^^ an Elder Scroll ^^

--- Oscar Hidden ---

The case started glowing, the triangles filled instantly, and the luminescence slowly creeping along the mosaic, draining my magic at an alarming rate.

I growled and dug deeper into my reservoir, shoving magic into the log. The glow sped up, and after about five minutes the entire log was glowing.

The lights died down, focusing, and Liquid mana started flowing, from my hands into the mosaic. Another five minutes later, and I was out of mana, but I redirected the mana I'd already summoned, and finished the mosaic.

A crack sounded, and the log slowly swung open.

The elderly man chuckled, and waddled over, leaning on his staff. "Well done, little one! Well done indeed! If you would reach inside, then?" He gestured at the smoky interior.

I shrugged and reached a hand in, and immediately gripped a brass tube of some kind.

"Go on, pull it out. You've earned it." He grinned.

I pulled out what seemed to be a large scroll, wrapped in brass, engraved with protective spells so powerful that they burned themselves into my retinas.

"What's this?" I asked.

"That, my boy, is an Elder Scroll. I made it myself!" He chuckled.

"What's it do?" I asked, turning it around and viewing a different angle.

"It holds knowledge, is all. Powerful knowledge. You should perhaps meditate on the knowledge you seek. It will answer any one question, in its entirety." He nodded.

"Even if you don't know the answer?" I asked.

"Exactly the point." He winked.

I hummed. "Interesting..." I tucked the scroll, which was as long as my arm, into my jacket. "I'll meditate, then... it might be beneficial to my studies, to be able to answer a question no one else can. A trump card, so to speak."

He smiled. "Good! Now who might you be, young Wizard?"

I cleared my throat and introduced myself formally. "I am Oscar Hidden, youngest son of the Duchess of Kiev, and a lesser heir to the Great Golden Hoard, also known as the Premier Khanate of Mighty Mongolia."

He blinked slowly. "Hm. I am Elder Bacchus Cordova, 1st-Tier Grand-Wizard of the Fallon Academy of Progressive Magic, as well as Chairman of the Western-European chapter of the World Mages Guild."

I bowed politely. "Well met, Elder Bacchus."

He nodded in return. "Indeed. Well met, Sir Oscar."

Lillian smiled. "You two will be good friends, I think. Much to learn, both of you. Now! Have you seen my sister? The brat though she could slip away from me on my day off."

The elder hummed, then closed the Puzzle, causing it to lock again. "Indeed, I saw her and her woman-friend Ryan, just a few minutes ago. Headed to the Fire-Ball Court, I think they said." He rubbed his beard slowly.

She sighed. "Then can you watch Oscar for a few hours? I have to make sure she's not getting into trouble."

"I see no reason I would not be capable of doing so." He nodded.

"Perfect, thanks, gramps!" She kissed his cheek, darting out.

He chuckled. "Damned kids these days. Always in a rush everywhere."

"Does seem rather wasteful, doesn't it?" I nodded.

He laughed loudly, sitting down on a chair that simply appeared. "Indeed... indeed... sit, then, children, class will continue. Introduce yourselves to Oscar, but be careful not to touch him, it is extremely rude to do so." He said severely.

The three students, two boys and a girl, approached me. "I am Eliza. This is my cousin Thomas, and then the Spaniard is called Dominic, but he doesn't talk much to us." The female said clearly, hands on her hips.

"I am Oscar. Pleased to meet you." I nodded.

She blinked. "What language is that?"

"Russian? Can you not understand? There's a translator spell..."

"It is not affecting them. I'll fix it right quick." The elder tapped the symbols that suddenly flowed around my neck, and then nodded, stepping back.

I repeated myself for the other people.

"Ah. I see. You said something about your mother being a Duchess, hmm? And something about Mongolia?" She asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

"Well, in European court, that doesn't really mean much. See, I'm-"

"-Someone marginally important who thinks I'm ignorant of her customs, and therefore open to base, pathetic attempts at crude manipulation?" I said blandly, causing the Spaniard to hold in a snicker as he backed away, clearly wanting no part of this conflict.

