The First Archmage

(Gavin)

"Wow," Ryan says as we follow the Prince through the castle halls. "The Princess has definitely got a nice rack."

"A what?" I ask him.

"Boobs," he says, and I smack him in the back of the head. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Is everything alright?" Prince Wyatt turns and looks at us.

"Forgive my apprentice," I say. "He was making unsavory comments about your sister. He believes that, since only I can understand his language, he is free to say whatever he wishes."

"Indeed," Wyatt says curtly. "We're nearly there."

He turns and resumes walking, and a few minutes later, opens a door with two guards to either side of it. Not one to either side of it – two.

We follow him into the garden, which spans a hundred feet across and two hundred long, with bushes, several large trees, and the pond the King mentioned to us, which rests in the eastern portion of the garden. Many of the flowers have white or off-white petals, and all of the benches and tables within the garden are carved of a pale grey stone.

"Here we are," Prince Wyatt says. "I will be observing you while you are in the garden at all times."

"Thank you, for the assistance," I tell him, pulling out a stack of papers, a quill, and an inkwell, then holding them out to Ryan. "Sit at a table and get practicing."

"Yes, Master," he grumbles, taking the items and moving to the nearest table.

"The runic formulas for the two spells," I look back to Prince Wyatt. "Use a variety of runes I have yet to learn through my Dekami Runic Language Skill or see before, so I will be studying the formulas for a little bit as I do my best to understand how the spells work."

He nods, and I move to a table, pulling out some papers and beginning to write down everything Natalie told me as we spoke on the way to the room where breakfast was held.

Once done, I separate them into the notes for Mysts of the Lake and Shroud of Gardens, setting the latter aside and beginning to look through the notes on the former.

Between the two, there are thirteen runes I haven't seen before, only one of which is used in both, totaling twenty-five new runes for me to learn.

After two hours of studying the runes, only understanding a grand total of three of the new ones, I decide to rest a bit and play around with the weird effect of two Voids colliding.

Before I do that, however, I put the papers into my ring. There is no way on Eisnar that I'm going to let those get sucked into it. I haven't yet seen what happens when something pulls into that weird orb.

Those put away, I stand and stretch, then hold out two hands, creating two Voids, each the size of my fist. The Prince suddenly looks on-guard, with a flux of Mana about him, ready to act on a moment's notice.

I move the two Voids towards each other, slower than I have in the past, and as the two press together and I focus on sustaining them and merging into each other, the strange energy begins to form again. The pull is weaker than before, but as I move them closer and closer, it grows stronger and stronger, my tunic and robe both attempting to pull off my body and into the new orb.

The new orb is solid black, as with any Void, but has a 'shroud' around it, a sort of blackness/greyness that can be seen through, a thin layer of power that swirls around it.

I nearly manage to successfully merge the two before it explodes. Without my high PER and AGI, it'd probably be devastating to myself and that around me.

Fortunately for the environment, my student, and the Prince of Isil, I have a high PER and AGI, and am able to quickly nullify the strange power of the merged Voids and the contain the explosion within a Magic Barrier I shrouded the explosion with.

Then I look down and notice that the front of my robe and tunic had both been hit by the explosion. With a wave of my hand and a flux of Arcane, the two are mended, and I look over at the two stunned spectators.

"I needed a break from learning new runes," I tell them. "And decided to try something again. I knew I could stop any damage, so long as I kept it small, and I was told I could use this area to practice."

"What was that?" Prince Wyatt asks. "That magic – I've never heard of something like that before."

"Nor have I," I shrug. "Wait, do you mean the Voids, or the weird one that occurs when I mix them?"

"Both."

"The two plain orbs," I say. "That seemed to be nothing at all are the produce of Void Magic – it's a magic that 'removes' whatever it comes into contact with. Another term for it is 'consume', though it doesn't go anywhere. It's one of the reasons why a Dragon's breath is as powerful as it is. Reij," I stroke the Ouroboros, and he releases his tail, looking at the Prince. "Uses a form of the Void, but it isn't a magic of this universe or existence, so it's not one I can replicate."

At least, not with my current power.

