The First War Mage: Skyline Trials

The sun came all too soon, glaring its hateful beams of light through the curtains. Purple light dyed the room, yet that was far from what woke me up.

"Time to get up, Kirin!" Tulip's all too happy voice roused me from my slumber. She didn't bother knocking on the door, she simply let herself in with a grin plastered on her face. "Miss Carmine said I get to teach you about the upper class," Tulip raised the bag she held in her hand almost threateningly. "We're starting with that hair."

"Do you have to be so loud?" I groaned out as I sat up. I was rather happy that I hadn't taken off any clothes before sleeping, especially when Tulip helped herself to sit on the bed next to me.

"Why in fact, yes I do—It's the only way for your lazy self to wake up," Tulip said smugly before gesturing before her. "Grab the chair and bring it here. We can talk while I fix the rest of this mess."

With a sigh I did as instructed—Grabbing a masterfully carved wooden chair with a cloth cushion, bringing it over. Once I set it to a spot Tulip approved of I sat down, taking a moment to throw my mess of hair over the backrest.

"So… Why is Carmine wanting me to learn about nobility now?" I asked a few moments after feeling Tulip grabbing a handful of hair. An uncomfortable period of silence filled the room, leaving tension to rise until Tulip spoke.

"It's a useful skill to know," Tulip said in a tone that felt like she knew more. "You're her chosen representative for the Skyliner Trials—That puts you a league ahead of others even before you graduate, let alone after." She explained while the sound of scissors snipping whispered through the silence.

"Ahead in what way?" I asked, wincing a little when Tulip pulled my hair a little too tightly.

"Don't move so much—" Tulip commanded as her grip marginally loosened. She took on a breath before continuing. "Arcadians—Magically inclined soldiers—Are the lowest form of Nobility, but they're still Nobility," Tulip paused for a moment before continuing. "A Skyliner is several steps ahead of them. If a commoner were to become a skyliner, they're a Baron upon leaving military service." Tulip fell silent, leaving the sound of scissors to fill the room. However, before I could ask another question she continued.

"For others though, say, someone with a lost or defunct Noble title… It's a way to have the title reinstated." Tulip trailed off as she finished. The silence that settled into the room was a strange one, one which I couldn't parse, even as I spoke.

"Why does that matter to me?" I asked, but an answer didn't come—At least not quickly. Tulip kept quietly trimming my hair, until she sighed and spoke once more.

"It doesn't, it's just good to know," Tulip said. "Most of the competition is after that reward, to elevate themselves for a generation or two, or to reclaim what they once held." She added slowly.

It felt like Tulip wanted to elaborate further, yet she didn't as she fell silent for several moments before moving on.

"Let's start simple here: If you're a Baron, or a Baroness in your case, you're only a few steps above the absolute bottom of the list of nobility," Tulip explained, pausing for a few moments. Within those moments I felt my hair being pulled in particularly uncomfortable ways. "A Baron is the lowest title that can be inherited. Underneath you are Arcadians, under which are the Knights—They cannot own land, so their titles have nothing to inherit."

"Above you are… too many roles to actually list out, but the most important are the regional Counts, the Dukes of cities then the Empyreans and the Royals." Tulip's words were effortlessly punctuated by the graceful snipping of her scissors.

"What's an Empyrean?—I get Counts and Dukes… But I've never heard of an Empyrean." I asked before Tulip could move on.

"An Empyrean is a Duke who manages one of the three major cities—Miss Carmine would be one, as the Ferini Family has held the title of Empyrean for generations. What separates an Empyrean from a Duke is that an Empyrean has a right and path to claim the throne." Tulip explained.

"How can someone other than your family have a right to the throne?" I asked.

"It's… an old system," Tulip sighed slowly. "An Empyrean can challenge the sitting King or Queen to a battle for the throne, they're one-on-one conflicts to death or surrender. But, with only two Empyrean families left, Miss Carmine can't challenge my father, even if she wanted to. There'd have to be a third Empyrean family to judge the duel. An Empyrean could also be named as an heir if the sitting Royal deems their children unfit for the throne." Tulip once more explained.

"What happened to the other Empyrean families?—Shouldn't there be one more at least?" Once more I asked, only to receive a smack on the back of my head as I tried turning to look at Tulip.

"Keep your head still," Tulip berated before answering. "There were five Empyrean families when the Kingdom was founded. The founding families of Berna, Berini, Ferini, Caldone and Armester. Armester and Caldone lost their titles of nobility after generations of failures from their family, Lushia has been aiming to restore her family's title using Kendrick." Tulip explained.

