The op lich is a returne.., p.4
The OP Lich is a Returnee, page 4
“This is not just because of how efficient your mana costs are, though it does play into it. It also applies to how quickly you can learn new concepts, and come up with new spells. After all, if you have to stop practicing because you’ve worn through your stamina, then you are not improving. You’re not learning.
“So, we will start your training with the element and style that best suits you. Now that you have consciously touched your magic, we can test you. First, we will find your element.”
I reached into my pocket dimension, and pulled out several pieces of paper. “This paper has been made in such a way that it is especially reactive to magic. Specifically, it reacts to the elements of magic. You might call it a litmus test, but using magic instead of pH levels.”
I passed the papers out, making sure each of them had one. “These papers will react differently according to what your primary element is. On my command, each of you will try and channel your mana through the paper. Just a little. How it changes will make your element clear.”
I took a breath, and then commanded them to start. All four of my students began to concentrate, and I could feel the flow of magic. One by one, they each let a trickle of magic into their papers.
Unsurprisingly, Naya was the first to succeed. She had less to unlearn than Ya did, but still had more practice with magic than Kinjo and Makoto. Equally unsurprising was the way her paper curdled and disintegrated, rotting away as her magic touched it.
I nodded, with a smile. “Your element is Death, as I suspected.”
Ya managed the task a moment later. With a yelp of surprise, she jumped back, letting go of the paper as it burst into flame. She quickly regained her composure, however.
“Fire, obviously. Your spells will be naturally inclined towards destruction and raw power. This is not a bad thing, but you will need to work hard for the more subtle applications of the art.”
Kinjo was something of a surprise. His paper turned black, and radiated darkness like an inverse lightbulb. At the same time, several clean cuts slashed through the paper, cutting it into eight pieces.
“Oh, ho! Air and Darkness both. Rare that someone should have two elements, but not unheard of, and these elements support each other, rather than opposing, as some might. My friend, subtlety will be second nature to you, when you have trained properly. However, it will take more work for you to use skills with true destructive potential.”
The priest just nodded, and said nothing. Which was good, because the biggest surprise was about to come. Makoto was last, as expected, but when he managed to push his mana into the paper, the result was staggering.
Brilliant white light filled the courtyard, and I could feel a tingling as it touched me. It was a feeling I had not felt in quite some time. “Interesting,” I said, as the paper disintegrated into nothing. “Very interesting. That’s a reaction I haven’t seen in forty years. You have faith, don’t you, boy?”
Makoto nodded, and said, “Yes, sensei. While I study the old ways of the sword, I am also a devout follower of Buddhism. For a while, I considered training to be a priest.”
“Well, it shows. Your mana is not any of the normal elements. Instead, you have Holy power in your mana. The sword you will learn to wield will cut down many creatures, and purify their remains.”
Kinjo, frowning, raised his hand. I chuckled, and said, “I am not casting any dispersions on you, my friend, or saying your faith is weak. Just as I can use Life spells, despite being an undead, anyone who has faith can, with practice and ritual, use their faith to perform magic by channeling their chosen deity’s power. But there are some who are born with the talent for Holy or Unholy mana.”
Kinjo nodded, but Ya raised her own hand in turn. When I bade her speak, she asked, “Does Holy or Unholy translate to Good and Evil?”
“No. That is one of the fundamental misconceptions of divine magic. Holy is the magic of purification, while Unholy is the magic of corruption. Both can come from the same source, be it gods or demons. It is possible to wield Holy on a campaign of terror, purging all those who stand in your way, or for Unholy to stand as a shield against tyranny, corrupting and breaking the systems that had long held people in chains. Just like with the mage’s elements, it is what you do with the magic that matters.”
I reached into my pocket dimension again, and, this time, I pulled out a cart with several items. They were beginner foci for all the elements, with different styles in mind. This was how I would test to see their style.
I started with Naya, since she was the first to find her element. From the cart, I pulled a tray that had five objects upon it. A wand, a black crystal, a grimoire, a ring, and a dagger. All of them were tinged with Death, allowing someone to more easily cast Death magic through them.
“Close your eyes,” I commanded, and the girl obeyed. Quickly, I spun her about a couple times, just enough so that she would lose track of where the items were placed. It was important not to bias the test, after all. “Now, keep your eyes closed, and reach out with your magic. You have five pieces in front of you, infused with your element. Reach out and take the one that calls most to you.”
Naya nodded, and stepped forward. She held her right hand out, over the tray, and slowly moved it side to side. She paused, and made her choice.
“Open your eyes, Aeko Naya.” I smiled at her face as she found herself looking at the black wooden wand. “From this day forth, you are a Sorceress of Death, a Reaper. There is great power down this path, but also the potential for great danger. We shall speak of it later.”
I returned the Death tray to the cart, and pulled out the tray for Fire. It had the same five items on it, only the crystal for this tray was red. As I stepped in front of Ya, she closed her eyes without needing to be told. After I spun her around, I offered the tray to her.
