A Strix Teacher!
“Mana, or magic, or life force, are all one and the same: energy,” Professor Tawny began, and Elijah nodded along.
The professor grabbed a stub of chalk and began to write on the board.
“So, since you seem to understand, tell me, what is energy?” Tawny asked, continuing to write.
Elijah had learnt this in physics, so he replied reflexively, “Force over Distance.”
“Wrong,” Professor Tawny replied happily, finishing up on the board and dusting the chalk dust off of his wing arms.
“But I was taught that joules are a measure of energy, and they are defined as work done or the amount of force required to move something a certain distance,” Elijah protested, confused.
“And, although I’ve never heard of this unit, it does an admirable job at describing energy, but that is not what I asked you. Tell me, what is energy?” the professor pressed.
The teen thought for a moment; he didn’t really understand the distinction that his assumed teacher was trying to make. Wasn’t describing something the same as saying what it was? He decided to say as much:
“I don’t understand.”
“Excellent!”
“Excellent?”
“Neither do I!”
“What?”
“I do not know what energy is, but I can describe it. What you’ve described is mechanical energy,” the professor went on, pointing to the word mechanical at the top of his list. “There is also heat energy, alchemic energy, sound energy, and mana energy, which is the most interesting of the five,” he said, pointing to each word in turn.
Elijah had heard this lesson before, and he could have sworn there were more than five forms of energy; none of them mana. Then he looked at the bottom of the board and noticed two other words had been written down.
“What are height and stretch energy, and why are they written separately from the others?” the teen asked.
“These two are separate,” the owl man explained, “because they are ways to store energy.”
Gravitational potential and elastic potential, Elijah noted mentally.
“Let me guess, energy can transfer from one type to another? For example, if I rub my hands together, I can change kinetic energy into thermal energy?” he said as much as asked.
“You catch on quick,” the strix alucus homo replied, excited. “Since you seem to understand this, we can move on to the main part of the lesson, mana. Mana is both a form of energy and another concept that parallels it,” the professor explained.
“What? That doesn’t make any sense,” Elijah complained, scratching his head.
“Mana, in its purest form, is the door that links the magical and non-magical layers of reality together. Physical energy can be exchanged into what we call pure mana, and vice versa,” Professor Tawny elaborated.
“But that just makes it sound like any other type of energy,” Elijah protested.
“That’s where the interesting part comes in,” the professor replied with an academic grin. He then proceeded to move to the other side of the board and write five more words:
Earth
Wind
Fire
Water
Wood
“Pure mana can then be changed into any type of mana!”
“Are there only five types of mana?” Elijah asked. That didn’t make sense to him; he had seen more different and complex mana types with Mana Manipulation.
“Of course not,” the owl man said with a hooty chuckle. “The reason we list these five in the traditional syllabus is twofold.
First, it used to be believed that all other types of mana are just derivatives of these five, but we have since learnt that this is not the case.
Still, it is useful for understanding the interactions between different mana types: wind mana increases the power of fire mana, but water mana extinguishes it; wood mana is strengthened by water but destroyed by fire, etc.
The second reason is that these are by far the most common affinities, so it is useful for students to relate to.”
“Affinities?” Elijah questioned, unfamiliar with the concept.
“Affinities are,” the owlish professor began, writing the word on the board without looking. It was only then that the teen realised the words, written in a talon-like script, were being translated in his mind somehow.
He shook his head; this wasn’t his present concern. He refocused on the lecture.
“Affinities are the mana type which you match most with; that flow easiest for you. In your case, for example, I see that the water motes in the air are excited by your presence, so I assume you have a high affinity with water?” the professor enquired.
“I think so,” Elijah allowed, “It is the only mana type I’ve really been able to use, aside from blood, but I do have the skill Water Manipulation; I thought that was the reason why.”
“Manipulation Skills strengthen your ability with a given element. They can act as a sort of translator, filling in the gaps and helping to convey to the mana motes what you intend for them to do. But if you have no affinity in the first place, there’s nothing a Skill can do,” Tawny explained, gesturing as he spoke.
