The Three Great Architectures

By the Month of Frost's Descent, fine snowflakes had begun to drift from the sky, and even the distant sea had frozen solid.

On this winding mountain road that ran along the coast, a tall black-lacquered carriage rolled slowly onward.

The coachman held the reins in one hand, urging on the tall, fierce horses fitted with exquisite saddles. In his other hand, he carried a copper hand-warmer, occasionally bringing his frostbitten face close to it to draw in the faint warmth escaping through its vents.

There was a sliding glass window on each side of the black carriage. One of them was pushed open, and a beautiful young girl blinked as she looked around in every direction.

Just as the girl was engrossed in the view, a chubby hand reached over from beside her and shut the open window.

"Ah... choo! Irene, it's so cold out—don't open the window. The wind's practically freezing me stiff," said the plump, adorable boy in a childish voice.

Irene snorted. "Hmph, Brother, you're so useless! You can't even stand this little bit of wind. Look, Brother Pat hasn't said anything. You're the only one who's been complaining about the cold the whole way."

The people seated in this carriage were Moro's group, who had departed from Gelu Town.

Angel had been dragged into it for no reason, but he did not join the siblings' argument. He merely smiled and sat quietly to one side of the carriage. Beside him was Moro, who had kept his eyes closed in meditation.

Alan curled his lips and muttered under his breath, "It's always Brother Pat, Brother Pat... You make it sound like he's your real brother."

.

Irene had sharp ears. Hearing Alan's words, she did not get angry, merely humming as she secretly rolled her eyes at him. Then she moved closer to Angel and began chatting away on her own. Unfortunately, Irene had rarely traveled far from home, so most of what she talked about were amusing tales of nobles in the capital.

Although Angel had little interest in them, he did not interrupt Irene's monologue. From time to time, he nodded and responded. Though he appeared to be conversing attentively, most of his attention remained immersed in his own thoughts.

That day, Moro had proposed a condition: as long as Angel agreed to it, he would give him the magic-pattern parchment scroll for the Healing Ice Coffin.

In the end, Angel had agreed to Moro's condition, because it did not sound overly harsh:

—Once Angel advanced to a Level 2 wizard apprentice, he had to accompany Moro to explore a ruin.

As for what sort of ruin it was, Moro had not said much. He had only stated that he did not know whether the ruin was dangerous. Though the journey might be fraught with uncertainty, the prerequisite was becoming a Level 2 wizard apprentice. It had taken Moro nearly ten years to advance to an intermediate apprentice, while Angel himself did not even know whether he could become an intermediate apprentice.

Therefore, Angel felt it was not a loss to trade a possible danger for the Healing Ice Coffin.

After giving the Healing Ice Coffin to Mentor Jon, Angel remained at the manor for another day. Then, amid Leon's reluctant farewell, he took his luggage and set out with Moro on a journey to an unknown continent.

Night spread across the land. The cold of the winter night was cruel beyond measure, and even the experienced coachman had no choice but to halt their journey and find a temporary shelter from the wind to wait out the night.

It was a massive, half-hollowed boulder. The group built a fire and made camp in the hollow, while the coachman covered the horses with woolen blankets and tethered them nearby.

Alan hugged his legs pitifully, curled up like a ball of flesh as he muttered, "So cold, so cold."

"Honestly, you can't even endure this little bit of cold. All that flesh on you is for nothing!" Irene grumbled, but her eyes still held concern for her brother. She did not forget to fetch a thick cloak from the tent and drape it over Alan.

Moro watched his two grandchildren interact with a smile in his eyes. With a light wave of his hand, a green sphere of light burrowed into Alan's body.

"This temperature-maintenance spell can last ten hours. But relying on spells is not a long-term solution. You've been weak since childhood, so exercise more every day from now on. Once your constitution improves, you naturally won't fear such cold." Moro said to Alan, "If your talent leans toward the bloodline side, beginning your training will also greatly improve your physique."

Alan nodded vaguely. After the green light entered his body, he could clearly feel the change in the surrounding temperature, and his curiosity about wizardry deepened.

