Xodeinos guided him, and soon he found himself standing before a dark opening in a cliff, hidden behind branches and shrubs. Thus, Nofeivos used the spell "Imsenthio" to burn away most of the branches, clearing space so he could enter the cave. The young mage advanced into the cave's entrance with slow and careful steps, and with the spell "Rymor" he drew a glow from the tip of his staff, using it like a torch to illuminate his path.
Inside the cave there was an intense and strange chill, which Foskir noticed as he tried to locate the source of the cold aura. Nofeivos was certain that he could feel the magic of the aether within the cave, and so he began to search for signs of ancient magic. Eventually, he came upon a rock that blocked his way, and with the spell "Roverio" he attempted to reveal any magical secrets hidden in the place.
Indeed, through this spell the rock transformed into an iron gate, upon which was carved the figure of a witch holding a scepter in one hand and a helmet in the other. Foskir passed through the gate and, in the distance, saw a faint white glow shimmering.
As he approached the luminous aura, it became clear that the source of the light rested upon a raised pedestal. He climbed toward it, and there lay the magical ring, resting in the palm of a metallic hand, radiating light born of ethereal magic.
"Perfect! At last, I found it! Xodeinos was not lying to me about the magical ring after all…"
And the moment he touched the glowing ring, he was suddenly transported elsewhere, appearing before a magical female spirit clad in a white chiton, holding in her right hand a scepter that closely resembled a spear.
"I am the guardian of the enchanted ring, and my name is Danaë. Who are you, young one, who has violated this sacred place?"
Foskir was left utterly stunned—both by Danaë's sudden appearance and by her unmatched grace and beauty.
"What is the reason and purpose for which you appeared before me, Danaë?" the young mage asked, filled with curiosity and suspicion.
"You are here to choose."
"Choose what, exactly?"
Suddenly, in the form of a vision, his dead parents appeared before him. Nofeivos recognized both of them instantly, even though so many years had passed since they were killed. The spirit in the white mantle magically manifested before him a black stone, floating in the air, and said:
"Take this magical stone into your hand, and immediately your parents will return to the world of the living."
Nofeivos stepped toward the black stone and stretched out his hand to take it, but then the spirit of the beautiful Danaë spoke again.
"Take the stone and your parents will return to the living. Take the magical stone, and the ethereal veil of the elves that protects them will vanish."
Foskar hesitated, withdrew his hand, and asked the imposing Danaë:
"So if I take the stone and resurrect my parents, the magical veil that protects Knosaion will collapse, leaving it exposed to the rest of the world and to the attacks of the Onia?"
"Exactly."
Foskar, though he longed to see his parents again more than anything else, considered taking the stone. Yet on the other hand, he would be placing the entire elven kingdom in mortal danger—the same elves who had raised him for so many years and treated him with the greatest kindness while he lived among them. Moreover, he remembered that he had promised them never to reveal their existence to anyone or cause them harm.
Thus, despite the overwhelming temptation, the young mage ultimately decided not to take it. After all, even if he possessed the stone, he could never be absolutely certain that its magic would truly bring his parents back to life, and he was not willing to risk the civilization of his friends, the elves.
"I don't want the magical stone. You may keep it…"
Danaë gracefully waved her hand, and the stone, along with the vision of his parents, vanished instantly. Then, with her staff, Danaë summoned a magical cloak, which now floated where the black stone had been.
At the same time, in a vision, he now saw his sister, Enali, her life in danger, pursued by monstrous Onia that hunted her with the intent to kill.
"Your sister is in danger of being slain by these horrific creatures. Take the cloak, and you will be able to save her from certain death."
Foskir did not answer. As he watched the vision unfolding before him, he tried to understand whether it was truly happening at that very moment or whether it was merely a vision—nothing more than an illusion.
"What will happen if I take the cloak? And how exactly will it save my sister?" he asked.
"The cloak is magical, and if you gift it to your sister, it will protect her from every kind of danger. However, if you take it, the magical veil that keeps the Onia imprisoned and far away from your world will completely collapse."
Nofeivos thought to himself that his sister was the most precious thing in his life, yet at the same time he could not place the entire world in danger. Thus, he replied to the beautiful Danaë that he would not take it.
