Now that I had what I wanted, I could go out and explore the area. Most importantly, I could enter secluded places, such as the mountain forests, to do some magical experiments.
The training space was too small for experiments, and if I was right, I would need plenty of herbs and animals for them. I couldn't find everything in the Godswood; it was too small. Most importantly, it wasn't secluded enough.
I went into my room and opened the window, and Bo and Erebus came in. Looking closely at them now, I saw how much they had grown over the past two years.
Erebus had doubled in size. His wingspan used to be 1.5 meters, but it was now nearly 3 meters. He had been 50 centimeters long and was now 80 centimeters. People were starting to think he was a black eagle.
Bo had grown too, but not as much. She was bigger than an ordinary raven, though not by much. Her wingspan was 2 meters, and she was 60 centimeters long. She was almost the size of an eagle too.
They liked to perch on my shoulders while I meditated and circulated my mana, but they were starting to weigh heavily on my shoulders.
I figured Erebus weighed almost 5 kilograms and Bo weighed 3. Carrying them on my shoulders for hours was really starting to get tiring. I shooed them away, but whenever I focused on meditation or circulating my mana, they landed on my shoulders without my noticing. Even if I kicked them out and latched the window, they were smart enough to open it.
Of course, I could force them not to do that, or I could leave them out of the space, but they grew very sad when I did those things. I could feel it, so I spoiled them a little. What could I say? I liked these little troublemakers.
I sat on the floor and began circulating my mana. Before I started my mana training, I felt them land on my shoulders.
The circulation was a little different this time. Usually, it was like a vacuum cleaner sucking mana into my heart, but this time it was like a whirlpool. No, that wasn't quite right. It was more like a storm, and I was at its center.
Mana kept swirling around me without entering my body, but with every passing second, more mana joined the vortex. It grew larger and harder to control.
I began to feel a trace of fear, as though something bad would happen to me if I lost control of the mana. The mana vortex began to destabilize; it felt like I was clinging to a ledge on a cliff with only my fingertips.
As the vortex destabilized, I began to lose consciousness. To keep myself conscious, I bit my lip.
I could feel blood running down my throat, leaving a bitter, metallic taste. But it worked. The pain helped me focus, and I began to regain control of the vortex. As I gained more control, the vortex kept compressing. When I had complete control, it became a disk of mana around me. Then I suddenly realized that I knew what to do.
I began compressing it further, but this time I also shrank its diameter. Finally, it became a disk the size of my palm above my head.
I grasped it with my mind and commanded it to enter my heart. It flew into my chest and surrounded my heart, forming my mana core. The moment the core formed, I began receiving new knowledge about the concept of rituals and spells.
I had now become a Level 2 Druid. Just then, I heard a little boy's voice.
"Stupid Aermir, don't stop bringing us that tasty wind."
Then I heard a little girl's voice.
"Don't call Daddy stupid. You're the stupid one."
"Who was that? Who said that?"
The boy said, "He just heard us." I realized I wasn't hearing a sound. The voices were entering my mind directly. This was telepathy.
"Yes, I can hear you. Who are you?"
(Author's note: From now on, anything between two hyphens (-) represents an inner voice or telepathy.)
-Stupid Aermir, I'm me. Who else could I be?-
-Daddy can finally hear us. I'm so happy.-
"You're the stupid one. I'm asking your name!"
-No, you're stupid Aermir. I'm Erebus, the smartest.-
After you heard that, I turned and looked at Erebus in surprise. I had been able to communicate with them in more basic ways before, and I knew that in some respects they were as smart as children between two and five years old, but this went beyond that.
"Is this the effect of the spell for speaking with animals? Did they just learn to talk, or have I only just started understanding them?"
-We've always been talking. Stupid Aermir couldn't hear us before.-
"Who are you calling stupid, you oversized fat bird?"
He bit my ear, then flew away before I could catch him.
"Ah, you bastard bird, get back here." I got up and chased him, but he flew out the window.
-Erebus, stop calling Daddy stupid.-
-How could he be Erebus's daddy? He has no beak or wings. He doesn't even have beautiful feathers like Erebus. He's so ugly I don't even want to look at him.-
-Daddy is Daddy.-
I knew Bo was a good girl, and as I had expected, Erebus was a bastard. Then she continued.
