“So what does that mean?” Samuel asked the clerk with interest.

He glanced down at the bowl, then back up at the clerk, wondering at the man’s reaction. He was pleased to find that he was indeed capable of channeling and using his mana on his own, something that was said to be the basic skill needed for all magic. Yet the clerk was acting as if what Samuel had just done was unheard of.

“Hello?” Samuel asked, tentatively. He was briefly tempted to wave his hand in front of the clerk’s face but decided that was too rude. So instead he compromised by clearing his throat loudly.

The clerk seemed to snap back to reality, though his face was still pale and his eyes wide. He pointed at Samuel, his face flooding once more with color so that he looked flushed. “Stay there!”

Samuel opened his mouth to complain or question, but the other man was already turning away, running off towards one of the doors leading off from the entry hall. He threw the same command over his shoulder as he hurled the door open and disappeared through it. “Stay right there!”

Samuel looked at Shigeru, perplexed, and uncharacteristically at a loss for words. The tall foreigner could only shrug in reply. Like Samuel, he thought the clerk’s reaction was strange, but he imagined they’d gain answers soon. His look told Samuel to be patient and let the problem resolve itself.

Samuel pursed his lips more thoughtfully as he half glanced at Grimr, who had just hopped onto the clerk’s empty desk and was now circling the bowl, staring at it intently. Samuel was beginning to sense a pattern with Grimr. Whenever the cat showed interest in something, it was shortly revealed to be much more extraordinary than expected. Samuel tried not to think about how Grimr seemed to be showing interest in him lately.

“Do you know what is happening, Grimr?” Samuel asked, forgetting once again to say the question in thought-form. He glanced around surreptitiously to make sure there were no people watching.

I have a theory. Grimr said slowly, as if unsure of his words. But I want it confirmed for me before I share it.

Samuel felt that the reply raised even more questions for him, but he didn’t push the matter. As much as he hated having an unanswered riddle before him, he held his peace and waited for the clerk to return. It turned out that he didn’t have to wait long.

The sound of pounding feet attracted his attention and broke him out of his troubled thoughts. Surprisingly, they came from the hallway leading off to the left, from the opposite direction. Samuel looked just in time to see the clerk come into sight at a run, gasping for breath and sweating profusely, his deep red robes askew. Stopping to catch his breath, he hurriedly straightened them and gestured someone who was out of sight forward.

An elderly man in white robes came from the hallway, entering the entry hall with a slightly harassed look upon his face. He was directing this look mostly at the clerk, and it was obvious that the reason for his summons had yet to be explained. At least he wasn’t the only one waiting on an explanation, Samuel thought.

The clerk led the man to the desk, and it was only then that Samuel recognized the older man. It was the same figure he’d seen outside in the courtyard, and now that he was closer, the black trim and fancy stitching of his robes were more obvious. His earlier theory about the man’s high rank seemed to be confirmed now, judging by how the clerk deferred to him, almost sycophantically.

The elder man glanced from the clerk, then over to where Samuel, Shigeru, and Grimr were waiting. His eyes focused for the briefest of moments on Grimr, then slid over the other two without much interest.

“What is the meaning of this, Proficient Viktor?” The man said in a voice much deeper and stronger than his slender frame had indicated.

“Archmage, you must come to meet this recruit. He’s…. an odd one.” Viktor offered no other explanation, seeming to want the man to discover the truth for himself.

Archmage? Samuel’s eyebrows went up in surprise. So this was one of the strongest and well-studied mages in the entire Mage’s Guild? It was rumored that there were only ever seven Archmages at a time. He knew from some reading in the past that Archmages was appointed to the position for life, and it was the highest possible rank within the Guild. Archmages were revered for their intellect, knowledge, and skill, even outside of the Guild.

The Archmage gave a deep sigh of exasperation and crossed to the desk. He looked once more at Grimr, and Samuel thought he detected some significance to the look. Then he stood on the opposite side of his desk, and took in Samuel, studying him from head to toe. The expression of irritation he’d worn quickly changed to confusion, then to suspicion. His eyes narrowed, and Samuel had the vague sense that he wasn’t looking at him, but studying something outside of his body.

Resisting the sudden urge to shudder, he held himself a little straighter and forced himself to meet the man’s eyes. There was something about the Archmage’s gaze, Samuel thought. It was calculating, almost appraising. Then the old man looked down at the ledger, and he relaxed a little.

“Oh.” The Archmage said as he noticed the glass bowl. He picked it up with his hands and peered at it closely, then put it back down and looked at the ledger.

“Oh.”

He looked up from the ledger, returning his gaze to Samuel’s face. He scanned him from head to toe again, and Samuel felt like he was being subjected to more than physical sight. Almost unconsciously, he looked down at his body as well and realized that the faint swirl of colors was still present around his body, a deep vibrant violet that still carried a few flecks of white.

