The Oyxia Chronicles: Shadow of Lorian

Chapter 8. The Chambers of the Castle of Fire

Elissa and Leonard, still feeling a slight dizziness after therecently performed initiation ritual, were walking along the grandyet dim corridors of the Castle of Fire.

Their guide, an experienced Fire mage, continuedpolitely leading Elissa and Leonard through the dark, majestichallways of the castle. His footsteps echoed through the empty halls,and fiery runes carved into the stone walls glowed softly, lightingtheir way. When he turned to make sure the students were not fallingbehind, his gaze was firm yet benevolent. He was someone who couldbecome their mentor, but for now he was only telling them whatawaited them in this new world.

“Here in Lorian,” he began, “students andmentors live as one big family. Fire magic does not divide; itunites. We are all one element, and our power must serve the commongood.”

Elissa glanced at his face with admiration, thelight of the flame reflected in his features. She felt how the magicof this place not only filled the walls, but seeped into her verysoul.

“It’s like in our home settlement… everyonehelps each other,” she couldn’t help but say.

The guide gave a barely noticeable smile andnodded.

“Exactly. But here the power of magic binds ustogether not only in helping each other, but in life itself. We servethis element, and it becomes part of us, just as we become aninseparable part of it. You’ll feel it when you begin to practicemagic.”

Leonard, walking a little behind, tensed slightlywhen he heard these words. It was hard for him to imagine how someelement could unite people. The thought that he would now become partof something far greater than himself still didn’t fit in his head.

“Do we all study the same program?” he asked,stepping uncertainly on the cold stone floor.

The guide turned, and, sensing his anxiety,answered with a smile:

“Everyone starts with the basics, even those whocome here with great ambitions. But each path will be your own. Somemay master the power of fire more quickly, others more slowly. Whatmatters is that you don’t lose faith in yourselves.

There are no failures in Lorian. Here, everyonehas their own road to great power.”

Elissa brightened at these words. Hope flared inher eyes.

“So everyone has a chance to become a true Firemage?” she asked, unable to hide her curiosity.

The guide nodded, and his gaze grew more distant,as if he had recalled something important he could have shared.

“Yes. But you must remember that Lorian is notjust a place of study. It is a place of transformation. The castle’shistory is full of passions, destruction, wars. The castle was builtby the great mage Lorian seven thousand years ago, when a magicalsource was discovered here, at the top of the volcano. This sourcegrants the power of Fire, thanks to which our castle still exists andflourishes.”

Leonard listened with interest, while Elissa fellinto thought.

“The great mage Lorian…” she repeatedpensively. “Is that somehow tied to Fire magic?”

“Yes,” the guide replied. “His teachingbecame the foundation for all Fire magic. In his time the castle wasthe symbol of that power, and many sought the source to gain controlover this mighty energy. However, Fire magic does not toleratecontrol. It demands freedom and endless change.”

He fell silent, and for a moment their footstepsbecame the only sound in the dark corridor.

“But the castle was not always like this,” theguide continued. “Since the day it was built, Lorian has beenthrough much. Wars, destruction, rebirth. We rebuilt it and restoredit, but sometimes even its walls were brought down by the flames ofbattle.”

Elissa sighed, imagining how this majestic castlecould have fallen in the fires of war.

“And now the castle is safe?” she asked,unable to hide her anxiety.

The guide looked at her and, seeing her worry,answered confidently:

“Now it appears a time of peace has come. Warsbetween the castles almost never flare up. Of course, no one canpredict what will happen in a hundred years, or even in a fewdecades, but at this moment we live in relative peace. Mages livelong, and for us wars are part of history—something to be learnedand understood.

However, in your lifetime there will be enoughwars.”

Leonard, feeling his anxiety gradually easing,turned to the guide again:

“And who rules the castle now?” he asked,trying to learn more about the one who would be their leader in thecoming years.

The guide straightened with pride.

“The head of the castle is Lord Helion. He iswise and strong, and under his rule Castle Lorian has become evenmore powerful. I am certain you have nothing to fear for your safetywhile he leads us.”

Elissa and Leonard exchanged glances. Hearing LordHelion’s name, they felt slightly calmer. For a moment they evenforgot their doubts, carried away by the grandeur of the castle andthe might of Fire magic, which seemed to fill everything around them.

