The Celestial Land

Chapter 9: The First Stage

Elleste had been under Mage Serena's guidance for almost nine months. It could be said that it was delightful to learn about the magic and nature energy, and also there was the runes.

However, the nearly crazy way Elleste had been absorbing nature energy finally obtained some results. Her body had been strenghtened greatly to the point that it grew.

Now, Elleste was taller, and the nourishment from the nature energy made her seemed like a completely different person. Her skin had glowed slightly, in a more healthly way. She was no longer skinny and small. Instead, her body seemed to be more proportional now. Though, she was still shorter than most people here.

Elleste opened her eyes and looked around. She gazed at the transfer rune that she usually used to go back to her room in wonder, then she just shook her head.

Mage Serena hadn't been around lately, as Elleste had gotten more proficient in controlling those energies and guiding it to be absorbed by her body. So, Mage Serena wasn't too worried.

Elleste was curious, but she didn't ask. Maga Serena left her own private chamber to for almost a month right now, and only occasionally showing up to check for Elleste.

It's been days since Elleste had seen Mage Serena. Her effort had been indeed going smoothly in the absence of Mage Serena. However, Elleste faintly sense some forebonding that cause her to feel unease.

Her body felt as if it had been undergone a huge change, and it was getting painful to bear. She sometimes felt sore all over, and she didn't even know why. It had disturbed her concentration.

"I want to ask Mage Serena about what's going on with my body." Elleste muttered bitterly, as her skin once again felt like thousands ants were crawling all over it.

Elleste wondered if it had something to do with the nature energy. Did they cause some negative changes due to her being a foreigner in this place? However, Elleste quickly deny that assumption.

Her body slowly had changed to the way described by Mage Serena. So, it wasn't the case.

As Elleste was immersed in thinking about the wrong in her body, she suddenly sucked in a cold breath. She gasped slightly as the surrounding nature energy seemed to have gone out of control.

Elleste tried to get up from the rune and invaded the energy, however, no matter where she had moved into, the energy didn't seem to mind, even after she had completely gotten away from the rune with much difficulty. After all, the monstrous rushing nature energy was too overbearing. The pressure almost knocked Elleste back several times.

As Elleste looked at the rune behind her, she was stunned. Disbelief gradually shown on her face. She was quite terrified as she saw the lights of nature energy once again rushed towards her even without the help of the rune.

Those lights was impossible to be seen by ordinary mage, however, Elleste somehow had seen them now. It was beneficial to obtain the eye that can see energies like this. But, Elleste didn't feel happy at all right now.

She quickly tried to get away from the light. She rushed towards the closer door, hoping that Mage Serena hadn't lock it with spells.

In the end, Elleste was knocked down by the monstrous nature energy rushing towards her body, she wasn't even able to get up and only could roll on the floor.

The nature energy seemed to form some kind of pressure and prevented her to move too much. The colorful lights gradually, in a forceful way entered her body. Elleste gasped for breath.

The thing happening to her now almost made her going insane. She experienced the unimaginable pain as if the energy wanted to tear off her flesh.

The pressure made her felt like it was crushing her bone. Her tiny body currently was unable to bear the both pressure and amount of nature energy trying to enter her body.

Elleste let out some coughts. It was even hard to just breath. Now, under this kind of situation, she felt slightly bitter. When everythung was going rather smoothly, accidents happened. She should've known that she had some kind of bad luck with this place.

Under the feeling of her blood boiling, Elleste faintly hoped that Mage Serena would immediately return. 

The feeling of pain all ovee her body was getting more intense that she almost passed out. She was covered in sweat this time, and her skin had gotten red from the small wounds that suddenly appear and leaking blood.

Her blood as if it was getting sucked, the bones felt like they were being pulled. The vital organs inside her body also seemed like they were being torn into pieces.

Elleste couldn't even scream. At some unknown time, she finally couldn't hold it anymore. Elleste really had the urge to die from the pain.

It lasted for a whole hour before she stopped resisting. Elleste felt that her vision was turning black. The last thing she saw in her blurry eyes was the pooling dark blood on the floor.

***

"How do you feel now?" Mage Serena's worried voice sounded as Elleste gradually opened her eyes.

She looked around blankly, then rubbed her eyes. She couldn't believe it that she wasn't dead. Remembering the pain, Elleste somehow felt that her body was no linger sore. Instead, there was a light and refreshing feeling as if she had just been reborn.

"Mage Serena, what happened?" Elleste looked at Mage Serena for explanation, feeling puzzled.

Mage Serena sighed. "You are so diligent that even before one year passed, you have ascended to the first stage."

Elleste was stunned hearing that. She looked at her own body. And the sight of it made her wince. The body was covered with black blood all over the skin. As she looked around, she realized that she was floating in the air. Even she faintly felt like she was in bed; probably due to Mage Serena's spells.

"I don't know that the time when you reach the first stage would be so soon.  A few days ago, there was only eighty percent of nature energy on your body, and I thought that it would take you more months to complete it." Mage Serena slowly explained. "The ascending of first stage is not that dangerous, however, the person who ascended would feel the unimaginable pain."

Mage Serena took a blood-colored pill and gave it to Elleste. "You lost too much blood. Take this and clean your body then. Now that you've reach the first stage, I will explain a few things to you."

Elleste nodded. She took the blood colored-pill and swallow it. She looked for the rune that have the function to clean the body, then came back to Mage Serena. The blood was gone and her skin no longer emitted the foul smell. Ascending the first stage turn out also made her gain the opportunity to cleanse her body.

"Is there any difference once someone ascend to the first stage?" Elleste asked. She was feeling curious about the different now that she had ascended to the first stage. What made her excited the most was the fact that she was now qualified to learn some spells.

"Of course. Your body will be entirely different. Don't you feel it? It's so that you can withstand more nature energy to reach the next step. In another word, the first stage is also the part of body refinement; to strenghten your body."

Elleste nodded at Mage Serena's words. The body should match the age of the person. The stronger, the longer their lifespan were. Speaking about lifespan, did that mean Elleste have the lifespan of hundreds years now?

Mage Serena revealed the look of someone who was pondering about something, then she said to Elleste, "You should quickly consolidate your foundation then. After you reach the first stage, you are required to go through the trial then."

Mage Serena continued. "The trial would start in a month. After you consolidate your foundation. I will bring you there. I will also take this a month to teach you some basic spells and rune to protect yourself."

Elleste was surprised, but also excited. She was really going to learn the spells so soon. As for the rune, Ellelste had some little knowledge about it after Mage Serena taught it to her.

"Yes, Mage Serena. I will work hard." Elleste said with determination.

Mage Serena smiled at her, she seemed to think about something. But, in the end she just shook her head. "After this trial, you will be going back to train with your batch in Green Wood Palace."

Elleste frowned as she heard that, but she knew that she couldn't really protest right now. After all, the one deciding everyting wasn't Mage Serena.

In the end, she could only sigh and looked at Mage Serena with gratitude. "Thank you, Mage Serena."

Mage Serena nodded, then after she noticed Elleste's expression, she just chuckled. "Don't put that expression on your face. If you want to study about rune, then this mage wil definitely teach you. Come to me whenever you have the time."

Elleste didn't know why, but after experiencing the nine months with Mage Serena, she felt that her path was going to be harder and no longer as smooth.