“Oh.”

That was three times he’d said that word, Samuel thought. Either he was the kind of man that said very little, or he was struck just as speechless as the clerk was. The Archmage opened his mouth to speak, seemed to consider his words, glanced at Grimr then back to Samuel, then closed it firmly, seeming to come to a decision.

“Mister Samuel Bragg.” He spoke in a carefully measured tone. “Please follow me to my office. There has been a, uh, problem with your admission. We just need to confirm a few details.”

Nonplussed, Samuel looked to Shigeru for his opinion. The warrior seemed to be watching Grimr rather closely, clearly just as curious about his reaction as Samuel had been. Then, catching the young lord’s eyes on him, he nodded, once. Let’s see what he has to say, the expression seemed to say. Still unsure of his ground but determined to satisfy his curiosity, Samuel shrugged and gestured for the old man to lead the way.

The Archmage moved off at once, sweeping back towards the hallway he’d entered from, with the two young men and the cat in tow. They walked briskly, almost trotting as they attempted to keep up with the fast pace of the old man. The mage seemed to be full of purpose and a lively energy that belied his age. He showed no sign of breathing heavily as he swept up several flights of stairs and down many twisting corridors, but Samuel was soon out of breath and crested the top of the last flight clutching a stitch in his side.

They appeared to be at the top of one of the towers Samuel had noticed. There were several ornate windows around them, displaying a rather stunning view of the grassy courtyards around the Guild. They had just reached an equally ornate door, carved out of what looked like black marble. It looked much too heavy for him to move, let alone a feeble old man, but the Archmage pushed it open with apparent ease. Shigeru followed closely with Grimr at his heels, and Samuel brought up the rear.

The door began to close as soon as the older man had passed it, and Samuel began to reach out to hold it open so that he could slip through. When he put his hand on the surface, however, the door continued to swing in with tremendous weight and force, and Samuel just barely managed to hop out of the way in time. It closed with a soft click, surprising Samuel, who was sure it was going to slam shut with a cacophonous boom. He stared at the door in fascination for several seconds, then hurriedly turned to where the older man was seating himself at his desk.

“Please, seat yourselves,” he said, gesturing to the open space across from him. As he waved his hand, three comfortable chairs appeared out of thin air, settling themselves on the smooth stone floor without a sound. “This is my office. Nobody will overhear what we say here.”

Samuel gave a brief nod and settled himself in the middle chair, curious as to why the mage didn’t want them to be overheard. Shigeru sat gracefully to his right, and Grimr hopped onto the chair to his left. Samuel wondered idly why a chair had been summoned for the cat. Had he expected Grimr to sit down if the spot was open? Then again, cats were known for claiming any soft spot left open too long.

“Now, before we go any further, I must show my manners,” the Archmage spoke, drawing Samuel’s eyes to him. “Welcome back to Milagre, Master Grimr. I am pleased to see you.”

More than a little shocked, Samuel glanced to where Grimr was perched without meaning to. Had they said Grimr’s name? No, he was sure they hadn’t. Then he realized, with another shock, that Grimr was now in his human form, leaning back in the chair with one leg propped over an arm. The lazy position reminded Samuel forcefully of a cat, which, he supposed, was only to be expected.

“It has been a long time, Lucian,” Grimr said in his deep, raspy growl of a voice. “You’ve aged quite a bit since I last saw you.”

A bitter smile crossed the old man’s face. “Well, that’s only to be expected. I was still a relatively young man when you left. Nearly forty years ago, I recall, yet you look exactly the same. I guess Ancient’s don’t age much, do they?”

To Samuel’s surprise, an equally bitter expression crossed Grimr’s face. “They don’t age at all, young Lucian, as you very well know.”

Suddenly, a thought struck Samuel with the weight of several falling bricks. He turned to the man behind the desk. “Lucian? You aren’t Lucian Peran, are you?”

The Archmage let out a heavy sigh. “Normally people put Archmage before my name, Samuel Bragg. But considering your new calling, I’ll let it pass.”

“You’re the one who wrote that journal entry about trying to find Arcana,” Samuel said, leaning forward. “Aren’t you?”

There was a long pause, seeming to last several minutes to Samuel. He gripped the arms of his chair in an effort to keep himself still and stop the flow of questions he wanted to unleash. Lucian was staring at him evenly, seeming to size him up, as he had done several floors below.

“I should have expected Marie to never throw that parchment away,” Lucian said with a heavy sigh. “Yes, it is true that I once sought Arcana. A foolish man I was then, full of greed for knowledge and power.”

