The walk from the Black Tower Academy to the Black Tower of magic was long, incredibly so for Ludwig. Because though he followed Van Dijk’s confident strides, he felt every step the man took was a weight that kept adding onto Ludwig’s mind, pressure so much of it that it was suffocating.
And just as the tower was in full View did the Tower Master speak, “Ludwig,” he said.
“Yes, Master,” Ludwig replied coyly.
Van Dijk turned to face Ludwig and said, “Why did you Kill Thomas Vondel?” he asked.
Ludwig couldn’t tell him because he happened to be the most optimal and fastest way for him to meet with Necros.
“He asked for it, he came at me with eyes screaming bloody murder,” Ludwig replied.
“Patience is a good virtue to have in a mage, could you not have solved it normally? Escaping or calling a teacher would have defused the situation instantly,” Van Dijk said.
“Patience for humans isn’t something I’m equipped with, Master Van Dijk,” Ludwig said.
Van Dijk smiled, “You got me, I keep forgetting that you’re a monster… regardless, I’m glad you killed him,” Van Dijk said as he turned around.
That was strange, Ludwig thought, he believed that Van Dijk would scold him for killing a noble.
“That means that you have no fear for the royalty nor the nobles. I need someone like that in the future,” he said as he moved ahead urging Ludwig to follow behind him. “You see, if you actually shied away from fighting back, or ran away, or even cried for help, I would have discarded you as my disciple there and then. I have no need for those who cannot defend themselves, or at least try doing so. Today I’ll teach you something, personally,” he said as he climbed up the tower.
Ludwig followed behind him, the tower seemed empty as always.
“What are you thinking?” Van Dijk asked.
“That this tower is pretty big, but there is nothing here but your room…” Ludwig said.
“Oh, like all other Towers, they’re built using the magic of the Gray Tower. It has spatial temperance. The tower is far bigger than you think Ludwig, but only when you graduate will you be able to peer into its secrets,” he said as he continued going upward.
Once the two of them entered Van Dijk’s room the latter turned to Ludwig and asked him a question.
“Ludwig Heart, how long had you spent in this world?” Van Dijk asked.
“Today marks my fifth day,” Ludwig replied.
“And in these five days you encountered a good amount of magic I presume, and read a lot of books on theory and magic properties and even magic history. Tell me then, what is the most important thing a mage should have?” Van Dijk asked.
Ludwig rubbed his chin as he thought for a second.
‘The most important thing? Well, talent for magic is obvious, but that’s just too obvious… this is a tricky question. Having loads of mana would help in using great spells, having talents make able to climb the ranks of mages and have more circles easily… but all of that is conditional. Van Dijk’s question is far too specific for something too conditional to be an answer.’
Ludwig looked at Van Dijk’s eyes and said, “Imagination,” He said.
Van Dijk’s lips contorted in a vicious smile that would crudle blood, “And how did you come to that conclusion?” he asked.
Ludwig pointed at Van Dijk, “You. Your black flames, they’re not something anyone can learn, they’re self-created. Making them a personal magic with far more danger than anything I’ve seen. Even Thomas Vondel used flames with what I could see to have a higher output of mana than yours, but your flames would easily burn rock and steel and even one’s soul. While he barely burnt a patch in a dense forest. He had the talent since he was a noble and it didn’t serve him much, he also had the mana of a mage and he still died. But he didn’t use his imagination, if I were him I wouldn’t shoot flames in a frost, I’d chase my opponent with other tools.”
“What other tools?” Van Dijk said as his smile grew even more vicious.
“Though I don’t know of such, and I was late in joining the academy, I do know that they learned many other types of basic magic from some notes of a classmate. If I were him I’d use the wind to track my opponent and listen in on them. Or use Hexes to exhaust, fatigue, and over-encumber my enemy. I’d take my time hunting them down before I get too overworked with useless emotions like anger,”
“Good… that’s a passing answer,” he said as he turned and pulled a small booklet from under the pile of books on his desk and gave it to Ludwig.
[You have obtained detailed notes of an advanced magic study.]
[Mana Control]
Ludwig took the book note and began admiring the complexity of what was written within.
“Imagination, or imagery, is the basis of all magic,” he said. As he raised a finger up lighting up a small flame.
“How would you increase the power of this flame if you have little mana to fuel it?” Van Dijk asked.
Ludwig thought for a moment, “Oxygen,” Ludwig said.
Van Dijk frowned, “I heard that term, it came from a former hero, that’s a word for a particle you guys said that is part of air itself,” Van Dijk said.
Ludwig remembered then that he wasn’t the only one to ever be summoned to this world.
“Yes, the air around us, or in my former world was composed of almost eighty percent nitrogen, and almost twenty percent air, with a small percentile of other gases in between, the oxygen is what allows fire to enflame and burn, so if you add more oxygen to it, it should grow in size without needing to fuel it with mana,” Ludwig said.
“I see, it is close enough to what we have here, we simply fuel it with wind magic,” Van Dijk said and the flame grew stronger. “But, how do you make it like this?” Van Dijk said and the flames turned pitch black. The pressure they gave off became terribly suffocating that Ludwig knew that if he were to touch that flame, his entire body would be lit and smoldered in matters of seconds.
“Hatred,” Ludwig said.
Van Dijk’s smile turned to a wide grin that showed all his teeth, “YES! Indeed! Hatred! Hatred against all, rage against all and! And most importantly cruelty against all! Fueling magic with mana is mighty, but fueling it with emotion is far more superior. This flame was something I created due to my hatred, my hatred against myself at the first place. It’s a flame that has one goal to consume anything it touches until nothing is left, and will never be snuffed, that is how much my hatred runs,” he said and snapped his fingers causing the flame to extinguish.
“Imagination fuels creation, and emotion fuels result. But a mage needs efficiency in all to achieve success, that is the reason why I gave you that book. Though your mana is far too little compared to all former heroes, maybe because you lost your chance to be one, but with that notebook you’ll be able to channel your mana far easier. Sadly, you can never create a mana circle,” Van Dijk said.
Ludwig frowned, “Why not?” he asked.
“Because you have no heart,” Van Dijk said, “I tried hard to come up with ways, even finding a replacement heart, and I even tried using your former one, but none of that worked. Oh by the way your remains have been cremated.”
Ludwig didn’t really express much after hearing that, but the fact that he couldn’t become a mage was still frustrating.
“Can I not even use Skill Books?” Ludwig asked.
“Hah?” a look of disgust appeared on Van Dijk’s face, “Skill books is magic of the weak and the pompous who use gold instead of their mind. I came up with something better than a magic circle,” Van Dijk said.
Ludwig frowned… “What do you mean?” he asked.
“Simple, I’ll make you a personal one, one that no other can ever have nor dream of obtaining, a mana circuit that’s grafted on your own bones, bit by painful bit. A Van Dijk Special!” he said as he spread his arms and laughed like a maniac.
‘Guess it’s time for me to be a guinea pig’
[New Side Quest!]
[Survive Van Dijk’s Experiment]
[You must not try and Run away, this experiment will test your mental fortitude.]
‘great…’