Chapter 116 Magical Training
Elara’s POV
“We won’t make it!” I screamed as Drakon dove toward the castle. Below us, Mother and Lily convulsed while the Eternal King consumed their souls.
“Yes, we will!” Drakon beat his wings harder. “Hold on!”
But I felt the truth settle like ice in my chest. We were too far. Too slow. In seconds, my family would be gone.
Unless…
“Drakon, the crystal in my chest. It has power I haven’t fully used. Maybe I can reach them through it.”
“You’ll burn yourself out like before!”
“I don’t care. I have to try.”
I pressed my hands to my chest as the crystal pulsed. I reached deep into its power and found something impossible.
It wasn’t just energy. It was memory. Knowledge from every guardian who had ever bonded with it. Hundreds. Thousands.
Including my ancestors.
“Drakon,” I gasped, overwhelmed, “my family weren’t just related to magical royalty. We were the First Mages. The ones who created the crystal.”
“What?” His shock nearly made him lose control midair.
“That’s why the bond worked. Why I could merge with it. I was always meant for this world.” Understanding slammed into me. “And I have their knowledge. Their spells.”
One spell rose above the rest: Soul Anchor. A way to tether souls to their bodies even while being consumed.
I cast it on instinct. Golden threads burst from the crystal, racing downward faster than we could fly. They wrapped around Mother and Lily just as the Eternal King tried to finish them.
He screamed in fury. “WHAT IS THIS?”
“Ancient magic!” I shouted. “Magic older than you! You can’t destroy their souls anymore!”
The spell held barely but it was enough.
Drakon landed hard in the courtyard. I jumped off and ran to my family, pressing my hands to their faces.
“I’m here. Hold on. I’m pulling you back.”
I channeled everything through the crystal, not just my power, but the strength of every guardian before me. Light clashed with darkness as the Eternal King fought to keep control.
“Elara!” Drakon grabbed me. “You’re bleeding from your eyes!”
“I don’t care!”
Mother’s eyes flickered black, then brown. Lily’s followed. They were fighting him.
“Fight him!” I begged. “Please!”
I poured in more power, more love, more desperation.
With a scream that shook the castle, the Eternal King was expelled. He rose as a dark shadow above us.
“THIS ISN’T OVER,” he roared. “I ALWAYS RETURN.”
“Then we’ll always stop you,” I said, silver light blazing from my hands. “I’m not just a seamstress. I’m heir to the First Mages. Guardian of the Crystal. And you chose the wrong family.”
Ancient words spilled from my mouth, words I had never learned but somehow knew. The spell ripped through him, not killing him, but banishing him.
“SEVEN DAYS!” he screamed as he vanished. “IN SEVEN DAYS I RETURN WITH MY FULL ARMY!”
Then he was gone.
Mother and Lily collapsed. I caught them both.
“Are they...” Drakon whispered.
“Alive,” I said after checking their pulses. “Just exhausted.”
Healers rushed them away, and I sagged against Drakon.
“Seven days,” I murmured.
“But this time, we’re ready,” he said gently. “You know who you are now.”
“I need to train,” I said. “Really train.”
“Then we train together. For seven days. When he returns, we’ll be ready.”
Training changed everything. I didn’t just cast spells, I understood them. I learned to create living ice, freeze time in small spaces, even touch other dimensions.
“Your ancestors were terrifying,” the Dragon Queen observed. “And you may surpass them.”
“Because I merged with the crystal,” I said. “They only guarded it.”
But power had a price. My eyes stayed silver. Frost followed my footsteps. Sometimes I spoke languages I didn’t remember learning.
“Are you okay?” Drakon asked one night.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Sometimes I can’t tell where I end and the crystal begins.”
“You’re still Elara,” he said, holding me. “That will never change.”
That night, visions came, memories of my ancestors fighting the Eternal King. They had failed. Trapped him, but never destroyed him.
How could I succeed where they hadn’t?
Six days passed. Defenses strengthened. Allies gathered. Mother and Lily recovered but stayed far from danger.
On the seventh day, sirens blared.
Not an invasion, a rebellion. A border town in chaos. Humans fighting magical creatures.
“If this spreads, we’ll face civil war,” Drakon said.
We flew immediately. Flames burned. People bled. Violence ruled.
“This must stop!” I shouted, stepping between the sides.
Something shattered at my feet. Gas rose.
Poison.
My vision blurred as I collapsed, hearing Drakon shout my name.
And as darkness closed in, I realized the truth.
This wasn’t random.
It was a distraction.
While we were here, the Eternal King was attacking the castle.
Where Mother and Lily were defenseless.