Ieros ran to the palace, cursing the fact that he had forgotten that he was supposed to meet the King. he was a Court Mage now, he couldn’t make mistakes like this anymore. Anxious and slightly stressed, Ieros soon found himself before the entrance to the throne room, taking a moment to calm himself. He combed his hair with his fingers as best he could, straightened out his robes, and—after a few moments—clipped the badge upon his breast. Taking a few more deep breaths to calm his thumping heart, he nodded to the doormen who pushed open the door, a page announcing,
“Court Mage Ieros enters the Throne Room!”
Ieros entered, forcing himself to walk normally, his eyes unable to keep still as they wandered around the place, noticing a beautiful woman and a Knight standing by her side. His eyes then noticed a displeased King and he quickly drew his eyes downward, stopping when he was next to the woman and Knight.
He took one knee and bowed his head, saying, “Please forgive me, Your Majesty..”
The King waved his hand dismissively.
“If you had made me wait another five minutes, perhaps I would’ve, but since you’re young and just been made a Court Mage, I guess I shall let it pass. But don’t repeat this a second time.”
Ieros said, “I dare not, your Majesty.”
The King nodded with satisfaction.
“Good. Now then, I believe you haven’t met my daughter, Stellaria.”
Ieros stood and bowed to her, saying, “I greet her Highness.”
She just looked at him derisively, turning back to her father.
“Father, I hope that this... boy is not my escort.”
The King said, “Well I know he’s made a bad first impression but I assure you that he’s skilled enough to be. He’s the most talented mage to ever grace Athera in several generations.”
She countered, “But he is just a boy, how can he be trusted to protect me?”
The King said, “Because he is a Court Mage, he-”
The Princess snorted.
“Oh please, you just want to show him off to the other nations.”
The King smiled.
“Well I can’t say you’re wrong but I think you’ll understand that this is needed. And besides, The Kingdom of Seris has boasted the greatest mages to ever walk Agleon for the last few decades, what’s wrong with proving them wrong.”
She said, “Nothing, only, I don’t trust that he will be able to protect me.”
The King smiled, looking to Ieros.
“Why don’t you give proof of your abilities Ieros, convince her that you are worthy.”
Ieros was slightly hesitant, what was he supposed to do? After spending a few moments to think about it, he finally gave up.
“Um, I don't know.”
The King laughed.
“You mean to say that you do not know what you have to do? Were you not taught powerful spells by your master?”
Ieros nodded.
“I mean yes but, I was forbidden from using them by the Academy.”
The King chuckled.
“Really? Were you that bad?”
Ieros said, “Um, no Your Majesty, I just... well, I... hurt some people.”
The King rubbed his chin.
“Well, it doesn’t have to be an offensive spell, just something to prove that you are stronger than the average mage.”
However, Ieros was still a bit confused, just what could he do that would impress a Princess? Never before had he given thought to such things and now, being put on the spot, his mind was blank. But soon, his mind began to wander, finally settling on the memory of the ancient stone. Absentmindedly, he replayed the memory, not doing anything as all as he just relived it. And then, clarity filled his mind, he had been going about this all wrong. He was trying to speak the Language of Creation with a mortal tongue, when it was not spoken at all, but thought. A thought so powerful that it resonated in the physical realm as well as the immaterial. He had to think the word in a way that it would be spoken aloud. Once more, he relived the memory of before the darkness became stone, for at that moment, for the briefest of seconds, he felt the thought of the word.
He let that sensation fill his mind as he prepared to “speak,” encompassing the very concept of Stone. And, once he had “spoken” the word, his ignited mana fueled the creation of True Stone, manipulating dark matter itself. For it was not a mage’s word or just a simple ignition of mana that Ieros used, no, for the briefest of moments, he had managed to “speak” as Darkness had. Hardly realizing what he had done, he opened his eyes and saw within his hands a rock and a drain on his mana. However, this stone was unlike any other he had created, every stone previously had an artificial quality, too rigid, too soft, a little something that made it feel off. But the stone he held before him, this was a “real” stone, one that he “made” instead of transmuted.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
But, the Princess and the King didn’t know that, the Princess mockingly saying, “Oh look, a rock. Oh, this must mean he’s the best mage in all of Creation.”
But Ieros ignored her, excited at this discovery, no, this rediscovery. Magic was always done though thought, but mages had always used the crutch called language to assist in casting. Ieros chuckled in self-deprecation, here he was thinking that he already knew so much about magic when he had forgotten the basics.
With a brilliant smile upon his face, he ignited his mana once more, letting the essence of fire fill his mind, using the memory of the mountain which had witnessed the creation of Agleon’s Flame, the flame which sustained life on this world. And then, letting the true concept of fire fill his mind, once more he “spoke,” and once more, Absolute Flame was brought into the world. However, to bring about its creation, much of Ieros’s mana was used to create something that was the size of a small bead: a flame which was alive, a flame that was unlike any other for it was a crystal.
