I chuckled and clicked my tongue at her. “You certainly are the eager student today, aren’t you?” She scrunched up her face at me and pouted as I laughed. “Unfortunately, that’s all I can think of right now. At least in terms of magic; we aren’t in a position to do much physical training on this trip, but I have plenty more to teach you in that arena.”
“I promised I was going to train harder!” Lia said with a slightly defensive tone. “I was just hoping there were other new things you didn’t bring up yet.”
“Learning new techniques isn’t the only way to advance with magic, you know.” I counted out on my fingers as I continued. “You can increase your mana reserves through practice and meditation, you can grow your understanding of magic through studying, you can practice activating your mana through runes…” I trailed off as I tried to think of more avenues of study.
Lia considered the list for a while. “Now that I think about it, I don’t really know anything about what magic really is. I thought I did, but that was before I met you. With everything you’ve taught me…” There was concern in her eyes as she searched for the right words. “Lux, is it all a lie? The Unity Church, the Primes...everything?”
“No, it’s not a lie. How do I put this...” I sighed and rubbed my eyes. “In every world I’ve been to, there has always been a story to explain why things are the way they are. No matter where you are, people want to feel in control. If you can’t explain why the world exists and give yourself a reason for being, it’s hard to believe you can control anything. So we do what we do best: Tell stories.
“In the world I was born in, most people believed in some sort of God, or Gods. Different people believed varying versions of the story, but they mostly stuck to the same core ideas. It’s these same tenets that show up everywhere; if you follow the rules, good things will happen to you, and if you break the rules, bad things happen.” The attempt to think back on my first life was difficult, like trying to look at something through a fog-covered window. “We didn’t have magic in my world, so we didn’t have to explain that.
“The beliefs of the Unity Church seem very logical to me. If you believe that each basic element of the world is created and controlled by a powerful being of some kind, it’s easy to attribute magic to each of those beings as well.” I shrugged as I thought through the logic. “The first time somebody created fire from nothing, what would seem more reasonable to them? That they had an invisible energy inside of them which, through the perfect circumstances, could power the creation of fire? Or that the Primeval of Fire they’ve learned about their whole life saw fit to bless them with a fraction of its power?”
Lia sat quietly and mulled over the idea, her discomfort clear in her demeanor. I moved across the aisle and placed a comforting arm over her shoulders. “I’m not saying that the Primevals aren’t real. They might very well have created this world and everybody in it, and are watching us right now. But the one thing I know for sure is that no matter what world I’m in, the rules of magic and mana have been the same.”
I put on a didactic, over-the-top voice in an attempt to bring some levity to the situation. “Rule number one: Mana is created naturally inside of all living things. Until recently, I believed it was only humans and other intelligent species, but Detection magic has proven that to be false. You saw the mana flowing inside the horses pulling our wagon, right?” Lia’s face lit up with a small smile as she nodded.
“Rule number two: Mana is the sole energy source that powers magic. That one is pretty simple so far, but I still have some testing to do when it comes to magic items before I’m fully confident.” Although I had never been a teacher, I felt strangely comfortable in my impromptu lecture. “Based on everything I’ve taught you during our training, can you guess what another rule might be?”
There was a pause as Lia chewed her lip in thought. “In all the stories I’ve heard about wizards, they used staves and orbs to cast spells, and we always use our swords. Is that a rule?”
I nodded excitedly. “That’s right! The reason you always tend to see gems in wizard implements is because of the atomic structure—” I cut off suddenly, scrambling for a better description. “Um, it’s because gems are made up of very reliable materials in specific, repeating patterns. Mana has a much easier time flowing through materials like that. Metal is made the same way, which is why we can use our swords to cast spells.” Satisfied with my explanation, I moved on. “The fourth rule—”
“I have a question.” Lia looked up at me innocently, her amber eyes glinting in the early afternoon sun.
“Of course. Ask away.”
