Belire

***

"Oh thank god! Keep this up and you'll probably survive the battles!" Taishen laughed in joy, he hugged Wind briefly, causing Wind to squirm. "I won't have to watch another partner die!"

Four more meals had passed, or according to Taishen, two days. He had been teaching wind almost nonstop, only short naps in-between lessons. Wind had been progressing quickly in his study of runes.

In the two days of lessons, Taishen had become convinced he was a prodigy. Wind had learned all of the basic runes that Taishen knew, two hundred total.

"Wind, let me see the lens for a moment." Taishen requested, holding out his hand.

Wind passed him the book, a curious look in his eyes. Taishen took the book, removing the lens and holding it in front of his eye. He observed Wind through the lens, searching for something. After a moment, he seemed to find it.

"Wind, look through this, at your right forearm." Taishen passed the lens to Wind.

"Okay." Wind obeyed.

Looking at his arm, Wind saw two sets of runes there, they glowed brightly. He hadn't understood them before, on the forest island. Now, he could read them- though barely.

"Lire Adun, and Klow" Wind read the runes out loud. "That means Air attunement and… Flow? Right?" Wind asked, looking at Taishen expectantly.

"Yes! Ah, very fitting for someone with a name like wind." Taishen laughed, "I'm not sure what flow does, but air attunement seems self explanatory- we just need to figure out the extent of the ability."

"Are these spells?" Wind asked.

"Your grandfather really didn't teach you anything did he?"

"He taught me lots, just not about magic. He said he didn't want me wasting my time."

"I see… Well, yes. Those are spells. Air attunement should be your first, Flow should be your second…"

Taishen stood up and stretched, then continued.

"…and your grandfather was right, about you not wasting your time. Though I believe he meant it a bit more literally than you realized."

"If I have two spells, that makes me 17. Right? Wind asked.

Taishen laughed, "Were you not keeping track?"

"I didn't see a need." Wind replied with a shrug.

"Moving on, I ought to tell you more about spells. Since your grandfather didn't teach you."

Wind nodded eagerly, he got comfortable in his corner, then listened attentively as Taishen began his lecture.

"With the exception of your first spell, all spells require at least two things. One, a fraction of your lifespan. Two, a suitable material."

Taishen paced around the room, he bore a teacher's posture.

"Now you may be wondering, why? Well I can't give you a good answer, I can only repeat what my mentor taught me…"

***

"Magic isn't ours to command. If anything, it commands us. We live in magic's world, obeying its rules. Magic is the base of the tapestry, we are just decorations adorning it. To alter the tapestry requires a tool. A needle and thread if you will. Our life force is the needle, the materials are the thread.

Some subtle, or less powerful spells, don't require a thread- only the needle- your lifespan. In the case of the first spell, it requires neither- the first spell is like a limb, you don't need anything other than a thought to use it.

Now, more powerful spells require stronger needles and more, or higher quality thread. That meaning, more of your lifespan, and potentially rarer materials. The rule is, when you turn 16, you become aware of your first spell. Every subsequent year until you turn 26, you gain another. Afterwards, you gain a new spell every 5 years.

Every year the spell you receive becomes more powerful, but costs more of your lifespan to weave. The spell you receive at 17 requires 1 month of your lifespan. At 18, it requires 2 months. At 30, it requires 14 months, and so on. This is what your grandfather meant when he said he didn't want you wasting your time on magic, he was very literal.

Any questions?"

"How do I cast the spell?" Wind inquired, both excited, and nervous.

"You have to think about the runes, picturing them in your head. Once you can imagine the runes vividly in your mind's eye, a few things can happen. If your spell requires you to flick your fingers, you'll feel the urge to do so. If it requires a handful of sand to cast, you'll feel a craving for sand-"

"Craving for sand?" Wind interrupted.

Taishen ignored him, "-the same way you feel hungry for a specific food. Once you have the item and have done any necessary movements, you'll know what to do."

Wind quickly spoke, "You said the first spell doesn't consume any of my life, is there anything else special about it?"

Taishen looked annoyed, "I was getting there, if you'd just have a bit of patience!"

Wind cringed, "Sorry…"

Exasperated, Taishen continued, "The first spell is like a knife, incredibly versatile. As you use it more, learn its limits, its drawbacks, its strengths, you'll find it to be your most potent weapon. The first spell grows with you, getting stronger as fast, or as slow, as you do."

