Arcane Innovator

'Ugh, that was close...' I sighed with relief while proudly examining the elegant letters written on soft parchment. After the Measuring ceremony ended, I received an official document stating that I was now an Aspirant of the Arcane arts, with my talent being "Significant."

Despite it being only the third tier of magical talent, it was apparently very rare for a commoner without a noble bloodline to get such a rating, thus prompting the Court wizard to take a keen interest in me.

I still get cold shivers every time I remember that creepy smile of his right after my results were announced. In that fleeting moment, I even briefly contemplated escaping the city altogether, but in the end, everything solved itself rather fortunately—for me, that is.

Sir Roderick knew very well who my parents were and that I was here on my own; therefore, he tried very hard to "persuade" me after the ceremony ended to accept the honor of serving the de Santis family.

I was able to somehow resist him, as I was not a poor peasant anymore but a wealthy landowner instead. By having shares in several prosperous businesses within the city and also being backed by Alaric, one of the most prominent merchants in all of Ereneth, he couldn't outright force me to accept it.

But what really saved me back then was, surprisingly, that peasant girl, Jenny. She was measured at the very end, when almost everyone in the audience stopped paying attention to the central stage and instead lively discussed the ramifications of this year's results on the power structure within the city and which family would benefit the most from them.

However, when the crystal shined dizzyingly as Jenny placed her small hand upon it, the whole hall was instantly submerged into utter silence. And when, with a bright purple color, the artifact announced to the world the emergence of a new "Rare" talent, it caused quite an uproar.

“What!? Who is that girl…?”

“This is unprecedented…”

“How could this dirty peasant have such a talent…?”

It had apparently been more than 15 years since the last time such a talent was discovered in Ereneth, and everyone in the audience was utterly flabbergasted by it.

So afterward, when Sir Roderick saw I was so vehemently resisting his advances and as he had a much better prey in his sights, one that promised even better prospects than me, I was able to get off the hook—for now. I was certain that the Court wizard wouldn't get deterred so easily, but if I'm able to increase my status a little bit further, he won't be able to do anything to me unless he somehow convinces the Count himself to take action personally.

Thus I was now sitting comfortably around a long table in a high chair inside the luxurious dining room where we, the new Aspirants, were taken after the Measuring ceremony concluded for a reception to celebrate this momentous occasion.

Sir Roderick, who sat at the head of the table, then gave us a long speech about the responsibilities and duties of a mage. "I want to congratulate each one of you once more. But this is only the first step on a long journey ahead of you..." He said in his deep, melodic voice as he keenly observed the young Aspirants. He then continued on with his speech, but it was nothing too interesting, so I didn't pay much attention to it.

Instead, I looked at the other kids seated around the table with me. From the original 17 candidates, including me, there were only six people left who demonstrated a talent for magic. Three of them were of the Insignificant rank, and one boy was of the Common rank. Which was a relatively normal result. But then there were the two outliers: me with a Significant talent and Jenny with a Rare one.

I looked at the girl in question, who sat in the place of honor at the head of the table, right beside the brightly smiling Sir Roderick himself, while looking quite miserably herself, probably overwhelmed by everything that was happening. I couldn't help but release a sigh as I raised a silent toast in her honor. 'I won't forget your noble sacrifice...'

After Sir Roderick finished his lofty speech, we were served an opulent lunch, and afterward, it was time to mingle and get to know each other. Everyone present except me and Jenny began excitedly talking and laughing together since they came from similar backgrounds and mostly knew each other. I didn't know anybody here, so I felt kind of left out.

But I wasn't bothered by this in the least, and instead, I used this wonderful opportunity to cautiously approach Sir Roderick and ask him if I could go take a look at his famous book collection.

As he was still in a very good mood thanks to him acquiring such a great talent as Jenny and also being slightly inebriated, I was able to easily convince him with a few cleverly placed compliments.

'I guess he is still hopeful that I'm going to accept his offer...' I thought amusingly as I quickly left the room, following a young attendant. 'Well, time to find me a good magical academy...'

***

I entered the dimly lit room, being led there by one of the servants, taking in the sights of dozens of elaborate tomes stacked upon the shelves in front of me. There were more books than I ever saw in one place in my short life in this world.

I looked around, noticing an older servant who was there cleaning the room, so I approached him. Now that I was an Aspirant with above-average talent at that, everyone started treating me differently. Even the castle servants were being extra polite toward me. So I had no problem gaining access to books about magic.

I asked the servant to bring me specific books that mentioned schools of magic. After a short while, he placed three tomes in front of me. One was a sort of biography of several famous wizards from the past, some of whom founded their own magical academies. It was a very thick book and also written in an archaic, hard-to-read language, so I set it aside for now.

The second one was something akin to a guidebook listing many famous places across our kingdom, among which were listed a few schools of magic. But I knew I couldn't get to any of them, so I set it aside too.

And the last one was a history book that wrote about famous events in the past. I opened the old, dusty tome and skimmed through it until I stopped at a certain page because there was something that caught my eye.

