***

  Moving along the rocky hillside in darkness wasn't easy, but Indres insisted on getting his family as far away as possible from where the monster had landed. Guards and hunters sprang into action—some heading toward where the monster had flown, others toward the village. Arwain appeared and offered help, but Indres sent him to join the other hunters watching what the monster was doing to the east.

  Indres found a hollow between two large rocks and told Sofra and the children to hide there. He held his war bow in hand, vigilantly gazing over the edge of the rock toward the east, with Sigi by his side. Usually, the dog was calm and composed, but this time she too showed unease and confusion. Tao noticed how Sigi pressed against his father and occasionally whimpered softly until Indres began stroking her fur.

  Sofra kept the children close and soothingly stroked their heads. Noticing Tao's bleeding forehead, she took a small container of fragrant ointment from her belt and applied it to the wound. When Tao tried to look over the edge of the rock with his father, Sofra pulled him back into the shelter of the stone.

  "No! You mustn't!" her voice was unusually stern.

  "Quiet," Indres hushed his wife.

  "Indres, Tao did something strange earlier, he jumped... jumped like a warrior, with spirit power."

  Tao felt as if his mother was tattling on him, but couldn't blame Sofra. He had acted recklessly.

  Indres turned his head, his eyes difficult to see in the darkness, but Tao had no doubt they were watching him intently. His heart sank.

  "We'll talk about that later. Sofra, don't let him out of your arms. Tao, stay with your mother."

  The boy felt immense relief, even though nothing had been resolved. At least he had time to prepare for the coming conversation.

  Tao didn't know how long they sat between the rocks as the night grew colder and the noises to the east and from the village to the south quieted down. Inya became more restless, so her mother took the girl onto her lap, releasing Tao. The boy still felt his mother's gaze upon him.

  After some time, Arwain appeared nearby. Indres softly whistled to him, and the young hunter hurried closer.

  "The drakh is gone. It ate several livestock and then rose into the air again toward the east, toward Periya, we think."

  Tao saw his father's shoulders relax.

  "We need to send them a message. Even if it doesn't arrive in time..."

  "Yes, father and the others are already sending birds to all villages and towns they can reach."

  "Are there casualties?"

  "As far as I know, only Kevain, right at the beginning..."

  "I see..." Indres nodded, then turned to his family.

  "It looks like it's safe. We can go home."

  Everyone looked relieved that the danger seemed to have passed. Even Inya, who didn't fully understand what was happening, seemed to brighten at the word 'home.' Indres sent Arwain back eastward to better assess the damage the monster had done there and led his family toward the village, illuminating the ground with a faint light.

  "What was that?" Safia anxiously spoke up after a while, when they were closer to the village.

  "A drakh... it's like a smaller dragon," Sofra quietly explained.

  "A smaller dragon?"

  "Well, you remember stories about dragons? Always mighty and wise. Drakhs aren't as powerful or wise, more like animals... but still... very dangerous, that's why we hid."

  "Can't Dad shoot it? Like a spawn?"

  Sofra didn't answer, her gaze fixed on her husband's back ahead.

  "Its skin and scales are too thick. Too risky. If it returns, we'll flee or hide in the cellar," Indres replied grimly.

  Safia didn't seem happy about the idea of returning to the cellar but said nothing, just held tighter to her mother's hand.

  Tao concluded that drakh meant drake, the dragon-like creature. That raised another question.

  "Are dragons real?" the boy asked quietly.

  "So they say... but dragons don't live in the Human Kingdom, only drakes."

  So they say... That isn't very convincing. Tao sighed to himself.

  It didn't seem wise to him that in a world where monsters were real, children were told stories where real threats were interwoven with unverified things. The boy would have preferred to read a dry, scientific encyclopedia about all creatures that were definitely real and nearby.

  Like drakes, for example.

  Despite it being the middle of the night, the village was filled with unrest. Gate guards and others with weapons stood on the walls, intently studying the eastern side. Many other villagers, young and old, stood near the gates animatedly discussing what had happened or peering out from their doorways and windows. Tao felt that their voices were subdued and fearful.

  When Indres entered, some hunters and gate guards wanted to speak with him. Indres promised to do so later, after taking his family home.

  That wasn't quite true.

  When they were home, Indres told Safia to take her daughters to the bedroom, then return to him and Tao.

