Foxtails and Fairytales: Facades and Fables of the Phantom Prince

[Arc 1] Prologue: Rabbit Hole

Vladimir Turner

"Dova, have you taken a look at this application yet?" I shouted as I burst into the office of my colleague, she was normally very busy but today couldn't wait. it was the same as it always was, a single window barely let let enough light in as the room was piled high with scrolls, books, and loose papers. A single desk with two chairs was the only visible piece of furniture besides the tall locked cabinet behind her with many random nick knacks. The two of us were Magus Archana members employed at Hearthroam University in Galavan.

Dova jumped, "by the myths! Vlad! I'm doing research, you can't just come in here screaming like a madman."

"Nevermind that, have you looked at this application?" I say holding up a book I pulled out of my satchel.

"Of course not, it's a flappin' novel." The part-bird girl held up her untouched copy of the book a student submitted. She may not look or act like it because of her youth, but she was a member of the prestigious Magus Archana, a society of power magicians and scholars whose power or knowledge could tip the political balance of power. At the height of the oppression of magic users some very powerful users gathered together and called themselves magus to prevent the others of their kind from being exploited. Now we were a worldwide organization based here at Hearthroam.

"It's definitely worth checking out, hold on listen to this." I tried to find the section I wanted to read her as i flipped through the book marked passages.

Some students can bypass the traditional exams to be enrolled into the advanced course by special recommendation if they submit their research or their findings. During this process many get rejected, thinking a note from a noble relative or a half-cock theory will get them accepted. On the other end, since all ages over fifteen are welcome into the advanced courses, some come to submit their life's work, whether in final form or not, to be evaluated by the Magus of the school. It was possible to be allowed tuition free entrance if their work was evaluated by three of the Magus in attendance as worthy of persevering.

There was another part of the exam. Normally a youth with potential could be made a Magus Initiate if recognized and sponsored by two members of the Archana. To progress beyond that they would then have to submit some finding and satisfy five different members for evaluation to be accepted a formal member. But if they weren't a Magus Initiate they only needed the five to approve on their acceptance. That meant that if some unfound talent impressed all five evaluators they would not only get into school for free but be invited to join the Magus Archana.

"Ah, here it is." I said and began to read the passage I was looking for. "The common misconception plaguing the magical world is that we derive magic power from the elements and attempt to tie every following spell back to these overly basic elements. I propose that Magic is not elementally charged, instead it is a force that can be openly manipulated to create a miracle otherwise impossible through mundane means. It then goes on to explain the debate on whether gravity magic is earth or wind magic and how it makes more sense to make it its own type."I skip over some information that wasn't relevant to my point.

"Okay, I guess that some makes sense, but it spits in the face of everything we've every known." She leaned on her arm and flipped through the pages of her copy without actually looking through it. "Why does he need a whole book for-" She paused when she noticed something she couldn't believe she was seeing in the light of day. "Vlad," she threw open the book. "Are there blood magic rituals in here!"

"Yes!"

"Well don't look so flappin' excited! This is taboo magecraft!" She stood up and pointed at the book.

"But what if it wasn't!" I said feeling the excitement well up inside me. I was really indifferent to the blood magic argument since I studied space manipulation magic, two fields that never intersected. "What if this very book's theory was to prove the validity of Blood magic as something else? What if that was only the beginning?" I waved the book at her.