06.1 – New Friend [1]

The Copper Kettle lived up to its name, the interior was warm and copper-tinted, lit by oil lamps that cast everything in shades of amber and bronze.

The evening crowd was modest yet lively: lower-rank mages still wearing their apprentice robes, a few adventurers nursing ales, and merchants finishing their business over food and drink.

Aldric led Velmira to a corner table, still carrying his precarious stack of books.

He set them down with visible relief, then flagged down a serving woman.

"Two bowls of the mutton stew, bread, and ale," he said, then glanced at Velmira.

"Unless you prefer wine? Or—"

"Ale is fine," Velmira said, though she had no intention of drinking it.

The serving woman nodded and disappeared toward the kitchen.

Aldric settled into his chair, removing his glasses to clean them on his robe. A nervous habit, Velmira suspected.

"So," he said, replacing the glasses. "Velmira. You said you're interested in the Continental Magic Association. Are you looking to join? Take the classification exams?"

"I'm considering it. But I need to understand how the organization works first."

She leaned forward slightly.

"You said you'd explain the real structure."

Aldric's eyes lit up with the gleeful expression of someone about to share inside knowledge.

"Right. Officially, the Continental Magic Association is a meritocratic institution founded by the Great Mage Serie to regulate magical practice, and advance the art of magic across the continent." He said it in the tone of someone reciting from a pamphlet. "But reality is more complicated."

The food arrived. The smell made Velmira's stomach clench, not with hunger but with the knowledge that she'd have to force it down.

Aldric dove in immediately, talking between bites.

"The Association has nine ranks. Ninth through fifth are apprentice levels, you're basically a student. Fifth-class is when you're considered a full-fledged mage, allowed to take jobs independently." He gestured with his spoon. "Fourth and third-class are journeyman level. That's where I am. You get access to better archives, can supervise apprentices, and conduct research."

"And above that?" Velmira asked, lifting a spoonful of stew to her lips. The broth was hot, salted, probably delicious to someone who could taste it.

She swallowed. Forced it down.

"Second-class is rare. Maybe two hundred mages on the entire continent. They're specialists, usually assigned to important posts or dangerous missions. First-class is even rarer, only about forty or fifty of them."

Aldric lowered his voice.

"First-class mages report directly to Serie. They're the best of the best, and some of them are centuries old. They proctor the classification exams, handle continental-level threats, and basically do whatever Serie tells them to."

"And Serie herself?"

"No rank. She's beyond ranking. She founded the Association about fifty years ago, but she's been alive for over a thousand years. Maybe longer, no one really knows."

He took a long drink of ale.

"She's... intimidating doesn't begin to cover it. I've only seen her once, from a distance, during a ceremony. She looked at the crowd, and I swear everyone stopped breathing."

Velmira forced down another spoonful of stew.

"What about independent mages? Those not affiliated with the Association?"

"Technically legal, but heavily discouraged. The Association doesn't like competition, and they have the backing of most major kingdoms. Independent mages get harassed, audited for illegal spell use, and questioned about their training, well generally made unwelcome." Aldric shrugged. "That's why most people join, even if they don't like the politics. It's easier than fighting the system."

"Politics?"

Velmira reached for the bread, tearing off a piece. Solid food was even worse than liquid, but she had to maintain appearances.

"Oh, it's terrible," Aldric said cheerfully. "Competing schools of magical theory, feuds between different branches, favoritism for certain bloodlines or training lineages. Some mages spend more time politicking than actually practicing magic."

He gestured at himself.

"That's why I focus on research. I'm terrible at politics, but I can catalogue ancient spells and analyze mana signatures all day."

He paused, noticing that Velmira had barely touched her food.

"Not hungry?" he asked.

"The stew's usually pretty good here."

"Dietary restrictions," Velmira said, the lie coming easier with practice.

"Medical condition, you know. I have to be careful about what I eat."

"Ah." Aldric nodded sympathetically. "My mother had something similar, certain foods would make her ill. Is it the meat? I can order you something else—"

"No, it's fine. I'll manage."

She forced down more stew, each swallow an act of will.

Aldric watched for a moment longer, then tactfully changed the subject.

"So what brings you to Waal? You mentioned seeking information from the Association. What kind?"

This was the moment. How much could she reveal without triggering suspicion?

"I'm researching unusual magical phenomena," Velmira said carefully.

"Specifically, records of foreign magic users, anomalous mana signatures, anything that doesn't fit standard continental magical theory."

Aldric's expression transformed from polite interest to intense focus.

"You're researching magical anomalies?"

"In a sense."