Reij bites his tail, returning to his natural position.

Hey, Gavin? Nies's voice enters my head.

Yes?

Where was Reij while you were training with the Chain Monks?

He was still on me.

Well, yeah, but with how often your forearms were used to defend things, it's not like he couldn't been there. I've been trying to figure this out. He couldn't have been on your legs, either.

He was around my neck.

You wore him like a necklace?

He took the position himself, without prompting.

Okay.

Nies cuts the connection.

"The other magic," I frown. "I'm not sure what that one is. I discovered it while looking to see what would happen if two Voids connected. At first, it was just an explosion, so I tried adjusting one Void to see if I could direct the explosion. If I could manage that, then I'd be able to use that as an advantage over Dragons – the reason I was looking into it in the first place. I wanted to make sure I wouldn't suffer if I used a Void against a Void-infused Dragon's Breath.

"I'd noticed something weird," I continue. "Initially, when I first discovered it, but as I tried it a few more times, I began to notice that pull. I've been trying to succeed in making the pull without the explosion, but even as slow as I was moving, it still caused it. I spent an hour doing that just now, and it was still too much. I'm missing something needed for the effect without the explosion, but as the Void uses no Runes of any form, I can't figure out what, so all I can do is practice and observe, making minor adjustments if possible. Which, at this point, isn't, because the Void is a singular thing. I can make it, I can shape it, I can grow it and shrink it, but I can't do anything to it. Infusing my Violet Dragon with it is about the limits of the 'extra' stuff I can do, and all that does it give the Violet Dragon the power to consume as well."

"Please don't blow us up," the Prince says.

"I won't!" I laugh, then look at my stunned student. "Do I need to go through that full thing with you as well?"

"You can manipulate gravity?" He asks.

"Gra-vi-ty?" I sound out the unfamiliar word. "What's that?"

"Whoa-wait," he says. "You're manipulating gravity, and you don't even know what it is?"

"I'm manipulating the Void," I tell him. "I've been attempting to understand that strange power that forms when I fuse two Voids together. You're calling it gravity? What is that?"

"You seriously don't know what gravity is?"

"Are you going to answer me, or am I going to throw you across the garden?"

"Gravity," he sighs. "Is the force of attraction. It pulls things towards the object with the largest mass. Isn't affected by small things, but rather, large things – like the world we're on has a gravitational force that pulls the moon to orbit it, while the sun's gravitational force causes the world to orbit around that.

"It also," he continues. "Is what keeps us from floating out into space. What goes up must come down because of gravity – gravity keeps us rooted to the world, because we're within its atmosphere, and it has a large gravitational force. That's why, if you drop two objects of varying weights from the same height, they'll land at the same time."

"A feather and a rock will land at different times."

"A feather has other factors involved," he says. "But it'll usually land at the same time as the rock, unless it floats, which is a direct result of the properties of what makes it a feather. However, a rock the size of your fist and you, dropping from the same height, will land at the same time."

"I would land later, due to my magic," I tell him. "I would simply manipulate the air to keep myself from falling."

"Ignoring stuff like that," he says. "I'm saying without extra things involved. Anyway, with your Voids – you're trying to merge them, and this is happening?"

"Yes," I nod. "However, it always explodes. I feel like I'm missing something important."

"Try making it denser."

"Denser?"

"Yes," he nods. "Denser. A black hole is a very, very dense void that sucks things into it, I think. That's because of its immense gravitational force. Maybe it's because you're fusing them together instead of making it denser that this happens?"

Making it denser? Why would I make the Void denser? It wouldn't increase its power at all, and they all come out the same, unless I intentionally affect its density. But that…

I sigh, closing my eyes.

Knowledge from another world, beyond what I know. That doesn't sound like a magical thing to me, but it might work anyway.

Taking several deep breaths, I ready myself, then hold up a hand, opening my eyes as I summon a Void and begin to manipulate it, making it denser, something I cannot do within myself, with the raw Resource itself.

At first, nothing happens, even once the Void is four times as dense, but as I continue, I start to notice the difference in the air around it, that 'shroud' forming once more, faintly, a small pull forming around it.

