The Merlinian Chronicles Book 1

Chapter 5

When I walked through the other side of the portal, I was in the combat practice room again, and Artemis was already waiting.

“How did you get here so fast?” I asked, astonished. Artemis smiled.

“The moon is a very powerful entity,” Artemis answered simply. “The moon travels everywhere, it brings light to those who need it, and it signifies peace. With practice, and my guidance, you will learn to use these attributes to further your abilities, and intensify your power.” I was totally intrigued by now, hanging on to every word Artemis uttered.

“But before we learn those things, we must start at the beginning.” Artemis continued bluntly. “Silver auras are rare, as they never signified a single type of magic, until you were born, and Sorcery was created. You must learn what the silver aura means before you can really learn to use it. So that is where we begin.

“The silver aura draws its power from the moon. That is why the silver aura is so powerful. The moon is an ancient entity, and as I said before, very powerful. A silver aura signifies purity and light. There are no dark creatures with a silver aura.

“To really harness the power of the silver aura, you must become one with the moon. You must embrace the energy the moon gives and learn to use it to feed your magic. And until you accomplish that, we cannot move forward. So, are you ready?” I nodded. “Good, then let’s begin.”

Artemis’s aura flashed, and her silver eyes glowed. Her aura surrounded me, and the practice room melted away, and we were standing in the fields in front of Merlinian Castle.

“In order to embrace the moon, you must be as close to it’s presence as you can. Now, follow my instructions exactly.

“First, you must summon your aura and allow it to envelope your body. As your aura glows, reach out to the moon with your mind, and allow it to connect with your spirit. Imagine the moonlight mixing with your aura, becoming your aura, giving you strength. Call out to the moon and ask for its guidance and power. Feel the light enter your body, mix with your blood, become a part of your body. Then, when you have imagined that all of your blood has become moonlight, when your breath becomes the night breeze, and your brain is the moon, look into my eyes.”

I nodded and took a deep breath, summoning my aura. As my silver aura glowed brightly, it surrounded me, creating a cloud of silver around me. I turned my focus away from my surroundings at that moment, and focused on my mind. In my mind’s eye, I reached out to the moon. I imagined the moon, high in the sky, and I reached out to it, allowing my aura to touch the moonlight, and allowing my spirit to connect with the moon. I could feel the moonlight surrounding me, and I no longer had to keep my aura around me as it mixed with the moonlight. I spoke to the moon, asking it to guide me, help me, give me power, and I imagined it answering by sending waves of moonlight towards me, into my body. The moonlight became my blood, my breath created the night breeze, and my brain was replaced by the moon. As I held onto the image of the moon filling my head, I looked deep into Artemis’ eyes, and found a great silver sea, the moon shining down from the night sky.

The moon has entered your spirit, Artemis’ voice echoed in my head. You and the moon have connected. Congratulations, Merlin, you have embraced the moon, and you can begin to further your abilities. Now, close your eyes, send thanks to the moon, and open your eyes again.

Slowly, I closed my eyes, as a thank-you echoed in my head. I thank you, moon, for your guidance. With your power, I shall learn to become a servant of the moon, and I shall bring light and peace on my travels, and I shall do all that you wish, for all eternity.

As the thank-you ended, I opened my eyes, and found that I was back in the fields of Merlinian Territory with Artemis.

“Great job, Merlin!” Artemis praised. “Now that you have become a servant of the moon, you’ll need to rest. But first, let’s try going to the Practice Room again, without a portal. So, to do this, all you have to do is imagine that room, and see the moonlight shining into it. Imagine the moonlight acting as a doorway, and imagine the other side of the door right in front of you.”

I followed her instructions, and when I looked at a small patch of moonlight at my feet, a door appeared, pure silver. Smiling, I opened the door and walked through. As I walked out of the other side, I was standing in the Combat Practice Room. Artemis was right behind me, and she closed the door, it disappeared, melting into a puddle of moonlight on the floor.

“Great job, Merlin! You need to get some rest now, but tomorrow we start with the hard stuff.” I nodded and walked through the portal on the other side of the room, and into my bedroom. The whole time I was getting ready for bed and trying to fall asleep, I was smiling and imagining all that I had accomplished today.

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The next morning, I didn’t wake up until almost noon. As the sunlight seeped through my window, I rubbed my eyes, confused.

Why didn’t they wake me up? I asked myself as I walked through the portal, into the living room. When I entered our living room, I was surprised to find that everyone was just sitting around, talking, a fire roaring in the fireplace.

“Hey guys,” I greeted, confused. “What’s going on?” Aphrodite smiled at me, making my heart leap.

“Artemis told us you needed your rest after last night,” she explained. “So we decided to take a day off today, it was pretty crazy yesterday.” I nodded.

“Artemis told us about your lesson last night,” Apollo continued. “Great job! It’s not easy what you did last night, especially for someone with as little experience as you.” I smiled, proud.

“Well,” Artemis began. “We need to make up for lost time, and I knew Merlin was ready.”

“Speaking of making things up,” Hephaestus interjected. “I worked all night on the Dream Catcher for Gamma, and I believe it is finished. All I need now if Hypnos’ help.” He looked at Hecate expectantly.

“I had a lengthy conversation with Hypnos last night,” Hecate explained. “It took a lot of convincing, but he has agreed to help. He will be here tonight, when his magic is strongest.” We all cheered.

“I believe this calls for a celebration,” I quickly cheered. “We’ll go to the Market! Everyone, go get your money pouches and meet me by the Cave.” Without another word, we all ran through the portal and into our rooms, to get ready for our trip.