Inside a small study in one of his father's manors, Harrison paced back and forth, awaiting the news he hoped for. Even if the 'small study' dwarfed anything that could be found in a commoner's household, the 'Archmage' felt the walls confining, their decadent designs not something to admire but something to fear. Since the meeting with the Council he had been like this, in way over his own head, he hadn't been able to calm his nerves especially after the talk his father had given to him. In what might've been the longest time he had ever held a conversation with the enigmatic Monarch, Harrison had felt overly and utterly dwarfed by the man, barely able to get a word in or recall what had actually taken place. All he could remember from that was a deep-seated need to live up to his father's expectations and the mission he had been bestowed with by the Council. He must find this Forgetting Mage and deliver them to justice.

Finally, after waiting all day, a servant came in, though not before knocking.

"Sir Archmage," She bowed, one of the servants he remembered hiring recently. He didn't remember the name but the pretty face had stuck in his head for some time.

"Speak," Harrison commanded, marching up close to her, almost expecting her to shrink before him and being surprised when she didn't. Good. I do not permit cowards in my entourage.

"The investigators have found a lead on the mundane accomplices. They found someone willing to talk about two who matched their descriptions."

"Who are they?"

"A mundane teenager in one of the lower city gangs, sir Archmage. I believe Harris was his name."

"Which gang is it? One of those permitted by the Lord?"

"Correct, sir Archmage. They were recently added to the approved list because of their good behaviour."

"Shame that it'll all be ruined then. A few bad apples do spoil the bunch, however," Harrison frowned. "Are any bad actors predicted to fill the power vacuum?"

"Early prognostication does not reveal much, sir Archmage, only that the future is in flux."

"Typical," He scoffed. "Get the investigators to hire someone for that; I don't want my city getting worse than it already is because of what will transpire."

"As you wish, sir Archmage," She said, bowing at the perfect angle.

"Lead me to this Harris then, it seems I have work to do," Harrison said, a ghost of a smile flickering across his face.

"This way, sir Archmage."

Adjusting the cuffs of his suit as he flung on a fur coat, Harrison followed his servant to a waiting carriage outside the manor, admiring the view while he did. Settling into the luxurious cushioned seats and peering out the window, Harrison couldn't contain his smirk when the carriage door finally closed shut.

* * *

"What happens if this part gets... enhanced, then?" Amy asked tentatively, circling a lobe on the brain diagram in front of her, one that William had been bringing to their meetings. Slowly but surely over the weeks he had been introducing her to the concept of possible mind enhancement, trying to give her an idea about how to advance to Apprentice without spilling School secrets. A Mage like her stagnating at Mageling forever would be criminal. She's brilliant, he smiled as he pondered.

"This area governs the senses, and this part in particular the spatial senses. So, in improving this area's capabilities, you'd be granted a greater spatial awareness than usual and if done enough, can evolve to something practically supernatural," William explained, drawing from his personal experiences. Whilst enhancing that area did improve his spatial awareness, it wouldn't be until Archmage that it would be to the degree that he would have eyes on the back of his head.

"So are you saying... Mages actually do this?" Amy frowned lightly, creasing her eyebrows.

Eyes widening in surprise, William attempted damage-control, "To an extent, yes, but it's quite theoretical. Nothing concrete."

William tried putting on his best calm smile as he met Amy's gaze, staring so intently at him like she sometimes did. It was odd, how those dull green eyes seemed to almost glisten and sparkle like emeralds in the library lighting, the rest of her face unreadable even to his enhanced mind which was something that William doubted Amy even knew how impressive it was. Breaking the staring contest first, distracting himself from those beautiful eyes by cleaning his mind with mana, he turned back to the diagram.

During his teachings, keeping his mind intentionally away from Amy, William couldn't help but wander on what he had been told by his Spider a couple days ago, and what he'd done before that. And, his mind failing to keep itself away from the person in front of him, made a small but realistically worrying revelation.

"Amy," He spoke as Amy was in the middle of figuring something out, "You're still waiting for that holiday approval, right?"

"...Yes? Why?" She said, cocking her head to the side.

"There's... something going on in the city, something big. Big-shots are in a fuss about something so everyone, even the paper-pushers, are on high alert."

"What- what happened? Is it related to that robbery a few days ago?" Amy's eyes widened, her pencil dropping to the table.

"No, not at all," He laughed awkwardly, uncomfortable at not being able to tell the truth. "You just might want to get out of the city for a while. You don't want someone throwing a fit about you being here instead of back in Triesen."

"I'll consider it, but... can you do anything about it? Maybe send a message to Jones to push the issue a little?"

"...I'll see what I can do. I might be able to forward a message on from you, if you're alright with me giving him your contact," He said as he fiddled with his FPG, scrolling down to where he saw 'Louis Jones' listed. Mentally tapping through some menus, he noticed Amy's eyes growing unfocused as a screen visible only to her popped out in front of her, presumably the one to give her permission. With her assent, the request went through and on his end, an alert popped up as he sent the message.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

[William Becker (Amy Wachlund): Hello, Journeyman Jones. I have been wondering about Apprentice Wachlund's holiday request and with her permission shared her contact with you regarding this. Are there any updates? Is anything more of her required? Thank you for your consideration.]

"All that's left now is to wait," He said, watching Amy read the message on her end.

"Shall we get back to the lesson then?" She smiled at him, having read the message surprisingly quick.

"Let's."

* * *

Returning home to the inn, Amy took a seat on top of her bed, not returning the greeting Felin had given her when she walked in. Despite being immersed in his work, Felin noticed the abnormal behaviour of his Apprentice and turned his attention away from the robe to them, seemingly out of it.

