Black Magus

My body shook itself awake from its state of torpor around four hours later. And after a drink of water from the small fountain next to the ice box, I was floating next to the windshield in my Wraith Form, telling Jaimess to stop the vehicle.

With the passing of a short bathroom break, the six of them had either returned to or began to lounge about on the benches and floors of the carriage while I was up front, accompanied by my doppelganger in the blissful silence of the night. In that silence, I was able to think about a great many things that were burning in my mind while my umbral clone steered.

The matter of these mana wells and the forced expansion theory was, by far, the primary theory my compulsive intellect was attached to at the moment. A question that would regrettably have to wait until I could speak with my mother about the elven secrets Grandpa Lich so loved to mention. On top of that, were the many things he mentioned in passing, yet never explained. Evolution. Living liches. Proper necromancy. Wyverns and dragons. The things that he either didn’t want me to know or the things that he wanted me to learn on my own at the academy, Being capable of nothing more than conjecture at this point in time, I compartmentalized the many data points in my mind and instead, pulled out a large stack of paper to continue transcribing knowledge for my tinkerers.

Like Toril and the others, I had ideas on how they could make the most of their magical affinities. For all of them, I thought of experiments for them to try or ideas for spells that they could further develop. Ed’s focus was on the relationship between smoke and ash. In a traditional sense, smoke from a natural fire primarily contained carbon, in the form of soot; as well as, tar, oil, and ash particles. Thus it would stand to reason that with magic, he could learn to conjure each aspect of his smoke individually. Or if not that, I assumed he could at least control them.

Letta's focus, on the other hand, was primarily on material science, complex machines, and the supporting mathematics for all of her crafts; plus a lengthy lesson on tensile strength. I had a sneaking suspicion that her magic had nothing to do with metal, despite it being attributed to chains. Or, to put it another way, her having an affinity for chains meant, in theory, she could form them out of any imaginable material; thus they could outperform steel, nanotubes, or any other known material known to at least me. What I was uncertain of, however, was if the strength of her change was dependent on her knowledge of said materials or on her seemingly limited understanding of her own magic. Taking Telin's word into account, however, brought me to believe it was both. Necessitating more observations and, of course, testing.

Lastly, Giorno’s focus was perhaps the most monumental. For there was a long road ahead of him if he was to understand atomic theory. And yet, I had the utmost faith that he'd see it through in record time. If only for the very namesake of atoms. Atomos. Implying there would always be something 'indivisible' to his hewing magic was like telling me there would always be a shadow I couldn't hide in. Potentially maddening, though it was, it was all but necessary. I wanted to instill in all of them, an experimental mindset. For their professions, however, I transcribed for Ed, a massive pile of books containing principles, designs, and schematics of technology that more than likely had no place in this magical world. Concepts like electricity; electromagnetic radiation; the laws of thermodynamics; or orbital dynamics. I gave him blueprints for things like batteries; hand radios; combustion engines; rocket engines; prosthetics; land, sea, and aircraft; as well as other modern technology plus knowledge of more practical things, like the principles of agriculture; construction; and R&D.

Conversely, I transcribed instructions to teach Letta how to imbue more functions into smaller and smaller watches. Microelectronics without the electronics was the name of the game, for that would come later. Most importantly, I transcribed intricate, step-by-step lessons on how to create the highly-wanted-by-me, digital watch. Additionally, I expanded her palate by giving her introductory lapidary and jewelry books to study. As for Giorno, he was given books on tanning and agriculture so that he could learn how to produce his own materials. On top of that, he was given details and schematics of things he’d probably be unable to make with the proper magic. Things like kevlar, dilatant liquids, and even carbon nanotube fabrics.

I was hardly finished by the time the sun began peeking over the Mortal Plane. Wherein Karu began squawking madly, demanding to go back into the night. Without much fuss, I pulled the carriage into a small valley and released him from the reigns, then watched him dart off to the nearest shadow to disappear without a trace. Amiably turning, I waddled around to the rear of the carriage to begin preparing breakfast. Just over a half-hour later, I pulled down the inner wall of the kitchen before sealing the trunk and entering through the hatch.

Quite hilariously, the others were stirring awake from the pungent smell of meat, eggs, and fresh biscuits hanging in the air.

Quick as always, Toril was up on his feet while the others were groggily sitting up from the floors and benches. Murmuring as Toril reached over and under them to snap the table into place and help set it. Once done, he handed me a plate before sitting to my right, next to Letta and Giorno; across from Jaimess and the other two.

“Good morning, everyone.” I nodded to them all after thanking Toril. Then, proceeded with a bit of small talk until we worked through the majority of our meals. Wherein I got down to business. “Our objective for today is for you three to continue amassing a stockpile of materials. This time, we’ll be here throughout the day and night, hunting and foraging. After we eat, we’ll set up camp and go out on our own. If any of you have never been, the others will teach you.” I motioned to Toril and received a quick nod in response. “The goal is to get as much as you can but don't overdo it. Aside from your quarries, I require that you all capture a type of deer or anything larger so we can teach you how to preserve it later tonight.”

