Chapter 14: Soulscape 101…And Magick.
The classroom for this class was... For the lack of a better word Magical.
The walls were full of intricate tapestries of all kinds of beasts and a few complicated mandalas. There was a large wooden desk in the middle of the room and all the seats were surrounding it. Somehow even though the room should be a rectangle...From the inside it looked like a circle.
And in the middle of said circle was that desk, large and carved with intricate designs.
On the other hand, the student's desks were arranged in a circular pattern with each row a few inches lower than the last one. So everyone could see the teacher without the problem of someone obstructing the view.
Our protagonist took a few minutes walking around the room and somehow no matter from which angle she walked, the desk was always pointing at her. As if she was in front of it. Same with the teacher smiling knowingly at her.
As she took her seat at a random desk (With a pink being by her side) she could feel the atmosphere in the room more clearly. It was as if something was shifting in the air. She almost could feel the presence of magick being woven in real time all around her, enchantments wovens into the very fabric of reality.
And as soon as the class began and the teacher started speaking it all calmed down, almost as if a cold bucket of water was thrown at her. The magicks she could feel in the air disappeared as if nothing, and judging by the reaction of her classmates everyone else felt the same.
"Okay, that's enough." Said the teacher, the same witch that attended their Awakening Ceremony.
And when the classroom didn't quiet down one snap of her finger brought a heavy presence that pushed almost everyone down into their desk.
Only a few people withstood without being pushed into the desks.
One was the pink being to her left that was just nonchalantly looking around wondering what was happening.
Another was a blue hair guy on the other side of the classroom. That didn't look around but acted like nothing was happening, just taking notes of...Something.
And the third was of course the most gorgeous being in this whole academy. Elizabeth Starbright.
Who by the way was wondering if it was too late to pretend to be pushed down into the desk.
"What you just felt was my magick being infused by my [Will] and used against you all as a deterrent. The most basic of applications to [Mana Manipulation]." Said the witch, the one that Elizabeth had yet to [Identify].
And a quick row of [Identify] to her classmates and it almost confirmed her doubts.
The only ones that had resisted the [Will] of her teacher were the only ones with [Origins].
Status |
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Name: Micheal Shepherd Title: The Promised Sage Alias: Level: 5 |
Health: 100% Mana:100% Stamina: 100% Stress: 0% |
Strength: 5 Constitution: 5 Agility: 5 Dexterity: 10 Intelligence: 32 Wisdom: 35 Charisma: 10 Status Auto allocation is active. |
Magick Origin: Magic Attunement Magic Spells Learned: 5/30 Magic Circle Learned: 0/30 |
Yep, there it is all right. A Magick Origin.
What? Am I ignoring something else in the [Status], I don't know what you are talking about.
I'm not ignoring a theme on "The Promised" [Titles] or something. Nope. Not ignoring them at all!
...Let's focus on something else. Most of the people here were level 1-3 like me. Even if their status were way lower than mine. And most didn't have a Magick Origin...Or anything on their status window.
...Fine...[Identify]
Magick Attunement: |
The user has a natural predisposition to all types of magicks. Easier learning of magicks all around and on any type of magick and easier learning of magick circles. [This only applies to the normal types of magick] |
Huh...That was more...Normal than expected...
Maybe the Teacher was more special?
Status |
|
Name: Agatha Moonstone Title: The Survivor of Walpurgis Alias: Level: 50 |
Health: 100% Mana:100% Stamina: 100% Stress: 0% |
Strength: 52 Constitution: 52 Agility: 82 Dexterity: 72 Intelligence: 200 Wisdom: 146 Charisma: 46 Status Auto allocation is active. |
Magick Origin: Basic Elementalist Magic Spells Learned: 20/140 Magic Circle Learned: 50/140 |
...Ah?
The heck?
Basic Elementalist: |
The user has attuned her magicks to the elemental type. Easier cast and more power on the magicks of the elemental types. In contrast, it becomes harder to cast other types of magicks of the more advanced types. |
"Now to impose your [Will] upon the world and mold it into something else is what we call [Magick]." Oh right, there was a class right now.
"And the reason you girls will be called Magical Girls, and you boys will be called Magical Guardians is because we use Magic." Yeah...Not too sure about that since no one here has Magick on them...
Besides blue hair over there. How does he even have magick spells already?
"And here is the thing...While in the outside world, you will be called as such. In the real world...You will probably not be a true one." And on that note, everyone here was like they stole their dreams and maybe their soul too.
Even blue hair lost her cool. Rosie had a face that said she would start crying and was grabbing my hand.
"If we use the Heroe's power tier, unless you become a C-Tier you will not be a Magical Girl or a Magical Guardian. Not a true one at least." Huh?
How can one be the equivalent of a C-Tier without having Magick?
"That is counter-intuitive. If I can't be a Magical Guardian then how am I supposed to rise to the Magical equivalent of C-Tier?" Asked the blue-haired kid.
"And on that note. If I'm not a Magical Guardian equivalent why can I do this?" and so he mumbled an incantation and invoked a sphere of fire over his hand.
The teacher for her part wasn't surprised and only snapped her fingers again. Soon enough a mandala manifested on the ceiling and the fire was extinguished.
"Before the smartass over there interrupted me. " Continued the teacher and started writing something on the whiteboard. "We don't use the tiered system of the powered for the magical users. And that is what you will be...Or most of you anyway." And with that, she pointed to the whiteboard.
Mundane: Non-magical individuals with no magical ability.
Acolyte: Acolytes possess a basic understanding of magic and can perform simple spells.
Mage: Mages have a strong grasp of magic and are capable of performing one type of elemental spell.
Archmage: Archmages are skilled mages who can cast powerful spells from several elemental schools.
