’Their actions prevented them from truly reaching the pinnacle of what it means to be a Wind Sage~ But you, my dear~ You are the ideal representation of a soul which thrives on the acceptance of emotion~ The first time you reached Sagehood, it was due to a desperation to protect that which you cared about~ Your emotions pushed you to seek out the wind and the wind answered you in kind~ And now you have given your soul to another in prayer and sworn your existence to the protection of his own~ That love is what has guided you to me. After all, what better emotion is there in the known world than the expression of love~? You have truly surpassed all my expectations, young one.’
Gina could feel a strange sense of pride rising from her heart as she heard what the Spirit Queen had to say. Gina had only been going through her meditation in a way that she thought was right all this time, and she never did it because she wanted to impress anyone. But hearing one of the highest authorities in Sagehood praise your actions like this would make anyone feel proud. The Spirit Queen laughed at Gina’s childish happiness, and she floated back towards the lotus bed and lay down regally before she spoke.
’As a reward for surpassing my expectations, I have decided to bestow upon you the honor of Sagehood~ But along with this, I shall also grant you a companion~ Ulyn, come here~’
The Queen turned her head to the side calmly as she looked at one of the random balls of light in the sky, and Gina was surprised when the ball suddenly burst into a shower of light to reveal that there was a tiny fairy within the ball! The fairy was wearing a short, green gown made from leaves, and she had a cute face and pointed ears with white hair that had been braided up into a complicated bun. Her wings were delicate and transparent with a magical glow around them, and Gina couldn’t help but think that this was the cutest little thing that she had ever seen in her life!
’Huhhh!? But your majesty, I don’t want to go with her! I don’t like this one at all! She’s an absolute novice, and her head is filled with nonsense! Why do I have to babysit the new Sage!?’
But the moment the little fairy opened her mouth, Gina felt all the adoration she had been feeling bleeding out into a cold annoyance! The fairy was looking at the Spirit Queen with an annoyed pout on her face, and Gina’s eyes narrowed when the fairy suddenly turned to look at her with a glare before turning back to the Queen as the Queen spoke.
’Ulyn, I’ve warned you about this attitude of yours~ You have rejected the previous two Spirit candidates, and I allowed it due to my benevolence~ Do not attempt to take advantage of my kindness for a third time~’
Ulyn immediately whined with a pout.
’But moooommm~’
’Silence~!’
The Spirit Queen suddenly commanded with authority for the first time, and everyone in the room stiffened in shock! Even Gina felt a tingle go up her spine from fear as she felt an intense pressure push down on her, and she realised that the Spirit Queen was not someone that you would want to get angry at all! Ulyn didn’t dare to say anything more as she flew over to Gina and folded her arms while looking away from her in annoyance, and the Spirit Queen hummed and finally spoke to Gina.
’I apologise for my daughter’s attitude~ She is quite the talent, but I fear she does not possess the self-control needed to balance emotion with duty~ In a way, I believe that the both of you will truly get along for this reason~ Your passion and her own are similar in their intensity, so I am certain that once you find common ground, you can be the best of friends. Now go an–’
"Uhm, your majesty..."
Gina suddenly spoke up before the Queen could finish what she was saying, and the Queen hummed with a smile as she asked Gina what it was. Gina seemed hesitant to speak up for a moment, and she rubbed one hand against the other as she organised her thoughts. Gina didn’t even want to talk about the fact that the Queen was giving her a spirit as a companion, because even though it seemed like a great honor, Gina felt like the Queen was only sending Ulyn with her so that the Queen could get rid of a rebellious child! Instead, Gina was more interested in the current appearance that the Spirit Queen was using. Gina didn’t know why the Spirit Queen looked so much like the Elven Queen, but Gina knew that it had to have something to do with why the Elven Queen was currently in a coma. Gina took in a breath and built her courage up before she spoke calmly.
"Your appearance... I couldn’t help but notice how similar it is to the Elf Queen. Is there a reason for this?"
The Spirit Queen hummed at this question, and she suddenly seemed to come to a realisation as she spoke.
’Ah, the Elven Queen~ I almost forgot whose appearance this was~ You see, there are times when the meditation for Sagehood takes a significant toll on the mind of a mage. As someone with immense potential, you never ran into this problem, but the Elf Queen was not so lucky, and she ended up nearly losing her life as her mind was overwhelmed~ I held onto her soul as a conduit because I found it to be a fitting appearance to take whenever I was meeting with mortals~ She is quite beautiful, after all~ Do not presume that I killed the precious Queen myself. All I did was take what had already been lost~’
Gina’s eyes widened slightly when she heard what the Spirit Queen said! Was it really that dangerous to try and become a Sage!? Gina knew that her path to Sagehood was completely different from what a lot of people had gone through! From what Farlow had told her, it took years for someone to feel that first connection with nature that would allow them to awaken as a Sage, and it took even longer before they could meditate enough to become a fully fledged Sage! But Gina had managed to do all of it in only a few months, and that made her a prodigy! But Gina never thought that there were people who lost their lives in the process of meditation like this!
’But if the Spirit Queen had been holding on to the Elf Queen’s soul, then doesn’t that mean it’s possible to return it to the Elven Queen?’
From what the Spirit Queen had just said, it was obvious that the Elven Queen should have already died. If the Elven Queen’s soul had gone to the River of the afterlife, then there was no chance that it could have been returned to her, and the only reason the Elven Queen was in a coma rather than dead was because the Spirit Queen wanted to use the Elven Queen’s appearance to meet with mortals. It was a cruel thing to do, but Gina wasn’t interested in questioning what was right or wrong in the eyes of an immortal spirit. Even though most people would see what the Spirit Queen did as something cruel, the Spirit Queen didn’t see it that way at all, and as far as the Spirit Queen was concerned, this was a perfectly normal thing to do! Gina’s hand squeezed as an image of Farlow bowing his head sadly beside his wife’s bed came to her once again, and Gina’s resolve strengthened as she decided that she had to ask for the soul back. Farlow had done so much for Gina in the past few days, and Gina needed to repay him somehow. Gina took a half-step forward and spoke.