Jun winced as she shifted in her seat, the rough fabric of her shirt scraping against her tender skin. The gunk that was expelled from her body had been truly vile stuff, and it'd taken several rounds of vigorous scrubbing with the harsh soap and brush from the bath case she'd been given to get rid of it all. The worst was that it didn't all just come out of her skin. The body had established ways of expelling waste after all, and it'd certainly used them.

She blushed deeply remembering the awkwardness of that moment, especially since it had been the first time she'd had to relieve herself since being reborn. She was used to toilet paper, not grabbing handfuls of leaves. And how was she supposed to know that that bush's leaves made people itch fiercely if they touched it to their skin?!

There'd been a second wave of the stuff after that incident too, but at least it got rid of the itching. Jun made sure to ask Shiori about the leaves she picked before touching them that time.

Jun felt a phantom itch and she squirmed again. This new rock was less comfortable than the one they'd used before, but that one had been deemed unusable. She still remembered Shiori flicking her tail as she stared at the filth covered rock for a few seconds before sending the rock and all the earth around it flying off into the forest! She knew Shiori was stronger than she looked, but that casual display of power was intimidating! The cat's evil laughter after she'd sent the rock on its express trip hadn't been comforting either.

She watched as Shiori circled around her yet again, the cat's tail swaying lazily as she did so. The black cat had said Jun was ready to learn magic, but all Jun could think about, besides her tender skin, was the fight in her mind or soul or whatever that weird place was. Shiori had rebuffed every attempt she'd made to ask about it, simply insisting calling her an "unhygienic kitten that needed to bathe first and ask questions later." Well, now it was later! "Shiori, what was that place? What's a [Soul Parasite]? How did I get one? What happened there? What was all that gross stuff? What happened to my trait?" Jun hurriedly asked the questions one after the other, not even pausing to breathe.

Shiori stopped circling and sat, her tail wrapped around her legs as she regarded Jun with narrowed eyes. "Tell me kitten, what do you think magic is?"

Jun froze with her mouth half open at the cat's question. That's too easy isn't it? "Isn't magic just the supernatural?" Shiori didn't answer, continuing to simply stare at Jun as if expecting her to continue.

"You know, like how you float and talk and whatever all that stuff in my mind was! Like those boxes that keep popping up!" A memory of a huge flood of black gunk flooding out of her body, more than should be physically possible for her size, brought a fresh wave of heat across her face as she blushed deeply. "L-Like..." she trailed off, mumbling quietly.

"Like...?"

"Like... with the cultivation thing... and the gunk... and stuff..." Jun mumbled as she looked down, her face hot. Her hair falling to cover her face.

Shiori internally smirked. Such an amusing kitten! She flicked her tail back and forth, letting her stew for a few seconds. This would be fun!

"Partially correct. You are correct in that those simple tricks of mine, those boxes as you put them, and cultivation.." Shiori quietly laughed to herself as her student ducked further behind her hair. "...each is an application of magic. But, magic is not supernatural. It's a part of nature, a part of the universe. It is as much a part of nature as is fire." Jun gasped and looked up as she felt a wave of heat wash over her to see a massive ball of flames floating above the spring, its waters beginning to boil!

"Ice." Pillars of ice shot out of the boiling pond, refusing to melt as they enclosed the fiery ball.

"Earth." The clearing rumbled as a the ridges shook, boulders crashing down around the clearing but never touching it.

"Gravity." Jun's heart leapt into her throat as she felt gravity reverse and she began to fall into the sky!

"Life." Tendrils of grass rapidly grew, shooting up to wrap around Jun and drag her back to the ground.

"And Death." A strange silence descended upon the clearing as it was shrouded in darkness. "Magic is all of these things and more. The world is infinitely more complex than the eye can see, and magic is simply a part of the whole." Shiori's words echoed out from the darkness as it began to fill with twinkling lights of many colors in an imitation of the cosmos above. The darkness lifted to reveal the ball of fire gone, the pillars of ice crumbling and rapidly melting, and the tendrils of grass that had bound Jun down dry, brittle, and dead.

"But most importantly, magic is not just a part of the universe, but a reflection of the impact of your soul upon reality. In working magic, you are not simply willing something to happen with your mind. You are impressing your understanding of the universe, and the strength and understanding of your soul upon the universe, and willing it to act through magic."

Jun stared at her teacher, eyes wide at the cat's magical display as she processed her words. "So magic is part of the universe, but also part of myself, and also how I talk to the universe?" Jun thought about the boxes, instinctively calling up her status page, where her eyes fell upon the traits she had, and more specifically, the one that had been sealed.

[Affinity Hoarder] (SEALED)

Where most would be satisfied with a single affinity, you want more. More than just multiple affinities, you want all of them, and you can get them... for a price. With hard work, just a bit of luck, and this trait, there is no limit to what you can eventually achieve.

Affinities for magic may be learned through study, exposure, and experience. Practicing with magic will slowly improve affinities, slowly improving your power.

Disguised trait. Overwrites other affinity based traits.

WARNING: CORRUPTION DETECTED.

The trait she'd been so excited to find. The one that seemed to promise her access to all the magic she could want. It was sealed, and somehow corrupted?

"What are traits then? Are they magic too?"

"To put it most simply, magic is an expression of the soul upon reality, and the universe's response. It is much like a conversation, but we are getting ahead of ourselves." Shiori swished her tail and yawned, pausing for a moment before continuing her lecture. "To answer your other question requires a discussion of the soul."

Jun watched as a ball of water floated up from the spring and scattered into mist, forming a small cloud that hovered above them. "Every being's soul is like a cloud. Amorphous, ever moving, ever shifting, ever changing." The cloud began to drift lazily as it shifted and rolled on invisible winds.

"Like a cloud, it can affect the world below in numerous ways. Some ways are gentle and nourishing, like rain." Large drops began to fall from the cloud.

"Some ways are violent and destructive, like a storm." The cloud formed into a funnel and a small tornado touched down as lightning flashed and shot out from the cloud.

"Each of these ways, and more, are aspects of a soul. If those aspects are strong enough, they can crystallize and become rigid points in the soul, losing the soul's flexibility but gaining strength." The cloud split as two ice crystals formed and separated, one cloud producing a gentle rain while the other maintained the raging tornado.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Traits are those aspects of the soul that have crystallized. Aspects of your identity that are so powerful, so ingrained in who you are, that they become solid and difficult to change." Shiori flicked her tail, and the clouds calmed and merged back into one. "However, traits are not always positive things. Positive and negative experiences shape us and leave impressions upon our soul as surely as we might leave impressions with our souls through magic."

A small figure made of earth floated into the air and began walking in place. It was of a young human woman that looked no older than 20, perhaps a bit younger. The woman was beautiful, with long hair, a narrow heart shaped face, and large, slightly slanted almond shaped eyes. Her features seemed familiar, like Jun knew her, but she couldn't place where she'd seen the face before. "Life shapes us through our experiences." The cloud hovered over the earthen woman as she started to dance excitedly. A small ice crystal began to form in the cloud, slowly growing larger and larger as she danced, turning the cloud around it a fluffy white. "Positive ones tend to make us feel lighter and happier." The woman suddenly collapsed to her knees and covered her face with her hands as she mimed crying dramatically. Another ice crystal formed in the cloud above, turning the portion around it dark and stormy as it grew. "Negative experiences also shape us, and those ted to leave us feeling weighed down."

"Traits like your [Affinity Hoarder]." Shiori paused to stare at Jun for a moment as Jun's open box for the trait floated up and replaced the dark ice crystal in the cloud. "There is nothing inherently wrong with any trait, positive or negative, as they are simply a part of the soul, and by extension, a part of the universe. But, powerful concentrations of the soul such as traits attract attention, and not all of it is good."

A small dragon made up of flames rose up from the ground, snakelike and sinuous as it wound around the crying woman's head and gazed hungrily at the cloud above holding Jun's ability screen. Suddenly, the dragon leapt up at the cloud and bit into Jun's ability screen! The dragon sank a claw in and let out a silent roar of triumph before it hungrily ate a hole into the screen and clawed it's way in. Jun stared at the display in growing horror as flames began to surround the screen, burning away the cloud around it even as it's presence turned the cloud darker and darker, slowly infecting the cloud and eating away at the influence of the other ice crystal.

"A [Soul Parasite]." Shiori hissed the creature's name with disgust. "They latch on to powerful concentrations of the soul and feed. Infecting it even as the consume it to grow in strength." The cloud was fully dark now, the remaining ice crystal quickly melting, before it too vanished. The dark cloud slowly sucked into the box and vanished, leaving it floating alone. "Left unchecked, they will grow and consume until nothing is left." Jun's box for [Affinity Hoarder] floated back to her, the hole where the dragon had disappeared still obvious.

"Your trait is a powerful one, though weak for now. It promises you immense power if you work for it, feed it, grow it. And should you do so, you'll certainly gain that power, but at a cost. It has been infected. Feeding the trait, growing it any further, will feed and empower the thing inside it as well." Jun stared at the box in front of her, horrified. That thing was eating her soul?! She felt sick. Unclean. Her skin crawled, goosebumps appearing across her flesh as she began to shake. Bile burned the back of her throat, threatening to come up at any second. A soft paw swatting across her cheek brought her out of her spiraling mood and she looked at Shiori floating in front of her, casually licking her paw.

"It is unfortunate, but not something irreversible. For now, it has been sealed, which will prevent the situation from growing worse. But to clean up that little worm, the solution is both simple, and difficult. You will need to learn the magic to combat it yourself."

Jun shook, remembering how powerless she'd felt in that mental space, and how overwhelming Shiori's presence had been. "Myself?! But you're powerful! You were throwing that thing around like it was nothing to you! Couldn't you deal with it?"

