Ch 2

The world has been shaking a lot more frequently than it has in a while. And their durations are longer as well.

I wonder if the all-consuming lava will come and claim us soon.

I hope so. I long for its embrace and the destruction it carries towards me….

The rumbling has grown louder and louder recently. It has gotten so bad that a large boulder has come and sealed our hole shut. It was falling on its way to join us down here but got stuck.

His name is Petter by the way. He likes rolling around I’ve been told.

But because of Petter there have been no new additions to our family, besides Petter himself of course.

And something unusual about Petter is that he has scorch marks on some parts of him. I think it’s because he touched some lava. But he won’t tell me why he’s that way.

Well he doesn't talk much at all, even less so than the others. He just sits up there and sleeps.

It must take a lot of energy to roll around at his size.

No I’m not fat shaming him I promise.

What do you mean that’s what it sounds like.

Well I’m not Sally!

Oh Petter you're awake. I have a question for you.

OH I’m so sorry Petter I didn’t know that offended you. I promise I won’t say it again.

So will you listen to my question?

No. Why not?

Because you're going to take another nap. I see I’ll ask you when you wake up.

Fat lard.

Oh nothing Petter nothing at all.

Sally if you say a word I will hurt you.

Sally please don’t I’ll do anything.

What you want some of my light.

I’m not sure if I can give, I’ll do it so please just shut up!

It’s nothing Petter just go back to sleep.

I promise Petter it’s nothing. So just go back to your nap.

Thanks Petter. See you when you wake up.

Ok so how do I make Sally glow?

Hummmmmmm….

Will you try again?

Not now demon.

Expand your domain

Demon I’ve told you countless times to go away so please just stop.

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Control your mana

Come on demon that's enough. Wait a second….

That's it! Thank you Demon. You beautiful, beautiful disembodied Demon in my head.

Now Demon….

How do I do that?

Build you core

So I need to build my core so that I can control my mana. I see.

So how do I do that?

Defend yourself from invaders

You know what demon I think you're trolling me. At least on that last one. But I will give controlling mana a shot just so that Sally will get off my back. It’s not like I have any other ideas.

So I need to think. What is mana?

Mana is magic. Magic is a form of energy….

It is…. a life force?

Yeah it’s a type of life force. It is the power a being has inside them. It’s the force that allows them to affect the world around them. Every being has a finite amount they can control and contain at a time, from the smallest blade of grass to the dragons in the heavens, from the dust to the stars themselves. Everything has some amount of control. Some amount of mana.

But how do you move it outside of yourself?

Some beings use runes or spell circles.

But that's not how they move mana outside of themselves. That’s just a way of focusing the effect the mana has on the world.

What drives the mana out?

Is the circulation of mana inside oneself the thing that propels mana out of their bodies? No, that only re-enforces their body. It doesn’t push it out of their body.

Some sing the mana right out. Others say special words for certain effects to happen. But I can talk not vocally anyway. So that option is out as well. And I think they're not necessary either.

So what do you need to do?

Well each of these things that I thought of are used to help in the use of mana. And they all work.

I think….

So what is similar between them all?

They all use language. Whether known or unknown, language is used.

But language doesn't mean anything unless you have something to relate it to. So I can rule out that language itself has any real power over mana.

But many beings believe it does. But it words alone don’t have any effect on mana.

So why do they do it that way?

Because that's how they've been taught how to do it. Because how else would it work without symbols to represent what you want. Because if you mispronounce a spell that someone else taught you then it won’t work. That, they themselves, learned from someone else. Who may have learned it from a book….

So why do they do it this way?

It makes no sense.

Why would anyone believe that they could only do things with a special word?

Because they can and others can’t, because everyone thinks that way the world works….

Because they all believe that's how it has to be….

Because they believe that's the only way….

That's it belief!

Belief, will, the mental might to change reality!

I just need to will it to happen. I just need to will my mana out of me and guide it into Sally. I need to give it the intent that it will make her glow.

I can do that….

Right?

Yeah I can do that. I can make Sally glow.

But if I’m going to do this then I need to do this right. I need to make a show of this. I need this to instill shock and aww into the others. For no other reason than my own enjoyment and self-gratification.

I wonder if that's why they think those thing are needed?

Some guy learned how to do magic but wanted to feel important so he made up a bunch of random words and put them in a sentence. Then people wanted to do the same thing so they asked him to teach them. And he did but said not everybody can do it. Then he made it more complex by making them pronounce each and every one of his silly words correctly for it to work. Then as time passed the language changed, but the silly words to use magic didn’t because that's what people believed was the only way to use magic. And then eventually someone made a written language for it, making runes. But in all honesty it’s all just a bunch of bull crap that some guy made up so he could feel special.

I mean I wouldn’t be too surprised if that was the truth and that was how everything came to be as it is now.

Hummmmmmmmm….

Do I want to be that guy?

Hummmmmmmmm….

Hummmmmmmmm….

Well as tempting as that is I don’t want to lead everyone into thinking that they have to say stupid thing to have power.

Except, maybe Sally.

Hummmmmmm…..

No, not even Sally deserves that.

Barley….

I think….

Probably…

No, not even Sally.

Maybe…

No!

Just no self not even Sally.

Sally doesn't really deserve it anyways. I just want her to deserve it so that she can look like a fool. But if I do that then I’ll just feel awful about it when I see her try so hard to make it work as she says something stupid after the millionth time.

Well now that I have an idea on how I think it will work. It’s time to pretend like I know what I’m doing.

Hopefully nothing explodes.