“Why do you...need an implement, to cast magic?” she asked haltingly. “If magic comes from converting mana into energy, why can’t you do that inside your body?”
“That’s a great question,” I responded happily. “Technically, you don’t need an implement to cast magic. Just like, technically, you don’t have to say an invocation to cast magic. In extremely stressful or dangerous situations, your body can unconsciously activate all sorts of abilities. I’ve used magic abilities in combat that I still can’t reproduce now, even after lots of thought and practice.” The memories of Jack writhing in pain with black smoke billowing from his chest floated to the front of my mind, and I winced reflexively.
“I know a lot of the rules I have about magic aren’t entirely true, but I’ve never been able to break them on purpose, so I like to think that those situations are exceptions. I never met anybody in Alderea who could use combat enhancements without a weapon, so I’ll keep that rule until I know how to break it reliably.” I chuckled and smiled at Lia. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the one to figure it out.”
Lia’s face set into a mask of determination. “I can try,” she said as she settled into a meditative stance.
“I didn’t mean right this instant, Lia.” With a grin, I reached out with Detection to watch her experiment. “I’ve gone down a few routes trying to cast without an implement, but I think the...I, uh…” My words stopped as my mind became singularly focused on Lia.
“Lesser Agility...Lesser Agility...Lesser Agility,” she chanted under her breath. The spell didn’t take effect, but whenever she spoke the words her mana pulsed throughout her whole body and shone a bit brighter. It was an effect I had never seen before, even in myself. I quickly followed suit and intoned the words, but saw no pulse within my body as expected. “Lesser Agility...Lesser Agility…”
With every incantation Lia’s mana reacted differently. It pulsed in one location, then in multiple places at once, then bounced between her core and her shoulder blades in rapid succession. What IS this? HOW is this? I watched in stunned silence as the patterns slowly changed, as if the mana itself was testing every possible permutation inside her. I began to notice repeating sequences in the flow as her chant continued, and the energy grew brighter with every attempt.
With a final whisper Lia’s mana flashed a brilliant gold, and a dim green glow flicked into existence across her body. Her eyes snapped open as she looked at me in disbelief. “Did...did that work?” We sat together quietly as we tried to process what had happened.
My mind buzzed with too many thoughts at once; extreme pride in my student, stunned disbelief, and a burning curiosity to break down exactly what happened were chief among them. Lacking the wherewithal to respond appropriately, I let out a loud bout of unstoppable laughter and pulled Lia into a tight embrace. As I caught my breath enough to speak, I nodded into her shoulder. “Yeah...yeah, you did it, Lia.”
She giggled as she hugged me back, and we both soon devolved to a cackling mess in response to the unbelievable events that had transpired. “I said...I said maybe you,” I gasped as I rocked back between howls of laughter, “maybe you could figure it out. And you!...” My sentence broke down into a wheeze, and I slapped my knee for emphasis.
“And I just...did it!” Lia hooted, tears streaming down her face. “Just, first try! Did it right there!” She pulled me in
and cackled into my chest as she shook her head back and forth. My cheeks hurt from smiling and my vision blurred with tears as I desperately tried to regain my composure.
After a long period of heavy panting and intermittent chuckles that threatened to throw us back into chaos, I held enough self control to speak clearly again. “Lia, that really was incredible. With all my time spent studying mana, I never once managed to do what you did here today.” I placed a firm hand on her shoulder. “You should feel extremely proud of yourself.”
A large smile spread across her face as she accepted my praise. “Thanks, Lux. I’m not sure exactly what I did, it just sort of...felt right?” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, that’s not very helpful for you. I’m still so new to magic, I don’t know why it worked for me and not for you.”
I smiled. “If I had to guess, it’s precisely because you’re new to magic. Once I taught you the basics of controlling mana, you were ready to learn anything and everything I could teach you. It’s probably why you picked up Detection so quickly as well; you didn’t have any bad habits or preconceived notions of how things should work.” I tapped my chest lightly. “I, on the other hand, spent years using only certain magics in very specific ways. I most likely developed a lot of bad habits and ideas that are holding me back.”
