Grimoires & Masters - Chapter 13 (Patreon)

The Devil’s Den; There were not many stories about this place, but those that circulated in the World of Aurora failed to do justice to the beauty of this heavenly land. 

The first time Aoun heard about this place was when Mel had mentioned it to him. She told him that it was the most beautiful place in the World, and one of the most dangerous as well. And right she was. Even its beauty was deadly. He already felt like making this place his forever home.

There was a perfectly round lake, spanning over three hundred meters, with crystal clear water that was magically shining. 

On three sides were three conical snow-capped-peaks, equal in height. They were majestic, and under the sparkle from the lake-water, they shined as well. 

The sky, close to dawn, bore innumerable multi-colored stars in it. And even after minutes, there were no changes in the color of the sky. It was permanently night-blue. 

For Aoun and Elena, it was the first time they were witnessing the lush green grass that floored the entire Valley. By the banks of the lake was strange silver sand, and the side that was not covered by a Peak had a massive Tree there, nearly three-hundred meters in height. Its trunk was black, and the heart-shaped leaves on it were greener than even the grass of the Valley. The spreading-crown nearly covered all the sky on that side. And in the heart of the trunk was an eye-shaped silver-black stone.

All of them stood there, enchanted by the scenery, finding it hard to choose words that would do justice to this place. 

Aoun closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. The air had a sweet aroma, and it was fresher than any he had ever breathed. His body felt light, and all the fatigue he felt vaporized.

The Temperature here was perfect. It was neither too cold nor was it warm. 

“Winter, Shuvi…” He gently called out their names, and two specks of lights escaped from his heart. 

“Mera…” Elena called out the last fox. 

The three foxes cried out in joy as they flew around in the air, already running all over the place. 

Elena called out her Grimoire. Another light escaped her heart, which then turned into the form of a Grimoire, the size of her hand. 

She willed it, and pages ruffled open, before stopping on a page with the image of a majestic horse.

Black strings of light sprouted from the page, and gathered at a place on Elena’s side, before being covered in bright silver light, and Maya neighed joyfully.

The dazzling Black horse walked out of the shell of silver light and loving nudged its face on hers. 

“Hehe... You can stay with Ray now.” She gently stroked its head and brushed her fingers through its lustrous mane.

Maya then walked over to Aoun and nudged his face briefly before going forward to greet her brother.

Both Ray and Maya greeted each other by pressing their heads together, and then they were off running to the other side of the lake where the giant tree was.

“Want to race?” She shot off right after saying that.

“Come on!” Aoun complained but chased after her with the best of his ability. 

Elena was fast, astonishingly fast for her age, but he was faster. 

It was his hand that landed on the truck of the tree first, but he did not get any time to tease her over his victory. 

Elena jumped at him and pushed him on the grass, and then they were rolling about, wrestling each other. 

“You are mean!” She complained as she laughed under his tickles, and managed to lock his neck between her legs and one arm at his back.

“That hurts!” Aoun complained as pain shot through his arm, but Elena was not going to show mercy. 

“You deserve it.” She giggled and closed her eyes, laying down in the grass as she held him like that. Her movement exerted more force on his arm, and it was twisted at an ugly angle. She stopped right before the joint could come apart. 

“I love you…” Aoun gave in to the pain and whispered. 

“Good!” She bloomed in a bright smile and let him go, but she did take precautions against him as she stepped a safe distance away from him. 

He shook his head helplessly and gave up thoughts of getting back at her for now. He walked closer to the tree and found it to be the source of the aroma that the Valley was perfumed in.

Aoun traced the stone that was embedded in the truck. It was a silver-colored stone that gave the impression of metal and held a black gem in it. The black gem was cold to touch, as soon as he touched it, it gave off a colorful light, and then some words appeared on it.

“Territory: The Devil’s Paradise.
Guardian/Lord: Mellisa Orion Orylius Zaryven (Reign: 6766 – present)
Predecessors: None.”

“She claimed this land 231 years ago?” Elena confusedly looked at the information. 

Aoun frowned at the information and clenched his fists tightly. 

The world was still searching for the dungeons in the Wild North to claim its territories, but the information he was looking at signified that one such dungeon was right here, and Mellisa had conquered it by herself. 

“How strong was she 231 years ago?” Elena turned to look at him and asked. 

“She never told me. But she was already a queen by the age of 21. No one knows if she was already an Empress before she joined the Empire of White Winter.”

“How old is she right now?” She asked. 

Aoun was about to reply to her, but then he took a moment and called out his Grimoire. 

He opened the page that held his personal information, and on it were the names of his wives and their information.

“Name: Elena Zaryven.
Age: 13.
Race: Ashaya.
Soul-Beast: Fox of Chaos; Fire Vulis, Mera.
Titles: First Princess of the Land of Winter.”

“Name:  Mellisa Orion Orylius Zaryven.
Age: 266.
Race: Orion.
Soul-Beasts: The Annihilation Cat: Dark Nyx, Kuro. The Sacred Beast of Space & Time: Divine Xerexis.
Titles: The Lord of the Devil’s Paradise. The Northern Queen of the Land of Winter. The Master of the House of Orion.”

