“Today, I’m going to teach you basic magic. Will start with basic elements then offence and defensive magic. You also need to do physical training to strengthen your body. It does not matter if you have a strong essence if your body fails you are as good as dead. Do you understand?" Ruhav looks at Aster seriously.
“Yes my lord,” Aster was feeling nervous.
“Don’t worry, you’re going to be fine,” Damon said before turning to his father. "Please go easy on her.”
Ruhav looked at Damon as if he was offended. “There is no place for being soft in this world. If she wants to become strong and return to her world, she needs to endure the hard training.”
Aster was crying inside.
“Huhuhu, am I gonna get punched? Is his fist rated E for everyone?”
“Don’t worry I won't just throw you a very hard training right away. I will train you step by step until you get stronger,” Ruhav reassured her.
“Understood.”
“To control your power you must first feel your essence. Essence is part of you ever since you were born. Losing your essence will result in slow death, it’s like dying from old age.”
Aster raised her hand. “What if someone doesn’t have essence? In our world we don’t have such a thing as essence. We have soul but that’s about it.”
“Every world is different. If your world can survive without essence, in our world we can’t and that’s the harsh truth that we all know and accept.”
This information made Aster’s heart ache for a bit as she remembers Damon.
“That is also why we need to be careful when we use our essence. And a compressed essence means you may be alive but you won’t be able to use magic for the rest of your life unless a high priest decompresses your essence.”
Damon who was watching and listening nearby got hit with the truth and this made him feel like a failure.
Stevan notices this and puts his hand on Damon’s shoulder trying to comfort him. “Luckily yours got decompressed! Isn’t that amazing?"
Damon just stays quiet and Stevan does the same.
“To feel your essence you must feel your body, feel your surroundings, feel your heart.”
Aster listens to Ruhav carefully and applies what he is teaching.
“Breath, relax, feel every part of your body, clear your mind.”
✴﹝
ℛ𝑒𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒…
﹞✴
Aster let out a gasp and opened her eyes, surprised by hearing a random unknown voice in her head.
“Are you alright?” Ruhav looked at Aster worriedly.
Aster looked around her, there were only four of them and yet the voice she heard did not belong to any of them. Then she remembers that she heard the same voice before. It was when she burned those beasts.
Ruhav was worried about Aster’s sudden behavior. He went near her and touched her shoulder to snap her from her trance. “Are you alright, Aster?”
Aster snaps out of it. “Oh, yes. I’m alright. Sorry.”
Damon and Stevan also went near her. “What happened?” Damon worries about Aster.
“Did your essence snap at you?” Stevan asked.
“What?! Essence can snap at its owner?” Aster was surprised to hear this.
“Yes. It happens because you weren’t able to control it properly or if every aspect of you clashes. For example, if your mind wants to do something but your body doesn't, your essence will get confused,” Ruhav explained.
Aster tries to make a connection with it. “So it’s like if I really needed to do my homework but I got distracted and played games instead?”
“Something like that,” Damon replied even though he doesn’t understand her analogy.
“I bet multitasking would be hard,” Aster felt weary already just by hearing what they said.
“It is but I will train you so you can do multiple things without your essence snapping at you. So I want you to do your best not only for you but also for your sister who is waiting for you back home,” Ruhav tries to encourage Aster.
“You’re right my lord. I will do my best!” She said with enthusiasm.
“Good. So in order to cast spells, you need to focus your essence, gather them then release. The amount of essence you will release will depend on where you are going to use it. If you just want to make a fire on your palm it won’t take that much essence,” Ruhav demonstrates to Aster. “If you put a lot of essence into a simple spell, you’ll end up failing. Worst case scenario you’ll hurt anyone around you including yourself. So be careful when releasing your essence.”
“I see. How do I know when to release a large amount of essence? What’s the appropriate time or event on which I will need to use a lot of essence?
“Good question. The one you did to burn the herasti, that’s one of the examples where you use a large amount of essence. Not just the herasti but any kind of strong opponent. But you still need to be mindful because at the end of the day it will still depend on how much essence you have. If you don’t have enough essence or exhaust it, you won’t be able to cast spells no matter how hard you try.”
Aster then remembers something and asks. “Then how did Damon manage to cast one even though his essence is near compression?”