  "What exactly did Tao do?" he quietly asked Sofra, thoughtfully studying his son.

  "Well, I was holding him, just like the girls, and suddenly he broke free with unusual strength and was several steps ahead of me. He fell hard, but... even for a grown man, it would be difficult to jump that far naturally."

  Sofra also spoke quietly, but her voice clearly showed confusion and unease. Tao found it difficult to look his parents in the eyes. He tried not to look guilty, which wasn't easy.

  Indres was silent for a moment before addressing his son.

  "Tao, this jump your mother is talking about... Is... is this something you learned from others? From me?"

  Tao felt himself tense. He hadn't had time to think of a safe answer.

  "No, it happened accidentally, by itself..." the boy tried to be evasive.

  "By itself? Really?" Indres seemed to find this difficult to accept.

  "Yes..."

  It wasn't exactly a lie. Tao hadn't made a conscious decision to concentrate spirit power in his leg muscles and perform an enhanced jump. It had simply become as natural to him as a basketball player throwing a ball into the hoop.

  "Tao, did you feel something within yourself when you did it?" his father's gaze seemed more intense and unyielding.

  "I don't remember, everything happened so quickly..."

  Indres's face darkened further, and he watched his son silently for a moment, making Tao tremble inside.

  "Tao, do you remember what you promised me before?" the man's voice seemed to grow harder, like steel.

  "Yes..." Tao, on the other hand, felt his voice becoming flimsy and weak.

  The boy's gaze dropped lower.

  "Tao! Look at me!" Indres suddenly raised his voice, startling not only his son but also his wife beside him.

  He knelt and placed a hand on Tao's shoulder.

  "Don't do it! None of it! Not spells, not these jumps. It's very dangerous! You can hurt yourself permanently! Don't let this gift become a curse, a doom!"

  Tao was shocked. Yes, Indres seemed angry and harsh, but in his eyes was something more—desperation and fear.

  For him, Tao.

  "Sorry..." the boy murmured.

  Sofra placed her hand on her son's other shoulder and gently squeezed.

  "Please, obey your father. I can apply ointment if you cut your forehead. These things will wound you inside, where I can't help."

  "The time will come when I'll teach you how to handle this power within you, but for now, you must promise that you won't summon it in any way, understood?" Indres's voice was still firm, but less so than before.

  Two pairs of eyes with genuine worry and care looked at him, even though he had acted badly, incorrectly. Tao didn't know how to feel. What he felt right now. But it was something painful inside.

  He wanted to promise them sincerely.

  But he couldn't.

  Tao hesitated for a moment, then answered in a more confident, serious voice, looking his father in the eyes.

  "Yes, I promise."

  He hated lying so directly.

  Indres didn't linger any longer. He said goodbye to his daughters and wife, promising to return soon, and ordered Sigi to stay and guard the family. The dog didn't seem happy about it but obeyed her master's voice.

  Tao's memory flashed back to the previous time when his father had left during a night threat, leaving the dog as protection. Now the situation was different—Indres wasn't going into battle, for instance—but it was hard to ignore the parallels.

  Maybe I could handle a bat now... But this drake... Would fire magic harm it? Tao wasn't sure.

  If the creature's thick hide could protect it from heavy war bow arrows, perhaps fire wouldn't be a problem for it either.

  It wasn't here because of me... right? A shiver ran down Tao's spine.

  He didn't want to be paranoid, but it was difficult to maintain balance when a hidden enemy was constantly lurking in the shadows.

  Sofra took the children into her bed and allowed them to remain dressed, in case they needed to leave again. Safia and Inya didn't hesitate to snuggle up to their mother, who gently embraced her daughters in response. Sofra also looked at Tao, who sat on the bed on the other side of Inya. She no longer appeared worried; her maternal gaze was inviting, encouraging him to join the embrace.

  Tao felt the urge to do so but pushed it aside. He didn't feel deserving of it, even more so because of what he wanted to do. Eleya had disappeared, so he needed another source of information. Besides, Sofra had left a candle burning on the nightstand, suggesting she wasn't insisting they all go to sleep right away.

  "Mom, why aren't drakes in the storybook?" Tao quietly asked.

  He noticed Safia stirring on the other side of her mother. The boy hoped his sister felt only curiosity, not fear.

