“Create my Arcana?” Alnea said, with a wide grin, and a light of excitement shining in his eyes. Pretending to be upset at his master… he had long forgotten about it. He even forgot about the headache that he was suffering with. To create the greatest Arcanas. To become the greatest Arcanist. That was his first Oath. And in a way, it was also his conviction. One that he had made more than a year ago. And finally, he was going to take his first step towards that goal. He was going to become an Arcanist.
Years, if not decades earlier than he had expected. His father had spent more than two decades in his training, before creating the only Arcana of his life. Even if he was confident in surpassing his father, to shrink that time by around twenty times… Alnea was not surprised. He was, after all, going to become the greatest Arcanist. It was only natural for him to create a miracle or two.
Still, to actually create his own Arcanas… He may have taken up that goal to prove a point to his father, to prove a point to himself, but over time, his conviction had silently changed. He was not going to become just the greatest Arcanist, he was also going to become the greatest Wanderer… The first Origin Wanderer. And he had already taken a step towards that goal on the path of Warriors.
Next was the path of Arcanists. And to take his first step on that path… he could not help feeling a strange sense of rush, and light headedness. However, the blood rushing to his head did not just make him feel light headed, but it also made him recall the things that his master had said earlier.
“…Did you not say that we have to wait until I supress the excitement in my Heart before I can focus on creating my Arcana?”
“Have you not supressed the excitement yet?” his master asked, staring at him without showing any kinds of emotion. Was that truly what she thought? Or was it a test? It did not matter. He refused to disappoint his master. And he refused to lie to her. Except for when it would be time for his vengeance, of course. Then, he would lie to trick her. Or maybe, he could just play with words, and have her trick herself, like she did with him. In any case, he had already decided how to answer her question.
“I did not, master,” Alnea said, pointing to his chest. “Let alone my Heart, just this heart alone has yet to calm down. And I am sure that you can hear its beats. So, stop trying to trick me again, master.”
His master smiled at him amusement, and said, “Look at you, learning how to be careful with your words already.”
“…It is because I learned from the best, master.”
“Cheeky disciple,” his master said, pinching his nose, and giving it a slight tug, before withdrawing her hand. “I did indeed say that you need to supress your excitement before creating Arcanas, but who said that you are going to create Arcanas? I just said that you are going to learn how to create Arcanas.”
“…I am not going to create an Arcana?”
“You do not even know how to create Arcanas, what are you going to create?”
“…I—
“Besides, even if you knew how to create Arcanas, do you have enough Spirit Power to create them? To create Arcanas, you need to go back into the Origin Sea, and try out different ways to interpret the Mystery you have comprehend, and consolidate it in a form which you can use in our world. With the condition that your Spirit is in right now, do you think you can even go to the Origin Sea, much less experiment with the Mysteries?”
“No…”
“So, can you create an Arcana right now?”
“…No.”
“Alright, you do not have to look so glum. I am going to teach you how to create Arcanas, am I not? And you will be going to the Origin Sea tomorrow anyway. You just need to keep some patience, and use the time to calm your Heart.”
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“…I will.”
“And try not to make any more reckless decisions.”
“…I will be careful.”
“Good, then shall we begin with the lesson?”
“…Yes, master.”
Nodding to show her acknowledgement, his master opened her ‘Dimensional Pocket’, retrieving a scroll from within the portable storage, and passing it on to him, before closing her portable storage space. As for the storage bag, and the scroll of the Martial Style, they were nowhere to be seen. His master must have put them away while he was still practising his sword.
“Before I teach you how to create Arcanas, give me a brief overview about them, and how they are interpreted.”
“…Arcanas are like windows to the Mysteries of the Origin Sea,” Alnea said. “They can allow Wanderers to peek into the Mysteries through those windows, and bring them into our world. However, just like any widows, Arcanas also have a layer glass—Arcanists’ interpretation of the Mysteries— between the Wanderers and the Mysteries of the Origin Sea, that obscures the understanding of the Wanderers, biasing it to preset standards. And these preset standards are exactly what the interpretations of the Mysteries are.
“So, if we talk about Arcanas, we must first talk about how Arcanist go about interpreting the Mysteries of the Origin Sea. Generally, there is not set rules on how Arcanist should interpret the Mysteries. Just take the Mystery which the Fireball Glyph is connected to for example.
“When creating Arcanas from the Mystery of Fireball, Arcanists can interpret the Mystery in the crudest way possible, creating an Arcana which just fires of Fireball at their enemies. Such an Arcana would not only be sacrificing the flexibility, and adaptability of Arcanas for nothing, even its prowess would fail in comparison to a Fireball shot off from its counterpart Glyphs. It would be a miracle if such an Arcana could reach even the Low Grade.
“However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Arcanists could also interpret the Mystery by using special means, or techniques, to supplement, and strengthen the effects of the Mystery. They could even give up part of the effects of the Mystery for strengthening its other parts, streamlining the effectiveness, and prowess of the Arcana, increasing its effects in one particular area.
“Like giving up the flying, or projectile property of the Fireball to create a simply stationary Fireball, which can act as traps. Even giving up on some of the explosive powers of the Fireball, to concentrate more on its burning, and heating powers could also work. In the end though, how Arcanists interpret the Mysteries would depend on their purpose, and their ability.”
“That is good enough,” his master sad, nodding at him in satisfaction. “It looks like you have made sure to not forget your basics.”
“Of course,” Alnea said. “I am your disciple, after all, master.”
“…Cheeky disciple, if you really remember everything, then describe the different stages of an Arcana for me.”
“…Arcanas, in general, are divided into three stages; connection, interpretation, and execution, or casting. Connection, as it sounds, is the stage where Wanderer form a connection with the Mysteries of the Origin Sea. This part generally does not take very long, and can be done in just a few moments. The interpretation part though, takes the longest amount of time, and is also the reason why Wanderers sometimes need long time to prepare their Arcanas in battles.
“In general, interpretation is the stage where Wanderers follow the steps described by the Arcanists, and interpret the Mysteries according to their interpretation. And last is execution, or casting, where Wanderers cast the Arcanas, bringing forth the might of the Mysteries into our world. Consequently, of the three stages of Arcanas, it takes up the shortest amount of time. Of course, all of what I have said is valid only in general cases. Depending on Arcanas, and the Arcanists who created them, things can be different.”
“…There are slight errors in your explanation of the interpretation, and casting part, but it is fine. What you know is enough. You are ready to create your Arcana.”
“Then… am I finally going to learn how to create Arcanas?”
“Not only are you going to learn how to create Arcanas, but you will also start creating them,” his master said, ruffling through his hair with a smile. “Of course, you will still have to wait for a day to do the latter.”
“It does not matter,” Alnea said, fighting his urge to jump in joy. “I have waited for more than a year… I can wait a day.”
“…Say that after you lose the impatient grin on your face.”
“…That’s not under my control.”
“…Forget it,” his master said, shaking her head, while chuckling at his abashed face. “Alright, let us start with how to create Arcanas. First, as you have said, you need to learn how to create a connection with the Mysteries. Using your comprehension of the Mystery, you will have to…”