I nodded as she picked up the grimoire. “Open your eyes, Dai Ya. From this day forth, you are an Arcanist of the Flame, a Pyromancer. The study of fire in all its forms shall be the center of your training, and few will be able to match your potential for destruction.”
I smiled as I returned the Fire tray to the cart, and pulled out the Darkness and Air trays. Looking at Kinjo, I said, “My friend, this is a special moment. Few people awaken to two elements at once. When this happens, there is a chance that the two elements wish to express themselves in different ways. You might have a Flame Sorcerer who also has a Wellwatcher’s talents. This can make training difficult, as you need to learn two styles at once, but, in the end, you will be stronger for it. Or, you might have both the same style, and learn to meld your elements as few others have before.”
I spun him about, as I did the others, and said, “Now, stretch out with your magic. You should feel two pulls, one from each tray. Let your magic guide you, and pick that which feels right.”
He reached out, with both hands, and moved them across the trays. He spent longer on the choice than the others had, but that was to be expected, since he had two sources calling to him, rather than just the one. Eventually, his hands stopped, and he made his choice.
“Open your eyes, Kinjo Noriaki. You bear the Ring of Shadow, and the Blade of Air. From this point on, you shall be both Shadowsoul and Wind Warrior. You have taken a path chosen by few, but that power will give you strength beyond measure, in time.”
I put away the trays, and then slid the cart into my pocket dimension, before pulling out a small box. Turning to Makoto, I said, “Holy and Unholy are unlike the magic of mages and cultivators. While the techniques I can teach you will serve to bolster your abilities, advancement along your path will require you to look within yourself, and find the connection you have with that higher power.”
I opened the box, revealing three objects: a dagger, an amulet, and a bracelet. “The paths of the Holy are different from that of the mage. Pick your path, and I will give you what guidance I can.”
I spun the young swordsman around, and then allowed him to choose. The three choices would determine how he progressed. But, given what he had told me, I was far from surprised when Makoto’s hand gripped the dagger, and held it aloft.
“Open your eyes, Miyasato Makoto. From this day forth, you are a Bearer of the Holy Sword. Your blade will shine with righteousness, and will cut down the unworthy. But take care, lest you stray from the path of wisdom, and into the realm of fanaticism. For the Holy warrior, strength must be tempered by understanding, or only suffering will result.”
I closed the box, and returned it to my pocket dimension. I would need to replace the foci eventually, but that was no matter. I would get my people at Athelian Arms to make them, as tests of their newfound enchanting abilities.
Looking at my four students, I smiled. “This was but the first step upon your journey into the realm of magic. But, now that you have your elements and your styles, I will bring forth experts who can better advise you on the next step. Specialists who have the learning of an entire world to offer to those with your elements.”
My eyes rested on Naya. “Except for you. You, my young Reaper, I shall teach personally, and, in so doing, perhaps keep you from venturing too far down Death’s path before you are ready.”
Chapter 46 – Reaper
I summoned teachers for my other students from my army of the dead, and commanded them to move to other areas of the compound, so that they would not interrupt or distract us, and vice versus. This was one of the most important part of the training, after all, the foundation. If you built a solid foundation, then they could grow at their own pace with little worries. A cracked foundation, however, might allow for poor methods, or having them bite off more than they could chew.
Turning to look at my young apprentice, I said, “Your element is Death, and you are a Sorcerer. You have seen my lectures. Tell me, what do you think that means?”
Naya took a breath, and said, “A Sorcerer uses their force of personality to make their will manifest in the world. They tell the universe how they want things to be, and it complies. Death is the element of curses and the one that governs undeath, but it isn’t used in the creation of plagues or other such things.”
“Yes,” I nodded. “But the most important part is that Sorcerers often incorporate parts of their element into their physical form. Not intentionally, of course, but as a natural consequence of practicing their art. Drawing upon the element with their will alone, it is only to be expected that the element would color their body and soul.”
Naya frowned slightly as she worked through the implications of that. “Does that mean that learning magic is going to curse me? Or turn me into an undead?”
I sighed. “Perhaps. If you delve the depths of magic too greedily, and too deep? Almost certainly. Oh, it isn’t all bad, of course. Because Death is used to quell diseases, I can promise you that, once you have grown into your power, only magical diseases will have any chance of touching you, and cancer, of any kind, is completely out of the question, which are concerns that Animators deal with constantly.
“But there is definitely cause for concern, and for caution. Magic done through foci and willpower can fail or backfire if you get distracted, just as it can with a CAD. But when you’re channeling the essence of Death, that means you may find yourself rebounding a hex upon yourself, and it naturally sinks into your aura. Or you might find parts of your body necrotizing, becoming like the undead creatures you will learn to create.
