Another world, Celeste

Chapter Twenty Two, pt 2

Following Luna's lead, we pass through the archway and step into what looks like a zoo created inside a botanical garden; the same smooth grey stone interior from the previous room, glass dome ceiling and stone walls partitioning the enclosures. I thought the rehabilitation centre would look something like a fantasy world version of a quarantined zone within the intensive care unit that's specially designed in accommodating tainted monsters. Contrary to my expectation, the entire space is filled by greenery; trees and branches planted and purposefully formed as a playground, and there are even waterfalls pouring down from a towering cone-shaped hill entirely covered with overgrown leafy plants and mosses. Listening to Luna's explanation, mostly everything in the rehabilitation centre is powered by mana stones. The source of the waterfall is coming from a large water mana stone tightly secured somewhere at the hilltop and it supplies streams of unlimited water to the aqueduct located at the base and spreading throughout the rehabilitation centre.

My lingering eyes spot a set of stairs and curiously follow where it's leading to, forcing me to stretch my neck the higher it goes. I agape in astonishment seeing an elevated walkway extending right above our heads. The whole place is like a private zoological garden owned by a millionaire, completely different from how the sanctuary is outside. The sleek and simple architecture amidst the lush greenery breathes a touch of modern sophistication that it's like touring inside a natural history museum and instead of displaying the largest collection of fossils and stuffed animals, it houses rescued wild monsters and magical beasts from all over. Speaking of rescued monsters, I don't see any and the atmosphere is quiet and still. It's not just the atmosphere, Roy and Bane are being vigilant from both sides of me as we advance along the curved path.

"The silent tension doesn't really suit the wonder of this place," I utter in a hushed tone.

Luna's keen sense of elf hearing heard me when she responds with, "Everyone is being cautious because of the unfamiliar appearances."

'Cautious' is an understatement. The stone walls along the curved pathway are not even that high to obstruct my view of glancing inside the enclosures, the height roughly reaching above my waist. Yet, there isn't a single monster or magical beast peeking from the enclosures as we pass by. While admiring the facility, the path eventually opens up to a wide circular area and a guard silently greets us from the entry point. Another thing that catches my eyes is the armour the guard is donned on. It's brimming with protection magic. Well, that's to be expected.

"We'll begin the lesson here," says Luna. "I heard from Luda of your magical abilities and I was advised to dismiss all sort of conventional practices when it comes to teaching you magic."

"Did he?" I ask, pretending not to know what she meant.

"I'm not very good at teaching as Luda does and thankfully for me, it is not necessary for us to go through the study of light magic from the very beginning," Luna tells the purpose of having this specialised magic lesson. "The lesson will solely focus on the application of Area Magic with light magic."

I alone stand in the middle, waiting for Luna's further explanation while Bane and Roy are blocking the two other paths leading to different directions, respectively.

"That's it?" I question, sounding doubtful after hearing what Luna wants me to do. "Spread light magic within this area?"