I paused for a moment as I pondered if I had enough time to read it, as I was supposed to only take a simple look. But then I smiled mischievously as I leaned closer to the page. 'The reception will continue for at least several more hours, so as long as I return before the end, nobody will bother to come looking for me...' I thought, and then eagerly started reading.

[Chapter IV: Origins and History of the Tower of Eluvius]

[Written by: Teclis Igentus, Imperial historian, In the year 1377 of the Current Era]

This chapter aims to illuminate the origins and tumultuous history of the Tower of Eluvius, known to many as the Grand Tower or simply the Tower.

Our tale begins with the birth of Eluvius, a mage of unparalleled strength and intellect whose name reverberated through the realms. He was known as the Great Magus, one of the most powerful magi ever to be born.

From the moment of his birth, his path was bound for greatness, for the heavens themselves whispered of his destiny. It was said that Eluvius possessed sacred knowledge gifted to him by the gods themselves that transcended the ages.

During the course of his studies, Eluvius delved deep into the ancient tomes, plumbing the depths of forgotten lore to harness the secrets locked within the arcane arts. Driven by an unquenchable thirst for power and the pursuit of mastery over the ethereal energies that course through the veins of creation itself.

Amid his pursuit, he stumbled upon an unfathomable enigma somewhere in the vast expanse of the untamed lands. A vast underground chasm of unknown depth, which later came to be known as the Great Labyrinthos.

But although it was similar in structure to other labyrinths of its kind, this Labyrinthos was an abyssal maze of unspeakable horrors. There were whispers of unimaginable treasures and arcane knowledge hidden somewhere within its depths. Alas, most of those who ventured there rarely came back.

This Labyrinthos became a lifelong obsession for Eluvius, who wanted to uncover its secrets and conquer the labyrinth's core at all costs, as he hoped it would bring him an unimaginable power if he were to do so.

He tried for many years, each time delving deeper and deeper into the dark abyss. But, in the end, he discovered that even his unparalleled prowess among his fellow men was not enough to tackle the Labyrinthos.

Eluvius surmised that in order to succeed, he needed even more power and thus decided to build a place for himself and his disciples to train. His pursuits have become widely known by this time across the whole realm.

Many who harbored the same ambitions for wealth and power would flock to that accursed place from all four corners of the world, earning Eluvius many loyal disciples. It was upon the foundations of those restless dreams that the Tower arose, a monument that reached for the heavens with audacious defiance.

Rising from the barren earth on top of the Labyrinthos like an indomitable titan, the tower's darkened spire pierced the skies, casting a foreboding shadow upon the lands below.

Amidst the hallowed halls of the Tower, the magi of prodigious talent honed their skills. Eluvius nurtured their talents, molding them into unparalleled wielders of magic and instilling in them the courage to face the abominable labyrinth that lay below.

After many years of training, Eluvius felt he was ready at last. He gathered his strongest disciples and began what was later known as the Great Expedition, whose only purpose was to find and conquer the core of the Great Labyrinthos.

They ventured into the depths, their footsteps echoing through the ancient corridors as they confronted the labyrinth's countless trials and tribulations. As each challenge was met and vanquished, their hunger for dominion over the labyrinth grew, an insatiable flame that consumed their reason and clouded their judgment.

All those who were unable to continue due to wounds or exhaustion were left behind. Until only Eluvius and his core disciples remained. Yet their spirits remained indomitable as they descended into the dark depths of the Labyrinthos.

The expedition lasted for many weeks, which then turned into months, and despite his loyal disciples never losing hope of their master returning, no one ever saw or heard of Eluvius and his disciples ever again.

Those few who managed to survive the horrors of the Great Expedition then decided to rename the Tower to bear the name of Eluvius in his honor, and realizing the insurmountable dangers of the labyrinth, they forbade any further expeditions into its depths.

The remaining disciples then became known as the Council of Mages, and they slowly, over the centuries that followed, transformed the Tower of Eluvius into the honorable institution of learning as it is known today, hailed as one of the best on the whole continent.

Honoring the legacy of the Great Magus, the Tower accepts anyone who demonstrates a sufficient talent to wield magic to this day. As it was the great Eluvius himself who said that it is the merit that matters, not the circumstances of one's birth.

And thus, amidst the hallowed halls of this hundred-floor behemoth, the brightest minds of each generation dedicate themselves to learning the arcane arts.

Many will fail along the way. But those blessed few who succeed in the Tower's trials are then allowed to bear the crimson robes of the exalted and carry the mantle of humanity forward.

And thus concludes the tale of the Tower of Eluvius, perched atop the Great Labyrinthos which continues to stand to this day as a testament to the fragility of mortal aspirations.

May it serve as a beacon of wisdom and enlightenment, guiding future generations away from the pitfalls of hubris and toward the noble pursuit of understanding the boundless mysteries of the arcane.

***

'Hmm, interesting...' I thought as I closed the ancient book and returned it to its rightful place atop the shelf.