Shiori stared at her for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she bared her in a fierce cat's smile. Her fangs were still those of an average house cat's, but up close they seemed unusually sharp and terrifying! "Are you saying you want me to tear off a piece of your soul, kitten?" Her voice took on a deeper, more sinister tone that shook Jun to her core.

Tear off a piece of her soul?! That sounded almost as bad as having a [Soul Parasite] in her soul to begin with! Jun violently shook her head at the thought of Shiori's paws tearing off a piece of her, the mental image a touch amusing but far more horrifying.

Shiori floated back, her smile morphing into a smirk. "I thought so, kitten. So, I will teach you what you need to know to defeat it. Do you accept me as your master, kitten?" Shiori's tone suddenly shifted from her usual playful and teasing tone to something much more formal and serious.

Jun felt the weight of the moment pressing down on her. A decision had to be made, one that would put pressure on her soul. She thought of everything she had experienced. Her past life, and how it ended. The memories still hurt to think about, but the pain and trauma felt muted for some reason, allowing her to process what had happened more fully. It had sucked. It was torture, and it had surely left a mark on her soul, all the worse that she could remember it thanks to [Born of Karma].

She thought of her time in the place between lives, her desire for magic and a new life filled with wonder, and the events of the last... day? Two days? She wasn't sure how long she'd been in this new world. She could remember her first two days here, and it seemed as if now was the third, but she wasn't sure how long she'd slept while she was injured. Her arm had healed from the fight, which would have taken weeks in her past life, but magic changed things. Thoughts of the fight in that mental place, her mind or maybe her soul she realized, and of her encounter with that monster. Images of Shiori's demonstrations joined her thoughts to whirl around in a confusing mess of memories and experiences. So many things in just a small unknown number of days!

The more she thought about everything that happened, the more she felt a growing feeling that she was drowning! She was here in a world of magic, where a cat could wield magic and mess with her soul, where giant hulking monsters seemed to randomly appear and try to eat her, and a parasite was eating her soul! She had nothing here, just what a powerful magical cat offered, seemingly just because that cat decided she was a kitten that needed adopting!

Feelings of shame, embarrassment, and powerlessness warred with her pride. She felt like she should know more, have more power, been able to figure out magic by herself. She was human after all, and she'd chosen to come to this magical world, chosen traits that would help her learn and gain magic. But all she'd done is flail around and go with the flow. If not for Shiori, she'd be dead, her soul consumed by a parasite, and now the cat offered her a way forward, to grasping magic herself.

Swallowing her pride, Jun nodded and looked up at the black cat, her voice cracking as she spoke. "Yes, Master. Please teach me!" Jun quickly bowed low to hide as a blush bloomed across her face as she said those words, those cringey, embarrassing sounding words!

Shiori felt a mix of pride and amusement as she watched her new kitten and apprentice accept the inevitable. She would have taught her anyways, but sometimes the forms must be adhered to. The bright red blush on Jun's face that she failed to hide from her master's sharp eyes was just an extra treat!

"Very well, my kitten apprentice. The first step towards harnessing magic for yourself is to cultivate your body and open your mana channels. Which you have done in a rather... messy fashion." Shiori couldn't help adding the little dig, watching with amusement as Jun's neck began to flush, her head still bowed low to hide her face. "The next is your first spell. Watch."

Jun looked up at her Master's command. A series of symbols began to form out of bright purple light, soon taking the form of a magic circle. The circle multiplied into four identical copies that then moved to form a three sided pyramid. Smaller symbols appeared at each corner where the circles met, and a core of energy seemed to form within, tendrils linking the core to each of the 4 circles that made up the sides. The 3D image floated in the air, gently rotating as Jun stared. She felt a strange feeling of comprehension flow into her mind, and soon the strange symbols began to make sense.

A slashing line was the command to move quickly, to charge forward. A seven sided star denoted energy, or power. A series of squiggly lines, looking like the roots of a tree, carried the feeling of seeking or questing. The final symbol was a fine point going through a circle, to pierce. The name of the spell came to her mind unbidden. "[Piercing Missile]." She felt energy flow out of her chest and up to her mind, leaving her drained as her mental image of the spell seemed to pull it in until it pulsed violently with power. The filled spell seemed to build pressure in her mind, giving her a headache. She needed to release it!

"Choose your target. Picture an arrow shooting forward and piercing it, and push that intent into the spell!" Shiori's command rang in her ears, flooding out all other nosie.

Jun frantically looked around the clearing before her eyes landed on a boulder that rested at the bottom of the ridge from where it had tumbled down. She pictured an arrow made of energy shooting into it and piercing through, pushing that thought into the painfully bright pulsing spell in her head, urging it to release the pressure!

A light blue ball of light coalesced before Jun's eyes and formed into a narrow, barbed arrow, hovering for a moment before it rushed off with a loud woosh and struck the boulder through the center, sending a loud crack of shattering stone echoing through the clearing!

Jun sagged, her headache fading as the pressure vanished. She felt sore and drained, her muscles aching as if she'd just climbed a mountain.

"Congratulations Jun. You have successfully learned your first spell."