Chapter 23: Skybound Chaos
As the plane began its climb, Eldranthor felt an unexpected sensation gnawing at his gut. He watched as the world below shrunk, buildings became toys, and the cars merely specks on an elaborate canvas of roads. The whole scene looked eerily similar to a spell-enhanced view he'd seen in his tower back home, but this... this was different.
When the plane hit its first patch of turbulence, Eldranthor's grip tightened on the armrests. He’d battled hellhounds, faced down ancient spirits, and even crossed wits with the elder demons of the Abyss, but this modern steel beast had him quaking in his boots.
He tried a simple calming spell, meant to steady his nerves, but his fingers fumbled and instead, he cast an unintended charm that caused his seatbelt to animate like a playful snake. "Oh, for the love of..." he muttered, wrestling it back into place.
Around him, the cabin was filled with unaware, dozing passengers, but the woman sitting next to him, a bright-eyed, curious child barely into her teens, had caught sight of his mishap. She looked at Eldranthor with wide, excited eyes.
“You’re a magician, aren’t you?” she asked, her voice filled with pure awe.
Caught off guard, Eldranthor quickly tried to improvise. “Ah, well, no, dear, it's a trick belt, you see. A sort of novelty item.”
Unconvinced, she peered at him, the gears in her head obviously turning. But before she could say anything else, another bout of turbulence hit. The plane dipped sharply, and Eldranthor let out an uncharacteristic yelp, his hand automatically weaving another spell in panic.
This time, an aura of light blue energy enveloped his entire seat, making it float an inch above the floor. The girl let out a gleeful shriek, her earlier suspicion replaced with sheer delight. "Now that's magic!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands.
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Trying to contain his embarrassment, Eldranthor quickly muttered a reversal, and the seat settled back onto the floor, just as a flight attendant came by to check on the commotion.
With a flushed face and a stern warning from the attendant, Eldranthor spent the rest of the flight trying to blend into his seat, avoiding the girl's enthusiastic suggestions for more 'tricks'. When the plane finally touched down, he couldn't help but sigh in relief.
“Well, that was certainly... memorable,” he said to himself, vowing to research teleportation magic more intensively once he returned. The trip to the monastery, as he was quickly learning, would be full of firsts.
Eldranthor disembarked the plane, a breath of fresh air rushing to meet him, as if the universe understood his plight. He could sense the ancient, mystical aura of the mountains looming in the distance. His journey wasn't over, though. He needed to charter a car to take him up the winding path to the monastery.
"Eldranthor!" A robust voice echoed through the small terminal, catching him off guard. He turned to see a stout, beaming man waving at him. He wore a traditional chauffeur's uniform, his name tag read 'Ben'.
Seeing the question in Eldranthor's eyes, he said, "The monastery sent me. They don't get many visitors, but when they do, it's my job to drive them up."
His drive up the mountainside was less chaotic than the flight, but by no means less stressful. The winding, narrow roads, bordered by sheer drops were nothing short of vertigo-inducing. Eldranthor found himself casting a subtle barrier spell, just in case.
When they finally reached the monastery, perched high above the world, Eldranthor took a moment to appreciate the view. He could see why someone would choose to isolate themselves up here. The world below seemed trivial from this height.
His arrival was met with quiet curiosity from the monks, their eyes observing him intently as he stepped out of the car. He squared his shoulders, taking a deep breath of the crisp, clean air, and walked toward the grand, ancient archway that marked the entrance to the monastery.
His journey was just beginning, and he had the feeling the most significant challenges were yet to come. And yet, in spite of the daunting prospect, a tiny spark of anticipation ignited within him. The promise of new knowledge was always an irresistible lure to Eldranthor. Magic, after all, was his realm, and he was eager to master its every corner.
