image [https://i.im.ge/2024/05/11/ZvrxxL.Shrine-Shenrei.png]
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Hye-jun positioned him to stand a few feet back from the water’s edge. “Congratulations, you are about to learn your first actual spell.”
“What have I been doing already?” Gage positioned himself as she directed him. Feet shoulder width apart with a straight back.
“Hush, no interrupting your Daja,” She looked him over, giving small adjustments to his form. “What you have been doing so far has been more… divine than traditional spell work. To simplify it, it works because your god says it works. Because you say it works. You still need an understanding of what you are doing and a strong will, but you don’t necessarily need to know every step of the process.”
As she spoke, Hye-jun reached into her wide sleeves and pulled out a small sandstone figure. It was generally human, with no distinct features. “Let’s say I wanted to transform myself like you do. I would have to craft the spell beforehand. It takes a lot of time and resources to get it right, and depending on the spell, it can be costly each time it is cast as well. But it is not dependent on a god’s favor. I could prepare many spells ahead of time and reduce the cost to me in the moment that I need it.”
She shrugged, “Each has their benefits and drawbacks.” Hye-jun stepped back from him and stood facing him. She raised her arm and began writing in the air. As her fingers moved through the air, a trail of thin, blue light was left behind. Gage’s eyes widened when he realized she was using her Breath to do the writing.
It took her several minutes to complete the diagram. There were four parts to the diagram. In the center of the diagram was a simple swirl with a single character of the munshin written language. The three parts that lead into the center of the diagram looked to be a mixture of munshin text and some symbology.
“I am going to keep this simple. We can get into the munshin aspects at another point, for now we are going bare bones.” Hye-jun pointed to the first part of the diagram and went around it, “This first part is the form, followed by the power, and then thought.” Gesturing to the center, “This is the pin that holds each of them together.”
“What you are about to do is create a shenrei. Shenrei are spirit figures. You imbue an object with your power, intent, and a purpose. The end creation is a shenrei that is designed to follow your instructions. The more specific a task you design a shenrei for, the easier it is to create. However, they are connected to your Breath, so the more you make, the more strain is put on you. How much power you put into them makes them more powerful overall.”
Hye-jun lifted the sandstone figure and set it in the center of the diagram. Her magic held it in place as the figure floated in the same spot as the ‘pin’. “Shenrei are generally simple minded. They perform the tasks they are given to the best of their ability. The more powerful ones can improvise to complete the task. You can put them on par with a child in intelligence. There are also shenreiyan, which are shenrei but with spirits bound to them during the creation process. This makes them stronger, smarter, and more adaptable. Generally, only someone who dedicates themselves to mastering shenrei can hold more than a few shenrei at a time. Materials, your power, and many other factors can modify a shenrei and what they could be capable of.”
“For now, you are going to make a very basic shenrei. This diagram is the base for all other shenrei diagrams. After you master this basic form, we will go into more detail on how you can go about creating more.”
Gage, with a deep breath, studied the diagram and did his best to commit it to memory. “Daja, why would I want to create a shenrei? If they are difficult to maintain…”
Hye-jun was already shaking her head. “What is said about them and their effect on their master is true, for a mortal.” Gage wanted to slap himself. “But you are not, you are not going to be using your Breath to create these, as a mortal would. Instead, I want you to use your Breath to guide your Nimbus to perform this spell. It should greatly reduce the strain on you. As your Nimbus grows, so should your ability to create and hold more shenrei.”
“Yes Daja.” Gage closed his eyes and reached for his power. The pink light of his Breath was wrapped around the green of his Nimbus. With a pinch he pulled at his Breath and drew it out as a cord. He paused there to ponder how to use his Breath to guide his Nimbus. After a few moments, he spun the cord with a twist, imagining it like a little whirlpool and his Nimbus being pulled down and through it to be pushed out the other end like a pen or self-filling brush.
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His Nimbus began to swirl down into the cord, and he quickly pulled the cord down his arm to his fingers. Gage’s eyes snapped open and with his pointer and middle finger extended together, he began to write. As he mimicked the writing in the air before him, he felt the draw on his Nimbus. Gage started at the top of the diagram with the form and moved clockwise to power, then to thought. It was slow going, but as his hand moved, pale green light was left behind in the air, holding itself in place.
By the time Gage finished the power diagram, he was sweating. As he was halfway through the thought diagram, his arm began to tremble. He gritted his teeth together and pressed on. Taking his time to match the diagram. Gage was breathing hard, panting as he worked on the pin, connecting all three diagrams into a single work. His hand drew back from the final character, completed.
