The air in the antechamber of Ryan Kingdom's royal palace was solemn and majestic.
The unique scent of parchment and ink mixed in the High Towers of the Academic State was absent here, nor could one see the complex star maps and magic arrays adorning the walls. Instead, there was the scent of ancient oak and steel, along with tapestries stitched with gold threads depicting glory in vivid red.
The portraits of past kings cast silent, dignified gazes from the walls, clad in heavy armor, wielding warhammers or longswords, their eyes as sharp as hawks.
Every object here silently narrated the kingdom's long history and the royal authority built on glory and valor.
Yet in such a somber place sat a frail-looking magic apprentice, seemingly out of place with the surrounding atmosphere.
His name was Leon, a mage of the Source Magic School, and the youngest apprentice of the Great Sage.
