By afternoon word had spread through the entire academy like a wildfire through dry grass. Students whispered in corridors Scholars abandoned their desks to watch his lessons from doorways Apprentices rehearsed tongue positions in front of reflective crystals Senior mages argued in heated voices about sound placement. Even the cooks in the dining hall were repeating spell syllables under their breath trying to imitate what they heard.

Evan found himself sitting at a shaded stone table in the courtyard scrolling through his growing stack of notes. The sound map he had begun days ago now stretched across several parchment sheets each covered in lines categories arrows and symbols. A few students peeked over his shoulder before running away giggling like they had witnessed something forbidden.

Serin approached carrying two cups of warm herbal tea. She set one down in front of him. “You have been working for hours Again”

“I need to categorize the misaligned vowels from this morning” Evan said “The fire spells here use a vowel that half the kingdom mispronounces The inconsistency weakens the blast”

Serin sat down watching him work “You know Evan most mages study their entire lives and never uncover even a single insight that changes how magic works You have found twenty in three days”

“I am not doing anything special” Evan said “I am just applying the simple logic I used back home These patterns are the same as speech patterns I corrected for kids The only difference is that the mistakes explode here instead of sounding awkward”

Serin laughed softly “Maybe that is why everyone listens to you You make the complex simple You make power understandable”

Evan stared at her tea cup not wanting to meet her eyes “I do not want power Serin I want clarity That is all”

She leaned back watching students practice “Clarity is power in a world built on spoken spells”

Arilon joined them carrying a thick tome nearly as large as Evan’s chest. “This is for you” he said “The oldest chant book in our collection It records spells no longer taught because they were deemed unstable”

“Let me guess” Evan said “Their articulation is a disaster”

“Yes” Arilon said without hesitation “But with your methods I believe they can be restored”

Evan opened the tome slowly. The pages were worn edges frayed script fading from centuries of use. He scanned the first chant and winced.

“This is barely pronounceable So many conflicting consonant clusters Too many compressed vowels No wonder it fails”

Arilon smiled “Then you will fix it”

“I will try” Evan said “But first we need to validate the second rule Sound placement controls mana direction We need to test long range spells medium range spells and close range spells I want to see if mana direction shifts differently at different spell distances”

Serin nodded “I can assemble a group of projection specialists by tomorrow morning”

“Good We test wind next then lightning then fire You said some spells veer upward as well as sideways I want to see how tongue height affects that”

Arilon’s eyes gleamed like a man seeing the future “Evan we may be witnessing the birth of a new discipline Magic phonetics”

Evan winced “That name sounds like a parody textbook but yes I suppose that is what we are doing”

Serin stood then offered him a hand “Come on Evan You need a break Even your brain needs rest sometimes”

“No it does not” Evan said “It just needs caffeine and peace”

She stared at him until he sighed defeated “Fine a short break”

They walked through the courtyard filled with students practicing spells in new ways Some exaggerated tongue positions Others focused on breathing patterns A few stood before each other analyzing mouth shapes like miniature instructors.

Serin smirked “See what you started The academy looks like a collection of singers warming up for a performance”

Evan leaned against a wall “At least they are improving I can hear the clarity from here”

Arilon approached again his expression more serious now “Evan we need to discuss something important There are rumors outside the academy Scholars from the capital court are requesting records of your teachings I believe the king’s advisors have taken interest”

Evan closed his eyes “That’s too fast I am not ready to be dragged into politics I just want to fix your vowels”

Serin placed a hand on his shoulder “Evan nothing remains small when it changes the world Your work is spreading You cannot stop it Even if you want to”

He exhaled “Then I need structure I need a controlled curriculum before people twist what I teach into something sloppy”

Arilon nodded “Then you will write it You will create the first standardized system of magical speech”

Evan stared at the stone ground swallowing dry “I came here with nothing no plan no choice and now I am supposed to create a field of study that will outlive us all”

Serin gently nudged him “You already started You just have not accepted it”

Evan finally let out a weak laugh “Fine fine I will build your system But I need time And endless parchment and hopefully a universe that stops throwing expectations at me every hour”

Serin smiled “That we cannot promise”

Arilon added “But we can promise support and protection You are safe here Evan Hartley And your work is valued beyond measure”

Evan finally nodded He felt tired overwhelmed almost dizzy with the speed at which everything moved Yet beneath it all he felt something steady something warm something like purpose He looked at his full stack of notes and the ancient chant book and felt the weight of responsibility settle in a way he could carry.

“This is becoming bigger than I imagined” he whispered

Serin answered “It already is Evan And tomorrow will be bigger still”

He breathed out slowly then spoke the words that would shape the path ahead

“Tomorrow we begin the third rule of spell articulation”

And the academy felt the shift as if the world itself leaned closer to listen.