“Ah, this brings me back… life was so much easier back then.”
Lucille picked up the teacup from the table and took a sip. Even though she knew this place was not truly real, she could taste the brew. Around her, a garden stretched out with vibrant green grass, neatly trimmed hedges, and towering trees. It was a perfect replica of the magical garden at the institute.
“My heart still seems to waver back to this place…”
She let out a sigh while looking around. It had not always been like this. When she first attempted her change, this place resembled the library at her home estate. Yet, as time passed and responsibilities piled on, her ascension space shifted. It was an uncommon phenomenon, as this space usually retained the form of its first activation. To many, a changing ascension space indicated a troubled mind, a person unsure of their own self.
Lucille set her teacup down with a soft clink, gazing at the picturesque garden before her. The sound of rustling leaves and the distant chirping of birds filled the space, but she knew none of it was real. This was merely the manifestation of her ascension trial, an illusion conjured by her subconscious.
"This is the second time I've ended up at the institute for an ascension.”
She murmured, brushing a stray lock of azure hair behind her ear.
"The first time was when I gained my Ice Mage class… back at my old home. But now, here I am again."
Beside her tea sat a slice of delicate cheesecake, one she had always adored in her youth. She took a bite, the sweetness melting on her tongue, reminding her that this place felt real. The tranquility of the area eased her worries, but she knew lingering too long would accomplish nothing.
After finishing her tea and pastry, she stood up, her form draped in the old institute uniform she had once worn during a time she held dear. With a soft sigh, she strode toward the grand library where the ascension trial had last taken place. Back then, she was confused and struggled to find her way. The entire institute was a replica, and every familiar place was intact. She remembered being lost for hours, uncertain of where to go, before finally arriving at the library where she had encountered an irregularity.
Her gaze lingered on a few things. One was the old Rune department auditorium that later was taken away due to its wavering popularity. At one point she even dreamed of becoming an assistant professor at the institute but then her family got in the way. Another was the fountain in the main courtyard where she and her classmates used to gather after exams. Not far away was an open field outside where she first encountered Robert on a joint exercise between them and the knight academy. Those days were rather pleasant but now she was an adult and had to move on with her life.
Shaking off the nostalgic feeling, she continued walking until she reached the library doors. She pushed them open and stepped inside, her eyes scanning the towering bookshelves filled with tomes of varying sizes and colors. It was just as she remembered: rows upon rows of knowledge, neatly arranged and waiting to be explored. Yet appearances could be deceiving.
“Just like before.”
She moved to one of the shelves and picked out a book. As she flicked through the pages, she found nothing but blank white paper. Every book in the library was the same, even the ones she had read before. However, not far from here, in a corner where she had once researched runes were a few special tomes, ones that would begin her journey to the next level.
She made her way to the familiar study nook near the eastern wing of the library, where she had once spent hours deciphering rune patterns under Professor Arion’s guidance. There was a specific table there where the light spilled through the grand arched windows, illuminating the pages of her books in a soft glow. It was there that she had always found clarity in her studies.
As she approached, she saw them: several books stacked neatly on the table, standing out amidst the countless empty ones. They were much larger and uniquely crafted. Moving closer, she noticed something familiar. Just like in her previous trial, the same key she had used before rested nearby, designed to fit the locks on the books placed on the table. Each one was sealed, and unlocking any of them would initiate the ascension trial. Now, she had to decide which book to open.
Just like with any other trial, there were hints indicating which class the book corresponded to. She grasped one of the books, one that radiated frost energy and had a cold bluish cover. Icicles were forming on its surface, clearly indicating that opening it would grant her some kind of superior mage class, something she no longer strived for.
In the past, her father had dictated her future. She was expected to take the elemental mage class that aligned with her affinity for frost. It was her primary elemental affinity, with water as her secondary. Additionally, she had two minor affinities for plants and earth, allowing her to cast lower-level spells of those elements. However, doing so required significantly more mana as her abilities were primarily focused on ice.
The path that her noble house had laid out for her would force her to become either a Cryomancer, focusing purely on ice, or a Glacialmage, who incorporated water into their attacks to some extent. These were the only two options given to her, but she went behind her father's back and chose a class that allowed her to work with runes. Even now, she could remember the book covered in magnificent runes. It had called out to her, and in the end, that was what she chose, much to her father’s dismay.
