Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

581  Divination Ritual

Saratoga Castle.

Inside his dormitory that had been assigned to him when he got admitted to this prestigious arcane institution, Adam sat on a rocking chair, facing the fireplace.

The weather outside was transitioning from fall to winter, making it chilly. Despite having elevated his life essence by advancing to a Mana Liquefaction Magus, the youth still enjoyed the warmth of the fire in cold weather.

He gazed at the light flickering inside the fireplace and heard wood crackling as it turned to embers. The fire reflected in his black, abyss-like eyes as he pondered what had transpired in the Flynn Manor earlier today.

Who would have thought that Brigham would have such a backstory? Not to mention, the person who he betrayed was one of the three leaders of the Umbra Thieves…

He sighed repeatedly as he began massaging his temples, thinking to himself, I have a feeling that this Kissinger person is very likely to be a Rank 3 - Mana Vortex Magus.

Before committing suicide Alvertos claimed that there were three such people including his father. That means three Rank 3 Magi are at the helm of this criminal enterprise…

Damn it! This increases their danger levels significantly. I didn't think they'd have more than one Mana Vortex Magus leading them.

He leaned back in his chair and glanced at the ceiling that was made up of ancient black stones.

"Our combat power is far weaker than the Umbra Thieves," he softly muttered. "And this is taking into account what Alvertos said was true…"

For now, I must boldly assume that this organization has at least three Mana Vortex Magi leading them, he thought with a grave expression on his face.

After thinking deeply for dozens of seconds, he finally got to his feet and walked to the section of the room that he had transformed into a lab to carry out his herbalism-related experiments.

Now, for what he was about to attempt, he could have gone to his manor in Uptown Quarter where he had an entire underground basement that served as his laboratory.

However, the security around his manor could never compare to the one at Saratoga Castle.

For the ritual he was about to carry out, he didn't wish to be disturbed. He needed a safe and peaceful environment.

Of course, the neighborhood in Uptown Quarter where his manor was could be considered to be the safest place in the entirety of Ravenfell, but Adam felt a little skeptical about it.

Deep in his heart, the raven-haired youth felt that Brigham, the patriarch of the Flynn Family, might do something undesirable after he became privy to a secret that involved the existence of a Rank 4 Magus's inheritance.

Even though he knew that it was very unlikely that Brigham would do such a thing, considering that he had cured the man and that the old man knew that he was backed by a powerful mysterious organization, Adam was still as cautious as ever.

Regardless, after the meeting that was to take place the following day, he believed that Brigham would not have any ill intentions—no matter how unlikely they may be—towards him.

Phew! Adam exhaled a deep breath, clearing his mind. He stood before the wooden table and cleared all the books, alchemical apparatuses, and other miscellaneous items.

Then, he conjured a large slab of black adamantine marble from his earring and gently placed it on the table. This would serve as the altar for the ritual.

Adam patted the marble twice, praising, "Riskan ore found deep within dwarven mountains - perfect for inscribing runes!"

The Riskan marble had a strange property that allowed one to carve things onto it. The characters would burrow deeply onto its surface for some time, before vanishing and returning the marble surface to its previous unaltered state.

This made it the perfect canvas for Runesmiths to practice the art of runes on!

"I paid an exorbitant price to get you, so you better last me a hundred lifetimes!" Adam had a pained expression on his face when he recalled the time of his purchase.

With a wave of his hand, he cast a minor cleaning spell, ensuring not even a speck of dust remained on the marble slab.

He then purified the immediate surroundings by burning sage and lavender known for their ability to sharpen the mind and spirit.

The area around the table was circled with rich, magical materials that enhanced the divination ritual, such as moonstones, crystals, and silver dust.

Then, he conjured an item resembling a mixture of a chisel and a quill. This was an item used by Runesmiths to carve runes. Its importance to a Runesmith was similar to how a cauldron was to a Herbalist.

Adam had paid an equally ridiculous amount to purchase this item as well. Although he was deeply stingy at heart, he knew that he had to invest in quality items if he wanted to produce quality products.

The youth activated his Sphere of Resonance, ensuring that the runes he carved on the surface were accurate and precise. Then, he began carving intricate runes and symbols on the marble.

