Contrary to what I expected of her, Belaury’s attitude towards me was nothing but friendly from the moment she concluded I was blessed. For example, she had no issues accommodating to my newfound semi-nocturnal tendencies. When I mentioned it, she even considered it convenient.

“Fewer humans around,” she said.

Because of that, my lessons were appointed to start late in the afternoon, with some of them probably ending well into the night. Anna was concerned about this arrangement at first. It was mostly regarding the suspicion this sudden change would generate back at the centre. Explaining my new sleeping habits to them wasn’t the problem, of course. The troubling part was giving an actual reason for me to be outside after dark when I still had plenty of time to practise during the day.

Alex ended up being the simplest solution to our problems. With him wanting to go back to his now preferred nocturnal lifestyle and his interest in my magic, we had the perfect cover. Except for weekends because of my family, I could use my time under the sun to focus on my flight training, whilst the sunset would be meant for ‘our’ magic learning. In a sense it would be true, although Belaury rejected the vampire as her apprentice.

My teacher stated two reasons for this. The first one being that she had always wanted to teach someone with a blessing. She wouldn’t have offered it otherwise. According to her, it was a great honour to do so in the past. The second was that, unlike her husband, Belaury favoured quality over quantity. In other words, she only wanted one student.

Still, she understood we needed Alex for the plan to work, so she let him spectate her lessons as long as he remained quiet. I also managed to convince her into adding Sylvia to our group. She didn’t have any interest in using magic. All she wanted was to keep me company, so Belaury had no reason to refuse her like she did Allison, who was still struggling with the basics.

The giantess was assigned to Viken instead, who would teach her and Rex in the mornings. Unfortunately for Anna, this schedule left little to no time for her to improve her own magic, so she had to wait until we no longer needed the boat for my own training. Lily, on the other hand, still feared going outside. She was clearly getting better, but it wasn’t something she wanted to do daily, yet. Additionally, summer break was just a few days away from ending, and Dr. Blake did promise to tutor her himself. Considering how busy he was, I wondered how he would do it, though.

Belaury’s first lesson began right after we finished planning our new routine. Since it was still early and we barely knew each other, she took the opportunity to pull me away from the group by saying she wanted to get acquainted with her apprentice in privacy. The rest remained with Viken, most likely talking some more about the past.

Once we were far enough from them, my new teacher made me gather a tiny ball of water from the lake and hold it until I felt my body’s warning. She sat on the floor next to me and watched silently whilst I did it. It didn’t take more than five minutes when I reached that point.

“I’m starting to feel a bit dizzy,” I told her, dropping the water back into the lake. “What’s the purpose of this, anyway?”

“I wanted to see your current limit,” she replied.

“Was it good?”

“No, it was awful. Even if we take your demonstration into account.” Seeing my disappointment, she smiled wryly. “Don’t worry. I’m just playing with you. It’s normal for children to have such low capacity. Especially considering you just started.” She paused for a moment, then asked, “Did you use magic before our meeting?”

“A bit, yeah.”

Belaury clicked her tongue. “I messed up. I should’ve asked first. We could’ve had a practical lesson instead.” She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Well, it’s not a complete loss. You’ll need to do this quite a few times if we want to improve your capacity.”

“Does that mean you don’t mind if I come already empty sometimes?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Why would you use magic before your training?”

“Anna’s dad often asks me to do it so they can learn more. They don’t force me, but it would be weird if I suddenly start refusing to help.”

“I see.” Belaury looked down and thought briefly about it. She then turned to Viken’s group and shouted, “Does your father know that one’s mana capacity increases with training?”

“He doesn’t,” Anna answered, just as loud. “It’s the first time I hear something like that.”

“Good.” She slumped her shoulders and sighed. “Very well. As much as I’d prefer that you didn’t show them anything and kept your mana for our sessions, I have to agree with you; it’s better to keep appearances. I’ll allow it on one condition.”

I gestured for her to continue.

“I want you to come fresh tomorrow. If he asks you to do anything, think of an excuse that will convince him. We need to measure your full capacity. Once we have that, we can simply keep your progress hidden from him. That way, you will reach a point where his requests won’t affect you at all.”

I smiled and nodded. “I’ll do it! Thank you, Tea-uh... how do you say teacher in your language?”

