Runic College Tower, Headmaster’s office

“And that concludes the report of our new student admissions.”, finished a slightly wrinkled middle-aged man sporting an advanced receding hairline with his dry, droning tone. While others in his situation usually grow out their facial hair, I have rarely seen such a case of bushy sideburns that connect beneath his nose, in an equally bushy moustashe. I awoke with a start from my blank expression and stroked my beard, as if in consideration to cover my previous inattention, while stealthily wiping away a string of drool from a corner of my mouth with my thumb.

“Yes, thank you for the report Derrik. We’re bound to get few noble brats trying to throw their weight around as usual despite being traditionally meritocratic institution. Do as per custom and throw them out of the dormitory for a month or two to sleep on the ground. And remember to make sure that all of their servants leave the valley at the end of the day.”, nodding to myself, I start gathering my research notes regarding my latest findings. I can’t be bothered to be distracted by mere administrative duties as my research is almost complete, with only requiring finalizing the runic arrays, and acquiring the last ingredient I requested from the Empire. Quickly glancing around the office and bookshelves covering the walls, in case I forgot a stack of notes somewhere. Wouldn’t want anyone accidentally finding out the subject of my research.

As I gathered the last of scattered papers, I noticed Derrik still standing in front of my desk with his notes, staring at me with a straight face while his moustache starts bristling like a thorny bush. Well as straight as it can be with his nose like a broken hawk beak. I swear he could be mistook for a zombie from his behaviour from how emotionless he usually seems to be, unless you can read the small signs he exhibits. With a sigh I set down my stack of notes aside, put my elbows on the desk and rested my chin upon my hands and rested my gaze upon the man. “Yes Derrik, is there anything else that requires my attention?”. He coughed lightly into his fist before speaking with the same dry tone as always, “Headmaster, issue you mentioned was yesterday’s agenda, and I’d appreciate for not always blanking out during my reports.”.

I kept a straight face despite my suddenly twitching eyebrow. I swear he has made creating utterly tedious reports as an artform of its own. “Today the report was about your supposed speech for the new students as of tomorrow, as well as regarding new donations to our institute. Also, the item you requested was surprisingly delivered today amongst the donations from Faelitor Empire.”.

I blanked for a moment before my hands started shaking in excitement, totally ignoring the supposed speech. Drawing a quick breath and reigning in my growing excitement and locked my gaze with Derrik, as he stood there with his slightly hunched posture. “Which one did they send? I already told them decades ago that small ones are useless for my research at this point.”.

Derrik continued with his dispassionate tone and gave concise report, “They sent their largest one, a size of a human head, spherical, no visible faults or impurities. Highly mana conductive. Not surprisingly, they only agreed to loan it for two years. The amount of power one can wield with it is a powerful deterrent against any army, and they also sent their thanks for providing them your new detection array in the trade.”.

I felt my breath quicken and excitement grow. Finally I could complete the final step to my research of almost a hundred years, with only a meager trade of one of my less advanced arrays meant for detecting all beings with a soul. I never disclose my advanced ones, otherwise I may have to start worrying someone bypassing the ones I have in place. I leaned in my chair and injected mana to a small rune in the array carved on the handle of my desk drawer, deactivating the minor protection enhancement. Pouring the mana in a wrong part of the array, activates a larger one covering the room, removing the air from inside while locking the door.

Rummaging the drawer I found a list of materials I was looking for, and placed it on the desk in front of Derrik. “See to it that materials in this list are delivered to my private research room in the basement from the vault. Immediately.”, I said with barely contained excitement making me rush my words. “I’m going to prepare for the final experiment immediately as the leylines are still ebbing with power in this cycle. I’ll be damned if I let some speech for snot nosed brats keep me from completing my studies for another year.”. I quickly stood up grabbing my pile of notes as Derrik took the list and suddenly lost his composure as his eyes seemed to bulge out of his head, while his moustache bristled up like a porcupine.

Suddenly perspiring, Derrik started sputtering, “H-headmaster! Are you planning to empty our vault of all the rare materials?! The amount you’re requiring is most expensive ones within decades worth of donations of rare materials! Decades!” he protested loudly as I kept heading out of my office.

“And I have been the headmaster for this college over a century for the sake of those materials! Now stop dawdling and go get me those resources!”, I said with a cackling glee as I headed out of the door towards the stairs. Finally I broke that stoic demeanor of his. I’ve been trying to do that for twenty years, and the best result was always a frown and a click of his tongue.

