Max kept rummaging through mountains of objects with growing resignation.

About fifteen minutes had already passed.

And somehow, the room didn’t look any better at all.

"Seraphine."

The mage was still bent over a slightly crooked shelf, checking rolled-up scrolls and books stacked in physically questionable positions.

"Hmm?"

Max looked at her with existential exhaustion.

"Are you sure it was here?"

Seraphine didn’t even look up.

"Yes."

She grabbed another book.

Opened it.

Closed it.

"I have no doubts."

Max gestured around them.

"We’ve spent like fifteen minutes digging through magical garbage and humidity."

He placed a hand against the wall.

"I think I’m starting to feel nauseous."

Seraphine finally looked at him.

And laughed.

"I’m sorry."

She didn’t sound particularly sorry.

"It really should be here."

She paused thoughtfully for a few seconds.

Then clicked her tongue softly.

"Maybe it would be better if I use a search spell."

Max slowly turned his head toward her.

His expression was the physical embodiment of betrayal.

"Excuse me?"

Seraphine blinked.

"What?"

Max spread both arms dramatically.

"WHY DIDN’T WE DO THAT FIFTEEN MINUTES AGO?"

Seraphine laughed again.

"Don’t look at me like that."

"I’m about to look at you worse."

She shrugged lightly.

"Sometimes I like doing things with my own hands."

Max pointed at the disaster around them.

"Your own hands just put me through a traumatic experience."

Seraphine let out another amused laugh.

"Just because I know magic doesn’t mean I have to use it for absolutely everything."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Besides, I was having fun."

"I wasn’t." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"That much was already obvious."

Seraphine walked over to a tiny table almost invisible beneath three mountains of papers and lifted a massive grimoire.

Max pointed at it immediately.

"Now that actually looks like something a legendary mage would own."

"Thank you."

Seraphine opened it with ease and quickly flipped through the pages.

Symbols, diagrams, and arcane text filled every sheet.

Max watched like he was witnessing premium documentary content.

"Now this is quality entertainment."

Seraphine smiled faintly as she found the correct page.

"Here it is."

She placed the grimoire down on the table.

Raised both hands.

And then her magic began glowing in her palms.

Max’s eyes widened slightly.

"Now this is fun."

Magical energy flowed through the room like an invisible current.

And suddenly, everything started floating.

Objects slowly rose into the air, suspended all around the room.

Max let out a small laugh of genuine excitement.

He pointed everywhere.

"This is exactly what I expected when I walked in here."

Seraphine smiled with visible satisfaction.

"Much better, right?"

"A thousand times better."

The mage closed her eyes slightly and murmured calmly,

"I seek the map."

And then, behind a mountain of relics piled in one corner, a bright yellow light suddenly began glowing.

Max pointed immediately.

"There!"

The floating objects separated on their own, as if obeying a silent order.

A small wooden box emerged from the depths of the chaos.

It floated slowly across the room, wrapped in yellow light, before gently landing in front of Seraphine.

Max smiled.

"So that must be it."

Seraphine nodded.

"Correct."

She opened the box.

The exact moment she did, all the magic vanished.

And every single object in the room dropped to the floor at once.

CRASH.

THUD.

CLANG.

The room was instantly destroyed again.

Inside the box was a rolled-up map.

She carefully took it out.

Max stepped closer.

"It’s true this only works if you inject a bit of magical energy when opening it, right?"

Seraphine looked up, surprised.

"You know this object?"

Max froze for a second.

"Uh."

He cleared his throat.

"I heard about it somewhere."

Technically, that wasn’t a lie.

He had read about it on forums for Eldoria’s Entry 3.

Seraphine looked intrigued, but decided not to press further.

She slowly unrolled the map across the table.

At first, it was just a completely blank sheet.

Max tilted his head.

"And now?"

Seraphine placed two fingers at the center.

A small burst of magic ran through the paper.

And then it happened.

Black lines began spreading across the surface.

Mountains appeared.

Forests.

Roads.

Villages.

Rivers.

Until the full map of the Kingdom of Eldoria formed.

Max smiled.

"That was incredible."

But it wasn’t finished.

Small glowing points began appearing across the map.

Blue.

Green.

Red.

Some tiny.

Others much brighter.

Max pointed.

"Can we use this to tell which ones are related to summoning rituals?"

Seraphine nodded.

"Yes."

She pointed at several blue dots.

"Blue is elemental magic."

Then a few green ones.

"Green is support or healing."

Finally, she pointed at several red ones.

"And red corresponds to rituals."

Max studied the map.

There weren’t many.

That immediately caught his attention.

"There are only a few."

"Exactly."

Seraphine pointed at two tiny red dots inside the castle.

"Those are probably minor protection or maintenance rituals."

Then she moved her finger.

There were three other small dots scattered between farms and villages.

"Good harvests. Health. Pest protection."

All of that sounded reasonable.

And then Seraphine pointed at one enormous dot.

A bright, intense red point.

Much larger than all the others.

Located on the outskirts of the Grand Capital City.

Max felt a small chill run down his spine.

"That one."

Seraphine nodded slowly.

"I don’t know anyone performing that many rituals."

She stared at the glow.

"Not even for agriculture or public health would this make sense."

Max narrowed his eyes.

"Then that has to be it."

He placed both hands on the table.

"The place where they’re summoning beings from other worlds."

Seraphine nodded.

"Most likely."

The two of them stared at the red point for a few seconds.

Max spoke first.

"We need to tell the king."

Seraphine immediately shook her head.

"That won’t be necessary."

Max looked at her.

"What?"

The mage smiled faintly.

"This intrigues me too much."

She rolled up the map and stored it again.

"I’m going to investigate personally."

Max blinked.

"Right now?"

"Yes."

She turned toward a chair and grabbed an old bag.

Then started stuffing several random objects from around the room into it.

Max decided not to ask.

"You don’t want me to come with you?"

Seraphine smiled while adjusting the bag over her shoulder.

"I’ll be fine."

She pointed at him.

"You have a far more important mission."

Max raised an eyebrow.

"Which is?"

"Protecting the princess from her unsettling new teacher."

Max let out an amused breath through his nose.

"Touché."

Seraphine smiled.

Then her expression shifted slightly.

More serious now.

"But I need you to promise me something."

Max frowned.

"What?"

"You won’t tell anyone about this."

She raised one finger.

"Not Neros."

Another.

"Not Moonlight."

Another.

"Not the king."

Max hesitated.

"Why?"

"Because if this turns out to be something serious, I’d rather confirm it first."

She crossed her arms.

Max still looked unconvinced.

Seraphine stared at him.

"Promise."

Finally, Max sighed.

"Fine."

He raised a hand.

"I promise."

Seraphine smiled, satisfied.

"Perfect."

She adjusted her bag again.

Then walked toward the door.

"I’ll let you know as soon as I have news."

Max nodded.

"I hope it goes well."

Seraphine opened the door.

Then glanced back at him.

"Try not to start a war with Thara while I’m gone."

Max looked offended.

"No promises."

That made Seraphine laugh one last time.

And then she left the room.

Heading alone toward the massive red point on the map.

Leaving Max by himself in the most chaotic room in all of Eldoria.

Surrounded by dust.

And the smell of humidity.