“I don-Why do you want to know?” Belaury replied, looking away. Her voice quivered.

Confused by her reaction, I explained myself. “I just thought you’d prefer it if I called you that. Yesterday, you made it clear you don’t like the common tongue.”

“You’re right. I did... Still, you don’t need to worry about it.” She dismissed it with her hand. “You can just call me Bel. If you’re not comfortable with that, Teacher is enough. Maybe once you learn enough Gelspraen to hold a conversation...”

I looked down briefly.

And here I thought she would be delighted.

“Okay. I understand. Can you tell me how to say it, though?”

“Why? I just told you it’s not necessary.”

Why is she so against it?

“I need to start somewhere, right?”

Belaury sighed and looked away. “I… I don’t know, okay?” she whispered.

My eyes widened. “You don’t know?”

“I forgot my language!” she shouted, getting everyone’s attention. “I don’t know how to say anything anymore!”

“What do you mean?” Anna asked, walking closer.

Belaury bit her lip, and a tear ran down her cheek despite her attempts to prevent it.

“It is the punishment from Oring,” Viken commented as he followed Anna. “Bel made a vow to speak not the common tongue ever again, and she broke it. Now it is the only one she knows.”

“Wait,” Anna said, stopping in her tracks and turning to look at Viken. “The punishment is real!?”

Belaury cleaned her face and glared at her. “Of course it’s real, you twit! Why would we lie about it?”

Noticing Anna’s expression towards the insult, I tried to defuse the situation by pulling at my teacher’s sleeve, getting her attention back. “Can you learn it again?”

“Yes, I can,” she replied before taking a deep breath. “Though I don’t know how long it will take me. I’m not the fast learner I was centuries ago.

“Anyway, that’s enough about my curse,” She continued, cleaning her face. “We should focus on your own learning. Vik, darling, could you take that ignorant brat back with you so I can teach my apprentice in peace?”

Anna frowned and huffed at her before turning around and walking back to the group. Viken bowed to her in response.

Once both of them were far enough, Belaury focused on me again. “Sorry about that.”

I nodded. While I didn’t agree with her behaviour, I understood that the punishment was probably difficult for her. I also appreciated no longer being the target of such insults.

“Now then, before we start with our actual lesson, I’d like to know more about yourself. First of all, what is a demon? How did your race get that name?”

“Is… is that really necessary?”

“Rather than necessary, it’s convenient,” she replied, calmly. “Elemental magic may be the same for all races, but that doesn’t mean you will use it the same way I do. Knowing about your race might give me an idea on what to expect from you.” She raised an eyebrow. “Could it be that you’re still not comfortable in that body of yours?”

I denied it with my head. “It’s the opposite, I think. It hasn’t been a week since I fully became a demon, yet I feel as if I had always been one.”

“Then?”

I looked down as I thought about the best way to answer the uncomfortable question. Her not knowing anything about demons was better for me, but she would find out sooner or later, so decided to tell her everything. “Well, it has more to do with how I think many people will see me. The word was created by the Erelian Faith. According to their legends, demons were the minions of the old gods. They are supposed to be the harbingers of misfortune for mankind.”

Belaury’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Do you believe in this religion?”

I snorted. “Of course not. Even less after I became this.”

“Why did the humans choose that name? Is it your appearance?”

“Yes. We are the spit image of how those beings were depicted. Anna told me that people would’ve called us demons regardless of the name they gave us, so they were trying to get us used to it before we were reintroduced to society. That was until a vampire was caught trespassing someone’s home, and a group of people decided to destroy what they thought to be a monster den.”

My teacher gave a short hum. “Does that mean humans are already aware of your existence?”

“No,” I replied, shaking my head. “Many are suspicious regarding vampires, though. The government has been covering up those incidents, but Anna said that the secret will not hold for much longer.”

“I see. I find it interesting that they are keeping you a secret.”

I shrugged. “Maybe not all humans are the same.”

She frowned in response. “Considering what you say may happen if you get discovered, I doubt it. Don’t trust them just because they seem nice. Luckily, the blessing you received is great for self-defense. Do demons have any special abilities or characteristics I should be aware of?”

I looked up, listing everything I’d learned up to that point. Flying, slow aging, height, night vision, the growling, and my newfound running limitations. Even the tiny details like my hearing or the theories about the markings on my face. She looked at me in silence all that time.