"You have chosen wisely, young mage…"
With a simple motion of her hand, the radiant spirit caused both the cloak and the vision of Enali to vanish. In the place where the magical cloak had been, the magical ring bearing the embossed image of a Pegasus now hovered in midair.
"Here, Nofeivos. You have my permission to claim the Ring of Asovi."
The young mage did not rush. He asked the radiant guardian whether there was a price to be paid once again. Danaë replied that he had nothing to fear and that he had been deemed worthy to wield the magic of this ring. Thus, Foskar took it, and the moment he touched it, he was teleported back into the cave.
He then placed the ring upon his hand and began making his way out of the dark cave, reflecting on all that he had seen and experienced through the spirit guardian, Danaë. Once outside, he summoned the dark creature, Xodeinos.
"Thank you for telling me about this powerful magical ring and for showing me the hidden location where it was kept. By the way, I would like to ask you a favor… Do you know where my sister Enali is? Is she well, or is her life in danger?"
"I know nothing at this moment regarding your sister," Xodeinos replied, "but I can tell you that she was accepted back into the royal army and was filled with joy and satisfaction."
"If you learn anything at all about my sister, please inform me immediately."
"Of course, master. But what is the reason you ask with such concern?"
"It's nothing… I simply saw some strange visions from a radiant spirit named Danaë, who guarded this magical ring. In one of them, I saw my sister being chased by terrifying creatures—most likely transformed Onia… and that is why I am worried."
"I understand. Call upon me whenever you wish, and if I learn anything new about your sister, I will relay it to you at once."
After that, the young Foskir began examining the ethereal Ring of Asovi, attempting to uncover its magical abilities. He channeled his magic, and immediately he was lifted into the air, surrounded by a white aura that enveloped his entire body. Foskar felt wonderful—able to fly freely without any magical flying device.
He decided to test the limits of his maximum speed, and when he did, he was astonished by the lightning-fast velocity he achieved. Nofeivos flew for quite some time within that white aura, thoroughly enjoying the ease and freedom of soaring through the sky. When he was satisfied, he landed and consulted his magical map, which displayed his current location.
With his staff, he pointed to the spot marking Athens on the map. Instantly, the magical map, surrounded by a glowing blue aura, revealed an image of the Parthenon, beneath which were written the kilometers separating it in a straight line from his current position. He rolled the map back up and placed it once more into the inner pocket of his cloak, close to his chest.
Instead of taking out his magical broomstick, Foskir decided to continue flying toward Athens using the Ring of Asovi, which was faster and far more enjoyable. Within fifteen minutes, the young mage had already reached his destination—the magical gate of Athens, which teleported travelers to the Ministry of Magic in London.
His goal was to visit the magical library of London, as it contained the greatest concentration of magical knowledge in all of Europe. He wished to learn as much as possible, especially about his own people's understanding of magic, to see whether it differed from what he had learned from the elves.
In London, the young Nofeivos made good use of his remaining days. He learned much about the knowledge of human mages and also discovered valuable information about the culture and history of non-magical people. He was particularly impressed by the technological achievements of his people, as well as certain teachings related to ancient magic found within the Ministry's magical library.
He learned that the origins of ancient magic were extremely old and that there were no clear records regarding its sources. There, he also learned the locations of the ethereal springs known to and controlled by the Ministry of Magic.
Furthermore, he realized from his studies that the ability of a mage to sense ancient magic was an exceptionally rare talent among humans, in stark contrast to the city of Knosaion, where many elves possessed it. It was also noted that the use and understanding of this ethereal magic had been practiced by only a handful of mages every few centuries, as it was exceedingly rare for anyone to be able to master it.
At the same time, he read extensively about mythology and the history of human civilization, and to his surprise, he discovered many similarities with the myths of Knosaion that he already knew.
On the final day of his leave, Foskar decided to go to Thessaloniki instead of Athens, and from there travel to the island of Dorus through the magical gate. Something inside him urged him to fly from Thessaloniki to the forest of Donidos, to check whether the Onia were still visiting the elven lands—and because he felt a deep nostalgia for the places where he had grown up.
He also thought that, if he were lucky, he might encounter an elven patrol and learn news about his parents and, of course, about his sister.