“We really will be safe now,” Elissa said,smiling at Leonard. “That’s good news.”

The guide nodded and, slowing his pace a little,waited for them to digest the information before continuing forward.

“In truth,” he added quietly, “with LordHelion the castle has become not only a place of power, but a symbolof order. He sincerely believes that the future of Fire magic lies inthe hands of young mages like you.”

Elissa, not taking her eyes off the rune patternson the walls, felt everything around her drawing her deeper into thisancient castle. Every line, every rune carved into the stone seemedalive, pulsing as a part of the castle itself. Here in Lorian, magicwas not just the environment in which the students existed — it wasits very essence. Elissa felt it enveloping her; with every step, thereality she knew, familiar and understandable, began to dissolve,giving way to something greater, deeper, utterly unusual. This placewas not meant for ordinary people.

It had been created by mages, and the magic of itswalls seemed to coil around her, filling everything with a specialenergy.

They continued on through a vast hall where lightfrom magical flames brightly illuminated the stone columns andceiling. The fire in the rune lanterns reached upward like somethingalive, burning with a force only a true mage could hold.

Elissa watched in awe as the flickering lightplayed on the walls and reflected off the polished stone.

There is so much Power here. No wonder thecastle was built exactly in this place — it would be impossible tokeep so many lanterns and magical lights burning otherwise, shethought with admiration. A few strands of her hair fluttered in apassing draft.

The halls were divided by long, narrowpassageways, and each corridor seemed completely unique. Some hallsblazed with fire, lighting the space so brightly one could discernevery corner, every ornament. In other halls the flame burned dimmer,casting barely any light, and there reigned a silence that felt likea cold seeping right into the bones.

One of them let out an exclamation when theypassed another corridor that suddenly began to shimmer, as if themagic itself here was wavering, becoming a little brighter and thendimmer. Elissa stopped, feeling how this instability in the magictruly hooked her.

“Why are these corridors flickering?” sheasked, turning to the mage walking beside them.

The mage hesitated slightly, glanced at the wallswhere the magic really did pulse unevenly, and answered with athoughtful note:

“We don’t know for sure,” he said. “Latelysuch disruptions in magic have been happening more often. It’sconnected to changes in the source of magic. It has long been in anunstable state, and sometimes such fluctuations occur. But there isno need to worry. I don’t think it’s anything serious.”

Elissa wanted to ask something else, but the magewent on, as if trying partly to calm her:

“This happens when something in the castlechanges, or when there are minor malfunctions in the magicalequipment. They aren’t dangerous, but if it continues, we’ll ofcourse keep an eye on it.”

Leonard, walking behind, studied the castle wallsclosely. Here, along their path, he could see not only runes, butalso frescoes painted by ancient masters. Some of them were inexcellent condition: bright colors and elegant details had survivedeven after thousands of years. Others were badly damaged, as if themagic that had once preserved them was fading, and time was takingthe last traces of these artworks.

Someone once painted all this so carefully,Leonard noted to himself.

“These frescoes,” the mage said proudly, “arerestored by mages and craftsmen. They are part of our history. Everyelement of the castle is tied to magic and to the people who havelived here. Some frescoes are very old, and it’s difficult topreserve them in their original form, but we work constantly onrestoration. The ones that remain in good condition impress everyonewho comes here.”

Elissa stopped, touching one of the frescoes,feeling in it not only magic, but also some ancient memories. Theimage on the wall was indistinct, but in its distorted outlines shesensed the strength and wisdom of centuries.

“Whom do these frescoes depict?” she asked,without taking her hand from the wall.

“These are images of the great Fire mages,”the mage replied. “They show moments from the castle’s history.For example, here is the great mage Lorian, the founder of thecastle. Since his time, his wisdom has been passed down fromgeneration to generation.”

As they moved on, Kaylen, who was walking nearElissa and Leonard, suddenly slowed his pace and looked at themintently.

“Listen,” he said, tilting his head. “They…radiate magic.”

Elissa and Leonard exchanged surprised glances,stunned that someone had noticed something unusual about them. Theythemselves couldn’t fathom how it could be visible — they hadonly just begun their training.

