Chapter 45: Many Questions

It was time to go already…?

Kiara felt like she had only just figured out what questions she wanted to ask, and yet here she was boarding the flying carpet as a hole opened in the wall. It flew outside. Diana waved to Arrowhead below, and Kiara thought about how much faster this second trip would be. So many questions. So many subjects. Where did she even start to get them all answered in time?

“It’s a lot, isn’t it?” Tsukee offered her a smile.

Kiara frowned, brow furrowing. “So much…” She grumbled. “When I first came to this world, it felt like I was just a passenger. Now the wheel is in my hand and I have to suddenly steer the car.” The analogy was almost perfect. She could feel her anxiety shoot up like when her father tried teaching her to drive. “Just in case the assisted steering craps out.” She shuddered at that and this moment.

“Then let us help you.” Tsukee gestured at the others.

Kiara looked between each of them until her eyes settled on Danson.

“What or who are the Dumabi?” She turned back to Tsukee.

“Have you heard of Ruhanga—the Sun Lands?”

Had she? One of the people at Pialla’s house was a native, right? She nodded.

“Well, there is a tribe in the sun lands known as the Dumabi.” Tsukee’s eyes moved to Leyu.

“They were one of the first human spellcasters in the world because of a natural connection to the Resplendent Veil. At a time, they were scattered by their elements. Fire with fire. Stone with stone. Until the first Dadawe was born, and showed that their connection was greater than they thought.”

“And a Dadawe is?”

Leyu smiled, as if reminded of a favorite place. “A rarity. They are children born at the right moment during a convergence with the veil. Born at such a time, they become vessels for all elements. Dumabi people do not follow kings or queens, but Dadawe are often revered to that level. Still, they aren’t able to pass on their connection. A Dadawe child can only be born during a convergence.”

That answered a few of her questions. It sounded like Dumabi got their magic from their parents, so either of her biologicals could have been the source. Still, that left room for another question on the table. “Why was Danson shocked when you said I might be Dumabi?”

The elf answered, “The six-year-siege.” He looked at Leyu, eyes heavy with apology. “I mean I wasn’t born when it started, but I grew up in the aftermath. My folks spent time with the Dumabi in their twenties. They enjoyed the human culture, and the tribes unique connection with the Vaed.” He smiled. “They might have even worshiped the tribe a bit, since Dumabi become Vaed when they pass on.”

Kiara’s eyes shot back to Leyu. “Then you’re a ghost?” She gasped.

He and Tsukee laughed. “Not quite…though there is a human from whom I spawned. The process of becoming an elemental takes hundreds of years though.”

Kiara turned back to Danson, barely hiding her disappointment. “So what happened during that siege?”

As Danson explained it, the six-year siege started eighteen years ago, when the Mainland attacked the Sun Lands. Three years in it seemed to be coming to an end, but suddenly redoubled after half a year. In the end, the Mainland won…

“But they didn’t want to conquer, or seize resources.” The elf said. “Their target was the Dumabi, who lost their magic as if they were severed from the veil. Young and old, it didn’t matter. Nobody could use magic. Age old traditions had to come to a stop, and all the world could do was watch. The Ufanyn attacked the Harragar to distract the Mainland forces, but that didn’t do much good. My parents believed that if all the elven tribes got involved, the tragedy could be stopped. But elves aren’t united.” He laughed something mixed between derision and pride. “…the siege was why they tried to unite the elves…”

“In the spirit circle,” Keigo started before the silence could settle. “There wasn’t much talk about the siege, not from my parents anyway. But hearing this now, I remember my brother talking about people from the summer seas coming to the triumvirate, looking for spirits or demons that could restore their powers.”

Leyu nodded. "Indeed. Many Dumabi set out to find ways of bringing the power back. In most cases, there was no success." Leyu stared ahead for a long moment, remembering…his own attempts? His failures? Kiara couldn't quite tell. "Many children have been born in this time, but the use of magic remains scarce among the tribe."

“Why take their magic though? Were the Dumabi constantly at war with the Mainland?”

Diana shook her head. “I studied Mainland history a lot in school. Since the throne in the west moved from the Greenlands to the Mainland, there have been a lot of conflicts, but all of them within the continent. Dwarves, Jotunn, Harragar, Humans, Havaroc, Witches, and probably a bunch of other groups I can’t remember. They all wanted control over the growing empire but there was like this unbreakable rule even in their most desperate times. ‘Do not cross the wild sea and challenge the Summer Wilds.’ If they somehow survived the trek, the battle on the summer seas would have been final. To make it worse, the only way beside the summer wilds are the ports of Harlain—the Wizard Kingdom which are too small and…” Diana looked at Danson.