Foskir had once again asked Xodeinos whether he had learned anything new about Enali, but the shadow spirit knew nothing yet, and Foskir's anxiety continued to grow after the visions he had seen in the cave from Danaë.
When he arrived in the Macedonian city, the young mage visited the regional office of the Ministry of Magic. After introducing himself, he asked them to recommend various archaeological sites, knowing the region was rich in ancient treasures and mystery. He visited several museums and archaeological locations and, of course, did not fail to visit the famous museum of Pella, which lay quite close to Thessaloniki.
A mage who had taken on the role of a guide offered to accompany him to Pella, but Foskir told him that he would fly there alone. He explained that after the Macedonian mausoleum, he would continue by magical broom toward the region of Dodona, as he had some personal matters to attend to, without providing further details.
Thus, Adathos bade farewell to the friendly Dimitrios and continued his journey alone.
Nofeivos proceeded along a stone-paved alley in the castle district of the city and, unseen by anyone, activated the magic of the ring. Instantly, he was enveloped in a white cloud and lifted into the sky, flying straight toward the elven forest.
He had almost reached the forests of Donidos when he suddenly came under barrages of hostile curses while flying high above. Fortunately, thanks to the speed of the magical ring, he managed to evade them all. He then turned back to see who was attacking him.
Foskar beheld a radiant being in the form of an angel, holding a magical staff. The angel pursued him through the air, and without hesitation, Nofeivos responded with counter-spells, realizing with certainty that it was an Onio. For several minutes, a magical aerial battle unfolded between them, as they exchanged curses and evaded them with skillful maneuvers.
Neither seemed to gain the upper hand, and neither could bring down the other. At that point, the radiant angel summoned a magical creature.
The creature was a massive bird capable of launching volleys of ice blades from its mouth and wings. Nofeivos, undeterred, immediately summoned a fire spirit to gain an advantage against the water-based creature. The magical entity he called forth was a fiery demon with a humanoid body and the head of a dragon—Egnis.
The result was swift: Foskir's beast easily overwhelmed the angel's monster, incinerating it. Now Foskir held the advantage in the battle, aided by the magical spirit against the fairy.
However, the angel proved remarkably capable, easily deflecting the attacks of both Foskir and his beast. At times, it transformed into a small, luminous blue sphere, evading hostile spells entirely due to its tiny size.
Nevertheless, after gathering enough magical energy, the fairy summoned a dreadful demon—Mandrak. The fearsome Mandrak chased Foskir, attacking him by spewing flames from its mouth. Just before he could be burned alive, Egnis stepped between them and unleashed a wave of magical fire from his hand.
Mandrak's flamethrower collided with the fire wave of the demon Egnis, scattering flames throughout the air. For a few seconds, the two fiery assaults remained locked together—until the powerful inferno of the dreadful Mandrak overwhelmed Egnis's flames, forcing the fire back upon him and annihilating him completely.
Thus, Nofeivos, who still possessed a considerable amount of mana, immediately summoned Eskinthos to aid him. The Onio remained at a distance, supporting its dragon from afar, while the beast unleashed torrents of flame upon Foskir and the shadow spirit. Foskir, on the other hand, fought side by side with Xodeinos, and together they sought to destroy the angel's terrifying dragon.
Indeed, Foskir and Xodeinos successfully repelled all of Mandrak's fireballs and flamethrower attacks. At one point, they even managed to redirect one of the dragon's assaults, ultimately defeating it with its own fiery power.
However, the young mage began to feel mentally exhausted and grew concerned about whether he would be able to maintain effective control over Eskinthos as the battle continued, without losing his influence over it once again. As if that were not enough, he then saw the fairy summon an even more powerful beast—a creature of light, the legendary dragon Elreus.
Now Nofeivos knew that with Eskinthos alone he would not stand a chance against the all-powerful Elreus and its master, the Onio.
I must summon another magical creature, he thought, yet he already felt severely drained mentally and hesitated. The young mage stood at a crossroads, knowing that if he failed to summon a second beast to defend him, his death would be inevitable. Suddenly, a brilliant idea came to him. He was unsure whether it would succeed, but he had nothing to lose.
Nofeivos immediately ordered Xodeinos to summon, in his stead, a spirit of air—a medium-sized dragon named Pulao.
