Mana mirror the first ga.., p.9
Mana Mirror: The First Gate, page 9
“Oh no, dear,” she said with a grandmotherly smile. “We’re going to work on just investing it into a single seed today. While there are spells that can affect large areas, and a Spellbinder can enhance the growth of an entire field in just two weeks, I don’t see much of a reason for you to learn the middling spells. The Mass Enhance Plant Life that Spellbinders can do and the Enhance Plant Life that any Practitioner can do are sufficient for you, unless you plan to become a farmer.”
I scrunched my eyebrows together in thought.
“What about spells like Fungal Lock? That grows mushrooms all over someone to drain them.”
“Yes, but those sorts of spells—like Entangling Briars, which I plan to offer to show you once you’ve opened your second gate—don’t actually grow the plants. You can use life mana to turn your hands into claws, but that’s not a permanent shapeshifting. You’re using the mana to create artificial constructs. They resemble life, and may act like it in many ways, but they vanish once their mana supply runs dry.”
She gave me a shrewd look and smiled.
“You got your hands on Fungal Lock, then?”
I nodded. I’d already all but admitted it, so if it was going to get me in trouble, better to find out now.
“That’s a good choice for you,” she said. “We’ll practice it some today, as well as your Enhance Plant Life spell.”
“What on?” I asked. We’d taken out all of the large rocks, except for the blocks left for Ed to practice with.
“Oh, on me, of course,” she said with a chuckle. “What were you expecting, dear?”
“I don’t want the drain to hurt you, though.” I said. Meadow was old, and I didn’t want her to wind up getting injured in a training accident.
“Child, look at me with your Analyze Life spell.”
I sketched out the spell and did as she said.
To the purely biological part of the spell, she appeared to be an old woman. In excellent health, but still nothing more.
But…
The mana flows of life energy in her body were strong. Extremely so. I had no point of reference for converting life energy into mana, so I couldn’t even guess at her power, but she had the most life of anyone I’d seen. It had to have been magically reinforced.
“I’ve got plenty of energy,” she said, “but it’s sweet of you to worry. Now, onward to growing some clover!”
We spent most of the rest of the day working on growing a handful of clovers, while Ed was told to practice his fine control with a Stone Sculpting spell.
I did wonder why she was bothering to teach Ed. I’d only briefly met Orykson, but he didn’t strike me as the type to pay Meadow to train my brother as well. Maybe Meadow really was as grandmotherly as she seemed.
The Enhance Plant Life spell was an extreme tax on my mana, even more than the Analyze Life spell, and I wound up converting some of my death mana into life mana to keep it up. It was horribly inefficient, causing me to lose almost three quarters of the mana, but it let me keep practicing.
Meadow vanished around lunch but came back with some chicken sandwiches, which I happily devoured alongside a Mana Shock. I was starting to get used to the flavor, and the mana restoration was definitely useful.
I spent a few more hours working with the Analyze Life and Enhance Plant Life spells before Meadow eventually called for me to stop.
“I’ve got to head home soon, but I want to give you a chance to practice the Fungal Lock spell.”
I nodded and checked my mana reserves. My death mana was mostly full, but my life mana was almost tapped out. I converted a little bit, regretting the loss. I needed to find a way to convert more efficiently.
“Go ahead, dear,” she said.
I held up my hand and traced out the spell in the air. This was the first spell I’d ever cast with mana mixing, but to my surprise, it came easily to me. The inverse mana types didn’t blend, or at least, not fully.
It wasn’t like mixing blue and red to make purple; it was more like a gradient moving from red to blue. There was some purple in between, but there was still distinct blue and red.
Once I was certain I’d done the spell correctly, I focused it onto Meadow.
Instantly, a bright purple and green glow burst over her and transformed into the shape of mushrooms, with long mycelium tendrils running over her body. The mushrooms were more like the polypore fungus that lived on trees than the button mushrooms that went in food.
The drain on my mana was large, but not as much as I’d been expecting. Presumably, that was the secondary effect of my legacy, assisting me with the spell’s efficiency.
“Now use Analyze Life and Analyze Death,” she said.
I did as she asked, and though my mana was draining extremely quickly with all three spells active, I was able to get a decent look at her and the spell.
The spell’s mushroom constructs definitely weren’t real, like she’d said. More than anything, they resembled the flows of life and death energy I could see with the spell.
More interestingly, the mycelium tendrils were digging into her own energy flows. They didn’t get very far, but they did dig in and sap away at her energy. They then used some of that energy to reinforce the mushrooms, making them stronger and inhibiting her movement even more.
Then she moved her hand, and her flows of life energy flexed. The Fungal Lock spell blew apart.
I let the analysis spells drain the rest of my mana while she talked.
“That’s a pretty good spell, for being first gate. You’ve got plenty of room to improve the efficiency of it, and you’ll need to sketch faster in an actual fight, but it’s a solid start.”
“Thank you,” I said, glad that she approved of my choice.
