Wizards of the Otherworldly Court: Alicia Part 1

Chapter 7: Aqua, the Fire Guardian

"The Mother Soul is the entity that creates Maneg Souls," Owen explained. "Each of the eleven Elements has its own Mother Soul."

With Alicia's first training completed, they went back inside the Otherworldly Court.

"Is it a bigger Maneg Soul that is stored somewhere in this place?" Alicia asked.

"Yes and no," Owen replied as they went into the large double door at the back of the main hall, the courtroom. "At some point, they got damaged that they could get destroyed."

"And what happens if they get destroyed?"

"Every Court Wizard with that Element dies and all maneg with that Element gets turned to another Element and can no longer become that Element." He deadpanned

"What!?" she exclaimed. While his answer was confusing with the use of the same word four times, she still understood how grave the consequence if it happens.

"Yep, and so their solution was to create a Maneg Soul that it takes residence in and have it merge with someone. And the result, you get a Court Wizard that carries the Mother Soul in their Maneg Soul."

If you were to use the glass of water analogy, the Mother Soul would be the jar of coloring inside the glass of water - the coloring is the Maneg Soul that turns the water, the soul, into maneg.

"And these Court Wizards are called Guardians," Owen continued. "And they also act as the leaders of the Otherworldly Court."

"I see," Alicia muttered. "I wonder what they look like."

"You already met one."

"Huh?" Confused, she recalled the Court Wizards she met so far, Alice and Russel. Russel does not look like one, given how Owen interacts with him, she thought and so concluded, "Alice?"

"Yeah, she's the Guadian of the Mother Soul of Ice, Ice Guardian for short. In other words, my direct superior. She didn't tell you?"

"No, she did not."

"I see. So she didn't even introduce herself as one," he mumbled quietly.

"How is she a Guardian?" Alicia asked, breaking Owen's deep melancholy. "She is so young."

"Well, about how she became a Guardian, it's complicated. We don't have time to explain it and well... it's a touchy subject."

Seeing his demeanor as he explained it, "Ah, sorry. I will wait when you feel like telling me," Alicia apologized.

"It's fine," Owen brushed. "Anyway, you're gonna meet the Fire Guardian."

As they walked through the corridor, they seemed to have entered the middle part of the first story, a cross-shaped hallway.

There, Alicia saw the steps to the next story of the castle and it was the most beautiful piece of architecture she has ever seen. It was a spiraling staircase with a crystal-like transparent structure in which the hallway's lighting reflected a kaleidoscope of colors inside. It was supported by a pillar decorated with a mural of some kind, depicting what must be the history of the Otherworldly Court.

Stepping through each step invoked a sense of-

"Alicia, over here," Owen called.

Alicia faced to her right to see him in the right corridor of the hallway according to her perspective. He pointed his finger at something on that wall.

DING

And as she got to where her childhood friend was standing, it opened.

"Oh," Alicia reacted as she saw it and entered it before Owen.