...So We Prepared For Our Journey

With the still-sleeping Lyra secured to my back, I walk while keeping pace with the magician I've come to know as Lasula. It's been less than an hour since we gathered all my stuff and took off again. We've since left the wall far in the distance… and hopefully those pursuers as well. Which leads me to…

"S-So how'd you even do that—?!" I glimmer, turning towards her mid-pace.

"Back there?" Lasula asks. "The same as those spires, of course. Alteration magic. I temporarily modified the structure of the ground to form a wall. Quite handy, wouldn't you say?"

"It was just like… Like you just waved your hands and terraformed the entire prairie," I say. "It was… Awesome! It was badass!"

Lasula laughs.

"I'm glad you like it," she smiles. "I was taught this magic by someone very special to me. As such, I tend to hold it above all other forms of magic."

I think to myself for a second.

"This special person…" I say. "Is that why you're traveling? To see them again?"

"Hm?"

"W-Well, I just assumed… Y'know what, never mind."

Lasula smiles.

"You aren't far off the mark," she says. "I've been traveling all alone for a few years now. But once I make it to Dresnia's capital… I think I'll finally be ready to see her again."

I hesitate at hearing this.

"Is… Is she dead?!" I exclaim.

"N-No, not at all!" she replies, waving her hands dismissively. "It has… just been a long while. Sorry if my phrasing made it seem that way. I am… conflicted, is all."

"Huh," I say.

For a while, we continue in silence. I spend the time idly glancing around at the scenery. Might just be my eyes playing tricks on me, but it actually feels like we're staring to get closer to the mountains. Quite a ways to go still, but I can't help but feel excited towards our progress.

Lasula points off to the side, interrupting my zoning out. The massive forest that lines the prairie juts out into it a ways ahead.

"Let's make our way there," she says. "We should spend a few days building up enough provisions to make the mountain pass. That, and of course Lyra here needs the rest."

"Oh, sure," I nod.

With that, we gradually begin in the direction of the forest.

No more than a half hour later, we're seated in a small clearing between the trees. Lasula has spread out all of our combined supplies to assess what we have to work with.

"I'd intended to restock in town, so it was unfortunate that they didn't let me in when I arrived yesterday," says Lasula. "If they did, we wouldn't be so low on the necessities."

"What all's it gonna take to get us over the mountains?" I ask.

"Well, food seems to be the most pertinent supply at the moment," she says. "And with the two weeks to cross, give or take a few days… One hundred and forty four modest meals worth of food, or ninety-six hearty meals."

"The hell…?" I mutter. "Then that's…"

"Three or two meals every day, respectively," she nods. "We can certainly get by on much less… but then again, the mountains are quite strenuous to traverse. You'll probably exert yourself more than you ever have. Simply put, it's better to play it safe and pack too much than be caught unprepared."

"Huh. Well… a wild pig could probably get us most of the way there. And there's a crap-ton all through this forest. But… I'm not all that great at hunting pigs. I tried once and it got me with its tusks. That's how I got this scar here." I briefly pull up my shirt to show a scar on my side. "Have you ever gone hunting, Lasula?"

"Yes, a long time ago," she says. "But I don't anymore. I chose to take a vow of non-violence nearly fifteen years ago."

"Fifteen years…?" I say, tilting my head. "You couldn't have been all that old then, right? I mean… You seem pretty young now…"

Lasula laughs.

"I appreciate the thought, but in reality I would say I'm almost old enough to be your mother," she smiles. "…While my vow technically only extends to humans, I suppose I'd rather not hurt animals either if given the choice."

"Ah. I… guess I could take over the hunting. You'll still eat what I catch though, right?"

"As long as you hunt with respect," she nods.

"With respect… Uh, what's that supposed to mean?"

Lasula sets her hands in her lap.

"Out here in the wilds, no life is lesser or greater, be it man or beast. Nature is a perfect cycle of energy transferral. It won't do to upset this cycle by placing too much stress on one end. When you take the life of an animal, you must do so with respect and only out of a need for the food necessary for survival."

"Oh. Yeah, that sounds… doable…? Just don't kill what I can't eat?"

"…Y-Yes, something like that. I would go along with you, but I should tend to Lyra here until she awakens. Oh, but do come straight back if you run into trouble of any sort!"

