At first light, Oxydar and Foskír set out for the royal laboratory, which was located near the camp where Oxydar was stationed."Alright, once we get the kokoudi, you'll go straight home with the herb, and I'll leave you there so I can head to my post at the royal army," Oxydar said."Alright, father," Foskár replied with determination, and the two of them immediately boarded the magical flying vehicle to depart.
They soon arrived at the royal research center and passed through the gate guards with ease, since Oxydar was well-known to them due to his service in the royal army. Father and twelve-year-old son walked through and headed straight toward the research center, telling the elves they were looking for Counselor Elanor regarding an urgent matter for the army—which allowed them to search undisturbed.
Elanor indeed worked at the royal research center and had contributed greatly to the discovery of many magical technologies. Because of this, he was renowned throughout Knossaeon and respected by all elves.Oxydar eventually found his friend Elanor and explained the reason they had come. Elanor agreed to help them, on the condition that they would not speak of it to anyone. He then told them to follow him, and after a short walk they arrived at a chamber filled with shelves and workbenches covered in glass scientific instruments.
Elanor walked up to a container and discovered that no trace of the kokoudi herb remained."The kokoudi is gone," he said. "There isn't a single bit left.""Disaster! What are we going to do now, my friend Elanor?""There are kokoudi plants in the forests of Mount Matoro," Foskír said."Exactly right, my young friend," the chestnut-blond elf replied. "We'll go there and search—don't lose hope. But tell me, how did you know those magical herbs grow on Mount Matoro?""We have herb encyclopedias at home, Elanor, and he must have read it there, right little one?" Oxydar said quickly.
Foskír understood that his father wanted to cover for Doctor Tarios and confirmed the story. Elanor fell silent, though he wasn't fully convinced by their answer.
"You must leave at once, my friends, to find this magical herb — it is quite rare," Elanor said."We will leave, Elanor, but could you do me a favor?""Tell me, what is it?""Can you cover for me in the royal army while I'm away? I wouldn't ask, but because we're good friends, I trust you to do it.""The truth is, as a member of the council, I have the means to arrange it… but it's better if you don't draw suspicion.""Then what am I supposed to do? How will I find the herb?""You should go to your duty, and I will go with Foskar instead. Besides, from what I've seen, I'm running low on several herbs myself.""You're perfect, my friend — I'll owe you for this!""Don't even mention it. You go to your duties, and I, together with this little rascal, will find the kokoudi for his sister."
Oxydar departed for his unit, leaving his son with Elanor so they could search for the magical kokoudi. Elanor took two magical broomsticks, and together with the young mage they flew straight toward the forest of Mount Matoro. Elanor led the way, with young Foskir following behind. Beneath them, vast stretches of oak and beech forests passed by, until after some time they reached a lake.
They landed near the shore, and Elanor handed a leather sack to the young mage. He explained that they were searching for a magical herb with four red petals."Follow me, and keep your eyes on the forest floor — that's how you'll spot it. It usually grows near tree roots or in clearings."
The two mages searched for quite a while, talking as they went about how Foskir was spending his holidays."Have you been practicing at all during the break, or have you thrown everything to the winds?""To be honest, I haven't practiced much. I usually meet up with my friends in the afternoons and we play ekavol and other games.""Rest and fun are good, but it's best to practice now and then what you learned in previous years at school — otherwise your magical abilities will rust, and you'll forget what you've been taught."
An hour passed, and still they had not found the magical kokoudi. So Elanor decided they should go deeper into the forest. They climbed and descended several slopes of Mount Matoro, until at last Elanor, with his finely cut chestnut-blond hair, managed to find a magical kokoudi. With his wand, he lifted it from the earth and placed it magically into the leather sack hanging crosswise from his neck and tucked beneath his right arm.
"This kokoudi is for your sister, but let's search a little more — perhaps I can find one or two more for my laboratory.""Yes, of course, master. Let's search a bit longer, and then I'll head straight home."
Thus the two of them continued searching through the grove for the healing red herbs. They had been looking for quite some time when suddenly they found themselves surrounded by Ónia—creatures that at first appeared as glowing spheres of shimmering colors."Foskír, quickly, come to me!" Elanor shouted, trying to shield him from the group of Ónia.
