Black Magus

As the days passed into weeks, then the months to nearly a year, the training of my vassals continued without pause. And during that time, my lessons with Mr. Brooks had grown increasingly shorter.

After my bender in the library and my visits thereafter, I was no longer dependent on him to give me studying material. As such, his planned lectures usually wound up consisting of him asking me what I’d read and me explaining in vivid detail everything I knew about the topic at hand and more. As much as he seemed delighted about my intellect, however, he also became visibly flustered every time I answered him in such a way. Made evident by his self-mutterings while his arms maddeningly shuffled through his bag of slightly arranged documents to presumably decide upon the next course of study. At which time I’d begin the question and answer sessions anew. With nearly the whole of the library being cataloged in my Eternal Eye, such acts played out again and again until I was receiving lessons from my tutor only once a fortnight. Leaving me with an abundance of time mostly spent transcribing textbooks and manuals for my vassals.

It was a few weeks before my sixth birthday when it happened. Like any other day, I dipped through the shadows sometime in the morning and emerged in the formal area of the house to step into the private office that’d been designated as my classroom. Only to find my father excitedly talking up a storm to a somewhat deflated Mr. Brooks sitting across from him.

“Ah, Amun! You’re here!” Father turned to me after I entered, cheesing like a teenager in an augmentation clinic.

“I am.” I nodded slowly in confusion. “What’s the issue?”

“No issue.” Father shook his head, displaying his palms as a gesture of nonaggression. “Wilmont here was simply telling me of your genius.”

I turned my inquisitive eyes from my father towards Mr. Brooks, who simply smiled and nodded as if in defeat1. “It’s true. You’ve proven your genius to me time and time again, Your Grace. I planned on teaching you until you were at least ten years old. And yet.” He ruefully chuckled. “You’ve learned everything I aimed to teach you within the span of a year. All on your own, at that! An incredible accomplishment, truly.”

“Thank you for your kind words.” I bowed before returning my gaze to him. “So, I assume this means our lessons are over?”

“It does, I’m afraid. I have nothing left to teach Your Grace and as such, your basic education is complete. It was an honor.”

“The honor was mine.” I shook my head in response to his bow. “Your books were particularly helpful to me. Without them, it would’ve taken much longer to get to this point.” He let out a rueful chuckle at the words and sheepishly looked away while scratching the back of his head. ‘I guess that’s not a compliment.’ I laughed inside before speaking again. “That said, there are still some things I’m unsure about.”

“Oh?” He turned with raised brows. “Such as?”

“About the realms.” I stepped closer. “The Mortal Plane.”

“You have a look of disbelief about you, Amun.” My father commented from his seat. “A rarity, I might say.”

“Quite frankly, I don’t believe it,” I huffed. “How do we know so much about it? How can something so large exist without it... crumbling apart? How was it measured? And how do we know of the different realms? These are my most pertinent questions.”

He seemed taken aback a little by my sudden enthusiasm. But after taking a deep breath and putting on a content smile, he casually rose from his seat and approached the enchanted fireplace before gesturing to the chalkboard directly above it. “May I?” He smiled warmly.

“Please.” I nodded, taking his seat. “Tell me everything.”

With a bow, he turned to the slate board and began... waving to it. In turn, some machinations within began drawing a large disk, much like a CD; only with a large sphere in the middle that could have only represented the sun, Tiatus.

“Maru's recorded history dates back 1,481 years.” He began. “Before that time, we had no knowledge of the many species that exist on the Mortal Plane. We knew only of the dwarves and halflings living among us humans; of the vast underground labyrinths that stretch beneath the continents and surrounding seas; and of the uncrossable, impossibly vast oceans that surround our realm- Maru.” He punctuated his words by stabbing his 'chalk' at a seemingly indiscriminate point in said oceans. A small island in an endless sea that enhanced to display four relatively microscopic continents.

“While many have tried.” He continued. “None have made it through; or if they did, no word was ever sent back to us in Maru. We were trapped in our realm, vast though it may be. Unknowing of anything outside of us until a series of magical gates appeared across the continent of Ulai. Marking the beginning of the zeroth year. Commonly.” He paused to turn and flick his chalk at me, somehow translating to his drawing reforming itself to the prior image. “This is known as the catalyst for an invasion from otherworldly creatures that would last for over a millennium.”

I nodded along during his pause. As everything he’d said so far stood true to everything that I’d read.

“What’s rarely written about, however.” My father suddenly interjected, allowing Mr. Brooks to continue etching out his masterpiece without distractions. “Is the fact that the invasion was double-sided. While these inhuman creatures did indeed invade and wage war on Maru for over a thousand years; so to did countless mystics, adventurers, guilds, merchants, militaries, and even entire empires venture through the gates. They all spread throughout the lands beyond the gates in droves, Amun. And after the majority of them came running back to Maru, they documented what lie beyond the gates."