"That's… that's exactly what I do!" He leaned forward, nearly knocking over his ale.

"Well, not officially. My official research is 'historical magical architecture and pre-Demon King artifact analysis.' But what I'm really studying is anomalous structures. Ruins that don't match any known magical tradition."

Now it was Velmira's turn to lean in.

"Ruins with geometric precision? Impossible angles? Materials that shouldn't exist?"

"Yes!" Aldric's voice rose, causing a few nearby patrons to glance over. He lowered it immediately.

"Yes, exactly that. I've found three sites so far, all with similar characteristics. The mana signatures are wrong, it is too structured and too uniform, like they were designed rather than naturally formed."

Yggdrasil. He was describing Yggdrasil architecture.

"I've seen similar structures," Velmira said, which was entirely true. "Where I come from, we had theories about... pre-historic magical civilizations that used different principles than modern magic."

"Pre-historic civilizations."

Aldric pulled one of his books from the stack, flipping it open to reveal sketches.

"Look at this. This is from a site about forty miles northeast of here. The geometric patterns are perfect, I mean mathematically perfect. No human hand-carving could achieve that precision."

Velmira looked at the sketches and felt her chest tighten. Yggdrasil dungeon architecture. She'd explored dozens of structures exactly like this in the game.

"And the mana residue?" she asked.

"That's the fascinating part. It doesn't decay like normal magical energy. It's stable, persistent, almost like it's being maintained by something we can't detect."

He flipped to another page.

"The Association dismisses my work as 'historical curiosity with no practical application.' But I think these ruins are important. I think they're evidence of something we don't understand about magic itself."

He wasn't wrong. He just didn't know he was studying the remnants of a video game that accidentally made real.

"I could help you," Velmira said. "With your research. I have... specialized knowledge about these kinds of structures."

Aldric's eyes widened.

"You do? How? Have you studied similar sites?"

"Something like that."

She chose her words carefully. "If you help me navigate the Association's bureaucracy, get access to their archives, I can help you understand what these ruins actually are."

"That's—" Aldric started, then caught himself. "Wait. You want something specific from the archives, don't you? Not just general research access."

Perceptive.

"I'm looking for records of unusual individuals. People with foreign magic, strange abilities, anything that doesn't fit the standard classifications."

"Why?"

"Because I think I might be one of them." The partial truth tasted strange on her tongue. "And I'm trying to understand what that means."

Aldric studied her for a long moment, his scholarly curiosity warring with caution. Then he smiled.

"All right. I don't care if you're keeping secrets about your past. Everyone has secrets. If you can help me crack this mystery, I'll help you find whatever you're looking for in the archives."

He extended his hand across the table.

"Partners?"

Velmira took his hand. His skin was warm, alive, well he’s definitely mortal.

"Partners."

***

The next morning, Velmira met Aldric outside the Continental Magic Association branch office. The building looked more imposing in daylight; three stories of gray stone, narrow windows, and the blue banner hanging motionless in the still air.

"Ready?" Aldric asked.

He was carrying fewer books today, but he'd brought a leather folder full of papers.

"I'll vouch for your credentials as a visiting scholar. Just let me do most of the talking."

"What should I expect?"

"Bureaucracy. Questions. Probably some low-level mana analysis to verify you're actually a mage." He started up the steps. "They're not usually hostile to visitors, just extremely thorough. The Association likes to know exactly who's accessing their resources."

The interior was exactly what Velmira expected; stone floors, wooden furniture, and walls covered with notices and official postings.

A reception desk dominated the entrance hall, staffed by a middle-aged woman in fourth-class robes who looked up as they entered.

"Aldric," she said, her tone professionally neutral.

"What brings you down from the archives?"

"Good morning, Helga. I'm sponsoring a visiting scholar for limited archive access."

He gestured to Velmira.

"This is Velmira, a researcher from the eastern territories. She's helping with my work on ancient architectural analysis."

Helga's eyes swept over Velmira, taking in her unusual appearance, her fine clothing, her lack of visible magical implements.

"Eastern territories. Which academy?"

"An independent institution," Velmira said. "Small and specialized. You wouldn't have heard of it."

"Independent." Helga's expression suggested this was not a point in her favor.

"Do you have any credentials? Letters of introduction? Association membership from your home region?"

"No. I'm recently arrived and still establishing connections."

"Then you'll need to go through the standard verification process."

Helga pulled out a form, um actually, multiple forms.

"Fill these out. It contains magical background, areas of study, and current research interests. We'll also need to perform a basic mana signature analysis."