“She is 266 years old now.” He whispered, but his brows were furrowed.

The information it had on Mellisa was already what he had known, with the exception one. 

Mellisa had never told him that she had a second Soul-Beast. 

Aoun tried his best to recall if he had ever read about a Sacred Beast of Space & Time, but he failed to recall any information on it. In his thoughts, his eyes landed on the top of the page where his information was, and his heart thumped hard against his chest.

“Master: Aoun Zaryven.
Age: 18.
Race: Ashaya/Orion.

Soul-Beasts: Fox of Chaos; Ice Vulis, Winter. Fox of Chaos; Dark Vulis, Shuvi.
Titles: Second Prince of the Land of Winter. Prince Consort of the House of Orion.”

The information on his race scared him. 

He was lucky that no one else could read his Grimoire and any information on it if he did not want to reveal. 

“You must never say the word Orion in front of anyone. It will bring disaster to you.”

In his mind resounded the words of Mel. It was the first secret about her that she had told him. She told him that she was not an Ashaya, but an Orion. Mel never told him what an Orion was. He had even inspected all of her body in his curiosity, but she was no different than an Ashaya. 

Elena had read the information on his Grimoire through his eyes, but she remained silent and did not raise any questions on it. He could sense her emotions, and she was not worried about the information on his race. 

To her, it did not matter what he was. She was already satisfied with the information on his Grimoire that concerned her. 

The Law of the World deemed her his first wife. And that was why her name came before Mellisa’s.

Aoun sighed and called back his Grimoire. 

“I am going to sleep.” He planted a kiss on her head and walked near the lake. 

From his Blood-Ring, shot out light and in a matter of a second, there was a big Royal Tent in front of him.  

He could have chosen something far less eye-catching if they were out in the open where people could come, but here it was only him and his little wife. 

The Royal Camps were the most expensive, and the one he had was a present to him from his family. 

Aoun entered the tent and walked over to the table that had water on it. He had a glass of water, and then lazily changed his clothes into light sleepwear before crawling up in the soft king-sized bed and closing his eyes under the warmth of the comforter. 

He understood everything now. He knew why Mel was not worried about him coming here. This place belonged to her. And if it was a Dungeon that she had conquered, no one else could enter this valley without her permission. 

The Place where a dungeon used to be was under the absolute control of its conqueror. 

With dozens of thoughts running in his mind, he dozed off to a sound sleep in a matter of few minutes. 

Elena kept looking at the tent for a long time, but she did not enter it. 

There was something she had to do first.

She walked by the side of the lake, took out a black groud-shaped wine vessel, and carefully filled it up. 

Mellisa had told her that the water of the lake was one of the world’s most precious Spring-Waters, but it would turn poisonous if more than a Gourd is filled by a person. 

As a Royal, she knew how precious Spring-Waters were. The quality of the alcohol highly depended on it. And she was certain this sparkling lake had a spirit of its own, and its water was even more precious. It could be used in different spells and rituals.

Elena listened to what Mel had told her, and only filled up the gourd that was given to her. Her heart could never be driven by greed, for she desired nothing more than her brother’s love. 

She carefully stored the wine vessel back in her Blood-Ring and then submerged her hand in the water before taking out a mouthful and drinking it. A person was only allowed to drink a mouthful a day directly from the lake. And it was enough. Beasts also needed only a mouthful of it, and they would not feel thirsty for the day.

The water was cold, but not cold enough to burn her throat. She was the Blood of Zaryven. Her blood was resistant to cold. 

It worked like magic on her, and she felt light. Her senses sharpened, and she could feel her control over her Aura strengthening. And the Element inside her veins was urging her to call it out. 

Elena let it loose, and soon the bright blue light illuminated everything around her.

Winter and Mera were delighted at seeing the light, but Shuvi hesitated.

The Dark Vulis only rushed to her after it ascertained that the light belonged to her. 

She had always wondered by Kuro never showed affection for her. But now she understood it. 

Her element was Light, and Light and Darkness were each other’s weakness. It was only fair that the instincts of the Elemental Beasts of Darkness made them vary of the creatures of the Light.

Mera formed spirals of fire as it danced happily around Elena, and Winter spent all its energy to make it snow around them. 

Shuvi wasn’t in the mood to show-off, and entered Elena’s arms, nestling against her bosom. 

Elena was happy seeing that Shuvi did not resist her and trusted her. It was rare for Beasts of Darkness to enter the embrace of Light. 

Elena laid down on the soft grass, and the foxes lay on her as they got tired. 

“Shuvi…” She looked at the little black fox after a while. “Can you bright Chino to me?” 

The little black fox happily flew away to the tree and picked up Chino who was sleeping under its shade. 

Elena caught both of them in her embrace when Shuvi returned. 

The little monkey had not woken up yet and was still soundly asleep. She sat up and carefully stroked its soft coat of fur.

Aoun wasn’t wrong when he wanted her to think carefully about her choice to keep this Beast. A Novice Master was only allowed to keep two Beasts others than the Soul-Beast. She had already given one slot to Maya, and if she contracted Chino, her slots would be full.