“The elven sea to the east. No less treacherous than the wilds themselves.”

“In other words,” Diana turned back to Kiara. “The summer seas were off limits.”

So, no centuries-long grudge. No empire old need to invade. That all served to make Kiara’s question louder.

“So why then?” She asked.

“Because the Dumabi are ultimately terrifying,” Leyu answered. “In a way, it relates to how I said your flames have a structure.” That was another of the questions on her list. She nodded. “This is not uncommon for elementalists. The Akilean of Water, the Havaroc of Wind, while they can only draw on one element, they can apply a spell’s structure to them.”

Shuraat perked up. “I learned about this from Nohyr! Their powers and Phoenixes are like our flames in a way. Akilean have waters spells that can heal and make them zip through tides. Havaroc have wind spells that empower you when you breathe in. Nohyr said that if we meet any on our pilgrimage we should talk to them!”

“Indeed,” Leyu replied. His eyes went back to Kiara. “However, the process of adding this structure takes a great deal of training, of understanding their connection to mana. Part of why I did not think you were Dumabi was because there was no one to guide you through that training. It seemed more logical that you simply cast magic flames.”

“However.” Tsukee smiled.

“However, your abilities are Dumabi-like in nature. It’s likely the veil isn’t tethered to your world, but there you were. A world away, and yet the magic came to you.”

“And that means something.” Tsukee said. “On both worlds.”

“Dumabi, you see, are so connected to the veil that they draw on both a deep and shallow resonance. The ability to change the nature of the elements is called Sovereignity, and it is the power of elementalists in general. But, the Dumabi are above sovereignity in one or two elements. They are Sovereigns of Infinity.”

“Which means?” Kiara couldn’t even guess, but Leyu’s title did come to mind. The Librarian of Infinity.

The Librarian explained, “You are fire and wind, Kiara, but you are destruction and force as well. You can make your flames cut like blades, bludgeon like fist, or make your winds destroy in ways beyond their might. Alternatively still, you could combine destruction and force, creating slashes and strikes that lay ruin, or shields that destroy the force of blows. Within every Dumabi is the building blocks for magic. With proper training, no school is off limits.”

Tsuki added, “On top of that, just because there are sixteen known elements doesn’t mean there are only sixteen in existence. We know the ones we know because of thousands of years of magical practice, and we know we can’t draw on them all. Dumabi, however, don’t have that limitation. The veil means that they collectively interact with all mana, the known yes, and the unknown.”

Leyu nodded again. “Your flames are scarlet, yes, Kiara? Much like your eyes. I wonder to myself, what form of mana changes the color of your flames? What gives them their new structure?”

Kiara’s mind swirled. “It’s like chemical elements.” She thought about the mobile on her hip. “Thousands of years ago, we didn’t know half of them, nor half of what they could do. Like how gold is extremely conductive. Back then, it was just a shiny stone… This is like if there was a tribe in the world who automatically knew how useful it was, and used it right away. No, it’s like they knew and could get as much as they’d ever need…They’d always have an advantage, even if someone found an element first. They’d always be the best at using it.”

Leyu nodded. “In theory.”

Shuraat raised his hand. “So what stopped them from ruling the world?”

“Awareness.” Kiara was guessing, but she was sure of it. “Like with…bluetooth.” She held up her mobile then. “It always existed in my world, in a way, but we didn’t know that thousands of years ago. We had to develop tech that could read radiowaves, then had to make tech that could affect them. Except here, it’s different. How do you ever learn that fire mana is different from solar mana? Where do you start!”

Tsukee grinned at Leyu. “I like her.”

He smiled back. “Indeed. Kiara, you are a quick study. You’d fit in quite well in the Dark Lands.”

Diana asked, “So, Kiara’s right then? The Mainland attacked because the Dumabi might come in contact with mana that makes them too powerful?”

“We, or I should say, the Sun Land court does not know to be certain.” Leyu answered.

“And if they did,” Keigo crossed his arms, “It wouldn’t be the smartest thing to tell us.” He shrugged. “But I’m going to ask anyway, are there other forms of mana the world doesn’t know about?”

“How would that work?” Kiara threw in.

“Tsukee smiled humbly. “Have you all heard the rumor that Myrin can’t use magic?”

Diana shook her head. “Rumor? But I thought that was proven fact? They can use magic items cause it only takes your aura, but they can’t use installation gems. No matter how many you give them.”

“I thought the same, until I met Leyu.”

Another question pushed to the front of Kiara’s mind. How did these two become their titles? She chose to phrase it a different way, however. “How did you two meet?”

