Beyond?

by Andur

  Helen enters the room as I let out a curse and Sola turns around to take a look at the new arrival. Apparently my mother let herself in. She is the born illegal trespasser and regards the whole country as her personal property.

  In fact I am not entirely sure if the two times when she and Lucas walked in on me and Azir weren't planned.

  “There are my cute little grandchildren!” Helen rushes over to the trio in a blur of motion and hugs all three of them before they can react. She has to use speed magic in order to catch them. For some strange reason my children tend to disappear when she approaches. Though it seems that their alarm function failed this time.

  “F- f- f- fast!” Zana is totally overwhelmed by the sudden attack. “She disabled our warning spell!”

  Sariel tried to flee, but got caught anyway. “Whyyyy! We trained so hard and the granny can still pet us like stuffed toys!”

  “Mmhmhmhhhh...” Zadkiel drew the worst card with his face buried in Helen's chest. My mother is using her whole body to cuddle the kids in the meantime. The whole scene continues for a little more than a minute until the children get released.

  “Oh, you three are the best! Did you already manage to get your clan's ability under control?” Helen finally lets go of them and Zadkiel slides to the ground unconscious.

  “Mom, could you please desist from suffocating my children?” I rebuke her angrily.

  “She does that to Anna too.” Sola scowls. “Anna is already hiding under the bed when she hears Helen's voice. I have to encourage her to come out again for over an hour each time. Even if Helen's already long gone.”

  “But how can I not enjoy the blessing of having so many grandchildren? Anna is just a little shy, Sola.” Helen looks at the three of them intently. “So? How are the prodigies doing?”

  Zana raises her hand. “Dad already taught me to gather mana and manipulate it! He also taught me a secret spell for dealing with bullies! It's very easy, so even I can do it. Though Daddy said that I am only allowed to use it against bullies who hurt me.”

  “Oh, really? Do you want to share it with your aunt? Azir surely won't have anything against it if you tell it to his loving mother in law.”

  “Uhm...” Zana fidgets with her fingers. “First you have to gather enough mana to condense it into a small sphere until it becomes solid. That's easy. The tricky part is to put a second layer of solid mana around the sphere to stabilize it for the second step.”

  “The second step?” Helen asks in wonder.

  Zana's expression turns really enthusiastic. “Yes. Once that's done you condense the inner sphere over its threshold and throw it at the bullies. The inner sphere explodes because it's too dense and sends out the outer layer as shrapnel! Braaaam!” Zana spreads her hands to substantiate the image bodies being shredded to pieces. “And the bullies are smeared onto the walls with lots and lots of holes in them! No more bullies! Though Daddy admitted that it's unlikely that there is something left behind which is big enough for having holes.” Zana nods satisfied. “He said that I have to close my eyes when I throw that spell at a bully. Then I am not allowed to open them until he says that it's fine.”

  “...” Helen's expression is a stiff, smiling mask and for several seconds she just kneels there, not moving at all. Then she turns towards Sariel. “And how are you doing with your ability? Zana is apparently doing fine in school.”

  Sariel looks at the floor. “Zadkiel and I still haven't found out what we can do.” Her voice is a little sad. Even though both of them are trying very hard to use either Azir's or my ability, they are still failing at a basic level.

  Helen strokes Sariel's head. “Oh, don't worry. It can take a while until a clan ability manifests. That's why schooling starts at the age of five. The Siorda are the only clan who have their ability from the beginning. But it's only a passive ability, so it's okay. Don't fret over it. It was mean of me to ask something like that.”

  Zana hugs Sariel from the side. “I am sure that you'll get a great ability. Something like laser eyes!”

  Sariel's eyes widen. “I don't want laser eyes!”

  Zana tries again. “Duplication?”

  “Noooooo!”

  100. ~Theism.~

  “And so our family escaped to this land called Nict. At first we feared for the worst in doing so, but it somehow worked out. Placing our trust in the word of the government from which we hid for so long was a hard thing to do. But unexpectedly they didn't lie and we could safely relocate to Nict.

  Revealing our family of twenty people as mages was a hard thing to do, but it was an action of last resort. There is no way to tell for how long we would manage to stay in hiding and it is a wonder that we kept going like this for generations.

  When we first arrived in Nict it struck me as a cold and strange place. But that was only the first impression. By now I know that they are just very strict people and by no means bad in their hearts. They like it when everything has its place. So their society is as neat and orderly as their city design.

  We had to speak in front of a committee of seven people and tell them our life stories as well as our abilities. Then we had to prove that we are magicians by touching a small marble made out of glass. They knew so many spells which they asked us to perform, but of course we failed miserably without training. Only my wife managed to cast a small light globe which caused affirmative grumbling among the members of the committee.

  When I revealed our family's ability by bending a metal pen they went nuts though, fighting among themselves on who would get us. Not understanding, I already feared for the worst. Our ability didn't seem like anything special compared to their telekinesis, fireballs, light globes and strength enhancement buffs. It's just the ability to control magnetic fields and influence certain metals by doing so.

