5 Fundamentals

The Forest

Following the botched lesson at the beach, Luz and Shirou started their walk back to the Owl house. Luz frowned before glaring at the slime ball in her hand. "Ugh! If magic is all about digging for slime balls, maybe I don't have the stomach for it." She pocketed the slime ball before turning to her servant. "Thanks for helping me out, Shirou."

"No worries, Luz. If anything, now is a good time to start your first lesson." Shirou stopped walking and turned to his master. "Tell me, master. What do you consider magic?"

Luz rubbed the back of her head, trying to form an answer. "Isn't it like I said before, just spells, cursed books, potions, and making things out of thin air?"

Shirou chuckled at her reply. "While most of those are simply the methods of magic, that last answer is close. Depending on who you ask, you can get multiple definitions of magic, but there is a commonality among them. Magic, in its simplest form, is to utilize supernatural forces to influence the world. As you mentioned, magic users have different methods to control said forces that don't abide by conventional science or laws of reality to achieve anything imaginable."

Luz's eyes shined at the possibilities open to her. "That's amazing, but if that's the case, where does magic come from?" She placed a hand on her chest. "The heart?"

Shirou crossed his arms and sighed. "Sometimes. That is the main question we have regarding your lessons." Shirou raised his right hand, and blue motes of light gathered, tracing a basic sword. "All magic is fueled by an energy of some kind, like mana or power from divine beings."

"If God's blessings are real, I could get those too!"

He sweatdropped. "All myths and legends have truth to them, but I wouldn't take interactions with divine beings lightly. They can be very petty."

"Oh, so they are like my Percy Jackson books." Luz seemed to frown. "Have you met any?"

"I can't say I'm familiar with those books, but I am familiar with a few pantheons. Would you believe me if I said I met Herakles?"

"Woah. You met the God of Strength." Luz jumped in excitement. "Wait. Don't you mean Hercules?"

Shirou shook his head. "It's a common misnomer since he was renamed that by the Romans. However, in some of my calmer talks with him, he wouldn't mind changing it to Hercules to further distance himself from Hera due to all the tragedies she'd helped bring upon him."

"Yeah, I forgot that gods can be real mean." She finally got a look all around her. "Since we're on greek stuff, couldn't the Titan be one too?"

Shirou blinked at the thought, focusing on the ground. "If this Demon realm is the source of your world's stories of magic, it's possible."

Luz wracked her brain to remember. "From my books, the Titans represented aspects of the world: the ocean, the sky, the earth, and so on."

Shirou got down to one knee and started feeling the ground. "Not to mention, the concept of a landmass being formed from the carcass of an ancient being is recurring in several legends."

Luz joined Shirou on the floor. "So we're standing on the corpse of a possible god. Huh. that's not as morbid as it feels."

"That might be our answer for the source of magic in the Boiling Isles. Where I come from, Magical Energy has external and internal sources." 'It's probably best that I avoid Mystery. That's a rabbit hole in and of itself.'

Luz quickly connected the dots. "Then if the isles are truly the corpse of a god, they could be the source of external magical energy."

"Indeed. Without the necessary energy to fuel magic into existence, it would simply be powerless practices and pure myths." Shirou thought about the circles that were often made here. "I assume the witches and demons here also have internal energy for magic.

"Maybe they have those magic vein things in their bodies as I saw in this acupuncture shop downtown."

Shirou opened his mouth to say there was truth in that concept, but he would save it for later. "Maybe." He stood back up. "With the source of magic out of the way, we can look into how we influence the world with it. Tell me, what would you consider a basic form of magic?"

"Creating a fireball?" guessed Luz.

"That's a good example, and it expands further from there in the elements of nature." It was interesting for Shirou to be on the teaching side of things instead of the other way around. The people he met and empathizing with the contents of his inner world certainly helped.

Luz's eyes brightened. "Oh my god. I know this. One of my favorite shows has this kind of thing. There's Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and… Lightning?"

Her servant nodded at her understanding. "You are familiar with the concept, then." Using the basic sword, he started drawing symbols in the dirt. "The greeks first coined the four classical elements as Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind. A fifth called aether represented otherworldly substances. In the East, they noted elements such as Wood, Metal, and Lightning, but one can argue that they are combinations or variations of the base four." 'Steel is my body. Fire is my blood... Makes sense in hindsight.'