We spent a little bit longer talking about the spell before Meadow had to leave. Liz came over for dinner again that night, and I drank a cup of Lithetic Tea before bed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
For many people, even most Arcanists and Occultists, teleporting into Daocheng from outside of the nation without being attracted to one of their teleportation anchors was impossible. Teleporting within the nation itself was unimpeded, of course, but getting inside from the outside normally required a special pass, otherwise you had to allow yourself to redirect to an anchor.
That was a matter of national security, and most nations had something like that around their borders. For almost everyone, that was sufficient.
Orykson wasn’t just anyone, however.
He pushed through the spells directing all teleportation without even setting off the alarms. His bound elemental hummed strangely as Orykson cast his spatial mana around himself.
“Have you found him?” he asked the spirit.
“Yes,” the elemental said. “But it remains likely that he’s going to attack us upon our arrival. I do not advise that we stay unannounced.”
“It’s best this way,” Orykson said, then waved his hand.
He appeared on the top of a mountain, his shoes crunching into the snow. At the edge of a rough footpath, seated with his legs dangling over the edge of the cliff, was Ikki.
The Time Prince was on the short list of people for whom Orykson held some actual respect. He was tall, over six feet, but slender. He had an androgynous beauty to his face, and his almond-shaped eyes glimmered with intelligence. He wore a sensible suit, and though it was simpler than Orykson’s own, the sleek look fit him.
As soon as Orykson appeared in the snow, Ikki reacted.
A curved, single-edged blade appeared in the air and slashed at Orykson, leaving a trail of time echoes in the air. Before the blade could touch him, however, he had already teleported away.
In those brief moments, Ikki had gotten to his feet. He burst at Orykson with temporally enhanced speed, but Orykson teleported again before the fist drove into the air where his chest had been.
Ikki immediately whipped around with a back kick, which would have caught most people that used short-ranged teleports in battle – the temptation to teleport directly behind a target was hard to resist.
But Orykson wasn’t an amateur, and he’d teleported back and to his left, causing the kick to whistle past him harmlessly.
Ikki turned the momentum into a backslide, whipping his fist in a hook, as his blade and their time echoes began to move around him, making it hard for Orykson to teleport nearby without being in arm’s reach of the blade or an echo.
The blow connected with Orykson’s chest before he could teleport away, striking with enough force to crumple a normal man’s chest.
Instead, it merely knocked Orykson back, sending him flying over the cliff – where a current of air caught him. He teleported a moment later, as the blades started to push towards him.
Ikki had certainly recognized Orykson by this point, meaning that this wasn’t a real fight. It was a test, to make sure Orykson had enough strength to be worth his time.
Orykson had expected as much, but he did find Daocheng’s insistence on strength being everything a touch taxing.
Well, if Ikki wanted a spar…
Orykson stopped Ikki’s heart and caused it to cave in on itself. The Time Prince faltered for only a moment, though his hasting spell remained active.
The damage repaired itself an instant later as Ikki used a spell to bring forward an anchored moment in time into his body – presumably, a moment where Ikki had been at the peak of health.
The waving blades and echoes had stopped while he fixed the heart problems, however, so Orykson took advantage and locked the swords in their own pocket universe. That took a noticeable drain on his mana, but Ikki’s bonded sword had enough power to utterly destroy this body with a single good strike.
That wouldn’t stop him, but it would be inconvenient.
By the time the sword was gone, Ikki was fully recovered. Around him, time began to warp, rolling off of him in a wave. Ikki was moving much faster, but the world around Orykson began to slow.
His thoughts would have slowed, too, if he hadn’t bonded a knowledge elemental to his death mana so many years ago.
But even though his mind was able to keep up, his body was slow and lethargic.
He teleported out of the way of a fist, but realized then that he’d fallen for Ikki’s trap.
Time froze inside of the bubble, entirely ceasing to flow except around Ikki. Even Orykson’s spirit wasn’t able to keep his mind going as it, too, got caught up in the frozen time.
But in Orykson’s pocket, his stopwatch’s hour hand ticked forward once, and Orykson vanished.
He appeared inside of his own pocket universe and let out a groan.
He’d built the pocket watch explicitly for countering time mages like Ikki. Freezing time was beyond the power of anyone but a Magus, but he’d taken that into account with the artifact.
By having to rely on the watch, he’d lost the duel, at least in his eyes. He should have gone stronger on offense – Ikki’s offense was impeccable, but the only defenses he had were slowing time and bringing forward a healed version of himself into him to repair damage, both of which were taxing on his mana.
Within the pocket world, Orykson watched and waited for the frozen time to undo itself. As soon as it did, he reappeared.
Not in the same spot from which he’d vanished, of course. That would be foolish beyond belief.
Ikki turned to face him and tucked his hands into his pockets.
“I win,” the Time Prince said.
If it had been a real fight, then Orykson having a contingency against a time stop spell could have saved him, and the battle could have continued.
But for a simple spar? Needing to rely on a contingency was showing weakness.
Of course, losing was showing weakness as well, but it was a conclusion to the spar. If he kept pushing after being forced to admit weakness, he’d look like a brat.
He couldn’t stand Daocheng at times.