They quickly nodded their affirmations before working through the rest of their meals. Then, we assembled outside and got to work. After Jonet cleared away the snow, we all used earth manipulation to build ourselves some spruced-up foxholes for later tonight.

Well, Toril taught the newest additions while I mostly supervised and the rest made their own. Until I got bored, at least. Then I assumed Wraith Form and floated off on my own to hunt.

In my years fighting across the Empire, I’d seen little to none of the feral or magical beasts found through the land. Though with death mana leaking from everywhere between me and the Tower, I couldn’t exactly be surprised with the observation. Now that I had the freedom, peace, and time, however, I could finally hunt for more creatures to add to my collection.

Hunting had long since been a trivial matter for me. With my innate magic and the enchantments in my clothes, even the most sensitive creatures had no chance of detecting me as I crept through the hilly woods. To them, I was just a region of slightly darker darkness. If even that. To most, my presence in Wraith Form was just an uncanny feeling. A sensation of being watched. Hairs standing on end. As was the case with the large moose I came across after a bit of searching. It only moved- panicked, when I cast a Death Bullet. Yet when the magic struck home it fell with naught a scream or huff of air, nor crash of flesh against snow; for it was seamlessly pulled into my Shadow Pocket. A nice addition to my provisions for sure. But I wanted something a little more… maneuverable, to add to my collection. So, I quickly got back on the trail- in my physical form. And not long after, I heard the faintest of steps far behind me. Over a half-dozen of them. Yipping and yelping and four-legged. Traveling around to my flanks. Signs that pointed to one thing.

“It’s always wolves.” I groaned, turning to face a pack of dire wolves. Nine of them in all shades between white and black, creeping forth from the brush about twelve meters away.

In all honesty, I wasn’t particularly interested in fighting wolves; nor did I admire the taste. That said, I adored canines of all types. So, I quickly broke off a small chunk of my well and siphoned the shadow mana into my fingers.

Taking a step backward as the closest wolves lunged, I flicked off Shadow Bullets towards the largest pair near the rear, leaving them sniffing the air in a defensive posture while the others charged. Without missing a beat, I spawned a few Shade Tendrils beneath both wolves and verified the umbral tentacles grasping hold of my targets before withdrawing my daggers. I may have undying love for canines- many animals, for that matter- but I wasn't the type to let the things I love hurt me.

Turning on my heels, I was met with a wide, gaping maw arcing directly toward me. Without moving, I pulled mana from my well and through the entirety of my core, stretching the willow tree branches across my skin until I was encased in my Void Skin. The wolf’s jaw and throat disappeared the moment it made contact. As did the heart and lungs and spine and guts as its momentum carried it forward. Leaving, in the end, two me-sized sets of legs held together by thick strips of fur and ribs.

Canceling my Void Skin, I lunged at the wolf coming in from behind the newly departed and swept my blade through its neck to create a wide gash that showered me in blood. As it fell, I pulled my spear from my umbral pocket and casually tossed it aside, allowing the enchantment imbued within to take hold and sweep and thrash the wolves flanking from the rear while I made short work of the wolf who’d bounded to my front. With two of them captured and five of them dispatched, the remaining two attempted to turn tail and run. Not willing to let their pelts escape me, I quickly filled my fingers with Death Bullets and flicked them at the escapees, then pulled them into the abyss before they could skip and tumble.

With my quarry acquired, I stepped back on the trail and moved rather quickly to escape the stench of death that’d permeated the place. A stench that surely drove off any and all creatures from the area. As it took me several hours of walking until I saw any other sign of life. Two hours after that, I reached the end of the woods we were in. From there, I turned to the west and skirted the forest. Searching for a sign of anything in both the plains to my left and the dense brush to my right. Due to its camouflage, I almost didn’t see it. A white fox, tilting its head this way and that as it listened in to something under the snow.

Scrying through the shadows, I saw a little field rat amiably burrowing away. And not a moment later, the fox leaped up and dove, snout first, into the snow. Where it thrashed its tail about before elegantly surfacing like a swimsuit model flinging their hair backward. Albeit a furry, large-eared model, holding a bleeding rat in their mouth. Together, they both ate a Shadow Bullet and were subsequently pulled into my Pocket to make friends with Roger. With a nice grouping of animals stored away and the sun beginning to drop under the Mortal Plane, I took on my Wraith form and returned to camp. Juggling a few names for this... transformation spell in my mind.

Minutes later, I was assuming my physical form next to the wagon’s trunk to fix a bowl of stew before I joined the others around the campfire. After taking a seat, I told Jaimess of the elk I killed before joining in on the amiable small talk.

