"Hello Mr. Tural, I am the commander of the red tower, Alexander Rubino" the crimson-robed mage said, bowing slightly.
"Hello Mr. Rubino , why are you here?" as he said this, Ethan Tural quickly inspected the older man from his feet to his head.
"I am here to recommend your son Adamas to the science section of my tower." Alexander answered dryly.
Ethan looked at him puzzled.
Alice, noticing her husband altered by the situation, approached him.
"Long story short, form me, your son is a genius." said the magician, smiling.
Clearing his voice, he went on.
"His sister, instead... is very brave."
As he said so, he shot a midnight blue look at the girl.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check whether your daughter, Ambra Tural, lives up to her claims, obviously if you agree".
"All right, go ahead." Alice said, then quickly take her husband's hand and whisper in his ear.
The second after, Ethan also gave his approval to do the interview.
"Good. Ambra, do you want to take the test here in front of everyone or do you want to be alone?"
"Alone...please."
"Good."
Then, the two went to Ambra's room and locked themselves.
"Adamas, can you explain to me what you and the commander talked about to get to this point?" Alice asked in a firm but maternal tone.
"Me too," Ethan added.
"Dogs...! Right, dogs... Silver especially! The Commander was really curious about his breed..." but seeing that Ethan and Alice continued to stare at him impatiently, he finally gave up.
"We talked about Witch Out and probability calculation..." he said in a broken voice.
"Easy, son. Breathe. You didn't do anything wrong," Ethan intervened, exhaling quietly.
Alice intervened with actions, offering a warm hug to her son, ruffling his hair.
"Just so that you know, you have to give Ambra a talk afterwards. She made another one of her outings," Alice took the floor, looking at Ethan.
"What?"
"She was the one who asked to enter the magic section of the Red Tower. Right after hearing Ad's recommendation."
*Sigh*
"That girl is incorrigible," said Ethan, shaking his head.
Alice looked at her husband, almost as if to blame him.
Clapping once his hands, Ethan took the floor.
"Now let's talk about the Commander's offer," Ethan said with a soft smile on his face.
"Mhm," Adamas said, nodding.
******
Meanwhile, in Ambra's room
Ambra's room was modest but meticulously kept, filled with the scent of old pages. The desk cluttered with open tomes and loose notes stood beneath the soft glow of a magic lamp, casting warm light on parchment and ink.
Everything else was in its place: the bed perfectly made, the shelves, even the curtain gently swaying with the wind.
A quiet, almost studious order reigned.
Approaching the desk, the magician observed the books present: most of them had basic diagram constructions, the rest briefly explained the anatomy of the human body.
None of the books were adventure novels or heroic tales.
Only manuals and notes.
"Can I sit here?" He asked monotonously, grabbing the back of the chair.
Ambra nodded, sitting composedly on the edge of the bed.
Straight back and hands resting on the lap.
Alexander took a seat on the only chair, facing Ambra.
"Do you mind?" The magician asked again, pointing to the desk.
Amba looked at the man in front of her for a few seconds, and then simply said: "Go ahead."
Taking a sheet of notes on top of the set of books, he put it lower than his chin, moving it away slightly.
"You know, getting old also leads to vision problems," he jokingly said as he read the contents of the notes.
Ambra continued to observe Alexander: blue eyes full of life, skin weakened by age and slightly waning, and timbre low but sustained.
Without realizing it, she relaxed her shoulders.
From the moment he stepped in, Alexander had a suspicion, which was clarified by the notes: this wasn't the curiosity of a random child. Someone in this house had allowed that interest to grow.
"Well, my dear, you're still just 15 years old, so I won't ask you to use magic here or any practical demonstrations. It could be dangerous indoors.
"Let's start with the theory: what is 'mana'?"
The crimson man knew what he was asking, and it wasn't an easy question for a 15-year-old girl, especially since the topic was addressed in the second year of the basic magic course and by asking her this, he made his intentions clear: he didn't want to go easy on her.
" 'Mana' is the energetic... substrate present both within living beings and the world around us," she answered calmly.
"It is divided into six primary elemental particles: air, water, earth, fire, light and darkness."
Alexander wasn't that surprised by the girl's answer, she had to live up to what she said, and indeed, although incomplete, she had answered the question in an academic way.
"Next question: can all wizards absorb these particles equally?"
"Well... theoretically yes," Ambra replied.
"A mage's affinity alters absorption efficiency and spell stability, but in this case, there are also theories of diagrams that needs to be considered..."
At her response, Alexander nodded.
"Continue."
Ambra looked at the magician puzzled.
After a few seconds, she started talking again.