Taishen smiled, looking at his wrist, "Many attuned use nothing but their first spell unless its absolutely necessary. Having powerful spells is great, but having a short life isn't."

A question popped into Wind's head, "Even the old monstrous attuned with tens of spells?"

Taishen nodded, "Especially them. The stronger the spell, the more life it consumes. The older you get, the less life you have. You can figure out what that means. The most powerful attuned are the young that have mastered their first few spells. They are the one's that everyone is scared of. Halfmoon is one of them, though no one knows his exact age."

"Alright, enough talking!" Wind shouted, jumping to his feet. "Let's try out my spell!"

Taishen nodded, standing in his corner to make space.

"Now remember what I told you. Focus on the runes, picture them in your mind's eye as if they're real, then follow your instincts."

"Got it." Wind readied himself in the centre of the room. He closed his eyes.

Wind focused his mind and began to imagine the sharp edges of the worldscript-rune for air. He imagined a fierce gale rolling off the edges of the rune. When he felt as if he could reach out and touch the rune, he began to picture the other.

This one was harder to imagine. He could see its shape in his mind, but he couldn't imagine anything to go along with it. To form the rune for air, he had imagined a strong air current. But how was he supposed to picture attunement.

Wind thought for awhile, until he had an idea. He imagined the shape of the rune acting as a bridge between the rune for Air in his mind, and his consciousness, connecting the two.

Wind felt a tug at his entire body, he felt a thousand sensations at once. He could feel every one of Taishen's breaths from across the room. He could feel the almost unnoticeable air currents in the room. He could sense the way his body blocked the movement of the air.

Then he realised, he could see the room. His eyes were closed, yet he saw everything. No, seeing is the wrong word. He felt everything, he felt like the air was part of him, a third eye. He could even see beyond the doorway, though only slightly.

Wind began to move, slowly at first. He felt the way the air resisted him, slowing down his movements- even just by a split second. He felt the way the air parted when he moved his body through it, the way the atmosphere reacted to his every move. He felt like he was part of the world.

"Did you do it? You're moving awfully strange."

Taishen's voice shattered Wind's focus, closing off his new sense of perception. Irritated, Wind turned to Taishen.

"Yes! I had it! Obviously I had it!" Wind shouted.

Taishen recoiled at Wind's sudden outburst.

"Okay, wow! Calm down a bit. Can you tell me about it- uh, please?"

Wind took a deep breath, "Before you broke my concentration, it felt like the air and I were connected. I could see everything in the room clearer than ever, even though my eyes were closed."

Taishen smiled, "You might just have the perfect counter to my first spell."

"Really?!"

"Yes, really. Why don't I show you my spell. Then, you can try using yours to counter it." Taishen proposed.

Wind nodded excitedly, "Show me!"

Taishen walked into the centre of the room, only two metres from Wind.

"Try to block my slap." Taishen said, then took a step forward.

Wind watched carefully, ready to block. He saw Taishen moving towards him. He felt a light slap across his face. Then, Taishen moved his hand forward and connected the hit.

Confused, Wind stared at Taishen.

"What- what just happened. You hit me before your hand even arrived? Does your spell let you hit people from a distance? That's insanely strong!" Wind was excited that his partner had such a powerful spell.

Taishen laughed, "No Wind, my spell is just a simple trick. It's called Belire, meaning blur, distort, or confound." Taishen took off a shoe, holding it in his hand. "Let's see if this helps you figure it out. Get ready."

Once Wind prepared himself, Taishen activated his spell. The sound of an object hitting the ground echoed through the small room. A moment later, Taishen threw the shoe into the air, where it fell soundlessly to the floor.

"Do you understand yet?" Taishen asked amusedly as he stared at Wind's focused expression.

Wind nodded, "You delay people's perception of you? That's insanely strong!"

"In the arena, with the cheering crowd, yes. But in quiet places, the sound gives me away. I can only delay visual perception, at the moment anyway. I can also only affect up to three creatures at once, I can't even choose which three, its always the nearest three creatures. That's after years of developing the ability. It also has a shorter delay on people who are older than me- my ability doesn't even affect Halfmoon."

"Does my first spell have the same amount of flaws?" Wind asked.

"Who knows, everyone's spells have different limits, especially the first spell. You'll have to practice and find out."

Wind sat down, "How long do we have, before our first fight?"

Taishen joined Wind on the floor, "Judging from when I got my previous partners, we have roughly 20 more days."