The study room of Chairman Siley was towering with bookshelves groaning under the weight of ancient tomes, their leather bindings etched with runes that pulsed faintly in the dim light.
A massive oak desk dominated the center, cluttered with scrolls, inkwells, and a glowing orb that cast a soft, eerie blue across the room.
Siley sat hunched over a pile of papers, his bald head gleaming, his dark eyes narrowed in concentration, his mind a labyrinth of plans and power plays, the room's silence broken only by the scratch of his quill.
A ripple of air disturbed the stillness, and Dorotte materialized before the desk, his green eyes glinting with a quiet urgency.
Siley didn't look up, his quill moving steadily, his focus unbroken.
Dorotte reached into his robe, retrieving a manual bound in scaled leather, its cover embossed with the faint outline of a sword and serpent, and placed it on the desk with a soft thud.
Siley's thick fingers seized the manual, his eyes flicking to its cover before he opened it, his heart stirring with curiosity, his mind diving into its pages.
He read cover to cover, pausing at intricate diagrams of runic arrays, his brow creasing in thought, his dark eyes widening at revelations, his heart alight with enlightenment at times.
"The Branded Swordsman is really an eye-opener to the legacy of ancient Magi wisdom," he said, his tone rich with respect, his eyes lifting to meet Dorotte's, "But it needs a lot of work."
"I have full confidence in Leylin's ability to complete the branding research."Dorotte's skeletal face remained impassive.
"May I ask how did it go, Chairman?"
Instead of answering, Siley leaned back, his chair creaking, his voice a sly drawl, "He's in my meditation room, preparing to break through after studying the meditation techniques."
His dark eyes glinted, his bald head tilting, his heart amused by Dorotte's investment, his mind probing the professor's motives.
Dorotte's bony fingers twitched, his voice soft but pressing, "Which one did he pick?"
Siley's lips curled into a knowing smile, his voice warm with mischief, "The one you wanted him to."
He met Dorotte's gaze, his heart entertained by the professor's rare vulnerability.
"I've never seen you so restless, Dorotte, in the 126 years I've known you," he added, his tone teasing.
Dorotte's green eyes dimmed, his voice low, heavy with conviction, "It's a matter I've spent a long time on."
His heart ached with the weight of his century-long service in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy
Siley's grin faded, his voice a blunt acknowledgment, "I know full well. You're the only professor currently serving after your hundred-year contract."
Dorotte's voice softened, "I don't have anywhere else to go."
Siley's eyes gleamed, his voice a sharp challenge, "Oh, I beg to differ. You've got a certain inheritance to explore your path to Rank 2, don't you?"
His tone was laced with mockery, his heart probing Dorotte's secrets.
Dorotte's silence was heavy, his heart guarded, his mind resolute, but his voice was firm, "At first, I just wanted a student to carry my legacy, but Leylin… he's different."
Siley snorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "More useful, you mean."
"If I am not wrong your innate spell's like the Coil Skin Veil of Serpent's Requiem?" His tone was mocking, his heart certain of the connection.
Dorotte's skeletal frame tensed, his silence an admission, but Siley pressed on, his voice a sly accusation, "You want him to practice Serpent's Requiem because it'll push him to hunt the next level. And since your innate spell's similar, his breakthrough could give you a shot at Rank 2, too."
Dorotte's voice was calm, resolute, "It'll help him, too. It's for the best."
Siley's replied, "Yeah, two's better than one. Who knows what you'll face out there?"
His tone hardened, his voice a stern warning, "I don't care about your thoughts, Dorotte, but Leylin's part of my plan now. I don't want him dying before I've made proper use of him." His dark eyes bored into Dorotte, his aura sharpening, the manual's pages still, as if sealed by his command.
Dorotte inclined his head, his voice submissive but firm, "I understand, sir."
"Even if you can acquire the spell what would you fo about the reagent? you need something more potent that Grine Water to breakthrough."
"I don't know yet but I'll cross that bridge later."
"Suit yourself, you may leave." Siley turned back his attention to his papers as he waved his hands.
....
In the meditation room, a sanctum hidden deep within Siley's castle, Leylin sat cross-legged on a stone dais, the air humming with elemental energy, the floor etched with intricate runes that glowed with a soft, silvery light, amplifying the room's arcane aura.
The walls, carved from obsidian, shimmered with embedded crystals, the room alive with the pulse of a Magi tower concealed within the castle's heart, a fact Leylin had only just uncovered, his heart alight with awe. He has only heard of Magi Tower, he never entered one before.
An elemental pool bubbled in the tower uppermost floor, its surface rippling with liquid fire and shadow, its energy feeding the runes, the room a crucible for Leylin's breakthrough, his body tense with anticipation, his ambition a steady flame.
For days, Leylin had immersed himself in the Serpent's Requiem, its leather-bound manual open before him, its pages dense with runic scripts and diagrams of serpentine energy flows, his heart racing with each revelation, his mind absorbing the technique's promise.
He'd crafted potions from Dylan Garden's plants—Moonshade Elixir to bolster his spiritual force, Alpha Daisy's Essence to stabilize his mind, and Starbloom Tincture to enhance his elemental affinity—their vials now empty on a stone table, their bitter aftertaste lingering.
Leylin inscribed strange runes around the dais, their jagged lines glowing crimson, the room's darkness element aura intensifying, the pool's ripples quickening.
Leylin began his breakthrough, his breathing aligning with the Serpent's Requiem's rhythm, his voice rising in a chant, its cadence a haunting melody that echoed through the room, each syllable weaving his soul into the technique's embrace,
"By serpent's coil, my soul ignite,
In shadows deep, I claim my might.
Through blood and darkness, my veil is spun,
Requiem's call, my will is one."
The chant filled the room, the runes flaring, the elemental pool surging, the air crackling with arcane energy, Leylin's body trembling as his spiritual force surged, his sea of consciousness expanding, a qualitative leap reshaping his essence, his heart soaring with the power, his mind a beacon in the void.
Mysterious phenomena erupted within him—his soul pulsed with a dark shadow, a coiling presence that whispered tales of ancient times, its form flickering like a phantom, the air shimmering with ethereal scales that coated his body, a serpent's hide glowing faintly before fading, his heart awed by the vision, his mind grappling with its meaning, the room's crystals flaring brighter, the pool's liquid swirling violently, as if echoing his transformation.
A barrier formed around him, the Coil Skin Veil, its translucent surface opposing the room's ambient energy, capable of deflecting physical and magical damage, the runes on the dais pulsing in sync, the elemental pool calming, the room's arcane aura softening, a testament to his success.
The Coil Skin Veil required only a single unit of magical power and spiritual force, allowing Leylin to keep it active indefinitely, his heart lifting with the realization, his mind clear on its defensive strength, the room's moonlight bathing him in a silvery glow, his body now radiating the aura of a Rank 1 Magus, his breakthrough complete.
Leylin opened his eyes, they had a reddish hue, his brown hair falling across his shoulders, his green-black robe shimmering faintly.
"Now I can learn Rank 1 spells, and with my stock of Black Horrall Snake blood using bloodline assimilation I would quickly reach peak rank 1."