She frowned. "How dare you-"

"-Speak my mind to someone who thinks I'm stupid enough to be manipulated by a clearly diminutive wit such as yours? Rather easily, in fact." I nodded.

She drew in a deep breath, and I continued. "See, unlike your rather dull sycophant, here, I have what is colloquially known in Russia as 'a Spine'. Now, as an British aristocrat, I wouldn't expect you to understand such a complex notion as individual intelligence, courage, or pride, but don't worry, your ignorance doesn't bother me, not one bit!" I smiled.

"Wha-I-I will have you know that I am the personal ally and friend to the Princess of England!" She snapped.

"Yes, well... See, in Russian court, seeing as you obviously don't know, being the friend of someone powerful doesn't make you powerful. It makes you pathetic, and tiny." I said icily, and smiled when she stared at me in shock.

The elder snorted. "That's enough, now, children. Take your petty power struggles and swallow them, I'll not have your nonsense in my lecture hall." He said simply.

They sat down obediently, and I chuckled. "And again, the lack of Spine. Sad, really." I sat down next to the Spaniard on the chairs that appeared.

"Oscar." The elder said simply, in warning.

I shrugged. "Natural selection, Elder."

"Indeed. Now! My class, we were speaking about mathematics, and their magical roots! Can anyone tell me what the origin of the Pythagorean Theorem was, and the name of the Inventor?" He asked, sitting down slowly.

"The Pythagorean Theorem was originally held in two parts by two completely separate mathematicians." I nodded.

"Indeed. Continue?" Elder Bacchus hummed.

"They were Pythagoras and Archimedes. Archimedes published his own part, many, many years before Pythagoras was born. Pythagoras, after creating his portion, (which was that the squared Hypotenuse of a non-equilateral Triangle equaled the squared lengths of the other two legs,) was stumped as to how to apply his equation to his magic, as he had been hoping to use this theorem to make his circle more accurate, geometrically. He eventually found Archimedes's manuscripts on Spheres, and by either s stroke of genius or dumb luck, combined the two basic theory's, giving us Pythagorean Theorem, Algebra, and Geometry, at the same time. This, of course, he took all the credit for, and did not even mention Archimedes outside his personal grimoire, nor did he credit Plato, Herodotus, or Aristotle, later in his life, for his 'Manuscripts on the Advanced in Magical Ethics', the pinnacle of his scholastic journey into ethics." I answered steadily.

Elder Bacchus nodded. "Well done-"

"Actually." Eliza began.

"Oh dear."

She smirked. "Pythagoras was actually Illiterate. All of his work was created and published under his name by his Slave, a woman of African descent-"

"You're thinking of Shakespeare, you microcephalic imbecile." I sighed.

The elder controlled his laugh, and nodded seriously. "Indeed. You speak of Shakespeare, Madame Eliza, not Pythagoras." He said simply.

She frowned and crossed her arms, pouting.

"Now, can anyone tell me a way we've moved past Pythagoras's teachings?" He asked.

"We no longer allow slavery, as a Morally Correct Society." Dominic said simply, and in Spanish.

"Correct, we have moved beyond his code of ethics. Anything else?"

"His brand of magic circles was heavily over-encumbered with excessive symbols and complex patterns that were intended to stop people from copying his work, but instead only caused him trouble, because he had to redesign his circles every single time he drew them." I answered.

"Correct! That's what I was getting at, yes... see, his designs, while brilliant, were overtly and intentionally convoluted, making them less effective, as the focus of his circle was more to stop anyone from copying it than to actually cast a spell." He nodded.

"But his spells still managed to be the most complex and skilled of his Era, correct?" I asked.

"Indeed. Now, what would happen if you removed all the nonsense? Got down to the brass tacks of his spells?" He asked.