“If you’re feeling up to it, I’d love to watch you do it again and attempt to talk through the process,” I asked. “It’s far too valuable of a skill for me to pass up, now that I know it exists.”
Lia nodded vigorously. “Of course! I need to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.” We both settled down into comfortable positions and renewed our meditation. When I scanned out with my mana, I sensed immediately that something had changed inside of her. The usual warm glow of amber energy was underscored by a system of rich yellow pathways, all of which branched from her core outwards to her extremities. The new structures sparkled with an energy that looked entirely foreign to me.
As she channeled her mana in the usual gentle waves, the newly formed pathways it followed lit up in response. It only took her a single incantation of “Lesser Agility” for the spell to take effect; As soon as the words left her lips the golden energy flared to life, and the enhancement traced its usual green glow around her figure. Once the activation was complete, the pathways faded back to their dull yellow resting state, and her mana depleted as it normally had before.
I shook my head, unable to grasp the new mechanisms I was witnessing. “Lia, do you feel any different now?” I scratched the back of my head in confusion. “Something about your energy looks...changed. In a way that I’ve never seen before.”
Lia shook her head. “No, not really. When I tried to use the mana, there was maybe a...different sort of tingling in my arms and legs, if that makes any sense? Everything felt normal before that.” She tilted her head to the side and frowned. “I guess...it’s hard to describe. It’s like I suffused my whole body with mana, like you would a sword. Except I wasn’t specifically trying to do that, and I don’t think I’m casting magic from my skin. Maybe it was my bones? It sort of...worked on its own, that first time.”
My thoughts began to drift as Lia continued to explain the new feeling as best she could. Is it...her mana channels? I’ve always known they existed as a concept, but I didn’t think they had a physical form. Wouldn’t literal channels for mana have been discovered in every autopsy ever performed, if that were the case? Did she physically manifest them? I scowled in disappointment at being stumped by a new ability for the first time since training with Brusch in Alderea.
I realized too late that Lia had asked me a question. “I’m sorry, what?” The words were overly harsh for the situation, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Do you want to watch me again?” she repeated patiently. Gesturing to the wagon around us, she continued with a kind smile. “It’s not like we’re in a rush. I don’t mind repeating it as many times as you need.”
“Thank you, Lia,” I said, returning her smile apologetically. “Unfortunately, I don’t know if watching you is going to give me any more insight. I’m stuck in the aggravating position of needing to know how something feels to understand it, but I can’t feel it without understanding it first. You know what I mean, right?”
“Definitely! I know how frustrating that is.” Lia leaned forward and put a hand on my arm. “I’m sorry that I can’t explain it very well. I wish I could give you the feeling somehow, exactly as I feel it.”
“It’s alright. You’ve already been such a big help. And don’t forget, you just developed a new magic skill that I bet nobody in the world has ever seen!” I patted her hand. “I don’t want you to feel disappointed about anything. I’m sure that with some practice, and some more studying later, I’ll figure out what…” A memory rushed to the front of my mind. She CAN give me the feeling.
“Lia.” I looked at her with newfound purpose and took her hand between mine. “Do you remember the night when you first unlocked your mana? Do you remember how it happened?”
Lia reddened and looked away, either surprised by my abrupt tonal shift or uncomfortable from the physical closeness. “O-of course I do. I didn’t really understand what you did at the time, but thinking back on it now...you gave me some of your mana, right?”
“That’s right,” I said with an emphatic nod. “I didn’t give it much thought at the time, but I noticed an unintended side effect of my channeling mana through your body. I’m not sure why, but at that moment I felt like…like I was...” I let out a frustrated breath as I struggled for words. “It was like I could sense through you. The line where my body stopped and yours began was blurred, and I could feel your body like it was my own.” The blush of Lia’s face grew darker, and she nodded her acknowledgement quietly.
