Uri sat in his room, a light above his desk as he read the notebook. Everything the crafter had done seemed to be such a bizarre ritual before he simply placed his hand on an empty spellbook and it drained him of all his magical abilities. If Uri wanted to replicate it, he would need to put his magic on the line. A knock came to the door, "Who is it?" No one normally came to see him that late and especially not during vacations. There was no reply to his question, "Who is at the door?"
"Can I come in?" He didn't completely recognize the voice, "It is Jeremy Eldvesh, head of campus security and automaton control."
"Sure, what is this about?" He turned in his chair as he closed the crafter's notebook, "What can I help you with?"
"I was sent to check in on you about the magical presence in and around the school," He explained as he stayed in the doorway, "Anything abnormal or strange?"
"Why so late?" Jeremy shrugged, "Headmaster and the heads of schools having late meetings again?"
"I assume so," He shrugged, "By the looks of it, nothing crazy to signal, huh?"
"No, not at all, nothing since the last time someone checked in on me," The older man nodded and left the room.
"Have a good rest of the night then, sorry for bothering you," He closed the door as Uri began to reply.
"You too," Uri turned back to his notebook and returned to reading. If his ambition would cost him his magic, then so be it. If his ambition instead led to a new branch of magic, the effort that could arise from the ritual would be well worth it. A phrase in the crafter's notebook stood out to him, "I chose my magic?" A simple phrase but also a complicated one. Not after or before did the crafter indicate how he chose his magic or if there was something specific to do, he just wrote that he chose it, "Strange."
He walked alone along a path early in the morning, returning from his morning walk. The headmaster and the crafter were chatting near the entrance of the academy. There was a wrapped package under the crafter's arm, "You work remarkably fast, Steven."
"I don't have loads to do," He shrugged before spotting Uri, "Ah, speaking of Uri, there he is," The two men turned to face the young mage as he approached, "I finished the brace, try it on and tell me what you think," Uri nodded and took the brace before walking to the bench and sitting down, "Who won the last mage games?"
"The nature school."
"Ah, still nothing for storm?"
"They have 3 wins, nothing to scoff at," The headmaster shrugged, "Nature barely beat the life school last year."
"Life is still the best at it, huh?"
"Absolutely, the 5th and 4th years have a lot of pride and share it with their new members," The headmaster replied as Uri began strapping his brace around his leg, "That is supposed to hold him up?"
"It should work, the weight it held while I was working on it was around 200 to 300 kilograms," The crafter commented, "How does it feel?" The life mage, still using his cane as he stood up. Uri lifted his cane from the ground and tried to keep his balance, then nodded, "I am glad that suits you."
"Thank you, crafter."
"Call me Steven, the crafter is just a title people give me," He turned and waved as he headed back to the town. The headmaster looked at the brace on Uri's leg.
"No need for the cane anymore then?"
"I don't believe so, at least once I get used to this thing," He smiled as he began to walk with a bit of difficulty, "Do you think that creating a branch of magic is possible?" Headmaster Solven looked at Uri and didn't respond, trying to formulate an answer.
"If there was someone to be able to do that, it wouldn't be Steven, his magic wasn't very strong," He finally answered, "Why do you ask?"
"You brought it up, I asked him," The young man replied clearly, "I enjoyed reading through his notebook about attempting to make the magic."
"Why did you ask him?" Benjamin asked as the two walked, Uri still using his cane to balance himself. The brace was a breath of fresh air for the young mage, he no longer needed to hobble around with three legs, "Are you planning on trying your hand at magic creation?"
"I was tempted to do so."
"Well," The headmaster shrugged, "If there was someone who could do something like that, it would probably be you."
"If I lose my magic, where would I go?"
"You would stay here, why?" Uri shrugged, "We will find other things for you to do if you ever do lose your magic, there is much more to magic than simply casting spells."
"Why did Steven not stay and work here when he lost his magic then?"
"Different ideas of what was to be and what wasn't," Benjamin explained before pointing out that Kelly was walking along the path towards the life dorms, "I believe someone is here to see you."
"I think so as well," He began walking, holding his cane in his hand but not needing it to walk, "Kelly, I am over here!" The guitar carrying mage turned and smiled before skipping over to him, "I got the brace."
"I can see that, how does it feel?"
"Good."
"Glad to be able to walk like a regular person again?" Uri nodded, "What do you want to do today?"
"I was going to try something, but I don't know how safe it would be," Kelly gave him a concerned look, "I want to try and make my own branch of magic."
"You want to do what?"
"Make a new branch of magic," He smiled, "I got the crafter's notebook and all I need is an empty spellbook to inscribe the magic into," Kelly looked at him with a blank expression.
"Why is it that I am remembering you as the helpless first year and comparing you to how you are now?"
"I don't know, Kelly," He shrugged, "Want to walk into town with me? I need to go see if the wand maker has a spellbook or knows where to get one."
"Are you sure about this?"
"Ambition is ambition, Kelly," They began walking towards the exit of the academy, "Your father doesn't seem to mind me trying it."