“Yes,” the mage confirmed, stopping andsmiling. “They carry magic and protective spells within them…usually protective,” he added with a faint ironic smile. “Withthese spells, Fire mages shield themselves from external threats.Here in Lorian, magic is not only a weapon, but also a shield.”

For Elissa all of this was thrilling, yetwonderful. In that moment she felt that her place was here, in thisworld of fire and magic, where she could become someone significant —part of a great force. She looked at Leonard and noticed somethingdifferent in his eyes — anxiety, doubt, as if he still couldn’tgrasp what had happened or what awaited him.

Leonard walked beside Elissa, but his thoughtsseemed far, far from this majestic castle, its corridors, and themagic that increasingly filled the air around them. He heard everyword of the guide and felt how those words sank into his mind, butthey left neither warmth nor joy in him. Everything the mage saidsounded as if it were meant for someone else, not for him.

The world of magic was so vast and alien that hefelt small and lonely within these walls, filled with power andknowledge he could barely comprehend. Every word, every step of theguide seemed part of a reality where he did not belong.

He was a young man from a small village, and untilnow all he had known about magic came from the stories of old men bythe fire, echoes of legends and tales that seemed distant andunreachable.

Now a world was opening before him where magic wasnot something mystical, but everyday — a part of life.

But in this world there seemed to be no place forsimple people like him. He wasn’t ready, not strong enough to standas an equal to those who were born into this world of magic, who hadlived amidst its currents from the very beginning.

Fear rolled over him in waves, and with every stephe took down the castle corridors, that fear became more real.

What if I can’t master this power? What if Inever become like them? Leonard worried.

His gaze slid along the walls covered with fieryrunes, but his thoughts wouldn’t let him go. Fear for the future,self-doubt — all of it gripped his mind, and he began to think ofhis family.

Of his native village, of how his mother andfather might still be sitting by the home hearth, waiting for hisreturn.

Of his sister, little Lilian, whom he had alwayspromised to come back to once he became strong. Mira, as he calledher, was so bright and carefree, and he, as the older brother, hadalways considered it his duty to protect her.

And now, standing on the threshold of a new world,he thought of her again. He dreamed how one day he would return home— but no longer as just a village boy, but as a mage, possessingpower, able to protect himself and those he loved.

He felt a warm spark of hope burning in his chest,and that spark grew with every step, with each passing moment as hesank deeper into thoughts of magic. In his mind, images began to form— images of the spells he would be able to cast, of how he wouldwield the Fire element, using its power to help others. Threads ofmagic would lie in his hands, as alive and restless as fire itself.

He was not sure exactly how it would happen, butthis was his new and important path in life. He could sense that roadopening before him, and that gave him the strength to move on.

He would study magic, become stronger, and oneday, perhaps no longer as a village boy but as a mage, he wouldreturn home. Return to show his family that he hadn’t just run awayto some castle, but had gone to seek his destiny — to become who hehad always dreamed of being: strong and protective.

In his mind arose images of spells he might create— spells of protection, spells to help others. Leonard didn’tknow how, but he believed that everything was possible. And thatwould be his goal: to use magic for good.

“Are we… here forever?” he asked, unable tobear the silence any longer and, despite all his worries, trying tohide the anxiety in his voice.

Elissa turned to him, trying to find at least ahint of the confidence she herself felt in his eyes. But she onlygave him a gentle smile, as if trying to support him.

“We’re here to study,” she replied, notentirely sure of her own answer.

The guide, paying no attention to theirconversation, continued leading them through the endless corridorsuntil they reached massive doors adorned with intricate fiery runes.The castle seemed to greet them with its ancient walls, which heldthe knowledge of many generations of Fire mages. Here, the fabric oftime itself felt almost tangible.

“These are your quarters,” the guide said,opening one of the doors.

Elissa stepped inside and froze, overwhelmed bymixed feelings. The room was spacious, its air saturated with magic,just like the rest of the castle. In the center stood several bedscovered with simple yet neat blankets. Around them were tables,benches, and chairs, as if designed specifically for students.Everything here was simple, yet at the same time majestic, like theplace they had found themselves in. A sense of coziness and mysteryfilled the space, creating an atmosphere that was both calming andexciting. There was something special here, something that spoke ofthe strength and antiquity permeating everything around.