Aldric shot Velmira an apologetic look. She took the forms and began filling them out, carefully crafting a background that was vague enough to avoid scrutiny but detailed enough to seem legitimate.

When she finished, Helga led them to a small testing room containing a large crystal mounted on a pedestal, a mana analysis device.

"Place your hand on the crystal," Helga instructed.

"It will read your magical signature and determine your approximate skill level."

Velmira hesitated. This could expose her. If the crystal detected her vampiric nature, if it recognized her Yggdrasil-based magic as fundamentally alien—

But backing out now would be more suspicious than whatever the crystal revealed.

She placed her palm on the cool crystal surface.

The reaction was immediate.

The crystal lit up, cycling through colors; blue, green, yellow, then flickering between purple and an odd silver-gray that seemed to confuse the device.

The light pulsed erratically, and a high-pitched whine filled the room.

Helga's eyebrows rose.

"That's... unusual."

"What does it mean?" Aldric asked.

"The crystal is having trouble categorizing her mana signature." Helga moved closer, examining the still-fluctuating colors.

"It's reading as both high-level and fundamentally anomalous. Like her magic is structured according to different principles than standard continental practice."

"I told you," Velmira said, keeping her voice steady.

"It's an eastern traditions. We use different methodologies."

"Different is an understatement." Helga made notes on her clipboard. "The signature is almost... artificial."

"Some traditions emphasize internal discipline and precise control," Aldric offered. "It probably just reflects her training methods."

Helga didn't look convinced, but she didn't have grounds to deny access either.

"I'll approve limited archive access under Aldric's supervision. But you're restricted to historical documents only, you can’t touch current Association records, spell grimoires, nor restricted materials. Understood?"

"Understood," Velmira said.

"And Aldric, you're responsible for her conduct. Any problems, and your own access privileges will be reviewed."

"She won't cause problems," Aldric assured her. "We're just doing historical research."

Helga stamped the forms, handed Velmira a temporary pass, and dismissed them with clear relief.

As they left the testing room, Velmira noticed several other mages had gathered in the entrance hall, higher-ranked, judging by their robes.

One of them was watching her.

He was perhaps forty, with sharp eyes, wearing first-class robes marked with silver trim. His gaze was analytical, dissecting, the look of someone who spent his life studying magical phenomena.

As Velmira and Aldric passed, he stepped forward.

"Excuse me," he said, his voice carrying the accent of the northern territories. "I couldn't help but notice the mana signature reading. Your magic has an unusual structure."

Velmira stopped, forcing herself to remain calm.

"So I've been told. I studied in the eastern kingdoms. Different traditions."

"I'm Genau," he introduced himself. "First-class mage, specialization in mana analysis and magical theory. I've studied magic from every known school on the continent, and I've never encountered a signature quite like yours."

He tilted his head slightly.

"It's structured. Almost artificially so. Like looking at architecture instead of organic growth."

Aldric shifted uncomfortably beside her. The other mages were listening now, curious.

"My training emphasized internal control and precise mana manipulation,"

Velmira said, using the same explanation she'd given before.

"The structure you're sensing is the result of decades of discipline."

"Fascinating." Genau's eyes were alight with scholarly interest, not suspicion. "What principles does your tradition use? Elemental alignment? Sympathetic resonance? Conceptual anchoring?"

"A combination. It's... difficult to explain without extensive background."

"I'd love to discuss it further." He glanced at Aldric. "You're working with Aldric on historical research?"

"Ancient ruins, actually," Aldric said quickly. "And a bit architectural analysis. Velmira has experience with similar structures from her homeland."

"Ancient ruins?" Now Genau looked genuinely interested. "Which sites?"

"Pre-Demon King era," Aldric explained. "Anomalous architecture that doesn't match known magical traditions. We're trying to document and understand them before the knowledge is lost."

"Noble work, if underappreciated by the Association." Genau smiled slightly. "Most mages prefer practical applications to historical preservation. It's refreshing to see young scholars taking the long view."

He returned his attention to Velmira.

"I'll be watching for your publications, scholar. Your unique perspective might shed light on questions we've been unable to answer through conventional methods."

He nodded politely and moved toward the exit, the other first-class mages following him.

Velmira watched him go, her heart pounding despite not needing to beat at all.

"That was Genau," Aldric whispered once they were out of earshot.

"One of Serie's personal apprentices. He's brilliant, but intense. If he's interested in your work, that's... actually a good thing? He has influence in the Association."

Or it was a terrible thing, if he decided to investigate her more thoroughly.

"Come on," Aldric said. "Let's get to the archives before anyone else decides to interrogate you."

***