Hye-jun tapped the sandstone figure in the center of her diagram and it floated forward. As it met with Gage’s diagram it stopped moving and stood rigidly in the center of his diagram. “Now, fill it with your Nimbus. Focus on the task this shenrei is being made for and make it whole.” Hye-jun’s voice sounded distant.
Gage held out both of his hands towards the diagram, the tips of his pointers and thumbs touching so that his palms were facing the figure. His mind stuttered. I hadn’t thought of a purpose! Uh! Uh!... Oh! Gage let his Nimbus flow out through his hands. Thin, green strands of his power wafted into the air. As the strings wafted closer to the figure they snapped to it, drawn in by the diagram. He began to feel the pull on his power. He kept his mind focused, picturing the perfect job for his first shenrei.
The sandstone figure began to glow green, as more and more of his power was drawn into it. “Don’t overfeed it!” Gage could tell Hye-jun was yelling though he barely heard her. He drew in a deep breath and worked to stop the flow of Nimbus. The glow of the figure began to get more intense, a brilliant and blinding light. He ground his teeth together and forcibly pulled his hands back, severing the threads that connected him to the figure.
BOOM!
Gage managed to keep his footing as he stumbled back a few steps. His ears were ringing, and light spots were taking up most of his vision. He gasped for breath, blinking rapidly to clear the spots. Slowly, he caught his breath and started to look around. His gaze fell on Hye-jun, who hadn’t moved from her spot. She wore an amused and interested look on her face, looking at where the diagram had been moments before.
“Daja, are you alright?” He asked as he walked over to her. Hye-jun’s face dead-panned and she looked over at him, tilting her head. “Right. Dead. Spirit. Got it.”
“Try more, Master Mage. If I can’t protect myself from an errant student’s explosion, then I’m not much of a teacher, am I?” She chuckled and returned her gaze to the spot. “You made a very interesting shenrei.”
Gage glanced over, “I don’t see anything.”
Hye-jun rolled her eyes and pointed with one hand, using her other to reach over and turn Gage’s head. He didn’t see anything at first until he kept turning his head and looked at a very specific point. There was a light ripple in the air, like a heat shimmer. Gage squinted a little, tilting his head and shifting his gaze ever so slightly.
The heat shimmer seemed to part and left standing in its place was a figure made of sandstone. It came up to Gage’s shoulder and was humanoid in shape. It stood upright, its entire form seemed to be made of seamless, flowing robes of sandstone. The robes twisted and folded around the body in a complex and sculpted manner. It had sleeves of the same twisting sandstone robes. At first it looked like its arms ended in solid fists of stone, before he noticed that the inner side of the sleeve ended at the wrist while the outer side extended down the back of the hand.
The head was the weirder part of the figure. It was nearly spherical, resting on top of the neck. Instead of any facial features, there was a divot in the center of the ‘face’ in which rested a softly glowing light. As Gage shifted again, the figure slipped away in between the folds of the heat wave. Gage moved, shifting back and forth, drawing the figure in and out of view.
“I… wow. That will do perfectly.” Gage felt weak and tired as he spoke.
Hye-jun walked around the figure, shifting her gaze about. “It is really unique, I like it. Definitely not something that would be seen unless you are looking for it. What is the purpose?”
“Huh? Oh, right. I made it to collect the offerings from the shrines and to bring them here, to the afterlife. I figure as I get more offerings from the faithful, I’m going to get more than I need. So, I borrowed some ideas from Those-Who-Came-Before and I’m going to save the offerings for those who have passed to enjoy.” Gage looked over to Hye-jun, “What do you think?”
Hye-jun looked over at Gage and he could swear he saw a flicker of pride. “I think that is a really thoughtful idea. It also helps serve the purpose of getting yourself some minions. What are you going to call it?”
Gage smiled and yawned. “Shensin, Asura Shensin. It will mean ‘mirage’ and asura… I like that better than ‘angel’, but depending on the religious text it was either a demon, a demigod, or something akin to an angel. In this context, I would view it as something… neutral.”
Hye-jun nodded. “Asura Shensin. Very well then. You’ve got to go get some rest, have Asura Shensin begin their work. When next we see each other, we will have more work to do.”
Gage nodded dumbly before starting Shensin to task. The ripple of heat hadn’t moved far before they lost sight of it. With a few good-byes, Gage set off to seek his bed, donning Hye-jun’s form once more.