"While array formations have existed for an uncountable number of centuries prior to the Sage Era, the person credited with pioneering our modern method and the profession of Array Specialist was one of the Four Sages of Magic, the Array Sage Zoroaster. His creation of the path of Array Specialist was similar to that of Sage Paracelsus's creation of the field of Alchemist, in which he compiled all of what he could find from the Chaos Era into a comprehensible work that granted him, like his peers, his Sagehood. While Sage Zoroaster's original work has long since been altered to the point of being unrecognizable after millennia of growth to the field, his discovery remains the sole reason why the Array Specialist profession exists, to begin with." Luca smiled a little as he thought back to his time in the game, during which there were events that caused inexplicable events, such as sending someone back in time for no reason and without warning.
One of the most famous storylines of the game prior to the resurgence of the demons was a time warp accident that sent whoever accessed the storyline back to 2:215 Heroic, at the Coalition Summit event between the two factions and the remaining living Sages, to play the role of a mysterious individual that did indeed exist, who was thought to be a great hero sent by the deities to assist them. That event was the last time in which all four of the Sages of Magic were alive and present together, as Sage Zoroaster remained on the battlefield until the end of the war, after which he used his own soul as a catalyst, along with the fuel of the valiant heroes' willing sacrifice, to create the massive barrier that still stands to the present day, while the last Sage, World Sage Nostradamus, the pioneer of the contemporary Mage class, traded his own life to separate a part of the enormous continent that had become so deeply contaminated with demonic magic that it was harming the world before self-combusting and annihilating it from existence. As such, two of the Four Sages of Magic did not get to witness or aid with the recovery process following the end of the Demonic Invasion, nor could they have witnessed how their own acts of sacrifice brought safety to Andor again. The players, however, witnessed it all firsthand, completing the storyline upon witnessing the World Mourning, an illusory pyre that stretched to beyond the heavens and covered the continent as the world itself grieved for those lost in the war, during which the sounds of woeful spirits, though unseen, brought a sombre and sorrowful atmosphere to the final event of the Demonic Invasion. Few returned from the end of this storyline without having changed, particularly in how they viewed the world as a whole.
Nodding with an affirmation to Luca's answer, Grandmaster Athers fiddled with a ring on his finger, "Correct, as I expected it would be. Without the Array Sage guiding the way, our profession would not exist. Now then," he said as he looked the boy in the eyes, "For a much more complex question, what is an array spirit?"
This one was difficult, with even Luca needing assistance from the System to recall the correct answer, as it wasn't something from the game. "Array spirits are metaphysical entities that come into existence after an array, whether natural or manmade, gathered enough mana over a significantly long period of time, generally millennia at the shortest. The array spirit's form is influenced by the array itself, its environment, its creator if it has one, and so on. While natural array spirits have been discovered, those that were found proved capable of hiding themselves afterwards, making confirmation of their existence difficult. As for manmade array spirits, only three have come into existence since the pioneering of the field: the Life Mother that formed from one of the original arrays of Zoroaster that was designed to encourage regrowth of nature, the Weathermaster from an array in the late Sage Era designed to warn all life on Andor of approaching catastrophic weather phenomenon, and the Mourner, created from the array that Sage Zoroaster himself used for his heroic sacrificial act."
"You even know the three Array Spirits of Zoroaster. You really studied your butt off earlier, didn't you?" The commendation of the young Dragonkin's answer was more than before, as Grandmaster Athers knew it wasn't an easy question at all, considering it was a topic that wasn't taught until reaching C-grade in the Array Specialist field due to their obscurity. "I'm almost certain you'll pass perfectly, but there is still one more question. Afterwards, before your mock duel, I might try to steal you away for an Array License exam too." He cleared his throat before training his yellow-green eyes on the boy's sapphire blues, "Tell me the different categories of arrays and how they are distinguished."
Luca nodded calmly before beginning his response, "Array formations come in several varieties depending on their purpose, with most fitting into one of a few categories. The most well-known arrays are defensive ones, such as Valour City's Vulcan Barrier Array, designed to use the power of the old volcano to protect the city. Following this are supportive arrays, which also have their own categories, such as recovery arrays to restore and heal those either within its confines or targeted specifically, teleportation arrays that bridge the space between destinations in the blink of an eye, empowerment arrays to boost a particular aspect of a target or area above its normal maximum, and illusion arrays designed to boggle the consciousness of those within its confines. After defensive and supportive arrays come the offensive or killing arrays that do just as they are named, and, finally, spatial arrays that are meant to connect to a matching counterpart in places such as pocket dimensions, lesser worlds and, occasionally, locations where deities or Sages reside." This was rather simple knowledge for Luca, who had also read a bazillion novels based on the concepts of magic, Daoism and so on. "Some arrays do not fit into a single category but multiple, and some still do not match any category. Very few, however, are branded as unique arrays, as it requires being incapable of replication on any scale, such as Sage Zoroaster's Three Array Spirits' respective arrays."
With a round of applause for the young lad, Grandmaster Athers chortled, "Bravo. A most accurate yet concise synopsis of one of the core parts of the Array Specialist profession, even making sure to include the unique arrays into your answer." He then turned to look at Head Guildmaste Elizabeth Tudor with a grin, "Mind if I steal this lad for an Array License exam before the mock duel, Lady Tudor?"
Seeing the sparkling look in the Array Specialist's eyes, the former Fire Archmage sighed and shook her head, "Go get it set up then, Osric, before I change my mind." She was very familiar with her companion's almost single-minded devotion towards anything that sparked his interest and knew she wasn't going to convince the Array Specialist to say no, so she immediately acquiesced to his request.
With a huge grin on his face, like he was a child that just pulled off a prank and managed to get off scot-free, Grandmaster Athers almost skipped as he passed the boy, ruffling his hair a little as he encouraged him to do his best, though he was convinced he would already succeed.
Smirking just a little at seeing Luca's expression after having his hair ruffled, the Head Guildmaster said, "I've not seen those three so excited since they each reached their respective grade statuses. I am most impressed by you so far. However, the final three questions come from me, and I'm not going to give you any easy ones either. Are you ready?" Upon Luca's affirmation, Elizabeth asked her first query, "Explain the differences that each element can have on another, in particular, those of their respective groups."