Elanor sees him off from the laboratory room and tells him to inform him about any news regarding his sister's health as soon as he has the chance. Foskar replies, "Thank you for everything, Master," holding in his hand the red flower with its magical healing properties, and bids him farewell.
Then the young mage shoots through the air like a whirlwind on his magic broomstick all the way home, lands, knocks on the door, and is greeted by his beautiful mother, Lydia, whose chestnut-blonde hair falls freely down her back.
"What happened? Where have you been all this time?! Do you have the healing herb with you?"
The dark-haired mage with the deep black eyes answers reassuringly, "I brought it—don't worry about anything, Mother," and hands her the magical bulb he took out of his satchel. Lydia exhales in relief and takes the magical herb, placing it on the shelf with the rest of the household herbs kept for emergencies.
"Go at once, my son, and find Doctor Tario. Tell him we have found the herb he asked for. Ask him what time we should expect him, so we can be ready when he arrives.""Alright, Mom—I'm leaving right away!"
Foskar sped off like a bolt and went straight to the doctor's house to inform him and learn the time of his visit. As soon as he arrived, he climbed the stairs and knocked on the door hastily and with force. The door was opened by a beautiful woman with long fiery-red hair, the doctor's wife, Erodra.
"What do you want, little human, at our house? What is the reason for your visit?"
The thirteen-year-old mage answered that they had the magical bulb Tarios had requested and that he would like to know roughly what time her husband would visit them to heal his injured sister. Erodra quickly looked left and right to see if any passerby was watching them, then grabbed Foskir by the shoulder and pulled him inside the house. The young mage was astonished by the beautiful decoration of the doctor's living room, filled with paintings on the walls and elegant statuettes placed all around.
"Wait here in the living room, little one. Sit on the couch, and I'll go call my husband, who is in his study."
A short while later, Tarios appeared, having been studying several medical tomes before Erodra notified him.
"Hello, Foskar! My wife told me you have the magical flower I asked for, correct?""Yes, doctor, we have it!""Good. I'll come to your home around dusk. Tell your mother to be on the lookout…"
He then took a small vial from his coat and handed it to the young mage, telling him to give it to Enali to drink in order to soothe the pain from her injuries. Foskir thanked the doctor, and then his wife Erodra escorted the young mage to the back door of the house so that no neighbor would see he had been there.
The young mage hurried away from Doctor Tarios's home and headed back to his mother to tell her that the doctor would arrive at dusk. Foskir finally reached his house, gave the potion to Lydia, and she in turn offered it to her daughter to drink. Then Foskar told his mother that at sunset Tarios would visit them and that they should be ready.
Meanwhile, the magical veil was showing cracks more and more frequently. Thus, the Onia — or fairies, as humans call them — managed to slip through, resulting in fierce battles in that region. The Ministry of Magic, governed by human mages, had taken responsibility for limiting the invasions caused by the fairies with the help of their allies. Yet as time passed, the cracks in the magical veil across the sky only grew more intense.
The allies of the human mages were mainly the Goblins together with the Skodita, the Sentocheires, the Giants, and they also received assistance from regiments of the ordinary human armies, who were not mages. Naturally, humanity at large — those who were not mages — knew nothing about the other races, since the Ministry of Magic had decided to keep their existence hidden from the rest of the world. Thus, the human military aided the Ministry of Magic on the front of the magical veil under absolute secrecy, a secrecy strictly maintained between the ministries of the nations and the Ministry of Magic.
The Ministry of Magic did not initially wish to involve the nations of non-mage humans. However, when they saw that the situation was extremely serious, they decided to seek aid from the governments of the world as well. The Ministry believed that humanity might also have something to offer in the fight against the fairies through their advanced weapon systems and scientific knowledge. And so everyone together tried to stop these invasions of the mysterious beings, resulting in epic battles unfolding from time to time.
Great efforts were indeed made by all allies to prevent the incursions of these multi-formed creatures, and the battles were fierce, though without any substantial outcome, as the fairies still managed to break through the allied forces and escape. So today there was yet another breach in the magical barrier, as the fairies unleashed terrible magical attacks and managed to flee. The fairies even used the three legendary spirits of light — the dragon Slavir, the dragon Elrev, and the fearsome demon Koveli. And despite the brave efforts of the allies, who used every kind of powerful magic they knew and all available combat equipment, such as firearms, fighter aircraft, and many other weapons, they still could not withstand these mighty magical beings that invade our world from time to time.