I continue to make it denser, until a message appears in my vision, and I cancel the spell immediately.

New Skill!

Black Hole 1: The power of a dense Void, the Black Hole not only eliminates the existence of that which enters it, but also pulls items in towards it

A Tier VI spell… is there a more powerful version for Tier VII?

Acquiring that net me something pretty cool, too.

First To Unlock Advanced Void Magics

+1 Species Level (Static)

A full species Level, static? Checking my stats, I realize that it granted me a full Level. I went from 23 Experience at Level 1 to 46 Experience at Level 2.

Unlocking that Skill granted me another one.

New Skill!

Gravity Manipulation 1: Harness the power of the Void to manipulate gravity, the force of attraction

New Boost Affinity!

Gravity Force: Used to Manipulate the forces of gravity

GVT: 64

First to Unlock Gravity Force!

+1 Species Level (Static)

What… the fuck? That one didn't pop up until after I read the message.

And what's a Boost Affinity?

I check my stats, and locate where GVT rests among them.

HLT: 649, MNP: 668, GVT: 64

So HLT and MNP, or Health and Mana Power, are both Boost Affinities? But those boost the corresponding Resource, while Gravity got its own line.

"Are you okay?" Ryan interrupts my thoughts, and I look at him. "You have a really confused look on your face."

Even with Acting 10, my reaction to this is pretty obvious. I am so confused right now.

"I'm fine," I tell him. "Just trying to understand some of the stuff going on."

"Okay?"

New Title!

(IV) Pioneer of Gravity: You are the first Enlightened to discover the power of Gravity and harness it as a force.

New Title!

(II) Title Seeker: One who has acquired more than twenty Titles

Well, that was interesting. Are there any other magics or whatever one would consider that that have yet to be discovered?

New Title!

(II) First Title Seeker: The First to ever acquire more than twenty Titles

Huh. That actually exists. Who was the first to acquire Title Hunter, and how many have earned it, total?

"That took a long time," I stretch. "And it's lunchtime now, yes? Could we get some food, or will we need to leave to get some?"

"One moment," Prince Wyatt opens the door and tells a guard to get a servant to bring us food, then returns. "There should be food in around twenty minutes."

"Thank you, Your Highness," I dip my head to him, then sit back down. "I'll study some more while waiting. I recommend you return to practicing, Ryan, as you took a decent enough break to observe me."

Ryan groans, then resumes studying.

"Prince Wyatt?" I say after a few minutes.

"Yes?"

"Do you know any of these runes?" I look over at him. "Unlike you, I was never formally trained by a magician, and while I could ask Natalie, I'd rather not do that while trying to study, as it's quite taxing mentally for both. The Skill for this Language doesn't bestow knowledge of all Runes at this level, just the more common ones, and some of these seem pretty complicated."

He walks over and examines the runes I'm looking at for Shroud of Gardens, and begins explaining what each of the runes I listed out as unknowns are for, and how they would connect into the greater spell.

Once he finishes explaining the new runes to me, he pauses, then frowns and looks at me. I give him an inquisitive look in response.

"Two things," he says. "The first one – you said you were withholding the spells until after Father could verify the legitimacy of the Paired Mirror Enchantment. You just allowed me to view these, not knowing whether or not I could memorize them."

"Did I?" I ask. "Huh. Are you sure I let you view the runes and the formula for the spell?"

He stares at me, then sighs.

"And how did you know that I knew runes?" He asks. "And don't try saying you didn't – the way you asked me if I knew any of them said you knew I did, without any doubt."

"Appraisal."

"As I am a Royal," he says. "It will only show that as a result, even with the shift to how Classes are displayed and determined."

"Indeed," I say. "That same shift also causes Special Classes, such as Royal, to not count towards the Class Cap, allowing you to then take on a Primary Class, which, due to the shift, is visible past Special Classes through a high enough Appraisal Skill. As mine is maxed, that means I could see your Level 3 Mystic Adept Class."

