"Eveline... should've known it was you, especially after I walked through a door and ended up here," Magnus said, his voice steadying as he watched her tall silhouette emerge from behind, her boots echoing softly on the stone floor.
As she stepped in front of him, her powder blue eyes seemed to shine, just like the eyes of her sister's, looking down at him with an intensity that was clearly filled with intrigue yet felt unsettling.
The most striking thing about Eveline, to Magnus, was her attire. She was the picture of a witch straight out of a storybook, clad in a long-sleeved, high-collared dress cinched with a corset, the fabric flowing and flaring with her every move.
The dress's layered skirt, adorned with bronze threads, seemed to blend seamlessly into the library's backdrop of shelves and books. And, of course, there was the tall, pointed black hat that matched her dress perfectly, completing the witch-like outfit that made Magnus so anxious and on guard when they first met.
"Yes, I placed a spatial door right outside your room to bring you here directly, though it seems the gravity transition was a bit... off. No matter," she said, her smile carefree, shrugging off the fact that she had essentially kidnapped him.
"Right... But why am I here, exactly? You do know I'm in the middle of the live examination, don't you?" Magnus's question seemed to snap Eveline back to the moment as she tilted her head slightly, her gaze intensifying.
"Ah, yes, I've been keeping an eye on you. Actually, I've been watching you for a while now, very closely. It's been quite enlightening and has even helped me refine one of my theories about your abilities," Eveline shared, her voice tinged with a mix of curiosity and excitement.
Hearing that piqued Magnus's interest, shifting his feelings from unease to intrigue with not an ounce of worry. He believed that unless he purposely revealed something about the Command Console or someone could detect its presence, no one would be able to identify it, at least not accurately.
"Is that so? I've been trying to figure out the nature of my abilities myself," Magnus responded, his voice reflecting his newfound interest.
"I'm delighted to hear you're interested! I love diving into the details. Initially, I thought your powers might be genetic—perhaps some ancient lineage magic linked to the elves. But after examining your blood, I found nothing unusual," Eveline explained, her enthusiasm evident. A fleeting thought crossed Magnus's mind at her mention of studying his blood, but he kept it to himself.
When did she ever get a chance to study my blood?
"So, I started looking into the more unknown aspects of magic and aura, seeing if there was anything that might explain your ability to ignore what I thought were fundamental natural laws. But if I'm being honest, it was a wild goose chase and, frankly, quite the snooze fest. With mana being as varied as it is, who's to say if you were just another anomaly on record or something entirely unheard of?"
However, Eveline's demeanor shifted as she spoke, a gleam igniting in her eyes. She flashed a mischievous grin and said, "But then, you and your little maid friend went off on your adventure, dabbling in your experiments. I must say, I found that to be quite entertaining, and it led me to stumble upon something fascinating. You recall this, don't you?"
With a casual flick of her wrist, she conjured a floating white orb into view. It felt akin to a magician's sleight of hand, where an empty palm suddenly revealed a deck of cards. Magnus, aware of Eveline's ability to use spatial magic, didn't dwell on how she did the reveal.
Instead, his focus was drawn to the orb itself, especially since Eveline was right; he recognized it.
"Is that... one of my mana spheres?" he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. Eveline's response was an enthusiastic nod, her excitement palpable as she watched him scrutinize the orb.
"Exactly, and not just any mana sphere. This is one you created during the end of the experiments," she revealed, prompting Magnus's eyes to widen in realization of why she had brought it to his attention.
Normally, spells dissipate within seconds after a mage ceases to sustain them with mana, thanks to the spirits that enforce the world's natural order. These spirits act as the ultimate balancers, ensuring everything, including magic, adheres to the world's laws. As such, no matter how much mana a mage has in their mana core or how great their control over mana is, no spell could be eternal.
"The persistence of a Mana Sphere Spell, once severed from its caster, should be fleeting, disappearing within moments under the spirits' influence. Yet, here it remains, perfectly intact. More so, it's practically intert," she said as her hand moved to touch the mana sphere.
Magnus tensed, instinctively bracing for an explosion, but none came. Eveline's hand passed through the orb without incident.
"This has been a bit of a conundrum for me. I've tried manipulating the mana sphere myself, infusing it with more mana, and even colliding it with another sphere, but to no avail. It remains unresponsive, as if it's merely existing in the base state of mana, nothing more," she mused, prompting Magnus to ponder deeply over her words.
That mana sphere was the one I made while choosing the manual configuration option, but I didn't think it actually did anything at the time. And since I came up with the idea of the Magic Simulation Space, I never felt there was a reason to revisit either, but this changes things.
Looking up from the ground, Magnus shifted his focus to Eveline, who had begun discussing the various trials she went through with the mana sphere, drawing comparisons between it and existing forms of magic.
