June/July Prompt: A Search for Knowledge

4. Regardless of one’s political affiliation, we should keep studying it.

Though Corraine had left The Mage Order behind her, she still had a vested interest in the academics of their world, in the continued pursuit of knowledge. She sought to understand what was beyond current understanding; to know more tomorrow than she knew today. To explore the cutting edge of what is known, and to fully grasp the laws and happenings of magic across Ivras. Who knew what was out there to discover? Maybe, somehow, somewhere buried in the mysteries of their world, was an answer to her curse.

So, when The Endless Spire sprouted out of the ground the year before, Corraine couldn’t help but wish to explore its great heights. Even from the far edges of the land, she found herself staring up into the sky, as though even from a distance she could learn something from its lofty tower in the clouds. She knew that, for her, the exploration was not worth it. She had bigger problems in her own life, more pressing issues where she stood than allowing her mind to drift to distant towers on the horizon.

Yet, despite that, she found herself thinking often of the tower, dreaming of it, longing to ascend to its peak. When she found herself in towns, she would ask after the gossip, or eavesdrop on the conversations of local mages—anything to learn more about the research on the tower, to uncover the secrets that only the spire could unveil.

She had an unspoken hope that, someday, she would have the opportunity to venture to the mysterious tower. Perhaps it would offer some profound insights into the nature of magic, or the existence of divine beasts, or even the origins of her own cursed affliction. She could practically see herself scaling its heights, fervently searching for answers and knowledge. However, she had to acknowledge the possibility that others more knowledgeable than her might reach the tower's summit before she had the chance. Even so, she harbored the genuine desire that research and exploration would continue on The Endless Spire, regardless of who ultimately made the breakthrough.

As long as discoveries were made and the boundaries of knowledge were pushed further, Corraine found solace in the belief that the pursuit of understanding would endure. And who knew, among the marvels of The Endless Spire, she might one day find the key to unlocking the mysteries behind her own curse.