Owin splashes water over his face, dipping his palms in the pond again for another go. Elena watches over his armour, a bit further from the rim of the water, holding his chest plate in her hands, curiously inspecting the gems on it. Nialuc sits atop a nearby rock, looking carefully around the area. The pond is situated in a little remote area of the forest, surrounded by dense treelines and thick tall grass. The water itself is pristine, as clean as natural water will get, still infested with life. Groups of fish swim about in it with reeds waving freely in the cool air which still manages to reach the little creek. Large boulders are scattered around the area with colonies of peaceful bugs living under them. The lancer observes carefully, taking in every detail of his surroundings.
Owin turns to him after washing his face thoroughly. “Why so focused?”
“I don’t often come here. But when I do, I make sure it’s been untouched” He responds without batting an eye.
Elena’s head pipes up after hearing his reasoning. “So you meticulously remember every detail? why?”
“I knew you had a good memory,” Owin says with a big grin.
“Do you even know what meticulously means Owin?” The lancer asks.
“Nope”
“So you’re not even sure what she said”
“I just have a feeling I understand”
“You’re pretty intuitive huh Owin?” Elena comments.
“What she said” Owin agrees.
“You don’t know what that means either, do you?” Nialuc asks again.
“Actually that one I do know”
“Hm. Colour me surprised”
“Not the first time I’ve surprised you”
“And I hope it won’t be the last”
“... How come?” the Knight asks suspiciously.
Nialuc stands up and skips off of the rock, walking towards the sitting pair.
“Because our first lesson starts here. And I’m expecting the worst from you”
“Rude”
“That IS rude. Why are you so mean to him?” Elena interjects.
“I don’t like him. Like, almost at all”
“But you two travel together?”
“We just started. Also, I didn’t really have a choice”
“He’s just saying that. He does care” Owin reassures Elena.
“I don’t” the lancer doubles down.
“... um… So are we not going to talk about that fox guy?”
“Well, I don’t have much to say. Apparently, I slept through most of it” Owin chuckles.
“Nothing much to say here either. He was really interested in you, but if you don’t have your memories, we’ve got nothing to go off of.”
“... Do you think he was being genuine, about taking me home I mean?”
“...” Nialuc bites his tongue. He couldn’t sense the man's aura, but his instincts were telling him to let Elena be taken. Not just because she can’t be trusted, but because something about the way the man talked sounded very… convincing. Like he knew exactly what was going on.
“Don’t worry about it I say” Owin breaks the silence. “If he thought he needed to resort to kidnapping, it’s nothing you want to get involved in.”
“Sound logic coming from you” Nilauc snarks.
“I guess… what if he comes back?” Elena worries.
“Then he’ll need to bring more men with him. I’m pretty sure no amount he can bring is enough. Even if it were, I still know this forest like the back of my hand and every city in the area is just as friendly to me as Emba. The city guard would be more than willing to help us”
“I’ve been meaning to ask Nialuc. If the cities are so friendly and you’ve got troubles with Hiterito, why won’t they help you?” Owin prodes.
Nialuc stirs for a second. Because they know helping me fight him is an act against our god. Tyr is not one to appreciate intervention between his minions. But… they can’t know that. I need them to help me.
“For reasons beyond your comprehension. No more questions for Babysitter.”
Owin groans loudly at Nialucs denial.
“Who’s Hiterito?” Elena asks, tilting her head.
“He’s-”
“Shut it Owin” Nialucs stern voice interrupts the knight.
“-okay”
Elena pouts slightly but understands it's not her place to ask. Nialuc taps his foot against the ground impatiently.
“Both of you, get comfortable and stand in front of me. We’re going to learn the basics”
The two do as instructed.
“Now. Can either of you tell me the fundamentals of our beings?”
“Um. The 3 thingies right? Body, mind and soul” Owin guesses.
“Not ‘thingies’. We call them dimensions. Beings of different races, types and existences live with different combinations and perceptions of the worldly dimensions. We, as humanoids, can perceive and live in the first 4, not 3.”
“What's the fourth?”
“Life,” Elena says out of the blue as if reacting to his question instantly.
“...yes. It’s life. The first dimension is the one that creates existence or in other words, life. Life can exist in a one-dimensional space and that is the bare minimum of actually being a being. Second is mind.”
“Not body?”
“A body cannot exist in a two-dimensional space. In the first and second dimensions, there is only room for planes. The first is narrow and its only purpose is to form existence. The second expands on the concept of the first, broadening the horizon of linearity and creating the idea of conscious thought. The third is where life and mind can be fully connected by our bodies which finally form the three-dimensional space and the world we are experiencing now. For the most part.”
“So the fourth is soul?”
