HELOISE VAN ASTELL
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Most jynxists became fully capable fifteen years after beginning their first lesson. I taught myself so it took me just over thirty years to master it.
Ilias began his first lesson just a few days after he turned six and at the rate at which he was learning, I wouldn’t be surprised if he rivalled me once he turned twelve.
I’ve never spent this much time with one student and I don’t regret coming to Gilead.
By the time he was nine, he had managed to learn what every spell in my arsenal could do and what category of jynx they fell in—though he did struggle at some aspects. But that was alright as everyone had a weakness.
Ilias had his own way of organizing the spells. They were Incantationless, Incantations, and Talking Books.
The Incantationless were spells he considered useful and often used a lot. Because of this, he took the time to learn how to cast them without speaking their words.
The Incantations were spells that might come in handy in a pinch, but wouldn’t really be needed that often. He didn’t know these spells by feeling, but the words were etched into his mind.
The Talking Books were spells that would only be useful on very specific occasions. Ilias didn’t know the words by heart but was familiar with them. They were inked into his Talking Book so he could summon them in a pinch. Most of these spells were charms, contracts, and the occasional healing.
“How common is it to come across a jynxist?” Ilias asked while we took shade underneath a tree during our snack break.
Ilias was eleven-years-old now. I had only been in Gilead for a measly five years, but I’ve watched him grow so much. He was only entering puberty yet he was almost my height. I had always been small. Elves were known to be tall and Jaime was already taller than me by half a foot, so my shortness must’ve came from my blood.
Ilias was close to destroying that boulder. If he thought hard enough, I’m sure he could do it, but I had just a little bit more to teach him so I didn’t want to urge him onwards just yet.
“Firstly, the definition of jynxist is loose since everyone has the capability of performing jynx.”
“Not everyone. Decan couldn’t.”
“He was a one-time exception. I remember a hundred years ago when everyone discovered he was jynxless. He was all everyone talked about.”
“You were alive back then? How old exactly are you, Teacher?”
“I’m currently two hundred and twenty-seven years old. That would be twenty-two going into twenty-three in terran years. If you’re wondering why we’ve never celebrated my birthday—it’s because we elves count our age in decades and only celebrate birthdays every ten years.” I went back to answering his question. “Usually, one in five hundred people know basic spells. One in five thousand of those would be jynxists that only specialize in one category (mostly healing). Your mother is an example of one in five thousand. One in twenty thousand would be jynxists that had mastered three categories. One in forty thousand are jynxists that have mastered four to five categories. One in fifty thousand jynxists have mastered at least six of the seven categories or are State Jynxists. So me and the colonel.”
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“But the colonel has only mastered one category.”
“His Fetishes are strong and they were enough to let him pass the exam and acquire a license. He even made a contract with himself to make his Dolls stronger.”
“What was the contract?”
“He wouldn’t be able to use his gates for anything other than summoning Marching Dolls. If he tries to, his heart will explode.”
“What makes Marching Dolls special anyways?”
“You know how you need to transfer a certain amount of gates to control a Fetish you summon? The colonel’s Marching Dolls are the only exception which means all his gates remain on him. So, theoretically, he could summon an infinite amount of Dolls. Originally, he was only able to summon thirty, but after making a contract, the mana cost for them became cheaper and he could now easily make a hundred.”
“Isn’t it dangerous to let other people use something like Marching Dolls?”
“He’s the only one who can use Marching Dolls. When his parents discovered summonings, they became outlawed because it was thought that summonings upset souls from the afterlife. They died in a fire right before the government lifted the ban. However, summonings the state recreated needed the summoner to transfer gates. Since his parents are dead, only the colonel knows how to summon Fetishes the original way. And since he was a kid when his parents died, he doesn’t know how it works, he just knows it by instinct. That’s why Gilead is so peaceful. No one’s going to mess with the strongest summoner.”
“Then how come the colonel is allowed to use Marching Dolls?”
“He’s in the military and he’s loyal to the government.”
“Oh, okay. Which jynxist am I?” Ilias asked.
“Right now, I’d say you’re one in twenty thousand. Once you destroy the boulder, you’ll become one in forty thousand.”
“Once I destroy that boulder, huh?”
“Yep. You won’t be my student anymore once that happens. You’ll become your very own jynxist.”
Ilias stayed silent for a moment, taking in what I said. He stared at his feet, wondering about something that made him uneasy. “Are you excited for next week?” he asked suddenly, changing the topic.
“Is there something special?”
“Neon’s Comet is making its one hundred and seventy-one-year orbit around Armestis. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
“Oh, that? Not really.”
“Why not?”
“I’ve seen plenty of comets already and all of them look the same.”
“It’s not about what it looks like, it’s about the experience.”
“Maybe I’ll want to see this comet when I get older. But I’m not curious about it right now. If I live my lifespan, I’ll have around three or four more chances to see it. Elves are patient, you know?”
“They are, but most won’t give up a chance to experience something like this.” Ilias struggled for something. He was frustrated—which was something I had never seen him act. But he bottled that up and gave me an embrace. “I like you Teacher and I know you care about me, if you don’t mind me asking, how come you don’t show emotion?”
“It’s hard for me too. I don’t understand what emotions are.”
“You know, Teacher, we’ve been living together for five years now, but I never asked you about your past.”
“It should be in a book in the library.”
“No, I’ve read the book and know everything about you. What I meant was that I don’t really know anything about you.”