"What about Berna?" I asked, but no answer came. Tulip instead remained silent, only a sigh escaped from her lips before she moved on.

"Etiquette is really the most important thing for you to learn," Tulip began. This time she didn't give me any chance to ask for clarification—She simply kept going until she was finished, which just so happened to be in the same moment she finally let go of my hair.

"There, finally done," Tulip said with a satisfied tone. Her arm reached over my shoulder, handing her pocket mirror to me. "What do you think?" She asked with a grin visible over my shoulder.

I blinked a few times as I took in how my hair now looked. My hair fell in two even forms across either side of my face, it gave a soft, pleasing framing to the sharper angles my face naturally had. The rest of my now substantially trimmed hair fell over my shoulders in a pattern that was shorter on the edges and longer closest to the center.

The entire look wasn't complex by any means, but Tulip had framed it so perfectly that it looked incredible. The longer I stared at it, the more I could feel tears creeping their way into my eyes. It wasn't long until the tears came out with shuttering sobs.

"Hey—What's wrong?" Tulip asked worriedly.

"N-Nothing…" I sniffled out. "It just looks great—I… I don't know. I can't remember someone ever doing something like this for me. Not… Not with how young I was when my mother died…" Soon after I finished I felt Tulip's arms wrap around my arms and shoulders from behind. She shifted forwards, her chin finding rest in the gap between my shoulder and neck she whispered softly.

"Just say the word, I'll gladly play with your hair some more." Tulip spoke reassuringly, her grip tightening slightly.

At first I felt my body locking up, uncertainty and borderline panic filling my body from such intimate contact. But I could hardly resist it either, soon enough Anxiety gave way into the reassuring comfort. With her arms directly in front of me I could see the scars still marring her wrists, a grim memory of what had happened.

"Thank you…" I sniffled out, my head turning to the side to gain even just a little more comfort by resting against Tulip's head.

We stayed like that for several minutes, Tulip only beginning to let go minutes after my breathing had completely returned to normal. With a sigh, Tulip spoke.

"You should go to Miss Carmine," Tulip said slowly. "Don't want to keep her waiting too much longer." As she spoke she let go, her arms gently tracing my own as she retracted.

"Yeah… I guess I should," I said with a dissatisfied inhale. I hesitantly looked towards Tulip, holding out her mirror that I still held.

"No, you keep it—I can get another." Tulip quickly insisted as she pushed it back towards me. Soon enough Tulip stood up, reaching her arms over her head while leaning back into a stretch.

"Alright…" I mumbled softly. I didn't see a reason to argue, instead I simply focused on my ring for a moment before the mirror disappeared. With a start, I pushed myself to stand. I couldn't help but turn and stare at Tulip, watching her as she packed up the miscellaneous items she had used for my hair.

"Need something?" Tulip asked as she stood up with a brow raised.

"N-No! I'll… I'll go find where Carmine is…" I sputtered out as I quickly turned away. I didn't know why my heart was suddenly pounding, nor why my cheeks felt warm. All I did know is that I started moving rather quickly, leaving Akemi to stand up and run after me while I felt Tulip's gaze on my back until I left the room.

"Weird…" I faintly heard Tulip speak as I left.

It didn't take long to find where Carmine was—Only because she had a woman in a maid's uniform stationed only a small ways down the hall to guide me to her.

The maid walked fast, leaving no time at all for my eyes to wander around the estate more than absolutely required. She only slowed to a stop once we arrived at our destination, where she stepped aside and opened one of many doors within the inner section of the estate.

"Miss Carmine is through here." The Maid spoke quickly, only moving quicker to usher me through the door so that she could close it behind me.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I blinked and looked around at the courtyard I had been dropped off in. It was large, nearly as large as the square I had been in the previous night for the show in fact. The four walls surrounding it were nearly as grand as the ones protecting the city, while the only thing inside of the courtyard other than the compacted dirt ground was a single gazebo.

Inside of the open gazebo I could see Carmine's figure. She sat cross legged, her eyes closed with her hands resting on her knees in some form of meditation.

With no idea as to what I should do, I began to walk slowly towards the Gazebo. My steps sounded painfully loud in the intensely quiet courtyard, kicking up dust with each motion I took forwards.

It was only once I arrived in front of the Gazebo that Carmine moved. Her eyes opened, squinting quizzically at me before she stood in a single smooth motion.