According to the rich history of the known universe that Adam had learned from the memories of the experts, he knew that the language of runes was invented by the mythical race - the giants.

The giants believed that the art of inscribing runes required not just physical precision but also spiritual alignment. Adam needed years to master just the basics of it.

The act of writing a rune was not simply a form of writing but a ritualistic process that tapped into the magic imbued within the rune itself. The magic of runes lay in their form and how they were inscribed.

Giants knew that the shape, direction, and complexity of each rune would interact with magical energy. When a rune was carved with the proper intent, it resonated with the abundant mana in the surroundings, pulling it into alignment with the rune's meaning.

The more powerful the rune, the stronger the resonance, and the more energy it required to invoke.

Some sages even believe that runic magic still remained one of the most potent forms of magic, directly tied to the primal forces of creation!

Adam's eyes blazed with focus as his hand danced across the black marble slab. To an onlooker, his hand movements would make it appear like he was randomly scribbling on the surface.

However, upon closer inspection, one would realize the magic that Adam was creating with each stroke of his hand. The ritual he was attempting now was closely related to the School of Divination.

The process of inscribing a runic formation to produce divination magic was a ritualistic act, drawing upon the mysterious power to pierce through space and time.

Divination runes, unlike those used for elemental manipulation, protection, or destruction, were designed to connect with the unseen currents in the River of Fate, guiding the Runesmith to obtain glimpses of the past, present, or future.

After more than an hour, the runic formation was close to completion. It was in the shape of an octagon that contained myriad intricate and mysterious symbols.

Since this was going to be a ritual that helped him with divination, Adam had carved a specific combination of runes that were associated with time, sight, knowledge, and most importantly fate. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

For example, one key rune represented the ability to see hidden truths. Another symbolized hidden knowledge, connecting to fate and destiny.

After another fifteen minutes or so, Adam had finally finished carving the entirety of the runic formation. His forehead was layered with a sheen of sweat, and his forearm was slightly aching from having carved nonstop for ninety minutes.

He entered a brief period of mindfulness in order to focus his mind and recoup his energy. Finally, everything was ready.

The following moment, with a solemn expression on his face, he conjured a crystal jar that contained the red worm from before. By now, the worm had already died but that didn't matter. What really mattered was that the corpse was fresh.

Adam took out the eerie-looking worm from the jar and placed it at the center of the runic formation.

With the way the runes had been inscribed, he would be able to divine the location where this worm had originated from, which he believed was very likely to be the headquarters of the Umbra Thieves.

When he opened them again, they were no longer the same.

21:21

His black pupils now shone with the brilliant and mysterious light of the white lotus!

After all, it required a lot of care, time, and resources to even create such worms. Even if the worm wasn't created in the headquarters, Adam was sure that it had to be somewhere close.

Either way, he hoped to get answers from this divination ritual.

However, there was one thing that bothered him. His eyebrows creased a little and he muttered, "I hope not…"

The next moment, his expression turned solemn and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. He weaved a complex series of hand gestures, following which the runes on the slab began to light up one after another.

A visible swirl of wind materialized around the circle that Adam had earlier created. Then, all the lights, including the one from the fireplace, inside the room dimmed significantly. The temperature dropped and everything turned ethereal.

The runic formation had been activated and the divination had begun!

Based on the complexity of the runes he had inscribed and the ritual that he had created, the result of the divination would manifest in his mind's eye.

Adam would see flashes of the divination results directly inside his mind!

However, even after having expended a considerable amount of his mana into the runic formation and activating the ritual for close to ten minutes, he still hadn't received any revelations.

His fears had come true, yet he continued to keep the formation activated for another ten minutes, hoping to see a positive result.

Alas, the ritual ended in failure.

The youth's eyes dimmed slightly and he muttered in defeat, "As I thought… how could an organization as big as the Umbra Thieves not have set up methods to interfere with the enemy's divination magic?"

A few moments later, however, his eyes suddenly sparkled with inspiration and his lips slowly curled up into a smirk.

"But what if I remove the interference?"

He added an additional layer of runes to the ritual formation and altered it slightly. Then, he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.

When he opened them again, they were no longer the same.

His black pupils now shone with the brilliant and mysterious light of the white lotus!