[Five days later]
Lira and Gabriel continued their journey to the Royal City, only taking short breaks on the way. Along the way, Gabriel asked Lira many things about the city since it was his first time going there. He wanted to know as much as he could about the city and things that he needed to be careful about.
Lira also didn't hold back in giving all the information she had. In fact, she loved talking. Before the arrival of Gabriel, she had no one to talk to. She used to be so silent that, at times, she even forgot what her own voice sounded like. Now she talked so much that she barely stopped.
Lira also taught Gabriel more about the Grimoires and how the spells are unlocked. She even told him how a mage could strengthen their souls and advance to become a stronger mage.
Gabriel absorbed every bit of knowledge he could since he didn't want to stay weak. His goals were bigger than that. He needed strength, and for that, he needed to know how to get that strength.
"So there are two ways for Mages to strengthen their souls and to advance," Gabriel affirmed.
At the moment, Lira was sitting in the lead on the horse while he sat behind her with his arms wrapped around her slim waist, listening to her.
"That's right. The most common way is to use the Soul Crystals. It's the fastest way, but even it can't strengthen you instantly. If Soul Crystals could do that, every rich kid would've been an Advanced Mage by now."
"Soul Crystals are expensive and rare. The rich can certainly afford them, but that doesn't mean anything. In the end, how much they can absorb from the Soul Crystal in a day depends on their own talent. Even with great talent, one can still take years to advance from a Novice Mage to an Advanced Mage with the help of Soul Crystals."
"I see. So that's no faster way than Soul Crystals. How did you become an Advanced Mage at such an early age then? Same with Elora. Why?"
"As I said, even with great talent, it can still take years to make a small advancement. It's because their soul isn't strong enough to use more than one Soul Crystal a day. Talent and soul strength are different. Their talent allows them to absorb more of a Soul Crystal than the ones with weak talent, yet they also share the same limitations. They can't use more than one Soul Crystal without harming themselves."
"But there are also a different category of people which is quite rare..."
"And which category is that?"
"The category of Prodigies. They are also the ones who are most sought after by the Churches as their advancement is the fastest." Lira explained.
Hearing her words, Gabriel remembered that the Head Priest of the Church of Light had also called him a Prodigy when they met. He thought it must mean he was talented. But there seemed to be more to it than just that.
*Category of Prodigies?"
"Yeah. They are rare but also not impossible to find," Lira answered. "There are two types of Prodigies. One is called the Talent Prodigies. They are really talented in magic. They can awaken their element at a really young age and also have an easier time learning to use the spells."
"They can also absorb the most amount of Soul Energy from the Soul Crystal. In fact, some Talent Prodigies can even absorb a hundred percent of a Soul Crystal which is quite rare."
"The second type is also really important. They are even harder to find than the Talent Prodigies. They are called the Soul Prodigies."
"Soul Prodigies? What can they do?"
"While the Talent Prodigies go for quality over quantity, the Soul Prodigies go for quantity over quality. Their souls are much better, and they can use more than one Soul Crystals in a day. Even though they can't absorb most of the Soul Crystal energy, by absorbing from more than one, they progress really fast."
"So they are the ones who have an advantage in the race to become stronger compared to others."
"Exactly. Their strength gain is faster than their peers, but only if they can afford Soul Crystals. That's why most of these Prodigies pledge their allegiance to rich Mage Families in exchange for these resources. The families get talented mages while the mages get the support they need. You'll see quite a lot of that in the Academy. Just be careful from these families.'
"I forgot to mention that there is also another type of Prodigy which is so rare that only ten or so are discovered in a year."
"And they are...?"
"They are called Double Prodigies. They have the best of both worlds. They have peak-tier talent and a powerful soul. Those people don't even need to work with any mage Families. Instead, the Great Families fight amongst themselves to be in the good books of such people since the Double Prodigies are directly supported by the Holy Churches."
"Which of the Prodigy are you then?" Gabriel asked. From Lira's explanation, he understood that one needed to be a Prodigy to progress this fast, so she had to be one as well.
"What do you think?" Lira asked. A smile graced her lips which Gabriel couldn't see since he sat behind her.
"Soul Prodigy? You seem like someone who would have a strong soul."
"No."
"Talent Prodigy then?"
"You're wrong again. I'm none of them. I wasn't born a Prodigy. Let alone that, I wasn't even talented in the least. My talent was literally the worst."
"Then how did you...?"
Lira grabbed the right hand of Gabriel, which was resting on her stomach, and started sliding his hand up.
For a moment, Gabriel was so stunned, he couldn't even react to ask what she was doing.
Lira placed Gabriel's hand on top of her pendant. "It's because of this."
"Your Grimoire?"
"That's right. The only reason I advanced this much is because of this. As soon as the Grimoire of Darkness bonded with me, it changed my life. It improved my talent, bringing it to its peak. It also strengthened my soul. I'm sure it's the same for all Sacred Mages who hold the Grimoires, even you."
"Even me?" Gabriel gazed at the black ring on his hand. "Just how many gifts did this Grimoire give me? It gave me my life, gave me an element, gave me one of the most powerful magical staff in existence, gave me spells, and now this..."
"Yeah, I am sure you were a Talent Prodigy since you awakened an element at such a young age, but as soon as the Grimoire bonded with you, it increased your talent even more. So you should be able to use Soul Crystals as well."
"Do you have any Soul Crystals on you?" Gabriel asked Lia.
"Of course. I've robbed quite a few in my time," Lia calmly answered, not thinking much of the question.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Gabriel frowned. "We have been traveling for days. If I had absorbed a few, I could've gotten stronger."
"You can't use the Soul Crystals now."
"And why is that?"
"Because you need to enter the Academy of Elements. You'll have to become a student there and face an entrance trial. The exam is easiest for Novice Mages who have just awakened their elements."
"If you stay the way you are, you can qualify for Novice entrance exams. It'll give you faster and easier access to the Academy."
Lira explained the reasoning behind her actions so Gabriel wouldn't misunderstand her.
She slowed down her horse and got down.
"What happened?"
"This is as far as I can accompany you without bringing trouble to you. We are close to the Royal City. You can get there in ten minutes. You'll have to travel on your own from this point." Lira pointed straight ahead.
Gabriel also noticed a city in the distance. It was so far that it looked really small, yet Gabriel knew that it was a massive city in reality.
He was almost at the Royal City! The City where he was supposed to steal something so precious that it was said to be impossible to steal. It was also the city where Maya and Hawrin were hiding...
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