7 The door to a peculiar academy.

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"Your highness, we've arrived" knocking on the door the coachman said.

Lydan was a bit overwhelmed. He was clenching the box tightly with his quivering hands. 

"It's so strange; last night I wanted to get away from this pendant as far as possible, but now... it's strange," Lydan's studies mumbled. 

Ellen sneered for a split second before placing the commodities away from his lap onto the seat, and the coachmen opened the door. 

"What happened?" Snapping out of his thoughts, Lydan signed. 

"We've arrived, Your Highness," Ellen said, smiling.

"But you said it will take us half a day to arrive there" curiously, Lydan signed. 

"You appeared to be in a rush your highness so we used a magic circle" Excitedly Ellen uttered. 

"Aren't they costly?" Lydan signed with an absurd expression. 

"Not for a prince," Ellen spoke. 

Ellen ambulated outside the carriage, behind him, Lydan also stepped out, shoving the box in his pocket. 

"Fog in Summer?" Lydan signed after treading out of the carriage. 

"It's magic, Your Highness," Ellen said. 

Lydan could hardly see the huge altitudinous trees all around him with some dispersed trails because of the hefty fog; the carriage stood on a sheer path. 

"Your Highness, we have to walk from here because of the magic." Signaling the path ahead, Ellen said it out in a courteous manner.

Lydan passed by Ellen, giving a nod on the steep path ahead. 

"Take the luggage from the back door," Ellen said to the coachmen. 

Coachman gave a nod and took the carriage on a trail contrary to where it had been earlier. 

Lydan saw the carriage as it disappeared into the thick fog. Ellen came forward. 

"Shall we, Your Highness?" Ellen catechized. 

"With blindness?" Lydan pointed with his thumb at the track covered with fog. 

Ellen shifted forth, he put his right creased hand in the air in front of the path, and he grunted some rules that made the fog evaporate while clearing the path. 

"So you have the power of fog?" Excitedly, Lydan signed. 

"It's a spell, Your Highness, not a power," Ellen said. 

With glistening eyes, Lydan signed, "Spell?"

"I know Your Highness was not permitted to learn anything about magic back in the palace, but now you do, so buckle up," Ellen said. 

"Tell me," Lydan signed. 

"I will tell you everything I know, but let's head on our way before the spell wears out," Ellen said, smiling. 

Jouncing Lydan started walking beside Ellen on the straight path ahead. He was looking around with admiration. 

"Your highness "In this land, we have different kinds of power, and among them, the most important and rarest are fire, ice, water, and finally wind," Ellen stated. 

"Are there powers like that?" Lydan signed, curiously, "I only heard about the wind power and the power of strategy, knowledge, fortune, bravery, and honesty." 

"Those powers are no more, Your Highness, except for the wind." 

"But there is no one with the power of wind, and the neighbor's lords still have the other five powers." 

"They do not, your highness, they've other powers, not the one you mentioned and as for the wind power there will be one person with this power" 

"I did not know." 

"No one told you, Your Highness because you were not allowed to learn about any power." 

"Yeah, I have read every book at the castle except the magic books" 

"It's not the same case now, your highness, there is no boundary now, you will learn everything in this Academy" 

Lydan gave a beautiful smile as he started walking at a great pace. Ellen was following him back. 

"There are spells other than powers, your highness, people with no power..." Ellen was speaking while looking around, but he ceased as he spotted Lydan. 

Lydan was standing still, looking up at a humongous rustic gate in front of him. The door was sculpted with some rulings in an ancient language. 

The door was more advanced than the altitudinous trees beside it. It was covered with scrapes and moss. and there wasn't anything ahead of the door, as if the door were standing on its own. 

"We're here," Ellen said. 

"Is this the Academy's entrance?" Where's the Academy? It's only a door." Lydan signed with wonderment. 

"It's all magic, Your Highness." Ellen said, smiling, "We need a spell to open the door."

"Do it then," Lydan signed. 

"I will need your blood for the enrollment so we can enter," Ellen said. 

"My blood? For enrollment?" Hysterically, Lydan signed. 

"It's mandatory Your Highness, you would know if you had heralded your parents before your departure" 

"Really?" Lydan signed, giving him a skeptical look. 

"I can in no way lie to you, Your Highness," Ellen said as he handed over a small dagger. 

"You had that all this time?" Lydan signed snapping the dagger from his hands.

"We aren't allowed to bring guards into this area, that is why," Ellen told. 

"What should I do?" Lydan signed. 

"Cut your hand a bit and put it on the handle, I will take care of the spell," Ellen spoke. 

Lydan coursed forward toward the door with the dagger in his hand. 

"I do not see any handles here," Lydan signed as he looked back.

"They will appear, Your Highness, and when they do, cut your hand a bit and then place your hand over it," Ellen stated as he closed his eyes. 

Ellen started chuntering in an ancient language. A gush of wind came from the door, and two branches appeared and moldered into handles on the door. 

"Such small handles to such a big door," Lydan's notion mumbled. 

As soon as the handle molded fully, Lydan cut his palm and placed it on the handle just as the blood started to come out. 

The ancient language sculpted on the door shined; he felt as if the door was stinking his blood. Feeling the blood-sucking out, he suddenly pulled his hand back. 

A puff of fog came from the inside; it wasn't possible to see where he was standing. "Let's enter, your highness," coming forward, Ellen said. 

Lydan took a deep breath and as soon as he placed his first step across the door. 

...

Far off in the dark, a brace of golden eyes narrowed.

To be continued...