The very mont the first rays of the morning sun hit his face, Zekes eyes snapped open. Eagerly, he took a shower and gobbled down so breakfast. He was giddy with excitent at the thought of being able to engrave a spell onto his magic core. All his hard work would finally pay off.
This was a major milestone for any young mage, and Zeke couldn't wait to reach it. In many ways, this signified the first real step he was going to take in his journey as a Mage. After weeks of nothing but hardships, it was a triumph he sorely needed.
He searched the house for his ntor, hoping to start the process even a mont sooner. He found Maximilian in his study. He was engaged in a whispered discussion with David, the butler. As the two n noticed his approach, David bowed and left, winking at Zeke as their paths crossed.
"You ready?" Zeke asked eagerly as he walked up to the old mans desk. I heard they are extrely strict when it cos to ti slots for engraving, I dont want to be late.
Maximilian chuckled. "Dont worry, Zeke, we are not going to be late.
What do you an? Zeke asked with a raised brow. He hoped his ntor wasnt taking this lightly.
How could we be late for an appointnt I never made? Maximilian answered with a smirk.
Zekes jaw dropped and all his good cheer vanished. B-but but you said it was gonna be today, he stamred. Right now, he didnt even care about how much he sounded like a petulant child.
Calm down, my boy, Maximilian said in a soothing voice. Im a man of my word, you know I am. Do you think I would lie to you about sothing so important?
Hearing those words, Zeke got a hold of his feelings. He swallowed the lump that had started to form in his throat. Thinking about it, Maximilian had never explicitly stated where they were going to perform the ritual. Were not gonna do it at the academy, are we?
Smart, Maximilian praised. Thats right, we are gonna do it sowhere else, sowhere a lot closer follow .
Zeke was confused, but he trusted Maximilian and did as he was bid. The old man led him down into the basent. Zeke had never explored this part of the mansion before, as it was mostly used for storage. Behind all the crates of grain and foodstuff, furniture and fabrics, they ca to a halt in front of a massive wooden doorway.
"Welco to my secret engraving chamber," Maximilian said with a smirk. "This is where we'll be doing your engraving today."
Zeke alternated between staring at the door and Maximilian. "Why are we doing it here instead of the academy? And why do you call it your secret engraving chamber anyway? They are not illegal to possess, as far as Im aware.
"Becaaaause Maximilian said as he dragged out the word, If we used a public chamber, there would be a record and we cant have that. [Perfect Body Control] is not a recorded spell. Do you have any idea how rare it is for a new spell to be invented? One that can be learned by even an apprentice? The Mages Association would be all over us."
Zeke's eyes widened at the realization. He had not known that the engraving process would be monitored by a third party. He had no intention of being used as a lab rat, to be probed and prodded.
"But won't it be revealed anyway?" Zeke asked with a slight shake to his voice. Surely, you are not planning to not have use the spell? What are we even going to tell the academy?
"Its not that big of a deal, Maximilian said with a wink. We are just going to tell the academy that you engraved [Blood Manipulation]. The two spells are very similar at first glance. This is common practice for nobles They keep their trump cards hidden by claiming to have learned so other spell."
Zeke was not even surprised to learn that the nobles used such a ploy. Growing up, he had believed the academy to be a place where everyone had the sa opportunities and goals. But his own experience had robbed him of that notion. The more he learned, the less he was surprised by all the private deals and hidden favoritism going on behind the scenes.
With his worries laid to rest, Zeke was once again excited to get started. "What do I do?" he asked as he entered the room just a step behind his ntor.
"Theres not much to the process, at least not on your end. Just sit down in the middle of the circle," Maximilian instructed. "And please dont touch the mirrors, they're very delicate. If you disturb the array, they wont be able to properly focus on your core."
Zeke inspected the scene, interested in learning more about the engraving chamber. What he found was an encirclent of mirror-like contraptions arranged around a small, round platform. Each and every one of them was perfectly identical. They had the appearance of a sunflower with its petals turned inward towards the center of the circle. He couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by the setup as he made his way to the center of the circle.
All of a sudden, a strange feeling caught Zeke's attention. He turned, intent on finding the source. His attention was automatically drawn to the figure of Maximilian, the old man was gathering ambient Mana. The fact that he could feel this so clearly despite his untrained senses ant that there was a trendous amount of mana being shifted. It almost felt like water flowing over his skin. Yet, when he looked down, there was no sign of wetness anywhere on his body. This had to be hundreds of tis the amount of Mana that Zeke could handle with his core.
Zeke had never seen such a potent magical demonstration in his entire life. Is this Ritual Magic? he inquired excitedly.
Despite handling an oceans worth of mana, Maximilian appeared completely at ease. In a casual tone, he replied to Zekes question. Yes and no. What Im doing right now is just guiding unattuned mana; Nothing special about that. The special part cos later.
Whats going to happen? Zeke inquired with a gleam in his eyes.
