Chapter 53
"I'm fine, sweetheart."
The cushion brushed against her tear duct and got slightly damp. Sylas was surprised and quickly wiped away her tears.
Just then, the sound of leather shoes echoed loudly. The steady footsteps of the archmage drew closer. "Sylas? Are you there?"
"Teacher! I'm here, what's wrong?"
"It's time to eat."
Upon hearing the word "eat," Titus darted out, tumbled on the ground, and immediately got up. Sylas's arms were empty as she leaped down from the windowsill.
Xerath looked at her from the top of the stairs and reached out a hand. She hurried over and cautiously grabbed onto that slender yet firm hand. Xerath held her tight and pulled her up as she took the final step.
After finishing their meal, Sylas washed dishes near the sink, while Xerath sat on the sofa reading a book. After six rounds, the archmage followed the plan and did some exercise, and at half-past ten he sent Sylas to bed.
The lights in the living room quickly dimmed and went out without the support of magic, except for the fire lord chef sleeping in the fireplace, emitting a dim red glow.
Suddenly, its light activated, and the flames started burning again, shooting straight out of the chimney. Elvis woke up, turned around, and the fire illuminated a figure in the dark.
"Miss... young lady? Why are you awake? Can't sleep? Let me warm up some milk for you." It was about to open the freezer when a gap appeared, and Frostchild from inside said, "Annoying! Why do you have to come in at this hour!"
"The young lady wants some milk."
"Take it away! Don't bother me!"
A milky white ball flew out, and Elvis hurriedly "caught" it using high-temperature flames as a controlled lever. The high temperature instantly vaporized the surface, and it fell directly into the cup.
It placed the cup on the front counter, and Sylas sat in front of a tall stool, receiving the cup of milk. She took a sip. The milk roasted by the fire lord chef had a special flavor that Sylas liked, but she seemed distracted. Elvis, with his molten lava body, asked from behind the counter—a safe distance for a Fire Lord and humans—"Do you have something on your mind? If you want to say something, I won't relay it to my master, so you can trust me."
"I... I don't have anything..."
"Hi, don't be like this, don't say these things in front of me," the Fire Lord's flames flickered across his entire body. "Humans like to play with food when they have something on their minds. Go ahead, even though I can't help much, I can listen to you."
Sylas quickly "put back" the milk into the cup, splashing water everywhere, some even spilling outside. "Really? You won't tell anyone, will you?"
"I can't speak about other elements, it's only me in the family who can keep a secret," the magma on its mouth suddenly melted, connecting its chin and upper jaw together.
"Um..."
"It's related to the esteemed archmage."
"Yes..."
"Did her assignment stump you?"
"It's not really an assignment... um... actually, I really like elements."
"We really like you too."
Sylas blushed and smiled shyly, "So I want... I want to summon my very own water lord as soon as possible, you know, I want... I want to be like my teacher."
"Oh, that's a good idea."
"But she... she won't teach me the spells to summon the water lord."
"Oh... that's really unusual, you know, I've known esteemed archmage for a long time, and she... she's always been open and knowledgeable with you. It's rare to see her so impatient."
"Is that true?"
"I swear on the Vies family tree."
Sylas laughed, and a warm orange glow lit up her smiling face, "What's that? Is it a family tree?"
"No no, it's our family's human recipe research. You see, we can't taste food, so we constantly experiment with human recipes."
"Oh, that sounds important."
"Of course."
"But... um... Xerath, um, the teacher, she didn't say anything this time, she didn't even provide any clues, she even said that my research was 'completely wrong', how could this happen..."
The Fire Lord discreetly threw a small burning lava rock into the distance. After a while, there seemed to be a hissing sound in the air, followed by angry dog barking, and then the sound of pitter-pattering footsteps approaching.
Elvis gestured with his eyes - probably some subtle movement in the glowing part of his body - and Titus stopped barking, resting on Sylas's lap.
Sylas picked him up, sensing a faint burnt smell. But she was caught in a subtle emotion, gently stroking Titus's smooth fur, and softly saying, "But, I... I... Does she hate me?"
"Don't worry, my dear, esteemed archmage just wants you to play with her."
