The counsel.

He broke the glass with an elbow. The one in case of emergencies behind the painting. pulled the lever and pushed the button.

‌‌An electric sound came from under the floor and the carpet with the sofas fell into a hole. With a ladder to the side, he started stepping down. After a word and a snap of his fingers, a flame came out of the palm of his hand and started to float above his shoulder illuminating the way down.

‌‌At the bottom of the hole stepping over the broken furniture, there was a tunnel. He positioned his legs and put on an imaginary helmet, grasped strongly at a non-existent bat and swung at the floating flame.

‌‌The flame went flying through the tunnel until it hit a wall and then came right back to the side of his shoulder.‌‌ As he stepped through the threshold of the tunnel the furniture went back up the shoot and rearranged itself back to normal in the living room.

‌‌There was a low hum in the tunnel and a loud banging. When he reached the wall the tunnel opened to the right and the left.‌‌Somehow the sounds were coming from both sides at the same time. He checked inside to see if he could make another flame but there was only enough magick for one.

‌‌He put an ear on the floor and listened for the vibrations "left" he thought as he got up. By pointing with the arm the flame went ahead but crashed against a mirror.‌‌ He turned to look at the path on the right and moved his arm from the mirror to the new tunnel. The flame went in and disappeared in the darkness.

‌‌Feeling the other flame turn off. he created a new one that now floated over his shoulder. As he walked inside the tunnel the hum and the banging got louder.‌‌Suddenly, in the middle of the tunnel after one of the bangs. The darkness took colour and the tunnel started to move like a kaleidoscope.

‌‌He found a wall and leaned on it to wait out the movement. This happened often, well after the war began. When another wizard lost their life the colours would come for everyone else.

‌‌The magic was shared and interconnected dependent on each other. Every city had a council of wizards born on the same day at the same hour. Ten of them usually but seven left on his council.‌‌ He summoned another flame as the one he had gone away when he lost concentration.

‌‌He felt the power surge and the horrible conflict between the loss and the new powers.‌‌ Easily summoning another flame he sent it forward into the tunnel as he reached inside his heart and took out a blue flame.

‌‌As he sat on the floor cross-legged the other flame came back. He dimmed the two flames that were floating over his shoulders and held the blue one in his hands.

‌‌In a very low voice, almost a whisper, he said the name of the fallen wizard and closed his eyes. The flame grew larger and moved up into his arms, breathing slowly he said the name again and the flame covered him completely. With one deep breath, the fire on his body went inside his mouth as he said the name one last time. The flame changed colours from blue to red.

‌‌Holding one hand forward the flame slowly started to stop moving until it was perfectly still. Then he put it back into his heart.

‌‌He got up slowly, carrying the weight of the flame and the new power and kept walking into the tunnel. Pointing ahead, he sent one of the flames into the tunnel but before the middle, the flame went out.

‌‌Confused, he held the second flame in his hand in front of him walking closer to where the other flame was extinguished.‌ As he got closer he noticed a clear veil and understood, it was a safeguard and there was no magic behind it.

‌‌The darkness of the tunnel took over for a couple of seconds and then a blue flame in the middle of a room with a dome ceiling and water pouring from the walls into a pond that surrounded the room.

‌‌He got closer to the flame that was floating in the middle and bit a finger pressing on it to push out a drop of blood.‌‌The flame grew bigger and started pulsating like a heartbeat. He put a hand inside and pulled out a blue ball of light and took a bite.

‌‌The room disappeared and he saw figures, ten of them, fighting together. Then he saw the figures falling and one of them turned dark and corrupted by power and ambition. The figure had decided to take over and get rid of all the rest and gain their power.

‌‌He kneeled from the weight of the vision and sweating looked up at the flame. Slowly getting up, he looked around for any security measures placed on the tunnel. Then, from his jacket, he took a small glass tube and held it up to the flame.

‌‌The blue liquid started to pour inside the glass tube. He filled five more and started to leave the tunnel in a hurry.

‌‌As he crossed the invisible veil that protected against magic. The face of the dark wizard was erased from his memory and the veil became a concrete wall.

‌‌He turned towards it and drew four corners with the blood still coming out of the finger. In the middle, he drew a rune and beside it a doorknob.‌‌After he passed through it and closed the door, he heard the tunnel crumble inside as the door disappeared behind him.