  In the end a clan called Eddin won the fierce argument and the committee member who had 'acquired' us looked like he just found a diamond. We were told that we were now a branch family of the Eddin and he pressed a very heavy book into my hands. It was just rules about what is socially acceptable and what not. Then we were relocated to Penta where we got a whole mansion for ourselves. Of course we didn't get it for free and we have to work hard to fulfil the Eddin's expectations. But now we don't have to live in fear of being discovered.”

  -Random Refugee

  Second Continent, Jont-Capital

  Serenzar Draco

  The throne room is full of priests and guards who watch me in awe. Coloured windows shed a dim light, obscuring the view of the rainy weather outside. So the room has to be lighted by the magical lights which are filling the ceiling.

  I yawn and listen to the problems of the minor townsfolk. One of the new priests brought a very dire situation to my attention. He found out that several rural villages are badly supplied with the necessities of life. There aren't enough resources for them to grow as I want them to.

  The money to employ the needed teachers for the children is missing and the schools are breaking down because they can't be maintained.

  In addition many of the healers left those villages since the support of needed medicaments was lacking. It isn't possible to send a healing magician to every little village, so relying on trained healers who deal with the small ailments is necessary.

  I am a person who thinks in long terms. Therefore the basis for the growth of a society is the most important to me. Maybe it's because I've already lived for a very long time? “Hahaha.” The first thing I do is to invest in healthcare and education. There is no person on this continent who lacks medical treatment or schooling. At least I thought so until now.

  There seem to be places where people have to travel for over a day to reach a medical centre. Something which shouldn't be. “So. How could this happen?” I look down on the ten old priests who are kneeling in front of me.

  “We had to redistribute some resources in order to finance your fleet.” One of the elder priests says, not looking up. “And the streets which supply t
he major harbours were in bad shape. We needed funds to repair them. It was a necessary formality.”

  “So, why didn't you ask me for my opinion in this matter? I am sure that we could've taken the funds from somewhere else?” I ask, looking out of the window. “Why take those funds from the healthcare and educational sector? Why not from the economic or services sector? I am sure that they can carry the extra load and the pay off from the better education and longer life expectancy will resolve the problem once the next generation takes over. I don't understand it.”

  “If you take from healthcare and education, the effects aren't immediately seen?” The captain of my guards offers with a questioning voice.

  “Hahaha.” That's why I chose him as the captain of my guard. He is a smart one. “Yes. In other words it looks extremely suspicious since they tried to hide the flow of money. They took it from the departments which looked like people are the least likely to complain. Who cares about some rural villages which existed for years without any of those benefits. Shutting down a minor school in that region isn't an issue, they are just farmers living there anyway. Tell me, which journey took that money until it arrived back at my military?”

  “It was never our intention to hide something from the god!” One of the ten priests calls out and prostrates himself.

  Nodding, I gesture at the amulet around my neck. “So since you know what your god is capable of you should have no problem with explaining the situation in its entirety. I am very eager to listen to your story.”

  The silence in the room is profound and when one of the priests attempts to speak, one of the others silences him forcefully with a hand over his mouth. So he was one of the instigators of this event?

  Another priest clenches his fists. “My cousin is a building contractor and we redistributed that money to push some contracts to his company.”

  “They don't give cheap offers and their work is progressing slowly since they always take more contracts than they can handle. I took money to tamper with the documents in order to make it look like the deal is okay.” Another priest spills the beans.

  “My family has a company for cloth manufacture and we funnelled the taxes through them to create uniforms for the army.” Yet another one hurries to admit his actions.

  Supposedly those uniforms weren't exactly fair priced. I massage my temples. Honestly. Why is it that people in power tend to lose the sight of their responsibilities? And it always gets worse with each generation, so I am forced to do a little house cleaning every eighty or ninety years. “Captain, tell me what's this situation called again?”

  “Corruption?” The captain offers, looking at me with questioning eyes.

  Surveying the throne room, my attention wander to the moody weather outside. “It's such a sad day to deal with issues like this and I hate rain. Throw them into prison.”

  “Thank you!” “Our god is truly merciful!” “Pray for the one true god.”

  “Wait for a nice, sunny day. Then hold a public execution for them and make sure that their crimes are known. There is no need for your men to get wet and the watchers shouldn't catch a cold while learning how scum has to be dealt with.” I wave my hand to dismiss them.

  The captain bows deeply. “His Holiness is truly a nice god to think about the well being of his followers.”

  Second Continent, Jont-Capital

  Elora

  I sneak up to the young priest who stayed behind in the throne room after everybody else left. “How did it work out?”

  My ability of teleporting through shadows is very helpful in getting around without Serenzar's knowledge. It's also how I got the other harem members out of the palace. Shadow step is my personal little secret which not even Serenzar knows about.

  The priest bows. “I did as you instructed me to. Everything went as you prophesied it. The incriminating documents were exactly where you said they would be. I just had to connect the dots to prove my point to the god. With this the way for a new group of leading priests is free. I can't thank you enough.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Just make sure to pay enough respect to me in future.” I gesture dismissively. “Don't forget that the one who brought you into your new position of power can dethrone you as easily as you were placed there. I know more than you might think.” Hmm. Maybe I should throw in a certain piece of knowledge as a bonus. “And stop inviting those people into the palace. The moans can be heard through the walls of your chambers.”