“So I have a natural affinity for water and blood?” Elijah asked, wanting to be sure.
“Most certainly, though I must point out, there’s not really such a thing as a natural affinity, not for humans,” said the professor, swirling his feathery arms in thought.
“There isn't? Then why can I more readily see and interact with water mana? And why would it be different for different Races?”
“No one of any Race is born with an affinity for anything… Well, maybe spirits and elementals, but they are basically just evolved mana motes, not to mention they’re not really born…” The professor began to trail off before catching his own tangent and swinging it back round into orbit with a cough.
“Yes, no one is born with an affinity. It can be built in three ways.
The first, and some find the easiest, is just to spend a lot of time around that mana type, or more accurately, the physical phenomena that mana type represents.”
“I grew up by the sea and would go swimming every morning,” interjected Elijah, “do you think that’s why I have a strong affinity with water?”
“That would certainly explain the connection you have; the water mana motes like you a lot,” Professor Tawny said with a nod.
“Wait, so can mana motes think?” Asked Elijah, looking more warily at the myriad motes he saw bobbing around the classroom with Mana Manipulation.
“No,” Tawny replied, definitely.
“But they can like people?” the teen pressed.
“Yes, the same way if you hold a weight aloft, it likes to fall. Like might not be the right word, I grant you, but you get the idea, no?” the owl man asked patiently.
Elijah nodded.
“Great, now, where was I? Ah yes, the second way to build an affinity and get a certain type of mana to ‘like’ you is through study.
The more you understand the physical phenomena related to a given mana type, the greater your affinity with that mana type will become!” the professor exclaimed with excitement. Clearly this was his preferred way to increase affinity.
“Is that why I can see other mana types like earth and fire and wood, just less clearly?” asked Elijah.
His mind went straight to the possibility of fission and fusion mana. He had learnt about them in his physics classes, and he wondered if he had enough affinity to make a nuke… On second thought, probably best not try.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“Most likely, yes,” the hooting teacher confirmed. “You clearly have some base level of education, which is important for any aspiring magic user.
“That brings us to the third way,” continued Tawny with some bitterness in his twitting, “it is also possible to ‘borrow’ another’s affinity.
One way to do this is to be a priest or apostle of a god or horror; then your divine or abyssal patron can grant you an artificial affinity by channelling their power through you. This is limited, however. If you are ever disowned by your benefactor, then you will lose whatever abilities they gave you.
I do not recommend this.” Finished Professor Tawny with surprising firmness. There may have been a story there, but Elijah didn’t wish to pry.
“So I should spend more time in and around water and study things like the water cycle?” the teen asked, trying to move on and break the strange atmosphere that had grasped the room.
“Hmm, oh, yes, that would be an excellent idea,” the professor confirmed, shaking his feathers. “And if you ever want to expand your affinities, that would also be advisable. It is common for a mage to spend a lifetime on one element and really dig deep into it, but it is wise to at least have a passing ability with a number of elements for the sake of versatility.”
Elijah mentally adjusted his plans. He had intended to first master water magic before moving on, but from the way the professor was speaking, it sounded like that would be an incredibly long endeavour.
It certainly made more sense to try and connect with more mana types. Given the wide array of environments he was being placed in, it was only prudent to make as much use of them as possible.
Wisdom +1
“Right,” Professor Tawny said, snapping his feathered fan hands closed with a sharp sound that refocused the teen on him. “It’s time for the practical part of the lesson. Stand up.”
Elijah, shaking off his surprise at having gained an Attribute point from just a change in perspective, did as he was told and stood.
As soon as he did, the wizardly owl withdrew a thin, willowy stick with a single leaf on its end and swiped it from left to right.
A wind formed in the enclosed space and swept the desks and chairs to either side of the room with such delicate precision that they were able to stack up neatly without ever touching each other.
Elijah couldn’t hide the impressed look of slack-mouthed awe that momentarily overtook him. His basic abilities paled in comparison to the level of control demonstrated by that small bit of magic.