“Maybe, if we do that again, I could feel through you and figure out how to replicate it in myself.” I knew it was an absurd request, and felt a pang of guilt at putting Lia in a potentially awkward situation. Carefully, I dropped her hand and slid back on the bench. “I must sound like an insane person, getting all serious on you like that. I’m slowly coming to the realization that I know even less about magic than I thought. I know I’m asking a lot of you, so please don’t feel obligated—”
“No. No, I want to do it,” Lia affirmed. “I said I wanted to help you however I could, and I think this could help.” She gave me a sly grin. “You did sound a little intense, though.”
I laughed, relieved by her levity. “Sorry, I got a bit excited there.” I swung my legs up onto the bench and turned to face her. “So, this might feel a bit...weird. You have control over your own mana now, and I’m sure that will help, but this is mostly uncharted territory for me.” Once I was comfortable, I held my hands out to her with my palms facing upwards. “Are you ready?”
After a deep breath, Lia nodded and placed her hands in mine. “Ready.”
“Okay. I’m going to reach out with my mana now. I imagine it’s going to be a strange experience, and your body will most likely try to resist a foreign force. Just do your best to relax,” I said calmly, in an attempt to set the mood appropriately. With careful restraint, I channeled energy down to the tips of my fingers. I could see her mana buzzing vibrantly in her hands in anticipation. “In three...two...one…”
I gave a gentle push as the energy suffused up through my skin and attempted to enter through hers. As I expected, I found a level of resistance far greater than anything I had encountered before. My mana stopped hard against her hands as Lia’s body flared with an angry burnished gold energy. Instead of increasing my force to try to overwhelm her defenses, I held the pressure constant at a light push and observed her response. “Whenever you’re ready, Lia. Take your time.”
Lia replied with a soft grunt of effort. We sat quietly for a while, completely engrossed in our efforts, until she hissed in frustration. “I can’t make it stop,” Lia whispered. “No matter what I do, I can’t put down the barriers and let you in.”
“Let�
�s try a different approach. Why don’t you reach out too?” I could tell Lia was angry with herself, so I spoke with the most pleasant tone possible. “Maybe if you extend your mana outwards, it’ll leave a gap in your defenses that I could use.”
She raised an eyebrow at the statement. “I’m not really sure it works that way Lux, but I’ll do my—”
A small amber tendril of energy snaked its way out from her finger and pressed down into my palm, and I felt the consistent pressure I held on my mana break as a rush of blue lightning raced up and snuck past the newly exposed gap in her defenses. Whatever Lia was trying to say was immediately cut off as the world seemed to catch fire. My arms seized reflexively as a vibrant rush of yellow energy cascaded through my body. I watched in fascination as it rapidly suffused my whole being, somehow able to coexist alongside my own mana.
As I experienced the new sensation, I had a dim awareness that Lia was in a similar situation. With my mind completely overloaded, my mana had charged forward with reckless abandon. In just a few moments it mapped out her entire body and began to circulate through it passively, as it often did within myself. The frantic pace of exploration eventually slowed, and I regained a small measure of control of the electric blue energy. As the initial sensory overload of Lia’s mana began to recede in kind, another feeling grew to take its place.
My initial theory proved to be correct; wherever my mana flowed, I gained a passive awareness of the sensations felt there. I could see Lia’s clothing in my mind with detection magic, but I could also feel it resting against her skin. I could feel her small, soft hands resting atop mine, but through her hands I felt my own calloused skin holding them up. The impossible duality of the situation consumed every ounce of processing power my brain could muster.
We sat frozen in place for what felt like hours, completely transfixed by our efforts. As I adapted to the new feeling my mental faculties began to return, and I realized that every muscle in my body was tensed and screaming in exertion. I let them relax and gave Lia’s hands a gentle squeeze. Immediately, I felt the gesture from her perspective and had to pause a moment to resist the urge to shudder. “Are you still with me, Lia?” I managed to pant.
Restart Again: Volume 2 Page 3
