“Let us move onto the <Arcane Eye> negotiation then. I have in my possession a <Lord’s Eye> I am willing to part with.” Great Archmagus Solomon said, which was met by a collective gasp by the others.

“Great Archmagus Solomon, I am by no means a poor man, and Speranza has a wealth of resources, but I do not think even I would be capable of a trade for a <Lord’s Eye> even if it is for my son who will likely be the next Emperor.” my dad replied.

“I am well aware even the vast and mighty Speranza would struggle at pricing a fair trade for this. Today just seems to be as if <Fate> itself dictated it. As I cannot use it, I intended on giving it to the next Great Archmagus as a hidden gift, but realistically they will in all likelihood have an <Arcane Eye>. So I needed to think of a way to part with it that wouldn’t cause an incident. Frankly speaking, even for a demon your son’s innate talent is staggering. A <Blessing> alone would not account for the growth he has demonstrated. I am a vain man with a lot of pride, and while I have accomplished much, I still want more. I want your son to be my final apprentice, that way no matter what happens, I will be able to be credited to training one of the greatest <Mages> to ever walk Tenebrae. I am also aware that the Crowthorne family is in possession of several large <Nyx Shards>, and would like one. The final thing I would like is simple, I would like Speranza to publicly acknowledge and support the new Mage Freedom Act, which has been making its rounds throughout Tenebrae. Those three things are my price.” Grand Archmagus Solomon demanded. Something tells me what he asked for is a lot more than it sounds like.

My father looked between Cesar and my mom, again like they were having a mental conversation. This is definitely a <Magic>. This is not some random glancing. But what on Tenebrae is a <Lord’s Eye> that makes it so valuable? I have heard the term Lords of Tenebrae several times now. Who are they? Some deities perhaps? I have so many questions.

“I would like to clarify a few things in your terms. Him becoming your apprentice does not exclude him or commit him to anything other than being your apprentice. If Nil choses, he could still become Emperor of Speranza. Second, yes, I do have several <Nyx Shards> sealed away in my possession. The time to retrieve one for you I fear exceeds the time Nil has until he needs these items, but I am willing to give you my word it will be retrieved as fast as possible without compromising the safety of where it is located for you. Third, I am willing to publicly announce our support for the Mage Freedom Act, and that alone. Speranza’s other endorsements stand, but if the Mages do something akin to an act of war, our support will abruptly end.” my dad replied.

“That is all acceptable and close to what I anticipated. <Mages> become apprentice at thirteen. Normally, one is an apprentice for three years. So I look forward to then. I believe we have a deal.” Great Archmagus Solomon said with a smile as he stretched out his hand.

My dad and Great Archmagus Solomon shook hands, and there was this ominous surge of <Mana>. I mean, I guess someone with the title of Great Archmagus is probably pretty strong, and knowing I have a teacher isn’t all bad. I wish I at least had a say, but something tells me three years of being his apprentice is nothing for acquiring this <Lord’s Eye>.

“That does not explain what guarantees we have following your recommendation for his <Base> and being wrong.” my mom interjected.

“Empress Senna, I am not going to give someone a <Lord’s Eye>, essentially reserve them becoming my apprentice, and put my name and the value of my research on the line with someone as public and well known as your son, to simply lower his long term potential. It would be like blasting my own foot off with <Magic> when trying to go down as one of the greatest <Mages>. Your son becoming a truly legendary figure is key to my legacy surviving the tests of time.” Great Archmagus Solomon replied.

He does have an ego, but I don't think he is being malicious here. I get this sense he does not have any children, or many apprentices left alive. My mom stared him down for a solid minute before diverting her gaze to my dad.

“I feel we should trust him. He is not one to lie, Senna.” my dad said.

“You better be right.” my mom threatened the two of them. The two of them shuddered, she was definitely terrifying at times.

“Let’s get started right away then.” Grand Archmagus Solomon snapped.

The group of adults moved through the library to a chamber, with a large, intricate circle drawn on the ground. Inside was a massive statue, carved out of something I did not recognize. It looked like a goddess, weeping, holding her hands out against the world. There was a small altar at the base of the statue. My mom uneasily set me down on the statue, while Solomon got closer.

“Great Goddess of Fate, we ask for you to cry a tear on this day, so please sing your song.” he bellowed.

That’s a bit odd. I thought as the goddess began to sing. It was a pleasant melody. It had this angelic hymn to it. I lay there, enjoying the song. What were my parents worried about? This is actually quite nice. I do find it unsettling to hear a statue sing though. I don’t understand a word this statue is singing though. The song makes me feel sad though, like the statue is lonely. I continued to lay, listening to the song. After five minutes, I was growing a bit worried. How long is this song? Why hasn’t it stopped?

The statue continued to sing. The song was becoming louder and louder as time went on, but it didn’t bug me. In fact, the louder it got, the more comfortable I felt. The song shifted at the ten minute mark, which had this dark and foreboding sense to it. And still the statue sang. Every ten minutes, the song would shift. Joy. Sadness. Pride. Despair. Triumph. Loss. Finality. Through it all, I was oddly calm, like I knew it was all going to be alright. After ten minutes of the song feeling like finality, the statue stopped. The statue let out a single tear, a brilliant white, that shined with its own brilliance. I looked around, and the only three in the room were my parents and Solomon, all of who were sweating heavily. Where were Cesar, Helga, and Magus Erli?

The brilliant white tear floated above me. So this a <Tear of Fate>? It is quite pretty. Its radiance filled the chamber with ease. It eventually reached my hand. When I touched it, something in me clicked. That song is the <Requiem of Fate>, it was hauntingly beautiful. This is hard, and dense. I have never felt something like this. I did not mean like it felt kind of hard or was a little dense; it felt like I was holding a diamond with the weight of a blackhole. So this is physically what a <Base> is. What was its purpose?