“By saving each other’s lives.” The wolf snickered and started a tale.

Tsukee was from the northern part of the Dark Lands, familiar with its long coast and forested hills that could take you to its heart. Her family had been all over them, chasing slavers that lurked in the shadows. Being the youngest, when their pursuit crossed paths with a dangerous ring, they decided to put her somewhere safe.

“The Orphan Palace.”

Once a palace of a noble family, now an orphanage for all the wayward children of Darshaln, she wouldn’t be the only myrin child there and it was well defended. Tsukee didn’t take kindly to the decision though.

“I thought my parents were calling me weak, so I ran away from the palace to prove them wrong. I would hunt abominations and show them.”

She was ten at the time, but wolf myrin were some of the strongest of their kind. The beast girl was a threat to lesser abominations, too freshly born to be more than a nuisance to seasoned hunters. While that meant word of her wasn’t spreading, she was still getting stronger. Her parents might not have heard about it, but she was proving it to herself. Her hunts led her to stronger and stronger abominations. And then she met Leyu…

“I am not an elemental.” He started. “I am closer to an abomination. Like them, I am a life form borne of magic. I, however, am called a manakin.”

“And what’s the difference?” Kiara asked.

“Abominations are chaotic and dangerous, while manakins are made for a purpose. As I now know, I was a human named Anleyu once. He was one of two Dadawe twins who fought during the six-year-siege, but did not survive. I believe that I was his attempt at understanding how Dumabi become elementals, but I was incomplete and unstable.”

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He was sensitive to mana. His form always changed when one was more abundant than the other. When people cast spells, it felt like he was coming apart, and much of his early life was spent in fear.

“I went to the Dark Lands because manakin were first forged there. I thought I might find out how to complete myself, but I was young, I made an error.”

He didn't know about abominations. While the magically gifted people of the land knew to keep their eyes peeled, he hadn't known the world had such monsters. And for monsters for whom magic was food, Leyu was a different type of feast altogether, a savory meal to rival a five-star chef. He became their favorite target, which made him the perfect bait for the worst.

“The Apex Abomination…She who ate abominations and the magically talented alike. She was wounded when she found me, but still a greater threat than me or Safari was prepared for.”

Then…

“I came along.” Tsukee grinned.

Too fast, too strong, and too well-trained to fight and hunt by her parents. Leyu was not prepared for the abomination, and the abomination was not prepared for Tsukee. The wolf defeated it and earned the acclaim she was looking for.

“The Dark lands definitely knew my name after that. A few hunting companies even wanted to recruit me.”

And…the slaver ring saw their chance. Shortly after that very battle, they found the exhausted girl and planned to draw her family out. They’d kill her and her entire pack. Who would possibly be able to stop them?

“Slavers have a lot of tricks and tools for their targets.” Diana said with eyes cast down.

“They were prepared for Myrin in general, and especially wolf myrin that time around.” Tsukee nodded.

“But not a Dumabi, an unstable manakin, and the Apex Abomination herself.” Leyu smiled.

“Wait!” Kiara exclaimed. “The Apex Abomination and a Dumabi?”

"When the Hunter Consortium tried and failed to kill her, I got the chance to talk to her. It turned out that we were not unlike each other…" That was the short version. As for the Dumabi... "Safari is a unique case, much like you. He's not a Dumabi by traditional standards. Circumstances like this still have their power." But that was more a footnote to this tale or something to get back to later.

It went that blatant clues were left for Tsukee's parents. Leyu's party followed them, and slavers prepared for Myrin had no chance against what landed on their doorstep. The battle reduced their numbers and reduced their base to rubble. In the course of only a handful of days, the wolf and librarian had saved each other, and the wolf's family was far too grateful to let it end at that. Leyu's group was invited to share a meal. When the older of them laughed and joked into the night, Tsukee and Leyu found somewhere quiet to talk.

"Thank you for saving me." She said, all pouty-faced and reluctant. She had learned a lesson but wasn't sitting happily with it.

“You saved me first,” Leyu replied. “If you didn’t, you might not have got caught.”

She snickered. “No, I was hunting the apex abomination already! When I found her it all would have gone the same way. I just got lucky saving you.”

Leyu laughed. “I was surprised they caught you. You could fight an abomination, but a bunch of normal people captured you?”

“Anti-myrin tools are hard to deal with! It made my body feel heavy and itchy.”

“Why didn’t you just use magic then?”

“Myrin can’t use magic.” Tsukee could still remember the uncertain look he gave her in response.