"What's wrong?"

"William mentioned something today," Amy began, fiddling with her fingers. "It wouldn't worry me usually, but the timing and his reactions were... suspicious."

"What did he say then?" Felin asked, jumping and gliding along to sit down on her lap.

"Apparently something big is happening in Harth, with higher-ups coming down on the city."

"Something to do with your heist?"

"That's what I thought, but when I asked he denied it," Amy frowned. "He denied it. Why would William, a mere Apprentice, deny it when it involves something so large? How would he be involved enough to know the true reason? Therefore it must be related to his School, a problem then of Mind Magick. It would've ended there if not for his other reactions. I know his laugh by now. That wasn't the usual one. He was hiding something. He was sweating more than normal - could be due to stress - and his irises dilated when I mentioned the museum. He knew about the museum, and more than just by being on the periphery of it as something magical. And what I did during the heist with the guard? How Unknowable, with it erasing its presence, could possibly be mistaken for something akin to Mind Magick? What if the heist was what got everyone on edge? What if the higher-ups have been called down because of me?"

"...It's possible," Felin agreed after spending some time thinking about it. "There shouldn't be much linking you back to the crime, however."

"Didn't you say Unknowable is easy to detect though? When you were talking about Unknowable murders? What if they could trace that back to me?"

"Yes but... the main people who were investigating those things are Wizards, the experts of Unknowable," Felin explained. "From what I can tell of this current age, Unknowable is all but forgotten about, especially now that the Wizards are gone. Ascendants who'd be able to find out these things are gone too and... I imagine you'd be fine.... But... Forgotten about, eh?"

"Felin?" Amy looked down at the cat on her lap, who had grown strangely still in his silence.

"I'm making connections right now that I don't like," He said, his voice grave.

"Related to the robe?"

"Yes."

"Tell me. You've been quite secretive about the robe since you found it. Tell me some of your findings, at least."

"It's less that I've been secretive but that you've been... Never mind," He shook his head, floating back up over to the robe, facing her. "The robe as I surmised is deeply corrupted by Unknowable."

"What does corruption mean?" Amy put forward. "You've mentioned the word a few times but I don't believe you ever explained it."

"It's what happens when mana sticks around when it shouldn't, to put it in simplest terms. Improper deaspecting of your mana after Spellwork is the easiest and most common form of corruption, and also the deadliest. The conquering of mana, taking it into oneself upon ascension, is another form of corruption. Deep Spellwork can corrupt without intending to, yet this is the least harmful form of corruption as it doesn't spread. I imagine the workings you spun on that guard to erase your presence from his mind left corruption."

"Then what's wrong about the corruption on the robe. Is it not a case of the latter?"

"No, it is not," Felin grimaced. "And nor is it the case of the others. The Concepts in the mana, the intent behind it... it's all wrong. It's almost... hateful, if you can even ascribe a word to what was done to it."

"What's this about 'forgetting' that's sparked your memory then?"

"That's the Concept I was looking for," Felin said darkly. "That's what the corruption left behind on the robe is for. It wants its host to be forgotten. And what a hateful sentiment that is."

"Isn't that just regular Unknowable then? When it's wielded for something like this?"

"No, no it is not. Unknowable has no feeling... it just is. It does not hate, it does not destroy. It simply erases. This suggests something different. Perhaps along the Annihilation axis?"

"Annihilation?"

"A forbidden Element, at least among Wizards. A dirty, cruel Element. Elemental Destruction is cleaner and what you'd use instead, albeit just as dangerous."

"Why would Annihilation be crueller than Destruction? Aren't they essentially the same?"

"Just like all Elements, it's all about your interpretation. But Esoterics like Annihilation are created, just as Destruction once was. And as all Elements that are made, a demonstration is first required. To prove to the mana that a mere Concept can be elevated to something greater. And Annihilation's was... it corrupted the Element at its very core."

"I see," Amy muttered, even if she didn't quite understand. I think I got the broad strokes of it though. I hope.

"Don't worry about Elemental creation anyway, that's something for you to worry about at a far later Tier," Felin smiled, a nostalgic look in his gaze. "Back onto the topic of corruption, it's settled in well enough that there is no longer any hint of the previous enchantments. I know what they're supposed to look like and what would remain after such a large corruption event, but they're simply not there. It's all very odd, leading me back to that same Concept of forgetting. Everything related to the robe has been forcibly forgotten by whoever cast that first Spell."

"That seems too little information for how long you've spent on this though, right?"

"Yes, that's not all. I've been struggling since yesterday to pin point where something that has been bothering me is. It's only an hour ago that I found it, which I can now link to that same Concept and something else. Why have the Unknowable parts of the enchantment remained? If this was truly Annihilation based then they would disappear-"

"Then... it's Unknowable based, and not just Unknowable on its own?"

"Correct," Felin sighed, in spite of the pride he had for her figuring it out just as he did. "And if all but Unknowable has been forgotten for this robe, then Unknowable must be somehow related to the core of this forgetting Concept... And as this is the case, this isn't just some freak accident of Unknowable spun into an angry Magick that erased the one who wore this robe, leaving behind a severe corruption. This is - at least - a deliberate use of Unknowable in a nuanced manner.

"Which suggests that a Wizard did this, or at least someone with comparable skill in the Element."

* * *

"Sir Archmage, we've found the two this Harris has described," One of Harrison's servants informed him, the man himself sitting against the stone wall outside of an interrogation chamber deep in the association building.

"Good," Harrison grinned, standing up straight. "We move tonight."

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