The Ónia closed in around them and transformed, each taking on the height and shape of a human body, but with the head of a lion, a goat, a deer, or some other beast. They began a coordinated assault against the two mages, striking with magical wands and rods crackling with energy. The Ónia unleashed volleys of spells and torrents of multicolored flames.
Yet Elanor, swift and skilled, deflected every attack with remarkable agility, keeping young Foskír safely behind him. The boy was stunned—unsure whether to obey his teacher and stay sheltered, or try to help him.
Three Ónia combined their power to cast a powerful spell. They tore huge chunks of earth from the ground and hurled them toward the two mages. But Elanor, calm and focused, conjured a massive ice shield before them, blocking the devastating assault. Then, with a sweeping motion, he lifted the shattered ice and stone debris high into the air and began hurling the fragments one by one at the Ónia with relentless precision. The creatures tried to defend themselves, but even so, two of them were struck down and killed.
And as if that were not enough, Elanor wasted no time. He spoke the spell protéligka, and a great defensive circle of blue fire ignited around him. One Ónio failed to escape in time and was burned to ash within the flaming ring, while the rest of the group leapt away in fast shadow-like bounds, escaping the circle's deadly reach.
The Ónia regrouped and tried to defend themselves against Elanor's barrage, but the chestnut-blond elf was already launching fiery attacks, channeling the blue flames of the protective perimeter into his spellwork. He managed to drive off two more Ónia, both of which were badly scorched by the dreadful flames of protéligka.
However, the Ónia counterattacked, summoning a massive troll and sending it charging at the two mages to finish them. The troll roared forward, tearing through the flames, but Elanor reacted just in time. With the mighty spell télaunor, he summoned a colossal lightning strike from the sky that obliterated the gigantic monster.
Four Ónia remained, and though their numbers were reduced, they did not falter. They continued to unleash magical assaults, encircling the mages once more. They summoned two more beasts—one shaped like a giant wolf, the other like a chimera.
Elanor, visibly exhausted, summoned a dark spirit of his own to aid them on the battlefield. He called upon Eskynthos, who emerged shrouded in a dark aura, a deep shadowed cloak draped over his humanlike form. Eskynthos fought the two summoned beasts fiercely and, at last, destroyed them both with an immense sphere of dark magic. But the Ónia, striking in rapid succession and suffering one more casualty, ultimately managed to overwhelm Eskynthos and annihilate him.
Seeing his summoned spirit destroyed, Elanor's morale wavered. Completely drained by the brutal battle, he began to fear that they would not survive against the horrific Ónia. The despair on his face was unmistakable. Sensing his weakening resolve, the Ónia grew bolder and intensified their magical attacks—attacks Elanor could now barely fend off.
Foskír, watching his teacher weaken, understood that if he did not act soon, they would both be killed. So he stepped beside his master, took a deep breath, and loudly invoked the name of the shadow spirit—Eskynthos—hoping he too could summon aid against the Ónia.
From within a cloud of darkness, the shadow-spirit emerged and began unleashing its formidable magic upon the beast-shaped Ónia. At the same time, the young mage felt an overwhelming mental pressure; a strange, piercing headache throbbed at his temples, caused by the summoning of the powerful spirit.
Now, with Eskynthos aiding him, Elanor regained the upper hand in the battle. Together with the dark spirit, he managed to strike down two more Ónia. Suddenly, the last remaining Ónio transformed into a bright blue sphere and fled at great speed, desperate to save its life.
However, just as everything seemed to be turning in favor of the two mages, the young Foskír collapsed from the psychological strain of the summoning, and Eskynthos—now uncontrolled—turned against Elanor. Quickly, Elanor invoked the protective spell onympatór, and a spirit of light appeared in the form of a wolf. It overpowered the dark spirit of Eskynthos, who had become feral and unstable the moment Foskír lost consciousness.
Elanor commanded "worthy broomstick!" with his wand, and his magical broom shot out of his satchel. He mounted the broom, placing his unconscious student securely in front of him, and lifted off the ground. Without delay, the wise elf began the swift journey back to the kingdom of Knosaion before anything else could go wrong. After flying for about twenty minutes, he finally reached the hidden elven city, and as they descended for landing, the young mage slowly began to regain consciousness.