“That isn’t to say Maru was untouched, though.” My father ceased his sudden laughter with a somber sigh. “The Ulaian continent was considered a Necropolis- a Dead Zone within a century of the gates appearing. The continent of Phaegrath was engulfed in war just a decade after, and by the year 125, the front lines had made it all the way to the Epethian Continent. This persuaded many of the existing guilds to band together and form what is now known as the Guild Association, of which there are branches in both Maru and Nonus. It then took over three centuries of constant fighting to force the line back and secure the gates.”

“The most famous guild to deny the banner of the Guild Association was none other than New Dawn.” Mr. Brooks chimed in, turning from his near-complete board. “Seeing as how they single-handedly led every force through the Nonusian Gate connecting our realm to Nonus, they deemed it beneath them. At the time, they were led by a sorcerer of light who went by the name of Lucius Morningstar. And he,” Mr. Brooks grinned with a point of his chalk, “is responsible for measuring the Mortal Plane.”

“I see.” I nodded. ‘If he used light, that makes it accurate. If not believable. This… Lucius essentially used himself as a lidar to not only measure the Plane but to map it as well. And judging by its size, it must’ve taken a few hours for all the light to come streaming back to him.'

“So then… the linear distance from the inner rim of the Mortal Plane to the outer edge is approximately 1,340,380,800 kilometers. And the Plane wraps around Tiatus in its entirety. That is what he measured?” I asked, still in obvious disbelief. It was Nine astronomical Units, after all. Equivalent to a solid plate that started in the orbit of Mercury and ended in the orbit of fucking Saturn. Because of course, it did. I loved Saturn as much as anyone, Saturnian founder or not. Still, however, that was a bit excessive. I traveled the distance in a torch ship, so I failed to imagine how humans could cross such a distance on foot. Magical affinities or not.

“Yes.” Mr. Brooks nodded as if it wasn't the craziest thing in existence to say. “After they fortified the gates in the early sixth century, the New Dawn Guild began sending groups to colonize the lands beyond the portals. In time, they erected entire empires. As things go, some fell into obscurity while others, like Polaris, thrived. In time, their Empire dug in its roots atop the gate linking Nonus to Maru. Trade routes and transportation lanes that weren't dependent on the Gates were established. Among the first of these routes was a link between Maru and the realms-famous Arcane Institute, yet many more were constructed to link Maru to their ever-expanding empire. Once they did, Polaris and every other civilization that rose beneath New Dawn's wing left their lanes open, inviting those of Maru to forsake Maru in favor of Nonus. Never again did they return to Maru.

"Because of that, what was left of the Marulean races fought alone for the next seven centuries. In all that time, only one gate was said to change, though it was never confirmed until a gate spontaneously appeared in the early twelve-hundreds. Here!” He gestured around us. “In what would later become the Twin Empires, Deapou and Odissi, a gate appeared.”

“And through, it came the elves,” I concluded. “So that means, after Ulai was sealed behind the barrier, the humans who went through the non-Nonusian gates were cut off from Maru forever. Or if they did, they were... imprisoned. In Ulai.”

“Precisely.” My father nodded solemnly. “With the elves came an abundance of knowledge; among other things.” He smirked as he gazed somewhere beyond the walls from the side of his eye. “Notably, how to awaken the ability to awaken greater magic. Affinity Cores. But also knowledge of the many realms and creatures that lie beyond. Greatly expanding what we thought we knew.”

“Indeed.” Mr. Brooks concurred. “You see, the Mortal Plane has been the largest center of focus for a vast number of creatures since time immemorial. And among us all, we have come to recognize four distinct Zones within the Mortal Plane. Three of which are dominated by a unique tree of life. And each of these zones is further subdivided into Realms that are dominated by a different tree of life.

"The first of these zones is the Inner Reaches, closest to Tiatus, our sun.” Mr. Brooks pointed to the inner rim of his disk as it expanded to depict a mind-breaking wall placed before the sun. “Here exists a wall, thousands of kilometers in height. Though we are unaware of its function, we have confirmed its existence and refer to this realm as Gray Terminus. Just before that wall is a realm enveloped in perpetual shade. The Black Plane. While unremarkable, it is here that the existence of a truly unbreakable material was discovered. Neither might nor magic can damage this material that serves as the Plane's very foundation. Just beyond that is the Close Reaches, an immensely hot tempest of vaporized stone and metal. There, exists more unbreakable material known as the plane's core. And after that lies the Far Reaches, an area where the very rock and magma that sits atop the core of the Mortal Plane gets vaporized and blasted back outwards from Tiatus’ radiance.”

‘That’s metal as fuck!’ I cackled inside.

