In the northernmost part of the Ern continent, an ominous tower jutted above on a glacier, it was isolated and no signs of living activity seemed to occur around it.
In it at the highest point was an Elven mage busy concorting chemicals for some alchemical breakthrough when two figures suddenly appeared. It was Payne and Saris, the two most renowned detectives in the continent.
"Wooo!" The youth-looking elf yelped not in surprise for he had sensed such magic but excitement, the two being here meant that a serious mystery needed solving and he was all about that.
"Payne! Saris!" He cried leaving his table of apparatuses and walking towards them.
The mage's eyes were like that of the nightly sky, a dark blue with sprinkles of stardust on it. It was a birth defect, one that made him receive both shun and envy. He had on a purple robe and beneath was his white underwear quite exposed. His long white unkempt hair dangled about by the little breeze that frequently made itself in.
His pointed ears twitched in excitement as he hugged and lifted the detectives, he was handsome and had a child-like cuteness to himself despite being thousands of years old and a card of the empire.
He put down the detectives, his frame towered over them and he spoke.
"It has been hundreds of years since you last came, does a devil need reining again?"
"It may be so again but this time, we are not sure. Does this bring up any memories?"
Payne pulled up a parchment containing Tiagon's drawn image. The mysterious mage squinted his eyes trying to make of it.
"This picture, this person. I have seen them somewhere, I can't fully recall. It was but a fleeting moment but I was left with a lasting impression. The golden eyes, the red hair."
He snatched the parchment from Payne and turned the other way inspecting and trying hard to recall.
A few minutes passed...
"I'm sorry, I've aged quite a bit, my memories aren't as good as they used to be."
It was strange hearing that from someone whose face was so young and full of life but Payne and Saris understood, this mage– Highmage Edrion Gosax was one of the few that erected the empire alongside the hero and a couple of other figures.
"One thing I can tell is that, he wouldn't be easy to deal with. That, my mind recalls."
"We know that already, two of our best mages died to him and Fort Endsege is destroyed, Lord Bum is pissed and wants us to hunt him down. We have tried keeping stories of the fort's destruction down to keep the populace calm but it's only a matter of time before our man does something crazy again. That's why we are here." Payne explained.
"For how long now?"
"A little more than a month."
"And no more than destroying the Fort and killing the mages assigned to it?"
"He killed a magic knight too, we think."
"I see."
Edrion turned his back to them and went to his table focusing on the chemicals that sat on it.
"And you need me to catch him before he does something bad again, one that could be grave to the empire."
"He had no problem decimating our fort. His existence is a risk to us and we can't find him without your expertise, your detection magic."
"Unfortunately, you two have come at a wrong time. This is trial three hundred and fifty-six."
"Of?" Saris interjected.
"An Elixir to increase the brain mass, to cut magic activation time and to turn the brain into a living grimoire."
Payne and Saris looked at each other over the answer and they looked back at the Highmage.
"So far, my test subjects have had their brains fried and turned comatose but it's just a start, once I perfect this, I'll surpass even Julius!"
The two knew of the rivalry between great mages and they chose not to comment on it.
"Where do we look first?" Edrion asked.
"Minastoma." Payne said and Edrion smirked in response.
"Give me a week."
****
It had been almost two months since Tiagon's arrival in the city of Ur'lurn. He had registered for the first-class mage exams although it took a little convincing and a demonstration of high-tier spells but he did it, all he had to do was to wait for seven more days.
Over his time at the capital, he got used to the people's accents, found a new favorite place to eat and frequented the capital's library, he even got a grimoire for cleaning spells.
He had also gone on a few adventuring quests around, none near the level of defeating a Basilisk for the capital had numerous mages and the difficult tasks had already been done or too far away.
His mundane way of living continued for the next seven days.
It was the morning of the day of exams, it was time to head to the guild.
Tiagon stood up in his bed, he noticed the toll his shapeshifting spell took on his reserves and it was quite a lot but nothing worrisome, he was still in his peak condition and he felt confident about passing the exams.
He went for a shower in the bathroom allocated just for him. Water came from the pipes from turning a wooden wheel and the temperature could be changed by pressing against two runic inscriptions on the wall.
After the shower, he switched into a dark purple trouser, a shirt and a purple robe over him just for the occasion. He had gotten it about a month ago and it was quite expensive.
He looked at himself in a tall mirror by the bed and thought himself charming.
"I look just like a noble in those books I read when I was a kid."
He went down to the receptionist's room, waved at the receptionist and went out.
After flying past mats and buildings for a few seconds, he got to the magic guild.
He went into it and was met with an assembly of mages looking up to a couple of mages on an elevation.
"Esteemed mages, welcome."