Hou opened the book on the basics of magic, and inside it was as follows:
Magic is the human ability to bend and form laws. The world is governed by laws, such as things fall down. Magic is the ability to change these laws, with magic one could make things fall sideways.
Those who perform magic have many names, Magus,Mage, Wizard, Magician. There are also specific types of magician, such as witches or archmages.
The way magic is performed by traditional mages is through astral projection. This is an ability able to be learnt by any human where the consciousness is moved into a realm of laws and concepts. While projected, humans can bend and change these laws, it even create new ones; albeit temporarily.
Witches are a different type of mage, those who do not use astral projection. Witches use natural ingredients which have corresponding astral properties to create effects. For an example, mint can have astral properties of the cold. This means witches can use them for cold based spells. Although witches don't astral project, they do use methods to see into astral realm to check the ingredient properties. This is through a process called scrying.
For the practical side of the book Hou looked at the glossy and turned to the corresponding page for astral projection and scrying.
Astral projection:
Go to sleep, while in sleep focus on the state between wake and sleep, in that state of mind imagine your consciousness leaving your body. A vibration should be felt until you leave the body, into the astral realm.
Scrying:
Get into the same state of mind as astral projection but instead of leaving the body just focus on looking into the astral realm not going into it, this should be much faster to do.
Once Hou looked at the basics, he closed the book. Three hours had already past, he knew from a clock on the ground. A large wooden box with a round clock face and pendulum, showing the time accurately.
Hou took the book and also a brief overview of the kingdom, and went to the guard standing at the door, Edward.
"I am done, if there is nothing else on the agenda today I will retire to my room. And send food in for me."
"Yes your royal Highness" Edward bowed and called for the guards outside the room.
"His majesty shall go to his room, go get the maids to fix him food" Edward ordered the guards about with his authority.
Hou tried to his room and took off his stuffy king's attire. He sat down on a luxurious sofa, taking out the book once more, he opened it in the practical page and laid it down on a table in front of him.
Hou looked at the book once more, then sat back and closed his eyes. Hou followed some advice in the book and breathed in certain patterns to sleep. Just as he was falling asleep, Hou stopped and while in a state between sleep and wake, he imagined removing his consciousness.
Hou tried the rope technique, imagining a rope pulling his consciousness out of his body. He started feeling a vibration swell and he succeeded! He moved out of his body and felt his vision shift, he looked down and his body faded from view, replacing it now a large array of lights.
'these must be 'laws' that I can see'
Hou could vaguely see the world but now in the form of shifting lights.
Hou came back into his body and attempted to scry. Remembering the vibrations he felt before, he tried looking into the world he saw before, it was now transparent. He could see both the physical and astral laws in one.
Hou looked at the book and closed it. He would live to learn leisurely but he needed to learn more about this scenario, perhaps he could figure out what he needed to do.
Hou opened one book, the genealogy of nobles and saw something amazing. Next to each person's name was a fingerprint made of blood, and the words seem to shift, in the foreword this was explained.
Blood was used to create a link with magic between people and the words, if anyone died, their entry would change!
'so this is the power of magic!'
Hou looked through the book and looked for his own name, George Solus III, he needed to learn of his own family, he still thought the newly brought in prince had something to do with this scenario.
'Perhaps this 'son' of mine is a fake brought in to topple my lineage... But I can't say just yet whether that's true, perhaps he is my son and I need to make him king to conquer this realm?'
Hou quickly stopped his rumination, looking back at the stack of books he brought. There were many books on the history and life of people in the kingdom. Hou needed to learn if the politics could inform him on what his job might be.
Hou spent the next hour reading until maids came knocking on to bring him a buffet. There was various meats, stews and cheeses. Hou took the chance to gorge himself, reading the delicacies of the country he was king of. Through his reading, he found that the kingdom's name was the Solus kingdom, named after the royal family.
The royal family Hou was a part of, the Solus family, were the founding family of the kingdom, it is a special bloodline. It has a special ability, the king's law, an ability that compels others to follow the laws created by them. Whenever a Solus family came of age their bloodline awakens, hair changing to gold and the king's law ability passively activates.
This ability has another advantage, it allowed very slight bending of even laws, improving magic slightly.
Hou ate his food, satisfied, and continued reading, all until night time where he practiced astral projection again. This time, Hou decided to try some practical magic and bend a law!