  "Well, the stories in the book are very ancient. Drakes... they appeared relatively recently, only a few centuries ago."

  "From where?"

  "A powerful wizard brought the first drakes to the Human Realm, but I don't really know from where. Most likely from some distant Realm where dragons and similar creatures dwell."

  "Why did he do that? Wasn't he afraid they would attack humans?"

  Sofra gave her son a more careful look, perhaps considering how best to explain a complex topic to him.

  "At first, all drakes were tamed and served the Empire, but then... many bad things happened and they escaped into freedom. Now humans no longer know how to tame them. Usually, drakes live in solitary places, high in the mountains, but sometimes they attack human settlements."

  "So it's not strange that a drake appeared today?"

  Sofra looked at her son again, this time with a kind of confusion.

  "Well, it doesn't happen often, but it has been heard of..." she answered slowly. "Tao, why do you ask?"

  He tensed, realizing that perhaps he had allowed himself too much.

  "Well, I just want to understand..." The boy tried to inject uncertainty into his voice and shyly lowered his gaze.

  He felt his mother's eyes on him longer and decided to pretend he was going to sleep.

  ***

  Ueki village had changed overnight. Shepherds, who during summer usually spent nights outdoors with their livestock near the village, now drove them all into barns, hoping to protect them from the drake's eyes in the sky. Woodcutters and other workers stayed home and avoided coming outside. The entire village seemed deserted, as if struck by plague. Only the gate guards remained at their posts, nervously watching not the forest edge or mountain passes anymore, but the clouds and bird flights near the horizon. Hunters were entrusted with patrolling the hills around the village and reporting if they spotted the flying monster returning.

  Tao reasoned that even when the spawn had attacked the village, the atmosphere the next day hadn't been this gloomy. Like the others, he could only anxiously watch the skies through windows or doors and hope the drake would decide not to return.

  Sofra kept her son in sight all morning, as if sensing he would rush to disobey his father's words as soon as he was alone. This was only partially true; Tao began cultivating his spirit power as soon as his father left, right under his mother's nose. In a way, it was a calming routine act, like meditation, allowing him to focus his mind on other things, questions that gave him no peace.

  Namely, had the drake appeared by chance, or with purpose?

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Shortly before lunch, Reyte arrived to discuss what had happened; this and food preparation diverted his mother's attention from the children, who played in the kitchen with Sigi, but also occasionally ran out into the hallway. Tao was sensible and stayed in the kitchen, before his mother's eyes, until he noticed Inya returning from the hallway with that cursed doll in her hands.

  Tao had to control himself not to grimace. He quickly approached his little sister and asked her for the doll. Unlike Safia's stubborn nature, Inya was much more accommodating, so it presented no problem. The boy gently squeezed the doll and felt something harder inside.

  Eleya was back.

  With the damn doll, for some reason...

  "Mom, I need to go to the privy," Tao called to his mother and headed toward the hallway.

  Sofra turned away from her friend to look at her son but, fortunately, gave permission.

  Although Ueki village had no indoor plumbing, most houses had an indoor privy. It was a small room with well-insulated walls. To attend to one's needs, a wooden surface with a hole in the middle was built for sitting. The hole was covered with a proper lid, the chamber under it was also well-insulated and Sofra always made sure the privy chamber contained a bundle of fragrant herbs. Thanks to all this, no bad smell entered the rest of the house.

  Tao placed the doll on the wooden surface next to the lid and closed the door.

  When he turned toward the doll, it moved, bent over, and Eleya's slender, greenish figure appeared from the opening in its back.

  "This is the first time you've brought me here, isn't it?" she spoke, shaking out her hair.

  "Mother is watching me; my parents... they noticed I'm doing something unusual," Tao answered quietly, studying the forest spirit.

  "Are you talking about last night, when the drake appeared?"

  "Yes... was it you who made that screeching sound?" he quickly changed the subject.

  "Yes, it was effective, wasn't it?" Eleya smiled proudly.

  "Yes, others heard it too. Father told them he had heard the same thing in the forest tower."

  "So he remembers... what else did he say about it?" she seemed curious.

  "It seems my father and others don't really know what to think. Some suggest the village has a guardian spirit, like in ancient times, but father doesn't seem to believe it."