The little hesitation she felt only lasted for a moment, the beauty of the Beast in her arms called out to her, and how vulnerable it looked as it slept made her feel protective for it. She knew she wanted it, and that was all that mattered. Her instincts told her that the Beast in her arms was a precious treasure.

It was then that she felt the body of the little monkey warming up. She was worried after finding it in a sudden fever, but then she saw the Beast get engulfed in myriad lights. 

If it was anyone else, they might have had to close their eyes to the brightness of the light, but after she woke up her Element of Light, it didn’t matter to her. She could keep her eyes open in the brightest of the lights and see better.

Elena witnessed the entire process, enchanted. Ray and Maya arrived behind her, and they patiently looked at the little monkey that was going through Evolution.

It lasted for nearly five minutes, and then the shell of light on its body started falling apart. 

Chino did not grow up, but its coat was more lustrous, and there were now fewer white spots on its body. Its tail was entirely black, but there was now a crescent-shaped white mark on its chest. It was small but stark.

The little monkey opened its eyes in her arms, and then apprehensively looked around. Its little body trembled in unease when it found three Foxes of Chaos looking at it with interest. But it regained composure fast and jumped out of Elena’s embrace before politely bowing to the tree little foxes.

Elena was shocked to see the elegance in the Beast. It had manners, and its actions were effortless. 

“Hmph…” She grudgingly pouted. “I took care of you all the time you slept, and you wouldn’t even greet me.” She complained. 

Chino looked at her with curious eyes, and it was then that she realized that the color of its eyes was no longer blue. They were bright indigo now. 

It took it a moment, but the Beast then bowed to her too. 

Everyone was surrounding it, so it decided to sit right where it was, and curiously looked at all of them. 

Mera was the first to approach it and teased it with its tails. It didn’t take long before all the foxes, and the little monkey played around with each other, making joyful cries. And when Mera started showing off its skills, Chino didn’t back down. 

It jumped up in the air at an astonishing speed, and before they could realize, it was standing nearly a hundred feet up in the air. And then it started twisting as it came down slowly, and around it, a green twister formed. It wasn’t a strong one, but a light one that sparkled under the light from the lake and the fire from Mera. 

“Pretty!” Elena happily clapped her hands and smiled.

Chino landed on the ground as light as a feather and then bowed to all of them in thanks.

“Your Element is wind?” Elena smiled at it and asked.

The little fellow nodded to her by sending her hair fluttering by a soft wave.

Elena discovered that the wind was silent, and it made no sound. What it meant was that the Beast was adept at its control over the Element. 

“I will introduce you to everyone…” She smiled brightly and then pointed at foxes one by one. “This is Shuvi, this is Winter, this is Mera. And, her name is Maya, and he’s her brother, Ray.”

Maya let out a flare from her nostrils in a greeting, and Ray sent a greeting by forming a circle of icy grass around the little monkey.

Chino happily conversed with them in the language of the Beasts and then looked Elena in the eyes. 

She felt as if it was waiting for her to say her intentions, and she sighed before smiling at it. 

“Be mine!” She said straightforwardly and anxiously waited for its answer. 

The little monkey kept looking at her with soulful eyes as if trying to see through her.

“I will give you these three berries if you accept my proposal.” She decided to try another way. 

She still had three of those purple Spirit-Fruits from the Whispering Forest. 

Chino looked at the fruits in her hands with interest, but it seemed like it was not enough to sway the little monkey now.

Elena became anxious as she looked at its lack of interest in these fruits, and then glanced at the lake. A smile flashed on her lips. 

“If you accept the offer, I will let you drink from that lake.” 

The little monkey turned to look at the lake, it took its time before it turned around, doubtfully looking at her. 

“Hmph… If I don’t’ allow it, you won’t be drinking from it.” She folded her arms on her chest and looked at the little foxes for the support. 

The three foxes nodded to her words and flew over to sit in her lap. 

Chino looked at them meaningfully and then nodded its little head, making out a cute sound. 

“Do you accept?” 

It nodded again.

“Yay!” She happily clapped her hands and immediately called out her Grimoire. 

She willed it, and strings of light sprouted out of it as they surrounded the little monkey. And as soon as it accepted a drop of blood that Elena presented to it, the strings bound it, and then it was sent inside her Grimoire. 

Its image appeared on the page together with its information.

The Paradise Wanderer; Rinko.
Given Name: Chino
Realm; Desolate-Indigo.
Bloodline; Spirit Blood: Supreme.

Elena looked at the information for a good few minutes. Her heart was racing at the Bloodline of the Beast.

She never heard of the Paradise Wanderer; Rinko. But the word ‘Supreme’ in its Bloodline made her ecstatic.

Chino would turn into a Spirit Beast if it managed to awaken its Bloodline. 

Spirit Beasts were creatures that were immune to mental attacks, and they were capable of hiding their true form. And that was what made them hard to capture as they could be in the form of mere Mortal Beasts. 

She happily called out Chino and hugged it.

“We will have lots of fun together!”