"Grandfather, haven't we already tested our talents? Does testing with the talent orb not count? Will we need to be tested again after arriving at White Coral Floating Island Academy?" Irene asked in confusion.

Angel also pricked up his ears. He wanted to know the answer as well. What had happened to him during the talent test that day had been far too bizarre. He had privately asked the siblings about their tests afterward. Irene had heard static, while Alan had found an extra piece of black bread on the plate. Though there had been "changes," they were still within a comprehensible range.

But when it was Angel's turn, he had directly "crossed over"! It was simply inconceivable.

Although Angel had classified that experience as a "change" caused by the talent test, he did not truly believe it. Thus, when Irene brought up talent testing, his attention was immediately drawn in.

Moro stroked his beard with a chuckle and said to Irene, "The Eye of Abyras can only test whether someone has talent or not."

"As for the direction of that talent, it cannot determine that. Once you reach White Coral Floating Island Academy, there will be a more detailed talent assessment. You'll understand then."

"However, before that, I should remind you of something. The academy's talent assessment is not a final verdict. Even if it determines that you lean toward the elemental side, you do not necessarily have to focus on the elemental side. Everything still depends on your own wishes."

As Moro said this, he suddenly paused. "Oh, right. Although you can choose to study any branch without considering your talent inclination, certain branches cannot be learned through hard work alone. For example, some special branches within the 'mysterious side,' such as prophecy and astrology, still depend greatly on talent."

"I don't think I've ever told you about the branches of wizards. I might as well explain them all today." Moro thought for a moment. "There are countless paths of wizardly development. After tens of thousands of years of refinement, the system is now basically complete. There are many branch systems, and I won't go through them one by one. I'll only explain the three major frameworks currently recognized by the wizarding world."

"The elemental side encompasses the composition of nature, the origin of all things."

"The bloodline side absorbs the bloodlines of powerful creatures to strengthen oneself."

"The mysterious side, where mysteries return to their abyss."

"These three major frameworks basically encompass all current wizard systems. Of course, many related systems also exist outside these three frameworks, such as alchemy and summoning... But most wizards have some involvement in systems like alchemy and summoning, differing only in degree. Naturally, there are also wizards who take such auxiliary systems as their main focus, though they are few."

"Among the three major frameworks, the elemental side has the most people. Basically every wizard knows a few elemental spells. The mysterious side has the fewest people, and its distribution of strength is also the strangest. The strong are exceedingly strong, while the weak are exceedingly weak. Mainly because the systems under the mysterious framework are simply too varied. In the Southern Region, its most famous representatives are the archaeologist Mantola and the phantom master Sanders. Both are Level 2 mysterious-side wizards, yet their strength is worlds apart." Moro sighed with emotion when he mentioned the two men.

"As for the bloodline side..." Moro gave a disdainful snort, as though recalling some unpleasant memory, and said coldly with a trace of emotion, "Most of them are all brawn and foul tempers, but their combat strength is exceptionally outstanding."

Moro's words plunged everyone into deep thought.

Irene asked curiously, "Then what branch does Grandfather belong to?"

"Me... If we speak in terms of the three major frameworks, I belong to the flame branch within the elemental side. But I spend most of my energy drawing magic patterns, so I should be considered more of a magic-pattern wizard from the auxiliary branch."

Their questions and answers continued for most of the night. The darkness grew deeper, until even the forests on the distant mountains had become blurry black shadows, like clawing monsters in the wind.

Gradually, everyone grew sleepy and drifted into slumber.

Angel lay in the crude tent, a faint gleam shining in his eyes. Tonight's conversation had moved him deeply. He had never expected wizards to have so many classifications. Even the fire branch of the elemental side alone had subdivisions such as flame, magma, cold fire... and other branches formed by blending elements.

Whether one specialized deeply or studied broadly, both paths could lead toward the pursuit of truth.

Under Jon's enlightenment, Angel possessed a curiosity to probe the roots of all things. Especially when Jon spoke of the countless unbelievable phenomena in the universe, Angel's heart filled with longing.

If he became a wizard, would he be able to explore those unknown mysteries in the future?

With anticipation for the future in his heart, Angel gradually fell asleep.