Im gonna feed it into the Ritual, the old man explained with obvious delight at Zekes curiosity. You see, the way Ritual Magic works is by applying a specific effect to unattuned mana. All I am doing is supplying the Mana, the ritual is doing the rest.
Isnt that the sa as an enchantnt on a weapon? Zeke asked. He had co across the concept in one of his most recent reading binges. What Maximilian had just described sounded suspiciously like how an enchantnt worked.
Good guess, but its not quite the sa, Maximilian responded. Before continuing his explanation, he began to slowly guide his mana into the Ritual, causing the first of three tallic rings on the ground to light up. With a smile on his lips, he returned his attention back to Zeke. Both are branches of Magical engineering and work on the sa principles. But there are so key differences. Can you tell what youve learned about enchantnts?
I only learned a bit, Zeke admitted. But as far as I can tell, an enchantnt works by being fed unattuned mana. It sohow turns that Mana into a spell that is subsequently released. That ans that a staff with the [Fireball] enchantnt would be able to cast the [Fireball] spell even if the wielder doesnt have a fire affinity.
That is exactly right, Maximilian praised. And therein lies the difference. Enchantnts will attune the mana they are fed and then cast a predefined spell. But that is not what Rituals do. Rituals only use unattuned mana, from start to finish.
What are they good for then? Zeke asked with a furrowed brow. Any Mage can use unattuned mana. Why not just cast the spell yourself then?
Right, Maximilian said with a nod. Care to venture a guess?
Zeke was considering the matter carefully. This was a challenging question, as he didnt know much about the subject. The only Ritual he had ever seen was the one currently surrounding him. And as he looked at the intricate array laid out before him, a sudden insight ca to him.
Its complexity! Zeke exclaid.
Maximilian nodded. Yes, thats a huge part of it. Even though any Mage can perform unattuned spells, I dont know anybody who has good enough control and precision to perform a spell as complex as what you see before you. It would require many Mages casting in tandem to match this one ritual.
Zeke watched the complex structure around him. When the second ring lit up, the mirrors all moved at the sa ti. Like predators spotting their prey, the heads of all the mirrors snapped in place. Each released a gentle beam of light that all t at a central point: the center of his chest. He could feel his core itching slightly in reaction.
With his jaw hanging open, Zeke inspected the contraption in a new light. It had only now dawned on him what kind of a marvel this Ritual truly was. Hundreds of independent parts were working together to achieve a singular purpose. Surely, this had to be the pinnacle of human creation. For a mont, Zeke just watched the scene in awe.
Who invented this? Zeke finally managed to ask. He wanted to know the na of the genius who had designed this intricate tapestry. He could hardly imagine the precision on display being matched by any human spellcaster.
I dont know, Maximilian confessed right away. To be fair, Im not well versed in the lore of Magical Engineering. That being said, to the best of my knowledge, nobody knows who ca up with any of the four Grand Rituals.
What are those? Zeke imdiately asked. He had heard the term before but didnt know what it referred to.
Spell Engraving is the first, Maximilian said with a nod to the Ritual in question, Seed Infusion the second, mory Sealing the third, and Spirit Summoning the last. Those four are widely considered to be the four Grand Rituals. We dont know where they ca from, but what is certain is that nobody in our current era has the capacity to create anything comparable.
Do you also have the other three? Zeke asked with shining eyes.
Unfortunately not, Maximilian said with a shake of his head. The Seed Infusion and mory Sealing Rituals can be done in every branch of the Mages Association. There is no reason for doing them sowhere else, as those can be undertaken in private. There is little to be gained by building them here.
What about the last one then? Spirit Summoning? Zeke asked.
The last one is not available to us, Im afraid, Maximilian explained in a slightly distracted tone. Invocatia keeps it all to themself.
Zeke fell silent. He didnt want to distract Maximilian from his task. He also had a lot to digest. Zeke had learned that the Seed infusion Ritual was used to advance to a higher tier as a Mage as well. It was sothing that he would co in contact with sooner or later.
The mory Sealing Ritual was sothing Zeke had heard about before. Most noble families would force their mbers to undergo this procedure. The Ritual made it impossible for the affected person to divulge any secrets. He didnt quite know how it worked, but out of the four, it captured Zekes interest the least.
What truly fascinated him was the Spirit Summoning Ritual. Maximilian had hinted at the country of Invocatia keeping it to themselves. If that was the case, Zeke could very well imagine what the Ritual did. After all, Invocatia was famous for one thing and one thing only: Summoned creatures.
From what Zeke had read, Invocatia was the only country that didnt favor any specific group of affinities. Ones affinity only influenced the type of companion that would be summoned. But their focus on unattuned Mana made them the most egalitarian country in existence. He had often fantasized about fleeing there, during his darkest hours. However, the thoughts of his family, as well as the fact that the country was at war with the empire, had kept him from attempting it.
Unbeknownst to Zeke, the third and final ring of the Ritual had lit up while he had been deep in thought. He was only awoken from his deep contemplation when Maximilian called out to him.
The Ritual is about to start. Begin casting, my boy.
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