One of my favorite scenes in the SLL book 1 novel tbh. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Warmth seeped into my fur as I stood on the balcony, staring across the city. The sun blazed high in the sky, and I was alone with my thoughts for a time. I hadn’t told Illesior that I had tried to grasp magic as a Sorcerer; the last time we had touched on this topic was the day I met Dukalis and made a deal with him. It had been brought up as a suggestion, but nothing more than that. But now it was time I revealed what I had been taught by my secret mentor, and I hoped that once I proved myself as a formidable warrior rather than a wannabe scribe, I would be sent to Dragon’s Reach to fight the Consumed. Dukalis never told me what that entailed, aside from feeding the royal family’s thirst for magic, but from what I knew I assumed it would be to become a person of high social standing and hold my own. The sound of a mighty horn shattered the silence, and as it subsided, I closed my eyes. “It’s time, Dukalis. There’s no turning back now.” I had to trust that what I had learned would be enough to convince the prince, or our plan would never come to fruition. I let out a yell, a shout that echoed through the turrets of the world around me. “Dukalis, grant me the Agility of Az, the Lord of the Ascent!” /Let his essence give grace to your steps and lightness to your feet, Albino. Take a leap of faith…/ “...And fly on wings of wind!” I leaped from the balcony and felt assurance rush through me, like I was suddenly invincible. As I plummeted down to the garden below, suddenly I glided upwards, running through air and landing on a steep roof. But the angle was nothing to the grace of the gods running through my veins. I ran along the side, swift as a raging hurricane. I was on top of the world. I spiraled through the air, completing so many twists, turns and flips that anyone watching would faint from dizziness. But as I neared the arena where the meeting was being held, suddenly I could feel my strength depleting. /Oh, no, not now!/ Dukalis pleaded worriedly. /I was sure the Agility of Az lasted for much longer than this!/ “What do you mean?!” I yelled, struggling to leap across a stretch of buildings in front of me. “I thought you had this under control! We practiced for ages!” /But not for long enough,/ He replied, panic and realization rising in his voice. /I should’ve known that three months is nowhere near long enough to even comprehend the Agility of Az!/ “YEAH, YOU SHOULD’VE!” I snapped. “And now it’s going to wear off, and I’m going to fall to my death!” /Now, let’s not be so dramatic. And besides, it took me twenty-three years to learn the Agility of Az, not three months. Ah, I’m so foolish!/ I could’ve sworn I heard him tsk-tsk to himself after this, and that was the last straw. “Okay, FINE! If we can’t use the Agility of Az, we need to use another kind of magic! One that won’t give me a broken spine!” I huffed and yelped as I skidded on a loose shingle, but I still continued to run. /It’ll have to be one that can be easily learned by an ordinary aetyr. The magic of the gods will prove useless, as I do not have enough willpower to summon it./ Dukalis then proceeded to channel a lesser magic into me, and it was one that I realized was a kind you could be born with. It was the lowest rank of achievable magic. Before I could realize what exactly the magic was, I felt an explosion around me and I shot through the air. “WHAT MAGIC IS THIS?!” I screeched. “I’VE NEVER USED THIS BEFORE!” /Compression Cannon! You control the air around you to send objects or individuals flying!/ “Compression Cannon?!? HOW DOES THIS HELP?!” As if on cue, I felt a blast of air envelop me, like a vacuum sucking me in. Then it expanded, and I shot through the air again, tripping on another roof. /I’m controlling it for you at the moment, since it’s obvious you’ve never seen it before./ Dukalis sighed, seeming annoyed but relaxed now that I was out of immediate danger. /We’ll have to go through my magic again, once your meeting is over./ “You THINK?!” I leaped another gap, the expanding air booming around me once more. The arena was in sight, and quickly approaching, too. /Oh, look at that!/ The spirit seemed pleased. /You’re almost there. Try not to cause a huge commotion, will you?/ “It’s a bit too late for that, don’t you think?” I replied dryly, feeling like I was starting to get the hang of Compression Cannon. I felt the air compress one last time, and I flew overhead the last stretch of buildings before soaring over the walls of the arena. The ground hurtled towards me, and I managed to get my feet to point to it before I made contact. Whump! (From Ch. 8: Travel Party)
Music: 勇気の叫び (Yūki no Sakebi - Cry of Courage) ah, if only SLL was a real anime. that would be sick on a scale of 1 to 10, how likely would you think this was a real anime screenshot if I didn't tell you that I drew this?