“That was when Father started to behave that way…”
That choice had been the last straw for him. It was then that he decided to use her as a bargaining chip for the other nobles. He must have believed that she would be unable to achieve anything with such an unusual class composition and that marrying her off would still bring the most benefit to their noble estate.
“Is Father worried?”
Somewhere in her heart, she longed to return. Despite how she had been treated, he was still her father. She still planned to meet him again one day, but only after accomplishing something he could not deny. Only after achieving something great would she show herself again. But before that could happen, she needed to decide what her future path would entail.
“Now then… there are a lot of tomes this time. This won’t be easy…”
Lucille stood before the collection of locked tomes, each radiating a different magical energy. The sheer variety this time surpassed her previous ascensions, making it even harder to choose. She ran her fingers along the ornate bindings, feeling the chill of the ice tome, the earthy sturdiness of another, and the flowing water-like sensation of yet another.
“There are so many, but…”
After a quick glance, she realized that most of the books here were of low quality. With her mana sense, she could determine which ones held the most potent energy, and the elemental tomes before her were relatively weak. It all made sense. She had only taken one elemental mage class and never reinforced it with another element or the same one again. To become a Cryomancer, she would have needed to take a higher-tier ice mage class, and to become a Glacialmage, she would have required a water mage class. However, she had chosen to become a Rune Mage, a class that did not align with high elemental power at all.
One by one, she began setting aside the weaker tomes, ensuring that only those with the highest concentration of magical energy remained. These were the ones that would grant her the most powerful tier-three class. Soon most of the books vanished off the table and only three remained behind, all which contained runes on their exterior.
The first book bore an intricate cover of shimmering silver runes, etched deeply into its dark leather surface. These runes pulsed faintly in rhythm, as if responding to Lucille’s very presence. The book radiated control, order, and powerful rune magic. It would most likely grant her a basic upgrade to her current Rune Mage class, probably advancing it to Master Rune Mage or a lesser version of it. Her gaze soon shifted to the book in the middle, one that and a different kind of aura about it.
She ran her fingers over the spine, feeling the energy beneath her fingertips. The title, though partially obscured by the runic etchings, seemed to hint at mastery over constructs. This became even more obvious with the depiction of a runic golem at the bottom of the cover. Choosing this path would grant her the ability to create and control golems far beyond what a Master Rune Mage could. It was the perfect choice for her current position, where she commanded a small army of golems. Logically, it was the best option if she considered her role as a member of Arthur’s knights.
But then, there was the third tome: one that was quite different from the other two. This third book was the most peculiar of the trio. Its cover shimmered with a fluid, ever-changing array of runes, as though they were alive. They spiraled and twisted, constantly shifting shapes and patterns, their movements hypnotic and entrancing. The colors that flowed through the book’s cover were unlike anything Lucille had seen before. It was like she was looking at a rainbow made out of runes, a fascinating display of runic magic.
The moment she touched the book, a surge of unfamiliar energy coursed through her fingertips, and she immediately felt something stir within her, an unexplainable pull. The runes on the cover seemed to sense her, and their movements became more intense, as if reacting to the mana within her body. For a moment, it felt as if she could alter them, change their very structure.
“W-what is this…”
The feeling faded almost instantly, but she was entranced by the third book. It was different, and it seemed to allow her to do something that shouldn't be possible for a rune mage: to change runes at a more fundamental level. Normally, she was limited to working within the confines of a runic system. She could not add to it or remove it directly. At most, she could direct resources from one place or alter the internal core of the spell, but she could never affect the components directly; that was the domain of runesmiths.
Lucille’s mind raced as she analyzed the possibility. Could she really gain the ability to alter runes in a similar fashion to a runesmith? The likelihood was low, but perhaps to some extent, this new class would allow her to do something with the runic structures. But at what cost? Her gaze fell back to the tome containing the class focused on controlling constructs and the one that was a direct upgrade to her current class, two safer choices.
"I should probably go with one of these two... but..."