  "Typical of humans... if a spirit does something for their benefit, it must be because it wants to become a tamed dog," Eleya smirked.

  "Is it a special spell?"

  "More like a trick... Even if they're monsters, they're still similar to animals. If they're not too motivated to attack, then a sound they despise can encourage them to leave. Fortunately, it worked."

  "Well, thank you very much. You saved me and many others." Tao bowed his head.

  Eleya's smile widened. Without doubt, she enjoyed the praise.

  "Yep! And don't you forget it! You might think you're already powerful, but I still have more tricks up my sleeve." The tiny being placed her hands on her hips in a self-satisfied gesture.

  Tao tried to listen for anyone nearby, but it seemed the family was still in the kitchen. He didn't want to waste time on small talk.

  "What do you know about this drake? Why did it appear?" he asked, turning to Eleya again.

  Her smile faded; the tiny being crossed her arms over her chest.

  "Not much. It flew in from the west and headed east. Ate a few livestock."

  "Don't you think it's connected to the enemy?" Tao's voice became even quieter, more cautious.

  Eleya thoughtfully studied the boy.

  "I can't claim anything. I didn't sense the enemy's presence, but that doesn't mean anything..." she didn't sound convinced.

  "Is a drake stronger than me?"

  Eleya smiled, but differently, almost sardonically.

  "You might have more spirit power, Tao, but if you fought directly... the creature has thick skin that protects against steel and magic, sharp teeth and claws, and a powerful body. Drakes also possess innate, instinctive magic, as you saw. I'm afraid your little tricks won't be effective against this beast."

  Tao didn't like hearing this, but he couldn't deny what the forest spirit said.

  "Perhaps, in the future, you would be powerful enough to frighten it with your spirit power alone..." Eleya thoughtfully added.

  "Frighten with spirit power?" Tao didn't understand.

  "You mentioned how the light spirits fled when you revealed yourself to them? Beings sensitive to spirit power perceive other beings in relation to their spirit power. If your spirit power is mightier, then you must be mightier overall. Of course, it can be risky. If the drake still decides to challenge you, your game would be out."

  Tao thought for a moment about what he'd heard, but decided there were other questions he wanted to ask before his mother started looking for him.

  "So dragons are real too? And they're even more powerful?" the boy slightly changed the subject.

  "Yes, but you don't need to worry about that. They usually don't come to the Human Realm."

  Eleya, still partially inside the doll's body, moved farther from the lid over the hole.

  "But drakes came. Or rather, some wizard brought them, right? Mom said so."

  Eleya shifted uncomfortably before answering.

  "That's human history, which I know little about, unfortunately. Too much has been lost to time and the ravages of war to claim anything precise. But, yes, the mage Ga'amut presented the first drakes to the Emperor of that time, claiming he knew how to breed, tame, and control them. Drakes quickly became the core of the Empire's military power and brought them many victories."

  "But humans lost control over them?"

  Eleya looked at the lid over the hole, as if thinking this wasn't an appropriate place for a history lecture, but began speaking anyway.

  "Thanks to the drakes, the Empire subjugated the entire Human Realm. Who could resist hundreds of flying monsters spitting devastating magic at them? Ga'amut became so powerful that he overshadowed the Emperor and other mighty highborns. I don't know all the details, but they had a conflict. Ga'amut emerged victorious; the previous Imperial dynasty conveniently perished, and Ga'amut became the new Emperor Gamuterak.

  He began conquering lands beyond the Human Realm and was successful. Pagan human tribes, beast peoples, and many other creatures were forced to kneel before the Empire's drakes or flee and hide in holes in the ground. In his might, Gamuterak began calling himself the Dragon Emperor and Lord of All Beings."

  Eleya snickered; her gaze seemed to wander into the distance, despite the small chamber.

  "Such insolence and conceit couldn't remain unnoticed by other Mighty Powers in the Material Realm, perhaps even beyond its boundaries. One day over Illar, the Empire's capital, an unnatural, powerful storm darkened, and lightning and fire ravaged the city and the Emperor's palace. That day, the Dragon Emperor perished. Some say the true dragons punished him for his arrogance, or the Eternal himself raised his mighty hand against him... whoever it was, the Dragon Emperor's reign came to an end."

  "And the drakes?" Tao reminded her.

