The Exiled King

Chapter 28 - A Dysfunctional Family

Time passed differently in the ivory palace. Lirya had quickly noticed the small abnormalities, which Garyth had not denied—in fact, he'd openly revealed that he'd cast a spell over the palace.

At first she had spent her time listlessly, fearful and searching for a way to escape. As time wore on, she found herself accepting the situation more and eventually her fruitless search dwindled to a stop. She'd been given free rein of the palace and whenever she thought of anything she needed, a spectral being would appear with what she wanted, or to lead her to her desired destination.

The first month, she saw neither hide nor hair of Garyth. She spent most of her days alone, or with the company of a spectre. On a few occasions, Eryian visited her.

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It had been a few days since Lirya had woken in the palace when Eryian paid her a visit. There had been a brief knock on her door and barely a split second afterwards, Eryian pushed the door open without waiting for an answer.

"Hi, sister!" He chirped, a wide smile on his face as he saw her standing by the window behind her bed.

Lirya jumped a little at his sudden arrival, but flashed a weak smile and asked, "W-What brings you here today... Eryian?"

He sidled closer to her with his hands behind his back and his head tilted and answered with wide eyes, "I was bored."

Was that really the only reason he came to see me? Lirya wondered.

Eryian flopped on her bed and lay down with his arms spread out and continued, "I wanted to get to know you. You're my twin sister, after all. You're probably just like me... and probably a really fun person, right?"

"I'm not like you..." Lirya said quietly, taking in his cheery demeanour and outspoken attitude, "You're way more energetic and cheerful than I am."

Eryian's demeanour froze and a small frown replaced his smile and he sat up.

"I'm sure we're more alike than you think... Lirya," He said, her name a little clumsy on his lips.

Lirya smiled, "I hope so... I could do with some of your energy. And I want to get to know you too, E-Eryian."

Eryian tilted his head as he peered at her silently, then said suddenly, "You're really quiet, you know. That's boring."

He stood up and held out his hand, "Come... I'll show you all the fun places in the palace."

He's a bit strange, Lirya thought, But he seems really nice.

She walked over to him and took his hand, letting him guide her through the palace with an energy she could barely keep up with.

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The second month, Garyth met with her officially. He was stern and cold, but not unkind. He'd stood and stared at her silently for a few moments, a slight from on his face, then he spoke.

"Let's begin with basic mana training. I can tell that your physical ability is acceptable for the time being, but your mana sense is practically non-existent," Garyth said.

Lirya nodded, feeling a little bit miffed at his blunt honesty, though she couldn't deny the truth. She hadn't had Jaron's tutelage like the other guardians had, as she hadn't fully awakened her powers yet.

They stood in a large, but quiet circular hall. It had a domed ceiling, beautifully decorated with tile murals and columns lined the sides, with carefully maintained bushes separating the domed training room from the palace gardens. It was an airy space with a simple marble tiling on the floor, save for a raised wooden dais in the middle.

Garyth motioned for her to follow him and he led her to the raised dais.

He conjured a plush armchair and said, "Sit down. This is probably going to hurt and you will tire quickly."

Hurt? He didn't say anything about that! Lirya thought apprehensively, wondering if she'd gotten herself in too deep.

"Eh... What exactly are you planning to do... Mr. wizard- your majes- uh, Mr. Herus?" Lirya asked, stumbling on how to address him.

Garyth smiled slightly and replied, "You can call me whatever you want. You can call me a crotchety old bastard for all I care."

"I'll give you some of my mana so that you can learn to control it. Obviously, I can't unseal yours yet, but once you can successfully control mine, you'll stand a much better chance of taming your own magic," He explained, "When you're ready, please hold out your palms so we can begin."

Lirya hesitated a moment, then held out her hands, palms facing upwards. Garyth lightly laid his fingertips upon hers and channelled his mana through their joint fingers into her body.

It felt like ice and it felt like fire all at once. Lirya grimaced and gasped as the icy hot pain spread through her body. Then it was gone, replaced with a feeling so comforting she almost teared up. It was like being curled up in a warm blanket on a cold stormy night or eating comfort food. And underneath the comforting presence of the mana was an undercurrent of sadness and familiarity, like a maelstrom of confusion, guilt and anguish. It brought to mind the devastating day that Lirya had lost her entire world and gained a new one. The day Jason awakened and she fled her home and her cage with Jason and Leus.

Without thinking, she drew in both the comforting and sad feelings and merged them and embraced it all.

Slow clapping drew her mind back to the present and she looked up at Garyth, dimly realising that she was breathing heavily and sweating, though she'd felt no exertion previously.

"Well done, Lirya. You've taken to this like a fish to water," Garyth praised with a warmer smile on his face.

Lirya couldn't help the smile that came across her face at his words, nor could she deny the warm glow of happiness she'd felt when he'd praised her. She hadn't realised how much she had longed to hear that. She'd spent most of her time in Silvardor thinking she was useless for partly awakening and being unable to use any guardian powers.

I didn't know... how badly I wanted to hear that, Lirya thought.

It was beginning to matter less and less that Garyth was the mastermind behind the demon invasion of Dargon. Lirya felt a strange sense of familiarity and trust around him—which certainly scared her, but seeing as she'd accepted him as a teacher of sorts, she justified it that way.

Whether that was good or bad, Lirya was in too deep to tell.

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