A cool sensation washed over me, causing goosebumps to appear and my teeth to chatter. He didn't say it would be this cold… He also didn't mention just how small the room would be… I thought dryly. Another element Barden failed to mention was that I was alone. Completely alone. Although I had stepped in right after Acklin he was nowhere to be seen. Just me in a stone covered and stone-cold room. The double doors I had stepped through were also gone, along with the shimmery barrier thing.
I rubbed my hands on the backs of my arms, attempting to create as much heat as possible to counteract the cold stale air, not common for the area. Probably from whatever magic keeps this place constantly protected. Barely had the thought crossed my mind when a white light shone down from above. It wasn't the all-blinding light from earlier but a soft glow that continued down before coming to a stop in front of me.
I waited for a minute before asking aloud what I considered a reasonable question. "So does this mean I'm chosen?"
I waited but no response came from the small orb of light. It continued to slightly bob in the air in front of me. Not sure what was required next I decided to reach out my hand. Not sure if this would end up exploding the building or moving me to the next step, I closed my hand on the orb.
Immediately a glow came from my hand. The orb didn't have any physical quality and dispersed outward like a cloud on a hot day when I touched it. However, instead of floating in all directions, the vapor like substance went to the wall in front of me. Crawling up the wall it started to form the vague shape of a door.
The process didn't take long and the cloudy door finished forming shortly. After it had completed its purpose, the vapor dissipated and a very real door waited in front of me. It had no handle and instead possessed a singular door knocker in the center. Grabbing the metal knocker, I raised it before letting it go with a ring that echoed around in the small space. The whole process seemed odd to me but who was I to judge an ancient buildings mechanics.
Once the reverberating sound of the knock stopped, the door began sliding to the left. The slowness, which seemed to be a theme, only furthered the suspense for what lied beyond. What the door revealed was truly magnificent.
A small hallway with wooden paneling curved down after the door. The middle of the hallway's walls was covered in what felt like a green colored fur. I followed it down where continued for a few dozen feet before opening up. The room it led me to could only be described as both a cavern and a library. Curved ornate book shelves lined the entire right-side of the room, creating a semi-circle. The top of the shelves had a golden line that ran through it, providing a glow to the books below.
The other half of the cavern was equally as large but only had one desk, lit by the glow of a lamp. A couple of objects laid strewn out across the desk as If someone had been studying there just a moment before I entered. There was wooden railing to separate the halves from each other like one side was dedicated to knowledge and the other to studying that knowledge.
Looking up to the ceiling I realized there actually wasn't one. The light from below didn't reach far enough up to see where or if there even was a ceiling. The uncertainty of the entire situation made me slightly uncomfortable considering Barden had foregone any explanation or warning. He had said he was open for questions but none of us had known what we should even be asking. Stupid mage.
I stepped out of the hallway onto the marble floors, and decided to first go left, exploring the materials laid out on the lone desk. A few stairs led up to the platform which creaked as I went up. Getting closer I realized there was a pen, a piece of paper, and a book neatly placed. There was no chair for the desk so I had to lean down in order to get a good look at everything.
The book had no title, the pen looked like any other, but the paper had a note written on it…
To Hurley.
Welcome to the Repository. This letter is a product of the magic placed upon the repository. No, there is no magical ghost inside here controlling everything. No, I cannot hear you. No, I cannot see you. No, I am not alive. Those are the questions my maker assumed most would ask in your position. Now that I have answered them, I will get to the point of this letter.
Most who enter here get the usual treatment. Which is to be rejected. The next most common is those who pass the initial screening enter a room with a ton of glowing lights. Hopefully they were warned of that otherwise I can imagine that would be a fright.
However, you, are different. The system scans each individual when they enter, leading to the outcome of their grimoire. It checks for many things such as innate power, bloodline, and intellect. There are many other qualities that are checked for as well but the list of those could go on for many other pages.
Although you possess a lack of bloodline, your intellect, kindness, creativity, and sympathy have allowed you to enter this room. Lining the walls are the rarest types of magic given access to. You have earned the right to receive one of such magics. Don't consider yourself all powerful as you only have access to a few of the grimoires. That is, the grimoires that have chosen you. Hopefully you have more knowledge about the functions of magic but considering you are such a rarity someone should take you as a pupil. If you would like you can also browse the book on the desk that shows the basics of magic.
When deciding on a Grimoire you will feel a pressure in your chest. Ignoring it will reject the book, welcoming it will accept the book. You can go back and forth as much as you like until you finally accept one of the Grimoires. Then all the others become inaccessible. It is recommended to read and understand what each Grimoire offers you before making a decision.
Ps. The Grimoire's that have chosen you will glow the color of their corresponding magic.
Good luck to your future endeavors as a mage,
The Arcane Repository.
I decided my legs weren't ready for use after that tornado of a note so I sat there on the ground in a truly stunned silence. I'm chosen? I mean mom had always told me I was a "special kid, destined for greatness!" But this? Everyone dreams of getting accepted, but to have it actually happen was just, unbelievable. I re-read the note again before accepting that it really was true. I was chosen.
