Sirabs was in a world of happiness again. Many people looked at him as a hero. He was dancing with Mizuchi, hand in hand, and they looked into each other's eyes (eye to eye).
After some time, everyone started walking back to their homes. Mr. Minzu also arrived, and Sirab and Mizuchi finished their dance. Mr. Minzu said,
"Now, Sirab, you should sleep. Tomorrow we have training. You must be ready."
Sirab started walking to Minzu's house with him. On the way, he was thinking about Mizuchi, but then he said to himself,
"First the dragon... then other things."
Sirab entered the room that Minzu had given him and went to sleep in his bed.
At dawn , Mr. Minzu came and said,
"Wake up, Sirab, and get yourself ready."
Sirab made himself ready, ate the food that was left from last night, and went outside to join Mr. Minzu. But it wasn't just Minzu — Mizuchi was also there.
Sirab said,
"What is Mizuchi doing here?"
Minzu replied,
"She will help you control your magic and teach you how to use it."
Sirab said,
"I didn't know that."
Mizuchi said,
"I learned magic from my brothers. I'll be happy to help you, Sirab."
Sirab said,
"Good. But where are we going?"
Minzu said,
"A mountain. It's two hours away from here. But we will go with teleportation magic, because we don't have time."
Minzu raised his hands and said,
"Open the doors of the world for me — Teleport Magic!"
A portal opened. Sirab, Minzu, and Mizuchi stepped inside. When they came out, Sirab became very cold and said,
"The air is very cold here!"
Minzu said,
"Of course. This place is cold because it's a mountain, and it's a good place for your training. First, I want you to stand over there on that stone."
Sirab went and stood there.
"Now what?" he asked.
Minzu said,
"You and Mizuchi will fight."
Sirab was shocked.
"What? I thought I would fight you."
Minzu said,
"You're not ready to fight me yet."
Sirab said to himself,
"How can I attack a girl?"
But Mizuchi raised her hand and shouted,
"Stone Magic — Killer Mountain!"
A lot of stones came out from the earth and attacked Sirab. Sirab jumped and said,
"She doesn't think like me!"
Then she said,
"Ground Magic — Attack!"
From every direction where Sirab stood, sharp stones came out trying to kill him. Sirab kept moving, dodging and surviving.
After the attack, Sirab said,
"Now I'm angry! Thunder — Electric Magic!"
He activated his speed magic and ran toward Mizuchi. Many more stones came out from the earth, but Sirab broke through them. Soon, he was face-to-face with Mizuchi.
Sirab said,
"I win."
But suddenly, Mizuchi's body disappeared — it had been a clone. Stones came out from all around and trapped Sirab. Then the real Mizuchi stepped out from the stones and said,
"Sirab, you have more energy than me. That's why I had to use a trick like this. I'm sorry."
Sirab said,
"You don't need to be sorry. It's my fault. I didn't expect you to be that strong. But next time, I'll win."
Mizuchi smiled and said,
"That's good."
Just then, Minzu walked over and said,
"What did you learn from this fight?"
Sirab answered,
"I learned how to use clones in battle and how to make traps. Also, her magic was very strong."
Minzu nodded.
"To use magic, you spend a lot of your energy. And you don't hold back when you fight. That's good, but you must work harder. Also, find one type of magic you like — we will work on that. You have more magic ability than any man I've ever seen. But you need to choose one path. If you try to master everything, it will not be possible."
Sirab sat down and started thinking to himself.
"If I choose fire, water users can beat me. If I choose water, stone users can beat me. What's the best magic I can use…?"
Then he remembered the magic of the woman in black — the magic of death and shadows. It came to his mind like a whisper: dark magic.
Sirab stood up and said,
"I want to become a master of Night Magic. No one else can use it, and most people don't even know about it. Dark magic is more dangerous than all other types. I will take Dark Magic."
Sirab walked to Minzu and said,
"Mr. Minzu, I want to master Dark Magic."
Minzu became shocked.
"Dark magic? Are you sure? Only a few people in history have ever used it."
Sirab replied,
"Then I will become one of those few.""I will try to master it," Sirab said.
Mr. Minzu looked serious. "There's something you need to know about dark magic. To use it in battle, you must remember the darkest moments of your life. The more pain you feel, the stronger your attacks become."
Sirab listened carefully.
"Dark magic," Minzu continued, "can bring the dead back to life. It can create black arrows that pierce through anything. You can even control people's minds. If you kill someone, you can take their power — their skills, their abilities, their very soul. There are a thousand different kinds of dark magic."
Minzu paused. "But it's dangerous. If we had a proper book about it, it would help."
Sirab suddenly remembered something.
"My mother's book," he said. "It was with you, wasn't it?"
"Yes," Minzu replied. "That book was found with your clothes. I kept it safe."
"Please, give it to me."
Minzu walked to a nearby box and opened it. Inside was a small, old book with a dark leather cover. He handed it to Sirab.
Sirab opened the book with trembling hands. The pages were filled with strange symbols, drawings of magic circles, and spells written in ancient words. He flipped through page after page until his eyes widened.
"Here…" he whispered.
He had found the section on Dark Magic.
A smile slowly spread across his face. "Let's learn this."
Minzu watched him and said, "I will teach you what I can. But the path of dark magic is one you must walk alone."
Sirab nodded, eyes still fixed on the pages.
His journey into the shadows had just begun.