Samuel thought back to what Arcana had said during their strange visit. Mortals are very greedy creatures. They sensed my potent mana, and were determined to seize it for their own gain. He wondered briefly if Lucian Peran was one of those who sought Arcana for his own greed. If an Archmage like Lucian had been unable to find Arcana, would Samuel really be able to do it? He was a mortal human just like the old man who now looked at him with a slightly wistful expression.

“So you never found Arcana?” Samuel asked, trying to keep his tone politely interested. “Your entry sounded like you were nowhere close to finding where he lay hidden.”

“Arcana?” Shigeru broke the awkward silence, turning between Lucian and Samuel. “Who is this person you speak of?”

Samuel expected Lucian to explain to some degree, but it was Grimr that spoke up. “Arcana is not a person. He is the embodiment of knowledge, a former divine that has been trapped in Mundus since the beginning of time.”

That gave Samuel a pause. “Arcana is a god?” he spluttered.

Grimr blinked at him, a coy smirk playing around the edges of his mouth. “He was a god. He had a body once when he descended to the mortal plane, but that has long since gone. I imagine he’s rather bored, trapped in that cave with no chance to learn more.”

Samuel nodded in understanding without meaning to. He could understand the feeling. It was very common to how he felt living in Harlest. His inability to travel and learn more stories had been a constant thorn in the side. Having to put up with that for thousands of years couldn’t have been easy, he thought. Then Grimr’s words fully sank in, and Samuel understood their meaning.

“You know where Arcana is, Grimr?” Samuel asked, staring fixedly at the small figure sprawled on the wooden chair.

Grimr seemed to consider his response for several long moments. To Samuel, it felt like a lifetime had passed in those few seconds. Even Shigeru was leaning forward to stare at his traveling companion, surprise written on his face at this new revelation.

Grimr looked between Lucian, Samuel, and Shigeru, his face filled with amusement. Samuel could tell he was enjoying being the holder of such a coveted secret. “Of course. It was I who suggested his hiding space to him.”

Lucian rose to his feet, his face clouded in anger. “You’ve known where Arcana is hidden this entire time? Even when you knew me in my youth, when I was trying so hard to locate the fallen god?”

Grimr slid off the chair swiftly, staring up at Lucian’s angry face with a deadpan expression. “You admit yourself that you were thirsty for knowledge and power. I was tempted to lead you to Arcana, but you were not fit to find him. If I had led you there before, you would have killed Arcana and taken his power.”

Lucian opened his mouth furiously to reply, but something in Grimr’s challenging gaze stopped him. He closed his mouth at once, seeming to chew on his words for a moment. Then, after several tension-charged seconds passed, he took a deep, calming breath and sat back down at his desk.

“I cannot deny it,” Lucian said in a quiet voice that barely reached across the desk. “I don’t think I would have harmed Arcana, but I agree I did not deserve to hold such knowledge.”

“Just how old are you, Grimr?” Samuel asked with interest. “I know you said you’re an Ancient, but have you really been around as long as the Gods?”

Grimr glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, appearing to measure him. “The Divine comes from the ranks of mortals. They rise up to their position. Ancients are, or rather were, made for a purpose. Long before the first Divine ascended, we were here.”

“Oh,” Samuel said, blinking in confusion, not sure if his comment had been offensive. “Are you a particularly old Ancient?”

“He was one of the first.” Shigeru interrupted, in a tone that said all too clearly that they were getting off-topic.

Right. Samuel thought to himself for a moment, deliberating on his next course of action. He still wished to join the Mage’s Guild, but a nagging fear in the back of his mind told him that there was now an unexpected complication. Lucian had said that there was a complication himself. Did that mean that he was ineligible to join the College?

“So,” he began, turning to face Lucian, who still had his gaze locked on Grimr. “What problem is there with my admission, exactly? And what can I do to remedy it?”

Lucian looked almost surprised to find himself in a room that included people other than himself and Grimr. “What? Oh yes. I…. I must admit, I wasn’t being completely honest there.”

“What do you mean?” Samuel asked, leaning over the desk to gauge the elder mage’s expression. “Am I allowed to join the Mage’s College, or not?”

Lucian deliberated for a while, then seemed to shrug to himself. “We would be more than willing to accept you as a Peon. However, your special connection to Arcana prevents this.”

Having done a little research ahead of time, Samuel knew that Peon was the lowest rank among the students. “So I can’t join the College?”

Lucian waved his hand quickly. “Not at all. I apologize for the misunderstanding. You are more than welcome to join the College and benefit from our store of knowledge. But you will be entering with a Patron, and that makes you an unusual case.”

Samuel settled himself back in his seat, rubbing his chin in deep thought. “What exactly is expected of me now that I have a Patron?”

