Golden Line

In a place ruled by silence, a figure covered by a cloak of darkness stared at three candles on a beautiful obsidian altar; only one of the candles was lit.

" Even after everything, you still seem to persist in making the same mistakes."

A man with long, silvery hair said, he approached and stared at the black figure's back.

There was no response.

"Just give up."

Then the man turned and left, stepping into the endless darkness.

A few seconds, minutes, or hours passed; the concept of time seemed confusing in this place.

The black figure opened his lips and said,

"Fulfill the contract, branded in red, or it will all be over."

//////////////

"Well, do you know what that mark could be?"

"Another thing I can't be sure of, since your arrival I feel like i'm not a wise archmage like i was think" Zeldan said as he scratched his beard. "A symbol with hands pressing an eye can mean a contract, the question is, a contract of what?"

"Looks like I'm fucked, really. I can't believe I'm actually paying off some ancestor's debt!" Vince said angrily

"This actually seems more valid; there are records of people offered their descendants as collateral for the demons and ancient gods."

Zeldan then searched for some books on a shelf. He simply made slight movements so that they would fall, but, instead of meeting the floor, the books would begin to levitate, the pages turning on their own, its tail moving the iris of the eye under its surface.

"But why did it only show up now?" said Vince

"Well there may be some plausible reasons, your core for example," he pointed to Vince's chest. "You look talented by the way; you are already too old to start in the magical arts and yet you made a core in less than 24 hours, just with theoretical descriptions, really talented, I thought you wouldn't take long for you ask for my help."

"Thanks for the compliment, Elder." Vince thanked him as he thought, 'Fuck, so after all I have talent, well, I thought it was too easy, hahaha, an archmage said I'm talented.'

"Do you have any idea what the trigger might be? Think about it, Vince," Zeldan said, his eyes showing that he must already have an idea.

'The trigger? "Definitely something related to my lack of mana."

Vince then thought of the black garden; when he got close to the big door, his chest burned in the same place that now hovered the red mark; back then, however, he couldn't use mana; there was just one different thing.

"My magical eyes were active, sucking all the mana out of my body and surroundings, probably preventing whatever that mark was from appearing."

"Exactly. Now the question is, what exactly does this brand do? After all, every magical contract is made for a benefit, he also being hereditary, just like the price you have to pay." Zeldan pointed to Vince's eyes and said, "Activate your eyes."

"Okay, but well... How do I do that?"

"Try to direct the mana from your Core to your eyes; now that you can feel it and have control over it, it shouldn't be difficult, even more so with you having used them all your life, it should come as something natural."

Vince then closed his eyes and focused on the etheric blue jewel that was forming in his mind. He could see a line of mana coming out of it and following a path to his eyes; he could feel the mana coursing through his entire body—a mysterious sensation.

His eyes then flashed purple, and something happened.

A golden line now appeared in his field of vision, extending out from the castle walls and leading somewhere his eyes couldn't reach.

In the next moment, a deep voice spoke in his ears, sounding like the rustle of a thousand bells.

"Fulfill the contract, branded in red, or it will all be over."

All the hairs on Vince's body stood up, and he looked everywhere for the origin of the voice but found nothing.

Zeldan, seeing the scene, said, "Then something really happened."

Vince then explained in a little more detail how his eyes worked, the lines he saw, the new golden line he had never seen before, and the voice that whispered in his ear.

"What interesting magical eyes! I've never heard about anything like this; something to do with prophecies? However, the ancient prophets could see pieces of the future, which was not your case, plus it has various functionalities, perfect vision, and something that can interfere with spells. As for the voice... it must be from the entity to which this contract is directed."

"Well, when you talk like that, it sounds really amazing."

"And it is, every peephole in fact, an organ that can perform a certain phenomenon with a small cost of mana; it does not take a deep knowledge to manifest its function; what envy."

"And that golden line... it points somewhere far away in this endless darkness, perhaps a way out or for something not so pleasant, after all it seems to be related to this unknown entity... well, I've died once; I'm willing to try my luck." Vince remembered

Vince stared at the golden line sticking out a window in Zeldan's lab and stretching out a gigantic distance, which he couldn't see the end of.

Zeldan crossed his arms, his expression serious.

"Well, I think it's worth investigating this, a new expedition..., I'll talk about it with Herman. We also need to wait for the return of the other elders to discuss it with them."

He then proceeded to piece together a stack of books, while uttering words like "Not yet," "I think he can understand this one, and "What nostalgia! I remember when I read that as a kid."

"Here they are, some readings to help you on the path of magic, and some basic spell tomes; if an expedition is made, you would be our guide and the key to it; In more dangerous areas your safety it would be difficult to guarantee, you are very weak after all."

Zeldan pushed the stack of books at him; Vince them looked at the book on top of the pille and read it aloud.

"Fundamentals of Elemental Magic, by Elman Shacrahad"

"Despite not having as much magical talent, this man was one of the greatest arcanists of his era, with really revolutionary ideas." Zerman waved for him to leave the room. "Now go read and visit the place; Sila, Bernard, and some others are annoying us tremendously to talk to you; I also have things to sort out."

"Thank you, elder."

Vince thanked him and left the room, a look full of desire for knowledge in his eyes.

//////////////

"You should let go of these books; now that you can feel the mana, the path of the aura is definitely the right choice!" said a beautiful young woman with gray skin. Her long white hair now hung loose, matching her beautiful obsidian horns.

"I'd like to agree, but since it was my sister who said it, maybe it's not a good choice," said the little boy next to him.

