THE PRICE OF BECOMING A MAGE

Chu gripped the heavy sack in his hand as he picked his way down the roughly hewn steps while following the back of Mage Norivak. Never would he believe that under the massive amount of stone slabs which composed the Inner tower, hid such a secret. Sure, he expected some hidden passages and rooms in the ancient structure but really?

An entrance located under five levels of basements?

The sole light source in this winding passage came from the flickering torch in Elder Norivak bony hand. Not less than once did he stumble and brace himself on the jagged wall because of the uneven hewn steps. Chu came to the conclusion that apparently not only he had misstepped on this journey. The areas where a person would instinctively place their hands and feet had become worn.

"Brat, why do you keep bumping into me? Keep your distance, I don't have a habit of being hugged by little boys."

"In your dreams old man. Who would make a pass at your gangly ass? Can't you raise the torch a little higher because I feel like I'm walking on a mountain path in pitch-black darkness."

"If I do that then I won't see properly. There is a reason why apprentices must learn the light spell before entering this passage."

"Then why don't you hand me the torch while you cast and use the spell?"

"Why should I waste my magic when I brought along a torch..."

They bickered or journeyed in silence for more than a few hours. By then, Chu realized that not only did they keep circling downwards in a wide angle but this passage was manmade. If he had to picture it, then it reminded him as if walking down the edges of a screw. This passage had been chipped into the solid bedrock under the tower.

"Ah, we're here. It's been a long time since I walked for so long. I'm getting old."

Chu spluttered while thumping his chest at the remark from the pile of bones who had long passed the admission age for a retirement home. He glanced around in expectation, looking for the majestic entrance, the flowing script and the large arched doors that decorated the entrances to the libraries, halls and research rooms of the Inner Tower above.

He braced his mind.

Was it a large cavern with a bottomless abyss?

An open world, filled with twinkling stars and massive planets?

He held onto the undecorated, rough doorway as his projections were blown away. Mage Norivak lighted an oil lamp on the wall and then extinguished the torch. He shuffled to a long stone bench which extended out from the rocky wall.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot, hurry and come over here."

Mage Norivak said.

"Old man, what the heck is this? Is there like a teleportation circle here?"

Chu replied while walking into a stone room of about one hundred square feet. Apart from a lamp, the bench, and a small square, rock table in the center, this room appeared vacant. Given its location, not even a hermit would consider this as prime housing.

Mage Norivak pulled the sack on the ground closer to him and removed four small wooden kegs. He then pushed them under the bench.

"Oil for the lamp. Slovac said the stocks had run low here."

It was only then that Chu noticed similar casks hidden under the bench.

"Slovac said they tested you with a talisman. You fell way below the threshold to become a mage. Stars represent Dark Matter, Dark Matter represents the amount of mana your body can hold. It's futile to expect water from an empty flask. Even if you meditate and swallow pills by the cartload for a hundred years, you won't manifest even a single light spell."

Chu snapped out of his daze as he stiffened before the sitting mage. Familiar with the tone that reminded him of a superior informing a new recruit, he focused on listening.

"When a boy becomes a man, Dark Matter manifests itself in his body. If he meets the minimum requirements then he is chosen. To become a Scribe, he has to sign a blood oath stating that he will serve the Tower for all eternity. Even if he leaves the Tower because he cannot move further, his oath is binding."

Mage Norivak sighed.

"The foundation of a Mage begins as a Scribe but many fail to realize this. Scribes tend to focus on the meditation manuals provided while the richer ones toss money into pills to increase the power of their stars. The numerous courses and training in the Outer Circle have a purpose-- to educate and enlighten one's mind and soul. A Scribe who never pursued knowledge beyond that which is taught will find it hard to manifest his first spell."

Chu nodded in understanding. The concept of higher learning remained constant across different worlds. A University, for instance, would swamp you with courses geared towards a particular field. The person who benefited the most was the one who questioned the boundary and sought to soar even higher.

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"The number of stars on a talisman cannot change, however, they can become larger. Think of it like upgrading a wooden flask into a large barrel. More Dark Matter means you can cast a greater number of spells before your mana needs replenishing through pills and meditation."

"Is it difficult to grow the stars in your Star Field?"

Chu asked. When he procured the talismans for testing a person's potential, he learned that one of the reasons why mages carried it around was to test and monitor their own Star Field. Now he understood why and what it meant.

"Increasing the size and darkness of a Star requires enormous resources, time and effort. It might take a Mage around forty to fifty years to double the size of one star. For an Apprentice, it might mean over one hundred at the same effort, for a Scribe, half a millennia. Don't even think about it, it's useless."

Mage Norivak replied while rolling his eyes. If he had a copper for the number of times someone asked this question he probably could live in a house of gold.

"A Scribe becomes promoted to Apprentice when he meets the requirements. First, he has to pass a written exam on all the electives to demonstrate his knowledge. next he has to stand before the examination division of ten mages and answer questions for half a day. Lastly, the record of his initial star field when he entered the Academy is compared to the present one. The examination division decides if he made significant progress to advance."