The professor puffed up at his student’s adoration; it was nice to be appreciated. Tawny noticed the teen staring at the willow branch and decided an explanation was in order.
“This is a wand,” he explained, swishing around the green stick. “It helps improve the accuracy and precision of my wind magic. I’m afraid it wouldn’t be very well suited to you, but there are other focuses that you could benefit from.
“Like what?” asked Elijah with puppy-like eagerness. The idea of magic had always drawn out his childlike wonder.
“Perhaps a ring or necklace or some such; it would need mana gems that can be kept in contact with your skin.
Anyhow, that’s not worth thinking about right now. Right now, I would like you to show me one of your spells.”
The sixteen-year-old hesitated. He was about to say that he couldn’t, that the evil creature in his blood was controlling the only source of mana he had, but that wasn’t true.
He had forgotten; so caught up in the fight was he, but when duelling with Master Toad, he had been able to pepper him with crystallised blood darts. To do this, the teen had, through rage, seized control over the mana in his blood.
Elijah looked inside himself to be sure. Sure enough, the sleeping monster’s consciousness had shrunk once more. It was growing weaker, and the iron grasp it once had on his blood was slipping by the second.
He couldn't tell for sure, but it appeared to be shrinking, shrivelling up, and dying?
Truth be told, Elijah didn’t know how he felt about that. If it was true, that left him adrift. He had been driven to avenge the one he knew was his true Familiar, but on the flip side, his pride made him feel he had to repay the thing for saving him in the Goblin Trial and teaching him a thing or two.
“Elijah?” Professor Tawny asked, shaking the young man who had spent the last few minutes staring off into nothing.
“Hmm, oh, yes, sorry,” he responded, shaking off his turmoil and focusing on the task at hand.
The teen didn’t really know how to do all that much, magically speaking, but he’d show the owl man the few things he had figured out.
He started by forcing the blood out of his right hand. It was more difficult than he remembered, like trying to swim in treacle, but in a few seconds, all of it was gone, and he could begin to feel the pain that came with this technique.
Next, he allowed the surrounding water mana to float into the hand until it was full. Then, using his mana to push it, squeezing the water mana out as if it were heroin in a syringe, he imparted his will upon the magic, slowly shaping it into a blade.
It was only then that he realised he didn’t have anything to shoot it at. Before he could panic, Professor Tawny noticed his predicament and summoned a straw and sack dummy in the shape of a bird man from his Inventory.
Elijah nodded gratefully before unleashing the attack, slashing through the sackcloth shirt of the target and sending damp straw everywhere.
He gasped in relief as the pain abated and turned to the owl man with a smile.
Professor Tawny, for his part, sported no expression. His face remained blank as he gestured for Elijah to continue.
Slightly miffed at the lack of praise, Elijah moved on to the next (far less impressive) technique in his arsenal.
He made the pure mana in his blood dance, imitating the water motes that Mana Manipulation let him see were present in the air all around them.
The mana motes became excited by the display and started to move faster. His Mana bar plummeted by more than half, and a nebulous ball of water, about the size of a human head, appeared in the air before falling apart and splashing onto the wooden floorboards.
Elijah momentarily felt bad until Tawny whipped his wand around, causing all the water that would have damaged the flooring to float up into the air before doing something with a shiny dark mana that made it disappear.
Again, the professor remained expressionless as he gestured for the teen to continue.
Elijah complied, showing off his blood blade and blood dart spells next. These were far easier to use, as he just had to shape his blood with no interim steps.
When the bird man again prompted him to continue, Elijah was forced to reluctantly shake his head; that was all he knew.
A silence didn’t realise it wasn’t welcome and decided to set up shop in the classroom. The teen felt like he was in another mock exam, just waiting to be told all his answers were wrong.
“Well,” the professor began, evicting the silence. “I don’t like to discourage students from experimenting and discovering their own methods, but I’m surprised you don’t know any enhancement spells.”