“Yes, and it's the least important one but certainly one with a lot of potential. The soul is what connects our bodies, minds and lives with magic. With the soul come our own auras which are always unique to every being. The fourth dimension is the concept of magic itself and only those who truly connect with their soul can fully perceive it.”
“You said that humanoids perceive the FIRST 4 dimensions. There are more?”
“Yes. Sadly as humanoids, we cannot know for sure what the dimensions beyond our understanding are, for obvious reasons. Theorists try to claim that things like Luck and Time could be the next two dimensions since we can’t truly fully perceive nor bend them, but as we have learned recently that may be untrue.”
“What do you mean we can't perceive time or luck? We use mathematics and numbers to explain luck and I think we have a good grasp on time.”
“You'd think. But do we actually understand luck? We understand that luck is random and something we cannot change. But what if luck was inherently tied to a being? Or tied to some force we don't know about. Time is also something we simply live in but can't control or understand. What makes time flow? Is it magic? Maybe. Some ultra-powerful mages can stop, slow, speed or skip time with magic but then again, it's questionable.”
“What about spirits or other beings? Are they four-dimensional?”
“Ngh…” Nialuc groans at the use of the words ‘four-dimensional’
“This is all very complicated Owin, but I can tell you about other beings. Spirits actually perceive fewer dimensions than we do. They perceive life, mind and soul but not body.”
“So they can’t live in the third dimension but can in the fourth?”
“Again, things are complicated. Just because they can’t perceive it doesn’t mean they can’t necessarily live in it. But we assume that most spirits who live like this actually don’t see the world like we do. Magic runs through almost everything alive and even non-alive so it's possible they see things and other beings not by how our bodies look but how they sense or feel our souls.”
“Couldn’t we just ask the spirits how they see things?”
“People have tired. But different spirits give different answers. It doesn’t help that there aren’t THAT many spirits around and that they are usually quite mellow which has also been theorised to be because, without a body, their minds and life are less connected and therefore create a different form of nature and instincts”
“What about monsters? OH what about gods?”
“We’re getting off-topic. The point is, you and I are beings of four dimensions and both of you strongly lack mastery of the fourth. The soul is the temple of your aura, the source of your magic. With better understanding, you can transcend those who are unenlightened and become more of a whole.”
“And… how do we connect with our souls?”
“Both of you, horse stances, now”
Elena and Owin spread their legs and buckle their knees, tensing their arms at their sides, bending their elbows. Nialuc walks around them, adjusting their stanes to form a more balanced symmetry and stance.
“Straighten your backs more… good. Now tense your muscles and close your eyes.”
They wait for a couple moments, standing still and tense.
“I need you both to feel your bodies completely. Now, Owin. Explain what you do when you cast your spells, your shield-like blue sphere for example”
“Oh… well I kind of tense my arm and palm, then just kind of out of instinct. My hand feels kinda warm and at some point just starts glowing. Then I grip it tightly and it explodes into a big ball around me.”
“Aha… That’s not very exact but let’s make something of it. You said you feel warmth. Your soul is not physical. It's magical, a completely different dimension and plane. But it is directly connected to your being. When you use magic, it affects your physical body. That is that warmth you feel. Your soul is usually located in the exact centre of your mass, your body. I need you both to tense your bodies and muscles until you feel that heat inside you, that fire in the middle of your being, sparking like crackling flames.”
Nialuc closes his eyes to damp out everything around him. He concentrates on their auras.
On Owins side, he hears it, the familiar violin. It's loud, louder than usual. It's playing deep tones at a relatively fast but also more and more consistent rate. Focusing deeper, there is the light tooting of a horn and trumpet deep within him. It's shallow and barely an audible echo, but it's there.
On the other side, Elena seems less vibrant. To Nialucs confusion, there is just the terribly loud echoing of water dripping onto a metal sheet. Perfectly in a slow rhythm. Once every 4 seconds, on the dot. Then, just like Owin, there is a deeper sound. A slight erratic chirping of a baby bird. Nialuc searches deeper. Slowly, as he feels more and more, it begins to somehow feel darker. Nialuc can’t see anything, his eyes closed and not even concentrated on his vision, yet something tells him that it's getting darker. He already blocked every other sense from his body, yet it feels even more empty. The feeling is indescribable. He pushes it aside and tries to maintain focus on the bird. It becomes louder as he searches. It begins to scream and grow older, the bird becomes a crying mother. Another bird joins in, a falcons wry blares in his head. Crows squawk, and robins scream out in disharmony. Chaos begins to erupt. Even quacks of frenzied ducks follow suit. Then a deafening screeching fills his head. A reverberating pain in his mind.
“AGh!” He opens his eyes, letting his senses pour in from the real world all at once, causing him to pant rapidly. The aura from the house. But even more intense!