She had been fascinated with runes for a long time, not just controlling them or the intricate ways of changing the matrix to form better spells, but also with the craft of runesmithing. While she had never wanted to hold a runesmithing hammer, the thought of being able to transform runes into different ones on a more fundamental level had always been a dream, one that could perhaps become a reality if she picked this tome.
Her hand shook as she placed the book down and looked at the three possibilities. One was her old dream, the Master Rune Mage class, the other was probably something like a Rune Golemancer, which would be the best one for her current situation. Then there was the third one, an unknown, strange path, a class that could possibly allow her to transcend the boundaries of a typical Rune Mage, enabling her to manipulate the very essence of runes themselves.
Lucille’s heart raced as she gazed at the three books. The time to choose had come, and her hand trembled as she picked up the middle one for golem control. This would be the most useful of them all. She would likely gain many skills to enhance the power of constructs. She had seen Roland use strange floating golems, and perhaps she could start controlling and mastering them as well. However, she placed it back down and turned her gaze to the last one, its runes still shifting into strange, unknown patterns.
"Sir Roland did say that I should choose a class that is the most fitting... or unique."
Her hand grasped the ever-changing tome as her mind was set. She was allowed to get a temporary skill along with many other skill books for rune related skills to catch up. She was certain that Roland had predicted she would be allowed to take a more unique class, just like Robert did. Every part of her being urged her to pick this over the other two. If she didn’t, she knew she would regret it for the rest of her life.
Lucille took a deep breath and slid the key into the lock of the ever-shifting tome. The moment the mechanism clicked, a surge of energy pulsed through the room, and the book’s runes glowed with an ethereal light. The shifting symbols on the cover expanded outward, lifting off the tome as if they were living entities. The pages flipped open by themselves, releasing a burst of radiant energy that enveloped her entire being.
The entire library around her wavered before dissolving into shimmering fragments, and within moments, she found herself standing in an entirely different space. The world around her was vast and endless, filled with floating runes of varying sizes and colors. Some pulsed with gentle golden light, while others glowed with deep crimson or brilliant azure. They shifted continuously, rearranging into patterns before breaking apart and reforming once more.
She was standing on an enormous circular platform that hovered in mid air. The runes coalesced upon it, forming intricate geometric patterns that pulsed with a rhythmic energy. At the center, a grand obelisk stood tall, covered in runic writing. Lucille stepped forward cautiously, her eyes darting around as she took in the sight. This was far more elaborate than any ascension trial she had experienced before.
“No instructions?”
While she had expected the tier-three trial to be much more difficult than the last one she took, this was just confusing. There wasn’t much to work with. The sequence of runes on the large obelisk seemed to be a clue, but she wasn’t sure what kind. After circling the platform, she noticed that besides one table next to the obelisk, there wasn’t anything else substantial. However, once she started interacting with the many floating runes around her, things began to make sense.
"Wait, could this be..."
She reached out toward one of the floating runes, and as if responding to her call, it drifted down into her hand. This didn’t make much sense to her. Runes shouldn’t be able to take form in thin air, yet this one was still functioning. As she examined it, she realized it was only a lesser component—a rune that wasn’t quite complete. For it to work, it needed more parts, all of which seemed to be floating around her.
Lucille furrowed her brows, her mind racing as she examined the floating rune in her palm. It pulsed faintly, as if awaiting completion. Around her, countless other runes drifted aimlessly, forming temporary patterns before dissolving once more. The obelisk at the center remained unchanged, its intricate script glowing in soft hues of blue and gold.
“So, this is the trial…”
She took a deep breath and let her instincts guide her. Reaching out, she grasped another rune from the air. The two runes were then brought together and just like she expected, a reaction between the two components occurred. The two runes fused for a brief moment, then repelled each other with a sharp crackle of magic.
“I see, this one needs one more…”
She glanced around, searching for the correct runic symbol that would connect the two pieces. The constant pulsating and shifting nature of the runes made it difficult, but she knew what to do. Suddenly, she reached out, and a third runic part floated over. She brought it together with the other two. This time, there was no crackle. Instead, the runes merged, forming a much larger runic structure that remained in place without shifting.
Now she understood what needed to be done. But could she finish before time ran out? In the distance, she noticed something else, a giant hourglass. Its sand had just begun to flow downward. The trial had begun and she needed to hurry.
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