"No, I am determined to learn this magic. And I believe I've learned all the other magic known to everyone already. All that's left to learn are the forbidden ones. Even so, among those forbidden ones, I have already learned the most of them. Except for the two that you just mentioned, reviving the dead and time manipulation."

"My prince –" Claudius was startled when hearing that. How could the prince had already learnt the other forbidden spells?! Where could he have gotten the manuals for it?

"I am just trying to expand my knowledge. As you also know, knowledge is power, and knowledge also leads to wisdom. All I am trying to do is to grow and improve on myself. Please tell me where I can learn more about it." Gavrael cut him off, his fiery blue eyes were so intense that Claudius already knew for sure that the young prince was not going to back off. He could already tell he was going to force the knowledge out of him if he refused. He then realized that this young prince was every bit as dangerous as his father, probably more so compared to King Belial. This young prince was the kind who is willing to do anything and everything, no matter how immoral it was to get what he wanted.

Looking at the young prince's determined face, he knew from his many long years of living and meeting many kinds of people, this prince could not be stopped from reaching for what he wanted. He could not help but sigh helplessly at it. He had somehow learned from his father himself that stopping a man like this was as futile as trying to hold back your own breathing. It was absolutely impossible.

"Alright, but I want you to promise me one thing first before I say anything else." Claudius said and Gavrael's face immediately darkened, realizing that the dark fae certainly knew what making a promise meant to him.

He glared at the dark fae for a long while, face sullen and unhappy. But his desire was stronger than his abhorrence towards making of promises this time, so he nodded somewhat grudgingly. "Fine, what is it?" He all but growled at the older man.

"You must promise me that this knowledge must be kept to yourself alone, for eternity. You cannot even breathe a word of it and should only be thought of within your mind. Also… you must never use it to do something evil." Claudius was very serious as he named his price.

Gavrael stared at him and without any hesitation, he nodded. "I promise." He said, sealing the vow and the ancient fae could only shake his head in disbelief. 'Sigh… young people sure are hasty in their actions.' Claudius thought to himself. Truly, youth is wasted on the young.

"I will teach you all that I know but I must tell you, my prince, that nobody had ever used this magic successfully and managed to remain alive. There were a few brave souls who dared try but failed miserably and they suffered the consequences due to their failure. Well, you can always back off once you realize it's impossible even for you." Claudius advised but the prince remained unfazed.

"Do not worry, I don't have any plans to tamper with what had already happened or change anything. I simply want to stop time when needed." Gavrael said upon seeing the worry and doubt in the ancient fae's eyes. "Could we start the training now?"

"What? Now?!" Claudius was taken aback. Did this young prince not have any concept of taking it easy?

"Yes. I don't like wasting time once I've decided on getting something done."

And thus, Gavrael had found something to divert his attention while he remained in the Under Land. He had found out from Claudius the reason why he felt as though time ran faster on the surface. Apparently, it was not just his imagination nor fanciful thinking. That was because time on the surface do somehow flow twice as fast compared to how it passes in the Under Land. And the reason was because the Under Land was a completely different realm from the surface and also due to the dark magic enveloping the entire dark fae realm.

…

Days passed and Gavrael continued his travelling across the portal, visiting Evie in her room every night. He never did miss out even on a single night and he had never done anything unruly to her so far. He had abided to her every restriction demanded of him and as time went by, Gavrael and Evie had started to sneak outside her room at night. She brought him to explore and visit every part of the castle that was worth visiting, and they always ended up in the kitchen where they would sneak some food off to be shared between them back in her room or at some other interesting places she would drag him to after that.

Evie had made him try out and taste all the food that they squirrel off and she always had fun watching his expressions after tasting the food for the first time. Before she knew it, they had become so close to each other, they could not believe that they had only met not too long ago.

There were no more traces of fear and day after day, Evie felt happier now despite her seclusion. She no longer pesters her mother for them to return to the Southern empire and finally, she had agreed that the two of them will start to roam about in the Middle Land.

When Gavrael appeared by her window, Evie's heart skipped a beat in excitement.

"Are you ready for greater adventures tonight?" He stretched out his hand to her as he said that with a tantalizing smile and without hesitation, she put her smaller hand in his larger ones.

"More than ready!" she declared with a big grin and sparkling eyes. Then Gavrael pulled her into his arms in one swift swoop.

____

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