"What happened, master? Where are we?""Calm yourself. We've arrived in Knosaion. Once we reach the laboratory, I will explain exactly what happened and why you fainted."
The young mage stopped asking questions and, as they walked toward the royal laboratory to deliver the herbs they collected from Mount Matoro, he gradually felt better. As they approached the chamber of magical plants, Elanor opened the door with a wave of his wand, and the boy asked again about the cause of his collapse during their battle with the Ónia.
"Elanor, I felt a terrible headache just before I fainted. Did it have anything to do with that? To be honest, I remember feeling dizzy and sensing a heaviness in my chest the moment I attempted the summoning spell for Eskynthos…"
The wise Elanor looked him directly in the eyes with a grave expression and told him that what he had done during the battle was far from prudent.
"Even so, young one, the truth is that I was beginning to tire greatly, and had you not summoned the shadow-spirit Eskynthos, we might not be having this conversation now. However, you must take my advice seriously and never again attempt to summon a beast—let alone a spirit as powerful as the dark Eskynthos."
Foskír, frowning and full of curiosity, asked his teacher to explain why summoning beasts was so dangerous in magical duels. The chestnut-blond elf, whose full name was Elanor Eithamon, answered that summoning magic was extremely potent—and extremely perilous.
"You must be very careful whenever you invoke such creatures, my young friend. And the wisest thing you can do is to never attempt it again unless absolutely necessary."
The young mage, raised in the elven household of Oxydar of the Adath, promised his teacher solemnly that he would never again try to summon any beast.
"Truth be told, my young friend, I was deeply impressed by the fact that you managed, on your very first attempt, to summon such a powerful spirit as Eskeinthos."
"Yes, it really was my first time… but I saw you summon the dark spirit first, so I thought I'd try the same call myself—since I don't know any other, at least none that I've ever seen performed in front of me."
"In any case, my boy, what you did was truly remarkable, because the stronger the spirit being summoned, the more mana a mage needs in order to invoke it successfully. And imagine—there are many adult mages who don't possess enough mana to perform a summoning successfully. And the most difficult part comes after the summoning actually takes place, because the stronger the spirit is, the more mental endurance is drained from the mage who must tame it and place it under his control."
"What do you mean, master, when you say the mage is mentally drained?"
"From the moment the summoning is completed, the stronger the creature is, the more mental energy and intellectual domination is required from the mage in order to keep the creature fully under control and prevent any accidents. If the mage fails to control the spirit, then it is very likely that it slips from his grasp—and tragedies follow. There have been many cases in which, after a failed summoning, the spirit even turned against the mage who invoked it, injuring or killing him. That, my young friend, is exactly why you collapsed. The enormous mental and spiritual pressure of the powerful Eskeinthos overwhelmed you and drained your psyche, causing you to fall flat to the ground unconscious."
"So, Elanor… I guess I should avoid summoning spells from now on…"
The elf looked at him sternly. "No—you've understood nothing!"
"Not only should you avoid summoning spells, but you must not even think about attempting one again unless you are properly trained and have come of age. Banish any strange ideas from your mind about trying it again, because next time, you won't be lucky enough to have me there to save you. Do you know what happened when you fainted?"
'"No, I don't… what happened?" the young mage asked, full of surprise and confusion.
"The dark spirit was freed from your spiritual bond, and it turned against us. Fortunately, all the Ónia that had attacked us had already been slain, so I managed to deal with the uncontrolled Eskeinthos successfully. Under different circumstances, you would likely be dead from your own spell, young one! Many are the mages who lost spiritual control of their beasts and ended up pushing daisies…"
"So if I ever happen to use a summoning spell again, then I must remain standing… right?"
"Of course you must not fall unconscious under any circumstance—but understand this: even if a mage is still on his feet, the sheer spiritual weight might cause him to lose control again, and the summoned entity might break free from his mental grasp. Besides, I don't need to describe to you how difficult and soul-draining it is to summon and subdue the spirit of a spell. You experienced it with your own eyes—so there's no need for me to explain further… correct?"
