The Witcher: Elder Blood

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***

This time I was not alone in the clearing near the academy. Detmold was sitting on one of the fallen trees. He was holding a thin book in his hands, the pages of which were turning over from the beginning for the second time. You could tell from the young man's face that he was fed up with the book itself, with reading it, and with the very situation that had led him to read it again and again.

- Marcellus should have given us practice today,' he kept complaining, but he did not stop reading the book. - 'And that every paragraph would fly off your teeth like swear words when you wake up after your drunkenness,' he said, mimicking the voice of a picky teacher, but he put the book aside, closed his eyes, and, as could be seen by his barely moving lips, tried to retell the text to himself.

- Who's to blame, they decided to get drunk in the academy,' I answered him before practising teleportation.

The space distorts, I pass through the cool film again, just a moment, and now my location becomes unknown. Literally, this multidimensional space does not let you know where exactly you are, only sensations allow you to orientate yourself, in my case magic helps, as in the case of all spellcasters. Now I'm practising without any restrictions - laps in the practice room, so I'm free to choose my own final stop.

- You have to fucking do it behind me,' Detmold scolded as I teleported out behind him. - I'm trying to teach here, in case you haven't noticed.

- He's trying to teach. Knowing our teachers, and especially Marcellus, you don't need to memorise the text so much as understand it, and be able to explain it in your own words,' I walked past the boy, getting back into my old seat, this time moving a little to the side.

- Explain in your own words? - he thoughtfully opens the first chapter, devoted to minerals - aka trace elements - found in water.

After the very basics of magic, students at the academy are taught how to work with the element of water. Not only the control of this element and getting Chaos energy from water, but also such branches as the composition of water. Such in-depth knowledge came to this world together with the elves, they were able to advance far in science, however, it concerned interactions related only to magic itself, and in the first (last too) turn was aimed at expanding the magical capabilities. To put it simply, they have no table of chemical elements, but they can mineralise water created by magic, if the goal is to quench thirst.

- By the way, why the hell are you training in the clearing? You said yesterday that you were given the task to train in the practice hall, - Detmold suddenly drew my attention when he got up from his seat.

- So yesterday I was practising there, now I've moved on to a new stage.

- It's a pity the rector doesn't know about the new stage,' he muttered. - Well, I'll go back to the academy. Maybe after lunch I'll get the exercises into my head.

- After lunch, only lunch will get into it,' he said, 'I'll have to wind down soon, I've been training too long.

- Fuck the Red-Human woman, Eren! - he gave me one last shout. - I'll be in the room if you need me.

Finally alone, I could concentrate better on using teleportation. This time I decided to use the Elder Blood speciality. I was able to notice even yesterday, while jumping around the beacon circles at the academy, that when using the personal energy generated by my own genes, I was able to work with space much more easily. And once I enter that 'nothingness,' it's like the cold is gone.

Yesterday I tried lingering in the 'astral' - that's what I call that place. Even after ten minutes (I counted the time to myself), my condition was fine.

The movement itself was also easier, I would say much easier.

Deciding to experiment a little on my own, I decide to slightly change the principle of teleportation. I wanted to try to make a jump to the right place without travelling into the astral.

It didn't work the first time. I tried over and over again, but the usual teleport came out, or nothing happened at all. Already entering some kind of trance from constant attempts, at one moment I got into the feeling I needed, when you have not yet passed the veil into the astral, but already distorting space. Having remembered this feeling, I started to try again, but this time I tried to distort the space not in front of me - forming a film.

By the twentieth attempt I managed to distort the space around me. I was going to move with the help of visual contact with the exit point. I was pulled forward, sharply, and almost fell down immediately after moving.

A pale, translucent bluish line travelled from where I had been earlier. The air near it rippled slightly, signalling a change in space, albeit brief. After a couple of seconds, the line began to drain away, leaving behind no sign of the use of...

Hmm, what to call it. I think the word 'Leap' would be appropriate.

- Well, it's a start,' I rubbed my cheekbone, sore from the impact with the ground, and headed towards the academy. I felt weak, but I'd had a couple of hours of practice, and during the second one I'd used my personal replenishable reserve.

I had no idea how my magic reserve was replenished, but my body didn't know how, so I had to have a big lunch and then take a well-deserved rest.

In the evening of the same day, during which I was training in the fresh air, the rector arrived back to the academy. However, understandably, he had no time for me at that time. The academy itself, the late hours and what to say, he didn't really have much time to devote to my training. But he made up for the lack of time with good training, not for nothing the rector personally learnt from elven wizards, back in the days when elves were not attacked by humans. Among other things, I could easily find in my hands any of the books approved by the rector, obtained directly from his personal library. In general, there was a lot to occupy myself with, except that I had to amuse myself with daily training, in terms of physical and... Yes, I guess you could call them magical exercises.

The next day was also passed without 'supervision', I was only told about a serious conversation that would happen in a day, that is today. Hela Gedimdeit didn't tell me what he wanted to talk about, only mentioning the Elder Blood gene.

Okay, I don't think I'm going to be dissected or anything. The Rector was a surprisingly decent man in that respect. It's even strange, considering his longevity, or whether he doesn't see the prospect of studying me... On the level of an autopsy, with body parts moved into tubes for detailed examination.