I hop to my feet.

"Got it. Don't worry, I'll bring us back a good one!" I grin, clenching a fist.

"Wait a moment— how do you expect to catch anything without any tools?" she asks.

"That's easy, I've got—" I stop mid-sentence. I think back to what Coot said about my sword. I like Lasula a lot… but I think I'll keep it to myself for now. "—Err, I mean… I've got my ways. Be right back—!"

With that, I take off.

Tromping through the woods, it didn't take me long to find one— about an hour or so. The only problem then… was what comes after.

My target is a Mossback Boar, this gnarly wild pig that's got moss growing over its spine. They're real common, and the hunters from the village always were able to bring at least one back every time they went out. But how exactly they did it completely beat me…cuz I've been chasing after this one for the past twenty minutes.

"Get back here, damn pig!!!" I holler, wildly swinging my sword as I sprint after the zigzagging animal.

The pig weaves in and out of the trees, and I'm just barely able to keep up. I've still got plenty of stamina, but I can't help but wonder if I'll be able to outrun the thing.

I put a finger to my chin.

"Wait hold on…" I mutter. "She did say…'Be respectful.' Err… 'Hey pig, please let me eat you!!!' Nope, doesn't sound right…"

The boar suddenly digs its hooves into the ground, causing it to stop. It makes a shallow turn, flashing its tusks as it angles itself towards me.

"Wait… it actually worked—?!"

The boar immediately charges, this time after me.

"Wait, no no no!!! Not that way!!!" I shout, scrambling to sprint off in the other direction. "Dammit, um… heel! Shoo! S-Screw off, porky!!!"

I keep running as the boar continues to get closer and closer. I intermittently look over my shoulder. But on my last glance-back, I bring my eyes forward again at just the right time… to skitter to a stop at the very edge of a massive cliff that drops off over a four hundred feet into another forest below.

The boar doesn't, however, and charges straight off the cliff. It twists around in the air as it disappears beyond the edge, falling towards the ground with a prolonged squeal that gradually grows more and more distant.

My eyes are glassed over from my near death experience. I end up collapsing backwards and laying down on the ground, staring blankly up at the sky. Feels like my soul left my body through my ass.

"Oh how grateful I am for the life I have been spared," I murmur. I lay in silence for a few moments more in my fit of sudden mortality.

Then I sit upright. But as I do…

An inconceivably huge human face chiseled from weathered stone stares me back. It has on an eerily stagnant look, passive and yet almost mournful, and its eye sockets are completely hollow. Even so, I can sense a sort of watchful gaze coming from it— Even though its entire head is one solid immutable mass. So big that its eye sockets alone could swallow a small barn.

If my soul didn't leave before, it sure has now. Or maybe I just shat myself.

A craggy stone hand rises up and is set on the edge of the cliff with its palm facing up. The pig, startled from its fall, leaps off of it and bolts out into the forest.

It's then that the colossus stares at me again, like it's looking past my body and gazing into my very soul. I can't think straight. I'm too afraid to breathe.

And then… it turns away, and begins off. As it departs, I am able to see its body in full. Its features are remarkably human, with detailed musculature carved from it despite being entirely solid. Each movement of its stone joints cause dust to rain down on the forest below its feet… but strange enough, it doesn't disturb a single tree where it steps. I watch it in disbelief as my senses slowly come back to me.

It's then that I see in the far distance, where everything fades to blue… Seven more of them stand looming in a circle, with their heads tilted down towards the ground. The giant's lumbering steps eventually take it to the circle of the others, where it falls into place and then grows still. If I hadn't already seen one moving, I would have thought they were statues all along.

Minutes later they begin to fade out of existence, starting at the base of their feet and slowly rising up their bodies in unison until they're erased completely. By then, there's nothing left to show that they ever existed.

I loosely wander back towards the familiar clearing, my eyes still glazed over from the incomprehensible sight. I somberly take a seat by our stuff and rest my chin on my folded hands.

It takes me another minute or two to realize that neither Lasula, nor Lyra are here anymore. At first I don't pay it any mind since it's the last thing I'm thinking about. But time passes, and it finally clicks in my head. Neither Lasula nor Lyra are here anymore. And that's immediately worrying.