He watches Elena. She is sweating heavily. Her breathing is loud and Nialuc might even see dampness puffing out from her body. He lifts his hand close without touching her. Her body heat is so warm he can feel it coming off her skin in waves.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Elena stop. Now”
She opens her eyes and relaxes her body. But only for a second does she snap into consciousness before going dizzy and falling into Nialucs arms. Owin, despite being deep in thought and concentration, notices something is off and also opens himself up again, seeing Elena's condition.
“Elena?!”
“She’s fine… I think.”
Owin takes her in his arms instead and puts his hand on her forehead. “A fever? So suddenly?”
His hands glow green and begin to heal.
“Maybe she isn’t ready for the basics yet.. I might have to do something else with her.”
“I can’t heal a fever Nialuc. I can only do injuries and maybe stamina at best.”
“I don’t think it’ll last. She’ll be okay.”
“Ugh… w-was that good at least?” She says with shuttering eyes.
“...Yes it was. But too much for you” Nialuc praises. “Owin. Every day from now on you’ll practice that stance and do what we did over and over. It builds your inner connection. After a while, you’ll start to become more in tune with yourself and we will move on to the next exercise”
“And Elena?”
“... I’ll figure something out.”
The three are transported into the sheltering cube as Nialuc buries it in the dirt nearby. They have decided to rest for the rest of the day and night instead of marching to the city, mainly concerned about Elena’s health. After a couple hours, as the lancer predicted, her condition subsided quickly.
“I’m surprised Nialuc was right. Fevers usually dont just appear and disappear like that.” Owin chats with Elena. The two sit together in one of the corners, Elena gladly sipping on both her and Owins sets of tea. Nialuc lays in his cushioned area with his eyes closed, relaxing. “It’s a byproduct of misusing magic,” he says lazily.
“Well, then no wonder you know huh? You’re not very medically gifted, but if it’s magic-related it’s a no brainer”
“I didn’t have the luxury of attending school for medicine. Or.. any school for that matter.”
“You don’t really have the right to mention luxury Mr Immortal”
“Oh, you went to medicinal school?” Elena chirps.
“Um, Not exactly, it was more like a couple classes I just got to listen in on”
“Is that where you picked up your healing magic?”
“Yeah. It was one of the best decisions of my life”
“Where did you learn your other spells? You seem really good at magic”
“He isn’t” Nialuc spits from afar.
“... Well I picked them all up from different people and places” Owin continues, ignoring the lancer.
Elena’s eyes sink to her cup. Thinking about her own use of magic. “So, how does it work? I mean… you said that casting a spell was like warmth in your hands. But how do you differentiate your healing spell from the barrier one for example?”
“It’s sort of a thinking issue I think… I’m not super sure since I usually do it off of instinct and that’s just kinda how I’ve always done it. But basically, when I’m using the healing spell, I wish to heal. My mind and thoughts are fully focused on doing that exact thing. Maybe it comes from Will”
“Hm..” Elena stews in her thoughts.
“This is stupid,” Nialuc says, annoyed.
“What?”
“You’re so stupid Owin, honestly. It pisses me off”
“Why are you constantly so... angry at him?” Elena questions, also getting annoyed.
”Because the way he thinks is dumb. The way he is is dumb, and the strength and power he has is completely unearned”
“What are you talking about?” Owin stands up.
“Spells are difficult to learn and not easy to pull off. The spells you cast, nonverbal and non-object are also even more difficult within themselves. The fact that you can do it through just ‘wanting to’ is so stupid that it makes me mad”
“Aha, the divine warrior complaining about a mortal.”
“Shut the hell up. I’m only so strong because I worked my ass off. You think just any random Joe can become a gods warrior?”
“And you don’t think I struggled and toiled to become a knight?!” Owin starts to shout, getting uncharacteristically, personally angry.
Nialuc sits up. “A knight is nothing to a god”
“I see you as an equal”
“...what.” Nialuc also stands up, triggered. “You think you and I are equals?”
“Yes”
“Ohhh alright. I see how it is. And back in Emba when we fought we were equals too?”
“Strength doesn’t create equality. Then again, I see that fight as a victory. I let Kani get away didn’t I?”
“... you Bitch” Nialuc walks in front of the knight, looking down at him with a stern look. Then the tall lancer begins to giggle out of nowhere. “Wanna see something fun?”
Owin smirks confidently. “Sure-”
The lancer reaches out and grabs the knight's collar, then begins to squeeze it with enough pressure to activate its defence mechanism. Shocks of electricity course through the collar through the two of them.
“Aaghg!” Owin struggles, grabbing Nialucs hand, who is almost unphased.
“What are you doing?! Stop!” Elena yells. Nialuc lets go with a big grin.