Of course, even these powerful Onia suffered losses, yet a large portion of their forces still managed to slip past the allies and escape. Afterwards, using their telepathic powers, they communicated with the other Onia who had escaped in the past, and all of them gathered secretly somewhere on Earth. Their hidden gathering place was a large island named Sekilia, where they assembled so that once their numbers grew strong enough, they would challenge all the other allied races in an open, total war, without hiding anymore. And while they waited for their forces to grow, the Onia did not sit idly by; instead, they secretly spied on the movements of the allies in order to learn their strengths and, above all, their weaknesses, so that they would be ready for the great war to come.
One of the main concerns of the Onia was to discover the hidden location of the mysterious elves — a race some of their own had encountered a few years earlier during a reconnaissance mission while they were following a group of mages in a remote forest in the region of Echedous. And despite the fact that the Onia continued to send scouting missions to that area from time to time, they had so far been unable to discover anything significant regarding the secret elven race.
It was also utterly clear to the Onia that the rest of the world had no knowledge of the elves' location or their existence, since the elves took no part in the allied army that fought the Onia at the region of the magical rift, nor did they intervene anywhere else in any way. Thus, the fairies — unable to communicate with the Onia behind the magical veil — were currently trying to increase their numbers. Their aim was to face the allies successfully and to find some way to breach the magical barrier so they could free the rest of their companions.
While the fairies were gathering their strength on Sekilia, at the same time, epic battles unfolded every few days over the island of Dorous whenever the magical veil showed cracks in the sky. The allies tried to prevent the Onia from crossing through, but whenever the creatures appeared, they unleashed terrifying magic attacks, and with the fearsome magical beings they summoned, they caused massive destruction among the allies.
The allied forces consisted mainly of a division of the international United Nations army, the Ministry of Magic made up of human mages, the Skodita, and the tribe of the Goblins. In addition, the tribe of the gigantic Sentocheires — creatures with many arms — and the Giants also contributed to the allied army guarding the magical veil on the island of Dora.
The Giants and Sentocheires, although they possessed no magical abilities, were extremely strong and enormous, allowing them to endure much and wield massive weapons such as giant axes, clubs, spears, and many others. These two races served as the vanguard of the allies, being both resilient and powerful. The elves of Knosaion were aware of all this, of course, yet for the time being showed no desire to become involved in the affairs of the allies of the Ministry of Magic. Thus, the elves remained hidden under the protection of their powerful magic, merely observing with interest the developments at the front of Dorous.
In the meantime, thirteen-year-old Foskír and Lydia were welcoming Doctor Tarios, who had just arrived at their doorstep. The doctor stepped quickly into the house and asked them at once to hand him the magical blossom. He then prepared a healing potion from the cocoon-flower, chanting incantations as he worked so that the enchanted mixture would be completed successfully.
Once the potion was ready, he approached the wounded Enali and offered it to her. Enali drank it slowly, and the doctor assured her that within a few hours the magic draught would make her feel completely well again. At last, Doctor Tarios bid farewell to the Adath family and wished Enali a swift recovery, leaving their home carefully so that no neighbor would see him and betray the fact that he had helped them.
However, at dawn the very next day, a royal guard arrived at Tarios' house to arrest him on the charge of aiding Enali. "You knew," they told him, "that this girl put her companions in danger and disobeyed the orders of a superior officer — and yet you helped her." The guards seized him and led him away to the prison cells, where he was to stand trial.
News of the arrest spread through Knosaion like lightning, and soon everyone knew that at nine o'clock sharp Doctor Tarios would be judged, so that the magistrates could impose whatever punishment they deemed fit.
Moreover, Oxydar was summoned to the trial as well, so that the court could learn whether he had called the doctor to their home or whether Tarios had come of his own decision. When Lydia heard the news, she burst into tears, terrified that the kind-hearted doctor — and her family — would suffer a harsh sentence. Foskír, however, told his mother that this was no time for tears and reassured her not to be afraid.
"Calm yourself, mother. Everything will be all right! I have to go now — there is something important I must do."
Thus Lydia remained at home with Enali, who by now was in far better condition. Meanwhile, the young mage rushed to the storage room, took his father's magical broomstick, and flew in haste toward the research laboratory where his teacher, Elanor, worked. As soon as he reached the entrance of the royal research center, he asked the two guards to let him pass.
But the guards naturally refused to allow the young mage inside, especially since they had received no orders concerning his arrival. So Foskír drew his wand and, in an instant, petrified them both with the spell espágo.
Swiftly he entered the building and ran straight through the corridors, searching for the famed Elanor, hoping he would help him save the good doctor Tarios — and his father — from the trial soon to be held in the chamber of the royal council. Racing into the research center, he began asking everyone he met where Elanor could be found.