From the days of flying, working, and resting in a cramped carriage, it was no surprise to me that my newest additions were weary. I could only hope that they’d get some better rest in our foxholes tonight; nevertheless, I was happy that they were at least in good moods. Though, with them riding the combined highs of graduating, traveling on their own, and being chosen as my vassals, I’d be concerned if they weren’t. Still, they’d managed to both hunt and forage a considerable amount of material in the twelve or so hours of our being here. Leaving not much for them to do but rest and bond with their new peers for the rest of the night.

Though fun and jovial, our conversations passed with nothing particularly happening or being said; up until the moment I spotted a young owl perched up in a tree, and flicked a Shadow Bullet at it.

Screeching loudly, it quickly took to the skies in an attempt to escape. Somewhat anticipating it, however, I sent out a Shade Tendril to grab hold of it and drag it into my Pocket. Prompting six, mortified, wide-eyed stares to slowly turn back to me.

“What... was that?” Toril asked. Seemingly for everyone.

“An experimental spell,” I said, summoning Roger.

“Bunny!” Letta immediately exclaimed, rushing forth to take Roger from my hands. But the moment he settled in her arms, his flesh morphed and a duplicate jumped onto the floor, rushing to Giorno. Letta squeaked again before Giorno began rudely shooing away the rabbits multiplying around his feet.

“Are these… undead?” Ed cautiously asked.

“No.” I somewhat deflatedly sighed. “Roger was a normal rabbit that I trapped in my Shadow Pocket. My theory is that he was, sort of, infected with shadow mana once he began to die of thirst or starvation. Either that or my mana slowly leaked into him from the start and he was changed over time. Now, he's an umbral rabbit. My mana sustains him, and he can use darkness to... breed like rabbits.”

“Impressive.” Jaimess gasped, ignoring me chuckling at my own joke. “And I assume you’ve captured more on your hunting trip? I’m eager to hear more.”

“I did.” I grinned. “Two dire wolves, a fox, a rat, and that owl. Though, they have yet to turn or be named. Together, they make up the Tenebrous Menagerie.”

“Such an elegant name.” Giorno chimed in from several meters away, far from the cluster of magical rabbits.

I’ve been curious,” I said after acknowledging Giorno’s compliment and returning Roger to my shadow. “What are your dreams and goals?"

“I want to be rich.” Letta promptly said in her usual cheeky tone.

“You’re my vassal, Letta. You’re already rich.” I snorted.

“Well then.” She tapped at her cheek before spreading her arms out to her sides, beaming wide. “I want to spread my brand across all of Maru, and beyond!”

“Admirable.” I grinned. “I’ll see to it that it happens. And you?” I gestured to Giorno.

Curiously, he craned his neck to see the sky and let out an airy sigh. “My wish is to see the world. To explore different cultures. Meet new people. See new places. Try new things. There are a million fantastic things to be seen across the Mortal Plane, and my dream is to bear witness to them all. And.” He charmingly shrugged. “I want to make clothes suitable for every realm, of course.”

“I… I don’t know, really. But… if I may, my Lord.” Edward stammered. “Why is it that you are so focused on training? Why exactly do you intend to take back Ulai? I’ve been dying to know.”

I ignored the warnings my veteran vassals were giving Ed and decided to answer his question with a question. “Is the Maru of today the type of realm you’d be happy spending the rest of your life in? Any of you?” I turned to the others after a long period of silence. “A quarter of our realm is a dense wilderness sitting atop a war-torn continent. Another quarter is home to creatures native to every other realm, and they've been imprisoned there for two and a half centuries.

“Allow me to ask you this.” I continued after another pause. “What do you believe those imprisoned monsters have been doing inside the barrier? The orcs and goblins of Betrarth, the demons of Vagua, the strange beasts and dragons of Nonus. It would only stand to reason that they've constructed empires far superior to our own in terms of might. And yet, we live complacently in our lands, living under the guise that the barrier will hold indefinitely. We blatantly ignore the latent threat that exists just across the ocean.” I threw my arm to the west. To the faint green glow sitting permanently in the sky. “My guild will erase that threat. And then, we’ll create an empire unlike any Maru has ever seen. And together, we’ll explore the Mortal Plane in its entirety. From Gray Terminus to Egedil, we will march.

“And along the way.” I heavily sighed. “I’ll learn of my family history.”

“Your family history?” Giorno shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

“The history of the House of Cole is a history of secrets, not written in any book or etched onto any tablet,” I explained. “It is a secret carried to the grave by its wielder. Thus I must find, them, my ancestors, to be taught their history. Like I did with my Great-Grandfather: through death.”

As before, there was a long period of silence following my words. It didn’t take a genius to see that everyone wanted to ask something; possibly the same thing. So, I went ahead and broke the silence with what I thought was the answer to their burning question. “Once the guild is formed and everyone is up to standard,” I said. “As such, our first trial run will be the land in which my Great-Grandfather was born. Phaegrath. For that, we have about five more years to prepare.”