Rushing down the spiraling stairs, I headed towards the lowest basement floor to my research room. I had to hurry with preparations so that I could finish the test before the ebb of the magical energies within the leylines starts to recede again. Heading downstairs, I passed bewildered students and other magus as they dodged out of my way. They stared at how their grinning headmaster ran downstairs with his robe fluttering and beard trailing behind him, skipping the steps as he headed down in a hurry.

Screw the proper image, I’ll be dead or retiring from the position either way after this test. The only reason I was doing the job was the agreement with the previous headmaster, as the Runic College is a separate city state of its own, headmaster acting as the central leader. In return for being allowed to use the materials for my research as I see fit as a new headmaster, I was teaching runic arrays to those brats. All the while I traded some of my crappier ones to other countries, gaining an influx of new students and resources. Well, at least the position intimidated most of the annoying pests after my life to keep their distance.

The founder of the college few hundred years back, chose the location for this tower by locating a converging point for leylines, making it easier to cast spells and cultivate the mana-heart with the mana saturating the air. The lowest floors were deep underground, just above the converging point of three leylines. Reaching the door to my research room, I quickly manipulated my mana to write a combination of runes to fill the blank spot within protective arrays on the door. As the runes flashed, the protective array powered down.

Opening the door, I checked the hidden alarm arrays in the room as a normal precaution to check if I have had unwanted visitors, or attention from scrying spells. Seeing none of my safety measures being triggered during my absence, I looked around the room. This gloomy space carved into the stone had seen almost a century of use from me, and was filled with results from all of my research subjects from that time, as well marks from my mishaps during the experiments. I was hit with a wave of nostalgia, as this was the last time I would do an experiment in this sanctuary of mine, regardless of the result.

I slowly took in the sights in the room illuminated by light crystals, and looked over the large circular room with a diameter of 25 meters. A little over a third of the wall was covered by bookshelves filled with my research materials. As the subject of it was, at least partially, highly illegal in nature, I had to hide all my source materials lest the various churches or states get rid of the books. Over half of the books were about magic and runes pertaining to the souls, their usage, and methods of manipulating them. I chuckled to myself, as I imagined some aspiring necromancer stumbling upon my research in the future and growing hysterical from excitement. A more likely scenario would be some member of a clergy hunting down necromancers and gets a heart attack from the shock of this discovery.

After all, I am a highly reputed headmaster of the Runic College Tower, famous from my knowledge in runic arrays and magic, while being infamous from my temper of disregarding the social norms and bounds. None knows that I have knowledge far surpassing the normal bounds of necromancy in the arts of soul manipulation and control, or the extent of my research with the runic arrays. Biggest source of shock for everyone would be that I have done forbidden research for over a century right under the noses of everyone without being found out, and having the various churches and states to voluntarily fund it for me.

This research would have been almost impossible outside the college, as soul magic was banned along with the death magic some centuries ago due to a part of heavily scorned necromancers attempting to conquer an empire or two for a revenge. My research could be said to be an offshoot of necromancy, as I borrowed main concept from their usage of phylacteries, yet I aim to reach far beyond what one of those rare liches could do. Pfff. Those amateurs only used elementary knowledge for enslaving or storing souls. They never sought to bypass the limits. Other books were filled with information of different materials, their combinations and runic arrays.

I shook my head and headed to the other equally long wall, lined up with workstations and storage shelves for different materials I had ran tests with. I reached my main working station and grabbed the pouch filled with nine highly mana conductive spheres, carved full with runic inscriptions. Dropping off my notes on the worktable, I tied the pouch on the belt and grabbed blueprints for the massive runic array carved on the floor. I have spent decades perfecting this array with my research and have only waited for the final piece for my experiment, massive manastone, that the empire finally loaned to me after decades of pestering and trading of new runic arrays. Not that they would ever get it back after my final experiment.

I quickly started comparing the carvings on the floor to my notes in order to find any mistakes. I would only get one shot at this. As I was halfway through my final check, Derrik arrived with a pair of young novices half hidden behind the large crates they carrying. They were sweating and gasping from exertion as they had carried considerably heavy crates of materials down a long set of stairways and hallways. I motioned for them to put down the crates near the runic circle as I ignored them and continued my inspection.