“Anything else?” she asked after taking in all the information. Nothing I said seemed to surprise her. Not even my age.

I shook my head. “Does any of this really change how you teach me? What else is there other than freezing stuff?”

Bel chuckled. “There’s more to elemental magic than just being able to use it, my young apprentice.” She smiled as she referred to me that way. “A blessing is very helpful, but it’s nothing more than a shortcut in the end. All it really does is save you months or even years of studies that we, normal mages, have to go through before we can even think of using it. Other than that, you’re still bound by the same limitations we are.”

“Years?” I asked with a frown. I couldn’t understand how it could take so much to do it.

She nodded. “It depends on the individual, of course. Our ability with magic is proportional to our knowledge of nature, and some have trouble grasping the concepts. In your case, it’s clear that you, at the very least, understand what heat is. It shows that you’ve already gone through some of the studies required for that branch of elemental magic. Even if you weren’t blessed, it wouldn’t take you as long to get there as someone who starts from nothing.”

“Are you saying that such knowledge already existed back then?”

She blinked rapidly in reaction to my question. “How else do you think we could’ve used magic if it didn’t?” she asked back.

According to history, the study of thermodynamics was much more recent than what Belaury was implying. In a sense, it didn’t surprise me. They also knew about viruses, which were also discovered around that time, almost 300 years ago.

Were humans that far behind other cultures?

If that was the case, it didn’t make sense to me that humans had the technological advantage.

Things aren’t adding up.

She seems to be telling the truth, though.

Not knowing what to think, I simply let it go for the time being. I was in no position to draw out any conclusions. It didn’t hurt to keep my guard up, though.

“Well?”

I gasped. “Sorry, I spaced out. I… I didn’t think about it, I guess.”

“Knowledge is power, remember that. It’s particularly important for us, elementarists. Anyone can learn how to throw a rock or light up a torch, but it’s our ingenuity that gives us the real edge, not only to defend ourselves, but making our daily lives easier. The best way to get that is through studies and experience. My duty is to grant you the first one. The latter is something you’ll get on your own.”

“What does my race have to do with that?” I asked once more.

She smiled at my question. “Patience is also important when studying magic, but I understand. Let me give you an example.” Her hand extended towards the lake, and a fair amount of water rose to it, quickly taking the shape of a short sword before freezing. The weapon then floated towards me. “Go ahead, take it.”

I hesitated at first. Based on experience, and from what she told me, I knew I wouldn’t be hurt by it. My mind, however, insisted that it was a bad idea. I took a deep breath and grabbed it. As expected, I was fine. I could tell it was very cold; it just didn’t harm me. Inspecting the rather heavy weapon, the first thing I noticed was that it was quite thick. “I don’t think I can cut anything with this.”

My teacher hummed in amusement. “Are you sure?”

I frowned at her question and looked at it again. “Even if it doesn’t break, I don’t think it’s sharp enough.”

“Why don’t you give it a try? Practise with that tree over there.”

I looked at what she was pointing at. It was an old tree. Its trunk was thicker than my whole body, which only added to my confusion. Next to it was a much younger tree. Thin enough that I could probably break it with my own strength, rather than slice through it. Pointing at the smaller target with a questioning look earned me a simple head shake from her. I pointed towards the bigger one, and she nodded, smiling and biting her lip in anticipation. Anticipation of what? I was, most likely, about to find out.

I walked to the tree and took a stance, eyeing the odd weapon one more time before swinging at the trunk with all of my strength. The sword chipped on impact, and the force sent to my hands made me drop it out of pain, but nothing else happened. My body couldn’t muster enough strength to do any damage. Belaury then stood beside me and wrapped her cloak around her hand before lifting the weapon from the floor. She adopted a similar striking pose and swung at the trunk, causing the sword to shatter completely.

“What was the purpose of that!?” I shouted, pointing with my open hand at the scattered pieces of ice melting on the floor. Although it was impressive that she packed such strength at her age, the weapon did just what I expected. The strike was enough to leave a mark on the bark, and I was sure it could cause some serious blunt damage to a person, but there was no point in using such a thing unless there was no other choice.

Seeing my confusion, Belaury broke into laughter. “I’m merely showing you how different we are. You asked what your race has to do with anything, and this is the answer.”

