A hidden secret

Chu sat on a chair gazing out of the open window. From the room allocated to him within the larger inner tower, he witnessed the scurrying of heads below. In the distance, loomed the high, unblemished walls of the city as it snaked around to embrace Limerock. The aging summer sun hung overhead while shedding its excessive warmth.

His hand unconsciously raised up to wipe the fine beads from his forehead. The action roused him from his reverie. Looking down on the square wooden table, his eyes focused on the rectangular slip. The coin-sized circle in the middle remained empty but within the rectangular border, lay little black dots. As if someone had scattered ink on the talisman, the sparse black blots, that could be counted on two hands, indicated his worth as a mage.

"According to Senior Norivak, I require at least a hundred of these stars to even begin to cast a simple light spell. Even if I want to double the size of one of these ink dots, it involves countless resources and time. Like the first car owner of a remote village, I would end up being my own driver, mechanic, and electrician. What a pain."

Chu muttered. After his conversation a few days ago in that subterranean chamber, he gained some useful knowledge.

Very useful.

The first thing Chu did when he exited underground was head into the city. Accompanied by Ming, the two of them circled around visiting the different churches. That day, he had removed a load from his shoulders. Sure enough, the larger churches offered services to cast a blood oath of soul secrecy. The markings on the stone altar also seemed familiar like the one in the chamber.

"Patrons, many followers use this seal during their lives. We have nobles, merchants, even husbands, and wives. A blood oath of secrecy is universal."

"How much does it cost and can it also be removed?"

"It costs sixty gold coins to perform the service but we can offer a discount if its both of you. A person can have only one seal, however, and it remains with them for life."

"Fifty gold? Wow Chu, you got a sweet deal."

Later that day, Ming found a small church in the slums and donated a few coppers. The priest willingly repeated the chant for the seal, confirming it had been the same. They ended the day whispering in a corner booth of a tavern.

"I know you're thirsty for knowledge but you have to move carefully Chu. Mages seem like true defenders of evil but I have a funny feeling that something is off."

Chu nodded. This guy remained insightful as ever, yet only in certain aspects.

"I borrowed two silvers from Elder last week. Some fellows partnered up with a bar owner and I lost a bet. That's the last time that will happen, I plan on asking Lucy and Miki to help pay them a visit. Ah, here he is, hey Gar! Over here."

Ming waved over to the far counter at the bar to a large dark-skinned figure who had just entered. The man turned his gaze slowly towards them while narrowing his eyes. On recognizing the greeter, he grabbed his tankard and trotted across.

"Well, well, if it isn't little Ming. I heard someone finally pulled a fast one on you at Lily's by the south gate. Didn't Sal warn you that night?"

"Haha, forget it, forget it, let's not talk about it. Hey, I need a favor, my friend here just swore a blood oath of secrecy. Since it's my first time seeing it, I want to compare his mark with someone for fun. That drink and a second tankard are on me."

"Haha, you have some strange quirks but no problem, I have one from a time our mercenary group worked with a merchant. Since it's you, just buy me one tankard but keep your hands off my chest."

After a round of ale and chatter, the three of them confirmed the seals looked the same. Before he left, Gar offered them additional advice.

"If you ever decide to place a seal, or even have one then visit any Church of Descendants. For ten coppers, they can cast a blessing and inform you of the type of seal you have. A Blessing spell also protects you, making sure you can only receive a seal where no one will control your life."

"Well, that's valuable information. Too bad I didn't know it before receiving this seal. Let's head there next."

Chu muttered when Gar left them. They asked around and then visited the church which in the end dispelled any lingering fears Chu had remaining. The two of them made a quick stop at a blacksmith and finally returned to the academy. Before they parted, however, he grabbed the back of Ming's departing cloak.

"Not so fast, don't feel I forgot. Tell me about where you lost my two silvers, you damn squanderer."

***

When a Scribe graduates to becoming an Apprentice, they learn the meditation incantations to gather mana into their bodies. They also receive their first spell scroll--the spell of light and also mana increasing pills. When an Apprentice passes another extensive exam and has improved his Star Field significantly, he then becomes a Mage.

On initiation, he visits the subterranean chamber where he receives a seal, especially for mages. He then has access to spells like fireball. At this time, these new mages are sent to the forts guarding the exit below the North Pass for the experience. After serving there for some time, they either make the trip into the pass to the Northern Battlements or return to Frost or Limerock city to build on meditation and knowledge.

