It has been three months since he was in this world, now in the third month of frostfall he sat in his study, dim candlelight flickering against the darkened walls. The heavy books and paperwork around him did little to ease his troubled mind. His gaze fixed on the intricate map of Rotengen spread across the table, every detail memorized, every potential weakness accounted for.
Martin muttered to himself, a smirk curling his lips "By now, the other forces must believe we have—little armor, scant weapons, and an army that is barely holding together."
He leaned back in his chair, the flickering candlelight casting sharp shadows across his face. "They'll gather their forces first and supplies, there's also siege machinations to consider."
Martin's eyes gleamed with cold stare. "But they underestimate me. I've been biding my time, playing the dutiful prince. It has been three months since I arrived in this world.... i must regain my power… and then, this world will be mine."
He stood up, walking over to the window that overlooked the growing city. The streets were bustling, unaware of the storm brewing in their prince's mind. His thoughts raced as he envisioned the steps ahead, the moves he would make to turn the tables on his enemies.
"Let them come, my forces also need experience" Martin whispered. He turned away from the window, his resolve solidifying.
After a few days paased, it was now his morning session and he began to meditate, while he was deep in meditation, seated cross-legged on a cushioned mat in the center of the room. His focus was on circulating mana through his body, a daily practice he relied on to maintain his magical connection and ensure his readiness for any magical challenges.
But these past few days as he guided the flow of mana through his veins, he felt an unusual resistance. The once-familiar sensation of the mana flowing effortlessly was now a sluggish trickle. The energy felt faint and distant, as though it were retreating from him.
Martin's brow furrowed in concentration. He adjusted his technique, trying to coax more mana into his system, but the effort was met with diminishing returns. The once-vibrant mana was now a faint whisper, barely perceptible.
He opened his eyes and leaned back, staring at the flickering flames in the hearth. His mind raced as he considered the implications of the dwindling mana.
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in his expression. "Why is this happening?" he muttered to himself. "Is it a natural fluctuation, or is something else at work?"
With renewed resolve, in the following day he would seek out knowledge that could provide insight into the mana reduction.
---
In the next day Martin tasked Jhene to seek information about the ancient wizards but he himself knew the right person to ask, this was Sven. Martin went to look for him and initially found him. He stood before the elderly man in Rotengen's bustling marketplace, the weight of his mission evident in his eyes. He was hunched over a small table, his hands busy with herbs and trinkets. As he approached, he carefully explained his quest for knowledge about old wizards.
The old man looked up, his eyes clouded with years of experience. "Looking to find some of your kind eh my lord, there are tales of wizards who lived in the far west," he said, he voice tinged with the weight of old memories . "Of course these are tales i used to hear as a child, head far west. It's a desolate and treacherous journey, but for you i'm sure it won't anything."
With a determined nod, Martin thanked Sven and set out on his journey. For five days, he navigated through the harsh, snow-covered terrain, finding only abandoned towns and eerie silence. The once-thriving settlements now lay in ruin, their buildings empty and their streets deserted.
On the sixth day, Martin came across a weathered, ruined temple partially buried in snow and ice. The ancient structure seemed to whisper of forgotten secrets. He approached cautiously and entered, his footsteps echoing through the deserted hall.
Inside, the temple was eerily quiet. The air was thick with dust, and the walls were adorned with faded symbols and runes. Martin's curiosity and concern grew as he noticed the symbols, which seemed to suggest a sense of urgency and fear. The deeper he went, the more apparent it became that this place had been a last refuge, a hiding spot from something terrible.
In the depths of the temple, Martin discovered a hidden underground chamber. The walls here were engraved with more runes, and a large altar stood at the center. His eyes fell upon an activation rune on the altar. Using his knowledge of ancient scripts, he deciphered it. The rune triggered a mechanism, revealing a concealed door.
Martin pushed open the hidden door, revealing a small, dimly lit room. At its center lay a solitary corpse, its skeletal hand still clutching a book. Martin's heart raced as he approached the body. Carefully, he pried the book from the dead fingers and opened it.
The contents of the book made his heart sink. The last wizards of Obelia, who had sought refuge here, had been betrayed and slaughtered. Their powerful knowledge was not only lost but had been deliberately destroyed. The final entries in the book revealed a chilling truth: they had foreseen that after Frostfall, magic would cease to function and mana would vanish from the atmosphere, but they had not fully understood the extent of this phenomenon.
Martin's mind reeled as he absorbed the gravity of their discovery. The reduction in mana, once thought to be a mere inconvenience, was far more catastrophic than he had imagined. It was a deliberate act, a cruel twist of fate that had doomed not only the wizards but also the future of magic itself.
He clutched the book tightly, his resolve hardening. If the last wizards had failed to understand the full implications of the mana depletion, it was now up to him to uncover the truth and prepare Rotengen for the challenges ahead.
As he emerged from the temple, the harsh wind biting at his face, Martin knew that the path forward was fraught with uncertainty. But he was determined to use the knowledge he had gained to safeguard his people and unravel the mystery of the diminishing mana before it was too late.