As I finished checking the rune carvings, I noticed that Derrik was looking around the room with a slightly shocked expression, along with two students standing in front of the crates they brought. Last time he visited here, I hadn’t started making the array. Hah, it seems he has yet to recover from the previous shock before getting a new one. At least he’s handling it better than those slack-jawed novices. As if they’d never seen proper runic array! Still, quickly preventing them from getting a proper look around my research room, with forbidden research literally covering the walls, I quickly snapped my fingers to get their attention. Mana was used to amplify the sound to a small explosion, startling the duo and causing them to fall on their butts, along with a startled cry, as they tripped upon the crates. Derrik jumped a little from the surprise, and quickly resumed his stoic appearance, standing next to the array.

I turned to Derrik and gestured towards the novices, “Thank you Derrik. You can escort them back, the following part of the experiment can get fairly dangerous if my concentration slips, so I’d rather not be disturbed from any reason.”. Not to mention how the room is filled to the brim with illegal material.

As I turned towards the crates, I noticed Derrik showing a rare awkward expression before opening his mouth, while the nervous students left the room. “Headmaster, can’t you reconsider going through this experiment? Purely the amount of those rare resources is worth a sizeable fortune. I would recommend postpo…”, I raised to hand to interrupt him.

“Derrik, you’ve served me well for almost two decades. Yet all my experiments ever since I became the headmaster had been aiming this for over a century, and it is the only reason I joined this college in the first place. This was the agreement between me and my predecessor when I became the headmaster.”, I sighed and continued. “After I start this experiment, go to the office and find the documents from a lockbox that’s hidden in the floor below my chair. I have already tuned your mana signature to the runic array keeping the location hidden. Now, off you go.”. I waved my hand before stepping over to the crates. Derrik hesitated for a moment, before giving me a small bow and left the room.

When Derrik closed the door behind him, I activated the protection arrays again, essentially sealing myself against outside intrusions. As I laid my eyes upon the massive mana stone, I couldn’t help but stare it for a moment in wonder. It was a perfectly crystal clear sphere, with no impurities within, and emptied from mana. An unique specimen among naturally shaped mana stones, as most are colored, unsymmetrical, or mixed with impurities. Perfect for being a part of my final experiment.

Gently stroking it with my hand, understanding why it took so long to have the empire loan it for the experiment, for it was unique in both quality and capacity. Lifting the head sized mana stone, I gingerly carried it to the central piece of smaller dual circles in the middle of the array, placing it upon a pedestal prepared for this occasion. The second dual circle had a slightly raised circular platform where I’ll be sitting during the activation, right next to the mana stone.

I quickly arranged pouches and different containers from the crates. Most of the materials are results of my experiments, containing various materials that can be used for runic arrays. As just carving the array to the stone results in shoddy and temporary work, because stone can’t handle excess magical energies for long. The usual result is a low output and fast degradation of the array if no mana conductive materials are being used.

Most of the pouches and containers are filled with various liquids and powders processed from fairly expensive materials and metals. I have found out during studies that certain mixtures solidify when mana is channeled to them, and are highly conductive. Normally I would use metals for the mana channels, yet the amount of mana I’m going to use would quickly distort other metals than the fabled mithril. But I can neither smelt it, or have resources to buy it for an array this massive. First I carefully mixed the powders in correct ratio, before pouring even amount of the mixture at the bottom of every runic inscription in the array. Next I started quickly filling the carvings with the catalyzing liquid, carefully filling every carving to the brim.

I looked over the array, checking against any overflows of the mixture, as the next part causes partial activation when mana is going to start filling the array, through the runic lines. Distorted runes when channeling raw mana from three leylines is the last thing I want to experience at this step. I took the manastone filled pouch from my waist, and controlled my mana to move the orbs above their respective locations within the array, three for each leyline. Each orb had a slot carved for them within the array, meant for being the focus point where the raw mana enters the array.

Activating the array on the mana stones, I released my control, dropping the mana stones to their slots at the same time. Each of them flashed shortly in bright azure, as carvings in the manastones activated, feeding the mana within stones to the array. Mana started flowing throughout the array, filling the runes while the mix of powder and catalyzing liquid started reacting, releasing a deep blue smoke. The smoke billowed throughout the room, hiding the floor from the eyes as the smoke clinged close to it. Only the now glowing arrays was visible through it, and I waited while the mixture hardened in the carvings.

