The Azure Sky Mage Tower

The Azure Sky Mage Tower is the place chosen by the family to hold the talent evaluation of its members reaching the age of 10. Even though the measurement equipment was somewhat difficult to move, the real reason behind this choice was to bring the young Windsor, who must be evaluated, to face the fear of the unknown for the first time by leaving the comfort of his home.

There are many mage towers in the world. These are places where research on magic is conducted to discover new applications of the latter. They also serve to store grimoires of spells accessible to all. Generally, a tower is named after an element (Example: the Fire Tower, the Wind Tower, etc.) and is owned by the nation where it is located.

The exception to this rule concerns the Windsor family, which has two different towers on its territory without sharing ownership with any nation. One of them is called Azure Sky, the current destination of Adall. Located on the outskirts of the family's territory, it took a few hours by carriage to get there from the young boy's current residence. So they set off as soon as he descended the stairs and finished exchanging pleasantries with his uncle.

Zackael, Mickael, and Adall shared the same carriage. The latter was closely escorted by two other carriages used for the movement of magicians and knight guards who were responsible for ensuring the protection of family members throughout the journey. Even though it was a trip within the family's own territory, it was best to be prepared for all situations.

Why was Adall's mother absent on a day when even Uncle Zackael was present? Unfortunately, she passed away a few days after the birth of the little boy. Giving birth was too exhausting an experience for her naturally weak body. And even though she had been warned well before the delivery of the risk she was taking, she did not hesitate for a moment to choose to give life to the child she was carrying.

During the journey, the little boy was amazed by everything he saw. From the trees to the infrastructures, everything was new to him and he found it very amusing. It must be said that in 10 years of existence, it was the first time he truly ventured beyond the boundaries of his residence. It wasn't that he had never tried to sneak out to explore; his curious nature often prompted him to do so, but he was always caught fairly quickly by his supervisors. So this outing was like a dream come true for him and he didn't miss a single moment of it.

The journey went smoothly. Apart from Mickael and Zackael, who seemed dead tired after facing the various questions Adall asked throughout the journey, everything was going well.

As hinted by its name, the location of the evaluation was a massive tower-shaped structure rising several floors into the sky. On the outside, one could see the family crest, a golden dragon drawn in profile holding a magician's scepter. This was the Windsor's way of constantly reminding the world that they were the most powerful in magic, for if dragons were known for one thing in this world, it was obviously for the unparalleled gift they possessed in this domain.

As soon as the carriages descended, the entourage was welcomed by the magicians working in the tower and a crowd of well-known personalities from the continent who had come for other affairs. At the forefront was the director of the place, Axelle Windsor, the younger sister of Mickael and Zackael, and thus Adall's aunt. Thanks to her intrepid character and her ever-growing love for magical research, she managed to convince the family head to grant her this position. It should also be noted that she was one of the few magicians of the 7th circle in the world. This greatly contributed to consolidating her position as director in this tower.

The majestic structure that is the Azure Sky Tower could leave anyone who laid eyes on it for the first time speechless. Stretching into the sky over dozens of floors, it was the place where all the grimoires detailing spells from the 1st to the 6th circle owned by the Windsors were gathered for everyone's use. Naturally, you wouldn't find the family's most secret spells there, but it was still one of the holiest places in the world of magic. Indeed, all magicians try to visit it at least once in their lives. Even those who had long passed the 7th circle. So permission had to be requested and several months had to be waited before having a chance to set foot in this gigantic library. Some even saw their access requests rejected.

The Azure Sky Mage Tower was thus a place where many magicians gathered daily. This was the reason for the presence of this crowd of people other than family members on the day of Adall's visit. The magicians present on the premises would never miss the opportunity to see with their own eyes the future head of the family known to be the most powerful in the world. So they all naturally gathered at the entrance of the tower to welcome him as soon as they learned of his imminent arrival.

Adall was a little unsettled by the presence of this crowd scrutinizing his every move since he got off the carriage, but any thought of it was automatically swept away by the wonder that the sight of this tower made him feel. He was tiny in comparison. This led him to wonder how many spellbooks existed in the world.

After a few minutes of greetings, Adall and the few members of his direct entourage finally entered the tower.