Aleister returned to his room in the castle after eating some leftover food from tonight's supper. His appetite had decreased drastically from when he woke up. In fact, he almost didn't want to eat, but the prepared food tempted him too much. Syn still hadn't made an appearance, thus he stalled his thoughts about the contract for later.

He towered over two pillows against the bed's headrest and rested his back on them before taking out the spellbook from his bag. As he held the book in his hand, he noticed the previously illegible text on the cover morph and change. He could now read it. Kuzax's Lexicon. He flipped it open.

The text on the front page now addressed any potential readers of this book:

If you are reading this, I'm afraid you have chosen a dangerous path. The very nature of pursuing arcane knowledge is an act of defiance against the gods. However, you must already know this. In any case, you should be proud of your choice, for abandoning the gods could not have been easy.

Damn, so that is the case after all. He didn't expect learning the arcane would have such a harsh consequence. Oh well, its too late to go back.

I hope it is not too late for you to abandon the arcane and return to the gods, and if it is, I hope you are satisfied with your choice. For I, unfortunately, broke away far too late in my life. In fact, this book being in your possession means I have most likely met my demise as I wouldn't have written this note it if I hadn't anticipated such an outcome to occur.

But gods are in charge of the afterlife, and if studying the arcane is an act of defiance, then... Aleister shook his head. The scope of death and afterlife was still simply too far out of his understanding.

This tome contains most of the knowledge and information I learned during my time. An idea entertained by some of my peers. Hopefully, you might encounter their books along your journey, as they can only provide additional knowledge. Unfortunately, some information simply cannot be communicated and so we shall take them to our graves. Depending on the stage you are at, you might know what I am talking about. In that case, all of my knowledge may not be new to you. Still, do not dismiss the text I have provided.

However, if you have just begun, then this book will put you along a more productive path and waste less of your time. I do not dare claim it as the correct path as such a concept does not exist. In fact, if you are new, you must dismiss all notions of what is right and wrong. There is only what you know, and what you don't know.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Is there anyone that believes that world can hold two states besides the worshippers of gods? No, even those who follow the words of their deities, even they must understand the complexity of the world. But every person still has their own beliefs that they deem right or wrong. Aleister smirked. No, that's the part I didn't understand. Each person does have their own beliefs, but they aren't the same for every person. Mine are different, but that doesn't mean they are right or wrong. That was something I already understood, but never really thought about. But now it's clear. Whatever actions I take, they might not be right or wrong, but they were ones I took. And with every action, there is a reaction, and even if it's negative, it's something I need to live with.

I have not gated any portion of my book, but not all of it will be accessible to you from the very start unless you are already accomplished. As you grow more into your new path, you will experience enlightenments, and only then will certain pages become clear to you.

As a user of the arcane, you do not need to worry about being limited to certain schools of magic or one or two elements. For the world uses it all, and thus, you can also use it all. However, no one can master everything. Not even the gods. Thus, you might find yourself drawn towards those certain schools or elements, nonetheless. I myself am the most proficient in evocation magic. So, most of the magic spells I have transcribed from level zero to level six will be evocation based. If you find yourself drawn towards evocation, then this book is an even greater boon than you might have thought. If you are not, that is fine.

As a wielder of arcane magic, you must remember that unlike those that use primal or especially divine magic, you are not limited in what type of spells you can use. Each spell has their own unique effects that cannot be replicated. In fact, when you move past these opening notes and replicate the spells I have written down, the way you manifest them will not be identical to how I have described them.

The final words I wish for you to read are—I'm not certain where in your journey you discover this book, it may not start with this tome but rest assured, it will not end with this tome. Once you have learned all you can from my text, I can only ask of you to pass it on to one who has not yet experienced it.

There was another paragraph written, but the contents were smudged beyond legibility. **It wasn't as if he couldn't understand the text like the previous night, but as if someone purposefully made it unreadable. He had no way to confirm this theory so it could have been making a mystery out of something more simple, but with the way he had to become an arcanist to read the words in the first place, he didn't think so. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about this and could only move on. The next two pages were smudged as well, but the third page wasn't.