A few days went by while this Indrath figure insisted I rested, however, I grew restless of Idle thoughts and didn't find myself capable of resting, not to mention I felt better than ever. As for Indrath himself, that presence he exuded never ceased it was constant, like his very being radiated with power, and yet he was humble, in his own thoughts all while he sipped at tea.
The past few days, we sat in my excuse for a living room while he talked about things I couldn't possibly understand, and it seemed like he knew I would comprehend it all. “… the core you acquired, might prove difficult to contain, after all, the core continuously absorbs a form of Energy most known as Mana,” he stated as if I should be paying close attention to him.
But my usual demeanor of disinterest held its ground. "So what? I’ve never actually relied on the mana I had before this core made its appearance. I just used the thing you called Esoteric Restrictions,” I replied, not looking up at his golden eyes.
A small laugh left Indrath that he hid behind his teacup before he set it down, “well to simply put, your Esoteric Restrictions are truly remarkable, a power that was Cultivated and bound to the Xiao, as I’ve mentioned the enhanced agility, reflexes, and thought process you have, are a result of that power. Although, from what I’ve seen many of its capabilities haven’t awoken in you yet or are barely mentionable, which brings me back to the core you now possess,” he explained before a momentary pause to take a sip from his tea. “The core itself will open up new possibilities as well as capabilities for you and your esoteric restrictions. To explain this, I’ll need to provide some context. The form of Energy mortals refer to as mana comes in two forms, the first is Physical Energy which most cores consist of, and the other is Magical energy, a form of energy that is the true essence of matter. Two divide these two forms, mana consisting of Physical energy is commonly found in elemental magic, such as wind, fire, water, and earth. In short, this energy is the essence of the world's natural particles, and most mortals cores absorb this type of mana. On the other hand, Magical energy is the building blocks of all things, it's the purest form and most destructive form of energy, but mortals are not able to harness this form of energy on their own. It takes a unique form of communion to access the sort of power Monarchs gifted the ones you know as Graced Clans, and if I were to summarize, magical energy, I’d say it’s the highest form of power to exist, which the Core you now possess continuously fills itself with magical energy, and with magical energy something like physical energy is nothing more than a small grain of sand in comparison,” Indrath explained, I seemed to keep up with him and his explanations even though it was the first time I’ve heard of these things.
My mind pieced together what he was saying as I let out a sigh, "so let me get this straight... this Magical Energy can do anything?" I asked an obvious question as Indrath gave a hum in response before nodding.
"There are rules, a hand of control that keeps the world in balance. Well… to some, which brings me back to the Esoteric Restrictions that you're familiar with, as you could no doubt tell this conversation Is rather easy for you to understand, That’s the effect of your heightened thought processing, and to give you an answer to your question, A Xiao, such as you can completely alter magical energy to their very will. You can absorb the energy without restraint, manipulate it with ease, and use it as if you were born with it, all because you… you’re Esoteric Restrictions,” Indrath answered, I didn’t miss his momentary pause, almost as if he were spacing out.
“Alright, I get it. Try not to choke on your tea," I said, clearly noticing how he was staring off into space, Then his attention returned, and his golden eyes stared into mine with a wistful smile.
"You never have missed a thing,” he said to himself with a small chuckle. “… I will mention that while the seal I’m working on will be completed within the next week or so. It will hinder the extent of your cores power, but you will still be able to use some extent of the core. When this small task is complete, I will be able to instruct you properly and begin a more practical approach," He said with his gaze on me as if wanting to know what I thought about it.
Yet I could only scoff as his golden eyes basked me in warmth, "yeah sure, I’m pretty well invested now anyway,” I remarked with an idle shrug as Indrath hid a chuckle behind his hand with a thoughtful hum.
"I thought you would say something like that," he mused in a whisper as he stood from his seat and placed his cup on the table. "Well, all this free time you have will give us the opportunity to get the theory down at least,” Indrath remarked before glancing my way with a small smile of amusement.
There was a clear difference between magical energy and physical energy, one where magical energy was superior to the other, but it was limited to very few. Indrath knew a lot about the subject of mana itself, as well as the abilities that each came with.
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Mana essence, that consisted of Physical energy was the most common form of Mana and followed the natural laws of the world, which could be manipulated into a number of forms, such as wind, fire, earth, and water. The potential and mastery over physical energy demands a deep understanding of it, and with more powerful spells, an intense concentration of mana is needed. This was known as Elemental Magic, and it involved envisioning an idea and transforming it into reality, known as a spell, a power many in Aterius possessed and a power many would acquire in their lives.