"Alright, alright, I get it. I fainted when it turned against us, and I obviously didn't know beforehand how dangerous it is to perform a summoning—but now I fully understand. I promise you, Elanor, that I will never attempt a summoning spell again.By the way, master… there's something unrelated I wanted to ask you."
"Was it normal that while I was controlling the shadow spirit, I felt a strange sound in my mind? Something like a faint humming, like a whisper… I don't really know how to describe it. Is that one of the strange things that happen during the summoning of magical beasts?"Eleanor stays silent for a moment, stunned, observing young Foskir. Then he takes a deep breath and answers that this knowledge about summoning spells belongs to the material of the next school year.
"This magic is very advanced, quite powerful, and is normally taught in the second year at the Ezami school. I shouldn't be explaining these things to you, but since all of this happened, I can't avoid giving you some answers."Under normal circumstances, you would learn about monster summoning spells next year at Ezami. Still, I will tell you a few key things. For example, spirit summonings are also based mainly on the four basic elements of magic: earth, water, air and fire. However, there are higher forms of summonings, like the one you performed in our battle—an aetheric calling, the summoning of the spirit Eskeinth.
You must know that spirit summonings require enormous magical energy and extreme self-control from the mage attempting them."
"So, master, do shadow spirits require more energy and mental focus than other beasts?"
"Usually yes. Aether spirits—meaning spirits of shadow and light—require more mana to be summoned and demand tremendous mental concentration from the mage, so he does not lose control of the creature. You will learn all of this at Ezami. They will explain it in detail, mainly theoretically, because summoning magic is very dangerous for such young mages. Only in the final two grades, the fifth and sixth year, will you be allowed to practice advanced summoning magic, and only on low-level beasts."
"Well, master, I think that the whisper I heard when I summoned Eskeinthos was similar to the sound I heard when I examined the aether sphere during the test you gave us at school. I must be right, yes? It was the same whisper?"
"You observed correctly, and since things have come to this, it's better not to hide the truth from you—otherwise you might be in danger in the future because of ignorance. Listen, my young friend: very few mages are able to handle aether magic successfully, and even fewer can sense and detect it. Most mages recognize it by its cold aura, and fewer by the silver-white glow it emits when found in magical objects or places. Only a handful of mages—according to the magical texts—have the rare ability to hear those strange whispers within enchanted aether objects or in places infused with aether magic."
"So, Eleanor, the strange sound I heard when I summoned Eskeinthos was because his summoning spell is of the aether element?"
"Most mages tend to believe that summoning spells in general require aether magic in order to work. What is certain, though, is that spirits of light and shadow are extremely powerful, and their summoning is in some way connected to aether magic. That is why even most adult mages cannot successfully perform summonings of magical entities, especially the higher ones of shadow and light."
"Great! So what do I need to know, master, to avoid being in danger again from magical beasts?"
The wise Eleanor looks at his young student silently for a moment. After exhaling, he answers:"Elven mages have concluded that the aether element—and therefore magical spirits—likely originates from another dimension beyond our world. There is much evidence supporting this, and from my own experience, I agree."
"Alright… and what's the problem with that? Why would that be dangerous?"
"We do not know the true origin of aether magic, nor how it reached our world. There are myths and rumors about it, but nothing certain. This is why we must be extremely cautious in using it—especially the magical beasts that most likely come from it. You yourself experienced with the shadow spirit Eskeinthos how dangerous this higher summoning magic can be. If you are not careful and not strong enough, it is impossible to tame such creatures, and a fatal accident may occur…"
"Yes, Eleanor, you are right. I have realized that summoning magic is mentally exhausting, and now I understand the dangers it hides."
"And finally, I want to tell you that some mages believe that these spirits might come from the realm of the dead, the world of Hades… just so you understand what dark and powerful forces you almost toyed with."
Foskar remains silent, shocked by everything his master revealed, and at the same time he grasps the true magnitude of the danger behind the summoning of magical beings."Master, something unrelated… Do you have the magical kokoudi in your bag?!"
"Don't worry, of course I have it with me. What did you think—that I'd forget it?"Eleanor pulls the magical red flower from his bag and hands it to his young student."Go on, boy, run and heal Enali. And as we said… keep your wits about you! Oh, and open a book once in a while—it won't hurt you!""