“You do,” Orykson admitted, dusting off his clothes. “Not that you should have used ninth gate mana for a spar, but since you did…”
“What are you here for, Orykson?”
“Is it not enough to visit an old friend?” Orykson asked, a teasing smile on his face.
Ikki let out a soft laugh, and he began to walk back to the cliff where he had been seated before. Orykson followed and sat next to him.
“It would be, yes. But if you wanted that, you wouldn’t have shown up unannounced.”
“True enough,” Orykson said, sighing and stretching.
“So, what are you here for?”
“I’ve taken an apprentice.”
Ikki stilled. Not the unnatural stillness of being frozen in time, just the ordinary stillness of someone hoping that they’d heard incorrectly.
“Orykson, you remember your last apprentice. She’s been nothing but a menace.”
“She was a failure for multiple reasons. I’ve reviewed everything that I did wrong with her, and I plan to correct those failures in my current experiment.”
“Explain,” Ikki said.
“First, the mana types. Lunar and mental are acceptable, death was excellent, but that was it. Her desolation mana was worthless. The lack of life mana also provided a psychological error, in my belief. She became used to working only with the dead, and thus stopped worrying about life, considering it only a precursor to death.”
“Hm,” Ikki said. “I am not certain that was a result of mana, so much as it was from you keeping her cloistered in your castle of the dead. After all, many death mages are able to overcome such effect by simply retaining their human connections.”
“Which leads into my second point: freedom. I attempted to control my previous experiment too much. I selected her spells, which is common in an apprenticeship, but I didn’t allow her to experiment with other spells. I gave her challenges suited perfectly to her skillsets and power level, designed to challenge her without risking her life. I monitored her companion spirits and every move she made.”
“True,” Ikki said. “You’re allowing this one to take actual risks, then?”
“I…” Orykson said, hesitating. He was guiding the boy’s growth, was he not? Selecting missions applicable to his skill level?
Ikki frowned at him.
“Orykson. A life without risk doesn’t produce Arcanists, let alone Occultists or Magi.”
“You’re right,” Orykson said with a slow sigh. “I’ll stop trying to control the work he does and allow him to judge for himself.”
“And if he were to die?” Ikki pressed.
“If he dies, I’ll be annoyed, but I’m not going to stop it. That would have been true regardless. If he isn’t capable enough to get out of a hole he’s dug for himself, then he’s not a true apprentice.”
Ikki nodded and let out a breath.
“Good. Your last apprentice was given a sense of delusion from only facing tailormade challenges, so I am glad to hear you will not repeat that mistake. What else?”
“Meadow is going to be teaching him plant magic. She spouted her usual drivel about family and community around it as well.”
Ikki considered that for a moment, then nodded.
“I see. And why are you here, then?”
“The boy’s legacy… Mana Mirror.”
“How many mana types does he have?”
“Two. He’s already chosen life and death, but I expect him to have chosen his second pairing within a year.”
“Spatial and temporal…”
“I’m not forcing him,” Orykson said. “But I will strongly advise him to choose that, yes.”
“If he does, you want me to teach him?”
“You’re the strongest time mage on the planet. Who else?”
“I suppose that’s true. I am not motivated by wanting to ensure this project goes differently, however. What do I get?”
“A favor,” Orykson said.
Ikki considered for a few moments, then took a long breath.
“You know how much weight that has, Orykson. The scales between us are even, and they have been for over a century. But at the same time, you’d have me help you craft a powerful weapon.”
“I would. I’m not controlling him or protecting him like I did her, so I can’t promise he’ll never take up arms against Daocheng, but I don’t think he will. He has no reason to.”
“I’ll… think on it.”
“That’s all I can ask,” Orykson said. “Care for a drink?”
He waved his hand and a pair of glasses appeared, along with a wine bottle.
Ikki poured them both a drink, and as they sipped at their wine, they stared down at the village miles beneath them. If their spar had escalated, it could have been destroyed.
But it hadn’t. So instead, Orykson merely took another sip.
“When do you plan to kill your father?” Orykson asked dryly. He’d had his flaws exposed, so he saw no reason to not drag out Ikki’s. “The Storm King is almost as bad as Vivian.”
“Father isn’t that bad,” Ikki said. “But… I can’t win against him. You know that. Could you?”
“Maybe,” Orykson said. “I’m not the strongest in combat, you know that. You could win.”
“I cannot,” Ikki insisted.
Rather than argue, Orykson shook his head and watched the sun rise with his oldest, and perhaps only, friend.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The next two days passed without much trouble. I could definitely see the value of working in a butcher’s shop, but its limits were becoming obvious as well, especially while I was more focused on sketching out the Analysis spells than I was actually using them.
Still, they weren’t bad, not by any means. I made significant progress in sketching the Analyze spells, and I thought that I may actually be able to master Analyze Life by the end of the following week, which would put me at three weeks out of four.
Analyze Death was a bit harder – I had less opportunity to train it, and my first gate death mana was smaller than its life counterpart, likely due to the Lithetic Tea and extra practice with Meadow.
I still was nowhere near its maximum, of course, but it was nonetheless impressive – or at least, I thought it was.