More importantly, Eveline has been watching me this entire time without my realizing it. It just proves how important it is for me to find a way to gain privacy. Even with the Mind Simulation Space, there's no way for me to counter that kind of magic just yet.
As he had that thought, Eveline wrapped up her monologue on topics that barely held Magnus's interest, arriving at what she felt was the most likely conclusion for Magnus's abilities.
"So, after weeding out the less plausible theories, there's only one conclusion that remains: Ancient Magic! Honestly, I was as taken aback as anyone would be at the revelation. The very idea that a new form of Ancient Magic could just pop up, right under my nose, is astonishing. And yet, here you are."
As she delivered these words, Eveline stepped closer to Magnus, prompting him, in turn, to inch back slightly while saying, "Well, that must've been quite the thrilling discovery for you, but I'm a bit in the dark here. Ancient Magic—is that just a fancy term for really old magic, or what?"
Her initial burst of enthusiasm seemed to fizzle out at his question, replaced by a puzzled look. But it only lasted a moment before a realization dawned on her.
"Ah, of course, you're still new to all this, aren't you? I forgot you hadn't been around long enough to dive into such topics. Well then, it seems it falls upon me, as the librarian, to fill in the gaps of your education." With a flourish of excitement, Eveline clapped her hands together, and in the blink of an eye, a chair suddenly appeared behind Magnus, forcing him to take a seat.
Simultaneously, the space beside Eveline twisted and folded in upon itself in a distorted pattern before snapping back to normal. Where there was once just air, now revealed a chalkboard. A piece of chalk also somehow managed its way into Eveline's grasp, as she tapped it against the board eagerly.
"Now, regarding your question about Ancient Magic versus what's commonly referred to as old magic," Eveline began, her voice tinged with a hint of amusement.
"Old magic, to put it bluntly, hails from a more rudimentary era. It's the kind of magic that, by today's standards, is considered outdated, inefficient, and frankly, hardly worth the effort or mana to conjure." Her laughter lightly filled the room as she playfully mocked old magic, yet her hands moved with sincerity, transcribing her words onto the board in an impartial manner, detailing the characteristics that define old magic.
"Magic, you see, is an ever-evolving art form. The Apprentice-level mages of our time far surpass the capabilities of mages of the same level from a century ago. It's a natural progression," she explained, her chalk dancing across the board to capture her thoughts swiftly.
Then, turning to Magnus with a gleam of intensity in her eyes, she continued, "But Ancient Magic, my dear Magnus, transcends the laws of magic as we know them. It's not bound by the past or the future."
"Do you grasp the gravity of what I'm saying?" Eveline's voice grew fervent, her eyes alight with a wild fascination.
"Ancient Magic was conceived by the greatest mages of bygone eras—those who exceeded the bounds of the Master level, who stood above Archmages, even surpassing Grand Arcanists! They are Supreme Mages, capable of crafting spells that could span eternity. That, Magnus, is the true nature of Ancient Magic!"
By the time she finished speaking, Magnus was leaning back in his chair with Eveline breathing heavily in his face, an extremely weird expression making its way onto his face as much as he tried to resist.
"So… you think my gift is that? A form of Ancient Magic?" Even though Magnus was well aware that the Command Console and magic operated on entirely different principles, that didn't mean the idea of Ancient Magic didn't interest him.
When utilizing the Command Console, he quickly learned that using something else as a foundation proved a lot easier for him than creating something from scratch. For example, abilities like [Self Body Puppetry] and [Bullseye] had raw power, probably surpassing that of any magic, yet they also came with their own set of drawbacks.
Misusing the former could lead to him shattering his own body, while the latter hinged on him having a specific item on his person 24/7. Magic, by contrast, offered a lot more flexibility and freedom, making it usable pretty much anywhere at any time. So, it made sense that the idea of replicating Ancient Magic through his [Arcane Matrix] was a tempting one.
"Yes, or at least extremely similar. Although you seem to have the ability to create eternal spells, the effects are clearly not up to par with true Ancient Magic. At the same time, however, it's clear your gift is not limited to simple spells either. Ancient Magic only has few documentations, with only a handful being known, and none exhibiting the potential for growth," Eveline stated, taking a step back yet maintaining her intense focus on him.
"The origins of Ancient Magic and the path to becoming a Supreme Mage to this day are shrouded in mystery. Despite the survival of a few forms Ancient Magics, their mechanisms are beyond any mage's grasp. They are immutable, confined to their original purposes—a limitation that sets you apart. If your abilities really are related to Ancient Magic, and capable of improving, then perhaps, at long last, the secrets of Ancient Magic's creation and the enigma of Supreme Mages will finally reveal themselves to me." Eveline's eyes sparkled with thrill at the mere possibility of her words being the truth.
To her, Magnus was like an unopened treasure chest that may contain a map to her goals within. And, because of her explanation, Magnus finally felt like some light had been shed on her fascination with him, even if her assumptions were off the mark. If you were to bring modern weaponry back to the Dark Ages, no one in that time period would be able to figure out how they were made, or the science behind their deadly capabilities.
Still, they could, and would be used even without their users fully understanding their inner workings. Ancient Magic mirrored this scenario, albeit in reverse. They were called 'Ancient' because they were indeed from the past, yet these spells could withstand the test of time, even under the influence of spirits, remaining enigmas to future generations.
Their effects were amazing, beyond one's wildest imagination, yet also unchangeable. For those obsessed with power, they were the ultimate weapon. However, for mages who wanted to unravel the secrets of their world, each form of Ancient Magic symbolized a missing chapter of history, an unsolvable puzzle.
Still, all of this left Magnus with one question: "If my gift is so potentially important to you, why haven't you just taken it from me yet?"
"There are many reasons. First, I'm not allowed to break the academy's rules, which means I can't harm students. Secondly, Ancient Magic isn't something that can be taken away from someone. History has made that fact abundantly clear over the years. And lastly, I believe it would be more beneficial if we worked together instead," Eveline answered plainly.
Magnus tilted his head slightly in confusion when he heard that last part, a questioning tone lingering in his voice as he responded, "You want to work with me?"
"Yes, precisely," Eveline affirmed, her eyes reflecting a genuine interest.
"Even if your abilities fall short of real Ancient Magic now, it's clear you're growing at a rapid pace, and it's only a matter of time. Meaning, the most important thing for you is time, and protection." Magnus had to admit that was true. He felt that, as long as he had enough time, he could probably handle anything.
The issue is that he was confident he didn't have that time. Even though everything in Arlcliff City seemed normal on the surface, he had seen and heard enough to know something was going to happen sooner than later.
"I see that you understand my meaning. There are hidden dangers everywhere, and although I'm bound by certain… constraints, a storm is brewing even within the academy's walls. That's exactly why I'm proposing a partnership. Although I can't act out against the academy directly, I can take you as my disciple after the Live Examination."
"Hold up—Disciple? You mean like a student?" Magnus's confusion was evident, prompting Eveline to clarify.
"In essence, yes. The Live Examination is where the academy's staff assesses students' capabilities, determining their rank. It's how Apprentice-level students officially ascend to the Adept level. However, it also marks the moment where students can be taken on as disciples by the staff of the academy. Of course, I doubt you need my assistance in training; however, the title itself will be a shield. As long as everyone believes you are under my wing, you'll be safeguarded from a lot of the wandering eyes on you." Eveline's explanation allowed Magnus to understand the full scope of what she was offering him.
I see. This must be part of what Luden was talking about when he said the academy would end up supporting talented students. This is a great opportunity. Actively having Eveline of all people supporting me, even noble families wouldn't risk touching me. But still… Can I really trust Eveline?
The answer was, of course, no; she was only making a deal with him because it was the best option for her. But, at the same time, that was the basis of all deals. There was no deal that was made purely on trust, and if there was one, it was nothing more than a verbal agreement that could be broken at the drop of a hat.
Still, even if you can't fully trust people, you can always trust them to make the choice that best benefits themselves. That's a truth I've known for a long time; it's the reason I'm working with Luden and possibly the Major General in the future.
And now, another potential addition to that list had appeared in front of him. Closing his eyes for a moment, Magnus crossed his arms and thought to himself silently while Eveline waited in silence in turn. It was only after a minute or two passed that he opened his eyes and asked a question.
"If I agree to this, what exactly does our partnership entail?" That question caused the smile that had been plastered on Eveline's face to grow as she took a step back. Her arms raised, spread as wide as possible as she towered over Magnus, gesturing to the space they were in.
"You'll have access to everything I have—the wealth of knowledge in both my library and my own mind. Until you reach a point where you no longer need my protection, I'll ensure your safety, though not at the expense of your growth. And in return, I simply wish to learn and study, just like that little maid of yours." As she spoke, Magnus met Eveline's eyes, peering directly into them.
At that moment, he felt he could truly see the essence of her being. She was someone driven by a thirst for knowledge and a passion for discovery, willing to pay any price, even death, to uncover the totality of truth. Eveline wanted to study Magnus's abilities up close, to experiment and document every aspect of his growth. She was eager to witness the moment he reached the level of Ancient Magic, eager to mark down every new discovery.
Realizing all this, Magnus chuckled and said, "Well, you're certainly a bit insane, but... I can't say I don't understand the feeling. So, fine, let's see how much we can learn together, shall we?"
Slowly, Magnus raised his hand toward hers, causing Eveline's eyes to sparkle as she reached out and grasped his hand.