He doesn't respond to that, and I return to examining the runes, now understanding how they work together and interact, formulating it in my mind, then raising a hand, beginning the incantation. As I finish and the Mana finishes flowing, several bushes begin to grow, more sprouting up from the ground, creating a miniature maze with thick walls and a dense canopy formed of the bushes' leaves and branches, flowers blooming everywhere.

An effective spell that creates a maze from the surroundings, one resistant to magics and blades. Enemies can be trapped within, and is one of the spells Jozan has used to dominate the battlefield. It's one of the reasons why no one could oppose us in the past.

Just three powerful magicians of ours casting this spell, even in a field, could destroy enemy forces entirely, causing them to exhaust themselves just to escape, our people ambushing them as they finally make it out.

Add on to the fact that, in order to enter Jozan, one must enter through a forest, fields of flowers, swamps, and such, and it means that invasions must be without enough notice for us to mobilize, or else they would face this power.

The only way to enter without going through something like that would be to approach within range of a fort – each of which has enough magicians who can perform the spell to cause issues for enemy forces, even in the plains.

Thinking back on this, though… how do we have powerful enough magicians to do this? Magic is not that easy of a thing to use, especially not a spell of this caliber. There must be something more to the power, then, even if, once I understood the runes and worked them together fluidly, it took almost no Mana or effort to use. Such an insignificant amount that it's as if it didn't take any at all, even if for just the tiny one I made.

This actually confuses me, now.

I am so confused right now.

Food arrives as I'm trying to figure that out, and we eat lunch, then I begin studying the runes for Mysts of the Lake, another part of Jozan's ultimate defense and offense.

This spell draws on the inherent magical properties within water, amplifying it and drawing it out, creating a powerful mist that fills the air, resistant to heat, cold, and wind, making it impossible to get rid of, save for time or until Mana runs out.

The knowledge from Dekami Runic Language rising to Level 6 with my understanding of Shroud of Gardens grants me some of the runes' knowledge and allows me to bridge the gap for the others, when combined with my bonus to learning languages.

Overall, it only takes me thirty minutes to learn the spell, acquiring the Skill as I fill the air here with the Mysts of the Lake, generating it from the pond.

Only as I do that do I understand how Jozan's strongest magicians are able to perform these spells. They aren't working with just Mana alone, but with magic in the world, as well as what's already around. They don't need to be powerful to do it.

Unlike with most magics, where the entire spell is created right then and there, every aspect of it created through Mana, these two use what's already around to fuel them.

"Gavin?" A muffled voice speaks.

Oh, right. Fog also mutes sound…

"Reij?"

If he could snort, he probably just did.

It'll take awhile for this to dissipate on its own, because I performed it as a construct, setting it to last until the Mana runs out, instead of fueling it actively. Both spells were given to me with that as the preferred method, and I understand why.

Though it increases how easily enemies can deal with it, it also allows for the casters to focus on other things, such as bombarding the enemies with magic as they escape.

If they have enough Mana leftover for that, that is. But if they have access to Mana Potions, that won't be too much of an issue, I don't think.

Thinking about Mana Potions… Jozan has the best recipes in the 'world' for them… everyone envies them, as well as our ability to supply our offensive forces with them.

After Reij finishes consuming the magic and returns to his hidden state, I look at Prince Wyatt and the agitated apprentice.

"Sorry," I say. "I didn't need to do it that large."

Prince Wyatt just sighs, shaking his head, then takes a seat on a bench near the entrance.

I rest for awhile, then contact King Tyler.

"Yes?" He responds immediately. "Please make it fast, I'm in a meeting."

"Mind if I share a recipe for Mana Potions or two?"

"Feel free to," he responds. "Contact Natalie if you need the recipes."

"I memorized them already, Your Majesty," I inform him. "Though I also wrote them all down awhile back and stuck them in my ring. Are there any in particular you'd prefer I did or didn't?"

"Up to you," he responds. "Anything else?"

"No," I answer. "Good luck with the meeting, Your Majesty, and thank you."

I end the connection, then look at Ryan.

"You messed up the lower right-hand corner of that rune."

"What?" He looks at the rune, then at the paper with my copies of them. "Danggit!"