The sun hung high in the sky, pouring its merciless heat over the land. Elara stood outside the magic tower, her robes sticking to her damp skin. The stone pathway beneath her feet radiated warmth, as if trying to burn through her boots.
She exhaled, feeling the weight of the air pressing down on her. The air carried a dry, suffocating heat, swirling dust and magic residue from the towers' recent experiments.
She approached the door, intending to knock. However, before she could knock, someone opened the door, aware of her approach.
"Welcome, miss. My name is Levish Boron. Master is waiting for you."
"I'm Elara." Elara introduced herself to Lavish.
Levish's keen eyes assessed her before he stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter. Beyond the entrance, a vast hall shimmered with soft, flickering lights that danced on ancient runes carved into the stone walls. Smelling aged parchment mixed with the faint tang of magical herbs. The air was cooler inside, tinged with the faint hum of latent magic vibrating through the stones.
Elara hesitated for a brief instant, then turned to Levish. "My brother... I need help to carry him."
Without a word, Levish raised his hand. A soft, ethereal glow enveloped Cassius, her unconscious brother, lifting him. The scene offered solace yet unease, highlighting his fragility.
The Magic Tower of the West
On the border of Wysteria Estate and Northcrest, in the depths of a vast and enigmatic forest, lies the Magic Tower. This forest, the largest within the empire, extends from the cliffs to the south, next to the Capital, and stretches northward.
The Magic Tower, constructed from ancient stone, has withstood the ravages of centuries, encompassing the forces of magic, warfare, and passaging time itself. People believe that the tower harbors secrets incomprehensible to mortals, and it offers knowledge to those daring enough to seek it.
In the Thalassian Concord Empire, the Magic Tower is a monument to heroic sacrifice. The Second Queen of the Underworld's breach of an ancient pact between gods and demons initiated devastating attacks on the human realm, marking the rise of its greatest legend during that dark period.
Humanity's darkest hour saw the rise of two legendary defenders against the threat: a powerful Magic Master, and a respected Saintess. Though they halted the Queen's assault and saving the empire, both champions paid the ultimate price. Their selfless sacrifice earned them a permanent place in history as the empire's greatest heroes.
This tale joins countless others of Magic Tower's inhabitants who, throughout history, gave their lives to protect the empire from destruction. Their combined legacy has made the Tower a symbol of courage and sacrifice in service of the realm.
In the aftermath of these events, the empire encountered numerous challenges, including external threats and emerging monstrous entities.
But before his death, The Former magic tower master brought a young boy to orphan and made him his next successor. Everyone interrupted him, but he didn't listen to them. And that boy was Orian. He becomes a second most powerful master.
**
"This way, My Lady," Levish's voice echoed softly as they traversed the labyrinthine halls, their footsteps swallowed by the thick carpets underfoot.
They arrived at an ornate door adorned with intricate carvings of constellations and symbols that seemed to shift when viewed from different angles. Levish knocked lightly, then pushed the door open.
Inside, the room was a blend of chaos and order—scrolls and tomes stacked haphazardly alongside delicate alchemical apparatuses bubbling with colorful liquids. In the midst of it all stood Orian, his back turned, focused on a swirling vortex of energy contained within a crystal sphere.
"Does Magus also engage in alchemical practices?" Elara inquired upon entering the room. This was the first question that came to her mind. She had never encountered such items in her life, despite having lived in Korea, where she had not observed similar experimental work.
"Are there any rules that Magus can't do these?" Orian put on his alchemist's glasses and replied with a smirk. His demeanour remained composed and his expression calm.
"I didn't mean that; anyway, I'm here with my brother."
Levish gently lowered Cassius onto a velvet-cushioned sofa.
Orian finally shifted his attention to them, his gaze sharp and calculating. Shadows flickered around Elara, faint tendrils of dark flames unseen by ordinary eyes but impossible for a master of the Magic Tower to miss.
