Chapter 20 | Dungeon Raid 1

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The magic lesson in Yuli’s class was taking place outside the classroom in the lush meadow beside the Sohao River. The only people who were allowed to practice casting were Yuli, Emre, and Winston since they were coming into age. It was nice for them to wait for Yuli’s return. Casting could be extremely dangerous for young people because their minds were underdeveloped and could have trouble controlling their mana. As such, all children have a Restriction Seal inscribed on their skin over the shoulder blades. It was a tattoo of a magic circle. Of course, Yuli had her Restriction removed long ago and this practice session was more of a formality.

Alisha stood at the sidelines and listened to the teacher as she instructed them. The teacher took out glass cups and filled them using a spell to condensate the water in the air and place them on a wooden pedestal.

“Okay, Yuli. Can you demonstrate the freezing spell for us?”

The freezing spell she was referring to was the literal interpretation. Freezing and crystallizing were similar but different in underlining formulation. Freezing was simply lowering temperature whereas crystalizing is the formation of solid lattices in molecular structures. So, to be accurate, the spell the Imperials were using was crystalizing, not freezing.

Yuli casted by allowing outflow of mana from her body and used it to form a magic circle that turned into a spell. She unleashed the spell at a distance and it flew to the water glass. The water froze on contact into ice.

The teacher clapped and smiled widely at her proficiency, “That was amazing, Yuli! You can already cast so naturally at such a young age.”

Alisha saw what Yuli was capable of when they were ambushed in the woods so she wasn’t surprised. If Yuli didn’t wow the crowd, she would’ve been disappointed. Plus, being an elf made her a natural at casting.

“Was that a level two spell?” The teacher asked and Yuli nodded. The teacher and the two other students were stunned at the revelation. A level two spell?

Alisha read in one of the introductory books to magic that magic circles had levels to them and the level of the caster was determined by the spell level they could cast.

***

“In order to cast a spell, you need three things: an image, a magic circle, and mana,” Reinold said to Alisha.

They were currently in the forest outside of Riverside along with Samuel, Yuli, Sophia, Benas, Elise, and Julie. Those six were watching in the gallery as Reinold was with Alisha a distance away. The sun was setting and the red moon—Rodan, and green moon—Grevin, were shining their light for them. Alisha was in her human form while taking in Reinold’s magic lesson.

“The center of the circle is where the spell formulation is,” Reinold shows this by casting a spell. “The other layers house runes which define parameters.”

“Parameters?” Alisha asked out loud. “Like temperature?”

“Yes, exactly. If you want to add more than one parameter, you’ll have to use another layer.”

“I see…” Alisha tried to speak out loud but was tongue-tied while trying to find the right words, “But if the freezing spell is one of the basics, why did Yuli use a level two spell?”

“Because Yuli casted at a distance,” Reinold explained. “Guns are used in combat to carry the spell from a distance so that the additional layer isn’t needed. People use these casting mediums to mediate their spells to become more efficient. Remember this, Alisha. Against a caster, the person who uses all their mana first loses.”

“Okay, I will remember! Teacher!” Alisha said in her sweetened tone. Faced with that sudden shift in tone, Reinold didn’t know what to say and looked away. The serious tone was broken. Reinold thought she might still hold a grudge over the shooting incident. Alisha had all but forgiven him but she wouldn’t let him know that. She knew Reinold was feeling a bit guilty for it so she was going to milk it for all that it was worth. He continued to take her antics without compliant.

“Um…Alright, then. Hold out your hand.”

***

The teacher placed a mana gem into the hands of Emre and Winston. A strange aura then enveloped them. The teacher and Yuli were calm but Alisha couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Their mana pools were stirring in their bodies as if the mana itself was alive.

The mana was dancing in their bodies.

Suddenly, the mana ejected from their bodies and created a misty air of shiny blue lights. Emre’s and Winston’s parents were both there for their child at a safe distance away. They looked so proud their child awakening their abilities.

The two awakened casters looked as if they saw a miracle in front of their eyes. They’ve seen magic but not in the way they’ve ever witnessed until now.

One at a time, the teacher took them both to the pedestals and casted the freezing spell on the glasses of water and turned the water into ice.

That night, Reinold was continuing his language lessons with Alisha in the dining room. Alisha was trying to sound out the words, “Ter..mi…nal?”

She was reading from a textbook Reinold picked for her. He also had her practice her writing so he gave her a pen and paper. The Common Tongue had thirty-seven letters in the alphabet but Alisha had no problem with writing them after a few sessions.

“Good. Now read the sentence,” Reinold instructed and watched her closely.

“I am late to the train…at the…terminal,” Alisha said while writing it on the sheet of paper.

“Good. You’ve learned a lot of words in three weeks. Even if you are reincarnated, I’m impressed.”

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“Of course! I am a genius after all!” Alisha said smugly.

Reinold chuckled, “Don’t be too humble now. You still have a long way.”

“Thank you, Reinold. Can you teach me more about magic now?”

“Magic?”

“You know, how to cast spells!”

Reinold looked at her excited and determined expression with sadness and said, “Casting may not be possible with you.”

“What?” Alisha’s heart broke a little upon hearing those words of rejection.

There were two types of casting: internal and external to the body. Casting a spell within her body was what Alisha has been doing without knowing it was really magic. It seemed obvious now that she thought about it. Her Expanded Space was a prime example. It was her misconception that all magic needed magic circles. Internal magic was difficult for humans to cast but it was instinct for monsters.

External magic was the primary magic practiced by humans. They could influence the universe around them by casting spells. She had to draw mana to the surface of her body and release it. This wasn’t something she could do.

Well, she could but it wasn’t that simple. Her inhuman nature prevented mana from flowing out of her body naturally. When she exploded herself in the cave, that was an example of mana reaching the surface of her slime body. The mana itself exploded.

Mana was pure energy and was explosive like gas or oil when contacting the outside. The only way to contain and control the mana released from the body was a magic circle.

“Even so! I must try!” She declared. Reinold wasn’t able to refuse her so after his next shift at the tavern, that night they went to the forest with everyone to practice magic.

The first time someone practices magic was also the same time everyone loses their Restriction Seal and is exposed to ambient mana. This created a ceremony, a small coming-of-age tradition where the parents of the young caster-to-be would attend and witness their awakening. The awakening would only happen once every lifetime so it was important for their loved ones to be present. When Alisha and Reinold approached the family about their plans, Yuli immediately jumped on the opportunity and organized a party.

Alisha was very embarrassed that magic training became such a large affair. She didn’t recognize the significance before during class but now that she had, she was even more embarrassed that they wanted to witness her coming-of-age. It was as if they were a real family. Everyone was excited to come except for Benas and Tasha, although they eventually agreed to attend.

For some reason, Tasha was a bit awkward. She felt uncomfortable around Reinold for some reason. As for Benas, Yuli practically had to her father to join in.

“Why would you not come?” Yuli asked, upset with her fists on her hips.

“Alisha isn’t my daughter,” the Merchant Lord stated. Alisha got the feeling that he might have wanted to set a distance between them. This confirmed in her mind that she wasn’t really family to him. This feeling of rejection was transmitted to Yuli and she got angry enough to play a little dirty.

“You did not come to my awakening…” She said, acting dejected. Someone, please give this girl an Oscar.

“If I didn’t attend your awakening, what makes you believe I will attend hers?”

Yuli didn’t say another word and looked as if she was about to cry.

“Fine…”

“Thank you, father!”

***

Under the light of the moons, Alisha grasped the mana gem in her hands and felt the mana surge within her. She left the dancing all throughout her body but only within her human body. It was now that Alisha knew that she had two separate mana pools because of her separate slime and human body.

She started to feel a pull on her spirit and began to creep up in power. The gem began to glow brightly in her clinched hand until something gave way. Suddenly, she felt a surge of mana being unleashed and exited her body without exploding like last time.

The force of her mana ejection had her see the blue tint she created around herself. It looked like blue lights which were shining as bright as the stars in the sky. Alisha always liked the colors of this world at night. Rodan was shining above her with its reddish glow and the lights and colors gently embraced her.