Elijah wrinkled his brow; why would he know any enhancement spells? He came from a world without magic and just had to figure it all out himself. He contemplated saying as much but thought better of it.
The owl man read his expression and sighed. “I can’t pretend to know how you gained a Mana Heart without even knowing this much. You are clearly in need of instruction.
First, some background. Elves, some monsters, and some types of magical beasts have Mana Hearts. Some people decide to implant them inside themselves if they are born without the gift.
You likely already know what they do.”
Elijah nodded, but that wasn’t enough for the owl man, so the teen verbalised his understanding.
“They draw in all types of mana from the surroundings, convert them into pure mana, and pump it into the blood.”
“Precisely,” the professor confirmed. “Though there is one detail you missed. The mana Mana Hearts produce is in liquid form.”
“What does that mean?” Asked Elijah, inquisitively.
“The mana motes you say you can see, they are what mana looks like in its gaseous form. It is the easiest to control but the weakest. Liquid mana is more powerful but limited.
Usually, those with Mana Hearts stick to using internal spells. What you have achieved with mana resonance is impressive, though wasteful. What you are doing with mana diffusion, on the other hand, is dangerous, and I can’t in good conscience condone it. You may end up killing yourself.”
Elijah chose not to mention that he had already managed to do that and instead asked more about internal magics.
“What are internal magics?” the teen asked.
“Strengthening spells mainly,” Professor Tawny explained, “Water dance, I think, would be a good spell for you,” he said, raising a feather in thought.
“If what I’m doing is wrong, is there a proper way to do external magic?” Elijah asked.
“Proper? Who's to say, but there certainly are more efficient ways. The most common method to control gaseous mana motes is with the use of a mana core. Some creatures are born with one inside them, but others, like humans, use them as casting tools,” the owl man explained.
That sparked a memory in the young man, and he reached into his Inventory, withdrawing the medium-grade mana core he had claimed as his prize for defeating the Slime in the second Trial.
“Like this?” he asked.
“Yes,” responded the professor with some surprise. “If you had an affinity with acid mana, this would be perfect for channelling your power into external spells and invocations… As it is, you would need a water- or blood-attributed mana core,” he said, somewhat apologetically.
Elijah sighed and resigned himself to learning internal magics.
The next couple of hours were spent practising this new spell. It used the liquid mana in his blood. He would imitate water, as he had been doing, then try to move whilst in that state.
It was incredibly difficult to maintain the image of water in his mind, impress it on the mana in his blood, push through the blood monster’s lessening resistance, and fight an imaginary opponent all at once.
At first, it seemed impossible, but at some point, it all just clicked, and before he knew it, the teen was dancing about, flowing like water, ducking and dodging with fluid grace, his Mana ticking down slowly each second.
Professor Tawny feather-clapped his success with hooted delight, almost as excited as the young man that he’d learnt a new spell.
“Congratulations,” the owl man congratulated. “You have impressed me. I thought it would take you days to master that!” he exclaimed.
“Now,” Professor Tawny went on, “before the Trial ends, I have something to give you.”
Elijah was excited, half expecting a wand or water-attributed mana core. He held out his hands. They were crushed against the floor by three books that were heavier than his piano:
- Mana, A History
- Water It Means To Have Water Affinity
- Spell Tools: The Dos and Don’ts
Elijah groaned under the weight of parchment, leather, and metal bindings. To stop his hands from being mangled, he stored the volumes he had been given in his Inventory, and just in time too, as the world faded to black and the Trial was over.
Congratulations!
You have completed the Trial of Evolution 1: Owlkin
Grade: F
Objectives:
- Impress Professor Tawny with your academic knowledge: ?
- Impress Professor Tawny with your magical ability: ?
- Impress Professor Tawny with your mana capacity: ?
- Impress me with your hard work: ?
Rewards:
You have earned the right to Evolve from an Owlkin into 1 of 1 Owlkin Evolutions:
- Feathered Scholar
Choose Now!
patrons: