The First Age of Magic ended when humanity left the lost continent. The Second Age of Magic ended with the decline of the great wizards and the fall of the Ropean Empire. The Third Age begins with a young man attempting to uncover the mystery surrounding the death of his family. Seventeen-year-old Alarik Faber is the first of a new generation of mages around the world to naturally attune to a magical element and develop a magic core. His strange new power is unlike any he has heard of and only seems to work in the dark. He must learn to master his new ability, uncover the source of the mysterious disease that killed his family, and navigate life as a university student.  Author's note: This story will mostly follow one character but the perspective will occasionally shift with chapters dedicated to other characters in the world awakening their abilities. Constructive feedback, advice, and questions are encouraged and appreciated. I want this to turn into a long-term project that will develop my skills as a writer. Here are some of my goals for the story. There will be spoilers.   -A consistent overall magic system that governs the magic traditions used by different cultures around the world. This allows Xianxia-style cultivators to exist in the same world as high fantasy western mages, steampunk craftsmen who use Norse-style runes, Shaman ritualists, and Witcher-like monster hunters. -Characters have realistic motivations, world views, and friendships. No unnecessarily painful conflicts, interruptions, misunderstandings, or relationship issues could be fixed with simple conversations that normal people would have.  -Nations have a variety of political systems with different pros and cons and it will impact the characters living there.  -A diverse cast of characters that are introduced and not forgotten. There will be no taking the protagonist and dropping him on some other planet with a new set of characters and leaving the old ones behind.   -Travel is not instantaneous. Attention will be paid to the overall geography of the world. It will be hard to go through deserts, enchanted forests, and mountainous terrain. There are two moons, which impact ocean tides, and make certain bodies of water difficult to navigate. Some parts of the world are inaccessible by water at different times. -Power gaps exist between experienced magic users and novices but aren't so large that skill can't win over raw power (i.e., A powerful old guy can't just blow up the whole city to defeat his enemies and has to actually fight them). -Civilian deaths matter. Mass causality events, if they happen, aren't casually shrugged off by characters. -A protagonist who starts out using strategy and finesse to fight but gains power throughout the story. He will gain new power and abilities but there is no bloodline power or secret family tradition that appears later in the story.   -Companions will change and grow in their unique ways alongside the protagonist. This isn't a story about only one guy being powerful.  -If there is ever some form of tournament arc, there will be no cliché moment where the protagonist gets eliminated before the end of the competition and no invasions, espionage, or bribes that stop it from being completed.