"I can see that. For a tree to grow, it needs to be planted in the ground and given water. I also remember from science class that both fire and lightning are kinds of plasma."

"Correct. In any case, some people are good at manipulating at least one of the Elements than others. We call this an affinity. An Elemental Affinity can be determined by practice, tarot cards, or personality tests."

Luz raised a brow. "I always figured those personality tests were a scam."

"Not in the way magic applies. Each element, in a way, has its personality and style."

"Fire is the element of power and passion. People of this affinity have the will, the energy, and the drive to achieve what they want."

"Prometheus stole fire from the gods for humanity. Is that why?"

"Perhaps. Fire is light, life, and death. It breathes. It grows." Shirou's eyes turned somber. "A controlled fire may bring warmth, but without control, it only brings destruction and pain. A rock will not throw itself, but fire will spread and destroy everything in its path if one does not have the will to control it. Fitting since it is mostly associated with destructive spells."

Luz cringed. "I might hold off on that then. Don't want to burn down the house when training."

"Earth is the element of substance. These people are steady, strong, and enduring."

"Pretty sure that describes my mom." The girl laughed before her expression turned unsure.

Shirou felt the need to ask more about that, but he decided to save it for later.

"Air is the element of freedom, detached from the physical world. This element is associated with spiritual and illusionary spells."

"Is this how Eda can fly with her staff?" Luz could make her staff soon if she had this affinity.

"More than likely."

"Water is the element of change, capable of adapting to many things."

"Like Ice, Water, and steam," supplied Luz.

"Yes. Water is cool and soothing, bringing life. Outside of combat, it can be used in craft and healing."

"It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. We become rigid and stale if we take it from only one place. Understanding other elements and other people will help you become whole. All elements are connected in nature and magic in constructive and destructive ways. Wood feeds the fire. Fire creates earth or ash. Earth bears metal. Metal collects water. Water nourishes wood."

Following Shirou's train of thought, she tried the opposite. "It's like rock paper scissors. Wood... moves the earth. The earth absorbs water. Water douses fire. Fire... melts metal. Metal... chops wood?"

"Now you're getting it. There are numerous combinations of these elements for varying effects. The combination of the many elements in one spell can make it so powerful, but the same can be said about you too." He placed a hand on Luz's shoulder. "Take everything that you learn from me, Eda, and the people around you, and apply it to yourself in the best way possible."

Luz sighed to herself. "I hope I can become a good witch from all this."

"You can do it! You can!"

Luz smiled. "Thanks, Shirou."

Her servant was confused. "... That wasn't me, Luz."

Luz paused before looking around. "A mysterious voice of encouragement?" After taking a few steps and pushing through some bushes, she gasped. "It's a little witch girl."

Shirou crouched behind her. "Luz, she's about your age. That makes you little too." The servant received a silent raspberry back.

A dark gray-blue-haired girl with glasses started to pace around, hyping herself up. "You can do it. Even if you get a bad grade, it does not reflect you as a witch. And my parents are right." She stood still. "There are better opportunities on this track. Now, get to school!" She stepped forward and pointed confidently to hear a crunch beneath her foot. Her entire mood flipped after realizing she had stepped on a flower. "Oh, no! Oh, little friend! I'm sorry!" She kneeled down and repeatedly traced a spell circle. Once complete, the flower perked back up and fully bloomed.

Both watchers were surprised by the magic. Luz tried to stifle her gasps.

Shirou stared back at the flower, fascinated by how simple it was to revive the plant.

The girl's ear wiggled as she heard something rumble. She turned as a wagon, being moved by magic, rolled to a stop in front of her, carrying a pot and an aquamarine-haired girl reading a book titled Magic 101. Looking away from her book, she notices the other person. "Willow! Wow." She hopped off her pot, chuckling. "You're so unnoticeable I almost rolled into ya."

Shirou frowned, much like his master. "Wow. That's passive-aggressive right off the bat."

Both Willow and the flower wilted at the words. "Hi, Amity."

Amity examined her briefly. "Uh, shouldn't you get to school early to prep your..." A Rattling cut her off. They turn to Willow's pot as it spilled, pouring out a purple substance and an eyeball that blinks and groans. "Oh, Willow. You don't have anything to show, do you?"