"Diagrams... are constructions based on symbols... No, excuse me, based on runic scripts that allow you to... control the magical power and surrounding mana to cast a spell."
"Hmm... That's partially correct," the Commander said, looking up from the notes in front of him and looking at the girl.
"Can you tell me why?"
Ambra lowered her gaze, and then unintentionally brought her hand to her chin.
"It doesn't allow you to control, but to channel..." she said a few seconds later.
Looking at the magician, Ambra saw a small smile in the corners of his mouth, only to be distracted by the man's voice.
"Well. Let's continue."
Then, Alexander Rubino continued to ask questions ranging from the first to the second year of the basic magic course, slowly ramping up in difficulty. Ambra answered steadily, sometimes pausing to think, but never retreating. This went on for several minutes until the magician stopped.
He held her gaze for several seconds.
She did not look away.
"One last question," he said. "Why do you want to enter the red tower? You are competent, sure. But why should I recommend you?"
Ambra hesitated for a moment, then answered simply.
"I want to learn magic, because I think it's something worth knowing. I don't know how to explain it... It's like it's the only thing in this world that I feel a sense of attraction about...?"
With those words, even Ambra was puzzled by her own response.
However, she continued speaking after a few seconds of contemplation.
"For as long as I can remember my father always told me that I had to find something fun and nothing 'static'. Something that kept... hm... 'moving', changing... something that made me feel alive.
"At the time, I didn't get it. Everything seemed... boring? Maybe predictable it's a better word... But then, one day, at my father's shop, a customer came in. She was just a girl, with messy brown curls escaping her hood.
"She saw me peeking out and said, 'Wanna see something pretty?' Then — she lit a tiny flame in her palm. I couldn't take my eyes off that hand. After that, it turned into a flower, then a bird, and finally a little firework.
"In that moment, what the girl had done made me understand what my father told me. That... thing, magic, it moved. It danced. It felt... alive. And I wanted to follow it."
As she spoke, her fingers unconsciously moved slightly, as if following what she described.
For the first time since entering the room, the Commander did not answer immediately.
"..."
Did I say something I wrong...? Look at his face...
Ambra thought, letting little or nothing of her thoughts show through her expression,and immediately afterwards she asked "W-what is it?"
"Very good, that's enough for me."
"That's all...?"
"Yes, that may be enough. One last thing, the Exquirator. Do you remember anything about them?"
Ambra slightly widened her eyes at the question.
The Exquirator...? Why does he ask me such a thing?
"No, I don't remember..."
"Don't worry. Let's go down, I have to talk to your parents."
*Criiiick*
The bedroom door opened, drawing the attention of the family on the ground floor.
Ethan and Alice saw the crimson commander with a thoughtful face going down the stairs with their daughter following him.
"Mr. and Mrs. Tural, could you give me a moment to speak? Just the three of us please" Alexander said with a formal tone
Hearing this, Adamas looked at his older sister with a questioning look, as if to ask what had happened, and immediately followed Ambra to the first floor.
Arriving upstairs, Ambra and Adamas pressed themselves against the wall, out of sight, listening to the speech.
Who knows what the hell I said to get him that reaction... That I was wrong to tell the truth...? No, Ambra! Lying is never a wise move.
Leaning against the handrail, Ambra put her head in her skirt, while her purple hair closed her view sideways.
Damn it! I want to be a sorceress! This is the only chance I have left! I study diligently, I train in the garden, I'm ready! Please, I want to go into the Red Tower and study magic!
I just want this! Please... Just... this once...
Suddenly, the commander's slightly hoarse voice flooded Ambra's ears.
"I'd like to ask you something first. Don't worry about giving an answer that pleases me, you can respond in complete sincerity."
Ethan and Alice looked at the magician far from quiet.
"What do you think about magicians?"
At that moment, the two looked at each other in perplexity.
Ethan put his hand on his forehead, massaging his temples, while Alice answered.
"I apologize for the arrogance, but I personally do not think I can answer the question quietly, especially since you are the commander of the Red Tower."
Smoothing his beard, Alexander nodded at the statement. Then, he turned his gaze to the man.
"What do you think?" He asked again.
Ethan sighed slightly, then answered.
"As much as I have an artifact store, I've only met magicians a couple of times, and those times it was... suffocating, if I may say so."
Nodding to Ethan, the commander laughed slightly.
"Don't worry, on the contrary, I thank you for your answers."
Taking a break, he looked up to the top floor, seeing Ambra's purple hair disappeared in the corner, behind the wall.
Alexander looked down with a smile, and then looked at the parents.
"I will also recommend your daughter for the entrance test" the crimson wizard said in a solemn voice.