Corridum

In his sleep, Bythos once again found himself drifting in the void. He saw a bright glow in the distance and slowly began drifting towards it, until it engulfed him.

As the light dimmed, Bythos' surroundings became intelligible. In front of him lay a giant castle that is of a scale Bythos had never witnessed before even in history books.

Although Bythos wanted to explore this place, he was not able to control where he goes, and was instead sucked into one of the chambers in the castle.

On the bed sits a little girl, who Bythos recognized as Alice, playing with a little doll, without a care in the world.

Suddenly a pair barged in a hurry. Judging by the similarity of their features to that of Alice's, they're probably her parents.

What they are in a hurry about, there is no way for Bythos to tell, as he isn't able to pick up any sound from their mouths.

Alice's parents tearfully kissed her goodbye, as they opened a portal and pushed her inside.

Bythos found that he too was drawn into the portal by an unknown force.

This must be Alice's memory then, Bythos thought to himself.

Alice was transported to the altar Bythos had found her on, and the flash drew the attention of the ogre.

The ogre reached towards her but was blocked by a barrier, to which it angrily punched at it, only to its blows to be bounced off.

Sensing that it is not worth the effort, the ogre headed back to eating, as it slowly pulled the limbs off and ate it first followed by the body.

Meanwhile Alice curled into a ball and cried.

After this, Bythos was pulled back into the void and woke up in the morning.

...

After being assured by Marcus that the village can handle the winter, Bythos and Alice headed north. Marcus was even kind enough to lend him his horse, as he won't be traveling until the spring arrives.

Once winter sets in, it would be difficult to travel as the roads would be covered. Luckily for Bythos, it was still rather early.

...

After several hours of travel, they arrived in the city of Corridum. This is the largest city of a reasonable distance from Aidas.

After showing the guards his adventurer's tag, Bythos and Alice entered the city.

Compared to Aidas, Corridum is bustling with activity. The walls are much better manned, and the city even has a directory near the entrance.

Bythos felt naturally drawn towards the library, and headed there with Alice.

At the entrance however, they were stopped by the librarian.

"Only authorised persons may enter the library."

Peeved, Bythos said, "I thought libraries are opened for the public?"

"Only those who are currently studying in the mage's academy or part of the scribe's guild and their associates can enter." the librarian replied.

Not wanting to cause a scene, Bythos was about to leave when someone walked in on them.

"They're with me, so could you let them enter?" A refined old man said.

The librarian looked at the old man then said, "Of course, please enter."

Bythos and Alice followed the old man's lead into the library.

The interior of the library is entirely made of wood, which seem to be a big fire hazard considering all the books in it.

However, it doesn't seem to be an issue here as the lanterns used for lighting just have a glowing crystal in it.

Furthermore, unlike the outside, the interior is much cooler, probably with the intention of keeping the books under better condition.

Alice walked to the section where all the story books are kept, while Bythos kept her in-sight while glancing through the shelves.

Bythos grabbed a few books about history and sat down with Alice to do some reading.

"You think you can finish those in the time you're here?" the old man said while pointing to the books at Bythos' side.

"No, that's why I intend on borrowing them." Bythos replied, continuing to read the text.

"You're not actually allowed to bring the books with you out of the library. If you want, you could ask the scribe's guild to make a copy to take with you, but it doesn't come cheap."

Hearing the old man's words, Bythos didn't budge and simply said, "Then I'll make do with whatever time I have here then. My memory isn't so bad that I need to keep rereading lines."

Hearing this, the old man kept silent for a while, glancing at Bythos and Alice, but Bythos didn't mind. He was the one who brought them in after all.

Finally, the old man said, "Say, are either of you interested in magic?"

Hearing this, Bythos and Alice both glanced up from their books.

Noticing that he piqued their interest, the old man smiled and said, "I happen to know people in the mage academy. If you want, I could bring you there to get tested."

Alice jumped up from her seat, whereas Bythos went back to reading. Seeing this, the old man continued, "The mage academy has its own library. You can continue reading there."

