"My brother will never agree. Our ancestral grimoire is considered an aberration, and its contents are forbidden in our community," Elysia answered, awakening Adam's curiosity.
He never considered the content, as he only needed the lingering power of the grimoire. But her words piqued his interest. He gazed at her, signalling he was eager to hear more about it.
"It contains the research of my ancestor, Selene Sunfire." She started, her chest puffed with pride and her eyes glowing. "He made many groundbreaking researches on living bodies and anatomies. However, as he delved deeper into this field, he researched death in parallel, trying to mix it with life."
She paused briefly, recalling her father's stories, biting her lips. Selene single-handedly elevated their family but almost destroyed it later.
"He created many abominations in his quest for knowledge before completing his ritual, the culmination of centuries of research. However, before he could use it, the royal family swiftly condemned him to death. Labelled as a heretic, his research was destroyed, and our family was almost extinguished.
To survive, we had to swear an oath not to pursue his aspirations and change our surname." She recounted, sadness clouding her eyes.
She was old enough to understand that the official narrative of an old story couldn't be entirely trusted and that there were always two versions.
As the silence engulfed the classroom, Adam reflected on her story. What were the abominations created, and what were the effects of the ritual? Maybe Elysia herself didn't know.
"However, unbeknownst to the royal family, Selen hid a grimoire recording his research, sweat and blood, tasking his descendant to retrieve and hide it until someone living on the borders of life and death needed it. That's why no one ever opened it in the past seven thousand years." She ended the story, hope filling her eyes.
They had been guarding this book generation after generation, hoping to meet that person and finally discover the hidden history behind their family's past downfall.
Ever since Shepard offered the ghost an apprenticeship, she regarded him as the potential man they were waiting for. After all, he fitted the description perfectly. That's why she put so much effort into getting it. She could gain a talented apprentice in the worst case or hit two birds with one stone in the best.
"When can you get it?" Adam asked, his eyes glowing fiercely at the prospect of learning lost knowledge.
"I need time to convince my brother. Worst case, I'll try to steal it in a few months." She answered, scratching her hair in frustration. No matter what she said or offered, he refused to listen, making her feel powerless.
Adam's brows furrowed in response. He was tight on time.
"Try to get it as soon as possible, but don't try anything dangerous alone," he answered, unwilling to see anyone commit a crime for him.
Elysia nodded before saying, "If my brother doesn't agree after six months, I'll contact you to consider our options."
After agreeing, the duo bid her goodbye and hurriedly went to the college's Gate.
"You are late," Shepard said, gazing at them in annoyance. His time was too valuable to be wasted waiting for others.
"Sorry, we can go now," Julius answered apologetically as he noticed the dean's formal attire. Gone were his impressive colourful robes. Instead, he wore a lavish golden one adorned with many decorations and brooches depicting his achievement in the world of magic and rank in nobility.
Adam gazed in interest as Shepard operated complex magic devices to set the coordinates. Then, he grabbed both of them by the shoulder and swiftly walked through the mystical veil of mana covering the immense structure.
Mana buzzed in the duo's ears as a sickening sensation gripped them by the stomach.
After a short moment, they opened their eyes, greeted by a totally different landscape.
They gazed in shock at the verdant island. Forests, lakes, a small mountain, everything was present. But the shocking part was that it was floating amidst the clouds!
In the middle, they noticed a magnificent building adorned with large glasses reaching to the sky.
"Welcome to Tempest's Hold," Shepard said, shadows covering his face as his hand trembled slightly.
He guided the duo to the entrance before swiftly turning back, transforming into grey smoke, and hurriedly flying towards the Gate under the duo's shocked gazes.
Adam shook his head with a wry smile. Shepard warned him he had no intention of mingling with archmages and that he would only set the meeting.
"Let's go, Julius." He said before the boy pushed the door open with a resolved expression.
As they entered, the luxurious appearance of the hall dazzled them. It exuded an aura of opulence, with its polished marble floors and intricately carved wooden panels. The subdued color palette of rich purple and gold accents added an air of sophistication while plush velvet draperies adorned the tall windows, casting a warm, inviting glow throughout the space.
After taking their surroundings in, Adam noticed a woman seated on an elegant throne. Her purple eyes locked with his and her lips curled into a welcoming smile as she fiddled with strands of golden hair.
Her purple robes fluttered as she stood and said, "Welcome to my domain. I'm Archmage Vivian Zestra. To what do I owe the visit of a kid and a ghost?" Her voice melodiously echoed in the hall as Julius' legs trembled and his teeth clattered.
Despite the distance separating them, he felt the enormous life force exuded by the beautiful woman, scarring him witless.
As his legs were about to give in, a firm hand gripped him by the shoulder, stabilising his posture.
"I'm Adam, and I came here to borrow your archmage sigil." His firm tone reverberated across the room as he added, "State what you want in exchange."
In response, Vivian's smile reached her ears. However, her eyes turned ice cold. What kind of farce was played before her eyes?