"What business do you have here, young human?""My father, Commander Oxydar, sent me. It's something very important, and I must inform Counselor Elanor at once!""I know whose son you are — you don't need to remind me of that… I asked you something else. Why are you here instead of Commander Oxydar?""Something happened at the camp, and since I was there with him, he told me to come and warn the wise Elanor myself."
"What kind of problem?" the elf asked, eyeing the young mage suspiciously."Um… something about a spell from another dimension… I didn't quite understand. They told me to say that to Master Elanor, and that he would understand."
The elf stared at the boy with a puzzled expression. "Come with me… something smells wrong here." Grabbing him by the shoulder, he led him toward the research center's administrative halls to check the truth for himself.
But it so happened that Elanor was passing nearby and overheard their conversation. He instantly called out:"Leave him, Nestor. My student has come to warn me about the magical veil — isn't that right, Foskár?""Uh… yes, of course, professor. That's exactly why I came — about the veil.""Others have already informed me. Come now, I'll take you home, and then I'll head to the royal army to see why they need me."
Elanor took the young mage with him, and together they left the research center.
"So, tell me, my young friend… what is the real reason for your visit?""We'd better hurry outside first — before the unconscious guards I petrified wake up… then I'll tell you everything."
Elanor glared at him sternly. "I hope you have a very good explanation for all this, because otherwise you won't get away so easily…""They arrested Doctor Tarios — he risked everything to help my sister. And in a little while they'll put him on trial. They'll question my father too, to learn what involvement my parents supposedly had.""I see… And when exactly is the trial?""At nine o'clock. The judges will decide how to punish Tarios — and maybe even my parents if they deem it necessary.""Then we must hurry. It's already a quarter to nine.""What shall we do, master?""What is right. My voice holds weight — I am a member of the royal council. I'll try to persuade them to show leniency toward the doctor and your family."
"You did well to come and find me," Elanor said, rubbing the boy's head gently with a warm smile. "Do not worry. We're in this together — I helped you find the cocoon-flower after all."
Thus, master and student arrived slightly late at the courtroom. The moment they entered, all conversations ceased, and every gaze turned to them. The judge raised a hand to silence the assembly, then asked Elanor — who stood beside Oxydar's son — whether he had anything to say in defense of the accused doctor.
"Of course I do," Elanor replied. "And I'll say this: if saving a life from certain death is considered a crime, then condemn me as well. I was the one who helped young Foskír obtain the healing herb for his sister. Yesterday he came to me, pleading for the cocoon-flower, and I helped him find it in the grove of Mount Matoros."
The elves froze in astonishment at the revered Elanor's statement. The judge then asked whether he knew that the herb he had given Foskír would be used on the boy's sister.
"Of course I knew," Elanor replied. "We even risked our lives on Mount Matoros to obtain it. And I declare this with pride: I would do it again, and I am honored to have taken part in saving dear Enali."
"What exactly happened on the mountain? What danger do you speak of, Elanor?"
Elanor recounted in detail the events of the previous day — the peril they faced, and how they barely managed to escape. As he spoke, the elves realized they had far more pressing matters to worry about, given that the Ónia had begun appearing more frequently near their forest. It was clear the creatures must somehow know about their hidden kingdom in the Woods of Echedos.
They also questioned the young mage, to confirm the events from his point of view.
"It is better that you punish me," Foskír said, "and even let my life be in danger, than to abandon my sister and let her die helpless. That is why I didn't hesitate for a moment to take the risk and find the magical herb that could heal her fatal wounds."
After hearing the young mage's statement as well, the judge finally made his decision: he acquitted them all. In fact, he congratulated them for risking their reputations — and their lives — to save the dying Enali.
Thus, with the trial concluded and every participant declared innocent, the judge moved the discussion to the matter of the Ónia.
Captain Oxydar took his son by the shoulder, pride radiating from him, and thanked his dear friend Elanor warmly — both for helping them obtain the magical flower and for defending them in court.
Oxydar and Foskár eventually returned home, where Lydia and Enali rushed toward them anxiously.
"What happened? What did they decide about poor Tarios? Did they condemn us too, my love? Tell me everything!""Don't worry, my dear — our son saved us today.""What do you mean?""Our boy could not have made me more proud. Foskár went straight to Elanor to defend us in court, and he succeeded — we were all released, all acquitted. But the most unbelievable part is this: yesterday, he faced the Ónia themselves to obtain the cocoon-flower, and the rascal didn't tell us a thing so we wouldn't worry about him. Foskár, you're a true hero. And worthy, at last, of the name Adathos."
