When they arrived back at Gorion's house, he looked at the two young ones and said,"Go wash up and get ready for dinner. I have something to tell you—about the council meeting earlier."
Then he turned to Elara."You don't need to cook today. You've had a long walk."
Elara waved her hand dismissively."It's fine. I'm still strong, see?" she said, flexing her arm and showing off her biceps.
Sylveras chuckled and playfully bumped her shoulder.To his surprise, Elara lost balance and fell with a loud thud."Whoa—! That was loud," he said, laughing hard.
Gorion smiled."A single little bump and you're down? Don't worry about dinner tonight. Leave it to me."
Still half on the floor, Elara groaned."You're so dead, Sylveras. I'll get you for that!"
Sylveras grinned."Sure, go ahead. Just don't ruin dinner. I don't want a salty meal just because someone pretended to be strong and got too tired to cook."
Elara pouted, crossing her arms."Hmph... My food is never salty when I cook. Hmph!"
Gorion chuckled as he watched them."Uh-oh, she's mad. Better go cheer her up."
Sylveras turned his back toward Elara and said,"Nope. Hmph!" mimicking her tone.
The three of them went into their rooms to wash up. Gorion looked up at the ceiling and murmured with a gentle smile,"Ah... youth. How beautiful."
After they cleaned up, they returned to the dining room and were immediately struck by the incredible aroma. The table was filled with food—perfectly roasted beef and fragrant vegetables. The smell alone made their mouths water.
Still sulking, Elara and Sylveras sat across from each other, both avoiding eye contact. But as they took their first bites, their expressions changed instantly.
"This is amazing!" Sylveras exclaimed with a mouthful."How the heck can you cook this well?! Old man Ardan always burned everything! I even complained to Auntie Ulm next door and she started giving me food!"
Gorion laughed heartily."Yes, Ardan never had a knack for cooking. A great mage, but hopeless in the kitchen!"
Elara continued eating in silence, but deep down she thought,Maybe I should train cooking with Gorion too... This food is ridiculously good.
As they were enjoying the meal, Gorion suddenly spoke with a more serious tone,"Alright... During the council meeting today, there was a major incident. The demons performed a ritual... They summoned an ancient beast—a serpent with thirty heads and twelve hearts."
He took a breath before continuing,"I read about it in the Beastklopedia. Summoning it requires an immense amount of mana. A powerful demon is moving in the shadows. We must be careful."
Sylveras choked on his food."Th-thirty heads and—erk—twelve hearts?! ERKKKKK—"
Elara quickly offered him a drink."Here. Not that I care or anything... Hmph."
Sylveras took the cup and drank."Thanks. And, uh... sorry for pushing you earlier."
Elara looked away and replied,"Yeah, whatever."But her face was still puffed up with annoyance.
Then Sylveras suddenly stood up."WAIT. That giant white dragon—why didn't you say anything about keeping a dragon as a pet?! What if it ate us?!"
Gorion chuckled."Oh, that wasn't my pet. That was a divine beast sent by the god Poseidon. He resealed the creature back where it came from."
Sylveras's jaw dropped."POSEIDON?! Wait—so the gods are real?!"
Elara, still annoyed, pulled on Sylveras's ear."OF COURSE they're real! That's why you should come to church once in a while instead of fishing or burying your head in magic books!"
Gorion chuckled again."Looks like Elara knows quite a bit about the gods."
Elara nodded proudly."Yes. Poseidon is the god of water."
Sylveras blurted,"Oh! That makes sense. So he's the god of death, right? 'Cause his pet showed up and killed that big snake in one hit!"
Elara yanked his ear again."WRONG! Poseidon is the god of water! He governs the seas! It says so in the scriptures—the merfolk are his faithful followers."
Sylveras blinked."Merfolk? You mean like... fish with arms and legs? Do they talk?"
Elara sighed."I don't know. I've never seen one."
Sylveras turned to Gorion."Do they actually exist?"
Gorion nodded."Yes. I met their leader once, a long time ago with Ardan."
Sylveras's eyes widened."What?! Grandpa met a merfolk and never told me?!"
Elara muttered,"Maybe because you were too busy reading basic spellbooks, you magic maniac."
Sylveras paused, then laughed."True... Hahahaha!"
Gorion finally put his fork down."Alright, that's enough. You both understand the danger now, right?"
They nodded in unison.
"Good. Tomorrow, we resume training. I'll prepare a special set of trials for both of you. So no staying up late. Go to bed early."