13 Chapter 13: Magic Lessons 101

Chapter 13: Magic Lessons 101

~Mash B. POV~

But returning to the magic lessons I nodded in understanding listening to Beatrice's words as she began to explain to me about Gates, "Good. With the topics of Mana done next, we got with Gates next. Gates are an invisible portal-like apparatus that exists in every living thing. It allows mana to pass through the body and be stored in the Od."

Listening I asked something relating to Gates as I asked innocently about the topic in a curious tone, "Oh! But wait… Beatrice, what happens when a Gate isn't working, and also can everyone learn magic?"

*Clap*

Clapping her hands together she nods as she begins to reply to my question with an answer, "Good question Mash. Whether one can use magic or not entirely depends on its condition: be it either fully or partly open. Most people only have partly functioning gates, so magic is out of reach to them I suppose."

Agreeing with this she continues explaining the consequences to those with Gates damaged in a serious tone, "In addition, there are some with a defective gate that keeps them from releasing mana at all. Overcasting magic can also lead to damaging the gate, and then the permanent loss of magic if the user continues to do so without treatment. However, that is difficult to obtain, and if the gate breaks before that then nothing can be done I suppose."

Mhmm. Sounds like something to remember. I began to ask the next question to her as I wanted to relearn the two terms she spoke of earlier, "I see. In that case, Beatrice what is the term Od and Od Laguna mean exactly?"

She smirks at this as she begins to briefly explain to us what Od and Od Laguna mean in a proud tone. She gave me the low down on what they meant better for me to understand for a simple person like me to know.

Od is the life energy that dwells inside of a living being from birth which is synonymous with the soul, making it the opposite of mana, which is a magical energy that exists in the environment. It varies from person to person in terms of quantity and size which represents the lifespan of an individual.

It also acts as a vessel for storing mana that flows through the gate from the environment, so having a large capacity is especially beneficial to those who can use magic.

Od can be used in place of mana to cast magic, however unlike mana, using Od is like using your lifespan, and so it isn't recommended outside of emergencies. In case the user runs out of their Od, they won't die but they also won't be themselves anymore such people soon become crippled if they overuse it.

Under special conditions, an individual can encase themselves in their own Od which will act as a separate world that is even free from the influence of Authorities.

Od Laguna–often referred to as the "world" in layman's terms–is a vast storage of mana located at the origin of the world itself, or in other words, at the world's core. It is where all mana comes from in the world, a eventually goes back to.

No one knows where it is located and Beatrice even states that it's an entity similar to the Sun, as it has no will of its own… she must never know of SCP when day breaks...

She even began to say that those who stumble over prohibited arts have had their spirits destroyed by simply looking at them. Some speculate that it is the world's will and gives Divine Protection to people.

Its main function is to provide stability to the world and its inhabitants by regulating mana, souls, and other aspects of life while limiting the frequency of natural disasters that occur due to mana oftentimes running short.

Mana flows from Od Laguna to every individual's Od, which is connected to it via their gate. How much one receives depends on the size of the gate, the bigger it is the more mana one gets, which also affects their aptitude for magic.

When mana is expelled from an "Od" through the individual's gate, it can be used to either create magic or power objects such as "mana stones/lagmites" or "meteors". Once spent, the residue mana lingers around, becoming atmospheric mana, which Spirits and Spirit Art Users can harness.

Eventually, the atmospheric mana returns to Od Laguna, restarting the cycle again, for all eternity.

We nodded at this as this time Beatrice began to finally speak about the topics of magic next, I trembled in anticipation, "Now then since we have gone past the basics of how magic works. It's time to find out your affinities to which magic you belong. Now then the lesson shall begin I suppose."

Finally, I can get to the good stuff to learn how to. Like that Beatrice next began to explain what kind of magic there is in this world as she began pointing out the elements, "Good. Now that we learn the basics it's time to learn the elements. Magic is made up of six elements; Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Yin, and Yang I suppose."

At this, I raised my hand like a kid and asked the following question in a confused tone of voice, "Sorry to interrupt Beatrice. But what do the six elements each represent in magic if you kindly tell me?"

I swear Beatrice's eyes twitched at my request but regardless went ahead to explain the Magic elements in greater detail in a serious tone, "Very well... The Six Elements are further classified into four categories; Fire element that covers temperature, Water element that covers life and healing, Wind element that functions outside of the bodies of living things, and Earth element that functions inside of the bodies of living things. Some incantations for each element are [Goa] for fire, [Huma] for water, [Fura] for wind, [Dona] for the earth, [Shamak] for Yin, and [Jiwald] for Yang I suppose."

Recalling those spells didn't they have stronger incantations versions I asked in a curious tone, "Oh! That is cool! But… I was wondering are there any more powerful versions of the spells for each incantation?"

