As the day came to a close, Fleur served Sylas a warm plate of food. Once again the food was warm and delicious. As much as Sylas hated to admit the food was good.
As they sat at the dining table eating, the silence between the two of them became unbearable. Sylas had questions, and sitting around in silence was not going to answer them.
"At least tell me about these eyes of ours then."
Sylas stubborn tone was filled with an underlying need to find some reasoning as to why he had this ability to 'sense magic'.
Fleur knew she had to teach him the right way, and this was her chance to make up for her past even if by a little.
As they ate, Fleur began to tell Sylas
"What is magic Sylas? How do people identify the arcane, and manipulate it to do their bidding?"
"Well magic lets us do whatever we want, from summoning the elements out of thin air to even making contracts with magical beast, but humans have a harder time communing with arcane energy than other species, so only the wealthy have access to it."
"So you seem to know what the basis of magic is. Magic is not just an energy that various different species manipulate to do their bidding, it is the very essence of life. Think about it as a stream that is constantly flowing, and those who use it as the ones who nurture themselves from this stream. We need water and food just how we need magic, it is the constitution of all the phenomena that occurs in the world."
Sylas was captivated by Fleur's explanation of magic, but as she went on and on it only formed more questions that he needed answered. Sylas knew next to nothing of the world of the arcane and to get into the most prestigious school on the continent he needed to be stronger and smarter than most.
"Sylas tell me what you know of the runic magic academy. Explain to me what it is you believe you need in order to be accepted into the school from their we will formulate a plan to make sure you stand at least a fifty percent chance of getting in."
Sylas thought about this, and realized he knew next to nothing about the mechanisms of magic. He still managed to give Fleur a response.
"Well you need to be at least a two star mage to get in, and have the money to afford tuition, but there are special exceptions for those who prove to possess extraordinary talent in the arcane."
As Sylas spoke those words, the mountain that was surpassing the entrance exams seemed to become an even bigger undertaking than Sylas had thought it to be. The expression that formed on his face said it all.
Fleur assured him that that he could do it, but that it would all depend on how much effort he was willing to put into getting in, and learning.
"While you are not wrong Sylas there is much more to ranking system than meets the eyes."
Fleur went on to explain that the star ranking system was a primitive way of telling someone's strength that was commonly used by commoners when it came to manipulating the arcane as well as their potential for the arts.
She told of the ranks of mages and all the intricacies of the arcane ranking systems. There were essentially three main categories of mages. The new mages known as the Novus, Advanced mages known as Provecta, and the strongest of the three the Expert mages the Peritus. Each of the three ranks had four sub-categories of strength. Circulus, Triangulus, Quadratus, and Pentagonus. Each sub-category was determined by passing the tests at school, or assigned personally by the headmistress of the school and her direct subordinates.
"Wait what tier are you Fleur?" Sylas was genuinely excited to know the answer. All this new information peaked his interest. What tier was she or even what tier would he even get when all was said and done.
"Well Sylas..." it had been quite a while since her last examination that would determine her aptitude and strength in the arcane "last time I was tested I was given Peritus Quadratus."
Sylas was shocked. How could someone so famous for their contributions to the arcane not be given the highest rank. "ONLY QUADRATUS? How if you are one of the most famous mages in all of Auris?"
"I did not finish my examination for Pentagonus so I was never officially given the title, but I do not doubt that I would have passed the trial." Fleur said all of this with a melancholic expression on her face. It was as if she was sad, yet yearned for more.
"Well what about our eyes? You said that they were special."
"Yes they are Sylas. It is because we can sense magic in a special way, we can see magic. While regular mages can only sense magic, very few can see it. We are of those few who can see it. Not only that, but with practice you can manipulate the very essence, and formulate new magics. We are also keen to feeling the magic that surrounds us."
Sylas was blown away. "What do you mean formulate new magic? Can everyone not create new spells and incantations with practice?"
Fleur responded "While any mage is capable of creating new spells it certainly is difficult. Think of us as blacksmiths. Just how blacksmiths use their hands to give shape to weapons and armor, we with practice and dedication, can grab mana and shape it and give meaning to it. Most mages struggle with just seeing mana, so it becomes harder for them to create spells, but there are those who can do it."
"Wow I did not think that my eyes could do something like that."
Indeed they can. Fleur told Sylas of the general name known as the Silvery Eyes, but went into further detail of this magic and the other types as well. Argentum Oculis was the official arcane name for this magic. She told of the different types of magic that were capable of being used.
Fire magic called ignis, water as aqua, wind ventus, earth terra, light lux, dark tenebris, and their Silver eyes a rarity even among those who could use light and dark magic known as Deviant or by its formal name Obliquatur. These magics were also divided into the four sub-categories that Fleur had mentioned previously. The first four types of magic could be used by all, but Light, Dark, and Deviant magic were rare. While mages could master the four core elements the other three were hard to control, and therefore not many used it. Those who showed aptitude for them were said to be loved by mana. While each of the four elements could be manipulated in different ways, changing the essence of the magic was considered to be a higher tier. For example changing water magic into ice was considered to be in the Quadratus tier, while using water magic to heal was Pentagonus tier.
Sylas had never been so interested in anything before. This was the first time he ever listened to anything this intently. He wanted to get started right away, but by the time Fleur finished her explanations it was already dark outside and time for bed.
They said good night and went to there separate rooms. Sylas was filled with even more questions. It seemed like a never-ending sequence of answers that created more questions. The most prominent question he had was how would he be able to learn magic and advance into the Novus ranks of the runic magic academy. Fleur told him that they would be starting training the following morning.
The next morning Sylas awoke eager to get into practicing magic, and using it. He met Fleur outside of the cottage as they had agreed to do so, and Sylas was amazed they were in the middle of a huge forest in a vast opening.