Luz whispered in interest. "Teen Witch drama!"

Unable to answer, Willow pulled up her hood as she blushed in embarrassment.

Amity sighed. "This is why people call you "Half-a-Witch Willow." Another rattling came from her pot instead. "Oh, looks like someone wants to say something to you." She took the cover off her pot and snapped her fingers. "Abomination, rise."

The same purple substance as Willow's rises, becoming more solid until it's humanoid in shape. It bent out of the pot to poke Willow's forehead, leaving behind mud in a star shape. "You're a... star."

To Shirou, it seemed that these abominations were a form of golem.

Amity gave a Chesire smile. "Aw. It's like mine." She readjusted a star-shaped badge that reads 'Top Student.' "But much smaller and meaningless. As Top Student, it's my duty to tell you to keep at it." She put an arm around Willow. "Even you could get a passing grade someday. Abomination, cower." It groaned as it melted back into the pot. Amity replaced the lid and took hold of the cart. "See you in class, superstar." Amity walked away, leaving Willow seemingly alone.

As Amity leaves, Luz sticks her tongue out at her. "Ugh. She reminds me of some of the girls back at home."

Shirou patted his master on the head, much to her chagrin. "That other girl didn't outright insult her, but it was still very toxic."

Willow removed her hood in annoyance. "Oh, see you in class, superstar!" She wiped the star from her forehead. "I hate when she does that."

Luz and Shirou took notice of the change in the air as Willow started ranting.

Willow grew tense. "I hate making abominations. I hate getting bad grades. Ugh! I can't stand this anymore!" Her eyes glowed green.

Shirou pushed Luz behind him as the magic grew more chaotic. The flower from earlier got lost among giant thorny roots that burst around it. They surrounded Willow, glowing and writhing angrily.

One snaked out toward Luz, causing her to scream, only to be cut by a black and white blade. The bisected root fell to the ground. "She has a wood affinity."

As if feeling through the roots, Willow turned and glared in their direction.

From behind, Luz watched in awe as the roots wrapped around Willow.

Upon seeing the duo, she seemed to snap out of it, leaning forward worriedly and letting the roots fall. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no! I'm so sorry!"

Once it was clear, Luz was the first to step into the clearing. "It's okay. It never got to me."

Shirou followed behind her. "Let that be a lesson in the dangers of magic, Master."

Willow got very close to Luz and Shirou, forcing Luz to lean back. She stared at their ears. "So... round."

Luz squealed and covered her ears while Shirou gave confused thanks.

Willow gasped in realization. "You're both humans! This is amazing!" She gasps and grabs Luz's face, then helps her stand and walks around them. "Humans on the Boiling Isles! How'd you get here? What are you doing here?"

"I'm Luz, and this is Shirou. And you're Willow, right? What you did with that flower and those plants, it was... wow."

Her servant agreed. "To manipulate plant life on pure emotion alone is impressive."

Willow went shy. "Thanks, but... I'm not even supposed to be doing plant magic. My parents put me in the abomination track at school."

The two were confused by that. Shirou crossed his arms. "That's surprising. You seem very adept at it."

Luz only paid attention to the latter half of her sentence, squealing and grabbing Willow. "You go to magic school?"

Willow nodded. "My parents said it was for the best but wouldn't elaborate on it."

"Sorry to hear that," replied Shirou.

Luz continued to beam. "Still, you're in magic school. That's so cool! I'm so jealous. I have teachers, but one of them doesn't seem interested at the moment. Her lessons are a bit... untraditional. I bet she wouldn't even let me enroll. I wish I could spend one day there."

"I'm sure you could get a visitor's pass in the office." Willow sighed in defeat. "I wish I could get a passing grade for once. Then people would stop calling me "Half-a-Witch Willow." She kicked her spilled abomination, which groaned.

Luz's eyes went bright, much to her servant's concern "Hey, wait. I know how we can both get what we want." She picked up abomination goo in both hands and splashed it on her hoodie. "Make me your abomination. I'll get you a good grade, and you can get me into magic school. It's fiendishly clever."