-Even though he's ugly, he's still Daddy. You shouldn't bully Daddy.-
The corner of my mouth began to twitch. You too, Bo... Should I go cry in the corner of the room for a while?
At first, I was shocked that my familiars could speak like humans, but as a Druid, I had expected something like this to happen, and I soon adjusted. Still, I preferred it when I couldn't understand Erebus. That idiot never shut up.
-Stupid Aermir, hurry up and give us more of that tasty wind.-
"What wind?"
-The wind you eat when you're sitting.-
What on earth was he talking about? Was he talking about mana?
"Do you mean this?" I created a ball of pure mana in my hand.
-Yes, give us more of that wind.-
"That's not... Oh, never mind... Is that why you perch on me every time I practice?"
-Yes, I like eating that wind mana.-
So that was why they were so much bigger than ordinary ravens. They could draw mana into their bodies.
"I don't have time to give you any now. Wait until later. And you can't perch on my shoulders anymore. You're too fat now."
-I'm not fat. Erebus is handsome and strong. You're the fatty. You can't even fly. Fatty! Fatty! Fatty! Fatty! Fatty!-
I couldn't talk to a bird like a bird.
I had just experienced a major moment, and I should focus on that. I had gained a great deal of new knowledge, and thanks to the 5x Skill, it was as though I had broken through five times. I now had a very clear understanding of what had happened.
Aerobula (Air Bubble) consumed 15 mana and created an air bubble around the head, providing six hours of air. I could use it if I went underwater. It might come in handy.
Quersumby (Oak Shield) was a defensive spell that created a layer of woodlike skin over my body.
Tegonleta (Earth Bind) was a more advanced binding spell than Trap and Entangle.
Promodynes (Find Animal) and Promoheba (Find Plant) did exactly what their names suggested. If I had seen what a plant or animal looked like, I could find them within 1 kilometer, but for the spell to work, I first had to see a living specimen of that species.
Vocadyni (Summon Beast) allowed me to summon one of my linked animals to my location, but the animal had to be within a 20-kilometer radius of me.
I hadn't received any offensive spells. Did that mean I already had enough attack spells, or was I not strong enough yet? In time, we would see which answer was right.
This breakthrough had even affected my body. My speed and strength had increased too. I now had 3 strength and 3.2 speed, and my mana had risen to 65. I wondered whether the buffs had grown stronger too.
"Volhen gryves (Aspect of the Bear), Volhen Keli (Aspect of the Cat)." The feeling I got when using these buffs was wonderful, like a volcano inside me was about to erupt. It was as though my blood had heated up, but it wasn't painful.
I felt full of energy. Yes, these buffs had grown stronger too. They each gave me 0.8 points in speed and strength. I wanted to try every newly learned spell, but I needed to wait until I left the city.
"I need my pass." I got up and left my room.
-Daddy, where are we going?-
If I spoke aloud, people would think I was crazy. If they could communicate telepathically, I should be able to do it too.
I began focusing on the bond between me and my spirit beasts, grasping the two connecting threads and trying to say what I wanted.
-We're going to find Vayon Poole.-
-Stupid Aermir, why are you shouting?-
-Sorry, this is my first time speaking telepathically. I didn't know I would shout.-
-As I said, we're going to see Winterfell's steward so we can get a pass.-
-What's a pass, Daddy?-
-I need it to leave and enter the city.-
Erebus began muttering to himself again.
-Hmph, he can't even fly, and he's ugly too. How could he be the great Erebus's father?-
I entered the castle, went to the steward's door, and knocked.
"Come in."
When I entered, Vayon was sitting in a chair behind his desk, looking at some documents. His daughter Jeyne was there too, tidying her father's room. She was six years old, the same age as Sansa. She glanced at me, then continued her work.
"Please give me my pass, if you can."
He looked at me and smiled, then took out a token with a wolf on it. I reached out and took it.
It was a little heavier than I had expected. As I held it, I realized it was made of metal. The wolf was silver-colored, but I didn't think it was made of silver. The token itself was probably bronze. It was round and smaller than my palm. With a chain added, it would make a nice medallion. It was about 5 centimeters in diameter.
After leaving the steward's room, I returned to the town district so I could buy what I needed for tomorrow.