The Runic Mage

In Evan's world, magic was not a guaranteed right.

Ordinary humans lived their lives without ever touching spells or incantations. They worked the land, built their homes, and worshipped the unseen forces that shaped the world. Magic was something rare, something that depended on a factor that almost no one could predict or control: the awakening of a magical core.

A magical core was as mysterious as it was essential to a mage's existence. It began opaque, hidden deep within a person's soul, and might never surface. Only a fortunate—or cursed, depending on the perspective—few had their cores activated at some point in their lives.

For some, awakening was a slow process, like a light gradually appearing after years of exposure to magical environments. For others, it was sudden and violent, triggered by an intense experience of danger or emotion.

But one thing was certain: once awakened, the core revealed a path.

Each core had a unique affinity—a natural inclination toward certain types of magic or concepts. Some cores aligned with elements like fire, water, or earth, while others represented more abstract ideas, such as light, shadows, or motion.

The core was not merely a source of power; it was also a guide. It didn't restrict a mage to a single type of magic but served as a beacon, facilitating the learning of spells aligned with its central concept.

For instance, a fire core offered unique insights into flames, heat, and combustion, making learning those spells almost instinctive. But that didn't mean ice or water spells were out of reach.

The bond with the core depended on the mage's focus and intent.

Such choices directly impacted ethereal orbs—small glowing lights that appeared around a mage's core when they learned spells or skills aligned with their path. Each orb represented progress—a sign the mage was advancing on the Arcane Path.

A fire mage who decided to learn ice spells could master them with effort and practice, but they would only form orbs if the spells were compatible with the core's concept. For example:

[Frost Burns]: A "fire mage" might study the effects of burns caused by extreme cold, linking ice magic to the concept of heat and combustion.

[Boiling Waters]: Water spells could be transformed into steam or used to raise temperatures, aligning with the fire core.

[Steam Explosions]: The combination of water and heat could create pressure-based explosion spells, fully compatible with the fire path.

This flexibility was part of what made the core system so unique. A core was a guide, not a prison. It provided a path, but the mage had the freedom to explore unexpected connections and expand their potential.

The more creative a mage was in exploring their core's conceptual limits, the more unpredictable they became in battle. An enemy might expect direct flames from a fire mage but would be caught off guard by a scalding mist that burned lungs or abrasive ice acting as an invisible blade. This adaptability masked obvious weaknesses, turning every encounter into a challenge of intelligence and instinct rather than brute strength.

To achieve the first baptism, a mage needed at least three orbs. During the baptism, the orbs fused with the core, strengthening it and further defining the mage's path.

It was a process requiring patience and dedication, but it also offered unique freedom. A mage could shape their own destiny, deciding where and how to focus their efforts.

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Evan came from a humble village, a small community amidst green fields and surrounded by forests. His parents were simple farmers, people who had never seen a magical core in their lives.

Everything changed when Evan was 14.

One night, as he slept, he saw something in his mind: an opaque sphere, floating in darkness. It was faint, almost invisible, but it was there. When he awoke, he couldn't forget the vision. He tried to ignore it, but the same scene replayed every night.

Whenever he closed his eyes to sleep, he returned to the same place: a vast darkness with the opaque sphere floating at its center. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't interact with it or approach it. It was like a fragment of something greater, just out of reach.

This was proof that a core had been born—a vision only the bearer could see. Other mages with awakened cores could access this space, known as the Shadowed Palace to interact with their cores, understand them, and strengthen them. But for Evan, it was just an intangible figure, a constant reminder that something inside him had changed yet remained inaccessible.

When he told his parents, they immediately understood what it meant.

"You have a destiny different from ours," his father said, packing a small bag with clothes and provisions. "We can't help you with this, but there's a place that can."

They sent Evan to the Arcane Field, the nearest magical training center. It was a place without luxuries or guarantees. The only requirement for entry was possessing a core, and aptitude tests confirmed the emergence of that power.

But to survive and thrive there, every student had to fight with everything they had.

At the Field, Evan learned that the magical system was both an opportunity and a barrier.

Beginner Apprentices were those whose cores had not yet undergone a baptism. Like Evan and Cedric, they were at the bottom of the hierarchy, struggling to earn their first orbs.

Intermediates Apprentices were apprentice mages who had undergone their first baptism. Their cores were more defined, and their spells more powerful.

Advanced Apprentices had completed two baptisms. Their cores had significantly evolved, allowing them not only to master their affinities but also to influence their surroundings, both physically and politically.

In villages like Evan's, an Advanced Apprentice was regarded as an almost divine figure, revered by the masses and respected by local leaders. Nobles often paid fortunes to have them in their domains, using their abilities to expand influence and maintain control. They were the most common force used to ensure stability or dominance in territories lacking an arcane fortress—a structure imbued with magic where powerful mages usually resided. These fortresses symbolized arcane authority, offering protection and serving as centers of influence across large regions, but they were rare and inaccessible to most.

Above all were the Mages, those who achieved five baptisms and became true forces of nature.

In the two years Evan had spent at the Field, he had not created a single orb.

His core remained opaque, dull, and without signs of evolution. He had never felt the warmth or pulsing that other apprentices described when aligning their spells to their cores.

This made him feel invisible. Directionless and without progress, he was just another face among the beginner apprentices, struggling to survive in a place where the weak were discarded.

But everything changed the night he returned from the forest.