"Tulip certainly took her time," Carmine stated as she stepped forwards. "Are you ready for your lesson?" She asked in a neutral tone.

"I think?" I said, the confusion palpable in my voice. "What are we doing today? Is it just another sparring match? I asked quickly.

"No, we're going to work on the third form of casting," Carmine said with a soft smile overtaking her face. "Come up here and have a seat. Runes aren't something to play by ear." As she spoke, Carmine turned about. She quickly returned to her same position, albeit this time facing towards the inner section of the gazebo.

I blinked a few times, almost not believing that Carmine was going to teach a lesson while sitting down. However I quickly buried those thoughts while I half-jogged to the gazebo.

The Gazebo wasn't anything special to look at from within it either. It was simply built out of some sort of dark wood, looking almost like it was the remnants of a violent fire. The interior was barren, holding only a pair of sitting pillows, one of which Carmine sat upon.

Nearly as soon as I took my seat across from Carmine she began speaking.

"Now, you already know about two of the three forms of casting magic, silently or with chants," Carmine began. "But, as you saw Commander O'Neill of all people fighting, I'm sure you saw runic casting in action." Carmine looked at me expectantly as she finished.

"I think so—It's sort of a blur… I remember thousands of symbols appearing in the air, it felt like some sort of emotion or intent became physical." I supplied, bringing a nod out from Carmine.

"That is runic casting in action. Just as a chant is an expression of intent, runes are the expression of emotion—Something tells me that you're going to be one of the very few people who can take to runic casting easily." Carmine continued to nod as she spoke, her words coming across more like ramblings than intended sentences.

"Is runic casting rare?" I asked curiously. "And what makes me inclined to it?" I added before Carmine could begin answering.

"Just the way you act makes me think you'll have a higher chance of taking to it than chants. But, you're still learning how to do both," Carmine took a breath, thinking for a moment before she added; "Runic casting isn't rare, at least not in the fact of people can't do it. It is just rarely mastered, especially to the degree in which someone like O'Neill can use it. So, it's rare to see in combat, but not rare to see, if that makes sense." Carmine explained.

"Alright… Then, how does it work?" I was certainly curious about it now. "Maybe if I learn it quickly I'll have something to deal with Kendrick's chants…" I thought slowly.

"Do you remember how O'Neill's runes looked?" Carmine asked.

I paused, trying to think of the momentary seconds I had observed his magic for. But I couldn't see anything in my memories of the fight other than the intense light preluding his final attack. As such, I shook my head.

"Alright…" Carmine sighed, seeming a little disappointed. "That makes this harder, but I'll do my best to explain—I'm terrible with runes, so I can honestly only give you the basics." With a quick breath, Carmine began.

"Runes grow more powerful through two factors: Complexity and meaning. Complexity is simple; The more ornate a designed rune is, the more powerful it can be," Carmine paused for a moment, raising both of her hands into the air with her palms facing upwards. Above her palms two symbols formed, one was a dense spiral with a defined beginning and end. The other was an ornate pattern that almost looked like it was trying to repeat upon itself with its very shape.

"Take these two runes for example: The spiral is less complex, so by definition it cannot reach the same level of power as something more complex like this. As such runes can be copied, but it's easier to impose meaning upon a rune if you are the one who made it originally." As Carmine finished she looked towards me, her eyes almost asking if I was following still. After I gave Carmine a court nod, she continued.

"Intent or meaning is the difficult part with runes. To use a rune properly you must carve the very intent of the spell you wish to use upon the world. Because of this, most runic casting is used for enchanting weapons—It's just easier to make a constant definition to something."

"However, having pre-prepared spells is useful, it's not something to be relied upon. You can use it as a power boost to your basic magic, but the pinnacle of runic casting is what you saw with O'Neill. He imposes his will anew every time he casts his magic, a new pattern with a new meaning. He's actually so effective at it that no Archmage has ever been able to best him." Carmine chuckled a little as she finished, seemingly done with her explanation.

It was a lot to take in, especially all at once. But I could understand the premise of it—And I could understand why she thought it could be more natural for me than chants.

"So, complexity raises the ceiling of the power, while intent tells it what to do?" I asked to clarify if my understanding was correct.

"In basic, yes." Carmine nodded affirmatively.

