In this world, there are many types of magic. Each person can only ever use one, and be forever locked away from the others. You do not choose the magic. It chooses you. Before you can start learning to use whatever you have, first you must learn the types of magic and how they work.
Thought: Thought is the power of simple will, the will to change the world. It is powered by one's Will. Each person is born with a natural inclination to their Will which decides what they can manipulate within the world. The basic attack of Thought is a Thoughtcleave, which involves forging your will into a blade and cutting with it from a distance. Thoughtstrikers can have varying inclinations, from Eternity to something like Paintings. It is the best at direct attacks and direct defense, along with psionics.
Song: Song is the power of music, which can change hearts, minds, and the world itself. It is powered by one's Note. Each person is born with a set of Songs that they can use to change the world. These songs can be anything from the Song of Tables to the Song of the End. There is no basic attack which can be attributed to Noteweavers. It is the best at esoteric arts and enhancement.
Aura: Aura is the power of one's authority over the world. Aura is the most complicated of all the magics and is not fully understood. It is powered by Dominion. Competent Renders are hard to come by. Don't look into why they're called that. It is the best at Domain magic and wide-scale control, though the best renders can also condense their Aura into something smaller and stronger, allowing for targeted attacks.
Manashaping: Manashaping is using the power of Mana to affect the world. It is the most understood of all the magics, in contrast to Aura, and usually involves complex calculations, unless one can tell how to use Mana by instinct. Mana is flexible and can do any number of things, but isn't as strong as the other energies in the world in their own specialties.
Spiritspeech: Spiritspeech is the power of emotion, expressed in words. Speech is simply a way to express the emotion, and it does not need to be done at the higher stages. Spiritspeakers can be friends with spirits, or attempt to control them. Controlling them never ends well, but few can claim to be friends with spirits. The higher ranks of Spiritspeaking are mostly unknown, as no one has ever deigned to disclose what happens at that point. It is powered by Voice. However, even though this magic is driven by emotion, you can pull it off without an attached Eighth Chain.
Soulshaping: I cannot write much on this. They are watching. If they see this, I am doomed. Only certain people can survive soulshaping. Others die. Only the strongest can do this, because their souls need to be locked into a goal they believe is right. Soulshapers are the ones who will forever follow their goals. They must be kept alive. The Monsters as Men want them all to die so their plans don't get upset. Soulshaping is basically a rumor now, but they will save us all.
Note-before I die, I must make this introduction complete, at the very least. Soulshapers, along with the other disciplines, have so-called 'stages' of power that they go through as they increase their mastery and control over their abilities. I'll return to a generalized brief, as I did in my previous books. The disciplines all have different stages, as they have differing values and beliefs. Thoughtstrikers must learn to control themselves perfectly. Their emotions must stay in check and they must be in control of their bodies and minds, no matter what. Noteweavers and Songstresses must learn to be in tune with the music the world exudes at all times. Renders have to learn to control, perfectly, the area within their Aura. Not much is known about their advancement, though this is believed to be one of the principles. Manashapers simply need to increase their control of Mana and the spells they can cast. Spiritspeakers need to be friendly with the spirits around them and need to know how to Whisper to them, then Call them, and then Speak to them, and it goes on. Finally, Soulshapers. They shape their own soul, and so are always on the brink of falling into the Void and losing themselves. None know of how they advance. I can feel the Monsters taking my mind now. This is my last message. Goodbye, world.
THE GUARDIAN MUST BE FOUND. THE GUARDIAN MUST BE KILLED. WE SHALL RULE.
-Excerpt from the Codex of Monstrous Light, the last piece ever written by Garien, the Master of Light Thoughts. No one knows what became of Garien after this piece.
SOULSHAPING IS NOT ALLOWED
PLEASE KEEP YOUR SOUL WITHIN YOUR BODY
Immediately, the System sent threads that tried to grab the child's soul and stuff it back into his body. This did not go very well for the System, Amon and the child simply shrugging off the attempt. Amon finished shaping his soul, twin blades that looked like they were made out of silver extending from each of his hands. Her consciousness flowed into his blades, further augmenting them and forming a killing edge that would be impossible to duplicate elsewhere. I'm bringing out simple speed, to get used to fighting again. Thought and Song.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Amondrienne replied in the affirmative, the impossibly light blades becoming slightly heavier, to fit his mentally-given standards. They were made out of his soul, but were completely controlled by Amon's consciousness. This was something that could only be achieved through perfect trust. A Song started, a song of freedom and speed, emanating from the child's mind. Everyone heard it, though to them, the song had no origin. It was simply heard everywhere.
Then the child's Thought encompassed him, his Will increasing his speed further. The Song augmented him, and with the Thought he had summoned, attuned to speed as well, the child moved incredibly quickly. He turned into a whirlwind of soulsteel, the twin blades he was holding changing their weight and balance perfectly as he swung. Vast swathes of monsters died. However, this was the front of the wave, the weakest portion. The stronger ones would come later. The boy cut through a wolf-like monster with shadows for eyes, annihilating a goblin-like monster hiding behind it without even a thought.