"Play with her?"
The Fire Lord nodded solemnly, "I heard your conversation from the kitchen, and she truly is that kind of person, playful at heart. But very few can play with her, she likes puzzle tricks, enjoys having someone decipher her codes. If she pulls you to play with her, it means she values you. Don't be too hard on yourself, she really likes you."
Sylas looked up, "Really?"
The Fire Lord blew out the flames on his fingers, causing the magma to turn gray. He gently pushed the milk towards Sylas, signaling her to drink it.
Sylas obediently took a sip of milk, noticing that the chef smiled slightly. The skull-like jaw of the magma skeleton cracked open a bit, "Of course."
Sylas blushed and smiled, taking another sip of milk. Titus turned his head and stared at the cups on the table.
"However, if you want to decline this invitation to play - for example, if you find it too difficult - you can keep asking her for the answers, she will tell you. I've observed her for a long time, you can trust my judgement."
Sylas had a slight sense of unease and asked, "Will she punish me for that?"
"Punish? No, not at all. At most, she just won't play with you anymore. She's always like this, looking for someone to play with and then giving up if it doesn't work out. If you refuse her, she might go back to writing more papers. Oh, but that's not a bad thing either."
Sylas didn't know what to say, so she simply lowered her head and continued to sip the milk.
"Has anyone ever played with her before?"
"I don't know." Fire Lord wiped the table, completely evaporating the spilled milk. It then earnestly looked at the table, "I only came here after this mage tower was built, so I'm not very familiar with what happened before the esteemed archmage."
Sylas looked up and glanced at the blazing core of the Fire Lord, keenly detecting the contradiction and asked, "You just said you observed her for a long time, not within these ten years?"
The flames of the Fire Lord flickered and remained silent for a long time. "That's right, I once worked for her great-grandmother and observed her life from birth to the age of eight. Quite intriguing."
Deep in thought, Sylas lowered her head. Titus noticed that nobody was paying attention to the milk and boldly approached.
However, Sylas picked up the cup of milk and slowly took a sip. Titus was very disappointed, and his furry ears drooped.
The Fire Lord circled around her, dispelling the night's cold and Sylas's hesitation. She suddenly looked up and asked abruptly, "Do you remember how you were summoned to the mortal realm?"
"Mortal realm" is a term that doesn't quite fit with the common language, but most people are unaware of how to translate this term from the ancient Saiti language. For the mages, it refers to the reality outside of the Elemental Realm.
Just like the ancient Saiti language that Sylas and Xerath often intertwine in their everyday conversations, these elegant terms sound harmonious when spoken by her. The Fire Lord seemed lost in thought and only spoke after a while with a soft sound.
If you're expecting to hear the incantation from the mouth of an elemental creature, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed.
"If you want to ask a spell from an elemental creature, you will probably be disappointed."
"Are you not going to tell me?"
"No, because 'fire' and 'water' are completely different. Besides... um... I haven't asked any other companions, but for myself, I have never heard any spell, only sensed the summoning. I responded and suddenly passed through the entire rift."
Sylas could tell that she was a little disappointed. She had planned to ask Hyectra tomorrow.
The fire lord chef could see what she was thinking at a glance and chuckled softly, "Hyectra will certainly be under a gag order. But I suggest you ask, maybe the lady will leave you a clue there."
"That's great!" Sylas genuinely smiled this time, her emerald eyes squinted slightly. She jumped off the chair and said, "I'll ask it tomorrow."
"Good luck, oh, are you not going to drink the rest?"
After hearing this, Titus immediately perked up. He wriggled in Sylas's arms, and both of his short legs were placed on the table, leaning towards the cup.
Sylas stopped Titus and whispered, "Titus, don't move, you'll dirty the cushion! Are you going to take a bath soon?"
Titus seemed confused for a moment. Sylas picked up the cup and, although she couldn't finish it, she managed to gulp it down.
She put down the small stool and walked downstairs with light and quick steps, returning to her bed. The gloom disappeared instantly. Even with her eyes closed, she couldn't help but smile. She didn't notice that shortly after going downstairs, the fire in the living room was once again ignited.
