The Sorceress: Blossoming Power

"No need to be alarmed. We are connected to you, my lady. We can feel what you feel and you can talk to us through your mind."

"Who is us?" 

"The guardians of all the artifacts you have from the late Sorceress, the ring, pendant and the anklet."

Xinyi looked at her ring and asked it through her mind, but no reply. Alva saw her and giggled.

"You're not in sync with them yet.I'll teach you later how to do it, my lady."

"Not in sync? But I already dropped my blood on these items. Didn't the binding work?"

"It worked, but these powerful items are not just any items. They are designated for the Zeirean Sorcerer's clan. Not even any member from the clan can use it at will. Only the chosen one. There are guardians in these items to examine if the person who comes or summons them had the mark of the chosen one."

"How do you know if the person has the mark or not?"

"Every powerful person has a mark. And spirit guardians will see it from the person's powerful attacks. The chosen one has a specific flower mark. It is the mark given by the Great King." Alva opened her palm and a flower made of crystal materialized on it. It has purple pointed petals. She fisted her palm, and the flower vanished. "If we see the mark isn't the one, we kill the person and nullify the blood pact from the artifacts."

Xinyi totally calmed down after the explanation. "Anyway, I want to know if my friends are really safe. And by the way, just call me Xinyi. Titles don't suit me." She refrained from thinking anything and enjoyed a sip from the cup of tea. Satisfaction was seen on her face and emptied the whole cup in one go. 

"Okay, Xinyi. I love your name too. Why not try my sweets too?" After speaking, Alva helped herself with two of the delicacies, disregarding Xinyi's stares.

Xinyi wanted to insist on leaving, but a part of her told her to stay. Yet she couldn't hide her amazement with the pretty sweets in different forms she had not seen before. One was a black circle with garnishings on top. Another was pinkish, which looked like a closed shell but with swirling golden threads on top. Three were shaped like bottles in different colors with white flowers on the sides. And many more.

She picked the shell and was tantalized by its sweet and nutty taste. The golden threads tasted like crunchy sugar, but not so sweet. Just enough to her liking.

"You really made these?" Xinyi grabbed more sweets and shoved it to her mouth. Morsels dropped from her mouth as she ate. 

"Yes. Yes. Yes." Alva bubbled up in laughter to see her enjoying her delicacies, bouncing in delight.

"Wow. You're a skilled cook." Xinyi helped herself with the rest, and praises after praises came out from her lips. 

Her praises were pleasant to Alva's ears. She had been confined here as long as she could remember. And the late Sorceress seldom came to visit. The last time she saw the blue-haired Xinyi was a long time ago, but she knew the Sorceress had died. She waited for the new Sorceress to come, but none came until now.

Thus, her joy could not be contained to see the new Xinyi in front of her, eating the delicacies she prepared and chatting with her.

Xinyi wiped her face with her sleeves. "Now I've eaten. Show me my friends now and the way out."

"Just open the scroll and think of them." Alva licked her lips, finishing a red sauce on it.

Xinyi did and colorful runes moved on the scroll, as if it was painting something. There, she saw her friends standing inside the tunnel. She could even hear them worrying about her.

"I'm fine. I'm inside the scroll," she yelled, thinking they could hear her.

"They can't hear you and you are not inside the scroll. But you can talk to the guardian in that place to inform them."

"You mean the bear-fox?" Xinyi looked back in the scroll and noticed the human bear fox.

Alva nodded. "Her name is Meirga. Call her name and she will hear you."

"But… Can I join them now?"

"You can, but we need to go somewhere first to make the ritual so that you can get out. Why not assure them now before we go?"

Xinyi pondered that they might go somewhere far and need time. Anyway, she could try both ways. This might help her in the future, just like with Skrider. "Meirga," she said.

The dragonen in human form heard her and closed her eyes. "Yes, my lady?" 

"Please tell them I'm in a safe place and to wait for me. I'll be back soon. That's all."

"Yes, my lady." Meirga opened her eyes and relayed Xinyi's message. Xinyi saw them asking where she was. Meirga explained to them about the Sorceress' domain. Xinyi closed the scroll, satisfied. And thought of exploring this place first before leaving.

"How old are you, Alva?" Making such superb delicacies takes skills and years of practice. She also remembered when Alva said that she also served the Sorceress before her. The kid or maybe just an appearance could be an ancient being, she guessed.

"I have no age in years to count, Xinyi."

"No age?"

"Yes. It sounds strange because every being has a birth point based on the books I've read, but I have existed even before I was told by the Great King to serve your predecessors. There're no years or time or seasons in this magical space. It is beyond everything imaginable. I can be one-day old from yesterday or a thousand old if you came from a millennium before."

Xinyi brushed off the hair strands covering her face.. "Your words are so confusing. I don't get you. "

"This place is outside any time. You can also time travel from here."

"Time travel? As in I can go back to my past and go to the future too?"

"Yes, you can but..." Alva shook her cute head. Her curly hairs bounced as she moved. "it will consume most of your power. Don't do it unless it's a matter of life and death."

"Oh, then I'll keep that in mind. But how to do it?"

"Time travel?" Alva said, but her face went sullen.

Xinyi nodded and was aware of Alva's mood change.