  Without a doubt, this world's history was interesting, but the boy needed information about the immediate threats.

  "Well, in short, many wars happened and the Empire fractured and shrank. Most drakes perished, but some escaped into freedom and became wild beasts that ate livestock and humans... With time, the Empire strengthened again, and humans learned how to defeat or drive away drakes. Now they usually dwell in remote places in high mountains and rarely come near human settlements."

  "Except today," Tao said quietly.

  "Rarely doesn't mean never."

  Tao pondered for a moment before continuing.

  "The drake attacked livestock, true... But first it landed on a hillside, where there were few people, close to me..." the boy spoke slowly.

  "Possibly, it was looking for something to eat and only noticed the livestock later, but... maybe not..." Eleya seemed doubtful.

  Tao was thinking what else to ask when Eleya turned her head toward the hallway. Concentrating his hearing, Tao also sensed footsteps.

  "Son, you are in there for long time. Are you feeling well?" Sofra gently knocked on the toilet door.

  "Yes, I'm just finishing! I'll be right out." He responded.

  "Then come for lunch. And remember to wash your hands!"

  Sofra's footsteps receded, and the boy turned to the forest spirit, who had already managed to slip back into the doll.

  "By the way, why did you come in the middle of the day?" he quietly asked.

  "Eh? Of course, to bring my outer garment to safety! I couldn't leave it among the rocks, you know!" Eleya seemed almost indignant at this question.

  ***

  In the following days, the village remained uneasy and gloomy. One hunter, the one who had illuminated the drake with a beam of light, had died. His body was so severely burned that the remains were completely wrapped in white linen when laid in the grave. The drake had also eaten several bulls and scattered many others, not all of which were found. Overall, everyone realized they had escaped relatively unharmed, considering what a drake was capable of.

  News came that the drake had also attacked some neighboring villages, where it likewise ate several livestock before moving further west. Despite this, herdsmen and woodcutters were anxious to leave the village for their pastures and clearings. Tao heard his father getting angry about their demands for protection, as if a few armed hunters or warriors could protect against a drake. Some began talking about an expedition against the drake, which only made Indres's face grow grimmer. Even with all 10 villages combining forces, victory wasn't guaranteed. Even if they managed to drive away the drake, the price could be too high and cripple the village's ability to defend against spawns and other threats.

  There was a possibility of asking for help from the provincial capital since the drake was a serious threat to everyone, but would the nobles, who wished to subjugate the Free Villages to their will, do so without asking for something in return?

  The only one who expressed a different attitude was acolyte Vern, who lamented that he hadn't attended the Dancing Stars observation due to his aching leg, as his magic would have been the counterpoint to the drake's magic. When he wasn't on duty guarding the gates, the acolyte walked around the village with some companions, young men, mostly from recent immigrants. He claimed to be doing this to encourage others, to show there was a man in the village who feared no monster.

  Indres and his comrades looked at this bold behavior with disdain but did nothing to hinder it. Tao heard his father grumbling to his wife that the village elders didn't want to annoy the only magical guardian, and also wanted morale among the people to improve.

  Without a doubt, Tao had the opportunity to hear a lot, eavesdropping on his parents and others, but there seemed to be little useful information, making it difficult to develop a coherent plan of action. He still didn't know the most important thing—whether the drake's attack was just a coincidence as it migrated westward, or part of the enemy's plan. If so, then with what purpose? The drake retreated too easily if its task had been to kill or abduct Tao. Moreover, if the enemy could control something so powerful, would it really be so patient all this time?

  What other possibilities were there? Could this be an attempt to intimidate? To send a message?

  Whatever the answer, Tao reasoned that the wisest course was to try to advance his training faster. It was clear he wasn't ready to face this world's monsters, both spiritual and physical. Eleya's idea about intimidation with spirit power was interesting, so the boy no longer slacked on cultivating his spirit power capacity—every night he tried to empty himself completely, filling his muscles, bones, and organs to the threshold of pain, increasing their resistance to magic.

  Tao also intensively tried to master the spirit power radar technique, even alone without Eleya. Every night, he tried to change the form of his spirit power according to the forest spirit's instructions. He was careful to always direct spirit power away from Sigi and in small doses.