“But…I can feel the mana…”

That was how it started…

“I spent a lot of time with Leyu after that. We studied about Myrin and magic, and found some interesting parallels between my kind and some of the spell casters, like practitioners and the Imeri. We learned that there were different worlds, and mana permeates differently on each of them. I learned that the Myrin story of creation was actually a reference to that.”

Kiara thought about Pialla for a moment, and how the girl was more excited than surprised when she told her she came from another world. Hadn’t she asked which one? As if that sort of thing wasn’t uncommon? She’d have to send her a note when the battle was over. She wanted to ask Tsukee about it too, but the question she was supposed to ask was clear.

“What’s the Myrin story of creation?”

“Long, long ago…there existed the goddess Myri, who was of harmony with nature. When animals died, she weeped that they could not traverse the long road like greater species, and become more than what they were in life. So, she created a holy place for the souls of beasts to go and become like her in image. This is why we Myrin possess bestial features, but otherwise look human.”

“So this holy place was another world?”

The wolf nodded and produced a scroll. Unrolling it, she revealed a portrait of the world surrounded by a pale silver aura and the many phases of the moon.

“Scholars of ancient Darshaln proposed that there is magic strong enough to create worlds, but not without a conduit. Gods were able to use this magic, and their conduit was the phases of the moons. How many moons does your world have, Kiara?”

“Two. Ando and Shara.”

“Magdalea has two as well, Tatho and Ontho. In total, sixteen phases and sixteen worlds made through them. The Myrin holy place was one of these lunar worlds…”

“So your inner world is different than normal!”

“Yes, more like that of a dragon’s than the usual inhabitant of Magdalea. On top of that, the mana of our world was different too. It wasn’t simply that we can’t use magic, it was that our ability to use it is unlike anything Magdalea has seen, outside of our bestial forms.”

“So we started from there.” Leyu said.

“We thought it was like soul-shifting at first, but there was no water mana. Then there’s the fact that while soul-shifting can persist unhindered, it’s draining to remain in our bestial form.”

“More like the Laeshi shape shifting.” Danson said.

“Laeshi?” Kiara turned to him.

“One of the elven tribes.”

“Or like dragons transforming.” Shuraat offered.

“Both are good examples. We learned that Myrin are like sorcerers truly, drawing on a source of magic that’s not formed of one of the sixteen, but of Lunar Mana. Made aware of that, I was able to understand our magic.”

“So, in that fight with Havren, you weren’t using a magic item?” Keigo asked. “It was like phasing and paralysis, though? What is the resonance of lunar mana?”

“Hold up your hand.” Tsukee replied.

Keigo did and she pushed her palm into his. His arm quivered, and he pulled away. He shook it for a long moment, then stared at his palm.

“My hand feels…delayed? Like it’s out of sync with my brain.”

“For us myrin, the lunar mana forms a displacement sorcery. Our beast forms manifest because we draw deeply from the source and spiritually return to our moons. If we draw shallowly, we can displace our bodies. If we push it outward, we can displace the spirits of those we touch.”

“If all myrin could do that they’d never be enslaved.” Keigo replied, shuddering at the possibility.

“But it sounds complicated.” Kiara shook her head.

“It is…I tried teaching my family, but they couldn’t grasp it.”

Leyu nodded. “It is as if Myrin are in the early age of magic awakening. It is still without form or understanding.”

“Then there’s also the fact that I had to visit the moon to fully get it myself.”

Kiara wondered if that meant the same as going to the moon on her world. She looked up at the star-filled sky and decided Magdalea hadn’t entered its space-faring age yet. It put a lot more questions on the table, but one stood out the most.

“If myrin are from another world, why live on one where they have no power?”

“I don’t think their world exists anymore.” Shuraat answered. She turned to him, surprised by his knowledge. He flushed. “Nohyr told me about it…The only non-dragons who have seen Akyramo are the Myrin. The story goes that they fled into Akyramo when it converged with their holy place. They’ve been known to dragons for thousands of years.”

“There are even Myrin who worship dragons.” Tsukee nodded. “But, Shuraat is right. The Myrin moon is no more.”

“What happened to it?”

Tsukee drew Kiara’s eyes to the silver aura around the world. “This is the astral sphere. Scholars suggest it is the reason phases of the moons can hold worlds, and as such the moons are always connected to it. Kiara, if a god wanted a moon for themselves, what do you suppose they’d do?”

“Probably attack the world already filling that phase…”

“Yes, and that’s what formed the Astral sphere. It is a realm in and of itself, forged of slain worlds. It is not a state of death, though, and when these undead specters get their chance, they invade the worlds touching the Astral sphere.”

