[New Spells]

In the grand auditorium, the crowd trickled out like the last remnants of a fading tide, muted chatter rising and falling as mages exchanged quiet words. Before the stage, two pairs of hazel eyes met. One tinged with both curiosity and confusion. The other held something far more difficult to decipher.

Was it regret? Wariness? Sorrow?

No one could tell.

"Cough! Hello, Claude..." The woman before Claude broke the silence. "My name is Catherine. I'm an Official Mage under the Department of Energetics."

Claude studied her for a moment before offering a slight nod. "Nice to meet you. You already know this, but I'll introduce myself properly. I am Claude, a newly advanced Official Mage."

His words faded into another wave of silence, interrupted only by the distant murmurs of lingering conversations in the hall.

"Well..." Catherine exhaled, forcing a weary smile. "Now that you're part of my project, I'll send you the necessary textbooks and documents. I'd like you to be ready to contribute to our upcoming experiments as soon as possible."

Without waiting for a response, she gave him a curt nod and turned on her heel, striding swiftly toward the auditorium's exit. Claude stood still, watching her retreating figure.

'What was that...?' A sense of bewilderment washed over him. He had spoken to Zal beforehand, preparing himself to not get picked for a project.

He was confident that he could manage a project independently—one in which he could control the research, decide the direction, and work on his own terms.

Now, all of that was gone.

"So?" A voice cut through his thoughts. "Enjoyed your talk with your new supervisor?"

Claude glanced up to find Zal standing beside him, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. "Your Excellency." 

"Damn formalities!" Zal waved his hands dismissively. "Just answer the question, Claude."

"Yes," Claude replied simply.

"Just 'yes'?" Zal raised a brow. "Come on, I can tell there's more on your mind than that."

Claude let out a faint chuckle, a smirk playing at his lips. "You're right. I seem to recall someone trying to recruit me for their project earlier."

Zal's eyes widened in mock indignation. "Claude, what are you suggesting? I was only trying to help you fit into Elysium!"

Claude shook his head, ignoring the older man's antics. "Well, everything worked out in the end, I suppose."

As much as he appreciated Zal's concern, he would have preferred to chart his own course. This would have given him the freedom to work his own way.

Considering that Zal belonged to the department of Biomancy, Claude would not have gained much from studying under him.

Unless he gave up his current foundation and tried learning anew.

Zal let out a quiet hum before murmuring, "You weren't the only one caught off guard..."

Claude frowned. "What do you mean? Is there something unusual about my supervisor?"

"Oh?" Zal glanced at him, then shook his head. "Just the idle musings of an old man." 

"Anyway," Zal continued, shifting the subject, "unfortunate as it is that Catherine snatched you up, we still have other matters to attend to."

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Following closely behind Zal, Claude ascended the grand staircase of the Qasr-e-Vehem library, his thoughts lingering on what had just transpired.

A Tier 1 spell…

The revelation had caught him off guard. Moments earlier, Zal had informed him that all newly appointed Official Mages were entitled to learn a single Tier 1 spell upon their initiation.

Now, he found himself entering the upper levels of the library, a place few were ever permitted to tread.

The Qasr-e-Vehem was a marvel of knowledge, its structure divided into four vast tiers, each more exclusive than the last.

The first tier, open to all, housed fundamental knowledge, both magic and non-magic alike—an accessible trove of knowledge for all mages alike.

The second tier, restricted to Official Mages, contained more spells, specialised research, and knowledge considered too advanced for Mage Apprentices.

The third tier, accessible only to Grandmasters, held the accumulated wisdom of Elysium's greatest minds—cataclysmic spells, advanced knowledge and records stretching back to the dawn of civilisation.

And then, there was the fourth tier.

Claude paused at the foot of another staircase, gazing upward. "What's kept at the highest level?"

Zal, who had been leading the way, stopped and followed Claude's gaze. His expression turned contemplative.

"That," he said, "is where the personal research of the Mage Lords is stored."

Claude turned back to him. "Mage Lords?"

Zal nodded. "Throughout the over two thousand years of recorded magic, there have only been fifteen Mage Lords—individuals whose strength and knowledge stood unparalleled. Some lived to old age, their wisdom shaping the future of magic. Others… fell in battle against the horrors of the Subspace."

Claude remained silent. Mage Lords. It was an abstract term to him. How powerful were they? Claude did not know.

Yet, even these beings are subject to the ruthless touch of nature. The passing of time. And, the threat of the Subspace.

"But regardless of how they met their end," Zal continued, "their knowledge was preserved here, within Elysium. That is the purpose of magic—to serve the greater truth, even in death."

The solemnity of those words caused the air to still for a moment. Leaving Claude to savour the words in his thoughts. 'The purpose of magic...?'

Zal exhaled, breaking the momentary silence. "But that is a long way off for you, Claude. For now, let's focus on what you can access."

They arrived at a reading alcove on the second tier, where stacks of tomes lined the walls. Zal strolled to nearby shelves and browsed them.

Returning to Claude with three books in his arms, he spoke. "As an Official Mage, you'll have access to many spells, but outside of this one privilege, new magic must be earned—either through research contributions or original discoveries. For now, though, you may choose one from these three."

Zal walked to a nearby desk with Claude following behind. Spreading the books out on the desk's surface, he tapped one of the books.

"Storm Surge" – An advanced form of the Spark spell, granting mastery over lightning. Not only could it summon devastating bolts, but it allowed for the fine manipulation of electrical currents, even creating fields of static energy.

He moved to the second.

"Winter's Grasp" – A study of the extreme cold. This spell went beyond simple ice conjuration, allowing the user to manipulate temperatures at a molecular level, drawing heat from their surroundings to freeze objects—or even living beings—instantly.

Finally, he placed a hand on the third.

"Breath of Plague" – A hybrid spell, that bridged the gap between the Schools of Biomancy and Energetics. It altered the natural composition of air, enabling the creation of colourless, pungent fumes. These fumes can irritate and corrode a victim's airways. Highly effective in enclosed spaces but dangerous to wield carelessly.