“And this is where the greatest danger for you comes in, my apprentice. For you are a woman, and, to put it bluntly, a large portion of your body falls squarely within the domain of Life.” I nodded as Naya’s eyes grew wide, and continued, “Yes, Reapers, out of all the types of Sorcerers, have the hardest time becoming pregnant, because their bodies are used to harnessing death. After a certain point in their training, it becomes impossible for them to create new life without magical aid.
“Young reapers are told, as soon as they have their first period, that if they go more than five or six years in this training without having a child, then it is likely they never will, without help. Even if you use the incredible fertility of an Animator to try and get pregnant, it would still be a difficult process. And even after, there can be complications, because of your own mana affecting the unborn child.”
“What do you mean, sensei?”
“When a reaper’s mana corrupts their unborn child, one of three things can happen. One, the mana is too much, and snuffs out the young life before it could ever be born. Two, the mana weakens the child, causing them to be weak and sickly at birth, though they may recover after. Or three, the child is ‘born’ as an Atropal, an undead creature that will often act as a familiar to the mother that birthed it.”
Naya shuddered in revulsion. “H-how likely is that?”
“In the rare case of a reaper in their twenties or older getting pregnant? Roughly one in ten becomes an atropal, while two out of the same ten are born healthy, and without issue, and another four are born sickly. Three out of every ten reaper pregnancies end with the mother losing the child completely.”
Naya looked like the world fell on her, and I had to admit that, if I wasn’t already undead by the time I learned that, I would have been in the same boat. “Now, because you are later in starting your studies than those young reapers would be, and you do have the foremost expert on Death magic in your corner, I think you might be able to beat the odds. But, even so, if you wish to have children, it is best that you hurry up and have them before your magic makes it too difficult.”
“Did they really teach it like that in the other world, telling girls to go out and get pregnant as soon as possible?”
I chuckled. “Actually, yes. Of course, that wasn’t so much different from normal girls, either. Or the boys, for that matter. The life expectancy of a peasant was thirty years, give or take, and infant mortality was no better than that of medieval times in this world. The wealthy, and those who had magic, had it better, obviously, but still,” I shrugged.
Naya nodded slowly. “And where did mages fit into this?”
“Someone with a mage’s talents would be brought up to the minor nobility, if they weren’t already, especially since the talent was at least partly genetic. Tying the mage to the kingdom would increase the kingdom’s power. Not just in war, mind you, but in all facets of life.”
“How so?”
“Well, Life mages were always sought out to help in healing wounds and ensuring that both mother and child made it through childbirth. They also had some ability to enhance the yield of crops, and make livestock more fruitful. Simple things like that could make all the difference in times of trouble.
“Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Light all had similar utilitarian uses, that I’m sure a clever girl like you could figure out. Darkness was a bit of a special case. A practiced Shadowbringer could make the shadows around them have physical form, allowing them to do any number of tasks equal only to the limits of their imagination and their stamina. However, they were more often used as spies, assassins, and thieves, for obvious reasons.”
“And what of Death, sensei?”
“Ah, Death. Well, whenever there was a plague, be it locusts or disease, a Death Mage was called for. Death mages would work hand in hand with Life mages, sterilizing equipment and keeping parasites and disease at bay while they set about healing a patient. Even without a Life Mage, a Death mage could kill an infection in a patient, put a ward up to keep them from getting reinfected, and then use the traditional healing arts to help the body heal itself naturally.”
I paused. “And, of course, there’s the art of creating minions. Each of the different elements has their own kind of minion, and for Death it would be the undead, whether they be soulless husks intent on devouring everything in their path, or a fallen soul yanked back from the afterlife and stuck in their rotting corpse, or whatever. As part of the study of Necromancy, and creating the undead, you will also learn Soul Magic, one of the most dangerous and terrifying branches of magic.”
Naya looked like she was about to say something, but I just shook my head. “You know a fraction of my abilities, how I can rip a man’s soul from his body with a gesture, yes? And how I can then bind that soul into an enchantment, burning it away until it is wholly spent in empowering a magic item? If that was all Soul Magic did, it would not be so feared. Oh, people would still fear it, but only as much as you would someone with a gun that shot bullets that electrocuted people as they died. Yes, it is gruesome, but if that’s all then it is just a bit more sadistic way of killing someone with a gun.
“No, the true terror in Soul Magic is that you can manipulate the soul itself. This can create bindings, like you see in Slave Magic, or it can force a connection between two beings, like in a Familiar ceremony. It even forms the basis of the Hero Summoning ritual. And a skilled practitioner can alter a soul.”
My apprentice had the sense to be horrified by the implications of what I just said. “Yes, I can see that you understand, at least somewhat. Through soul manipulation, you can change everything about a person. Memories, morality, who they love and what god they follow? All of it can be altered, either by smashing the soul apart and putting it back together as you see fit, or by making careful edits, one after another until it is impossible to know what is true and what is a lie.”