A rumbling just beyond the clearing causes me to leap to my feet. It's coming from the direction of the open prairie.

I take off running, momentarily shoving aside my unnatural encounter. I duck under loose branches and skirt around the large trees until finally—

Near the edge of the prairie, I find Lyra sitting cross-legged not far from where Lasula stands. Lyra watches intently as Lasula waves her arms around, creating spires of morphed terrain.

I walk up behind Lyra without saying a word. She's so mesmerized that she doesn't notice my approach.

Lasula eventually takes notice of me standing there. When she does, she pauses her magic and smiles.

"Welcome back, Marco. How went your hunt?" she asks.

"O…Oh, well, uh…" I mutter, followed by a long pause.

"…Oh—? Oh! N-No need to fret! Hunting is very tricky after all! I'm sure we'll figure something else out!"

Lyra loosely turns her attention to me.

"Oh, when did you get back…?" she says, somewhat disinterestedly.

"Anyways, uh… What's going on here?"

Lasula raises a brow.

"Alright, by the look on your face, is there… something you want to tell me, first?" she asks.

"Do massive giants exist? Like… four hundred feet tall?" I blurt.

Lasula at first seems a little surprised by my question.

"Giants, you say…?" She puts a finger to her lip in thought. "I… think you'd be hard-pressed to find anything alive that size, much less a giant. Why do you say?"

I probably sound like an idiot right now. Time to backpedal.

"O-Oh, I just… was hoping I could see something like that during my travels… or something…"

Great save. Real smooth. And other sarcasm.

"There certainly has been stranger," she smiles. "Perhaps someday you might—"

"E-Enough about that for now," I mutter. "Clearly I missed something here. Shouldn't Lyra be resting?"

"I can't be bothered," comes Lyra.

"—Is what she says," Lasula sighs. "We made a compromise, and she is to remain either seated or laying down for the rest of the day. And… as for what we are doing right now, she seemed to take an interest when I mentioned that I use magic. And since she was unconscious when I first showed it to you, I offered to give her a bit of a demonstration."

"Huh," I nod.

"Indeed. Care to sit in?" she asks. "I've only just begun. And in terms of magic… you've only seen a sliver of what I can do."

"U-Uh… Y-Yeah, sure," I nod.

Lyra tugs at my clothes for me to take a seat. I do so, sitting beside her less than a foot away. But as I turn my head towards her… I see the burn mark across the back of her neck. At this, a bit of guilt seeps through.

"H-Hey, uh… How're you feeling?" I mutter.

"I feel well enough," she says.

"I… was just thinking that—"

Lyra hushes me as Lasula starts up again. I watch Lyra for a second longer before letting out a quick sigh. Maybe I should just shut up and watch Lasula instead. With that, I face forward and go quiet.

"I appreciate you both taking an interest in magic," Lasula smiles. She raises a hand, and five orbs of different-colored light appear over her head, consisting of yellow, green, blue, red, and purple. The hand she raised is glowing yellow. "Before I show anything more off, it's important to understand the five general families of magic."

Lasula lowers her hand, and the orbs float down in front of her.

"First is the most basic family: Vector magic," she continues. The orbs begin to cycle around her, slowly gathering speed and tilting to the left and right. "Changing the position, speed, and direction of an object… That is what this magic is for. It works by converting mana into kinetic energy. And it can also…"

The orbs immediately freeze in place.

"…Stop things that are already in motion. Interesting, right?" she smiles. "The larger of an object you are trying to manipulate, the more strain it has on your internal mana reservoir."

With this, the orbs disappear. Lasula reaches down and selects a loose branch from between a few fronds of grass. She holds it out, and after a second it begins to distort slightly before expanding outwards and forming small leaf buds at its tip.

"The second family is known as 'Regeneration Magic,'" she says. "Like Vector Magic, Regeneration Magic uses the mana of the user to alter the properties of the subject. In this case, it restores a certain amount of cellular structure to this rotted plant. Unfortunately in this case, it was already dead and therefore will not continue to function as a living entity. However it is useful in the treatment of wounds, or to reconstruct non-living broken items."

She releases the branch from her grasp, and it crumbles into nothing as it falls to the ground.

