Araxis swung his staff in front of him and created a rift which he entered and appeared in his study. He walked over to a desk and flicked open a box, pulling out a small blue crystal.
He crushed the crystal in his hand and absorbed it entirely, refilling his mana reserves entirely. He flopped onto a sofa nearby and layed down, letting his staff float beside him.
He flicked his wrist and caused a mirror to appear in front of his face. He traced an outline onto the surface and waited a few moments.
"Head Archmagus! What do you have to say?" The man on the other end said out of breath, his panic visible in his headshot appearing in the mirror's surface.
Araxis rolled his eyes, "You're busy?"
"Extremely right now! Do you know what's happening? Is it your doing?"
Araxis paused, "No...not entirely. It is but not at the same time. Just head up here and I'll explain it all, and get me something to eat at the same time."
He wiped the mirror and the man's face vanished, after throwing the mirror away he closed his eyes and waited for the man to arrive.
Araxis sat there for a couple of minutes with his eyes closed simply waiting. He took in the fresh air with the ceiling still wide open.
Thoughts exploded in his mind as he tried to parse all of the knowledge he had in his mind. This was going to be a tumultuous period and he couldn't afford to make many mistakes.
Knock knock knock
"Can I come in?"
Araxis grumbled a response and the door creaked open. A bespectacled man with short, styled brown shirt and a tailored suit walked in while carrying a platter of cakes in one hand.
The man breathed in deeply and placed the platter of cakes onto the table in front of the sofa, "Explain."
"Edmund...don't be so bothered, it isn't that serious."
"NOT THAT SERIOUS?!" The man ripped out the cushion from under Araxis' head and threw it on the floor, causing a puff of dust to float into the air.
It caught to sunlight but quickly got carried by the wind from the open ceiling and vanished from sight. Araxis opened his eyes and peeked at Edmund.
He gestured to a seat opposite the sofa while sitting up himself. He took one of the cakes on the table and took a bite.
"Could do with some tea...you want some?"
Edmund sat down and shook his head, "No, not for me." He leant forward, "Just tell me what's happening, no lying."
Araxis nodded his head while taking another bite, "Yes, yes," he flicked his wrist and caused a teacup to fly over from a shelf, then a saucer slid under it and it gently placed itself down.
He gestured with his fingers more and a teapot flew over, slowing itself to gently land on the table. Then a brick of tea flew over and landed in Araxis' hand.
He raised his eyebrows, "Are you sure you don't want any?"
Edmund rubbed his temples and leant back, "You know what, sure. You're not gonna tell me quickly, are you? Might as well have a cup too."
Araxis smiled and flicked his off hand, causing a cup and saucer to position themselves in front of Edmund, on the table.
He opened the paper around the brick of tea and broke it apart, taking a few leaves and placing them into the teapot. He wrapped up the rest of the brick and placed it away.
He pointed into the air and using muscle memory he used his mana to manipulate laws and caused water to flow out of the air, boiling instantly and falling into the teapot.
It hit the tea leaves with a splash and the tea started to flower open, it began brewing. While it brew Araxis looked up, "I assume you want to ask about the demonic rifts?"
"If that's what they're called, then yes."
"It's what I'm calling them. Do you remember when I made that?" Araxis pointed over his shoulder with his thumb to an armillary sphere which had a small planet in the centre.
"How could I forget, only you could be so nonchalant about making another world."
Araxis half-smiled, "Only partially true..." He murdered to himself before speaking up, "Do you remember the first people I made contact with? Zhou Tian and Yao Tian?"
"I remember Zhou Tian, that was the first one to notice you, wasn't it? He found your mental energy, didn't he?" Edmund spoke with a wavering tone.
Araxis took the teapot and poured out his and Edmund's teas. He looked up, "Milk, sugar?"
Edmund looked down, "Milk, no sugar."
Araxis grabbed his staff, which floated beside him this whole time, and tapped it on the ground. Suddenly a stream of mana flowed down the magic tower's surface and entered the ground.
It ran through the ground and into a nearby cow, instantly transmitting it's milk and putting it into Araxis' grasp.
He chased milk to pour out of the air and I to Edmund's cup, just enough that the tea wouldn't be diluted much. It turned a deep orange colour and Edmund nodded.
Araxis explained, "Yes, Zhou Tian. To the little ones in the miniature world he was a mythology figure you know? Still now even." He took a dip of his tea and nodded satisfactorily, "Do you recall what happened to him?"
"Well...he learnt how to use the spirits you used to maintain the world. Aaaand then...he destroyed himself and split into multiple fragments?" Edmund tried as hard as he could to recall what he knew.
Araxis nodded, "Indeed but something happened and he survived. Or maybe he was revived, even I do not know. They got to him...I thought my trapping of them would be a good idea..."
"They? You don't mean...The ones who govern the Sea of Worlds, stopping any abnormalities...the xxxxx? You trapped them in your miniature world?! Was that why you made it in the first place?!"
Araxis nodded, "You figured it out straight away, I knew you would. Yes, I made the world to try and trap those people. If I can do that, they would stop messing with this world."
"But that's backfired somehow and created these 'demonic rifts'?" Edmund speculated.
Araxis tilted his head, "Sort of. You remember what I did with one of those children of Zhou Tian's? Yao?"
"Yao...Yao...Yao...hmm, no I don't recall." Edmund took a sip of his tea and made a face, "I think I'll have a sugar actually. So what did you do with him?"