“Naturally.” Mr. Brooks continued by pointing to the first section of shaded landmass found on the Plane. A thick band that occupied upwards of a third of the inner rim. Atop which stood a tree that, according to his scale, was comparable in size to a gas giant. “Hell is the zone just north of the Inner Reaches. North being away from the sun. Not to be confused with the Hells, the first realm of the Hell Zone is called Mercultis. It is most famous for being the southernmost point of solid ground. There, bedrock and metal are either vaporized and blasted south or condensed above the half-molten lands to rain down in the next realm in ways similar to our snow, sleet, and hail. That realm is Exol. A volcanic, lava-rich zone that’s most notably recognized by the showers of molten rock and metal that pour down on the lands to form vast, flowing oceans, lakes, and rivers of molten material. They are said to churn all throughout the land on their way north, where they'll later settle and solidify in Vagua.

"When one mentions the Hells or even Hell," Mr. Brooks said, slapping his 'chalk' on that planetary tree. "Vagua is often what they mean. The realm of blistering land of rock metal is the birthplace of demons. So too, however, do both vampires and devils reside in the realm. Continuing on, the last zone of Hell is Conum.” He pointed again, panning the map to a land pocked with what appeared to be water-filled craters of varying sizes and shapes. “The northernmost border of Conum is near the point where water begins to form. As such, the simmering seas and boiling lakes at its border often causes the realm to be obscured in the annals of history. Instead, those of all realms consider the southern borders as part of Vagua. And the northern border as a realm of its own. A chain of lakes, rivers, and archipelagos bathed in dense steam. The Steamline.

“This forms a natural border between Hell and Paradise, the third Zone.” He said, pointing to a map of the Plane in its entirety, highlighting a central band to what appeared to be a vast archipelago from this scale. Three of them. Chains of land stretching from the southernmost border of Paradis to the northern edge, broken apart by coin-sized ‘lakes’ and vast 'seas.'

“Within Paradise sits four realms separated by oceans of immense proportions. One, the smallest of which, is Maru.” I squinted to see the small dot of land masses at the end of his pointer. It was in the same area he highlighted at the beginning of his lecture. A series of dots that were supposed to represent the vast continents I already familiarized myself with. “As for the others.” Mr. Brooks panned to the far side of Tiatus to expose the first of those 'archipelagos.' “The first of them is Youtera, Motherland of Elvenkind. A land where few humans have ever stepped foot. Next." He paused, resetting the picture to display Maru before it panned counterclockwise- east across the interplanetary sea. It was about half the width of Youtera but significantly closer to Maru than any other landmass. Not that it mattered. "We have Betrarth. The birthplace of orc and goblin-kind. The rest of the land in Paradise is what we call, Nonus.” He explained as the map again shifted back to Maru, then continued west and expanded to depict an 'archipelago' occupying nearly a third of Paradise. "The boundless land home to Polaris and their extensive empire.

“Beyond the White Walls lies the White Worlds, the final Zone.” He pointed further north to the massive region of ice that seemed to encompass over half of the disk's radius. “What’s known as the White Wall and all that’s frozen at its base are formerly called Cyamis. At its core is a sheer cliff of ice that stretches much higher than Gray Terminus. The next realm, Taton, extends from the summit to no less than 50,000 kilometers beyond the edge. It is a gelid region nearly devoid of air, but full of life. Beyond that, lies the land of frost creatures and ice giants, Nilfheim. A region plagued by ice volcanoes and ancient lava flows that combine to thicken the air to above-normal levels, creating a band of eternal thunderstorms around the entire region.

“Lastly, there is the literal end of the world that few have seen and fewer dared approach. Egedil.” He sighed, somewhat with relief.

“Jesus,” I commented to myself, still in disbelief.

“Who?” They both shook their heads at once.

“No one.” I waved it aside. 'Gotta stop saying that.' I told myself before turning to them. “So then, there are still people living in each of these realms?”

“In Nonus, definitely.” My father nodded. “While the otherworldly creatures and the portals themselves were trapped behind the barrier, that wasn’t to say humans were stuck on Maru. As Mr. Brooks pointed out, Polaris constructed a light bridge between the edge of their empire and Maru. Due to the dangers present on the other side, however, only the strongest of us Maruleans are freely able to make the transit.”

“The assessment.” I nodded in understanding. ‘It’s all coming together.’

“Precisely.” Father nodded. “If you pass, you will attend the magic academy and be granted unrestricted access to not only Nonus but the rest of the Mortal Plane as well. However, Amun.” Father continued in a more ominous tone. “The finer details of history aren’t found in the books for a reason, do you understand?”

“I do.” I quickly nodded, as I was busy forming theories based on what I’d just learned. ‘Despite there being pockets of humanity scattered everywhere; possibly. This… New Dawn, is running what could potentially be the largest group of organized humans on the Mortal Plane. But with what purpose or goal? If anything, I can only assume they want to explore and conquer as much of this vast realm as they can. An effort that I assume will take tens, if not hundreds of centuries to accomplish. Wrongly so, most likely. Additionally, that was all but verified to be a sugar-coated version of history that I’d just heard as well. Thus the only true course of action is to discover the truth for myself.

