A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Erik had limited knowledge of sigils, but from what little he had picked up, he knew it was possible to draw a sigil on one side of a wall and have it appear on the other, which was likely what they used here.

When Emily finally drew the last line, she collapsed in exhaustion. Seeing her state, Erik chuckled understandingly and stepped closer to take her into a princess carry.

Feeling his actions, Emily just glared at him. She was clearly unhappy about getting his help despite knowing she needed it.

Erik grinned confidently at her. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I know you're warming up to me."

Emily scoffed and looked away. "Fat chance of that. We still need to talk about what happened between you and Emma, you pervert."

Before Erik could respond, Elora flew into the magic circle and spread her arms. It was time to activate them. Dark green aetherium flowed from her hands and into the sigil before spreading over the entire ship.

Everyone, even Erik, looked on in wonder. Elora spoke. "This is actually the first time I've done something like this. Let's see if everything works as intended."

Erik ignored Emily's mumbling about being the one to actually do all the work.

All the other sigils on the boat began to glow with the same dark green colour, lighting up their boat like a Christmas tree. The Ashcroft sisters, who still didn't know what these sigils were supposed to do, began wondering if becoming a beacon of light was really a good idea.

But they were quickly proven wrong. The dark green glow began to die down, and with it, the boat started to... fade away.

Emma and Emily panicked as they saw the floor they were standing on literally disappear before their eyes. "W- What is happening?!" one of them yelled.

Erik and Elora both chuckled with amusement at their reactions. It didn't take long before the sisters realised the boat wasn't disappearing. It was simply becoming invisible.

Emma's eyes sparkled with wonder. She looked around and excitedly said, "That's so cool!" Even Emily looked begrudgingly impressed and perhaps even a little prideful about having worked on this herself.

Elora was much less subdued than Emily as she puffed up her chest in pride, "Haha! I know! I am amazing!"

Emily still had some concerns, however. "Won't we still create movement in the water, though? Also... does this make us invisible, or are we just floating in the air now?"

Elora ignored her questions; apparently, she was done teaching her for now. Instead, she shrunk to her smaller size and flew towards Erik before sitting on his shoulder. She kissed his cheek. "Aren't you proud of me?"

Erik smiled warmly. Even Elora could be a little needy sometimes. So he used his finger to caress her head. "Amazing as always, Elora."

She puffed up her chest again. "That's right! Now, since I'm tired, you can answer their questions for me." Before Erik could answer, she had disappeared in a cloud of light specks, taking refuge in his soul.

Erik chuckled wryly but turned towards Emily, whom he had put down a little earlier.

"To answer your first question, yes, we still create movement. The invisibility is also more like sophisticated camouflage, and it is not the only thing these sigils do.

The camouflage is only really intended to confuse and avoid, which should be enough for most creatures to ignore us. If they don't, there are also defensive sigils that rely on my lightning.

As for your second question, only the outside of the boat is obscured, not us. When we get inside again, we'll be able to see everything like usual and be just as visible from outside as we'd have been before the sigils. Meaning, not at all.

Last but not least, the sigils draw power from all of us, so you both may notice a slight drain in your aetherium storage. Don't worry, though. It won't significantly slow down your advancement. At least not while the defensive sigils aren't activated."

Emma suddenly looked confused, "Wait, but then... shouldn't we have done this from inside the boat?" She looked around, "I mean... where is the entrance?" Emily looked similarly confused. After all, at least in their perception, they were floating above the water right now.

Erik grinned mischievously, "Well, I figured I might as well combine this event with some training! You both still know only the basics about aetherium usage, even you, Emilly, and I need you to get better."

He jumped up and somehow landed on an invisible higher part of the ship before taking a seat and looking down on the sisters. "Don't worry, I won't go anywhere. But neither of you will get inside until you can find your way there by using aetherium to 'see' your surroundings."

Both sisters had the same anxious expression as they looked at the blue sea under them and voiced some complaints, but Erik ignored them. He would give them pointers later if necessary, but for now, he intended to let them discover what they could on their own.

He was just there to rescue them if they fell overboard.

While the sisters started gingerly looking around, Erik continued exploring his ice glyph and rune. He had at least two weeks on board this ship and planned to make the most of it. Luckily, pulling a second affinity up to the next rank was easier than advancing to adept rank the first time.

*******

Meanwhile, in the heart of what used to be Brussels, a modern high-rise was located called the Nexus Tower. This was one of the few buildings to have largely survived the initial earthquakes that accompanied the awakening and the six years of chaos that followed.

For the past year, since the council was formed, it was fully restored and now serves as their headquarters. Above the entrance door was a large version of the council's emblem, worn by peacekeepers all over Europe.

The entire building shimmered slightly with various colours, something most people assumed was just a pomp and show from the council, but in actuality, stemmed from the many sigils carved into the tower's sides.

Sigils that most people simply didn't know existed. After all, knowledge is power, and the council knew this all too well. For various reasons.

While the outward appearance of this tower was modern, and most of its floors followed that trend, the top floor was a little different. Its aesthetics and feel were more ancient.

This floor held the council chambers. The chambers were divided into three equal parts, each occupied by one of the three races that governed the council--humans, vampires and shapeshifters.

At the heart of this tripartite arrangement lay the deliberation hall. This circular room exuded warmth with its dominant wooden accents, featuring three doors, each leading to one of the adjacent sections.

The centre of the hall remained empty. It served as a podium where non-council members could stand to address them if the need arose.

Surrounding the central space were an array of luxurious seats, each elevated in steps to provide a clear view of the centre. The seats were crafted from rich, dark wood cushioned with plush fabrics, providing both comfort and an aesthetic appeal.

In each of the three sections, one chair stood taller and more intricately designed than the rest. These regal seats were reserved for the faction leaders, each embodying authority for their faction.

Currently, the council is in session, and many of the seats are filled. Not all of them, however, and the numbers weren't equal, despite every council member being present.

It was this way because of how the council worked. The only requirement to sit and have a vote was to be a third or expert-ranked Runebound or Arcanist. This meant that the strongest faction would also have the most say.

Even in a non-dictatorial government, the strongest fist still rules. At this time, that fist belonged to the human faction, with six Arcanists at the third rank, while the vampires and shapeshifters each had four.

A man of clear Balkan descent sat on the vampire faction's council leader seat. His facial features were aristocratic, with a chiselled jawline and high cheekbones that spoke of a forgotten nobility.

His face was framed by long black hair, his eyes were piercing red, and his skin was pale. In this, he was much like a typical vampire. Yet, he was anything but. This man was Vlad Dracula the Fifth, grandson of Vlad Dracula the Third, aka the impaler.

Vlad Dracula the Fifth ruled the vampire faction with an iron fist. His word was law, and any who dared to oppose him would soon find out exactly how much he took after his grandfather.

Yet, despite his authoritarian ways and cruel punishments, his rule was otherwise fair and focused on the good of all vampires. A fact that earned him the reverence and loyalty of most, leaving him little opportunity to use his stakes.

Truly, this man had taken carrot and stick to the masses.

His affinity was one that was not as widespread among vampires as one might expect: blood. A powerful affinity on the level of lightning or nature.

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