Thoran pressed his paw against the frozen library wall. Ice crystals spread beneath his touch, glowing faint blue in the dim light. He had spent years searching for the truth—how did his ancestors, the Icerunner Wolves, first learn to wield magic? The answer lay somewhere in the old stories, hidden in fragments about an ancient ice golem who walked these mountains long ago. Today, he would find another clue. The old texts spoke of a place where the golem once stood, teaching the first wolves. Thoran gripped his staff tighter. He needed somewhere permanent to work, a place to gather his findings. The scattered notes and memories weren't enough anymore. He climbed the mountain path until he reached the clearing. There, he raised his staff and channeled his magic into the ground. Ice shot upward, forming walls and towers. Blue and white runes appeared across the surface, ancient symbols he'd copied from the library scrolls. The structure rose higher, perfect and symmetrical, until it stood complete—a tower of pristine ice. Thoran stepped through the entrance. The air inside hummed with power. Here, he would study. Here, he would piece together every fragment until he knew the full story. The ice golem's secret would finally be his. The tower needed tools, not just walls. Thoran returned to the library and searched through the oldest storage rooms. He found what he needed in a locked chest—a magnifying glass made from Crystallum. The rare material glowed with its own light. He held it up and watched it pulse. The old records said it could reveal things hidden in snow and ice. Wolf tracks from centuries ago, preserved but invisible to normal sight. He tucked it into his cloak and headed back to his tower. Tomorrow, he would begin his search in the places where the ancient wolves first walked. The magnifying glass would show him what time had buried. But finding tracks wouldn't be enough. He needed to sense the magic itself, the way it moved through frozen places. Back in the storage room, he discovered something smaller—an ear piece crafted from crystallum and ice. He fitted it over his left ear. It felt cold at first, then warm. Vibrations reached him through the device, faint pulses from the ice beneath the library. This would let him hear what normal ears couldn't detect. With his tower built, his magnifying glass ready, and the ear piece in place, Thoran had everything he needed. The mystery that had driven him for so long finally felt within reach. He would uncover how the ice golem taught his ancestors magic, no matter how long it took.