Supreme Magus

Every centimeter of the rings was covered in blue, red, silver, and white runes. A massive pillar of world energy came from below, focused to the point that it was visible to the naked eye without the need for mystical senses.

The power core gorged on the energy, turning it into mana that was sent to the rings to be amplified before being redirected where needed. The Headmasterʼs office was both the beating heart and the weak point of the academy.

ʼOrder and Chaos. That thing holds so much power that if we dared to put a dent in it, the map of the Griffon Kingdom and the Gorgon Empire would be redrawn.ʼ Vladion said.

ʼWho cares about that.ʼ Lith had Solus take her Eyes form and focus solely on the power core. ʼWhat are those runes? Blue are the Forgemastering ones any decent mage knows.

ʼRed are dimensional runes, probably connected with the internal and external Warp system of the academy. I bet thatʼs also the way those who are made immortal by the academy are brought back here to rebuild their bodies.

ʼWhat are the silver and the white ones, though?ʼ

ʼNo clue.ʼ The Firstborn was tempted to step forward and use Bloodborne, his breathing technique to study such a marvel of magic, but he was afraid that any interaction might give away their presence.

ʼLet me see.ʼ Kalla activated her own Eyes of Menadion, starting the scan as well.

The original Eyes and those of the tower resonated and so did their power cores. Lith and Solus could feel the burden on their minds being lessened as the two artifacts split the workload.

The two Eyes exchanged the information they acquired, avoiding redundant scans and sharing their respective databases to shorten the time that a full scan of such a complex artifact required.

Lith also took out Solusʼ Sage staff from their pocket dimension, using its ability to focus and sharpen the mind of its master in order to hasten things even further.

ʼToo bad that my Eyes have no correlation to my mind or I could benefit from the Staff as well.ʼ Kalla sighed in envy.

Her artifact was at the top of its game, but between the lack of a mind link and the outdated runes, it would take her a long time to read the full report. The towerʼs Eyes were still incomplete and their use burdened both Lithʼs and Solusʼ mind.

On the other hand, however, the mind link between the tower and Solus allowed her to convert the data collected into instant knowledge. On top of that, the towerʼs Eyes were constantly being upgraded, becoming more powerful as Solus learned more about magic and the tower regained its prowess.

ʼOkay. I have no idea what the silver runes are. There is no match for them in the Eyesʼ database so weʼll have to wait for the scan to be complete.ʼ Kalla said. ʼI do know what the white runes are, though.

ʼThey are made out of perfectly stabilized Decay.ʼ

ʼWhat?ʼ The other three said in unison.

ʼThatʼs impossible. Cursed elements canʼt be stabilized, canʼt be used along other Cursed elements, and canʼt do anything but destroy.ʼ Lith said, taking the words out of everyoneʼs mind.

ʼWhat do you think Forbidden Magic is for?ʼ Kalla scoffed at their naivety. ʼArthan was a true genius and this explains everything.ʼ

ʼGenius, maybe. Mad, sure. Also, it explains nothing and so do you!ʼ Vladion said, more annoyed than ever at the Wight.

ʼLook, since itʼs going to take a while, letʼs kick things up another notch.ʼ Kalla ignored the Vampireʼs snarky remark and turned to Lith. ʼGive him a monocle, Scourge. Maybe if we put his brain to use, his mind will shut up and let me finish a sentence.ʼ

ʼWhat the fuck are you talking about?ʼ Suspense and mystery were giving the Firstborn a hissy fit.

ʼVladion, does the vow you made to Tyris apply to anything that will increase our odds of success?ʼ Lith asked.

ʼOf course.ʼ The ampule and its golden liquid in his pocket dimension were worth more than anything to him. ʼEven if you use Forbidden Magic, I wouldnʼt care. Whatever you do, it will remain between us and Iʼll protect your secret with my life.

ʼI swear it on my son.ʼ

ʼGreat, then take this.ʼ Lith gave the Firstborn Vampire a Monocle, sharing part of the burden with him and further accelerating the scan.

ʼSon of a Dragon!ʼ Vladion cursed as the massive load of information coursed through his brain. ʼThatʼs why Kalla wanted your presence. Thatʼs why you didnʼt barter for the Eyes back when Scarlett entrusted them to you. You already had your own.ʼ

ʼSort of.ʼ Lith replied. ʼMine are kind of faulty and still lack a lot of functions of the original. Kalla, how did you know this would happen and what about the Decay runes?ʼ

ʼBaba Yaga told me.ʼ Her words made Vladion curse his own mother next for trusting a semi-Lich more than him. ʼAs for the runes, do you really not get it? How do you think the Golden Griffon can rebuild a dying body before its core starts to fade?

ʼHow do you think it can keep all of its students eternally young? The perfect Decay can not only hasten the regeneration of any kind of wound better than a Lichʼs phylactery but it can also amplify the vitality of its target.

ʼThe light element of living beings gets overcharged to the point that aging simply stops. Their cells stop dying because they get constantly rejuvenated so they have no need to burn life force to live despite the passing of time.ʼ

ʼGood gods. Arthan really was a genius.ʼ Lith said in astonishment. ʼHe achieved something that not even a white core like Aylen or any Eldritch could. He perfected Mirror Magic into something useful.

ʼDo you think that the same could be done for the other Cursed Elements?ʼ

ʼSure, if you are willing to sacrifice countless lives for your experiments until you get it right and then more for a cursed artifact like this.ʼ Kallaʼs voice shared none of his enthusiasm.

ʼI believe that the Mad King was no less brilliant than the late Manohar. Yet he was also even less scrupulous and unlike your friend, Arthan was terrified of death. Genius and no morals make the perfect recipe for a disaster.ʼ

Lith was about to argue, but Solus glared at him in a way that could have borne a hole through his skull. So, he shut up and just offered the other end of the Sage Staff to Vladion.

ʼYggdrasill wood and the Eyes? Kid, I swear to the gods, if it wasnʼt for my oath, I would kill you.ʼ The Firstborn said and his words didnʼt sound like a joke.

ʼRemember that everything that happens inside the Golden Griffon, stays inside the Golden Griffon. You swore on your sonʼs life.ʼ Lith pointed out just to be sure, making Vladion curse again.

ʼDonʼt worry. I remember it well and Iʼm already regretting it.ʼ The Firstborn replied with a snarl.

ʼWhy so jealous? I find it hard to think that after having lived for as long as you, someone might not have a single piece of the World Tree.ʼ

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