I shook my head and pouted. “I don’t get it.”

She sat down and patted the ground in front of her, waiting for me to do the same. Once I did, she explained, “Both of us can make weapons out of ice, and your blessing even lets you hold them without protection, but look at what happened when you tried to hit the tree. Had we been fighting, you would’ve lost to me, an elderly elf. If that’s the case, then what would you do against a human who is way superior in terms of strength?

“Now, I know you are still a child, but you mentioned that demons are rather short compared to us, and that the ability to fly probably took away power in other areas, so this example still applies. To clarify, this doesn’t mean that demons are inferior to others, but do keep in mind that each race has different characteristics, and that trying to fight on equal terms is not wise.”

“What if I don’t want to fight?”

She snorted. “Then you better get good at escaping, because, from what you told me, it’s clear peace won’t be an option soon. Regardless of what you choose, magic will be your ally, and it’s important that you learn how to use it in a way that compliments your abilities.”

__________

Since I didn’t have enough mana for a practical lesson, Belaury spent the rest of the afternoon teaching me the history of magic and the races. She began by telling me that mana wasn’t originally something living beings were able to produce. Rather, it was something that suddenly appeared thousands of years ago on a mystical island far from the main continent. The name she used to refer to this place was one I never heard of; however, based on the location my teacher described, it could have only been Varazt Island.

According to her, the constant exposure to the raw mana concentrations of this place was what led most life forms there into gaining the ability to absorb this mana and, eventually, even produce it on their own. The common ancestor of elves and draell was among those same creatures. These sentient beings were curious of their surroundings and didn’t take long to notice the changes this new phenomenon brought with it. Their lifespans slowly increased with every generation, although they grew less and less fertile as a result. Occasionally, some of them were born with supernatural abilities. Such individuals often claimed to hear strange voices and see visions of strange entities.

It reminded me of the weird dreams I started having after getting infected, as well as the voice I heard the day before.

These entities presented themselves as gods or spirits, and those who received their favour were said to be blessed. At first, only the blessed could harness the powers of magic, or rather, common folk didn’t know how to. However, thanks to their increasing knowledge of nature and with the guidance of those who were chosen, everyone was soon able to use it to a certain degree. They were not alone in this journey, though. Similar to them, some of the wild creatures that inhabited the island experienced drastic changes over the course of mere centuries. The magical prowess of these beings occasionally surpassed those of the elven ancestors. They became dangerous, able to use all sorts of magic on instinct, rather than knowledge. It was almost as if every animal was blessed.

Fearing for their safety, a large portion of their population sought shelter in the large cave systems the island provided. There, the natural mana deposits were not as abundant, so the fauna hadn’t developed as much. They were relatively safe, but the price for that safety was a life of darkness. This new environment and the ever present raw mana caused them to evolve rapidly into what would later be known as dark elves, or Draell.

Both races continued growing in their respective environments. They kept getting stronger, wiser. Some of them even had magic infused weapons to aid them in battle. Unfortunately for them, the creatures didn’t stop either, and what’s worse, they improved faster. Soon, not even the draell were safe in their caves, and so, the elfkin decided to leave the island. Some elves stayed, refusing to abandon the land they called their home, but everyone knew they wouldn’t make it. Considering the current state of the island, it was clear they didn’t. Those who escaped eventually made it to the main continent. A place without traces of mana. There, they made their first contact with mankind.

Their relationship was good at first. Crossbreeding was even common among them. Millenia passed, and as a result of such actions, more races came to be. This meant that dwarfs, giants, gnomes and vampires were all descendants of both humans and elfkin. Belaury didn’t go into detail about how each of those came to be, though. Apparently, the gods also had a hand in it.

The rest of the story was pretty much what I knew already. Kingdoms rose and lived in relative harmony for many centuries. That was until humans and gnomes decided they had enough of sharing the world with those who could use magic and started the war that led to the extermination for six out of seven races. The lesson ended in such a bad note. Again. Although, I still learned a lot from it.

Sunset came, and the elven couple decided it was time for them to go. Viken bowed to us and wished us a good night. Belaury ignored the others as she patted my shoulder twice and reminded me of our deal for tomorrow before joining Viken as he walked into the woods. We waved at them until we couldn’t see them anymore and then headed back to the centre. Spending all of my mana made me very hungry.