"Don't think about it, father. If I had to risk my life for my sister again, I would — without a second thought."
Lydia embraced Foskár tightly and kissed his forehead. "You're the finest child we could ever hope for," she whispered.
The days that followed were peaceful for the House of Adathos, and Enali recovered completely. During that time, Oxydar kept trying to persuade his superiors in the royal army to reinstate his daughter to her post, but all efforts failed — their decision stood firm.
Even so, Enali did not allow disappointment to take hold. Instead, she opened her own business: a shop dealing in magical weapons, hunting traps, and other military tools.
Summer passed, and fourteen-year-old Foskár prepared for the new school year at Ézami. This year, they began learning many new spells and abilities. One of the most difficult — yet most practical — magical skills they were taught was animal transformation. Their professor explained that to succeed in transforming into an animal required long hours of practice and dedication.
"For this reason," he continued, "there are very few beast-mages, and even fewer who can transform into more than one kind of creature. Now, can anyone tell me why a mage would attempt such a transformation in the first place?"
Hands shot up across the room. The transformation professor, Avoimon, pointed to Nevella.
"The main reasons," she said, "are to hide from danger or to spy without being detected. Also, mages who can transform into birds can fly without magical tools such as broomsticks."
"Excellent answer, Nevella. Thank you. You should also know that learning such magic takes a long time because one must observe the animal closely for months before succeeding. For this reason, few mages dedicate the effort needed to master beast-magic. And when a mage is in animal form, they are unable to cast spells — yet another reason many avoid this discipline."
Foskár listened with interest, until he suddenly heard Saír's voice telepathically teasing him: "I'd like to transform into a fly right now and escape this boring lesson…"Foskár replied, "Better to stay as mages than turn into flies and get swatted."Their sudden laughter echoed through the classroom, earning puzzled looks from both the teacher and their classmates.
Days passed, and the young mage steadily improved, driven by the desire to prove he could be just as capable as the best of his elf classmates. Meanwhile, in Ancient Magic class, Elanor informed his seventeen students that today he would teach them about the higher magic of summoned spirits — and the dangers it carried.
"Well then, children," Elanor began, "as you know, there exists the magic of summoning — calling magical entities into our world. It is one of the strongest branches of magic. This year we will remain mostly in theory; practical training will begin in the final two grades. Today we will discuss the categories of spells used to summon magical beasts. Does anyone know the classification system?"
Foskár raised his hand. After his summer adventure, he had learned a few things — and Elanor gave him the floor.
"Spirit spells belong to the four fundamental categories of magic, plus the ether-element spirits, which are divided into spirits of shadow and spirits of light! Ether spirits are considered the most powerful compared to most spirits of the other four magical elements. Moreover, summoning magic requires that the user be capable of performing ancient-magic spells; otherwise, it is impossible to successfully attempt any summoning, let alone ether summons."
"Well done, Foskír, you explained it excellently! I see that you haven't forgotten what I told you last Summer… But maybe you have something more to add?"
"Ah yes! Of course—I forgot!"Foskír said with a smile. "I didn't mention the most important part.The summoning of magical entities requires magical energy—mana—and mental strength. And the stronger a magical daemon is, the more mana and psychic energy are required for the summoning to succeed and for the mage to maintain full mental control over it."
"Well done, you explained that very clearly, my boy… Now let me ask you something else. Did you manage to tell your classmates about what we went through in the Mátor Grove last Summer, or not yet?"
"No, teacher… I haven't told any of my classmates. Not even Saír…"
'I thought you'd want to brag about what we faced against the Ónia, but it seems your embarrassment over what happened with the shadow spirit, Eskínthos, kept you from telling the tale,' Elanor said, teasing him.
"All jokes aside, children, your classmate might not have been with us in class today—or anywhere in this world at all! We truly faced a group of Ónia together last Summer outside Knosaion in the forest, and he managed to summon a very powerful shadow spirit, Eskínthos! But after a short while, the great spiritual pressure exerted by the dark daemon made our young friend collapse, and if I hadn't been there to save him, we would be mourning him today…"
Foskár's classmates were stunned by this revelation and began bombarding both the fourteen-year-old mage and their teacher with curious questions. But Elanor avoided going into further detail, telling them that he shared this only so they would realize the seriousness and danger of this kind of magic.The lesson then continued with the class discussing various monsters and categorizing them according to the magical element to which they belonged, without attempting any actual summoning, of course.