Passing by multiple servants we move to the training pce. They all seem to be either Elves or very beautiful people, so probably Half-Elves.

  “Uli, are all of your servants elves?”

  “They all have elven blood to differing degrees, yes. I try to give all those who don’t have a home to return to a pce to stay and work that pays well enough that they can leave and live good lives elsewhere if they wish to.”

  “Pfft, you really are a softie aren’t you Uli?”

  “Who? Me? Surely you jest.”

  “Of course not! I don’t know why you try to always look so intimidating but I can tell that on the inside you’re a very kind person that cares for people weaker than you. Also you’re always kind to me! You take time for me when you’re super busy and now you’re even teaching me your secret fighting style!”

  “Perhaps I’m just nice to you.”

  “Maybe, but I don’t think so. I think you’re a really kind person Uli.”

  “...Perhaps. Say, Thoma Ahad, if in the future you ever feel scared you can also hold my hand if you want.”

  “Really? Thanks, Uli!”

  “Also…Right now you don’t have a guardian right? If you ever have someone use their status against you, feel free to cim to be my child. It will help.”

  “Okay, I will. Thanks, Uli!”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  We then come upon what looks like a giant tent. Inside are a small water feature, lit torches and a few balls. It’s also quite drafty.

  “This will be your new training ground. It is an environment with all six elements present. You’ll be able to train absorbing the natural mana of all elements here and then ter, once you’re ready, you can try to apply it outside as well. What I’m going to teach you is a ritual passed down to me from many generations of Woodelves. It is a dance made to entertain the six Spirit Kings. One dance for each of them that will work well with their personality. Technically it’s designed so you can dance it with a partner in case a Spirit King ever decides to dance with you but you’ll be learning to perform it without one. Personally I have never knowingly danced with a Spirit King but I also can’t be sure because I can only see spirits if they decide to show themselves to me. There were certainly many times however that I could feel some sort of presence during my dance, so take that how you will.”

  Raising my hand, I ask “What is a Spirit King?”

  “I see, so we need to start there. All spirits are the physical manifestation of an element, but unlike spirits the Spirit Kings are the elements. If Ifrit the Spirit King of Fire were to disappear so would all fire disappear from existence. The Spirit Kings might take on physical forms but technically every fme is part of the Spirit King of Fire and every drop of water is a part of the Spirit King of Water. As such all the lesser spirits are directly or indirectly born of the Spirit Kings.”

  “Hmm…I see. Are there also Spirit Queens?”

  “No, in this case King should be seen as a title devoid of gender. It is just a xxx that they are the rulers but all spirits are sexless. That does not mean however that they don’t prefer to be seen and treated as male or female though. Many spirits choose to take on more male or female looking forms because they identify highly with femininity or masculinity but in the end since spirits are born from nature and do not procreate they do not have a sex, so it is always best to ask them how they prefer to be treated, especially if you’re unsure.”

  “I see, so it’s rude to assume their gender?”

  “Correct. As far as I am aware, currently Ifrit the Spirit King of Fire, Lum the Spirit king of Light and Sylvia the Spirit King of Wind identify as female while Elqueenes the Spirit King of Water and Gaia the Spirit King of Earth identify as male. Nox the Spirit King of Darkness from my knowledge likes to be either referred to as male or genderless. But these are from accounts of people hundreds if not thousands of years in the past so things might have changed. Any more questions?”

  “You said you were teaching me a ritualistic dance, right? What does that have to do with fighting?”

  “Good question. Each ritual will allow you to infuse one element into your body, both strengthening you and allowing you to cast a spell that will enhance your physical body even further. Later on you will be able to cast these spells and absorb the natural mana needed for them without needing to do the ritual. I’m going to demonstrate to you now what a full ritual to all six Spirit Kings looks like.”

  Uli then takes a deep breath and steps into the middle of the room and starts to dance, it looks like a mix of ballet and ballroom dancing.

  “Nox the Spirit King of Darkness, is an intimidating presence. You need to be able to dance with the intention to lead or else you will not be able to withstand his might. The movements of this dance need to be precise and powerful. But no matter what ritual, you must always stay elegant. Nox, Spirit King of Darkness, hear my plea. Put a crown of darkness on my head so that I may be fit to be in the presence of kings. Dark Crown.”

  During her dance, the balls in the room started to move around and bck orbs surrounded her but now after her spell all the orbs seem to move to her head and form a crown. She then changes up her dance to be quick and seemingly erratic.