Bythos finally closed his book and returned them to their respective shelves, and followed the old man.

On the way there, he eyed the old man up and down, in case he means no well.

The old man's beard and hair are both white and long, but not unkempt. The apparel he's wearing is rather intricate too.

Perhaps he's not lying about what he said. But why would he go through the effort to bring us there? Bythos can only speculate.

The old man doesn't give off a bad air about him so Bythos decided to trust him for now.

They followed the old man to the mage's academy, and into the registration area.

"Here's where the potential recruits are tested for their magical potential. Usually only those who have a high potential are chosen, but the ones who are of lower potential can still study here at a cost." the old man explained. He then turned to the man sitting in wait and said, "Please get the two of them tested."

"Of course sir." the man replied and brought Bythos and Alice to the centre where a small crystal ball atop a stand is.

"Place your hand on the crystal ball to start, and how much it glows indicates your magical potential." the man explained.

Alice went first and when she placed her hands on the crystal ball, it glowed bright enough to be almost blinding.

"Incredible, she has the best magic potential I've seen in all my time working here." the man exclaimed. Then he turned to Bythos and said, "You're her father right, magic potential is inheritable, so surely you must have it too."

Bythos was going to correct him, but thought better of it and simply placed his hand on the crystal ball.

However, the crystal ball remained dull no matter how many times Bythos placed his hand on and off it, much to the disappointment of everyone present.

"I guess you're just not lucky enough." the man muttered while he grabbed some paperwork.

The old man walked in on them and asked, "Is everything done?"

"Yes," the man replied, "the little girl has excellent magic potential while her father doesn't have any. I'll get the paperwork to enrol her into the academy ready."

"Make it quick." the old man said.

As the man headed off, the old man turned to Bythos and Alice and said, "She should be enrolled by today."

"That sounds great. She seems excited about it." Bythos replied. "Speaking of which, he was being very respectful of you. You haven't really told us who you are yet."

The old man laughed and said, "I wanted to wait until I'm here to reveal it to you. I'm the archmage here."

"So you're in charge of this place?"

"Yes." the old man said, "Let's show you where the dormitory for the students are first, then we can have a little chat."

After dropping off Alice, the old man led Bythos to his office.

"Now for a formal introduction. I'm Archmage Zaroth, and you?"

"Bythos."

"Right, Bythos." Archmage Zaroth said, "You're not from this world are you?"

Shocked, Bythos replied, "How do you know?"

"My natural talent is being able to see the magical abilities of every being. The little girl with you, while she has extraordinary magical potential, is still within the realm of possibility. You on the other hand make no sense."

"What do you mean by that?" Bythos asked.

"As you yourself have seen, you are not magically gifted in anyway. Lacking in magical potential is a better way to put it. However, you possess an unnaturally large amount of Mana. This defies common sense."

Archmage Zaroth stood up and began pacing the room as he continued, "God created us with a certain purpose in mind, and as such our gifts and flaws, in their own forms, still have a sense of symmetry to it. It would make no sense to gift someone with a large amount of Mana without the ability to utilize them. From this I deduced that you are not from this world."

"If that were the case, then I shouldn't have been in this world then, because what purpose does it serve for me to be here?" Bythos said.

"I think you're meant to be here. What are the chances that I will get to meet someone from another world? Someone with your talents no less." Archmage Zaroth exclaimed. "With your help, I could undergo a great deal more projects that I couldn't before."

Archmage Zaroth is evidently excited and was breathing in heavily, as if his thoughts are in overdrive. Finally he calmed down and said, "I don't intend on asking for your help and give nothing in return. You'll be getting a salary befitting that of my assistant, and you'll be able to stay here where you can keep and eye on the little girl with you. You'll also be free to use the facilities here. What do you say?"

Bythos was planning to stay in this city for the winter anyways, so he don't see a reason to refuse. He hasn't found anything else to do at the moment, so he accepted it.