Foxtails and Fairytales: Facades and Fables of the Phantom Prince

[Arc 1] Ch. 4 Broken Bonds

Jules

After working at a painstaking rate, Perchwell had finished scrutinizing the circle to make sure it matched the required conditions.

Perchwell snapped the book closed with a loud crack and set it inside her library. A type of magic item similar to Sebas's Adventuring Journal. Someone had figured out how to store a large quantity of books using the same system of magic. It had the appearance of a miniature Grandfather clock that grew to the size of an actual grandfather clock with a framed glass door. They were unreasonably expensive, but for the academics and magus they were invaluable.

Magus Vladimir Turner was the man who had stumbled across the idea while a student of Hearthroam. His adaptation of the magic and creation of the Library to simplify his studies was more of a happy accident. This magic had been explored before and was considered unruly, and the potential loss of information due to forgetting the passcode was always a concern along with other safety concerns. However, because he couldn't speak an opening and closing phrase in the library, and he had to carry several books that didn't already have the transfiguration enchantment on them he came up with a solution many had tried, and nobody had perfected.

He created a closable box that could shrink any non-living matter successfully, and just as important: he created a key, or more precisely a lock. Or even more precisely several locks. The first was a key that when pressed against the clock it would instantly open and close. But since he was worried he'd lose it he made a secondary lock system using a traditional clock winding key. Inserting and turning the mundane key would move the inner magical gears. Turning it to the right time in the morning and pulling out the key would open it, while turning it to that same time in the evening would close it.

The discovery of it while he was sneaking books out of the library should have gotten him expelled... instead he was made a Magus initiate for it. The locking mechanism was so complex that the Magus members were impressed, and the various applications of the product could put his life in danger. Since protecting Mages was the Archana's job they couldn't overlook him. After he'd perfected the design he became both a member of the Magus Archana and a wealthy man. And since he wanted it to be recognized for it's potential to carry books rather than anything else he called it a Library.

Once the mysterious book was inside the Library and the Library was formally put away Perchwell turned back to the magic circle in question. She unwrapped the parcel to reveal a dark pearlescent roughly shaped orb. It had a dark arcane feel about it but Perchwell was as ignorant to it as she was to the high price of the artifact as she casually placed it in the center of the circle.

"Now all I have to do is insert negative magical charge at the right point." She knelt down and placed her hand over the smallest magical circle on the outside of the main circle.

"Professor... I've never heard of a Negative Magical charge before?" I asked.

"Just two hours ago neither had I." she confessed as she took a deep breath.

My heart pounded at that, all spell had been tied to one of the fundamental elements. Magus Perchwell made a name for herself by a proof of a terrible concept. That Ley lines could be accessed for magic through dark magic and four magical channels consisting of all four elements. Using a large field, and a giant magic circle she was able to power a candle that burned a white light for twenty seconds. It burned the wick, but not the wax which is why it went out. It was the first recorded instance of an object powered by Ley line magic. Since that day she had been looking for a more efficient way to power everyday magical items or even a single magical item off the renewable resource of Ley Line magic.