Shift to flame. This is too slow.
Yep. Elemental Fire, or something like Hellfire.
The child mentally nodded as he abruptly changed the song he was creating, the first notes of Wind starting as Speed ended. A song of Fire started up at the same time, the notes of the two songs weaving together. The wind augmented the fire, and a Song of Blaze was born around the child, who stopped using Will and pulled up mana to summon a pillar of flame. The spell, simple to him, melted all but the flame-resistant monsters.
Amondrienne turned his blades into twin fires which somehow held a shape. They still cut as if it they were solid steel or something stronger, with an edge to match. Monsters burned to death around him, Amon occasionally changing his blades to water so he could slice through beasts of lava and flame. The Nightingale and Breaker, no longer fighting, watched the carnage going on around the child.
The first part of the wave melted before him, the entire group of monsters slightly recoiling before him, as the weakest part was obliterated in seconds. The child stood there, wreathed in flame, as he shouted at the next group, a brief flicker of pride appearing within him. "Come," was all he said, standing in front of the horde. It complied, rushing him once again.
The child stood, fearless, the Nightingale and Breaker simply watching him take on the horde. This time, some of the monsters actually survived a sword swipe, but always died before they could make a difference.
The horde didn't end, the stronger monsters rushing onwards without stopping. Soon, they started taking two or three strikes. The child knew then that he had to step up his game. He stepped back, a panther's claw rushing past his face and ducked under an abomination's tentacle. Then he surged forth with energy streaming from the pool within him. It was converted rapidly into Mana, Will, Note, Voice, and Dominion before he unleashed all of it, new energy from the world flowing back into him.
His Aura of Elements emerged, letting him manipulate the elements of the world around him. He Called to the spirits around him, Whispering commands to them and organizing them. At the same time, he supplied them with energy to kill as much of the horde as they could with their respective attacks. His Thought clove enemies in twain everywhere just as it defended at the same time. The child's mana lashed out, tongues of flame appearing out of nowhere and enemies suddenly getting ripped apart by the space around them.
The child took a step forward, killing the horde so quickly it actually receded. The monsters behind finally stopped their suicide assault, now being strong enough to think, and understand what rushing forth would do. However, they still wanted their revenge, and as such, they sent forth their leader, the strongest of them all.
The horde parted as the child waited, and a human walked forth. "Monster as Man," the child said. "Why are you here?"
"So I've been recognized," the human said. "It doesn't matter. I'll murder you, then get to the rest of this place. Or maybe I'll add you to my pet collection. You seem intriguing."
The child ignored his threats. "You have a low Mind Affinity, yet you're brute forcing massive spells like this?," he shook his head. "Idiot."
The child felt a tickle in his head, the weak attempt of his opponent to control his mind.
The human opposite him stared intensely at him for a second, probably using an ability from the System. Suddenly, he started laughing. "You're only level one, child. Who's been helping you this entire time? There's no way a weakling like you could kill so many of my horde working alone."
The child shook his head. "I'm working alone," he said. "Can we get to the fighting already?"
The Breaker stepped up to try and help, but was met by an invisible barrier, with the child glancing at him before looking back at the human opposing him. "Name?," the child asked.
"I long forgot the name my mother gave me. After adding her to my collection, I took the name Asmodeus."
The child snorted. "You have no idea what Asmodeus was like in life, and here you claim to be as strong as he was."
The man nodded. "I'm definitely stronger than Asmodeus. Otherwise, he wouldn't have died, and I wouldn't have lived."
The child smiled. "Well then. I'll come at you with as much power as Asmodeus had, the last time I saw him. I don't expect you to survive any longer than I let him."
The man started laughing once more. "Have you forgotten that you're level one? There's no way you can do something like that until you get to a hundred like me, or even higher, given that you're not going to be as good as I am."
The child, still smiling, simply disappeared. The man looked around, seeing nothing. "Illusions? They don't work on me, child. I have mind magic, so I always know where you are!," he said, swinging at empty air with claws that grew out of his hands.
He overextended in surprise, looking at the spot where he hadn't hit anything. The child appeared behind him, with a soulsteel knife in his hand, touching the back of the man's neck. "Straight speed and an imitation of a mind. Do you believe me yet?," he asked, just before he stuck the knife through the man's neck.
The horde started to go beserk, but were reduced to ashes by another glare from the child, who stood without a single drop of blood on him. He walked back into the compound, the soldiers giving way for him as he returned to the observatory. Amon, I still don't know whether I deserve my name.
You're far closer to the answer than you think. Your first priority is getting that chain back.
The child nodded, expending another bit of energy to recreate the filter. His energy pool was still nearly full, not having used much during that fight. I'm much stronger than I remember being.
There's a good reason for that, but it'll come with your name.
The child nodded, and spent the rest of the day gazing at the stars. None of the soldiers ascended into the observatory to see what he was doing, or even talk about him in anything but hushed tones. The murmurings of the Bluejay would start here.