At this, she nodded as she began to go over the upgrades or upper tiers for each spell in detail and what their capable of in a proud tone, "You would assume correct. The strength of spells starts from the original incantation and increases by adding El, Ul, or Al I suppose."

That was when Beatrice paused briefly before finally explaining the categories of Yin and Yang Magic in a proud tone, "Oh yes, I almost forgot. Mash to your earlier question Yin spells cover debuffs while Yang spells cover buffs. But I'm a master of Yin Magic and debuff isn't the only means to attack using them I suppose."

The next question I had to ask Beatrice about something that was on my mind as I began to ask her in a curious tone, "Say Beatrice can anyone learn these spells like you have, or is it impossible to do so if they can't? And how common can people get these element traits?"

At my question, she began to think a bit before finally replying giving me an answer as she spoke in a stern tone, "Hmm… usually an ordinary person is well off if they are compatible with either fire, water, wind, or earth. Although incantations are generally used to cast spells if the user is experienced enough, they can cast them without saying anything I suppose."

She stopped at this, she continued teaching me the lessons in magic as she continued explaining in a serious tone, "While most of the mages can use one element, some people can use multiple elements, and if the user is talented enough, they can combine elements. Although those are rare cases in fact."

Then she began to explain to me the differences in castors in this world listening intently to her words, "Generally, there are two types of primary casters in this world, Magic-Users and Spirit Users which are largely differentiated by how they use mana to cast spells."

Raising my hand at this I was a bit confused as to why there were two asking the obvious question in a curious tone, "Huh? Why are there two forms of magic users Beatrice? Aren't the two of them the same?"

Shaking her head at this she began to explain to me the reason why there is a clear difference in a clear tone, "No, there is a difference between Magic users and Spirits users. The former draw on their internal mana through their gates while the latter uses the mana in the atmosphere with the aid of spirits to process spells directly. Spirits can also act as pseudo gates for their contractors if they are lacking the means to use magic on their own except for Artificial Spirits such as I suppose."

After that, I asked next wondering about earlier if there was a way to enhance oneself just by using magic in a curious tone, "I see. But quick question here Beatrice? What if someone would use the mana in the air to enhance themselves for their benefit?"

She also had an answer as she shook her head doing so as she began to reply to me listening intently in a clear tone, "Even though this is not considered magic, normal people are also capable of utilizing mana for their benefits. One such, is different warriors, knights, swordsmen, and the like. By subconsciously using their mana and letting it flow through their body, they imbue themselves with magic-like properties, such as enhanced speed, agility, reflexes, strength, and healing I suppose."

Listening to this I asked in a curious tone tilting my head a bit confused, "Oh… but wait? Isn't something like that like the Yang magic did if they tried?"

At this, Beatrice shakes her head no followed by her arms forming an X symbol as she responds in an annoyed tone, "Nope that isn't possible. Naturally, these boosts aren't as strong as Yang Magic or Spirit-given boosts but are nonetheless capable of allowing people to react to incoming blows with inhuman speed, delivering sword slashes with inhuman precision from awkward angles, jumping very high in the air, and dashing at almost lightning-fast reflexes in fact."

I see so basically using Mana simply increased the user base in everything from reaction time to incredible levels that are useful to have.

That was when Beatrice began to almost forget something till, she finally warned me of the importance of something as she spoke, "Oh right… I almost forgot. You should also be forewarned about the Mana Poisoning and Magic Released Period I suppose."

Listening Beatrice explained to me the importance of those terms. Mana Poisoning and the Magic Released Period.

Mana Poisoning is a state in which an individual continues to absorb an excessive amount of mana beyond their Od's capacity, but is incapable of releasing it, which will eventually destroy their Od and kill them.

Improperly configured or defective gates are the common cause of this. Individuals in this status who don't receive constant treatment are often very sick.

Magic Release Period is a phenomenon that occurs to individuals and beings who possess potent magical power, powerful gates, and Od that allow them to draw in and store more mana than they let out.

It happens when a magic user doesn't maintain a proper release cycle to let off excess mana from their Od which causes it to overflow from beyond their bodies.

It can have drastic effects on the person such as mana poisoning, and it can even affect the environment. The mana will eventually burst out of and damage their gate if it's not forcibly released and released from within them.

With that done Beatrice began to get closer to me as she began to explain to me what she was doing to examine my Gate so to speak, "Since we got through the explanations it's time for us to learn your natural elements. Interesting… you have the capacity of all six elements. Very interesting indeed, I suppose."

Makes sense. I have the powers of a video game character and thus have all the power of versatility on my side. But now then is the time to begin practicing my control over my Mana.