The cold wind of early spring still clung to Silverstar City, the capital of the Octavian Empire, gnawing at the grey stone bricks of the academy's high towers. Deep inside the Silverstar Magic Academy library, the dusty smell of old parchment and ink hung in the air, as if time itself had frozen.
Erik von Heinrich was hunched in a corner of a large oak table near a window. His fingertips carefully traced the almost faded patterns on a heavy, ancient book. It wasn't a standard symbol from any modern magic system. It was older, more obscure, related to the fragmented texts his family had studied for generations. The thin grey light from the window outlined his focused, slightly tired face. He wore a academy robe, washed so often it was pale and slightly worn at the elbows—the mark of an "auditor." He was barely allowed to learn here, always kept on the edges, outside the inner circle of real students.
"...The non-standard structure of the energy circuit... seems to focus more on guiding power than containing it..." he muttered to himself, completely lost in the world of symbols, trying to ignore the looks from a group of full apprentices nearby. Their looks mixed curiosity with scorn.
"Still staring at that old book, Erik?" A clear voice, full of concern, broke his concentration.
Erik looked up. It was Lina Fire-song. She was holding a stack of spell theory books taller than her head. A few strands of her bright red hair stuck out wildly. Her bright eyes held a friendly glint. She was one of the few in the academy who didn't look down on him for his background. She was, he could say, his only friend. She came from a common family but became a full apprentice because of her amazing talent with elemental magic. The teachers saw a great future in her.
"Just some personal research," Erik said, closing the book. The cover had no title, just a shallow carving like an eagle's wing—the crest of the Heinrich family.
"Research?" Lina put her books down with a heavy thud, making the librarian glare from across the room. "Looks like an obsession to me. Modern protective magic is good enough. Why keep digging into these old things even the teachers don't understand?" She lowered her voice. "And... you know studying this 'forbidden knowledge' can cause trouble."
Erik gave a faint smile but didn't argue. Forbidden? Maybe. But he felt these forgotten symbols held a deeper, more powerful truth than modern magic. It was his family's legacy. It was also a small spark of defiance inside him, a refusal to accept his place.
"Master Malcolm's Magical Geometry class is this afternoon. Are you going?" Lina changed the subject.
"Yes," Erik nodded. Auditors didn't have a fixed schedule. He grabbed any knowledge he could, even if it meant enduring some teachers' cold looks and the other students' exclusion.
Just then, the library's heavy doors were thrown open, crashing against the wall with a loud bang. The quiet was shattered. Icy wind and cold rain blew in.
Two lawkeepers stood in the doorway. They wore black cloaks with gold patterns, the mark of the Imperial Judicature. Their cold metal breastplates and full helmets seemed to push people away. Their eyes scanned the room like hawks, and finally landed right on Erik.
The taller lawkeeper walked forward. His iron-shod boots hit the stone floor with a scary, heavy sound. Every apprentice held their breath. The air felt tense.
The lawkeeper stopped at Erik's table, his shadow almost covering Erik completely.
"Erik von Heinrich?" A cold voice came from under the helmet. It wasn't a question, but a statement.
Erik's heart sank. A strong feeling of dread gripped him. He stood up, trying to stay calm. "That's me. Sir, what is this about?"
The lawkeeper didn't answer. He pulled out a scroll sealed with red wax from his armor and unrolled it sharply. The wax seal showed the Empire's fierce two-headed eagle.
"By order of the Imperial Chief Justiciar!" His voice rose, echoing in the silent library. "Erik von Heinrich, you are arrested for treason and conspiring with the northern savages! Northwind Fortress, the Heinrich family lands, have been seized by the Imperial Legion! All family members are to be taken to the capital for trial! Anyone who resists will be killed on the spot!"
Each word felt like a cold hammer hitting Erik's heart.
Treason? Conspiring with savages? Northwind seized?
Father... Brother...
The shock was so huge he couldn't react. His face turned pale.
"No... that's impossible!" he argued without thinking, his voice hoarse from shock. "These are lies! The Heinrich family has always been loyal! We guard the north—"
"The proof is clear!" the lawkeeper cut him off roughly, shoving the scroll almost in his face. "Take him!"
The other lawkeeper stepped forward. Magical restraining cuffs glowed coldly in his hand.
"Wait!" Lina suddenly moved in front of Erik. She looked pale too, but found her courage. "You can't just take him! This isn't right!"
"Move, apprentice!" The lawkeeper shoved her aside without care. "Interfere, and you share his fate!"
Lina stumbled back into a bookshelf. Books crashed to the floor.
The shove jolted Erik out of his shock.
*I can't be captured! This is no simple mistake! No one leaves the Judicature's prisons to prove their innocence!*
Instinct to survive and anger at the injustice crushed his fear.
Just as the lawkeeper's hand was about to grab his arm, Erik jumped back. At the same time, his right hand slashed quickly across the cover of the ancient book he'd been studying—across an unfinished light symbol he had been working on. He pushed a tiny bit of magic into it with his nail, forcing it to activate!
*BZZZT!*
The eagle-wing carving on the book cover suddenly burst into a blinding bright white light, like a small sun exploding inside the library!
"Ah! My eyes!"
"Dammit! A Flash Spell!"
Both lawkeepers and the nearby apprentices yelled in pain, covering their eyes and stumbling back, blinded and confused for a moment.
The bright light made Erik's eyes water too, but he was ready. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them fast. Using his knowledge of the library's layout, he turned and ran towards the side room used for restoring old books—there was a little-known narrow passage there that led to the old, unused tower stairs!
"Get him!" the lead lawkeeper's angry roar came from behind.
The sound of running feet and confused shouts followed him.
Erik's heart was pounding wildly. He pushed open the restoration room door, dashed inside, and slammed the bolt shut.
He leaned against the cold wooden door, breathing heavily. The sound of cold rain hitting the glass window filled the room.
His world had turned upside down in an instant. His family, his future, everything... was gone.
Now, he had only one thought.
*Run!*
*I must survive! Only by surviving can I find out why this happened! Only then can I clear my family's name!*
The sound of bodies hitting the door started behind him.
Erik von Heinrich, the last son of Northwind, took a deep breath of the cold air, mixed with the smell of old paper and despair. He turned sharply and ran deep into the darkness of the abandoned stairs.