Circles

--NOTE: Anything in square brackets [ ] is written inside a book.

Desser awoke thinking, 'why the fuck is there still no curtain in here?! Which sicko likes to wake up with shrivelled, raisin eyes?!'

Desser yelled his final thoughts aloud, "I will end this accursed sunlight! Let your ARROWS BLOT OUT THE SUN! Because I WILL FIGHT IN THE SHADE!!! This is SPARTA!" Desser chuckled at his ridiculous impersonation of the movie 300. However, the knights heard the yelling and barged into his room.

"Your highness! Where are the arrows? Take cover behind us!"

Desser was carried out of bed—princess style—and as the knight was headed out the door, he screamed, "There are no arrows! Calm yourselves! I was just saying the sunlight is a sin to look at this early…."

The knights stopped, and in the midst of Desser finishing his sentence, they yelled, "Our prince has gotten a divine revelation from our god, Brutreq! We will wage war on the sun! Bring the thickest curtain; we must begin a new age of darkness on the orders of Brutreq's future prophet!"

Desser was stunned. Not only did his legs not work, but his lower jaw now refused to close. He made a mental note to watch what he says because these people are a lot more fanatic than he had ever realized.

Desser ordered the knights to leave and return him to his bed. Sonia was nearby because she brought a food tray for the prince's breakfast. She nodded as she heard the knight's outlandish declaration. Sonia said to Desser before leaving, "I will do as you have said through divine revelation, your highness."

She skipped away to fetch the thickest curtain she could find. In fact, she wasn't satisfied with any curtain and decided to sow together 29 curtains together. She'd do more, but they ran out of spare curtains, and their prince could not be left in the sunlight any longer. The curtain had to be carried by 4 knights because Sonia could not pick it up. This would mark a historical-cultural moment in the Kingdom of Mogar. The fashion trend would later be called "The Great Darkening." All households would place the darkest curtains on their windows.

Desser had enough of all this nonsense and decided to continue reading Arch-Magi's book:

[ Chapter 3: Circles ]

[ Before I reveal our secret cultivation technique, you must understand Circles. ]

[ Most cultivation techniques are to strengthen your Core and speed up the process of Circle creation. As mentioned, you must purify your Core from black to silver to create your first Circle. Each Circle around your Core represents 3 times the power from the tier below it. For example, a silver-coloured Core with no rings equals 10 knights—most knights have dark grey coloured Cores. In contrast, 1-Circle is three times stronger than a silver Core. A 2-Circle magic wielder would be three times stronger than a 1-Circle user, and so on. You can imagine that a 3-Circle Magi would be as powerful as 2700 knights. The strength of each Circle grows the magic user's power exponentially by powers of 3's. ]

[ In day-to-day life, most commoners have black Cores able to use essential Magic. They would use it to light campfires, clean debris, and do small tasks like that. While knights practiced daily to improve their bodies and mana, most ended up in an academy to further purify their Cores and teach them cultivation techniques. ]

[ However, the difference between a Magi and a knight is great. Magis have the potential to multi-cast. How many spells they can use depends on their Circle tier. For every 3 Circles, a Magi can cast an extra spell. So, a 3-Circle Mage can cast 2 spells, and 6-Circles equals 3 spells, etc. Interestingly, at 6-Circles, a Magi unlocks the ability to use high-tier healing spells. But, Magi must still abide by Anthul's laws to Magic. They cannot use Magic on another living being to influence them without a colossal magic cost or a Talent to bypass Anthul's magic law. They can heal their own body from most injuries like losing a limb or terminal illness. For most Magi, reaching the 6th Circle is their lifetime goal. In the history of Anthul, there have been around 100 6th Circle Magi. ]

[From what I've observed of Magic, most things come in 3's. Three times more power every Circle, every 3rd Circle is an extra spell for casting, and so on. Even Talents work in 3's, at 12 years old, you get your first Talent. Then at 15, three years later, you train your cultivation. Then at 18, you get your second Talent. I postulate that at the 9th Circle, you could reach the power of a GOD! I have only reached the 8th Circle, but I'm close to a breakthrough! The next chapter will reveal my findings if I truly reach the 9th circle enlightenment I seek. ]

Desser noticed that the final paragraph was circled in red with a footnote written by a different person. He thought it was someone different because of the handwriting. The footnote read:

[ Before the disappearance of Arch-Magi Ladar Mogar, many claimed to see him levitating above his laboratory. They also claimed an explosive light emitted from the area as if Bruteq himself came down to take our forefather. Could levitation be the power of a 9th Ring Arch-Magi? We have yet to discover this fact because none have reached past the 7th Circle. ]

Desser found it curious that the footnote mentioned a "9th Ring" instead of a Circle. He continued to read for more clues…