  “Ifrit the Spirit King of Fire, is the next ritual of the dance. She is an unrelenting dancer, you need to be quick and passionate while letting her lead the dance. If you can not do that the fire will not guide you, it will consume you. Ifrit Spirit King of Fire, hear my plea. Clothe me in your fire so that I may not stand cold and naked in front of the Kings. Fire Dress.”

  The torches surrounding the tent then burst forth fire that surrounds Uli’s body and forms a beautiful dress around her.

  Next she changes her dance once again, slowing down just a little bit but keeping a fast pace. Her dance then becomes very gentle and smooth as orbs of light surround her.

  “Next, Lum the Spirit King of Light. She is a kind and gentle person and as such her dance needs to be gentle and extraordinarily elegant. Even just a pearl of sweat on your brow or the huffing of your breath will render this ritual useless. Lum Spirit King of light, hear my plea. Dress me in jewels of light so that I may look pretty in front of the Kings. Light Jewels.”

  The orbs of light move onto her crown embedding themselves into it like stars in the night sky, others then move to her ears and neck forming ear rings and a neckce.

  She then considerably slows down her dance, swinging from side to side in a wave like motion as some of the water from the water feature starts to float into the air.

  “Elqueenes the Spirit King of Water will allow you to catch your breath again. You are able to slow down and enjoy the cool feeling in the air while you lead him. Elqueenes, Spirit King of water, hear my plea. Coat my steps in shoes of ice worthy of dancing in your ball room. Ice Walk!”

  The water then moves to her feet while she dances, suddenly solidifying into ice and giving her beautiful slippers to dance with.

  Afterwards her dance becomes quick again, perhaps quicker than it was before as she dances around the room using as much space as possible, while making wide movements, jumping around and spinning a lot, while the draft of the room grows stronger, twirling around Uli like a small tornado.

  “While dancing for Sylvia the Spirit King of Wind you must control your breathing or else you will pass out. Sylvia is an ever curious spirit that wants to see the world and have fun at every step of the way, you must be prepared for her free spirit as you dance. Sylvia Spirit King of Wind, hear my plea. Mask my smell with the aromas of the world so that even a blind man will know me worthy of dancing with you. Soothing Perfume.”

  The winds then vanish and a wonderful smell lingers that makes me feel like I want to go to sleep.“Stay awake Thoma Ahad! I have already moved the winds away from you but if you fall asleep you could die!”

  With that warning I suddenly perk up again, it seems like I almost passed out. In the meantime she also changed her dance. Now she is using stiff and slow movements as pnts grow out from the earth beneath her.

  “Gaia the Spirit King of Earth is the st of the ritual dances. You will be extremely fatigued and distracted at this point but it is important you stay firm and precise. Gaia, Spirit King of Earth, hear my plea. Coat me in the life that springs forth from your earthen womb, so that I may be dressed to be in your presence. Life Coat!”

  A coat of vines then wraps around her back as she finally slows down and stops dancing. Cd in all the elements she looks absolutely powerful and beautiful at the same time.

  “This is what I’ll be teaching you from now on. I will also be teaching you archery. The goal for now will be for you to master this ritual while using a bow. You need to be able to complete the ritual while keeping enemies at bay.”

  “Wait, so I need to be able to do all that, WHILE holding and using a bow? Is that even possible?”

  “It is. With enough dedication and training you will be able to do it.”

  “Do you really believe I can do it?”

  “Of course, otherwise I would not have shown you this.”

  “Hmm…Alright, if you think I can do it Uli I’ll also believe that I can, despite how impossible it looks!”

  “Good, from now on I expect you to train the dances for at least three hours a day, moving archery for two hours and natural mana absorption for one hour. You can half those times while you’re traveling but unless you are in danger I expect you to practice even in the wilderness. Especially since you can combine your archery lessons with hunting for food.”

  “It seems extremely challenging but if this is what I need to do to make Ray’s dream come true without being a burden, then I’ll do it!”

  “Pfft, with this training not only will you not become a burden, you will get the power to make all your wishes come true. Also, I don’t expect you to be able to do the full training yet in the beginning. Your body will not hold out if you do but this will be what you’re working towards. I use the same training xxx every day, although I have started to become a bit zy over the st few decades.”

  “Good, then let us start to practice dancing now.”