Finally getting my legs beneath me, using the desk as a pseudo cane, I looked out at the expanse of books. The letter wasn't lying and there were a few books the glowed brightly on the other side of the room. One was a pretty aqua, the other yellow, one purple, and one a dark tan.
I walked down the stairs and crossed to the other side quickly, feet clicking on the smooth marble. I was barely containing my excitement about the situation. I thought it would be best to go from left to right when exploring all my options. The first in that order was the aqua Grimoire.
Once I had grabbed the brightly glowing book the color dimmed enough to read the cover.
The Emotion Grimoire.
I flipped to the first page where it read:
The Emotion Grimoire
Rating: A+
Skill level: A+
Mana usage: Low-Medium
Rarity: S+
Overview: Those who wield the Emotion Grimoire have the ability to influence, change, and manipulate others feelings. Those who possess a low mana rating would only be able to win arguments at the local tavern. But, for those with a high mana rating such as a king, wars can be won and treaties can be made with the powers hosted in this book.
After reading the basis of what the Emotion grimoire could do, I got the pressure feeling I had been told about. Although the book appeared interesting, it didn't really call to me. If anything, it sounded like a book for the town gossip-women. I firmly rejected this book, put it back, and didn't think I would be returning.
Moving down the line I reached the darker tan colored Grimoire. Just like aqua the book lessened its glow after I reached out to grab it. The title of this one read:
The Architecture Grimoire
Flipping to the first page I got the overview of it.
The Architecture Grimoire
Rating: B++
Skill level: S+
Mana usage: Medium
Rarity: S+
Overview: This Grimoire possesses the ability to create intricate and beautiful structures. It requires a high intellect and creativity score in order to visualize the building you want to create. For those with a low mana rating this can be used to remodel a kitchen. For those with a high mana rating this Grimoire can be used to create small castles or houses with magical properties.
This Grimoire has much more appeal to it than the aqua. Although I still didn't know what my mana rating was a Grimoire like this could do so much for me. I could create a townhome for everyone in the villages, ones that automatically self-cooled in the summer. Or possibly a floating garden where mother could grow plants to her hearts content. Although this one definitely appealed to me more, I still had two more to go. So, I put it back and again rejected the feeling of pressure. More likely to come back to this one.
The yellow grimoire was only a few books down so I simply sidestepped and grabbed it. The front cover of this one read:
The Ethereal Grimoire
Turning to the overview page I found this one to be extremely unique.
Rating: A++
Skill level: S-
Rarity: A++
Mana usage: Medium
Overview: This grimoire allows you to tap into the Ethereal dimension. This allows you to astral project, soulbind, and transmute objects. In the hands of a low mana wielder this book is good for a bodyguard or soldier. However, a powerful wields has the ability to dance across the battlefield, phasing through weapons, trapping enemies in the Ethereal dimension for times, and spying through astral projection.
Now that sounded awesome. This one was for sure geared towards a more battlemage power. Although I wasn't usually a confrontational person, I could see myself enjoying this one purely for all the fun aspects it had. Again, the feeling of pressure reached out to me. Just as the Architecture Grimoire I rejected it, but could see myself returning.
Now looking to the end for the last option I spotted the purple grimoire. Walking over I realized that this grimoire emitted a much stronger light than the others had, almost palpable. I reached out to grab the Grimoire and read the front.
The Illusion Grimoire
The overview was by far the most shocking of them all.
The Illusion Grimoire
Rating: S
Skill level: S+
Rarity: S+++
Mana usage: Large
Overview: This Grimoire is one of great power. The requirements for this Grimoire are steep and few will ever be chosen. Low mana users will be known as the greatest magicians to exist. But powerful mana wielders have the ability to alter the fabric of reality itself, creating permanent tangible illusions. Incredible in kingdom building, fighting, healing, and anything in between, this is the most versatile Grimoire.
Just looking at the stats alone this was definitely the most powerful grimoires. It was also extremely mana heavy. Which meant, from what I could tell, good for a few big moves. School had taught us the basics of mana and explained it as the currency of magic. It allowed you to "buy" or really, use spells. They had not gone into depth about the complexities of knowing how much and how to use said mana. But, considering almost nobody ever became a mage, it made sense.
Currently the main options in my mind were the Ethereal and Illusion grimoire. Both seemed powerful and versatile to the user. Plus, the entirety of becoming a mage was about moving onward and upward, right? Becoming a glorified architect wouldn't help me and neither would being a master manipulator. But a battlemage? I know I would be the talk of the town for ages.
I weighed the options in my mind. Ethereal hosted benefits of warping, trapping, and even kind of having my own dimension. But the rarity and power were less than the Illusion Grimoire. With that I could quite literally create mind bending and reality warping illusions. Both appeared to be extremely powerful but I felt myself being tugged towards the Illusions. At the end of it's overview it quite literally said I was one of the few that would ever have this kind of power…
Finally, I settled on Illusions. The ethereal book was great in all, but the power to create anything from my mind? Even if my mana rating wasn't high enough I sure as anything couldn't pass up the chance to have a rare and powerful grimoire.
With that I accepted the feeling of pressure that came to me, confident in my decision.