  The priest gasps and bows hastily. “Of course. The disturbance won't occur again.” He turns around and scuttles away.

  I watch him until he is gone and use shadow step to return to my quarters.

  101. ~Ignorance.~

  “Newly acquired exhibit:

  During the archaeological excavation in a village close to the capital we discovered a metallic object. It's a flat square with a black glass screen which can't be seen through. There are two buttons at the side, but they don't activate it. Seems to be broken. No idea what it is. For now we'll file it away. Maybe the artificers will take a look at it when they are bored.”

  -Royal Museum Report 3-23-563

  Free City States of Nict, Capital

  Azir

  “You shouldn't try too hard to acquire your powers. You are simply a little too young. Give your powers a little more time to mature.” I try to console my children.

  Zadkiel and Sariel are facing each other with red faces. Since they have no idea what they can do, they are simply trying to will something to happen. It's funny to watch them as long as they don't wet themselves because of straining their muscles too much.

  We are inside my lab where they are spending their time while I am working on a magical circuit.

  “But you are already teaching Zana to use her ability!” Zadkiel complains and points out of the window where Zana is playing with Ghost... though its more like she's chasing the warcat... which is ten times as big as her... and still running away from her.

  She found out about Ghost's existence only three months ago. That's because I taught the warcat to stay away from family members. It seems like Ghost is something akin to a fluffy pet to her, but the warcat isn't exactly eager to be cuddled like a kitten.

  Maybe I should ask my father to give me a kitten or two? Or three, then all of the youngsters can have one. Warcats don't grow very fast, so Zana is exactly at the right age for the warcat to mature when she enters university. I'll give one to her as a present for her next birthday.

  “Something is happening!” Zadkiel's voice resounds throughout the room. “Somehow I feel very light headed and relieved? Is that my power? Why is everything swirling? Can I fly now?”

  “If that's your power, then I don't want to be your sister.” Sariel answers disturbed.

  I hurry and grab Zadkiel, placing him on the table at the opened window. “It's more likely that you overused your mana reserves. Try to puke out of the window if possible!”

  “I don't feel so good.” He lies down on the table with his head hanging out of the window. “I didn't know that depleting your mana feels like that.”

  “Jeez. We just made a little mind exercise. There is no reason to leak your mana into your surroundings for nothing.” Sariel doesn't show any sympathy for her brother. “I would really like to know which ability I have though.”

  “I could try to find out, but I have to enter your mind for it to work.” I offer her.

  “Really!?” Sariel gets up and toddles over to where I am sitting at my working desk. “Let's find out! Let's find out!”

  “But mind magic isn't exactly pleasant. Are you sure that you want to do this? Don't end up crying afterwards.” So I explain the possibilities of what could go wrong. I know that the kids developed a high tolerance to pain due to their games, but the unpleasantness of mind magic is something completely different.

  Sariel answers after a moment of hesitation. “Uhm... let's do it. I am too curious.”

  I pick her up and place her on my lap, then
I concentrate on her mind and close my eyes. “Try to relax as much as possible.”

  A few moments later I locate Sariel's clear signal and start searching through her being. But this time it's not the memories which are interesting to me. Her sensory impressions and her perception of reality are what could give me a clue on her capabilities.

  As I get to see the world through her eyes and feel through her senses a shiver runs through me. Sariel sees the world the same way I do when I use my ability to its fullest. But there is more. Even physical matter seems to be just another form of energy to her perception. It's as if the physical world around me is just a conglomeration of foggy objects. Is that how Stella perceives the world when she uses her ability? I have to check with her on that point. The fog and it's density could indicate the type of atoms and their density.

  I know that I am totally new at this, but I am too curious and use Sariel's senses to prove my theory. Reaching out for a chair in front of me I imagine manipulating the mana around it to change it's form and density. The wooden chair changes shape and crumbles into a perfect small sphere, turning into metal. The metal ball drops to the ground with a thud and dents the wooden floor.

  “Whoa! Daddy? Daddy? Was that you? Is that my ability?” Sariel claps her hands while sitting on my lap. “Daddy? Why aren't you saying anything?” She grabs my cheek and pulls forcefully, twisting it.

  I didn't even have to touch the chair. Stella has to touch the objects which she wants to transform. And this new perception of physical objects is also strange. It seems like Sariel had her ability all along. She just can't use it. Or better... she could use it, but doesn't know how to apply the knowledge.

  Sariel and Zadkiel can cast spells, but they never questioned what they are seeing since they don't know any other form of perception. If it's like this then they can truly see the origin of magic. With enough training they should be able to interpret every spell in existence. Is that the Emperor's ability? My own vision is very close to that and with enough knowledge it is more than enough to understand a spell. But if Sariel and Zadkiel learn enough scientific and magical knowledge they can truly understand the world as it is!