"Now, shall we discuss the more pressing matter?" he asked, his gaze falling upon Charles, who sat nearby.
Charles nodded, his expression serious.
"Michael showed signs of mana corruption… Likely triggered by Melody's words," Charles explained.
"Mana corruption…" Brian repeated, his frown deepening. "Could you possibly be mistaken?"
However, Charles shook his head confidently. "We studied it extensively at Arcadia Academy. I have no doubts."
Vaughn reclined in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. "If he suffered mana corruption, then how is he still alive?"
"That… I don't know," Charles admitted.
"By all accounts, he should have been torn apart by the chaotic mana inside his body," he added.
Brian rested his chin upon his fist, deep in thought. "What's even more confusing is that he performed the ascension ritual while suffering from mana corruption…"
His words were met with silence.
"Then he should be dead—either by the corruption or from soul dissolution. The soul cannot possibly be nourished by chaotic mana and dive into the Arcana at the same time. To suggest otherwise is absurd," Vaughn stated.
No one disagreed with his statement.
"Yet here we are," Brian said, his incredulity evident.
The three men sat in silence for a while, as if contemplating the possible reasons for the phenomenon.
"If we disregard the means, the fact that Michael now possesses a red ring and is officially a Crimson mage at only ten years old is unbelievable enough," Vaughn stated, tapping the arm of his chair.
Charles nodded. "Even in Arcadia, there are only a handful of students born with red rings. But even they did not complete their first ascension ritual until past the age of fifteen."
Those born with red rings were highly sought after by all academies, as they were the only ones capable of ascending to violet and becoming Arcanist mages. It was only logical that every academy wanted to secure one.
"Michael is an anomaly. I'm afraid that we might never fully understand what happened tonight," Brian stated. "So, let's keep this to ourselves, alright?"
His eyes scanned the two men, who nodded in affirmation.
"As for what to do moving forward… Charles, will you continue to tutor Michael? Of course, you're within your right to refuse," Brian asked.
A brief moment of contemplation passed before Charles nodded. "I will tutor Michael… I won't let the same thing happen again, Lord Winterborne."
Brian let out a sigh of relief, offering a small smile to the youth. "That's reassuring. Thank you, Charles."
He then turned to Vaughn, the head of the estate. "Vaughn, I need you to monitor Michael and report any odd behavior, no matter how small. While he might look okay now, there could have been something we missed."
"Missed? Do you mean…" Vaughn's expression darkened.
"Mmm. Soul fragmentation."
Both Charles and Vaughn fell silent, the lord's words hanging heavily in the air.
There were two major dangers when it came to performing the ascension ritual: the dreaded soul dissolution and the more dormant soul fragmentation.
Soul fragmentation occurred when the soul returned from the Arcana incomplete. This was most likely to happen when a mage tried to exceed their soul's potential, sending it further into the Arcana than it could withstand.
As the name implied, the soul would begin to fracture under the pressure, losing pieces of itself. While not fully dissolving, the fragmented soul that returned would be incomplete, leading to various symptoms.
Memory loss, insomnia, bouts of madness—these were common symptoms. In most cases, they were mild, but if left unchecked, they could compound, slowly leading to something far worse.
"Understood, my lord," Vaughn replied, his eyes filled with resolve. "Shall I place Michael somewhere he won't encounter the young miss?"
"No need," Brian said, shaking his head. "He'll be attending tutoring lessons with Melody anyway."
Vaughn sat up straight, leaning forward slightly. "Do you think that's the wisest decision, my lord? What happens if it triggers another mana corruption episode?"
"Did we not conclude that it was Melody's insults directed towards Michael's parents that caused this?" Brian asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes… But could he now hold a grudge against the young miss? Wouldn't it be more prudent to have him leave the estate altogether?"
"Michael is a ten-year-old boy, Vaughn. Do you think I should throw him out onto the street?" he asked calmly.
However, Vaughn didn't flinch.
"I'm only making the most prudent suggestion, regardless of whether I think it's right or not," the head of estate replied succinctly.
Lord Winterborne chuckled. "That's very much like you, old friend."
The tension in the air seemed to disperse after the matter was settled.
Brian let out a sigh, resting his head against the back of the armchair. "I don't know about you two, but I could certainly use a drink."
"I'll request a brandy for you on my way back to my quarters," Vaughn said as he stood up, adjusting his suit.
"Apologies, Lord Winterborne. It's late, I should be getting to bed," Charles added, bowing slightly.
Brian watched as the two quickly abandoned him and couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head. "Alright, I'll have a warm brandy myself for now."
He bid them farewell as they exited his study, leaving him alone. Once the room was empty, he noticed that the fire had died down.
With an unenthusiastic flick of his fingers, two logs of wood were tossed onto the dying flames. In the next moment, they caught fire and began to crackle.
He stared at the fire for a while before a knock came at the door.
"Leave the brandy on the table," he said, his gaze never leaving the fireplace.
The brandy was set on the table in front of him, but just as Brian began to reach for it, a milky white hand reached for his face, causing him to flinch. He raised his head and realized that it was his wife, Mary.
"How is Melody?" he asked, unable to hide the fatigue in his voice.
"Asleep now," Mary replied, pulling him into her embrace.
The two stayed like this for a while before Brian spoke again. "She probably hates me…"
"She'll understand one day, honey," Mary reassured him, "We're doing this for her own good."
"Mmm…"