“Patrons are not allowed to climb the ranks like ordinary students.” Grimr put in. “Unless Guild policy has changed since my last visit.”

Lucian shook his head. “It remains the same.” Turning to Samuel, he explained further. “Those who enter our school under a Patron have a different dress code that applies to them. While our normal students, as I’m sure you have noticed, wear robes of different color and style to signify their rank or length of study, acolytes are required to wear clothing that matches their Patron, and bears their Patron’s sigil.”

“I see,” Samuel replied slowly, not sure if he did. “What exactly is required of Arcana’s…. acolytes?”

Lucian sat back down in his chair as well, smoothing the front of his robes. “There is no requirement. As the first to enter the College under Arcana’s patronage, you are the one who decides what that will be. Do you know Arcana’s sigil?”

Samuel shook his head. “Until yesterday, I’d never even heard the name. I assume you know?”

Lucian reached behind him and produced a book. It was simple enough in design, made out of leather, and sporting elaborate cover work in gold gilt. A frame of intricately braided gold threads ran along the face of the book, and in its center, there was an unlidded eye.

“This is the Eye of Knowledge,” Lucian explained. “It signifies Arcana’s constant, never-ending search for new information. Every day, something new is discovered, said, or considered, and Arcana makes it his personal mission to know all things.”

Samuel nodded. It made sense. Everything he’d learned about Arcana supported the explanation. “So basically, I have to have the unlidded- I mean, the sigil on my robes? I’ll find a tailor first chance I get.”

Lucian waved his hand once more. “That won’t be necessary. Remove your robe, and I’ll place the sigil for you.”

“Very well.” Samuel agreed. He quickly untied the robe and pulled it off, unconsciously adjusting the tunic underneath.

Lucian took the garment from him, giving it a cursory examination. He rubbed the fabric between his fingers, and gave a slightly approving nod. He spread the robe across his desk so that the back was presented to the ceiling, and smoothed it flat. Then, one hand on the book bearing Arcana’s sigil and one on the robe just below the Bragg heraldry, he began to speak. His words were unrecognizable to Samuel, and he wondered briefly what language they were from.

For several long seconds of the incantation, Samuel watched the surface of the robe eagerly, but there was no change. Then suddenly, Lucian’s hand became coated in light. The light fell off as he lifted his hand from the robe, splitting into innumerable golden threads. These threads settled onto the dark blue fabric, entwining and braiding themselves before his eyes. Finally, the light faded, leaving behind an intricately stitched sigil depicting the unlidded eye, where it would be easily visible.

Another two quick mutters and Lucian repeated the same process on the shoulder of the robe. “There. As long as you wear this robe while on the Guild’s grounds, you will be fine. And you’ll need a spell focus, of course.”

“A spell focus?” Samuel asked with interest as he reclaimed his robe. “What exactly is that?”

“You really don’t know anything about magic, do you?” Lucian asked dourly but didn’t wait for Samuel to reply. “A focus is an enchanted item used to focus your mana so that you don’t waste unnecessary energy on your spellcasting. It also serves as a place to store excess energy, so that you can have a reservoir to draw upon for more complex spells or experiments.”

“I see,” Samuel said, once again not sure if he did. “What kind of an item is a spell focus?”

“Technically, it can be any item,” Lucian said. “But the College offers you a focus at the start of your studies, and we offer wands, staves, or books.”

“Books?” Samuel asked, his eyes flashing. “I’ll take a book.”

Lucian almost smiled at him. “I thought you might say that. Well, you might as well take this as well.”

He picked up the leather-bound book carrying Arcana’s sigil and slid it across the desk to Samuel, who picked it up and studied its face more intently. For all the world, it looked like the average book. The covers may have been a little more ornate, but it certainly didn’t look like a magical item. When he looked up to mention this, he noticed that Lucian was not looking at him, but was scribbling several lines of text onto a piece of parchment. When he finished, he offered the parchment to Samuel as well.

“Here is the incantation you need to turn it into a proper focus. Don’t worry, it’s an easy spell, and costs very little. Making your own focus is considered to be an apprentice’s first experiment and signifies your dedication to the efforts required by your studies.”

“Very well. I will attempt this later.” Samuel folded the parchment carefully and tucked it into his tunic for safekeeping. “How do I know which classes I will be attending?”

“Curriculum for those with Patrons is decided by the highest-ranking representative, or the Patron’s champion, whoever is present. Since Arcana currently has no representatives in Ahya or the College, they are both the same person.” He looked at Samuel meaningly, waiting for him to finish the thought.

“Ah,” Samuel replied. “I suppose that would be me.”

“So it would seem,” Lucian said, just as a bell outside began to ring. “The lunch hour has begun, and classes will continue until night falls. I suggest you visit each class and decide for yourself.”