“Near compression means you will still be able to use magic but weaker. But a full compression will stop you from using any at all. So what Damon is doing was a waste of time and deadly. That’s why I want you to remember that sometimes retreating or running away is the best thing you can do. It’s not cowardice, but survival not only for your own safety but for others as well,” Ruhav looked at Aster seriously.
“I will remember that.”
“Good”
“I have one more question,” Aster raised her hand a bit. “Aren’t we going to use chants? Damon used one when he summoned the serpent.”
“Casting spells don’t require chants, they are only used when you are calling for something. It’s a way to let them know that you need them and their help.”
“So casting only needed focus?”
“Yes. If you don’t have any more questions, we can begin our training.”
Aster trains under Ruhav guidance. They started with basic magic, she struggles a bit but still catches on. While Damon and Stevan can’t help but smile at Aster as she trains with their father.
“What kind of guy do you think she likes?” Stevan asks Damon.
Damon was frustrated with that sudden question. “Again with that?”
“What? I was just asking. I am really serious. You know I’m not the type to mess with people.”
“Why her?” Damon was curious why his brother wants Aster as his wife.
“Because if I can marry someone that my father approves of and that I can be myself with then I would want that person to be my partner for the rest of my life,” Stevan said sincerely.
“Why not just pick someone without getting father’s approval?”
“I’m not like you Damon. I can never disobey our father.”
“Why not?”
“I just can’t,” Stevan looked down with a sad expression.
Damon looked at Aster. “Why not ask her? But make it seem like you are curious about the world she came from.“
Stevan felt flustered at Damon's suggestion. ”You think that would work?”
“You can try,” Damon looked at Stevan.
“Fine, I’ll try…”
Later that evening, the Ironhearts and Aster were at the dining room. The servants brought the food on the table and served them and Aster thanked the servants.
“What kind of meals do you have in your world?” Ruhav asked.
“It’s pretty much the same. If I have time I will cook for me and my sister but if I don’t I will let our maids know.”
“You have maids?” Era was surprised.
“Y-yeah… I guess I have not told Damon much about our family, only that accident,” Aster was sad for a moment. “Anyways, our family holds the largest tech I mean technology industry in the world I came from,” The Ironhearts are listening intently. “Basically what we do is we sell computer chips.”
“What’s a computer?” Lala asked curiously.
Aster was crashing out inside as she doesn’t know how to explain what her family does. “Um, computers are mostly important in our world, especially at work, school, etc. Almost everyone, especially rich people, have multiple computers. Now, for a computer to work you would need something to power it, which is the computer chips which are our family business. We supply necessary parts to computers all over the world. And a lot of companies buy from us,” Aster wants to cry as she can’t explain anymore to them.
Damon chimes in, “Then your family are aristocrats. Am I right? Since your family gains wealth by trading.”
Aster was thinking about what to answer. “Hmm. I don’t actually know since royalties in our world have become just an image to the country. They don’t hold power or rule anymore.”
This shocked everyone. “How did that happen?” Era asked.
“Long story short, a revolution happened that abolished monarchy.”
The Ironhearts can believe what they just heard.
“Even though your world doesn’t have royalties anymore, in our world you are technically an Aristocrat and probably a noble too!” Stevan looked at Damon signaling for help.
Damon got his brother's message. “Ah yes! That would mean Aster is not a commoner and should have a title so people around her can properly address her. Especially now that we know why she address father as sir the first time they meet.”
Xena after being quiet the whole time spoke. “He’s right, from now on let people know that they should address you as my lady as a sign of respect. Not only that a god summoned you here, that alone would be enough reason to have respect towards you. Isn’t that right, father and mother?”
Even though Era doesn't want to admit it she still agrees. “Sure, whatever.”
“I agree,” Ruhav followed up.
Stevan looked at Damon and smiled, signaling that he was grateful. Damon smiled back.
“By the way, tomorrow I will be the one training you,” Said Era
This made Aster’s heart drop. “Train for what exactly?”
“For your holy essence. You have healing powers right? That would only mean you have a holy essence. So I would need to train you.”
“Yes, my lady,” Aster can only comply so Era wouldn’t get mad at her.
“Yey! Tomorrow we will train together! I’m so excited! Aren’t you excited as well sister?” Lala asked.
“Yes. I look forward for tomorrow.”
“I don’t”
Aster feels extremely nervous knowing that Era is going to train her.
“I think I’d rather train with lord Ruhav.”