Carefully observing the process for a moment, I proceeded towards the smaller circle and sat down facing the mana core. Now I must wait patiently while array is nearing completion, yet I couldn’t help but to shiver from a mixture of emotions. This is it, final moments before I find out if all the theories and tests I made were right or not. Over a century of constant research, skulking around, dealings with miscreants for information, just for a single, crazy, absolutely ambitious leap for a something never seen before. All it took back then was a single obscure tome of necromancy dealing with souls and a conjecture that it should be possible.

It started with a chuckle, slowly gaining intensity until I was roaring in laughter. I had already lived over 230 years and only had a couple decades left in me, give or take a few years. I’d already become leading expert in Runic Arrays and was one of the strongest mages in runic magic. Little did they know that most of my achievements stemmed from my research in the “abhorred” soul magic. And yet it was also the reason why I’m trying to encroach upon the territory reserved for the Divines with my research. This could be called culmination of all of my lifelong research, as I was about to transcend mortality.

After a while when my laughter died down, I noticed it was almost the time for last phase as the air started to hum from concentrated mana. A moment later whole rune array started to glow brightly, shining and reflecting within the smoke clinging to the floor. Smoke changed colours from white to purple to the deepest blue as the smoke roiled upon the array. It was time.

I closed my eyes taking a deep breath, sharpening my concentration to the highest point while gathering all of my mana, down to the last drop. I went through of my mental checklist of what to expect after array activates. This was going to be worse than when I was thrown into middle of a pack of anthropomorphic, sex-crazed, bipedal man-eating rats from a failed alchemical experiment, all because of the trade for necromantic books fell through. At least I won that fight, and got the damn book. Even if the information within was outdated.

When the array activates, both me and the mana core must be empty from the purified mana. Opening my eyes, I simultaneously pushed all of my existing mana to the activation array, gritting my teeth against the nausea from sudden mana deprivation. My vision grew hazy, and I felt like throwing up from the massive headache I was introduced to. As I started wobbling I quickly bit off the tip of my tongue, feeling the taste of salty iron in my blood filling my mouth, using the pain to focus myself. When the array fully activated and started drawing a maelstrom of raw mana from the leylines beneath me, I spat a mouthful of my blood upon the mana stone to form a connection to it through my blood.

While the mana started flowing in the rune array, mana concentration in the room kept climbing, while the array was already glowing almost blindingly white. Being emptied from the purified mana, I connected my mana heart to the array. Upon connection forming, the array started to draw a torrent of raw mana from the leylines into my body. Turning half delirious from the sudden influx of nausea, splitting headache and abrupt mix of euphoric feeling and ripping pain from the power that felt like it’s trying to turn me inside out while being both freezing and burning hot at the same time. Veins bulged from my body, wriggling like a nest of worms. Screaming through my clamped teeth, convulsions wrecked my body, as I tried to finish the final step using the raw mana. Normally my mana would respond instantly and smoothly to whatever I ask from it, yet this time it felt like I had mounted a bucking and kicking, carnivorous wild horse that fought against everything I did while it tried to eat me.

As I fought to mold the mana to form the runes for the spell, pain only intensified. Veins ruptured all over my body, spilling my blood all over my failing body, painting a bloody visage. My teeth were splintering as I bit them down hard, and the pain kept worsening as my organs started breaking down. The spell was only half-formed when my mind started growing hazy from the massive loss of blood and excruciating pain. I only had one though hammering in my head constantly.

Do it. Even if I die, finish it.

Frantic beating of my heart kept slowing down as it kept pumping my lifeblood out of my mutilated body while raw mana kept shredding my insides.

Even if I die, finish it.

As my mind grew hazier, the pain wreaking havoc upon my concentration was replaced hazy shroud of looming death.

Finish it.

As the darkness encroached upon my vision, I almost had it, I only needed to solidify the raging raw mana for a moment for the spell to take effect. It was so close, I could already feel the control starting to slip and the runes started to grow more erratic.

NO! FINISH IT!

Gurgling animalistic roar escaped from my throat filled with blood as my mind gained serenity but for an instant, while blood mixed with bits and pieces of my innards splattered all over the mana core again. As I managed to solidify the spell, I croaked with last of my breath “Fuck this...” as my body teetering on the edge finally died, and world turned to black with a rending flash of pain.