Whispers of a Dead Empire

"You also have an affinity for three different magics, as well as multiple sub-affinities. Very interesting. But tell me, why would my wand be of use to you?" The silver mass of energy spoke again, and I could feel its gaze pulling away from me.

This was the most crucial part of the test. The spirit would weigh you, and you could never wield the wand if it found you lacking. So, instead of rushing into it, I took my time and carefully thought over my words.

Seconds become minutes as I put my thoughts together. "I look up to my mother and her mate. I look up to Mr. Kharon as my teacher, and when those people attacked my home, I was scared. No, not just scared, but petrified with fear. I may be a dragon, but I know I'm not strong enough to fight those people alone. Even Ms. Alessia, one of the strongest people I know, almost failed."

I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts once more before returning to speak. "My family is all I have, and I want to protect them. I'm a dragon, yet I'm not strong enough to stand against the people threatening everything that is mine. One day, I want to stand tall as a princess and protect my mother and her subjects. But yet, I also want my mother to be proud of me, so I want to be the strongest I could be." I felt a cold fury enter my blood as I thought back to when Ms. Alessia got hurt. No, I wouldn't allow anyone or anything to take away my family. This was all mine, and I would break them all before they could take what was mine.

The energy floated there as it listened to my words, weighing them. Seconds felt like hours as it floated there, as silent as the grave. At least until it spoke once more. "I see. You have noble intentions of a human, yet the blood of a dragon pulses through your veins."

"Mother does her best to steer me on the right path." I nodded my head matter-of-factly as I replied. She does her best for me, so in turn, I do my best to listen to her. Even if some of the things she says, I disagree with.

The mass of energy chuckled as it stared at me. "Ah yes, I wish in life that I had children. I do envy your mother." The mass of energy floated towards me, and a ghostly hand stretched out. "This wand will serve you as it served me in life. Treat it well Nyx." The hand reached out and passed through me, quickly tearing me from whatever realm I was in.

My eyes darted towards the wand in my hand, and I saw that a lot of the magic radiating from it had vanished, leaving it barren. A part of me was sad cause I wanted to get to know the mana spirit. But most of me was happy that I had a new wand. I clenched it, and all the emotions I was experiencing up to this point came pouring out. Tears streamed down my face as I held the wand close to my chest.

I will become strong, I swear, no matter what it takes. I won't be scared ever again. Once my tears were brushed away, I jumped up, rushed over to Mr. Kharon, and threw my arms around him. "Thank you for the gift. It means a lot to me."

He chuckled, and he gave me a pat on the head. "You are welcome, little dragon. It was a gift from a lovely moon elf. She asked me to ensure it ends up in good hands."

"What's a moon elf?" I asked as I pulled away from Mr. Kharon and clenched my new wand. I was so happy with it. My other one was good, but this one felt different and stronger.

"Well, Elves are a mystical race that is highly susceptible to magic and location, and over many generations, they change. For example, a moon elf is an elf whose family has spent generations basking in the light and magic of the moon." His teeth clacked together as he spoke, and I couldn't help but be filled with a sense of wonder.

"What other elves are there?" I asked as I quickly filed the information away. I knew there were humans, along with zombies, spirits, and skeletons, but the rest, I've never met.

"To my knowledge, there are high elves, blood elves, sun elves, and dark elves, though I'm certain there are more that exist in the world somewhere." He mused quietly to me as he gave me another pat on the head.

"I see. Thank you for the information, Mr. Kharon." I nodded my head as I pulled away from him. I enjoyed the learning experience, and if I could, I would love to venture out and find more, but I knew that mother would never allow me to do such a thing. Besides, even if I could, I wouldn't want to. Roaming around the lands exploring wasn't very dragon-like. My home was here, and that is where I will remain unless mother wills otherwise.

"You are welcome, little dragon." He stood up from his chair and brushed off his cloak. "Now, let me tell you a bit about that wand."

I nodded and quickly clambered back into my chair and stared at him. I wanted to absorb all the information I could about my newfound weapon.

"Its wood comes from the gray star tree, which makes it a unique wand to my knowledge. Its previous master was, like I told you earlier, a lovely and long-lived moon elf, so it has a storied history. It will be a powerful instrument, but not only that, but it is also quasi-sentient, so treat it with respect, and it will treat you well." Mr. Kharons words seeped into my mind, and I nodded rapidly.

I was fortunate to be surrounded by people who cared for me. Mother spoiled me, and Mr. Kharon was always willing to teach me anything I asked. I meant it when I told the spirit earlier that I wanted to protect them. Without them, I would just be a regular hatchling. But now, I have a chance in life to pursue whatever I want, and I will do that.

"I see. Thank you for teaching me, Mr. Kharon." I replied as I clenched my new wand as tight as I could. Each step that I took was another step closer to my end goals, and I needed everything I needed if I wanted to be able to have the slimmest chance I could to fight mother on even ground.

"Of course. Now, before I continue on, do you mind telling me what is floating around you?"

"Oh! It's a gravity point! I needed to make one to be able to use gravity magic." I had to glance around for a few seconds to locate the ball of gravity I summoned in my soul realm. The sheer violet color had vanished and was replaced by black, glowing with light red energy. I guess the gravity must have consumed the fire that was orbiting around.

"Interesting. I've had little dealings with true gravity magic, so I appreciate it. Perhaps in the future, you could teach me some." His eyes flickered with hunger as he regarded the ball that orbited me.

I grinned and couldn't help but feel pride blossom in my chest. I could finally teach Mr. Kharon something! "Of course! I would love to." The thought of teaching people touched me in a way that I didn't expect. It seemed…nice in a way.

"Anyway, I can teach you a closely held secret now that you have a proper wand." Hearing him speak of a secret, I perked up. I like secrets. They were much like gifts I could horde.

"Tell me!" It took everything I had to stop myself from jumping out of my chair. But I needed to restrain myself. I was a princess, after all.

"Come here, Nyx. I need you to stand right here." He pointed to a spot next to him, which I quickly rushed towards. I wanted that secret.

"What next, Mr. Kharon?" I asked as I arrived at my destination.

"What I'm about to teach you is an Asterian-specific combat style for mages. Namely, for wand users." He reached into his cloak and drew out a wand that glowed in the soft lighting of the training room. Its wood was dark and yet was polished to an overwhelming sheen.

"You use a wand?" I was shocked to see a wand in his hand, as he had never taken it out before. Even when he was teaching me how to channel magic.

"Not often, no. My instrument is my violin. I only have it to teach students how to use Pheria." He brandished his wand and took up an open pose. "Now, Pheria is a combat-oriented style. Currently, there are dozens of variants that all reflect different elements. In your case, the style you would use is called Pheria Arcana. Which relies heavily on continued assault and a lot of spell flinging." The tip of his wand took a teal hue as he readied it, and I quickly followed suit, trying to absorb everything he was teaching me.

"Now, the first and most basic spells is an arcane bolt. Now, while this spell can be cast without a wand, with it, it gets channeled and focused into something unique." He flicked his wand, and a bolt of teal lighting jumped from the wand's tip and rushed towards one of the runes on the wall, only to be dissipated by its power.

I watched in amazement as it unfolded and quickly took up a position next to him. I wouldn't mind waiting a little while for this dual while I mastered these skills the best that I could.