'How is this possible?' Orian wondered, his smile tightening. 'Her dark magic... it's unstable.'
'This power… it's unstable, like a storm about to break. It's not magic- it's destructions that destroy itself and everything around it.'
Orian approached Cassius, who had been unconscious for approximately one month following a carriage accident. Orian started evaluating his condition. The seriousness on his face clearly points to the significance of this situation.
"Was he in conflict with a mage recently?"
Orian asked, closing his eyes to delve deeper into Cassius' mind. A dense wall of darkness met his probing spell, an unnatural barrier blocking Cassius's recovery. The sensation was like pressing against a locked door with no key.
Elara's heart raced. The oppressive atmosphere stirred her latent magic, the shadows darkening and pulsing with volatile energy. Before it could spiral out of control, Orian opened his eyes, his voice calm yet firm.
"Relax, Miss Elara. He's stable." "You didn't answer my question?"
. "Hu? Yes, bandits attacked us. One of them was a mage."
Elara didn't tell the truth about how they ended up in this dark forest.
Orian's eyes narrowed slightly, sensing she withheld the full truth. "That mage likely disrupted your brother's mana flow, severing his connection to his core."
He stepped toward his seat. Next to the table and sat on it.
"What do you mean by distracted his body, Mana?"
Lavish went on out to bring tea and water for guests.
"Sit, this we'll take a long time."
Asking her to sit in a chair. Orian started explaining to Elara. Elara came closer to a chair and sat.
"Let me ask you something. Did you know about Mana, the source of magic?"
"Yes, I read, but I didn't experience that."
'Before returning to the past, Yura brought some books, books about magic. I read this. But my body doesn't possess magic. I wanted to know, back then, that the girl wasn't interested in this. But for me, this is important.'
"Let me explain; That magus wanted to destroy your brother's mana magic, he succeeded too, but," Orian began, steepling his fingers.
"Mana is the fundamental life force present in all living beings. Your brother's situation is complex. It appears as though during the attack, his mana was not destroyed but forced into a defensive mechanism. His core instinctively tried to protect itself from the damage by shutting down his conscious mind, allowing his body to focus entirely on recovery."
"People know this process as Mana Lockdown. When the mana core perceives an overwhelming threat, it isolates itself, cutting off the flow of energy to higher cognitive functions. It's a rare response, usually triggered in life-or-death situations where the body must prioritize survival over consciousness."
"However, while his mana is attempting to heal itself, the same process that protects him is also blocking his return to consciousness. Think of it like a fortress locking its gates—the invaders are gone, but the gates remain sealed."
Elara's eyes widened, her grip tightening at her hand. "So he… he's trapped inside his own mind?"
"Exactly. His core is healing, but without external intervention, the recovery process could take months or even years. The mana channels need to be realigned, and the blockage removed without triggering another shutdown."
"Years?" Elara's voice cracked as he heard Orian's.
A brother, she carried, all alone. Regain his conscience in years. She felt overwhelming feelings inside of her heart as something cracked. But she controlled herself and carefully listened to Orian.
Orian stood and approached Cassius again, his hand hovering just above the boy's chest. "Yes, if that's acceptable to you, I can help, but it will require precision. If I force the mana to awaken too quickly, it could cause a surge—damaging his core beyond repair."
Elara rose to her feet, determination blazing in her eyes. "Then what do we do?"
Orian glanced at her, a flicker of respect crossing his features. "We need to maintain his mana flow and gently coax his consciousness in return. This will require a connection—a bond strong enough to reach him where magic alone cannot."
Elara nodded without hesitation. "I'll do whatever it takes."
Orian gave a slight nod. "Good. Then let's begin."
He lit a series of crystals around the room, filling it with ethereal light. The ambient mana responded to his presence, humming like a distant heartbeat. As he placed his hands over Cassius and began speaking in a low voice in an ancient tongue, intricate symbols flared to life beneath the sofa, pulsing with rhythmic light.