Eskinthos obeyed Foskir's command, and the air spirit appeared. This time, instead of draining Foskir's mental energy, it was controlled by Xodeinos. Indeed, the young mage now had two beasts fighting on his side, achieving exactly what he had hoped for. Not only was he no longer being mentally drained, but Xodeinos—who now controlled Pulao—was expending its own spiritual energy to command the creature, thus significantly reducing the mental strain upon Nofeivos.
Nofeivos was almost certain this would happen, recalling an earlier battle in which Xodeinos had summoned Skogisa, during which he had felt far less mental pressure. When he had ordered the shadow spirit to summon Pulao, he realized his assumption was correct.
Now, filled with confidence and possessing a clearer mind, the young Adathos took action and confronted the dragon Elreus. High in the sky, epic duels unfolded between Nofeivos, the radiant angel, and the fearsome demons under their command.
At one point, Pulao fell victim to a searing wave unleashed by the legendary Elreus and was destroyed after several minutes of fierce combat. Undeterred, the young mage immediately ordered Xodeinos to summon the dark Skogisa.
This choice was far from random. Nofeivos knew that to have any chance against the magic of the light demon, he would need creatures of air or ether. Thus, he believed the shadow spirit Skogisa—an ethereal demon itself—was an excellent choice.
Yet the battle escalated further when the Onio itself summoned a powerful shadow spirit—its own Xodeinos. Forced to push himself even harder, Nofeivos took a great risk and ordered his Xodeinos to summon the winged demon Vent.
High above, Nofeivos and the fairy battled alongside their beasts, while magical attacks clashed and exploded everywhere, producing thunderous sounds and blinding flashes of light. Foskir continued to fight the Onio bravely, with Eskinthos ever at his side.
Foskir fought fiercely, and whenever one of his magical beings fell, he immediately ordered Eskinthos to summon another to take its place. The battle was exhausting and showed no sign of ending.
At last, after numerous attempts and the loss of many magical spirits, Foskir managed to finish off the legendary dragon Elreus with the immensely powerful spell "Telaunor." A terrifying bolt of lightning struck down the Onio's demon, annihilating it. The Onio, however, continued to fight, still aided by its own shadow spirit despite Elreus's destruction.
Indeed, at one point the radiant angel struck a devastating blow with the spell "Sevadia," destroying Foskir's precious Skogisa. Now the young mage was left with only Eskinthos and the winged demon Vent against the Onio and its Xodeinos.
But the fairy, in angelic form, did not stop there. Before him, it summoned yet another legendary dragon—the ethereal magical spirit, the dreadful Slavyr. This beast was truly colossal and terrifying in appearance, possessing the power to unleash waves of magical light and devastating lightning attacks from its mouth.
Foskir realized that the shadow spirit was exhausted, yet he had no choice. He forced it to summon yet another magical creature. At the same time, he personally summoned the dark Skogisa under his own direct command, so as not to further burden Eskinthos.
Then another idea struck him: he commanded Skogisa to summon a beast of its own, just as Eskinthos had done. To his astonishment and great satisfaction, the command succeeded, and Skogisa brought forth a magical creature under its control.
Now, by forcing both Skogisa and Xodeinos to summon additional beasts, the young mage found himself directly and indirectly commanding six magical spirits in total. Despite the sheer number of monsters, the mental pressure upon him was minimal thanks to the technique he had devised.
Using this summoning method, the young Foskir fought against the Onio and its beasts with tremendous success, no longer struggling at all.
The battle continued for several more minutes, and Foskir seemed to be overwhelming the radiant angel. Whenever a demon fell, he immediately summoned another in its place, as his new technique allowed him to control them at an extremely low cost of mental energy.
Suddenly, however, numerous luminous spheres of various colors appeared around him in the air. One by one, the spheres transformed into angels. Some bore black, yellow, white, red, and many other colors of wings, all surrounding Foskir and the Onio engaged in battle.
Foskir froze in terror, realizing that his end was near. But then, telepathically within his mind, he heard the angels telling him to stop the fight and assuring him that they would not harm him.
Having no other choice, Foskir decided to comply. He dismissed all the demons he controlled. The radiant angel who had been his opponent likewise dismissed its own spirits, and together with the other Onia, they telepathically congratulated him on his extraordinary magical power.