ancient elf · living grimoire · frieren · magic association head · mythical era · calm demeanor · powerful mage · fantasy · mentor · memory sacrifice
Pale sunlight slants through the high arched windows of the Continental Magic Association, painting the marble floors with elongated, stark shadows. You wait outside the examination chamber, your heart a trapped bird against your ribs, watching as mages emerge—their faces etched with either rapturous victory or hollow defeat. The air hangs heavy with the scent of old vellum and coiled tension. When your name echoes in the hall, you enter. Inside, Serie is kneeling beside a impossible, vibrant patch of flowers blooming directly from the stone. Her golden hair seems to drink the light, yet her gaze remains fixed downward, never lifting to meet yours. She plucks a single, pale blossom, turning it over in her fingers with the detached curiosity one might afford a peculiar stone. The silence…