Mage Norivak paused and then narrowed his eyes.

"You can learn everything I said from those in the Academy if you ask around and spend enough time. If you insist on knowing more, Chief Slovac says you will have to perform a blood oath of soul secrecy. Without it, you cannot leave this place while you still draw breath."

Chu made a slight twitch of his mouth while in thought. During the time deciphering the scroll, he had asked and inquired about numerous questions. Although he tried to broaden his questions, it seemed that he had touched on some relative taboo ones. Chief Mage Slovac had decided to quell his thirst but at a price. He should have kept a little more low key when conducting his inquiries.

"What is the blood oath of soul secrecy?"

"The stone table has five seals carved, one in the middle and four at the corners. One of them in the corner is used in the blood oath of secrecy. By dropping your blood on it and reciting an incantation, it places a seal marker above your heart. If you share the protection secrets of the Tower, it will pierce your heart and explode."

"What the hell? Suppose I accidentally slip some words about knowledge from books or about the Star Field?"

"It only activates if you intend to expose the secret that holds the Tower together. Stop acting like a wuss, because this seal is not as demanding as the others. Know this, it uses your blood to bind your SOUL. Your intention comes from your soul, so even before you decide to write, speak or fart about it, you die. One nice feature is that you receive a sharp pain like an early warning if whatever you want to share falls under the dome of secrecy."

Chu raised an eyebrow at this old guy speaking about something dangerous like a door salesman selling soap. Placing a seal on his body didn't sit well with him, even if it only concerned some secrets. He compared this to having a tattoo and then learning that it signified something occult.

Could someone activate this thing remotely and kill him?

What if an idiot cracked this stone table? Would the seal initiate a self destruct?

Suppose one of the secrets of the Tower lay in butchering innocent and young babies? Tv shows tend to relate magic with virgin or young blood. What would he do then?

What power would the Tower hold over him?

A snort woke him from the questions swamping his mind. Mage Norivak was looking at him as if staring at an idiot.

"Brat, sometimes I feel as if you came down from the mountain. Why the hesitation? A blood oath of secrecy means nothing, heck even commoners use it in the churches. All it does is safeguard a secret."

"Sure, but suppose I hear something about using the blood of babies or something? What then?"

Mage Norivak jaw fell as he turned speechless. It took him a few minutes to regain his composure. This boy acted worse than a six-year-old.

"Hey idiot, I can promise that what you hear later has nothing to do with the blood of the innocent. What the heck do you take a mage for?"

Mage Norivak rose and shuffled over to the stone table and then brushed the dust from one corner by flourishing his sleeve. In the dim flickering light, a six-inch diameter circle consisting of numerous symbols and interwoven scripts had an appearance as if freshly carved because of its sharpness. A second look would tell that it reeked of ancient but not malevolent aura. At the center of the seal lay a concave imprint as if someone sunk a marble halfway and pulled it out.

"Use this dagger and pierce your finger, then let the blood drop into that small sink. When it's full we can begin."

Chu held the dagger for a moment before pricking his finger. Bending closer in the poor lighting, he aimed the drops into the circle.

"Okay, you can stop there."

Mage Norivak instructed. As Chu pulled back his finger he witnessed the blood flowing like a river along the engravings as if following a fixed route. Like a mind of its own, the liquid snaked into the scripts, eventually dying the entire seal blood red. Before he could express some form of reaction, the mage spoke in a serious voice.

"Repeat the incantation after me. It's about five verses but keep repeating it after me. Don't worry, you'll know when you say it right."

Chu listened as Mage Norivak began chanting a strange language in a clear, monotone voice. He knew the old man took his time and had patience out of consideration. After about twenty minutes of fumbling around the words, the dark red blood on the stone began to shine. Chu stopped not because he followed mage Norivak but through the shock.

The blood continued glowing until it flashed the entire seal silver before disappearing. At the same time, Chu felt a burning sensation on his chest causing him to scream in agony.

When Chu woke up, he found himself crumpled on the ground exactly where he fell. The clothes on his body stuck to his back as if drenched in water. The searing pain on his chest, however, had disappeared as if it never happened. Raising and inspected his stiff body, Chu turned to notice Mage Norivak sitting on the nearby bench with his eyes closed. Recalling the earlier, Chu walked closer to the oil lamp on the wall and shifted his robe.

On his chest, slightly to the left, he noticed a small coin-shaped mark. Although he felt like a cow being branded, the red mark on his chest looked smooth even when he passed his finger over it.

"Done inspecting?"

A sarcastic voice echoed from behind. Chu turned to find the old man grinning at him.

"Come to think about it, why would I want to know what secret you guys have? It's not like I want to become a mage."

Elder Norivak squinted his eyes.

"Weren't you curious?"

"All the Mages in the Tower are addic..."