The previous night had been satisfying for both Katherine and Cassian, and even his morning with Lucy had been pleasant. Now, however, he found himself seated in a laboratory, his hands inside a glass box. Several magnifying lenses moved around, examining the intricate crimson circle he had carefully etched within.
Nearby, a stunning woman with purple hair stood by a message relay board. Her eyes were fixed on it as lines of text appeared across the surface. At the center of the message relay board, an exact replica of the circle Cassian was working on began to take shape, glowing faintly as it materialized.
The woman was none other than Rowena Alacio, Lady Katherine's friend who had aided them during their escape from the Scarlet Castle. Rowena had traveled to Magisteria for personal matters, but upon hearing about Cassian's remarkable mana circle and its unbelievable capacity, she set those aside. Now, she had spent nearly half the day in the lab, with Cassian's arms inside the glass box for over an hour, his bored expression making his impatience clear.
"This is incredible," Rowena said, her voice brimming with excitement. "Even the top mana-gathering techniques of my family can't achieve this much capacity at the first seal. And mind you, our ancestors were among the pioneers of circle warrior research in our kingdom."
As she spoke, she scribbled notes onto a piece of paper, her wide smile and sparkling eyes betraying her enthusiasm.
Rowena continued, her tone animated. "The Ven Dyke family's mana-gathering techniques are nothing short of extraordinary, comparable to ours. But this Blood Fire Tempering... it's something else. It's similar to what my father uses, yet yours has somehow matured and evolved into something far superior." She trailed off, her expression shifting to one of puzzled intrigue.
Cassian listened patiently as she explained, though frustration simmered beneath his composed exterior. All he wanted was to know if he could safely progress with his mana rotations. Forcing a polite smile, he finally asked, "So... does it cause any problems during rotations? To my body?"
Rowena had spent hours not only analyzing his warrior circle but also examining his body, poking and prodding him with needle-like instruments connected to her message relay board. Despite all her tests and observations, she had yet to share any conclusive results, her focus solely on inspecting the circle.
"Nah, you'll be fine," Rowena said casually, her tone unbothered as she flipped through the pages of her notes. "You could probably handle triple the mana without any issues. Just make sure to wait a few days before doing it again—your body needs time to fully digest the rotated mana and grow strong enough for another cycle."
Cassian raised an eyebrow at her nonchalant response, leaning back slightly. "If I'm fine, then what have you been doing all this time?" he asked, his tone laced with mild annoyance.
Rowena's head shot up, her violet eyes sparkling with excitement. "How could I pass up the chance to research one of the mutated warrior circles?" she exclaimed, practically bouncing on her heels. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Your circle isn't just rare—it's an anomaly! The way it channels mana, its capacity, its unique structure, I could make a new mana gathering technqiue from resaching it...."
Cassian hadn't realized his warrior circle was such a remarkable thing. Then again, there were many things he didn't fully understand. Still, the way Rowena looked utterly thrilled made him wonder just how rare his mutated warrior circle truly was.
"So, are there other cases ?" he asked, curiosity piqued. "Or am I really, like you said, an anomaly?"
"There have been warriors with altered circles, so you're not exactly an anomaly," Rowena replied, shutting the glass box with a satisfied click. "But even among those, yours is exceptional—it's a rare and incredible thing."
With the box finally deactivated, Cassian let out a relieved sigh as he pulled his arms free, rolling his shoulders to shake off the stiffness.
Rowena placed her notes aside, leaning against the desk with a thoughtful expression. "The thing about altered circles," she began, "is that we don't really know how they happen. But every single one I've studied—or read about—shares one thing in common: they drastically enhance the initial seals in mana-gathering techniques."
Cassian raised an eyebrow. "Enhance how?"
Rowena gestured toward the now-dormant glass box. "The structure of the altered circle or mana seal becomes far more refined—almost as if it's been perfectly tailored for efficiency. It increases capacity, strengthens the seal, and improves mana flow. In your case, it's like your circle was custom-built to outperform any normal warrior's by a huge margin."
Cassian absorbed her words, his brow furrowing. "So, you're saying my circle isn't just different—it's better?"
"Much better," Rowena confirmed, her violet eyes gleaming. "The way your circle holds and channels mana is unparalleled. It's as if it was designed for higher-level techniques that most warriors could only dream of using. If you can figure out how to control and push it further, you'll be leagues ahead of anyone else."
Rowena let out a sigh before continuing, "But alas, this kind of mutation only ever affects a single seal out of the nine a warrior can unlock. I've never heard of a case where more than one seal has been altered."
Cassian listened, his thoughts racing. Deep down, he believed he could achieve something beyond this—with the system's help, of course. But he kept that to himself, his face showing only mild shock as he processed everything she was saying.
Despite everything, Cassian was still overwhelmed by what he'd learned. In just a few days, he'd gone from being a nobody to being called a prodigy—a supposed genius like the ones he'd only heard about in passing. Yet, he couldn't fully accept it. To him, he still felt like an ordinary warrior—a simple first-circle user, no different from Daniel, the carriage driver who had been instrumental in solving the murders.
Those murders, now infamous among the city's people as the killings to create a god, had shaken everyone when the details were made public during Cassian's recovery.
Other then that, How could he possibly compare himself to the truly talented warriors of the city? He'd seen plenty of first-circle fighters in the villages, and in the city, even the guards were mostly second- and third-circle warriors. Compared to them, he felt like just another face in the crowd.