As Samuel sat by and watched the scene unfold, he saw innocence in Alisha’s face he thought was long gone. He only ever saw Alisha’s serious side and after what she went through with the Imperials, it was a pretty sight to behold. Everyone was in awe at her innocent expressions while looking at the colors around her with glee.

The gem stopped glowing and Reinold took it from her palm as the northern lights around her dissipated. “Now, don’t forget that feeling. You’ll need to remember it when you’re casting.”

The spectacle left a mark on her which Reinold seemed to be accustomed to. “I will never forget it for all my life,” she said sincerely. Her comment showed an emotional maturity that Reinold didn’t expect.

“Before you try anything dangerous, let’s have you cast something simple. Try to turn that puddle into ice,” Reinold said and pointed. “Now, can you tell me the three things you need to cast a spell?”

“Umm. The three things would be mana, a magic circle, and an image.”

“Yes,” Reinold drew a magic circle on the ground and placed a mana crystal in the middle. “A magic circle is basically a formula to manipulate the universe around you. Many people can use spells without drawing the circle physically, but for an absolute beginner like you, this is for your safety. Now, how about you try…”

“I’m done,” Alisha interjected. She casted her own circle and made the water into ice as she touched it.

“Wow… you’re unbelievable,” Reinold chuckled and smiled widely at Alisha.

She had talent and extraordinary potential as a caster and moreover, a mage. Reinold was reminded again of how much he liked freelancing. It was a crime that society would likely reject her despite that.

Suddenly, Alisha started to gag and she spilled blood from her mouth. She bent over coughing. Reinold and Samuel rushed to her side as she lost strength in her legs. Yuli and the others wanted to go too but Benas prevented them.

“Alisha!” They both shouted her name. Samuel caught her and prevented her from falling.

She turned to Reinold and teasingly said, “Oh, Reinold~ I didn’t know you cared so much.”

“You’re coughing up blood! Of course, I’m worried!” Reinold said. Alisha giggled at his statement. Said the person who shot me, she thought. What Alisha learned later was that Awakenings also had drawbacks. There was the possibility that the mana inside a child could go berserk during the ceremony, the results were unpredictable. They thought her coughing blood was a warning sign for something dangerous to come.

“Alisha, are you alright?” Samuel asked.

“I’m okay, Samuel. This much is normal. I’m not in any real pain,” Alisha tried to stand but found she was unable to. She winced in pain, her lie showing through. Reinold sat beside her and casted a healing spell.

Alisha could see the magic circle Reinold casted and could recognize the patterns and runes much easier than before. For whatever reason, she even recognized some symbols she hadn’t learned. The spell was accelerating healing by speeding up processes in the body, affecting her enzymes. The circle also included observatory functions to direct healing and diagnose.

“I don’t see any obvious traumas. Your lungs and esophagus seem to be fine,” Reinold said.

“This is not a physical ailment you can cure with a spell,” Alisha explained through telepathy. “It’s my human body rejecting me.”

Their surprised faces annoyed her so she used the strength she recovered to stand and to walk a few steps away from the two men.

“It’s a complex situation and the sum of it being that my human body is weakening trying to adapt to my…preferences. Every soul has an identity associated with their bodies. This human body is…unnatural for me.”

They both stood there dumbly and couldn’t think of anything to ask or where to begin. Although they sympathized with her, they knew little about the subject or the nature of souls. They weren’t spiritualists like herself.

“In any case, it doesn’t seem like I can use my human body for long periods of time.” Alisha was omitting the fact her time she could spend in her human body was shorting. They didn’t need to know. She formed into her wolf cub form.

“Is there anything we can do to help you?” Samuel asked with sincerity.

“If there is, I’ll let you know. You’ve already done a lot for me. I do appreciate your assistance in monitoring the Imperial activities.”

Reinold walked over and crouched to put his hand on her small head, “Just promise to tell us if you’re having trouble, okay?”

He rubbed behind her ears, giving her a pleasant feeling. He was treating her like a child again.