was reminded of their good friend’s plight. Then with her brows knitted together, she roared,“The gal did not deserve all this hatred.”Meanwhile, t
On the flip side, rewinding the clock a tad, just a few minutes before Audrey’s group discovered that they unknowingly fall under a spell, the Graes were already watching them. “The eye! Who has the eye?” Meredith, the youngest, shouted at the top of her lungs. Steffi, on the other hand, stepped away from the giant cauldron before answering. “Over here. I had it with me.” She purposely put a safe distance between her and her two sisters before taking the eye out from her pocket. Afterward, she put the eyeball inside her empty socket. Meanwhile, Ariel, the middle child among the three sisters complained, “You again? You are always snagging our eyes by yourself.” “I know right? Give us a chance as well.” Meredith seconded. But Steffi only rolled her removable eye and mumbled, “Oh, shut up! Stop whining, it's because I have more use of this than the two of you combined.” Ariel no longer argued. But Meredith was different. “Give me that, it is my turn today.” She insinuated and
“But this was done in consideration of what was the lesser evil. News about how the petrifying monster has been terrorizing the Black Forest had already reached the ears of the masses and as a result, was causing mayhem among the people; both non-magic and magic practitioners alike. If it was not for that, the mage community would not make a move.” “Terrorizing, you say.” The Grae mockingly repeated Niccoli’s word that struck her noggin the most. Then with a contemptuous scoff, she added, “What an interesting choice of words considering that it was you, students, who made the first move against her. If you were to ask me, I think it is more accurate to say that it was the other way around. You all are the ones doing the terrorizing. You brought the melee with you and now that she retaliated, you turned her into a villain?” Everyone fell silent afterward but it was not because they were trying to come up with better arguments to refute the other party’s words. Rather, it was due to
Audrey was on her dormitory bed when all that happened, and she was absolutely oblivious to the problem that was headed her way. Meanwhile, the results of the examination were announced on the third day. The students gathered around the square early in the morning and crammed in front of the announcement board to check their results. They also wanted to find out which class they had been allocated to. Niccoli dragged Audrey into the heavily obstructed crowd and finally came before the Herbalist Division’s announcement board. Niccoli immediately found their names, and as expected, both of them had obtained the highest marks for the test. They were also allocated to the Herbalist Division’s violet class for that autumn enrollment. Niccoli was also excited to see the name ‘Andrew’ written on the top of the list. Everyone envied her marks. “Andrew! You are the first! You are the first!” Niccoli was extremely surprised and held onto Audrey’s shoulder. He was very excited, and it was as i
[Alright, I must admit it’s my fault this time. My bad.] “As you should!” Ultimately, Nero acknowledged the part he played in inciting the agitated hut to action. But he also did not forget to let Audrey know that he did not appreciate her tone. [Needless to say, raising your voice is completely unnecessary. Besides, getting mad at me won’t change anything, will it? You’re kind of embarrassing me, just you know.] The cat tried to reason out but with her and her friends’ lives at stake and almost put in danger, Audrey did not back away easily this time. “Oh yeah? Then swear to me that from now on, you will be mindful of your choice of words. We have to be careful with every word we are saying because it was not every time that we got a chance to take it back.” Meanwhile, Nero’s response came shortly. However, it was so brief. Moreover, it did not sound sincere either. [Okay. I promised] So Audrey prompted the cat to state the matter precisely because she did not want him to circ
“What if the Graes already took notice of us as soon as we entered their perimeter and right now, we are under a spell; making our eyes play a trick on us? What if what we are seeing right now is not real?”“Well, if that is the case, then I guess there is only one way to check it.”Audrey insinuated and without wasting another breath, she said the passphrase."Turn your back to the forest, your front to me."Slowly, it dawned on the others as well what was possibly happening and so without waiting to be told what to do, they recited the same thing too."Turn your back to the forest, your front to me."They whispered into the air one after another and almost immediately, the landscape changed into something else, right before their naked eyes.Everyone watched with an awestruck face as the trees turned into fences. At the same time, just a few feet away from where they were standing, they noticed how an empty lot from moments ago started to morph into what seemed to be an inconspicuou