Lessons on magic (part 4).

William stretched in place, uncomfortable with how stiff his body was becoming. If Aoi’s lecture consisted mostly of talking, he didn’t see why they couldn’t do it at the cabin. The atmosphere in the barn wasn’t hindering, but it was uncomfortable.

“We only have two more types of magic to go through,” Aoi said. “And thankfully, these are the easiest. The names might make them sound strange, but evocation and thaumaturgy are what most people associate with the word ‘magic’. At least, if you’re talking about supernatural effects and not card tricks.”

“So we’re finally talking about fireballs?” Will asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, actually. That’s what evocation magic is about. Now, I’m not very good at it, but…” She once again put out her hand as if she was holding something, and after a second, something appeared on the palm of her hand. It resembled a colorless flame, but even as he got closer to inspect it, Will felt no heat coming from it.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Aether. This is what we use to fuel magic, but in such a concentrated form, it’s visible to the naked eye. To manipulate it in this way, is what we call evocation.” She then hurled that small concentration of aether at the wall, making a surprising knocking sound as it made contact.

“That thing was… solid?” Will asked, confused.

“If anything, it’s more similar to plasma than any other state of matter, but even then that’s not entirely correct. What makes aether so interesting is how malleable it is. You could condense it enough to be as hard as a rock or even make it into liquid or gas. And that’s only the beginning for evocation magic. They say that you’re a beginner evocation mage once you’re able to transform pure aether into the four elements.”

“Oooh, so that’s what you meant. These days, with movies, television and games, most people associate magic with things like fire balls and shooting lightning.”

Aoi nodded with a proud smile. “Just so. And that makes it especially easy to learn. Well, not easy, but you get what I mean. It’s also the hardest to use in our modern world.”

Will tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Normal people are unlikely to notice the use of enchantment or illusion magic, even when used on them, and with enough precautions, use of strengthening, restoration and even construction magic can be kept a secret. But there are very few occasions when hurling a fireball at a problem won’t be noticeable or leave hard-to-explain marks behind.”

“Oooh, I see. Yeah, using magic like that would leave evidence all over the place, especially for other mages.”

“Exactly. There are… factions that work to keep the existence of magic a secret. They can’t watch the entire world, but those who find magic and overuse it are easily spotted and taken care of. Evocation mages are the easiest to track down.”

“Okay, I get the picture. That leaves us with thaumaturgy. What’s it about?”

“Thaumaturgy is the type of magic that interacts most with the physical world. Similar to strengthening magic, it doesn’t create something from aether, but affects what’s already there through it. Making things levitate, making an existing fire even bigger and making noises louder are only the beginning. Masters of the art may even be capable of less direct effects, like clairvoyance, precognition and telepathy.”

‘That sounds like my ability to read minds, don’t you think? The method I use is to follow a person’s libido all the way to their emotions and thoughts, but the effect fits the description.’

‘We can’t make things levitate, however. Did you skip the easy skills all the way to the hardest?’

‘You should know by now to never underestimate the power of horny.’

“Now that you know the basics of magic, have you come to understand more of your powers?” Aoi asked Will.

“Yes. Many of the things we can do fall in some category or other. It puts into perspective how skilled Ishtar actually is, especially since she seems to have developed these skills without knowing the theory behind it. The problem is that it gets to her head.”

“Higher spirits aren’t known for their humility, after all. The theory is that they were once powerful beings or rulers in that other world that ended up getting lost in ours.”

‘Powerful… rulers…?’

‘Something coming back to you?’

‘No, but I feel like it should. Do you think I was once a succubus queen?’

‘I doubt it. You’re too immature and impulsive to be a queen.’

‘I could’ve totally been a queen! My kingdom would’ve thrived under my rule!’

‘Hard to get anything done when the kingdom’s policies would be to have orgies 24/7.’

‘But that’s what I meant by thrive.’

“And now that you understand things better,” Aoi continued. “It’s time to practice.”

Will raised an eyebrow and looked at Aoi up and down. “Practice… what exactly?” The word practice had become synonymous with something else to him, after all.

“You have girls to help you with that side of your powers already, so get your mind out of the gutter for a moment. No, we’re working on the things we can strengthen about you. You don’t need my help to get better at enchantment, and illusion, restoration and construction are too complex to get any immediate results. And we’re low on time. That being the case, I’ll teach you what I can about strengthening and evocation magic, as well as work on your fighting skills. You may have access to superhuman strength, but you’re a lousy fighter.”

“I am, but how much can I learn in a day?”

“That’s what we’re about to find out.” In the blink of an eye, Aoi’s empty hands now held a piece of smooth wood shaped like a katana. A practice sword. “The time for theory is over. Now it’s time to let the body learn on its own.”

“W-Wait! Y-You don’t mean…!”

‘Run, Will! Run!’

Aoi lunged at him, wooden sword held high and ready to bring it down and split his head open.

Move or die!