"Third we have a magic… slightly different from the rest," she continues. "Illusion Magic is far less physical than all the other families, as it deals with the mind and the way one perceives the world."

With that, Lasula vanishes from existence. Lyra jolts forwards in surprise.

"Don't worry, I am still here," we hear from somewhere in front of us.

"H-How did you—" Lyra stammers.

Lasula appears once again, in the same spot as before.

"This magic is special," she says. "I didn't go anywhere. Nor did I change anything about myself. I simply made it so that you believed I was no longer there, and your minds filled in the rest."

I'm a bit surprised. Yeah, I saw her do it to those villagers, but it's completely different to be on the receiving end. I totally thought she was gone.

"Of course, this magic doesn't just make myself appear invisible," Lasula begins again. "I can even use it on myself, allowing me to see things that the naked eye cannot. For example, I can use it to channel one's nervous system in order to address various wounds and ailments. It is incredibly useful, and widely versatile in almost any setting."

"Huh. So then that… glow-y blue stuff you did earlier was Illusion Magic…?" I ask.

"That is correct," she nods with a smile. "Now— moving on, next is a magic I have shown glimpses of to the both of you," she says. "…However, the truth of the matter is I have only scratched the surface as to what this magic can do."

Lasula waves a hand, and a massive arc of earth shoots out of the ground and bends high over us. She then claps her hands together, and the arc suddenly condenses, solidifying into a black glimmering stone. She slowly waves her whole arm as if running a finger across the broadest contour of the arc. The arc progressively changes color to a shiny silver, timed with her arm's gradual movement along it.

"Creation Magic, specifically Alteration, is a powerful tool, meant solely for constructive purposes," she says as she finishes up. "It can be used to create vast defenses, or…"

She bends down and softly cups a handful of dirt from the ground. Moments later, it begins to morph in her hands, contorting into a tiny intricate statuette of a black raven. When finished. She reaches down to Lyra and gently offers it to her. Lyra accepts it and begin to examine it with a look of pure fascination. Just then, Lasula sits back with a sigh.

"Oh my… I seem to have exhausted myself further than anticipated," she huffs. "Then again, after all the magic I performed today, it should be expected. Another lesson on magic— Every human has the ability to perform magic, but their capacity for it is highly individualized. We store mana inside ourselves at all times, some with vast supplies, some much smaller, and we use some of that supply whenever we cast magic. Once it is used up, we must allow ourselves time to recover and the mana will return naturally. With that in mind… I feel I am through with magic for the day."

"But… that was only four magical families," says Lyra, taking her gaze from the statuette. "What is the last one?"

"Right… guess you did say there were five," I say, resting an arm over my knee.

"O-Oh, that…? Right, of course," Lasula nods. There's a hint of reluctance in her voice. "…The last magic is known as Destruction Magic. And… what you should know about it is that exists solely to eradicate that which has been created. Within it is… decimation charms, rot incantations, and… Flame Magic."

"Flame Magic?! That sounds badass!" I burst. "You gotta show me sometime!"

Lasula seems startled by this, for whatever reason. There's a few seconds where she doesn't say a word.

"…U-Um, actually, I…" She pauses a few seconds more. "I'm unable to, unfortunately. I… have an Aversion. I'm unable to use Destruction Magic in any capacity."

"…Oh, uh… S-Sorry, then," I mutter.

Lasula flashes a kind smile, but it's kinda different from all the others. There's something different in her eye, and I can't help but wonder if I said something I shouldn't have.

"It's quite alright," she says. "N-Now, let us return to our things and set up for the night."

Hours have now passed and night has long since fallen. I had briefly drifted off to sleep, but a sudden shifting of the crackling fire causes me to open my eyes. Lyra sleeps opposite to me, and I can see her across the pit. Still with my head rested on my arms, I quietly glance towards Lasula, who sits between Lyra and I.

She hasn't fallen asleep. She sits otherworldly still with her legs tucked into her chest, and stares vacantly into the fire with her eyes unblinking.

I watch her for a few seconds, in the silence of the night. But then my fatigue catches up with me again, and I slowly find myself drifting back off into a dreamless sleep. Maybe it's best I forget just about everything I saw today…