Arch Sorcerers: These are individuals who possess innate magical abilities and can create artifacts.
Warlock: Beings that made deals with powerful magical entities usually elder gods or devils, granting them access to powerful spells and abilities.
High Priest/Priestess: Individuals who have achieved a deep understanding of the divine and can channel divine power to perform miracles. The same as warlock but with modern gods or Angels.
Saint: Saints are individuals who have achieved a level of enlightenment and mastery over magic that is beyond mortal comprehension. They can perform incredible feats and wield immense power.
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"As you can see, the magical community cares not for how powerful your [Fire Ball] spell is." Said the teacher while making two fireballs hover in front of her.
"If you can make this," said while pointing to the one on the left, it was small... "Or this," and pointed to the one on the right, it was bigger, looking closer it was as big as a blue-haired kid.
"The magical community will grade you as an Acolyte. Since you know elemental magic only. You miss the utility spells. Now if you know utility magick such as [Telekinesis], [Force Wall], [Force Ball], or even [Light] then that changes things and may qualify you as a [Mage]." And so the teacher pointedly waited for blue hair to make his point.
No chance.
No answer.
He only waited silently...Seething on his spot.
"Thought so," said the teacher with a smirk. "Smartass are all like that, now for everyone else." Oh right, this was a class and not a one-on-one.
"Make no mistakes, that kid is a genius. He hasn't entered his soulscape yet and knows at least one elemental spell. Don't know how he managed that with only half a day here already. But I will find out and give adequate punishments to the idiots that granted him access to spell incantations." Oh, so he indeed mumbled spell incantations. At least he was smart enough to mumble and not give away the incantation to everyone else. Maybe that was why he wasn't being punished too?
"Now. To the important thing. Soulscape. What do you know about it?" asked the teacher.
No one wanted to answer.
Cowards the lot of them!
"Miss Starbright, care to elucidate your cohorts?" asked the teacher...Dammit, again?
"The Soulscape is the reflection of our soul. And the place where magick comes from into the real world." Give small answers, not give away all your information.
Huh?
Why are you looking at me blue hair?
What are those stars in your eyes Rossie...? Wasn't your motif hearts?
...Teach? Why are you holding your head and sighing?
Huh?
"Judging by your face Starbright, you aren't very bright." Rude!
"You see, no one here should know what the soulscape is. You aren't supposed to know about it unless you are in the knows as a Magical User. Or unless you are above C Tier as a Heroe." ...Why?
"As you abridged it. The Soulscape is the reflection of the self or the soul. And where the magick weaves itself with the self and is brought into the real world. As such, it's an important requirement to cast magick." That seems fair enough.
Why the secrecy?
"And if you paid attention to the whiteboard you can see that among the higher levels of mastery, we see contracts with otherworldy beings." And teacher pointed to the Warlock and Priestess tier.
Oh...
"Exactly, where do you think those contracts are made? What do you think they want?" Ooooooooh.
"They want to have fun and make friends?" Came the answer from the pink-haired airhead.
"The soul. They want either the whole thing or a piece." Said the blue-haired smartass.
"Among other things, some eldritch beings want a free pass to the material plane. A few gods want prophets... A few more enthusiastic ones want vessels... But most Magic Users at that point in power and study know to not give away their soul or to become a vessel for them. " Said the Teacher with a shrug.
"Most of them know if they follow our tiered study. Most of the information to make those contracts is only available for Arch mages or Arch Sorcerers anyway. " Then what's the problem?
"Of course, I can see the 'What's the problem then?' face in you all." Smirked the teacher.
"The problem is that a baboon can open and solve a puzzle given enough time. So how long do you think it would take the whole human race to sell their soul for inane things and open the door to an eldritch being?" asked the teacher.
Yeah, that can be a problem.
"And on that note would everyone look at the magick circle on the ceiling now?" and in reflex everyone looked up.
The teacher snapped her fingers again making it go away and then she could see another one carved in the ceiling.
And she felt her sight go blurry for a second.
Mind intrusion detected. Defending...Repelling... |
"Tch...Cath overshoot again, stupid woman." mumbled the teacher. Huh?
And with another snap, she brought attention to the front again. The weird sigils on the ceiling were gone now.
"That was a Geass. A simple but powerful one. In a nutshell, now you all can't talk about the soulscape to anyone that isn't a student of magick, a magic user, or a powered above C-Tier." THERE IT WAS AGAIN!
So many mind intrusions... Is this normal?
"And don't think about going to another school and having them take it away, ours is the less intrusive one. But everyone that teaches magick gives a flavor of Geass of some kind. Some even stick other non-savory stuff on theirs." Yeah, that checks. That was the reason Mother is so against mental intrusion.
She never told me what kind of Geass she got struck under. But it was part of the reason why that world she went to got that kind of end.
"Now onto the fun stuff. Focus your mind inwards while trying to have a feel for the magick in the room. Direct said magick inwards and into the deepest part of you. If you manage that you will enter the soulscape." And on that note, the feeling of magick in the air once again permeated the atmosphere.
"If you manage to enter the soulscape you will have your next assignment. Choosing your [Mystic Shift]. Everyone calls it different but since you are on the Mystic Powers Institute. We call it [Mystic Shift]. Some use [Astral Shift], [Soul Shift], [Dream Shift], and there was this one group that used [Starlight Prism Power]... I only call it [Shift] by the way." said the teacher while writing all the possible names for that.
...Yeah not gonna say those names out loud. But Mother always made a scene of using the [Stardust Explorer Transformation].
Time to make a token effort?
Or time to try it for real...
Everyone was frowning and doing their best to dive into their soulscape.
But I already managed that... Heh. Might as well go to the other wing I guess...