Monsters from a place without form, perhaps invading worlds they’re envious of? How could that not sound familiar? Kiara clenched her fist, thinking about the dwellers and her world. But that raised a new question. Her world wasn’t a moon. How were the dwellers, no, the astral wraiths reaching it?

“What do the scholars say about the connection between our worlds?”

“Your world is still very much a myth, even to them, but they theorized that if it exists, it’d be on the other side of the astral sphere. Not in the way another world is across space, but the way Myrin came to this world through Akyramo.” Tsukee closed the scroll. “How long are days on your world, Kiara?”

“Twenty-eight hours.”

“And weeks?”

“Ten days.”

“And years.”

“Fifteen months.”

“Our worlds are almost identical, down to the number of moons. However, I am sure the shape of the lands are different.”

“Could they be like Lunar worlds…?”

“That’s the theory I came up with when Leyu told me about you…but,” The wolf gave her a smile. “That’s all I have. I can only say for certain that they are two worlds on different sides of the astral sphere. The other side of a coin, you could say.”

“The astral wraiths are invading my world now, and they destroyed the Myrin moon…” And… “One of them is working with demons.” Stopping the sect suddenly seemed like a secondary objective. “Why is one working with the Yoshiki sect?”

“I think that’s what we have to figure out.” Tsukee replied.

Keigo straightened up. “That brings us back to the main problem then. You said we’d be ready to face the sect this time, but I don’t get how this lesson helps. I’m not complaining about knowing more but…”

"It remains a matter of concern." Leyu nodded. "When this battle is over we will discuss these things more, but till then, take this." He snapped and three small boxes manifested in front of Keigo, Diana, and Danson. They opened them and found jewelry inside.

“For you, Keigo,” Keigo pulled a ring from the box, markings etched into its band. “A shifter’s ring. It is charged with the mana of your magic, and will make gathering it quicker. Where you were only able to use one form before, it will allow you to easily switch between three. It shall help you master transformation, though spell words would help too.”

Diana pulled out two woven bracelets and slid them on her arms. Immediately, threads unwound and stitched gloves around her hands. She clenched her fists and smiled.

“Striker Gloves.” Leyu announced. “Like Keigo’s ring, they are charged with mana. Your spells will come easier to you, letting you deploy them more frequently. In time, this will help you with layering too.”

Danson pulled out a single white-blue dangling earring and almost dropped it.

“This is a frost folk earring.” His voice quivered.

“Yes. Unlike Keigo and Diana, mana mastery isn’t what hampers you, it’s noise. Focus on the right mana as the earring binds with you. You are aware of its curse, after all.”

“The longer you’re marked by the frost folk the sooner you become them.”

“But if you take the mana from the curse, you will remain yourself.”

Danson put it on and watched his arm. His skin paled, his nails sharpened, and pale blue hairs began to grow. He moved his fingers and flicked a snowflake away. With it went the transformation, and he grinned.

“This is crazy, but I suppose that’s what I get for turning to the Librarian of Infinity.”

Kiara thought about that title again, and the Lunar Wolf. She thought she finally understood.

“The Lunar Wolf because you use magic from the moons. The Librarian of Infinity because you’re a living connection to the Dumabi’s infinity.” The two of them smiled. “But what are your bounties?” Her eyes shined.

“530,000 last time I checked.” Tsukee answered.

“I’m a bit of an anomaly for them. Mine is 610,000.”

Kiara’s jaw dropped. “Where did you meet them?” She looked sharply at Danson.

“If you wanted to insult me, you could have just done it directly.” He flicked a snowflake at her. “I met them at the Sea Festival.”

She had heard them mention it before and now seemed the best time to ask about it…but something strange was coming into sight.

It grew out of the forest, towering and bulbous with thorny vines falling from a bright red flower on top.

Keigo glared at it. “We shouldn’t be able to see the domain.”

“A spell has overtaken it.” Leyu replied.

“A spell?”

"The carpet came down slowly and disappeared. Leyu touched the vines and they moved beneath his hand.

“A complex one at that.”

“Can we still get in?”

“Yes, but I cannot control what will happen to you when you step inside.”

Tsukee turned to Leyu, meeting his eyes. “Will you be all right?” She stepped closer. He smiled.

“Yes, but I will be a moment. Do you think you can handle this alone in the meantime?”

She grinned. “Of course. Leave the rest to me.”

The vines glowed and twisted into a swirling portal. The swirls trailed down his arm, and he nodded slowly.

“Go, and be careful. We’re already witnessing the scale of the battle ahead.”

No more words were wasted. The party breached the portal, none but Tsukee sparing him a final glance. It closed behind them and they disappeared from each other’s sight…

[Chapter 45 ends…]