"Well, seeing as Pythagoras was a very skilled 9th-Tier Wizard, I would think you could manage a 6th-Tier spell from his work, if you stripped it down to the bones, and built it back up." I said.

"Perhaps." He shrugged, and then tapped his staff gently on the ground. Thirteen extremely complicated magic circles appeared on the walls, colored a dark purple, almost black on the white stones.

He grinned. "These spells are known as the Thirteen Cardinal Pythagorean Equations. He had thirteen formats he used, and only one spell for each, though each was tremendously powerful. Cast as they are, they are Warlock-Class spells. Powerful, but not all that impressive to a man such as I." He nodded slowly.

"The first two deal with the duality of Momentum and Gravity.
The third, manipulation of Space.
The fourth, manipulation of Time.
The fifth, manipulation of Velocity.
The sixth, manipulation of Dimensional Rifts, also commonly known as portals." He pointed at each one as he introduced it.

"The seventh, manipulation of Dimensional Threads, the theoretical strings commonly known as 'Ley-Lines', and theorized to make up the 'Fabric' of our known universe.
The eighth theorem deals with the idea of Multiple Universes, and their connections." He rubbed his beard as he looked past that one.

"The original 9th-12th Theorems were all based on faulty premises that have been since disproven, and as such have been updated, to be incredibly difficult physical changes, such as Transmutation, and Alchemical solutions." He smirked at those.

"The most difficult of all, the 13th Theorem, deals with the alteration of protons, neutrons, and electrons to and from their own states of matter, my favorite of all the thirteen." He grinned, evidently pleased with that one.

"Interesting..." I smiled.

"Now, I am not, technically, a teacher here. This class you spend with me, trying to access the Mana Vault, is actually the time you will spend, until you leave this Academy, trying to solve these Theorems." He nodded.

"If, by some miracle, you solve all 13, you're a 5th-Tier Grand-Wizard, the lowest rank. Manage to simulcast all 13, and you will be promoted to a 1st-Tier Grand-Wizard. Do so before you're 60, and you'll have earned both my respect and everlasting adoration." He snickered.

"So by solving, you mean removing all the nonsense, stripping the problem, rebuilding it, and casting the spell?" I asked.

"Correct."

"And what if I've already read a scroll with the solved versions in them, that would be kind of cheating, right?" I asked.

"Not technically cheating, but it would be an unsavory shortcut that would cost you the Rank, yes." He raised an eyebrow.

"Okay... I haven't, to be clear, but my Ancestral Magic is somewhat dependent on Newton's Laws of Motion, which in turn rely upon Archimedes' Spherical Calculations, and of course the Cardinal Equations." I frowned.

He nodded. "Interesting, but it will not assist or harm you in the solving of these equations, and therefore you will be tested exactly as your peers. They, also, have the advantage of having known about these equations and their connection to your Rankings."

I nodded. "Understood, Elder Bacchus."

"Though, to be clear, there are several ways to gain Rank. Monthly testing within the Academy will test your magical knowledge, skill, and raw power, which will all be factored into your Rankings accordingly." He nodded again, rubbing the steel-grey beard that draped down to his chest.

"I see... thank you for the information."

"Indeed. Now! You are all with me for 6 hours every Sunday, from Noon to 6 o'clock. You will use that time to work on the Mana Vault and the Cardinal Equations. That is all." He stood, walking over to one wall without an equation, and a set of stairs appeared.

He walked up them, and soon reappeared on the glass dome that was the ceiling, sitting in a cushy chair.

I grinned. "Cool. Viewing room."

He winked, and then snapped his fingers. "Get to work, children!"

My first step was to copy all the circles down, and then use some clay the room provided me with to make 3D molds of their basic shapes, without any of the words or symbols.

Then I made a list of all the words, in order of occurrence, and the symbols, and sat down at a table with my notes and materials, settling in for a studying session.