After the Thirteen Mages granted Aiden’s request, a brief tranquility settled over the grand hall.
It was then that Elandor turned toward his new disciple, his gaze carrying a mixture of satisfaction and strictness.
“Then…
your magical training shall commence tomorrow.” Aiden felt a slight shiver run down his spine.
The words themselves were not terrifying, but the manner in which Elandor uttered them made it sound as though it were the declaration of a long battle’s beginning.
The mage raised his hand slightly, and a tall man appeared, dressed in an elegant black attire and bearing a majesty no less than that of the palace itself.
He was the head butler of the Castle of the Thirteen Mages.
Elandor looked at him and spoke in a voice that brooked no argument: “Take this youth, prepare a room of his own, and have him begin working with you in the castle starting tomorrow.” The head butler bowed respectfully.
“As you command, my Lord.” He then turned to Aiden, gesturing with his hand for the youth to follow him.
Aiden bowed to his master one last time before exiting the hall.
The moment he stepped out behind the head butler, the vast corridors began to swallow their footsteps.
The interior of the castle was akin to a silent stone city—colossal chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, ancient portraits of unknown mages lined the walls, and massive doors kept whatever lay hidden behind them a secret.
Aiden walked in silence, while thoughts crowded his mind.
Just a single day ago, he was merely an ordinary student at the school of magic…
Yet now, he resided within the castle that governed the fate of the entire continent.
The head butler stopped before a long corridor blanketed in quiet shadows, then spoke without turning around: “Accustom yourself to exhaustion, boy.” “For living here is not a privilege, as people believe.” “Rather, it is a heavy responsibility.” Aiden offered a small smile and answered with calm confidence: “I am ready.” The two continued walking into the depths of the castle, completely unaware that those footsteps were the beginning of a new chapter in Aiden’s life…
A chapter that would intertwine the inferno of magical training with the hardships of daily labor, and the secrets hidden within the fortress of the world’s rulers.