Alexander wasn't sleeping tonight.
He doesn't tell his Father, Torres Vi Terande, or his mother Violet Vi Terande. His little sister Ana would be the first he tells but for now he is too excited for the next experiment. For speculation. For everything. For power. His family could tell something was different. It was clear something was on his mind. During Dinner the conversations were sparse as Alexander stared through them. Even Ana his 6 year old sister couldn't get his attention and he had been playing with her since she could walk.
Her barely kept hair and dirtied dress became a staple of their family as she ran around getting into messes with the few maids that they employed. Their humble mansion was enough for their family, hosting guests and housing their dutiful staff.
At a certain point even though he never showed any sort of despair to the eventuality of being magicless; they all treated him with the care of a child who had broken every bone in his body. There was still an expectation given to him. His Father made it clear he would still be heir, until his sister awakened magic, but Alexander didn't care about it. He had learned all it took to be heir before he was ten years old. All that mattered now was his research.
As he walked to his room after dinner, passed all of the staff that tip toed around him hoping that his enrollment into the academy wasn't destroying him, he had only one thought. It wasn't anything to do with his sister, mother or father. It was rune composition.
His personal attendant, Duke Bryson, stood patiently by Alexander's room as he quietly muttered to himself barely noticing Duke. The young blond knight, stood guard by him, his sword was enchanted for simple barrier magic (the standard for all guardian knights.) He had been his personal attendant and Knight since Alexander was 6 years old. Raised along side him to produce absolute loyalty. Something is Father was insistant on. Torres Vi Terande knew what loyaty meant when they couldn't produce mages.
One disloyal attendant could be enough to destroy the little the family had left. Their wealth. Their territory and their family.
"A late night again, Alex." Duke said befor Alexander could stumble into his room.
Alexander looked up at his friend. He had reached 2nd circle in wind magic from private tutoring and things Alexander taught him between experiments. Duke might have been a better mage if he wasn't focused on swordsmanship.
"Yes! Come in. Let me show you something." Alexander's eyes twinkled. He had someone he could tell. Someone that would listen.
Alexander's room was already littered with layers of papers. Detailing the rune configurations of circles and the way that mana is suppose to form around the heart to create the first circle. It was knowledge freely given and documented for the four elements.
The aparatus that he had used just that morning with his mother was still set up. Alexander leads Duke to it and begins explaining.
"This will change the world. I have found a way to express magic without needing specific runes. Magi-tech as you might know, the same magi-tech that produces this light and helps in alchemy is based on elemental expressed runes. However I have devised runes that don't require the expression of elements. Let me show you. Place your hand over the crystal and express your magic."
Duke looks at him like he is crazy at first. Except when he sees the pure magic flow through the crystal tubing and blow wind out the other end.
"So, this is going to change the world?" Duke can see it's amazing, but it's also something any mage can do with their first circle.
"I know what your thinking Duke. Written right on your face. I didn't make this to get rid of magic. I can't imagine at it's current scale what it would take to express 3rd circle and beyond magic. What it does, is express magic we didn't know even existed. How many times has nobility labeled commoners as magicless because of faint grey light? So when mine glowed purple. Something never seen. I knew something we knew was wrong." Alexander moves to the apparatus and pulls out the crystal he had charged earlier. Their was still a faint energy within it.
"Look," Alexander begins to pour his miniscule magic into it. It was hard to express magic without the proper channels and a circle that would manage it. However even Duke could see it slowly fill, "Now look closely at the flask."
Duke gets really close to the flask. He sees in the corner of his eye the magic flow through the tubing and wiring. Until the flask changes. At first he couldn't tell exactly what happened.
"Poke it with your sword." Alexander urged.
Duke slowly unsheaded his sword and gently poked the glass. Except as he applied pressure the sword began to bend around the glass.
"What the fuck! Have you told the Master and Mistress?" Duke couldn't help his excitment. This was world breaking.
"Shh. No. Not until I form my first circle. Alchemists have documented how magic interplays with natural phenomena. Whatever mine is. I can only speculate. There's nothing to show them." Alexander sighs firmly believing none of this is ready.
"Speculate!— Speculate.. are you crazy? My sword bent around it. Imagine what that could do.. Dude you have to tell them." Duke quickly lowered his voice and sheathed his sword.
Alexander thought about it. Telling them. His family had always supported him and his research. His Father and mother were just 3rd and 2nd circle mages respectfully. They knew they could never bring back the glory of the house with their magic. The hurdle to the fourth had been too great. However he also knew that if his sister awakened two elements or three like their fore fathers; his position of heir would be over.
It was something he accepted when she was born. Even though he was 18 it was clear he was only an heir in name.
"They can't know. Not until I surpass them. Not until no one can look down on us. The academy will be where I tell them." Alexander's eyes were lit with a fire that Duke knew all too well. The same one he felt about the sword.
"I understand Alex. I'll keep your secret. It's only 4 years at the academy anyway. It's not that long." Duke sighed knowing he would be following him as his attendant.
"Exactly. Now time to get to work. I only have a month to form the first circle."
Duke nodded and left the room. He knew Alex wouldn't leave until he had finished. Duke was going to have to tell the maids to bring food to his room again. The Master would probably be annoyed again and worrying about money.
I'll come up with some excuse. Duke thought.
Alexander sat at his desk and looked through depictions of the first circles. Most theoretical books he had recieved had the first circles. Some even had the second. It took a lot of begging and money for The Baron, His father, to aquire them and even more for him to access their archives. A grimoire that had been passed down with knowledge of the circles. Something The Baron held close to his chest in hope that he would finally reach fourth circle, but he did not have the time when he managed the business of the house.
Nor for his beautiful wife to have the time when raising children.
It was a somber moment when he gave it to Alexander.
With it though Alexander was able to notice something. One that some circles were weaker and some stronger. Some books thought of shrinking down the runes to make the circle easier to form, however it came at a cost, weaker magic. Their was a lot of speculation. Speculation that one couldn't test on themselves.
He could see that throughout the books some runes were constant between the circles and between levels. He began writing down lists of them. He divided them between modifiers and fundamentals. The fundamental runes were for the magic your soul was attuned to, the four elements and light and dark. The modifiers, made magic stronger or more easy to use.
He looked over at the copper plate where he had written runes into. The very same plate that allowed the expression of any magic.
It was the same idea.
"Had no one thought of this, because they never needed to? Those fools." Alexander scoffed as he continued to pour over his research.
The issue with Alexander having an unknown magic is that there isn't history of it. Humanity was built up by the small bits of knowledge found and made by countless others until society was built up. From basic arithmetic, to geometry and then finally to the architecture that built the dukedoms and empire.
Alexander wasn't just left in the dark, he had the propeties of mana. Something that changed the physical nature of an object. For now it didn't produce something like the other elements. It was fundementally different.
He would need to create new runes or discover them. Runes were a language. Their had to be something to them. How many plates would he need to breakdown the language? Over a hundred. Each circle comprised of around twenty different characters. If they all have different properties and don't modify each other he might be able to cut down the time. His mother would have to be stuck to him for a month, or he could force Duke to do it.
No. Duke had his own training. He was trying to hit third circle as well using the grimoire and polish his swordmanship so he could protect Alex. The Baron was pouring too much money into that already.
Shit it looks like I have a hard conversation to have in the morning.