"Who would have thought a mage was like a bird trapped in an invisible cage."

Chu muttered while scooping a small handful of sand, into a cloth rag. Using the sandy rag, he began polishing a quartz crystal about four inches in diameter.

"Mage Norivak said the library has all sorts of information about incantations and even some for spells. As long as I don't share them with any man outside the tower, my seal won't activate. The Blood oath of secrecy isn't really for that though."

Chief Mage Slovac had figured from Chu's questioning that possibly the boy wanted to become a legendary mage. Because of this, he allowed Mage Norivak to divulge a few of the secrets which even some Mages weren't privy to.

When one became an Apprentice, he earned the right to pill supplements from the Tower. The Tower maintained its grip as the sole provider for some of those pills for a reason.

They functioned like nicotine and cocaine.

Like a moth ever so drawn to the flame, apprentices and mages never settled down far from the Tower. The addiction might take a year or two to manifest but eventually, the pill popper returned. All branches of the Tower in towns and cities served as distribution outlets.

Even worse, upon graduation, a mage in closed-door meditation used incense to aid in relaxing the body and calming the mind. The stimulation doubled the effects of mana recuperation and also boosted mana capacity over time. Such remarkable assistance came with a price.

An increase in thoughts relating to magic meant using space occupied by useless memories. As a mage gradually aged and grew stronger, thoughts of kin, parents, family, and relations gradually dissipated. That's why the Tower encouraged apprentices and young mages to marry and even set up the Book and Herb divisions. An old mage might only remember he had a wife when she came and dragged him out of research or meditation by the ear.

"The road of a mage is a lonely one, confined to battle or research. The reason why apprentices and young mages move freely in Limerock is that the Tower owes them this much. This life is not for you."

Mage Norivak had stated.

Since Chu received Heaven's Gift, the Tower could not tie him down from the people.

The power and fear of the Heavens had saved him from becoming a junkie.

Mage Norivak had been surprised when Chu took very little time to grasp the situation, but then again the boy did carry a mind blessed by the Heavens. The boy was free to roam anywhere under the Heavens, so long as he didn't die or become affected because of Tower interference. The Tower, Church, and high ranking officials of the Empire preferred to let the inventions such as the windmill and clock filter through gradually to the common folk.

Fear of the Heavens had prevented them from housing him in a dungeon to toil endlessly but fear of the populace stopped them from revealing his brilliance. Even an idiot in power would not dare to raise and nurture a rival. The glimpses into the future by intelligent men on the uses of the clock ensured that the Tower keep a neutral stance when concerning this boy.

Chu held the position of a gemstone no one dared to handle.

At least for now.

The secret into the collective addiction of the mages which hampered them from seeking personal interest and the insight of his position in the eyes of the ones in power earned him some sleepless nights. On paper he accumulated vast wealth but who knows if chest loads of gold or sharks would return from his agreements.

"Poor, still poor. All I can count on is from goblin trade."

He blew the dust from the quartz he had ground over the past weeks. The clear glass had not been invented. Since Chu had no idea about the process, he hit upon another means. Recalling the miner, Senior Pick, laboring on grinding and polishing the gemstones, he purchased a cheap but large clear quartz crystal. He then commissioned a jeweler to grind it into the shape of a flatted egg. His end produced resulted in a crude lens.

In his hands, Chu held the weakest ever, magnifying lens.

"Mage Norivak said I would first feel pain whenever I think about revealing something to activate the seal. He never said I could not learn magic on my own, nor could I not teach it to girls. All I need, for now, is someone close to me to learn how to activate a talisman using mana."

Chu thought in his mind. He wiped his new lens which he planned to gift to mage Norivak for all his assistance. In the coming months, he planned to weasel some more information out of the old guy. He had begun to wrap the lens in a clean cloth when he frowned.

"The Star Field on a talisman is absolute."

His hands shook as he reached into a sleeve and removed a talisman. Placing it on the table near the window, he saw the empty sun circle in the middle, and the eight or nine pen dots, scattered on both sides. Chu reached for the lens and moved it along the talisman while peering closely. As if the clouds covering a night sky had suddenly vanished, a Universe appeared filled with small twinkling stars.

Chu fumbled for a minute while dropping on the chair. His lips quivered as he breathed softly.

"The Star Field on a talisman is absolute."

"I need to find myself an Alchemist..."

****