The Black family archives occupied three levels beneath the main mansion, their climate-controlled chambers preserving texts that predated the Continental Empire by centuries. Axnem descended the familiar stone steps with his father, the weight of academic responsibility mixing uncomfortably with family obligation.
"Your grandfather's decision to open the archives to academy researchers represents a significant shift in family policy," Lord Marcus explained as they passed through multiple warded doors. "For three hundred years, we've guarded this knowledge carefully."
The main archive chamber stretched beyond the reach of their magical lighting, shelves disappearing into shadows that seemed to hold their own secrets. Texts were organized by age and subject, with the oldest materials requiring special handling procedures to prevent deterioration.
"Professor Malvorn specifically requested information about pre-imperial mathematical frameworks," Axnem said, consulting the list his professor had provided. "Theoretical approaches to large-scale mana manipulation that might differ from current academy doctrine."
His father nodded, leading him toward a section marked with symbols that hadn't been used in scholarly notation for centuries. "Your great-great-grandfather compiled extensive notes on comparative magical theory. He believed that the Empire's standardization of magical education had eliminated valuable alternative approaches."
As they began examining relevant texts, Axnem was struck by the sophistication of the ancient knowledge. Where modern magical theory focused on individual capability and controlled application, these older frameworks treated magic as a collective phenomenon—something that could be shaped by coordinated effort across multiple practitioners.
"Look at this," he said, pointing to a diagram that showed interconnected geometric patterns. "It's describing magical networks—practitioners linked together to achieve effects beyond individual capability."
"The Network Casting Principles," his father confirmed. "Largely abandoned after the Empire established individual-focused training methods. The academy considered networked magic too unpredictable and difficult to regulate."
But studying the mathematical foundations, Axnem could see that networked casting wasn't unpredictable—it was simply complex beyond the computational abilities of earlier eras. With modern understanding of advanced mathematics, the principles could potentially be refined and controlled.
"This could be relevant to current problems," he realized. "If someone is causing large-scale magical disruptions, they might be using networked casting principles that most scholars no longer understand."
The implications were troubling. In his future memories, the ultimate source of the crisis had never been definitively identified. But if the perpetrators were using ancient knowledge that predated modern magical education, it would explain why contemporary scholars struggled to develop effective countermeasures.
"Your professor will find this information valuable," his father said. "But be careful how you present it. Knowledge that challenges established academy doctrine can be... politically complicated."
As they prepared copies of relevant texts for Axnem to take back to the academy, Lord Marcus grew more serious. "Your grandfather's approach represents a calculated risk. Sharing this knowledge strengthens our position with legitimate scholars, but it also reveals capabilities that some parties might view as threatening."
"What do you mean?"
"The Black family's archives contain knowledge that governments and organizations would pay substantial sums to acquire. By demonstrating our resources, we make ourselves valuable—but also vulnerable to those who might prefer to take what they want rather than negotiate for it."
The warning sent a chill through Axnem. In his previous timeline, the family's downfall had begun when their enemies realized the true extent of their knowledge and decided that the Black family had become too dangerous to leave independent.