I was summoned to a private office, and I went there, knocking before I went inside the cosy room.

Hela Gedimdeit stood at the only large window in the room. His arms were crossed behind him in a lock. His very appearance seemed pensive. This observation was not far from the truth, considering the fact that the rector did not immediately take notice of my appearance.

- You've arrived, Eren,' he turned in my direction and pointed to a chair. - Have a seat. I should explain to you the importance of your gene,' he sat down in his seat right after me. - How are you getting on with teleportation? I've been briefed on your training outside the special practice room.

- I was quite successful, I had no problems with teleportation,' I began to tell him, not at all embarrassed by his words. - I tried using internal energy, slightly tweaking the teleportation method....

His face frowned, and a hard look came over me.

- Space spells are taught last for a reason. Okay using a honed teleportation spell, but altering them could be deadly.

- I understand, that's why I used my personal reserve when experimenting. It makes working with space so much easier, it's like an instinct. Well. - I lied a little bit about that, but it was a lot of tries. - It didn't work the first time, of course, but it was successful.

- All right, well, you can show me your progress later. Now, let's talk about something else. I want to tell you more about your case, about the Elder Blood gene and all the background around it, - the man got up from his chair and began to walk slowly around the room. - At first I wasn't sure if you should know about it or not. The hesitation was due to the second bloodline that is in our world, but more on that later. So, as I told you earlier, you got the gene thanks to Lara Dorren aep Schiadal.

He walked across the room and stopped at one of the bookshelves. He took one of the scrolls neatly stacked on it and looked at it.

- I and a certain group of mages know that Lara Dorren was no ordinary elf. We can call her the fruit of many years of work of the elven race, a kind of genetic charge, which should by idea give birth to a specialised child with another elf. And as it usually happens in complex plans - it didn't work, or rather, the circumstance intervened: Lara Dorren fell in love with a human, got pregnant by him, and later disappeared, apparently having found herself in your world.

He took the scroll he had been reading earlier and returned to his seat, continuing his monologue.

- When I was still studying in Lok Muinn, I came across elven chronicles in the library. They told of the elves' journeys through the worlds, even before the Conjunction of the Spheres. In those days, any elf with even a modicum of magical ability could travel between worlds. But then, after the Conjunction, something unforeseen happened - there were more worlds, but the gates between them were closed.

The scroll was handed to me. I read the text on it, it told about the experiments of some Veduns - elven scientists. The Veduns wanted to restore the ability of the elven race to travel between worlds, for which they created genetic material - the Elder Blood. According to the idea, the carrier of this gene, should be able to open a giant gate for the entire race.

In addition to describing the goals of the Witches, the scroll also contained the beginning of a genetic tree, which I immediately realised came from Lara Dorren's child, who had remained in this world.

A slight smirk came out on my face as I noticed a lone line leading from Lara to me, a bit away from the first tree. Apparently, the rector had put it in after my story.

- So my internal energy is the result of an awakened gene? But I'm able to use it for other spells.

- No, it's not related. Not everyone with the Elder Blood gene is a Source, and not every Source is a carrier of that gene. To be honest, you are the only Source with the gene. Perhaps, it seems to me, the awakened gene automatically makes you an Istok, more powerful and in better control of your powers, unlike normal ones.

- You're an Istok, you have an enviable control of your powers,' I remembered a moment in history where it was mentioned that the Lok Muinn were trained as Istok children.

- Don't compare me to the Istoks you meet sometimes. It took many years to master my powers, to gain control over it... We're getting off topic, back to the Elder Blood. You see, there is a Prophecy of Itlina,' the Rector went back to one of the bookcases, took another scroll, then handed it to me.

A long prophecy was written on the parchment, with a mention of the gene itself at the end.

Only those who follow the Swallow will survive. The Swallow is the symbol of spring, the deliverer. It will open forbidden doors, show the way of salvation. and herald the rebirth of the world. The Swallow, Child of the Elder Blood. And her descendants will rule the new world.

- The Swallow. Her descendants. Well, it's definitely about a woman.

- Maybe so. Or maybe the female gender refers to the symbol, the Swallow. Either way, never mind the prophecy itself, it's quite controversial in its own right. It was the line about opening forbidden doors that interested me. It's because of it that I was able to understand the gene's purpose. Considering your example: travelling to our world on their own; easier control with space. It's safe to say they succeeded. Once, at least for the moment.

His index finger dipped to the family tree written on the parchment.

- There is an inactive gene in them. Roughly speaking, the children in this line do not possess your abilities. But we continue to monitor them.

- You? - pointing to the plural.

- There was one incident that allowed us to learn about Lara's descendants themselves. For the moment, the others only know about them, only I know about you. It's best if it stays that way, but that's up to you. Possible problems from divulging the awakened gene of the Elder Blood. I don't know where that would lead.

- Is that why you wanted me to stay at the academy longer?

- Partly. I'm interested in your abilities myself. I won't keep you for another year, though. All right, I've told you what I wanted to tell you. Come show me your teleportation skills.