"How do I make a rune?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

"That, I can't tell you. It's different for each and every person, Kirin. That's why we're out here, this is the training ground my family has used for generations, now it's yours to use for these next two weeks," Carmine said in an almost apologetic manner as she spoke. "If you have any more questions, just ask. Otherwise, I'd start practicing if I were you." With that, Carmine once more closed her eyes, seemingly returning to her previous meditation.

I took in a slow breath, trying to think over how the runes worked. I had Carmine's two runes to work off of, the spiral and the self-repeating pattern remained floating in the air before Carmine. But, she also had said that copying runes wasn't as effective.

"If I can't copy it, then where do I start with making it?…" I thought slowly. My eyes closed, leaving my vision to retreat to the world within my body—The intricate networks of mana all rushing through my body, pulsing in and out from the origin resting just beside my heart.

That, in of itself, was a complex symbol. One as complex as my body, one which expanded into ever tinier details no matter which position I tried to focus upon. It however hurt my head too badly to try focusing on anything smaller than one of my fingernails.

"How can a symbol represent something?" A symbol immediately came to mind with that—My Insignia, it was a symbol which represented me to an extent. I understood it, I knew what it was. Those twin clouds, the four bolts of lightning, the tiny specs of lightning that the gems within looked like. It was complex, but not so much that it hurt my head to think about.

"But how does it represent something?" I thought once more. How could a symbol represent something? What could it represent? What did it mean to me?

"Hope, but hope isn't something that makes sense for magic…" I felt my shoulders sag even while this deep in thought. Hope wasn't something that I could morph into magic, nor did I want to twist that into a meaning it didn't represent.

"What else can hope mean?..." It was simple, in theory. What did I hope for through that symbol? Did it mean that I hoped to win the trials? Did hope represent power? Did it represent victory? Then, a simple thought reached me. It was the simplest definition of hope, it was the thing I had hoped for over the course of nearly five years.

I opened my eyes and stood up—I barely even paid attention to the dark sky overhead. It had been just past noon when I got out here, so hours had already passed.

But, Carmine still remained in her position. Her eyes opened as I stood up, narrowing only a little to focus upon me.

"Stopping for the day?" Carmine asked curiously.

"I'm trying something first." I answered as I stepped off the Gazebo.

I still wasn't sure entirely how to manifest the rune in the same way Carmine had, but I knew what would happen as I brought my hands together before me.

With a gentle push and a lot of focus, electric mana began pulling its way from my body. It was almost like a mist, flitting through the air in jittering patterns that quickly took shape.

After only a minute a representation of my insignia floated in the air before me. It was far from perfect—The details were missing, the edges were blurred and incomplete, the bolts couldn't even remain visible for the majority of the time. But it was here, and I knew what it represented.

With only a slight push, the symbol ignited. A brilliant flash lit the courtyard up like it was midday once more, a flash which coalesced together into a tight dome around me.

"My insignia is safety. It's everything I needed for years, a safety that I will never let go." I smiled as I thought about it—I would always have something keeping me safe, so long as I knew what it represented.

With a miniscule flex of my mana I was able to dissipate the barrier. With a grin planted wide on my face, I met Carmine's shocked eyes.

"You… Actually did that in a day?" Carmine spoke, her words barely capable of hiding her genuine surprise.

"I already had all the pieces, I just had to put them together in the right way," I turned my gaze down to my hands, clenching them into tight fists filled with newfound determination. "I'm going to win the last trial, no matter what." If my insignia was sanctuary, then I knew, no matter how much I wanted to get out of this kingdom, I couldn't. Not so long as there were people here who needed sanctuary the same as I did.

"Then you better take your training seriously, because I know Kendrick is," Carmine chuckled as she walked over. "Now go get some rest, we'll continue tomorrow." She reached a hand over, patting my shoulder before I could turn to walk away.

"Oh! Your hair looks great too, Kirin." Carmine added as I walked away. I couldn't bring myself to turn around and thank her, if only because I couldn't stop smiling.

"Good night, Miss Carmine." I called out as I walked away. I didn't hear Carmine's reply, if there was one. Nor did I have the time to wait for one as the maid waiting outside the door led me away with just as much haste as the one this morning had.

"Safety." I heard a faint, almost whispering voice state. Without thinking I reached to my shoulder, scratching the little fox's head all the way until I was back in my room.

"That's right, I'll make sure we're both safe, Akemi." I said as I moved to lay down. My stiff body welcomed the soft sheets, even my racing mind couldn't resist the relaxation and gave in to a gentle, restful sleep.