"What are you talking about, you damn dwarf? You're literally an aura user!" shouted Sila

"Well... Not by choice; if I were talented for magic, I would prefer a thousand times to fight in the back line shooting spells. By the way, don't you remember that time old Zeldan went out on an expedition? Seeing his spells fall was the scariest thing I've ever witnessed." Bernard said with a solemn look.

"Argh, weak bastard," Sila cursed, deep down knowing he was right.

"Well, why couldn't I learn both?" asked Vince

"Well, aura can be derivative of mana; it can start from the same principle of forming a nucleus, but it's completely different," Sila explained.

"When a core is formed, you can follow one of two paths: that of the mage or that of the knight. While mages form a circle around the core, knights pump their mana directly into your body, strengthening your soul and body."

"So there is no room left to record spells, and since the mana is not centered in one place, it becomes almost impossible to direct it to where it is recorded," Bernard added.

Vince understands these concepts better now due to the books provided by Zeldan; previously he wondered why knights didn't use magic, or mages the sword.

The truth is that to use a spell, there is a concept called "recording": you move the mana of your body so that it engraves certain lines and runes in its core, which when combined manifest a certain phenomenon known as a spell.

Why that happen? Well, that's one of the mysteries of magic.

"Not that it's completely impossible; I've read legends of the ancient magic knights, the elite of the elite, and I myself tried to be one, but honestly, it's impossible without direct guidance," sighed Sila.

The people of Red Castle were very well versed in history, writing, and various facts specific to certain areas of their interest; this was probably due to the fact that all accumulated knowledge was accessible here.

Every citizen of this settlement could enter his library and take out any book, which added to the little amount of entertainment of this place, the personal library of the ancient red angel, who was someone apparently in love with all kinds of knowledge, and the amount of manuscripts acquired from fallen cities, formed a literate population rich in knowledge

"That piece of metal you have, what does it do?" A nearby young man asked:

"Well, since Beltrand asked, I'm not going to pretend I'm not curious either," Bernard said.

"No problem, where I come from, this is a weapon made for short and medium range attacks; however, it is something made merely of materials derived from nature, without any enchantment, was made for mundane people, and is popular due to the low cost of production."

"Cost of production... Strange words. Is this one like a bow or a beast then? Is it possible to put aura?"

"I once asked a friend this, and he said it's hard to keep the aura coated in the bullet, even more so when you shoot; it's very easy to lose control. Maybe an aura user used to long-range weapons can, but I don't see why he would switch to that weapon when a bow becomes a cannon in his hands."

"Cannon! I've read about it; the ancient dwarves created several of them; they were a terror on the battlefield according to records," one person shouted.

"I get it. A no-enchantment device tailor-made for normal people. Could you show us how it works?" Beltrand asked

Vince had only 5 bullets left, but honestly, it didn't matter much since he could now learn magic, and looking at the eyes shining with curiosity of the people around him, he felt inhibited to demonstrate

He then, with a slight motion, opened the barrel and checked the bullets, closing it with a quick movement in sequence. He then got into position, supporting it with both hands, his feet nailed to the ground, and his shoulders arched with the intention of slowing the recoil.

Then he squeezed the trigger, a bang filling the room, and the bullet followed for a few feet, exploding an improvised arrow training target that was made with some branches.

"You know, thinking there's no aura to it somehow makes it a little scary," Bertrand said.

"Can it penetrate aura? Why don't we take the test? Sila might be the target this time," Bernard said with a mischievous smile.

"Um... I kind of want to know if I can actually..." Silas, surprisingly, agreed

"What! You idiot, and if this really get past your defense! Have you lost your mind?" shouted Bernard

'Haha, they really are brothers,' Vince thought, and then said, "It doesn't penetrate against aura users, you have to be lucky to catch them in some breach in their defenses, or when they're underestimating this little beauty, it doesn't work against experienced knights; it's just a common metal after all."

"I understand, but it's interesting all the same," said Bertrand, and continued, "Well, if you're going to follow the path of a wizard, you can ask me for advices. It's a pleasure to have you here, Vince," he held out his hand for a squeeze.

"The pleasure is all mine," Vince said, then shook his hand.

In a way, this place reminds him of when he entered the army, the various young cadets he met, and the officers trying to pass on confidence. When bad memories began to emerge, he quickly erased them.

"Well, since you offered help, I wonder if you can help me with this; I was reading about the texts of the magus Shacrahad and wanted to ask if..."

//////////////

In a room lit by a faint light, Vince stared at a paper with several inscriptions and runes covering its length.

'Time to record my first spell, and consequently my first circle', he licked his lips due to his anxiety, 'first I need to sing the charm; it helps me connect with the memories of the world and makes it easier to form the circle.

"Bright light that illuminates the night of men, I ask you to guide me through the darkness."

After repeating once, he felt his mana churn in his core. The sea is now full of waves.

"Bright light that illuminates the night of men, I ask you to guide me through the darkness."

The second time he began to imagine the formulation of the matrix, it was mysterious and ethereal, being recorded under the waves in its core.

"Bright light that illuminates the night of men, I ask you to guide me through the darkness."

When he repeated it for the third time, the waters of the river became static, with a blue circle shining over her.

Vince felt this circle expand until it covered its core and then pierce through it, circling around him like a satellite.

He then pronounced it for the fourth time.

"Bright light that illuminates the night of men, I ask you to guide me through the darkness."

Then he moved his hands instinctively,

Blue lines appeared, writhing until they formed a blue circle with mysterious patterns,

From this circle, a small, glowing ball of light emerged,

That bright light reflecting in the purple of his eyes.

That was his first spell.