  Fortunately, his parents allowed Tao to continue sleeping in the children's room, so he didn't lose the opportunity to continue active training at night. He was more sensitive to the possibility of being caught, wondering whether his parents would still show concern for his safety or become truly angry and disappointed. Despite this, even when his father and Sigi were home, Tao left the room every night to go to the kitchen.

  "Iradim, Aerut lammae," Tao quietly whispered the everyday spell for lighting a flame.

  His finger was on a wooden log next to the stove. As soon as the boy felt the foreign spiritual presence in his mind and perceived the magical construction, he concentrated his consciousness on the artificial spirit to disrupt the magic process. Then Tao touched the log with his finger.

  Warm... he sighed, dissatisfied.

  Stopping a spell before it activated wasn't hard. Doing so after the magical construction was fully perceptible was more challenging.

  Through the window, Tao saw the eastern sky growing lighter.

  So much to do, so little time... he felt tension mounting.

  About a week after the attack, the selesti Neter returned, having traveled to other villages when the drake attack happened. He also brought news—the drake had been spotted on the other side of the forest, in the Hestari mountains, where it had also attacked villages. Although this was bad news, Tao got the impression that many people felt relieved. The drake had left the Free Villages territory, hopefully forever. Now the monster would be someone else's problem. It might seem callous, but Tao couldn't condemn the villagers for cowardice. Deep in his heart, he felt the same.

  That too was something he hated. And wanted to change.

  ***

  As the village calmed down, Indres resumed longer journeys into the forest, allowing Tao to train again with Eleya to master the spirit power radar technique.

  "It seems acceptable now," Eleya said quietly.

  She sat on the kitchen table while Tao directed waves of his spirit power at her.

  "Acceptable?" the boy asked, relaxing his hand on the table surface.

  He felt tired. Although his spirit power reserves were far from depleted, his mind demanded relief after countless attempts to accomplish something that couldn't be seen and could only partially be felt.

  "There's always room for improvement, but this level is sufficient for our purpose." The tiny creature smiled with satisfaction and stood up.

  "Now we can focus on the next step, making your spirit power capable of bouncing off other beings' spirit power."

  "Yes, very good." Tao nodded and slumped in his chair. He drank from the water jug he usually placed beside him during training. Usually, it served as justification for his parents if if they found Tao in the kitchen in the middle of the night, but this time it was used for its direct purpose.

  "I want to try something else next time," Tao said quietly.

  "Something else? What exactly?" the forest spirit frowned.

  "I'll mainly do it myself, but I could use your help to make sure no one's coming. Or to muffle sound..."

  "What do you plan to do?"

  "There's a possibility I might accidentally summon combat magic... I'd like to do everything possible to prevent the house from catching fire."

  "Is this related to you constantly murmuring that fire incantation?" Eleya tilted her head to the side and thoughtfully studied the boy.

  "Is it that noticeable?" Tao was somewhat embarrassed.

  "Well, I watch you more than others do. I also see the artificial spirits' presence around you... If they were real beings, your antics would infuriate them to white heat, you know."

  "I see... So, can you help me?"

  The tiny creature's face soured.

  Eleya wasn't the only one capable of making imprudent demands. More accurately, Tao had someone to learn from.

  ***

  The next night, when Indres was away, they set out to implement Tao's plan. Eleya couldn't create magic that would completely isolate sounds—she was too weak for that, especially in a village with strong protection against spirit activities. All she promised was to sense Tao's mother's presence if she approached the kitchen and divert her attention if necessary.

  The boy had counted on this, so it didn't pose a problem for his plan. As usual, he went to the kitchen shortly before midnight, but instead of sitting on the floor or in a chair at the table, the boy approached the cellar hatch.

  It wasn't easy to open it without noise and descend the stairs that wanted to creak. Going into the underground darkness, where the air was much cooler, was also unpleasant. Summoning light helped, but only a little. Eleya remained on the kitchen floor and watched as the boy closed the hatch above himself.

  How could a small boy with a relatively weak body defend himself and his family against something as powerful as a drake? Combat fire magic didn't seem sufficient, but he knew nothing else.

  The answer was to create his own, more powerful magic. Tao could use everyday spells as a foundation, but it would take a lot of time and power to adapt them for combat. Wouldn't it be wiser to use combat magic he already knew as a basis?

