Day 94th, Year of 7:

At last, the secret is now in my hands thanks to the efforts of both Mister Guildenstern and Miss Sauvant. The sellsword seems to offer more than what I expect of her ilk. Now that I possess the components I need to build the greatest design history will ever know, I shall make the Empire assume its place in the sun for all time. My legacy shall pass on and the dream of true peace will be attained. But things have to be done first, and it is time to set this world to right once and for all. This tome is the key to true power – one that will be mastered and harnessed for the greater good of this decaying society.

This time, there will be no failures and I shall not die my second death. The dream of my fallen friends shall be made into a reality.

The desk was ready: the leather and iron-bound book was set beneath a magnifying glass on top of a table. Opposite the tome were the works of Mellenbach, Stauffel and Krautzmann – scribes who mastered the translations of the ancient languages used before the establishment of Kriemreich. On another side of a long table rested maps of what looked like the Empire's naval domain, two towns and a city. Three large bowl-shaped lamps worked with Trevalyn when he approached the desks. His writing hand picked up one of the pens and opened the books of the scribes; Trevalyn's progress started out with a handful of words.

"Summoning consumes... the force... True Magicians... greater abilities... open the dimensions. A circle... needed for the process."

True Magicians have long waned in existence, and even their very origins were still a question to many of Kriemreich's scientists and mage-scholars. It was to his surprise, and perhaps sheer luck that he managed to gain the services of someone like Gerhard Guildenstern to his employ. Trevalyn's thoughts came to that other magician whose face was a shadow recorded by the construct squad it destroyed during the incursion at Altrecht. Could that person be, like Gerhard, someone who has mastered well in the arcane arts? He stared at the wall for a few moments before his head was pulled back to the clean sheet of paper he was working on.

"The summoning arts... unpredictable. Magic used... uncontrollable... summoning more powerful beings... much mana... to this world."

Trevalyn continued switching from the text to the translations, figuring out which scribe's work could effectively describe the relic tome's contents, although they were from three generations of families who worked in making the lost languages known to the present, they seemed to have stark contrasts in terms of other facets of converting the knowledge.

He continued reading; every new or unfamiliar word Trevalyn came across brought his eyes to one of the books, but these were beginning to be less often with each ten minutes that passed as he dug deeper through the book.

"How convenient." His pen stopped leaving lines on the paper when the crime lord came across the drawing of the summoning circle. "The principles used here are indeed identical to the dimensional tear machines I have devised at the Schweighlands. If the aid of this summoning circle can augment the capacity of the rift cutters, the possibility of attracting more powerful beings is greater in respect."

A drawing of the circle being used was presented when the scientist reached near the middle of the book. The summoning circle used the energy and mana of the magicians to both tear the reality and draw the creatures to the source. Whatever monster that appeared from the rift was in turn caught by the awaiting soldiers gathered outside the circle.

Trevalyn spent the next few minutes thinking of what machinery he can used to replace the major components of the summoning rites. He could not risk getting Gerhard involved, for he doubted that he was aware of the processes used in the knowledge. That other magic-user was out of the equation, since he would have to deal with the probability that he was still out there biding his time to strike. Their combined essences would not be enough to match what was needed should Trevalyn had both of them cooperate with the project.

"As long as the circle is present, the summoners can be replaced with the mana reactors that would create the link to activate the circle..."

A circle was drawn with seven points on it – six of them were outside surrounding the central seventh. Trevalyn began writing in smaller letters indicating the locations of the mana machines. Beneath his diagram were more writings:

"The estimated mana capacity of an average magician would be five hundred psilons. There were no means to gauge that of the True Magician, but I would safely deduce that fifty times that of the average magical learner would have been the capacity of each. No, maybe a hundred would be enough for an added touch. This means that the mana reactor and the absorbing crystals should be no smaller than ten feet high with an above normal speed of converting environmental essence into liquid mana."

Trevalyn was not bothered much by the availability of the vessels; those were long-prepared and all those machines needed were the crystals that would draw the earth's energy to the converters. A shipment will be due in five days, and from there he could quickly have the reactors assembled and ready in a span of two days. There were other details of the summoning rites written on the following pages:

"A catalyst... used... greater beings. Process... still uncertain... there are... monsters... could be drawn using... living or nonliving sacrifices."

"Perhaps it would be best if the first attempt would be to draw out a larger monster but with the wit similar to that of the rocky beast that was brought forth back at the Schweiglands. This means to call forth such brutes may need living matter to be used as lures. Meat may suffice for this part of the experiment."

"There are two issues to creating a wide enough summoning circle without getting unwarranted attention from the Empire's soldiers. First, a suitable enough area needs to be cleared and contained before the equipment needed can be brought to bear. Second, the demonstration will be felt by those with magical senses. Guards would have to be planted at areas near enough to provide surveillance and far enough not to be detected by whatever beast will be brought to the world by the dimensional gateway."

The forest should provide enough cover, Trevalyn thought. He pulled out a map of the Antikwald drawn by his cartographers a few weeks ago. He chose a spot that leaned nearest to the center of the forest, where the ruins of a hidden fortress lay undisturbed. The spot was perfect for such a setup: no trees needed to be cut down, and there was a wide-enough space to set all of the devices without having to wait too long for them to be readied.

"The mana would be provided by the surrounding vegetation, which takes several minutes to charge before the crystals can gather enough of its energy to draw its full capacity in a single sequence. Opposition in the form of scouts from the towns may be encountered, thus the need for Mister Norton's services to ensure the security of the experiment."

"I am yet to determine what kind of abomination I will call forth from this. Another issue that would arise would be on how to capture this creature and make full use of its potentials. But no doubt I can capture it using most of the resources found in my facilities and arsenals."

Trevalyn broke off from the ancient book's information and went to his journal. Beneath his notes were written:

A stunning development indeed: the old summoning arts used many of the principles found in the dimensional tear devices I developed. I did not expect that this arcane, cultish process did not have to draw so many complications. All that remains is to test the setup, and from there I can continue working on the rest of the text to find out how to bring forth the miracle that saved the Old World from destruction.

Ironic it may be that history hid this dark past from its people. I shall put this uncovered knowledge to use and prove to this world once and for all that determination and proper use of this power will yield a true solution to this world's problems. From this power new things will be developed and I shall be the one who will guide all.