It was like golden fire trapped within glass, continuing to burn within the confines of the raw crystal, which glowed softly in Ieros’s hands. And despite its small size, it was a powerful item because of the sole reason that it held dominion over all flames. It was an Absolute, objects which are the words of Creation given physical form. While a word spoken can create the material it represents, for the word itself to become physical, then it becomes an Absolute, an object which holds absolute authority over the matter it represents.
As such, the Absolute Flame holds complete and utter dominion over all lesser flames, should one understand how to use it, they’d become the Master of Fire. And, even without a wielder, the Absolute Flame was already exerting its authority over the lesser flames, lit candles and lamps of the chamber dimming as the small bead continued to grow in brightness, soon becoming the brightest thing in the room. The light even pierced the shadows that hid Ieros’s face, revealing the features of a boy who was at the cusp of manhood, his grey eyes silver in the light of the crystal.
However, everyone’s eyes were focused on the Absolute Flame, Ieros most of all as he was the only one who could completely appreciate the beauty of it. He lost himself in the surprisingly endless depths of that small little bead, the golden flame within pulsating like a small star trapped within glass.
And then, in the silence, the King spoke, “What is that?”
Ieros blinked as he found himself, finally saying, “I... I don't know. But, it was the first time I had used up all of my mana in one go.”
And as he breathed heavily, the weight of what he said sank in. They had all felt the massive surge of energy upon the ignition of Ieros’s mana, a surge that they had never felt from a single mage. And now, all that energy was said to have gone into the small glowing bead that currently was within Ieros’s hands. Just what was that thing? However, just a mere bauble wasn’t enough to convince the Princess, which she made evidently clear to both her father and Ieros.
“I will admit, the amount of mana he possesses is great, but that does not indicate a great mage, it just gives him more room for mistake. I’m still not convinced.”
The King sighed, “Stella, he will be your escort along with your Knight and nothing aside from irrevocable evidence that he is unworthy will change my mind.”
The Princess let out a sigh of her own and nodded.
“Fine father, but in that case, I myself will select candidates who I believe are better for the job, is that fine with you?”
The King nodded.
“Very well, but make it by the end of this week.”
She bowed.
“Thank you, father.”
When she stood back up, her eyes drifted to Ieros, a bit unsettled when her eyes met none, only the impenetrable darkness of his hood. She then turned abruptly and walked out of the Throne Room, her Knight also glaring at Ieros before she followed. Ieros was about to leave as well when the King called him back.
“I fear I must apologize for my daughter’s behavior but you quite literally came out of nowhere. It is partly my fault, for making you into a Court Mage and assigning you to my daughter but, I felt that you’d be a better choice than... him.”
Curious, Ieros asked, “Him?”
The King nodded.
“Yes, the other candidate for Court Mage, promising in the field of magic but his personality... let’s just say it has much to be desired. He behaves well enough around my daughter but when apart, he is abrasive, rude, and frankly not someone to become a Court Mage.”
Ieros, blinking as he took this in, asked, “Your Majesty, did you pick me because you don’t want him with your daughter?”
The King chuckled.
“I must admit that there’s a small part of me that does feel that way—fine, a rather sizeable part of me—but I have other reasons as well. My daughter is being sent to Seris to marry the Crown Prince and join our two nations, I do not need distractions and with his personality, I shudder to think what he will do to the Crown Prince should they meet. Such a happening could cause a war between both Seris and Athera. And, as you have heard, all the other Court mages are busy with duties that cannot be trusted in other hands so you were quite literally my final hope. Praise be Light when you actually appeared, it was as if the Goddess of Fortune was on my side.”
Ieros took this in, finally saying, “But couldn’t you have picked another? Would there not be other mages who are peers of uh... whoever ‘him’ is?”
The King sighed.
“That’s the problem, he made sure that he was the only one who could be by the Princess’s side, although this was all done properly through duels so I am unable to act legally and with my daughter to protect him, I am unable to take action personally either. And then, when I spoke to my advisors of any possible way to avoid having him as Court Mage, your name came up.”
“Really?” Ieros asked and the King nodded.
“You were quite the celebrity back in the day, the Genius of the Millennia you were called, not decade, not century but Millennia. You were considered a treasure of all Magekind until you disappeared for three years. Of course, the Academy did their best to reach you but they couldn’t and your teacher refused to act until I finally gave the order. Then you appeared and much to my relief, you weren’t crazy like him. In my excitement, I named you Court Mage right then and there, I do hope you forgive me.”
Ieros was silent, finally saying, “I cannot forgive where none is needed, you are the King and I am a servant, I only obey.”
The King replied, “A textbook answer, but one that I doubt is truly what you feel.”
Ieros shrugged helplessly.
“Well, that's what I'm good at.”
The King gave a short laugh.
“Well, get some rest, my Court Mage. You are free to go.”
Ieros bowed before he turned and left, gripping the Absolute Flame tightly in his fist, the excitement from his success still fresh in his mind. As he was leaving, he nearly bumped into someone, although he managed to dodge. He just murmured a quick apology before he continued on his way, ignorant of a pair of icy blue eyes which followed him until he turned the corner. The owner of those eyes then turned, entering the throne room.