  To do this, Tao first needed to understand the structure of this fire magic, which meant activating the spell. The boy still didn't want to do that. Not only would it anger his parents, but it would most likely attract the attention of others as well. The only reason Tao escaped unscathed the previous time was because everyone nearby was hiding from the bat spawn or busy fighting at the gates.

  Tao's solution was to deactivate the spell before the effect took place, but manage to mentally grasp the magical construction. After a week of daily training with the everyday spell, he had achieved this goal. Almost every time, the boy was able to interrupt the magic before the log began to heat up, while momentarily gaining contact with the spell's construction.

  Almost every time.

  Moreover, there was no guarantee it would work with more powerful combat magic.

  The cellar was cool and damp, its walls made of stone. Holding his hand up so the light magic could better illuminate everything, Tao focused on the far wall where there were no wooden shelves or other tings nearby. He roughly remembered the area in which combat fire magic spread when colliding with a solid surface. The boy reasoned that if he failed to interrupt the magic in time, if the fire hit this wall, most likely he would avoid serious damage.

  Most likely.

  Is this really the best I can do? Risking my house? Tao began to feel doubts.

  Every day, he secretly learned how to use spirit power under his parents' eyes; every night, he successfully avoided being caught in his kitchen experiments. It was easy to think it would always be this way. Even those few times when his parents discovered their son's activities with spirit power, they only warned him and showed trust in Tao.

  This made the boy both happy and uneasy.

  How far would he dare to test his parents' trust and love?

  Forgive me, but I have no other choice... Tao bit his lip.

  He cleared his mind of all distractions and side thoughts, concentrating only on the task before him.

  Say the words, perceive the construction, concentrate will on the artificial spirit, make it disappear, the boy repeated to himself.

  Tao backed away from his target wall as far as he could until he felt wooden shelves behind him. He let the light die out, plunging the cellar into darkness. The boy stretched his hand forward, just as on the night when he fought the bat spawn and took a deep breath.

  "Regda! Ugne qure." Tao said quietly but clearly.

  Something dawned in his mind, larger than the everyday spell.

  Away! Tao commanded the spiritual being.

  The presence vanished.

  The spirit power that had begun to move in the boy's body subsided. The cellar remained immersed in darkness.

  Tao slowly exhaled. He felt how strongly his heart had begun to beat.

  Never in his life had he tried so hard to make happen nothing.

  But it worked. Tao had gained insight into the structure of combat magic. An element that increased temperature, an element that determined direction and speed, an element that concentrated something from the air, an element that repelled something else in the air...

  That's probably not enough... Tao lamented.

  He raised his hand again, aiming it into the darkness before him, this time with greater confidence. The boy wasn't going to risk interrupting the spell later. But a few more insights would allow him to understand this magical construction well enough to comprehend how it worked.

  "Regda! Ugne qure."

  When Tao opened the hatch cover, Eleya's small face was right beside him. After the cellar's darkness, even the weak light from the waning moons allowed him to see the forest spirit's impatience more clearly.

  "How did it go?" she asked curiously.

  Tao just smiled in response.

  He now knew how fire combat magic worked. As expected, it was much more complex, with many processes. First, spirit power connected with several gases in the atmosphere, concentrating pure oxygen at one point in front of the summoner's palm, pushing away nitrogen. Similarly, spirit power tried to extract something from Tao's body before being stopped—something between skin and muscle. Upon careful consideration, Tao concluded that it was fat, or some element from fat, suitable for a combustion reaction. Together with oxygen, it was compressed into a small ball and heated until the explosion. But instead of exploding in the summoner's face, the explosion vector was altered in a direction away from the palm.

  In the end, magic was science but combined with spirit power.

  Of course, to learn this magic without incantations would require a lot of effort to fully master each element, but Tao believed it was possible. Moreover, if he learned to modify this magic, make it more voluminous, or replace it with deadlier elements...

  Perhaps the drake could be dealt with.

  ***

  Two weeks after the drake attack, new news reached Ueki village. The drake continued to ravage villages between the Hestari hills and Silvaya town. Given the obvious and more serious threat, the expedition into the forest to search for the cause of human disappearances was postponed on its eve. Instead, Silvaya, with provincial government support, decided to form a new expedition to defeat the drake.

  Once again, the enemy managed to stay in the shadows.

  ***