Fire: Summons flames, heat, and combustion, widely utilized and practical.
Wind: creates forceful winds, useful for enhancing blows and unbalancing targets.
Water: Conjures powerful water torrents, often seen as a weaker element but still potent in various situations.
Earth: Manipulates minerals in the ground to create violent and aggressive spells.
Those with a high concentration of mana could master two or three elemental fields, provided they deeply understood the elements and possessed sufficient mana. Additionally, there were spells with healing capabilities that used physical energy and spells such as mage light.
Spells consisting of Physical energy couldn’t be affected by physical factors but could be disrupted or disabled by spells and opposing elemental properties.
There was also a case known as absolute zero that occurred when attempting to cast a spell with insufficient mana in one's core or inadequate mastery, resulting in a severe backlash.
Indrath then went on to explain that these spells were extremely useful and that Elemental magic was very versatile, but said it would be the first and easiest lesson he would have to teach me, the Esoteric Restriction would form a complete understanding of how to utilize everything Physical energy had to offer at a mere glance and instinctual level.
He made it clear that was what made Xiao's Esoteric restrictions so formidable, a thought process capable of moving in a million times faster, and yet the concept of this was almost incomprehensible. Perhaps that was because I lived my life with them as something I was simply used to, like the sky is blue or water is wet. It just was.
Then Indrath went on to explain the concepts of Magical energy and how it worked, as it was the epitome of Mana essence, the building blocks of everything in the world, an energy that my core constantly absorbed. The most common example of Magical Energy was Something referred to as Communion Magic, a pact that drew power from spirits or familiars. The most notable example was how Monarchs gifted Their Apostle and Graced Clan's their magic, a power that they alone were capable of using.
This magic required a small portion of the user's Core to act as a catalyst granting them access to a fraction of the being's power. It's a potent form of magic, allowing users to cast spells effortlessly as long as they are connected to the providing being. However, it came with a minor drawback that limited the use to what the providing being possessed, and it gave off the impression of requiring little effort.
However, Indrath said that was not the case for me, Magical energy wasn’t limited to communions with spirits or beings that were considered Gods among Clans. The magical energy I had access to strictly belonged to me, and he left it at that.
In the end, I knew I needed to get used to the idea that I was potentially capable of doing anything and everything with Magical energy and the Esoteric Restrictions, but Indrath made it clear that after the seal was complete, I would be limited to a common core status of high A rank, but with the growing abilities and understanding of The Esoteric Restriction I would be able to take full advantage of my limited state of power.
Another day came to a close after a long and uneventful explanation. Indrath’s explanation he provided was as thorough as possible. It was now only a matter of time till his seal was finished, and we could begin our lessons.
“You didn’t really get into Magical energy too much, and you didn’t seem to like talking about The communions Monarchs give their Apostles and Graced Clans. What gives…” I asked Idly while I leaned back on the sofa where he sat across from me with a cup of tea in hand.
Indrath simply sipped his tea before giving his response, "I suppose that's true, but those communions are not something I can teach you about in fact, I know very little about it. I know the process of the exchange itself. Truthfully, you don’t need to understand it, Magical energy isn’t meant to be a gift to rule over others, but rather an ability of freedom to express yourself as you choose to do. It's a gift obtained for the people who choose to be the strongest, not because they were granted the right to," Indrath said bluntly but filled with some meaning, almost as if he were talking to himself.
“… so there’s more to it than just Communions? And what about me I didn’t exactly choose to get the power of this core, but here we are,” I remarked while rubbing the back of my head as I recalled the events that led me here.
I looked up at him as his golden gaze was lost in thought, before a momentary smile formed on his face again, “We’ll get to the form of Magical energy you’ve acquired in the coming days, and to remind you that core isn’t a gift, it’s something you have the right to call yours. Now then, should we have dinner? We can take a break and enjoy the rest of the night,” Indrath said while standing up from his seat as I followed suit.
I never really thought of things Indrath bluntly put, I never wanted power to rule over others or even wanted to become strong. All I wanted was a way to survive or perhaps find a way to complete the hollowness that had long occupied me, but here I was sitting before someone who showed me more than I could have ever known about this world, and within this golden aura, I felt no malice or evil intent only a warmth that filled that hollowness inside of me.
For a moment, I stared at Indrath, thoughts lost in his golden eyes. For the first time, I truly felt like I was back in my memories as a small, unusual smile tugged at my lips.
"... Sure,"