Vibrant, brightly colored flowers danced and swayed in the wind, lending an air of lush vitality to the pinkish-white buildings outside. Within a wide, sealed room inside the villa, several platforms engraved with different complex patterns stood in a row, bearing reactors, glass bottles, black threads, conduits, and a host of other apparatus. Compared to the laboratory equipment Lucian had seen in his previous life, these had a more eerie, otherworldly quality about them—a result of the mysterious arcane runes inscribed upon them.
His black double-breasted formal suit had been swapped for a simple robe that wouldn't interfere with his work. Lucian focused intently as he activated several Magic Circles simulating different sections of a spell model. Through their combined output, a blob of red luminescence materialized in the darkness and gradually stabilized. Though still quite blurry, it was vaguely discernible as a mouse-shaped creature, with varying shades of color across different regions indicating different temperatures.
Satisfied, Lucian deactivated the Magic Circles and whistled to activate the laboratory's arc lamp. The darkness retreated, revealing in its place a tiny brick-and-timber "house" no bigger than a palm, inside which caged a temporarily captured, bloodline-modified iron-eating rat.
"I've finally constructed 'Lucian's Infrared Eye.' Pity the effect can only reach this level, but at least it adds another detection method to my arsenal. And the version I built only uses a second-tier spell model." Lucian understood the principles behind infrared imaging perfectly well—the difficulty had always been in mapping those principles onto the patterns, runes, and incantations required by arcane spell construction. After several months of foundational study at the Magic Parliament, he had finally acquired the ability to create formal spells, rather than being limited to apprentice-level ones as before.
After committing the constructed spell model to memory one final time, Lucian switched off the arc lamp.
In the ensuing darkness, a halting, tongue-twisting incantation slowly rose into the air. "Sunstone" powder with a brilliant, dazzling shimmer cascaded from his hand, and his spiritual force vibrated and shifted in accord with the spoken words, rapidly assembling—under his precise control—the core framework of the spell model.
Then, the black pupil of Lucian's left eye turned a deep crimson, reflecting the red-hued image of the caged iron-eating rat, though noticeably lacking in depth or layering.
Lucian turned his head. His crimson left eye gazed toward the room's window, hidden behind black curtains, and caught sight of a "red" bird flitting cheerfully past.
Having confirmed that this second-tier spell functioned without issue, Lucian restored the arcane laboratory to full illumination. The red tint in his left eye faded; tonight during Meditation he would be able to inscribe the model into his soul.
Every mage's soul had its limits, however. At each rank, the number of spell models one could inscribe was not infinite, requiring careful planning of one's spell repertoire. For instance, certain auxiliary spells didn't need to be inscribed into the soul at all—they could simply be cast when needed through incantations, somatic gestures, and magical materials.
The Magic Parliament housed numerous books on topics like *Techniques for Spell Complementarity* that dealt with exactly this kind of knowledge.
As an auxiliary detection spell, "Lucian's Infrared Eye" would most likely be deployed in situations where one was ambushed by assassins. Being able to cast it earlier and locate the assassin's trail faster could be of critical importance.
After a short rest, Lucian opened his magic notebook and flipped to an exceptionally complex spell-structure schematic. Then he closed his eyes and began to meditate.
The Starry Firmament of Destiny blanketed the space above, while wind, fire, and water formed the surroundings. Element particles of every type filled in the gaps, brick by brick, constructing Lucian's meditation environment.
Within that meditation environment, the element particles—each a different color—moved along a variety of trajectories, like fireflies drifting across a deep night sky, their phosphorescent glow scattered everywhere. At times they combined with one another; at times they dispersed, imbued with a mysterious, elusive quality that hinted at the hidden mysteries and underlying laws governing the elements.
Ending his Meditation, Lucian picked up his Feather Pen and sketched in his magic notebook the portions of the trajectories he had just perceived. They combined to form arcane patterns and runes.
Setting down his pen, Lucian regarded the nearly complete spell model—constructed from straight lines, curves, and curved surfaces into something that seemed almost real—and felt his mind fill with a doubt that had persisted ever since he first began studying Arcane Magic:
"Why do these magical shapes and runes represent specific structural principles? Why, when combined with spiritual force, are they able to release Arcane Magic? After I completed the Periodic Table of Elements, why did this type of structural pattern appear during the resonance between my meditation environment and the real world? Kazol, Lazar, Roche—they've already accepted the law of elemental periodicity and mapped it into their meditation environments, yet from what I've asked, none of them experienced any resonance with the real world…"
"What exactly is the essence of Arcane Magic?"
After recording his questions and syncing the entry to the magic notebook stored within his soul library, Lucian finally set down the Feather Pen and turned his thoughts to the third-tier spell he was close to completing. "This spell is based on the periodic law of elements—at its core, it controls electron exchange between elements, restoring each to its proper position. It should be highly effective at breaking down alchemical products, magical artifacts, the human body, and even certain spells—anything that could be considered a 'compound.' The more unstable the compound's existing state, the easier it is to decompose. Its controlling power scales with the mage's own rank, making it essentially a weakened version of the legendary spell 'Elemental Decomposition' belonging to Her Excellency Hathaway, the 'Element Sovereign'…"
After joining the Elemental Will, Lucian had gained access to certain core documents that provided overviews of the two legendary magical professions—the "Element Sovereign" and the "Creator"—including their capabilities, circumstances, required advancement ritual materials, and the resulting two core legendary spells.
"Looks like before I become a mid-rank mage, I'll have this third-tier spell fully constructed. Once I advance, the first models I inscribe will be this one and Flight. Hmm, what should I name it? 'Lucian's Elemental Decomposition'? 'Evans's Elemental Control'? Either it's redundant or it sounds terrible." After thinking for a long while, Lucian recalled the impressively bold nickname Florenza had given him. "'Elemental Order' it is!"
A third-tier spell bearing a name on par with those of ninth-tier or even legendary spells—Lucian's twisted sense of satisfaction was thoroughly indulged. Along with "Professor's Resonant Hand," this would be one of his signature spells.