Arcane Heir: History's Strongest Mage

The runes hung in the air for a little while longer before dissipating into motes of light, leaving both Melody and Rudy silent as the implications of Michael's words began to sink in.

"I don't understand…" the girl said after a while.

Michael could see that both his friends were having trouble coming to terms with what was happening. It made sense, even he had trouble wrapping his head around the fact he was able to view past events.

"The headmaster said that unique souls have traits, either making them far more attuned to mana, or far more solid—allowing them to explore the depths of the arcana." He explained.

"But he said that mine was different from anything he'd seen before…"

Melody frowned, "So what are you saying? Your soul gives you dreams that allow you to view lost magic?"

This time it was Rudy who spoke up, "You said that your dreams were of the past. Do you mean before the great war?"

"Ah!" Melody exclaimed with shock, suddenly realizing her error.

"No way… that's impossible. There's no such thing as magic that lets you go back in time, even in the old tomes that existed during the great war state the same." She explained, still full of doubt.

Michael nodded in agreement, he didn't need reminding how absurd the situation sounded. "I don't think its actually going back in time, but more like experiencing someone's a vivid memory through the eyes of the person I'm inhabiting…"

"The first time was a General in some kind of army—that's where I saw the demon." He said, swallowing hard before continuing, "and the second time was the memories of a healer named Tywin."

"I don't know when or where the memories took place, but judging by the healing magic Tywin used, it had to have been before the conclusion of the great war. It might have even been during it…"

His words were followed by silence as everyone thought about the implications.

"So, you're saying that those runes were used for the healing spell? Was it the outer layer?" Rudy asked calmly. It seemed that he was the one who was having an easier time believing the situation.

Michael nodded, "They're the runes for the element of the spell. Judging by how the spell looked when it activated, I'm guessing it's probably light magic…"

"Light? Is that really an element?" Melody muttered.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think there is anything else that fits. Before I woke up, Tywin was about to cast another spell, but I only heard the first word of her incantation. She said Lux…"

"Lux? Isn't that light in the old tongue?" Rudy scratched his head, looking to Melody for confirmation.

At this, Melody let out a small sigh, but a smile tugged at the corner of her lips a moment later. "I guess I can't doubt your words anymore… Congratulations Michael, it looks like you'll be the one to revive the lost art of healing magic."

She sounded genuinely happy for him, yet there was some sadness hidden in her eyes, making for an odd kind of duality.

His gaze lingered on her for a few moments before shaking his head, "I can't do it alone, I need help from both of you."

"Of course man, don't sweat it." Rudy said with a grin, slapping him on the back.

"But, why? Couldn't you just hand the runes to the royal family? They'll have the best chance of reviving the magic with all of their resources." Melody asked him with confusion.

"I have a plan," he admitted, "but I need you guys to keep the runes a secret. Once we're able to create a few spells, I can use the magic as contribution to the kingdom and establish my noble house…"

Instead of arguing, Melody nodded meekly. "It might take a while since we're still only first-years."

"How hard could it be? We already know the runes for the element—we're pretty much halfway there already." Rudy interjected, waving it off.

At this, Melody frowned. "Until recently you struggled to even make it past drawing the external structure of a magic circle. Do you really think you'll be contributing in any way?" she said scathingly.

Rudy placed a hand upon his heart, letting out a gasp. "Hey, I'm useful… right Michael?"

"Now now, let's not fight." Michael said, raising his hands. "Rudy will be really useful for research. After all, we'll need a test dummy to test if the healing spells work."

Rudy's expression of mock offense quickly turned to one of horror as he heard the dark chuckles escape Michael and Melody's lips. There was a sense of danger in the air, one that caused him to take a few steps back.

However, the chuckles quickly turned into bright laughter at his reaction. It only took a quick glance to realize the two had been playing a prank on him.

"Hah, really funny guys…" he added, wiping away the phantom sweat on his brow.

Michael cleared his throat and moved on, "We'll need to do some extra study on magic circles and spellcrafting theory. It's one thing knowing the elemental runes, but if we can't construct the inner circle—the only thing the spell will do is just light up the area."

"You didn't see the inner structure of the spell?" Melody asked, her brows furrowing.

"I was too busy trying to remember the mysterious runes," he admitted, wearing a wry smile. "Hell, I didn't even know that they were real at the time. It wasn't until I woke up that I had to scramble to draw them down on a piece of parchment."

As he said this, he waved his hand, retrieving the rolled up parchment from his storage ring. He handed it to Melody who inspected it.

"Huh? Why is your ink red?"

"Ah… I had no ink, so I had to use my blood before I forgot them." He admitted, looking a little uncomfortable.

The girl narrowed her eyes slightly before nodding. She rolled up the parchment again before handing it over. "For now, we should head to the library and research runes—particularly ones that are used for spell instructions."

"Alright, sounds good to me." Michael said, nodding.

"Wait!" Rudy called out, his face a picture of urgency. "There's something far more important we need to do before then…"

Seeing the seriousness on his friend's expression, Michael felt his heart sink slightly. "What is it man?"

The guys hands moved to his stomach, letting out a growl. "We need to go to the great hall… I'm starving."

WHACK!

"Ow! What was that for?" he wailed.

Melody relinquished her fist, turning to Michael. "I moved on instinct…"

At this, Michael laughed out loud, unable to hide his amusement.

"Alright, let's get some food first. We've got plenty of time to figure this all out anyway."