Whole constellations moved at unison like each second was an hour, until a fake sun appeared on the horizon making the right return in the room.
The spectators congratulated her with a thunderous applause.
“Kyla Dornar, the battle goddess.”
Lith was already bored when he felt someone tugging at his arm. He turned around to discover it was Phloria. He was about to whisper a greeting, but she was faster.
“Kiss me like you miss me.” Aside from Friya that was standing right next to them, everyone was so caught in the performance that no one noticed the deep, passionate kiss she gave him.
Lith had the impression she had just sucked the air out of his lungs and maybe even tasted his tonsil.
Phloria only let him go when the applause marking the end of the performance resounded. Lith could finally take a proper look at her. She wore a silk-satin red evening dress and white evening gloves, emphasizing her olive colored skin due to the prolonged exposure to the sun.
It was skin tight, with a neckline that somehow exerted a push-up effect. Her hair had grown even longer, allowing Phloria to braid them into tresses that were knotted, twisted, and tied back in an intricate headpiece, complete with pearls and fabrics.
‘Walking like a man, hitting like a hammer.’ Lith couldn’t avoid remembering an old Earth’s song.
‘Well, she definitely got the look.’ Solus giggled.
Before they could exchange a single word, Lith got called to the center stage.
“Lith of Lutia, the eye of god and maker of wonders.” The whole room gasped in surprise, Lith included. No one else had received two titles and him being the third ranker made it even more amazing.
Not even most second rankers would receive a title.
‘It seems that Vastor wasn’t kidding when he said that the light and forgemastering department were quite pissed off at Linjos for the rankings. Usually I wouldn’t like so much attention, but tonight it’s different.’ He thought with a smirk.
“Thanks for your kind introduction, dear Marchioness. I hope you all realize that at this point, there isn’t much I can do without boring you with a rerun of what my peers already did. So, to spice things up I’m going to try something different, but I need an assistant.”
He turned around the room pretending to be searching for the right person.
“You.” He pointed his finger at Phloria.
“Would you do me the honor of accompanying me in this feat?” Lith extended his hand to her. Phloria was dazed for a second, embarrassed by all the eyes on her, before stepping forward to take Lith’s hand.
“Thanks. Now just follow my lead.” Lith walked toward the nearest wall, leaving some of the guests confused and most of them disappointed.
Once they arrived in front of the wall, Lith didn’t stop walking, stepping on it. Phloria didn’t understand what was happening and neither did most of the guests. The others were either chocking on their drinks or inwardly cursing at him.
‘Son of a…’ The Marchioness was among the latter.
‘I asked him for a distraction and some ruckus. This is going to turn into a riot if I don’t handle it properly.’
“Do you trust me?” Lith said with a smile, seeing that Phloria was hesitant. In response to the question, she immediately stepped forward discovering that her foot was now effortlessly stuck to the wall.
Lith then resumed walking, accompanied by her until they were standing upside down on the ceiling.
As it was apparent ever since their first vertical step, it wasn’t a flight or float spell. Otherwise the coats of Lith’s suit and Phloria’s gown would be falling toward the ground, making the situation quite embarrassing, especially for Phloria.
Her hair, dress, and jewels were perfectly normal, like she was just walking on the floor.
“May we have some music?” At Lith’s request, the Marchioness signaled the orchestra that started playing a minuet.
The couple danced the whole song while avoiding the numerous crystal chandeliers, returning back in front of the Marchioness when the music ended. Phloria was red from the excitement, but the room gave them a cold reception.
No one applauded, they were just looking at them like they were monsters, even Jirni and Orion.
“I’m sorry you didn’t like it, but I did.” Lith shrugged. Their approval meant nothing to him.
“For your information, that’s something I like to call…”
“Gravity magic.” Archmage Deirus blurted out, cutting him short.
“Nailed in one.” Lith was surprised by how fast Yurial’s dad had understood what had happened. After all, Gravity magic was Lith’s original creation.
Or so he thought.
“That’s impossible!” One after the other, the mages present expressed their disbelief while the nobles would ask them for an explanation.
“What’s Gravity magic, dad?” Yurial was among them.
“The seventh kind of magic. Something that’s considered an exclusive of the ancient noble households.”
“I never heard anything about it. Not from you nor while being at the academy. Is it some kind of secret art?” Yurial’s curiosity was piqued, he never heard about a seventh natural element.
“It’s not a secret, otherwise I wouldn’t know about it.” Velan Deirus shook his head.
“I never spoke about it because I don’t practice it. You can find books about it in the academies’ libraries, but no one will ever teach it to you. It’s…complicated.”
As soon as the details about Gravity magic were being disclosed, the murmurs rose in intensity and volume, turning into chatting first and yells later.
“Complicated how?” Yurial asked while Lith and Phloria joined him. They were as confused as he was.
“Gravity magic requires to be able to cast six spells at once and wave them together. It also requires a great mastery of the mana control and of the principles behind the natural phenomenons.
“What you saw your friend using is the equivalent of first magic, yet it’s already beyond the reach of most. Gravity magic is considered to be a legacy of the most ancient noble households because they are the only ones that possess the knowledge and the magical legacy to teach it.”
“Why did you never learn it? Aren’t you an Archmage?” Lith nodded, agreeing with Yurial question. He was quite disappointed in learning he had just reinvented the wheel. Again.
Yet this time it seemed to be quite a fancy wheel.
“Because it’s useless. Even tier one gravity spells are too complex. They require such fine control over the mana and the hand signs that their difficulty goes beyond that of tier five spells. The results do not justify the effort.”
Lith understood Velan’s point, but it wasn’t an issue for him. Lith never had to struggle with magic words or signs, true magic was all a matter of manipulating the mana flow according to one’s will.
Gravity magic was indeed difficult, he was just scratching the top of the barrel and it required Lith’s full focus just to reverse the gravity on two people. Yet moving to higher levels of Gravity magic was far from impossible for him.
“It’s not just a matter of effort, it’s a matter of pride!” Archmage Ejar, Lusa’s mother roared.
“Gravity magic it’s the living proof of all true magical bloodlines!” She looked Velar in the eyes, clicking her tongue in disgust.