"But it cost the crafter his magic."
"Apparently I nearly blinded him when he tried to detect my magic," The life mage commented, "Your father thinks I would be the one to be able to do it."
"But what happens if you lose your magic?"
"Apparently the academy will find something for me to do for them," Kelly nodded, clearly worried about the prospect of her boyfriend attempting something of the sorts, "Maybe it can help me protect myself more so than life magic."
The pair arrived in the wand maker's store, "Welcome to my store, how can I help you today?" He looked at them again, "I do believe you both have wands and are experienced mages, not here for wands?"
"No, we aren't."
"I am not here for anything," Kelly added very quickly, "I am fine with my wand and I am just walking with him."
"Ah, that was what I was assuming, Ms. Solven, so, Mr. Geld, what can I do for you?" The life mage looked around then at the wand maker.
"Do you have a spellbook?"
"A spellbook? Doesn't the academy provide you with your school's spellbook?"
"A blank one," The wand maker looked at Kelly, who shrugged, then back at Uri, "I know it is weird, but I would like a blank spellbook."
"I might have one or two, I feel the need to ask you why you would want a spellbook," The wand keeper turned and began looking through his shelves.
"I am trying to make my own branch of magic."
"You remind me of an old student," The man commented, "Reached too far and slipped, falling off the cliff of ambition."
"Yes, I know who you are talking about," Uri replied, "But I am determined to find the breakthrough that he could not accomplish."
"Well, I have one spellbook," The wand maker placed the book on the counter, "It is a regular enchanted spellbook but I am unsure if that will satisfy a new branch of magic."
"Is there a way to infuse it with more?" Kelly rolled her eyes as the idea of adding magic to an already magical item could normally only be done at its creation.
"Yes and no, you would need enough magic to reshape magic in a small area to give the magical pages more magic than the amount they were bound to the book with," Kelly and Uri looked at each other. He had that power, but would it work was now the question.
"How much for it?"
"15," Uri placed a small stack of coins on the counter, "Have a good day."
"You too," The pair walked out of the wand store with Uri carrying the book under his arm, "Did I hear that correctly?"
"The reshaping of magic in a small area."
"Didn't you mention something about that in the past?"
"Well," Uri chuckled, "If I used that it would be the end of magic as we know it, not just in a small area," Kelly nodded, "Nice day, isn't it?"
"Yes, Mage Haven has alway had decent weather, rain every now and then, but mostly sunny and a bit cloudy," Kelly seemed to smile more, "I have to say, you are always so caught up in your magic that we seem to only talk about magic and what not."
"I am sorry, I am not very good at making conversation," Uri admitted bluntly, "I try but the things I know best are all related to magic."
"I don't know, there are loads of books that we could talk about?"
"What do you mean? Isn't that just magic stuff?"
"No, not from the library at the academy, dummy," She giggled, "I guess there aren't many we can talk about then, I read when I am not studying or practicing magic."
"So never?" He chuckled as she rolled her eyes, "I have never had access to much reading, just like, history books as a kid."
"That must've sucked."
"Also, how have I never seen you reading?" She laughed nervously, "What?"
"I don't read much outside of my room, people have this image of me as a studious and disciplined student."
"So their view of you has affected your view of yourself?" She shrugged as they headed back up the path that led into the former fortified city that housed the academy, "I am still impressed by the fact that this was a fortified city at one point."
"It is rather crazy to think about it," She looked at him as he stopped and looked up, "How is your leg?" He lifted his cane and looked down at his leg.
"Fine, I still have this to keep balance because not using it like this in a while has made me seem like a baby deer when I walk, something like that," Kelly nodded as they began walking again.
"Do you think you will be attacked again?" Uri looked at her and then realized what she meant, "Like, by them?"
"I got what you were saying," He sighed, "I don't know, honestly they probably will," Kelly nodded, "But when and where, I can't possibly know."
"If your magic works, will you keep using life magic?"
"I use all the magic I know, except for one, there is no reason not to use what you know if the situation asks for it," He explained, "Would you not use the appropriate magic for a situation if you knew of that magic?"
"That makes sense," Kelly replied nodding, "When are you going to try and enchant that spell book?"
"Tonight, I will go to the place in the academy with the most magical concentration and attempt to create a new branch of magic."
"The place of most magical concentration? Where is that?"
"Somewhere in the forest of the academy," He replied with a soft smile, "It alters magic on its own, so it would surely be able to alter the book if I add mine."
"Well," Kelly hugged him, "Don't kill yourself."
"I won't, the crafter didn't die when he made his failed attempt at magic crafting."
"But he didn't complete it, the wand maker seemed much more cautious than the crafter seems," Uri nodded and kissed her cheek, "Will I see you later?"
"Yeah, probably at dinner, when I would've prepared everything else before the actual attempt at making magic."
"Alright, good luck with that," She smiled as she let go of him, "Promise me that you will be careful."
"I will," He nodded as they parted ways and, armed with an empty spellbook, Uri was finally ready to begin following the crafter's notes and to begin attempting his own magic crafting.