Arcane Innovator

'Ah, so that's how it is…' I managed to get only a brief look at the transforming potion before the essence dissipated and the elixir returned to its natural state. Still, it was enough to chance a peek at the bright tapestry of swirling essence within.

What I saw was eye-opening, so to speak, because the essence was not just flowing around mindlessly but following a strange pattern. It was also not a regular shape like those featured on runes or sigils, but a complicated three-dimensional design. 'Is this some sort of sacred geometry or something?' I wondered.

This served as just another example of how little I knew about this world and the mysterious laws that governed it. 'So it's all about the pattern…' I noted, confirming some of my previous assumptions and shining light on many blind spots I had. However, witnessing it and being able to replicate it on my own were two different things.

'So, to summarize, the herbs have inside them something that serves as a substitute for a mage's intent, but at the moment, it's too difficult for me to recreate; thus, in the end, I'm right where I started…' I sighed.

Nevertheless, I knew I was on the right path. All I needed was to keep at it; sooner or later, I was bound to make the breakthrough that would allow me to command the magic of life.

Now that I knew how the transformation came to be, everything felt a bit clearer. Next, I would try to recreate the process with my own essence without using the herbs as a catalyst. Even without an incantation, I should be able to imagine it.

But that would have to wait until I had enough time and privacy. So, with the experiment successfully done, all that was left was to get rid of all evidence, and I would be done.

It was a shame to have to pour so much of the precious herbal elixir into the sink. Still, I had only so many vials with me, and without the enchanted glass to keep the essence in place, the potion would deteriorate and become useless in a matter of minutes.

I also didn't infuse the remaining vials as it would have taken too much time, and I could as well do it in my dormitory cell. With that, I carefully packed everything back into my satchel and went to free my chatty roommate from Madam Florence's clutches.

***

That evening, while giving Gil his magic crash course, I was still going over today's findings in my head but couldn't make any meaningful progress.

'Ah, how I would love to just shut myself in for a few days to experiment…' I mused. Sadly, it was not possible. After all, Master Ayleth's test was almost upon us.

So, the following day - which was also the final day of our little recess - I forced myself to study.

Believe it or not, I had some pride as a student and knew the value of good grades. Thus, despite having no idea what sort of challenge we would face during the damn test, I didn't want to make a fool out of myself by omitting to learn the basic theory.

Like that, time passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was already time for the test to begin.

In the morning, I was told to report to the same bare-walled classroom with the giant magic circle in the center like the last time. This only confirmed to me that this test would also take place inside an illusory realm.

I didn't recognize any of the students already waiting there, which wasn't that odd, as there were over a thousand first-years in our introductory class. The auditorium wasn't large enough to contain us all, so we were separated into five groups, each having its classes at different times.

"When I call your name, step into the circle, one at a time." The mage supervising our group proclaimed, and we all nodded in acknowledgement. Soon, it was my turn, so I took a deep breath and entered the shining circle, trying not to let out any nervousness I might have felt.

The magic came to life, humming with untold potential. This made me briefly wonder where all this power comes from. However, before I could think about this any longer, everything became bathed in light, and I was whisked away.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

'Huh, this looks exactly like the Tower's first floor…' was my first thought when I opened my eyes. But then I noticed the subtle differences, making it obvious I was no longer inside the classroom.

For one, the hallway I emerged in was too long and lacked the one defining feature all Tower hallways always shared. Due to the round nature of the imposing spire, every hallway had a slight curve to it, except this one didn't—it was straight. Moreover, too many side passages were branching out from the main hallway in all directions.

'Damn it! Is this another maze? What's with the Masters' obsession with mazes anyway?' I silently wondered. Still, I had no other option but to start moving forward if I wanted to see this test through to its successful end, so that's exactly what I did.

Yet, as I carefully walked through the long corridor, which looked just like any other of the Tower's hallways, I couldn't help but notice another strange thing. 'What's this about?' Every door I passed along the way wasn't of the regular dull-brown color I was so used to but either blue or red.

It was obvious that the color meant something; perhaps it had something to do with the nature of the task that awaited me inside. What that was, however, I had no idea because I hadn't tried to enter any of them so far.

First, I wanted to gather more clues about what we were supposed to do here before I committed to any given path. Sadly, so far, nothing in the hallway gave me any solid answers.

Of course, telling us what was expected of us in advance would be the sensible thing to do, which is why the Masters didn't do it. I guess figuring out the requirements for passing was a part of the trial itself.

'What to do…' I silently wondered. I was about to choose some door at random because to linger here meant wasting precious time, but then I paused, noticing a small figure standing motionlessly not too far away. 'Is that… a girl?'

She didn't look like much at first glance: pale, almost sickly, with dark hair that were short and uneven, like she'd taken a dagger to it herself, and her robe seemed two sizes too big, nearly swallowing her petite form.

But its grey color meant that she was a student like me and not some ghostly apparition conjured to hinder my progress. This fact alone made me exhale in relief, but it also raised another problem.

It seemed that this time, we were all sent into the same illusory realm. Yet, whether that was a good thing was still to be determined. 'Hmm… Should I go to her?' There was the strength in numbers and all, but it could also be a hindrance that could slow me down. 'Well, let's see how it goes first, and then I'll decide. I can always discard her later.' I reasoned.

With that, I slowly approached her. She didn't notice me at first, seemingly deep in thought. "Hi!" I said, putting on a bright smile.

"Eeek!" But despite my best effort, the girl jumped away with a startled shriek as soon as she saw me.

"Whoa! Easy, I'm not going to hurt you." I hurriedly said.

"Who are you?" She blurted out after calming down. The girl's voice was soft and unassuming, barely above a whisper. Her sharp, gray eyes, however, were anything but, darting over me with unwavering focus.

"It seems we both ended up in the same testing location. I'm Darian, by the way. What's your name?"

"...Mira." The girl whispered.

"Sorry?" I replied, not quite catching that.

"It's Mirabelle, but you can call me Mira."

"Ah, so you're a noble!" I instantly perked up. After all, no commoner would have such a long name. I didn't particularly care if someone had a noble status or not. But it usually meant they could use magic, which sharply increased her value in my eyes.

She nodded in response but seemed reluctant, as if hiding something. Next, I wanted to ask her what kind of magic she commanded, but before I could do that, I heard the overly familiar sound of legs scraping stone.

'What the…?' The next moment, a pair of abominable silhouettes emerged from the darkness, skittering toward us with terrifying speed. "Crawlers!" Mira cried, eyes wide.

Having faced those disgusting critters before, I wasn't particularly afraid; besides, these weren't even the real deal, only an illusion conjured by the Masters. Still, I could imagine that getting caught by them would be an extremely unpleasant experience, nonetheless.

'Did the recent incident rouse the masters so much that they now started adding these monsters to trials?' I chuckled. Undeterred, I got ready for a fight, already preparing a few contingency spells to cast at a moment's notice.

But before I could figure out the best way to deal with them, Mira, who seemed to have regained her ability to think, grabbed my arm and practically dragged me into the closest classroom.

The doors shut behind us with an audible click just a moment before the crawlers were upon us. There was an unnerving bang, yet it seemed the doors would hold out, and they wouldn't be able to get inside.

At first, I sighed with relief, only to realize we were now locked inside the classroom with no way out. 'Crap!'

'That reminds me, I forgot to check what color the doors had…' Looking around, it appeared to be a regular classroom. But as soon as we entered the board in front came to life and a series of complicated-looking questions started to appear.

It looked like we had to solve them before we would be let out. 'Ugh, I'd rather be fighting those crawlers, to be honest…'