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C618 - Mage Core

Leonel had no idea what was happening on the outside. How could he? Even if someone was knocking on his door at this very moment, he wouldn't hear it.

The more he studied the Force Law Art, the greater his comprehension became. Every so often, he would test this by, somewhat ironically, buffing the protections on his little room. This only made it even more unlikely for him to hear what was going on.

Even if the whole of the freshman quarters fell to an earthquake, it was very likely that Leonel would be left unharmed. He might not even be able to tell that such a thing was happening to begin with.

Leonel completely immersed himself in the world of Camelot's magic system. He made one discovery after another. He almost felt like a kid who had gone back to grade school. The rapid changes in his thought process almost left him in awe.

He realized then that he was actually forming a way of thought.

All throughout one's formative years, maybe what was most important wasn't what you learned, but how you learned it. What was more important than how much you knew, was they way you had come to understand it all.

Unfortunately, too often, methods of thought were extremely high level classes left to youths who had already had their minds molded. By then, it was often too late to change much of anything.

But at this moment, Leonel felt that he was in a unique position. Not only was he aware of the importance of this method of thought, but he was also simultaneously in the position of a youth learning everything for the first time.

He immediately realized that this was yet another opportunity. And, maybe just as quickly, he realized what the corner stone for his method of thought should be.

There were two factors: flexibility and foundation.

As described before, Camelot's magic system was bottom up. Rather than constructing new spells for every use case, what it instead did was build upon existing spells to create new, more powerful and more useful ones.

One might wonder how this might be different from other magic systems. Well, one could take, for example, Leonel's Morales family's Metal Synergy Lineage Factor. This alone could be constituted as its own magic system, this one reliant on the absorption of metals. One could build an entire civilization on this concept alone.

These two magic systems were similar in that they both relied on setting strong foundations. Leonel could build new affinities for himself, but he had to start from the bottom and work his way up. In this way, the two were very similar.

However, where they differed was in their flexibility. The foundational pieces of Camelot's magic system could be easily swapped and weren't as rigid as the Morales family's.

If Leonel started building a Space affinity for himself, he couldn't just discard it for the sake of a Time affinity. In Camelot's system, though, if Leonel began to build his way toward an extremely powerful Fire Mage Art, swapping out its foundational pieces would be as easy as thinking it.

One might think that this wasn't a fair comparison. After all, one was a Mage Art that could be deployed and retrieved at will while the latter was a body cultivation art that was in perpetual action.

But, Leonel felt that this was an improper way to think about it, especially the more he studied Camelot's magic system.

Leonel believed that the best way to maximize this magic system was to focus on the Element you had affinity with an slowly build a massive spell structure over time. This spell structure would combine all the lowest level spells you had the highest compatibility with to form the strongest Mage Art you could cast.

If one looked at it this way, with the spell being a lifelong partner that could be refined over several decades, to centuries, to even millennia… Then was it really so different?

Leonel believed that if given enough time, Camelot would have eventually stumbled onto this truth as well. They already had the foundation and this was obviously the most logical next step.

'Yes… This is the right path, the most optimal path for this magic system… I'll call it… Mage Core.'

Mage Core…

As a young mage, one would begin to form this Mage Core within one's Ethereal Glabella. Not much unlike the Spear Embryo within Leonel's, one would nurture and help foster the growth of this Mage Core.

One would begin with the lowest level basic spells and build upward, eventually constructing an ultimate spell unique to yourself.

This was the basic idea Leonel settled upon after the second hour concluded. But, by the time he got to the fourth, it evolved once again. By the time a half day had passed, the concept of this Mage Core had been morphed once more.

All the while, Force Elements were slowly congealing within Leonel's Ethereal Glabella.

At first, it was a sphere. But, it began to slowly change, growing a stem, and eventually beautiful twinkling leaves.

As the hours and eventually days ticked by, a gorgeous multi-colored flower had bloomed within Leonel's mind.

Its stem was a swirl of colors that eventually opened to a budding rose.

It had one petal that flickered with a deep crimson, licks of fire dancing across its surface.

It had another petal that seemed white on first inspection, but had a delicate blue hue to it. It twinkled like the finest stars in the sky.

Yet another petal was a radiant gold. Yet, unlike the heavy metal, it waved in the wind, looking more flexible than the lightest feather.

The final petal was a deep black. Its every movement caused the space around it to crack and fold. How it managed to stay in place without shattering the delicate flower to pieces was a wonder of nature.

Leonel felt that calling this a Mage Core was no longer appropriate. However, he chose to stick with it, not knowing how this budding flower might choose to change in the future.

On that day, almost half a month after he first entered meditation, Leonel expelled a long breath and opened his eyes.

At that moment, a swirl of Force shot toward him, inadvertently shattering his protections.

A massive cyclone formed overhead, throwing the freshman quarters into another upheaval.

Leonel's Mage Core rose within his Ethereal Glabella, finding a home amidst his three rotating Stars.

To be continued