The Crimson Tower stood in the heart of the city.To ordinary people, it appeared to be nothing more than a small three-story structure built from deep crimson stone.
There were no towering heights that reached the clouds.No grand entrance that announced its importance.
No overwhelming display of power.
It looked almost too simple for a place that represented the beginning of every sorcerer's journey Kelvin stood before the entrance, his gaze fixed on the building.
After everything that had happened...After years of waiting for a chance that never came...He had finally arrived.
The outer area of the tower was already crowded.Hundreds of people gathered before the entrance, all carrying the same proof that they belonged there.
A sorcerer mark.
They were not yet true apprentices.They had not entered the world of magic.They were only people who had received the opportunity to begin.Kelvin moved among them quietly.Excited voices filled the area.Some spoke about the future ahead.Some discussed what kind of magic they wanted to learn.
Others stood silently, looking at the Crimson Tower with nervous expressions.
Then the entrance opened.A man stepped out.He wore the robes of the Crimson Tower, and the moment he appeared, the noise around him slowly faded.He was the outer deacon responsible for receiving the new apprentices.
His eyes passed over the crowd.
"All of you standing here have already taken the first step."
His voice was calm, but every person heard him clearly.
"You have received a mark, but remember this."
"Receiving a mark does not make you a sorcerer."
"You are only standing at the entrance."
The words made the atmosphere become more serious.The deacon continued.
"I hope all of you have already said farewell to your families."
A few expressions changed.
"Because once you enter the Crimson Tower, it may be years before you return."
He paused.
"And some of you may never return."
The silence that followed was heavy.The deacon did not say it to frighten them.It was simply the reality of the path they had chosen.
"Now, we will begin registration."
He looked toward the crowd.
"When you are called forward, introduce yourself."
"State your name, your age, and where you awakened your mark."
"The tower will record your information."
He continued.
"After registration, form groups of five."
"Each group will be assigned an elite apprentice who will guide you."
"For those who cannot form groups, you will be placed together."
The process began.One by one, the new apprentices stepped forward.They introduced themselves.They gave their ages.They revealed where they awakened.
"Fifteen years old. Awakened at the Crimson Tower."
"Fifteen years old. Awakened at the Crimson Tower."
"Sixteen years old. Awakened at the Crimson Tower."
As Kelvin listened, he slowly noticed a pattern.Almost every person who stepped forward was around the same age.
Fifteen.
The age when most people awakened their mana.Almost all of them had awakened at the Crimson Tower.Only a few came from other places, such as the Azure Tower.
Then...
Kelvin stepped forward.The moment he stood before the deacon, several people turned their attention toward him.The deacon looked at him.
"Your name?"
"Kelvin Tallman."
"Your age?"
For a brief moment, Kelvin hesitated.He already knew what would happen.He already knew how different his answer would sound compared to everyone else.
But there was no reason to hide it.
"Twenty-three."
The area went silent.Then laughter erupted.
"Twenty-three?"
"He's a new apprentice?"
"What was he doing until now?"
"Did he just awaken?"
The voices came from every direction.
Kelvin stood there without responding.
The deacon simply looked at him.
"Where did you awaken your mark?"
"Azure Tower."
"When?"
Kelvin answered honestly but he could not tell them his mark was transferred.
"A few days ago."
The laughter grew louder. The deacon did not react he simply recorded the information but within his thoughts he said
"People like him have no talent for mana and are not compatible with magic they were only lucky to receive a sorcerer mark I want to say rejected but since the crimson tower accept all new apprentice I'll let his peers filter him out"
Kelvin returned to the crowd.He ignored the whispers around him.This was something he had expected.After registration ended, the apprentices began forming groups.Many quickly gathered.Friends.People who had already known each other before arriving.People who wanted to walk the same path.
Slowly, the groups were completed. Wherever Kelvin went the groups dispersed no one wanted him in their group so he stood alone Until only five people remained.Kelvin was among them.
The other four shared the same problem.
They were older.They did not fit in with the younger apprentices who had already formed their groups.The deacon looked at the five of them.
"Since none of you have formed a group..."
"You will become one."
Kelvin looked at the four people beside him.His first group.His first companions on the path of sorcery.And strangely...He was the oldest among them.
Finally, the time came.The new apprentices were allowed to enter the Crimson Tower.Many looked at the three-story building in confusion.There were more than a hundred apprentices.
How could such a small place contain all of them?
But the moment they crossed the entrance...Their understanding of reality changed.The inside was no longer a building.A vast sky stretched above them.
Clouds drifted across a blue horizon.A magical sun illuminated a world that should not have existed.
Everyone stopped.No one spoke.Beyond the entrance was an entire civilization.
Countless buildings spread across the land.Each one resembled an expensive hotel built for nobles.Elegant designs.
Massive halls.Beautiful structures.These were the apprentice buildings.
Each contained around one hundred rooms.Rooms where apprentices could rest.Rooms where they could practice spells.Rooms where they would spend years improving their control over mana.But the buildings were only the beginning.
Magic filled the streets.
Some apprentices flew across the sky on swords.Some guided mana around their bodies, carefully refining their control.
Some practiced spells.Some trained with magical weapons.The world inside the Crimson Tower was alive.Kelvin stood there, unable to look away.For years, he had imagined becoming a sorcerer.
But he had never imagined this.The world of magic was not a place.It was civilization.And the Crimson Tower was not merely a tower.It was a hidden world waiting to be explored.And Kelvin had finally stepped inside.