Jonas felt an incomparable tranquility, a mystery surpassing all meditation and philosophy. He looked down on the world from death; the monstrous squid binding him had enormous eyes, yet they were blind eyes like swirling voids.
It twisted, its tentacles interwoven into a bizarre, primeval form, like a cup holding petals, a calyx formed by entwined snakes, resembling an altar, and the boy was the sacrifice.
Jonas could clearly see everything after Gauldur's death. The old man's body was so decayed that even a small injury destroyed his flesh, but his soul still existed.
His will, twisted into that giant squid during his last magical experiment in life, now, four thousand years had passed, the vivid monster had become a plant, a dream-like stream of information wandering between heaven and earth.
Jonas was drawn by the deep information in the text on elemental power, passively embedding his soul into Gauldur's decrepit body.
Gauldur, the Arch-Mage, had already died before Jonas's consciousness descended, and the boy would witness this farcical patricide.
The second son pierced his father's heart with an arrow, yet what they didn't know was that everything was already irreversible.
The eldest and third sons silently watched Gauldur breathe his last, their expressions rigid like painted idols.
Under the fiery dome, intense as twilight, they gradually let out horrified screams. The second son spat disdainfully onto the ground, the spittle landing on the manuscripts.
These manuscripts seemed endless, growing thicker and more numerous, rustling, trembling.
The eldest son roared something, the third son pointed at his father's corpse, and a bone Charm flew out of his collar, slowly ascending into the fiery current of the ceiling.
The three simultaneously showed covetous expressions, like hyenas facing a basin of rotten, foul-smelling flesh.
Jonas watched them coldly. The three boys argued amongst themselves, wild hairs seeping from their pores, grasping for power and desire.
They seemed to twist into grotesque beasts. Finally, their dispute ended; the third son snatched the second son's bow and shot down the bone Charm.
Jonas felt a violent tremor the moment the Charm was struck. The giant squid binding him convulsed, releasing the boy.
Jonas, surprised, turned in the air, floating, and saw the giant squid transform into a ghostly blue spiritual mist, seeping into the Charm.
Snap—
The Charm split into three pieces, one finger long, two fingers wide, and half an inch thick, its pristine surface covered with complex, text-like runic patterns.
The three simultaneously pounced on the Charm, each grabbing a piece.
The flames in the room extinguished instantly, and the sudden darkness obscured Gauldur's dead face, but three pairs of shining eyes still glowed, eerily like phosphorescence.
The papers continued to proliferate, the rustling growing louder and louder, like the roar of the dead, the furious howl from the underworld.
Those three fierce eyes finally revealed deep sorrow, flickering. They still looked towards their father's body, but their main bodies were already eager to depart.
Jonas slowly ascended into the sky, flying out of the stone house. Only then did he see the humble building for the first time. He had not stepped out for a week here.
Now he knew that Arch-Mage Gauldur, this great sage beloved by people of all races, including humans and elves, who held decision-making power in the Skyrim Tribunal, lived a great life and died a humble death.
...
Jonas woke up. The cover of elemental power was swollen and smelly from his saliva. The boy was dazed for a long time before realizing where he was.
He stared at elemental power with a look of disgust. Although the book was innocent, he felt no shame at all.
Jonas naturally intended to restore the book to its original state with magic, but the awkward thing was that the book itself was a powerful magical artifact.
His alteration magic level was not high, and he could not counteract the book's energy-suppressing effect.
"I'll have to bother a classmate."
Coming into the corridor, he looked around at the dense, honeycomb-like dormitory single rooms. This was the Hall of Attainment, unlike the Hall of Countenance where renowned and capable mentors lived.
Students with lower abilities were mainly concentrated in this tower. There were a total of six floors, and each room was expanded, but in terms of area and amenities, it was inferior to the Hall of Countenance.
The College did not have strict distinctions between teachers and students, adhering to the principle that the skilled are teachers. This led to many experts hiding in the Hall of Attainment, and even several mentors chose to remain there.
Of course, the number of rooms in the Hall of Countenance was also an important factor. The conditions there were very generous, even causing mages to quarrel over a single room.
Faralda and Niranye were at odds for this reason, and their conflict was known throughout the College.
As soon as Jonas stepped out, he heard a group of people arguing in the first-floor hall.
He leaned over the railing on the third floor and eavesdropped for a while. It turned out they were talking about the College's upcoming expedition.
These expeditions happened twice a year and were usually quite boring, such as going out to see the sea, or the mountains, or choosing a thoroughly explored, safe tomb for a study trip.
Originally, they were supposed to go to the Elven Tooth ruins, but the mentors suddenly announced a change of location to Saarthal, which was a dilapidated Nord city ruin.
Many classmates had already been there, so they withdrew from the expedition, causing the number of registered participants to be insufficient, which was quite awkward for a while.
Jonas made an unconscious grunting sound. The crowd slowly dispersed after a burst of noise. Just then, someone tapped Jonas on the shoulder from behind, startling him.
The boy's face was not very relaxed. Brelina asked frantically, "Whoa, are you alright?"
"Ah, I'm fine, just a bit distracted, Miss Majorie. You look radiant today as well." Jonas secretly felt ashamed of his overly relaxed vigilance, allowing someone to approach him so silently.
Brelina Majorie let out a bitter sigh, rubbing her shallow eye bags. "Ah, I can hardly be called radiant, but thank you for the compliment anyway."
"May I ask what you needed me for?"
Brelina hesitated. It was very, very impolite to rashly inquire into a mage's secrets, but she still vividly remembered the scene she had just witnessed.
The boy hanging upside down was identical to the Jonas in front of her, even down to his clothes. The only difference between them was their demeanor.
The real Jonas always wore a playful yet gentle smile, even now, appearing shaken and smelling of saliva, but he was vastly different from the cold, god-like figure in the illusion, completely like two different people.
Jonas was recalling which classmates were good at alteration magic. Brelina was still pursing her lips, looking conflicted.
People passed by in the corridor from time to time, greeting them and giving them strange looks, even making odd 'tsk tsk tsk' sounds.
Brelina coughed twice. "I have something I'd like to ask your excellency. Do you have some free time?"
Jonas perked up, suppressing the fatigue rising from the bottom of his heart. Just as he was about to answer, a Breton old mage with partially gray hair walked over.
This was Master Tolfdir, a senior figure in the College, with very deep attainments in alteration magic. He was a good-natured old man with an easygoing personality and lived in the Hall of Attainment, highly popular among the students.
"Oh my, what do I see? By the Divines, our little group has gained two Destruction experts at once, haha, what a joyful occasion to celebrate."
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