Shirou put his head into his hands. "Luz, I have to wash that. Do you know how hard it is to get mysterious goo out of cotton?"

Willow was too focused on the offer. "What?"

Luz explained her logic. "I saw that girl's thing. It's just chunks of stuff that talk weird. I'm chunks of stuff, and I talk weird!"

Willow giggled. "That's true."

Shirou clapped his hands, pausing the discussion and frowning at his master. "Luz, I didn't think you were the type of person to cheat in your studies, let alone help others cheat."

Luz pleaded to her servant. "Oh, come on, Shirou. You saw how that Amity girl was talking to Willow. We can show her up."

Willow nodded aggressively. "Yeah. I've been dealing with her for so long. Now's my chance to shine."

Shirou groaned to the teens in front of him. "Despite what you may say about this Amity's treatment of you. Willow, would you say Amity is sincere in her school efforts?"

Willow shrugged at the question. "I mean, yeah. She spends all her time studying."

He crossed his arms. "Should you cheat, will you feel satisfied knowing that you 'beat' Amity falsely?"

A sinking feeling welled in her stomach, thinking about it. Willow couldn't look him in the eyes. "Well...No..."

"And should the truth comes to light, what do you think will happen?"

Willow went downcast. "I'll get in trouble, and it'll prove to Amity that I'm just Half-a-witch?"

Luz seemed less and less enthusiastic about her plan now. "Never thought about the plan that far. Sorry, Willow. I didn't mean to say you aren't good."

Will gave her a small smile. "It's fine, Luz. You meant well. I guess I'll just take the bad grade then."

"Now, who said anything about that?" interrupted Shirou. "Just because we won't help you cheat, that doesn't mean we can't help you try and pass. You'll still have to do the legwork yourself, but I have some suggestions that should help. Besides, this will be another learning opportunity for Luz. Now, how much time do you have before class?"

Willow looked at her watch. "I have study hall before my Abominations class, so about an hour and a half."

"From what I've seen of these Abominations, they are some type of golem, correct?"

"Yeah." Willow opened her pot, revealing her failed creation. "We're all given the standard Abomination Goo for our assignment. Our assignment is to make it mobile and follow orders."

After examining the foreign material, he turned to his master. "Luz, how familiar are you with Judaism or Christianity?"

The girl shrugged. "I went to my local church before, but nothing much."

"I'm lost too," replied Willow.

Shirou turned back to the witch. "Well, Willow, where we come from, the first roots of the golem can be found in the Book of Genesis. The Lord molded man out of the dust of the ground and breathed life into him through his nostrils. This story inspired others to create beings the same way."

"That's interesting to hear, but how does that help me?" asked Willow.

"The first makers of golems created the basics of their manufacturing. These makers felt that the ideal golem matched the human form. With that in mind, what parts do you have that this Abomination goo doesn't?"

"It doesn't have bones?" guessed Luz.

Willow instinctually flexed her arm. "It doesn't have muscle?"

"You are both correct. From what I saw from Amity's Abomination, she was able to craft and manipulate it with relative ease." He turned to Luz. "So what can we infer about Amity's magic?"

It took a moment to register, but Luz understood. "Amity's affinity is likely water!"

Willow blinked. "Affinity?"

"It is the type of magic you can easily do."

"Well, what does that say about me?"

Shirou smiled at the girl. "From what we saw, you have a wood affinity. Wouldn't you say that controlling your plants is much easier than moving this liquid goo?"

"Yeah, it was so cool!" cheered Luz.

Willow went shy at the compliment. "I mean. It feels more natural."

Shirou gestured to a bush. "By hybridizing the design with your affinity for plants, we can reduce the amount of stress needed for the goo upkeep."

Luz beamed with ideas. "You can use your plant vines as muscles and wood as bones of your abomination. All you need to do for the goo is stick to them."

The young witch's eyes widened in realization. "That's a great idea! If you two can get me the wood pieces, I can try to revise the Abomination's head." Returning to the flower from before, she drew another circle, rejuvenating it. With firm hands, she dug it out with the roots intact. This would be the heart of her new creation.

Shirou turned to Luz for her thoughts, and she returned them with a fierce look. "Let's show Amity what we can do!"

He smirked, projecting two axes and tossing one to Luz. "Let's get to work!"