A puff of smoke rises in the air. This was a regular day for Yelena Vintera, lord of the botanic department of the Tower. The news had spread like wildfire during the day. The king was dead, and the primary suspect had fled: Safaran Sora. Holding her kiseru nonchalantly, she took another long drag from her pire, exhaling slowly. Even after all this time, there was still no trace of the succubus she was hunting.
Though she didn't care that much. Now that Hazuki was gone, she could conduct her research again. With a mirror placed near her, she grabbed some tweezers and pinched the blue stone she had stolen from that foolish boy.
An eternaüm, a stone containing enough energy to power a country for multiple years. Unstable, yet coveted by many for its properties. The great king of mages was the only one recorded in history who managed to stabilize it and use it to its full potential, albeit he stopped for unknown reasons.
Was it the lack of resources? Yelena scoffed at the idea. It just meant that this king of mages was just a fraud, not a visionary.
"Is it ready?" A shrill voice echoed from the other side of the mirror.
"Yes," Yelena answered, a smug smirk crossing her lips as she studied the stone. "I just need a few adjustments and it will be ready."
She placed the stone inside a container, on a small receptacle encased in metal made specifically to contain the od radiating from it. Yelena had spent years designing one such as these, preparing it for this exact moment.
"Kekeke...," a shrill and piercing laugh crackled through the mirror. "I still can't believe you found one. Especially from a 'young amateur', like you call him."
She glanced at the mirror, where a shadowy figure flickered on the other side—a small, grotesque creature, twisted in form and resembling nothing close to human. The creature's gleaming eyes peered at her through the mirror, filled with dark amusement.
"I can't believe it either," she sighed in contempt. "But it was thanks to your instructions that I found it, Kiku."
The creature grinned, its jagged teeth flashing for a moment. "True enough. But you, my dear, have the mind to do what others could not. You're the only one capable of harnessing this stone's power."
YYelena sneered, her ego swelling at the thought of her own brilliance. She knew she was a genius, far surpassing the mediocre minds at the Tower. They feared her—feared what she knew, feared what she was capable of. But she didn't care. Her ambitions were far greater than theirs, and certainly greater than the now-dead king of mages. Politics and wars—those were meaningless distractions. The brewing conflict with the demons? Irrelevant.
"Where will you test it?" the creature asked while raising an eyebrow.
Yelena smirked. "In a small village south of here. There is a line of the earth here."
The creature tilted its head, seemingly not pleased "You intend to strike already? Isn't it a bit soon?"
"It isn't." Yelena echoed, dismissing his worries. "After all, if I succeed, you will let me see the research of the demons that served under Kaeris."
"Kekeke... You clearly don't lack ambition, mage. But let me tell you a piece of advice from someone older. You're too impatient." Kiku smirked, enjoying the cold gaze she shot at these words. "Having an ego is good, but it can sometimes lead to your downfall, young woman."
Yelena exhaled slowly, forcing her boiling anger into submission. She would show him sooner or later, prove just how wrong he was. "I am not impatient," she scoffed. "I know exactly what I'm doing."
YOU ARE READING
A Tamia's Tale
Fantasy"A world full of mysteries and interesting people, sure. But what if I wanted to go home instead?" Luka, a young man, is summoned by accident in a fantasy world. But his arrival isn't without problems: kidnapping, political betrayals, a sickly king...