“Relax, it can’t physically kill him or anything. It's just a little painful”
Owin leans his back against the wall, panting. The lancer watches with joy over his show of dominance. “That is what inequality looks like. A dog on a leash and his protector”
“Ha..haha. That’s funny- ngh- because that’s how I imagine your relation with your god looks like.” Owin chuckles through the lingering stinging.
The lancer's smile fades, but decides he’s had his fun and walks back to lie down. Elena kneels down next to Owin but he waves her away with a calm gesture and begins to heal himself.
The next morning is quiet. No words are exchanged between the lancer and the knight, and Elena is much too shy to try and start a conversation with the current awkward air. A short hike exposes the travellers to a distant large wall surrounding a truly terrifying surface area. Even from afar, it becomes difficult to see where the city's border curves. Unlike the other settlements, this one hasn’t had the forest around it cut down to create a visually open field. Clearly, it has been attempted, evident by large scapes of chopped down and exposed area but the wall is simply so big that it would be too much to cut down. Not only that, but the wall itself is easily more than double the height it’s required to be. City walls in Owin's time could be around 9 meters in height. In Nialucs, 6 meters was considered safe and standard. This one is 18.
From the outside, it looks like a giant cliffside with nothing beyond it. Or it would, if there weren’t open balconies along the wall. Above the halfway mark, there are openings and built-out parapets where people can be seen relaxing as if they lived there, working on construction or repairs, or guards looking out across the dense forestation.
The group stops in its tracks when they finally get a good look at their destination.
“Holy… That’s massive…” Owin’s mouth drops.
“Why is it so big? How did they manage it? I have so many questions.” Elena turns to the ground, looking away from the impractical sight.
To Owin's surprise, when he looks at Nialuc, he too seems slightly surprised.
“.. Nialuc? You’ve been here before right?”
“I have. But it wasn’t like this.”
“What do you mean? When were you last here?”
“Maybe 6-ish years. The wall wasn’t this big back then, and neither was the border”
Together, after finding acceptance in this logistical nightmare of a place, the group make their way towards the wall. It quickly also becomes obvious that this city works differently than the others, as there is no gate, no door or any sort of entrance into it. There are only black outlines drawn across the side of the wall which look like markings showing the place a gate would normally be.
Owin glances up at the stone.
“We could shout up at one of the balconies. They might hear us.”
Nialuc ignores the knight and starts tapping the section outlined in black thinking it could be a magically activated gate. Yet he can’t sense any magic or feel anything abnormal.
Owin rolls his eyes and scans around the balconies to find one with soldiers dressed in leather padding and armed with bows. He begins to shout.
“HEY! HEY! DOWN HERE!”
The two soldiers on the balcony turn down to observe the shouting knight, who points at the wall, gesturing for help. One of the guards picks something up from beyond their vision and pulls an arrow from his quiver, aiming at them.
Elena gasps in surprise and takes shelter behind the knight whilst he and the lancer stare at the soldier curiously. The arrow is shot and lands in front of them, sticking into the ground. Owin picks it up and unravels a piece of paper that’s wrapped around it. It reads:
Only citizens of Abkbir, unlanded peasants or Emban citizens of diplomatic or trading profession may enter. Tap thrice consecutively.
As instructed, Owin taps the wall three times as loudly as he can. After a couple seconds, the wall begins to move. Not the whole outlined section, but rather a piece of it just wide and tall enough for the three of them.
“Wow. Nifty magic”
“It’s not magic. I still don’t sense anything”
“Ha! No way. It must be. How else could this possibly work?”
“I dont know… but it's not magic”
“You sure you’re not just wrong?”
“You’re the maniac who insists he time travelled”
“I still can’t believe you doubt that I did”
When they step through, they are greeted with a barren city, but an unusual structure. The buildings are boring. Almost just cubes of stone stacked on top of each other to create massively tall and spacious structures with occasional open holes for windows. The streets are narrow, just large enough for two people to fit. Even so, the only people around are a couple of large men clad in heavy-looking armour made purely of stone. They carry it like it weighs barely anything.
“So. This place has quite the fascination for stone huh.” Owin quips.
“Who are you?” One of the armoured men points at Owin as his fellows surround the group. “I recognize you, Nialuc. Lancer of Emba” He continues.
“We’re here on behalf of Emba to clear the route between our cities. You should’ve been informed”
“We only know of your arrival, not this half-baked prisoner or…” He takes note of Elena, who, although cleaner and more refreshed, is still in quite tattered attire. “...or this young lady.”
“Um. Apologies but.. Half baked?” Owin repeats the man's words.
“He’s referring to your skin,” Nialuc explains to him before turning to the guards. “I am babysitting the half-bake, you mustn’t have any concern. The lady is my new student. We’d appreciate directions to your liege, It has been years since my last visit.”
The gruff man inspects Owin with a calculating look and nods. “Very well. ”