Master Daniela"s Magic Lesson
"Hey, Daniela."
"What is it, Asagi?"
Our usual back and forth started on the bed in the morning.
"Yesterday, when I came out of the store to call you. It looked like you were talking with someone. Was someone else there?"
"Ah, I was speaking with the wind spirits that time. You know, like, "it is quite chilly today.""
"Huh. I see."
So that"s why it looked like there was no one there.
Daniela was able to see these wind spirits through her "Fresh Green Eye" skill. And I suppose being able to see them meant being able to talk with them.
"Actually, no. You must have a high affinity with them first. I am an elf, a resident of the forest. Well, I was raised in the plains, but my ancestors were from the forest."
"Hmm…is that right."
"That is right."
So she had just inherited that affinity?
"What are these spirits anyway?"
"It is said that they are beings born from the mana from the dragon vein. Attributes change depending on the mana in the area, and so the dragon vein"s attributes also change depending on the location. And so the spirits have different attributes as well."
"So…ice spirits in cold places. Fire spirits in hot places…like that?"
"Yes. I have heard that there are people who specialize in studying spirits, but I have yet to meet any."
Well, the world was a big place. Not even Daniela had reached every corner. I would need a weapon known as knowledge in order to continue with her. Now that I think of it, there was so much about magic that I didn"t know. After all, it"s something that I never had before.
"Since we"re here, why don"t you teach me a little about magic today?"
"It is not as if I know everything, but I will tell you what I do know.
And so Master Daniela"s magic cla.s.s began.
We ate breakfast in the inn"s dining hall and then returned to our room. I sat on the opposite side of the table to her and pulled out some parchment and a pen.
“So, magic. Explaining magic is very difficult for me. It is a skill, a phenomenon that is so natural for me. It is like teaching someone to breathe.”
"The "don"t think, just feel" thing, I suppose."
"Something like that."
It was easy to imagine it. Games and movies had it all the time. As long as you could imagine it, you would be able to realize it. Still, I didn"t understand how it worked.
"There are three things to keep in mind with magic. The first is the presence of magic power in you. You cannot use magic without it. But I have never seen someone who had none at all."
Well, for a moment I had thought that I was one. I wasn"t from here after all. And I seriously thought that that was just how it was.
"The other thing is attributes. There are seven general attributes, fire, water, ice, earth, thunder, wind and dimension. And then there is also void. It is with one of these eight attributes that magic can be used."
"Can anyone have this void attribute?"
The others all had to do with what you could imagine. The heat when I was stabbed in the stomach. The coldness of losing sensation in my limbs. The flow of blood that rejected my wish to continue living. All of that existed in me as the fire, ice and water attributes.
And what if I had not had that experience? Maybe then I would have only had the void attribute.
“You could say that the void attribute is in everyone, or in no one. No matter who you are, you will have an internal image of things. And if that image leans towards an attribute, then the void attribute will become a zero. However, there are rare people who are especially suited to the void attribute alone.”
"Like that Adventurer in front of the gate."
"Indeed. That was impressive void magic. Usually, you would not be able to remove such stains completely. Removing mud is usually about all you can do."
Who was she anyway? The only thing I knew for sure, was that she was fan number one.
And that she used void magic.
“The Hero, Yasushi Matsumoto was good with light magic. This is an attribute that was said to have existed in ancient times. There was even shadow magic back then.
"Was? So it doesn"t exist anymore?"
“That is the case. These were attributes that occurred in a Hero long ago. Some of the Hero"s descendants were able to use it, but that line has long been extinguished.”
"Matsumoto sure was lucky, being a Hero and all."
“Does he have the light attribute because he is a Hero, or is he a Hero because he has the light attribute… Well, those who wish to know should find out for themselves.”
Yeah. His protagonist compensations had nothing to do with me.
“Well, that is what I know about attributes. The last thing to keep in mind is the ability to imagine. If you can correctly imagine the phenomenon that the rules of magic will achieve, then you will be able to use it perfectly. But if you cannot do that…”
"You chant."
"Correct. It is the first thing that they teach you in magic school. I have never enrolled myself, but I heard this from one who did. If you wish to unleash a fireball, you must say these words, "Gather around my palm, O laws of fire. Gather and fly, fireball.""
"I don"t think I"ve ever heard anything more embarra.s.sing."
"I agree completely. You would look like such a novice. This is why everyone tries their hardest to be able to cast spells by imagining them. But casting without any form of chanting is difficult. Most will have to at least say the name of the spell while casting."
In other words, you had to say "fireball" to launch one. Complete silence was nice but saying the name was kind of cool too. At least, the kid in me still thinks so…