Aiden continued to walk behind the head butler through the long corridors that stretched inside the castle as though they were endless.
The gleaming marble floor reflected the light of the chandeliers suspended from the high ceiling, while a majestic silence reigned over the place, broken only by the steady rhythm of their footsteps.
Finally, the head butler came to a halt before a massive door.
Producing an ornate silver key, he quietly turned the lock, then slowly opened the door.
He spoke in his venerable voice: “This shall be your room starting from today.” Aiden entered with hesitant strides, and the moment his gaze fell upon what lay within, he froze in his tracks.
It was not a small room as he had requested before the Thirteen Mages…
Rather, it was an entire royal suite.
Centered upon the door was a wide engraving of pure gold, while a soft carpet, woven with luxurious threads, blanketed the floor.
Upon the walls hung ancient paintings and delicate sculptures, heightening the room’s luxury and majesty.
He advanced slowly toward the bed, unable to stop himself from touching its edges.
It was plush to a degree he had never experienced before, until he imagined that its price alone would suffice to purchase a small house in one of the continent’s cities.
He smiled in wonder, then headed toward the colossal window.
The moment he opened it, the evening breezes caressed his face, and a breathtaking view unfolded before his eyes; the distant city gleamed with its quiet lights, and on the horizon, the buildings of the High School of Magic rose, appearing small due to the sheer height of the castle.
He kept staring at the view for a long time, as if everything he had lived through this entire day were nothing but a dream.
In the morning, he was merely an ordinary student among thousands…
Yet now, he resided within the castle inhabited by the rulers of the continent themselves.
Turning toward the head butler, he bowed respectfully, saying: “Thank you very much…
I never expected to be granted a room such as this.” The head butler nodded his head, a faint, barely visible smile tracing his face.
“Rest well, Aiden…
for tomorrow will be long.” He quietly closed the door behind him, leaving the youth alone inside his new chamber.
Aiden removed his shoes, then threw himself onto the bed, his body sinking into the plush mattress until he felt as though all the day’s exhaustion vanished in an instant.
He closed his eyes, recalling what had transpired since the morning; meeting the mage Elandor, entering the Palace of the Thirteen Mages, and the beginning of a life he had never once imagined.
And only a few minutes passed…
Before he surrendered to a deep sleep, preparing for the day that would mark his first steps upon the path of magic…
labor…
and the challenges that awaited him within the fortress of the world’s rulers.