'And I was born with the perfect way to do it.'

“Thank you for your lecture, Mr. Brooks.” I bowed to him. “You’ve answered all of my questions in full. I hope you find nothing but success and safety during your future endeavors. And I hope to see you again in the future.”

“As do I, Your Grace.” He smiled as he bowed. “I know you’ll become a great magus.”

With that, he said some departing words to my father before gathering his things and leaving with nothing more than a nod my way. And once he was gone, I turned to my father with a newfound sense of vigor. “Dad,” I firmly said. “Now that my education is complete, I would like to turn my energy towards learning the things that I want to learn.”

“Oh?” He perked up at my words and turned to me. “Like what?”

“You’ve already said you’d allow it, but I have yet to actually go hunting or fishing with Gerolt,” I explained. “My vassals and I need to learn how to hunt, butcher, and cook for ourselves. And hunting will also give us an opportunity to further develop our magic and fighting skills. Furthermore, my vassals and I need to begin proper weapons training and be granted access to an area where we can freely use our magic. A place that can challenge us, and where property damage won’t be an issue.”

“Those are all fine points,” Father mused as he stroked his chin. “Very well, I’ll speak to Gerolt about taking you hunting. Again. If he’s unwilling, I’ll allow you to go out yourselves, but only after your next birthday, Amun. Surely you can wait until you’re seven to go out on your own?”

‘Again? Unwilling?’ I squinted before internally shaking my head. “That’s no problem. There are some things I wanted to teach my vassals, and that’ll give me just the time to do so.”

“Then, it’s agreed.” Father smiled, extending his hand. “Gerolt can take you hunting, you can venture outside the external yards with your vassals. And after your next birthday, you’ll be allowed to venture wherever you want within our territory on the island. Please. Just… be careful.”

I looked in confusion at his hand for a second. Nearly six years on this planet and it was the first time I’d ever seen someone extend such a gesture to another. ‘Perhaps it’s only for deals or agreements? No matter.' I grinned wide as I shook my father’s hand firmly. And after a short dismissal, I stepped into my shadow and sped through the night to the service wing.

As always, Jonet was not far behind me, nearly sprinting through physical space from outside the classroom to Jaimess and Toril’s quarters to see me stepping back into reality as she rounded the corner.

After a few knocks, Toril opened the door with a bow before stepping aside to grant us entry. “Your Grace.”

No matter how much I saw it, I couldn’t help but internally groan every time I laid eyes on their living arrangements. It wasn’t a bad barracks; or dorm, depending on how one looked at it. It was even quite spacious, with two desks that sat in the middle of the room, opposing each other with a high partition set in between. Their beds sat in opposing corners of the room. Toril’s to the left of the door and Jaimess’ in the far right corner. Each with large trunks at their feet and furnishings that functioned as both a wardrobe and a nightstand.

Better than how they were living at my grandfather’s school, I assumed. They even had their own bathroom. But the thought of having my vassals share a room was enough to irk my nerves entirely. If they were to serve me for life, then I felt that they deserved only the best of whatever was given them, whether it was food, shelter, clothing, or knowledge.

If I was to become a living god in this world, then they would have to become my demigods.

“I’m glad to see you taking your studies seriously.” I grinned at Jaimess, lying across the bed like he was talking on the phone with his girlfriend; complete with his feet kicked up in the air, spinning idly.

He removed his eyes from my book on tactics for the first time and looked at me with wide eyes before leaping from the bed. “Lord Amun!” He gasped, approaching me with eyes of the mad. “These survival techniques, methods of attack, they’re… they’re unlike anything I’ve ever heard! Most of them don’t even require magic!” He chuckled in awed despair. Where did you learn them?”

“That’s unimportant.” I shook my head. “It’s only important that you all understand the material. Thoroughly.”

“Yes, My Lord.” He quickly bowed, half-shattered by my lack of candor.

‘Perhaps one day I’ll tell you all.’ I chuckled inside. ‘Though, I doubt you’d even believe me. So, maybe not.’

“That’s for another time, however.” I quickly said, turning on my heels for the door. “It’s time to train.”

Toril eagerly turned to situate his bed and belongings before trotting back to my side to await an equally eager Jaimess to situate his things and join us. Once out, I stayed silent as I tried to figure out how to best explain these concepts to them. A brainstorm that took longer than intended, as I was still muttering to myself long after we arrived.

“L- Lord Amun?” Jaimess hesitantly asked while pointing to my shadow. “Are we not conducting our drills?”

“Ah, yes. Of course.” I snapped back to reality and quickly squatted down to scoop up three balls of darkness from my shadow. “Let’s begin.”