> [Mana Crystals and You!]
>
> [Mana is all around us! In the air, in the waters, even in the soil that creates life through plants! However, there is another life created below us. Growing in the mana-enriched caves that power not only our staves and wands but all of the magical items that many magicians and machinists created throughout the years!
>
> We call them [Mana Crystals] and they are the building blocks of the modern era of [Monachroma]. Formed from the elements of magic, they act as a physical manifestation of magic that we can wield with our own two hands, claws, and paws!
>
> Using these curious gems mined from the [Mana Caves], we can use magic without exhausting our [Mana] whatever we want. But it is more than a substitute.
>
> Many have combined these [Mana Crystals] with several metals and monster parts into fantastical magical items! From teleport gates to magical staves and wands that many magicians used, our lives improved!
>
> So if you want to create your own magical item, feel free to ask an experienced [Magecrafter] who may help you start your path to crafting magical items!
>
> But don't forget the golden rule: "Do not mix or combine different crystals or else!"]
Yeah, this baby book isn't helping me one bit. I only read it for about 10 minutes in the study room, but I'm very annoyed at the outdated information. Not only does it have everything I already know from Casia's lessons, but it doesn't do a perfect job explaining more about [Mana Crystals] clearly. No wonder why Vander hesitated to recommend this book to me. But from what I read so far, it seems like their understanding of them along with magic is still unclear. They only managed to create items mostly for lighting and aiding magicians, but never anything else. I haven't seen them and yet, I'm a bit peeved and disappointed.
You can say that again.
Now that I think about it, what about those drawings I drew before I woke up? What were those?
Mostly stuff I've never seen before. And I didn't mention this, but some of them were similar to my hot water idea.
Huh. I never recall them very clearly. Was it because of the effects I endured from whatever caused me to wake up from my mind?
"Aster?"
I closed the book and turned to the door. "Yeah, the door's open."
Casia entered the study and for some reason, he seemed a bit...exhausted. "Sorry about that. I was out on the patrol."
"Patrol?"
"Yes. It seems like the territory is a bit disarray, to say the least. But enough about that. I hope I didn't disturb your reading session."
I shake my head with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm done reading this baby book. I was only in deep thought before you came in, though. Compared to your strict lessons, yours is much better."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" He said this with a cat-like smile of sorts.
"Is that your way of making me like your lessons more?"
"Haha! I'm only kidding. Moving to another subject, you said you were in deep thought, right?"
I nodded. "Yeah. It's another way to talk to Vander, I guess."
It isn't an exaggerated description. It seems like there is a skill that I can talk to Vander without him appearing out of nowhere. What's more, it's part of that strange [Talent] we have...
----------------------------------------
"...Right now?"
I nod as I place the book I asked for from Casia on my bedside table. "Yeah. I had to take more lessons in exchange for more [Fire] and [Water Mana Crystals]. So we might as well check that strange [Talent] we have before we forget."
I watch Vander staring at the book despite he can't touch it because he's currently in my head at the moment. "Good point. Last time we checked, it was before bedtime and we know we can find out what kind of abilities and spells we have through those strange [Talent] tablets from our ring."
Yeah. We learned a lot about the [Anima Cecidit Ring] and its abilities during the two-week period. Tapping on the [Talent] name once shows what it is and tapping twice will create another tablet that lists our skills related to it. While useful, it's very difficult to understand most of them because of words we can't understand such as "passive", "AoE", "critical", and "buff". Either way, it's a good ability for us to train ourselves if we want to be strong like Casia. We intend to keep it a secret from him because we want to learn more about the ring by ourselves. But we had to because I got distracted in one lesson that almost destroyed the garden (Sorry again, Vander!). At least Casia is an understanding kind of dragon.
"Alright. Let's see what this [Twin Minds] thing is all about," Vander said. "I bet it's something awesome!"
"I said... Ugh... Never mind..." I groaned. "Open [Talents]."
The strange tablet appears again while floating in front of my face. Everything from [Fire] to some [Talents] we haven't taken a closer look at is still there. For now, I tap the words I'm looking for twice and another one appears. This time, another tablet is showing not only the [Talent's] description but also several abilities for it.
"Huh. Not many abilities than I thought," Vander commented as we read through the tablet. "They don't look strong, but some of them have names we don't understand."
That's one way to describe them. There are only three abilities here and all of them have interesting effects along with weird names.
> [Synchronization] (Level 1 Passive)
>
> [Connects two minds to temporarily merge their strengths together. You must have an understanding of each other or have the same current goal.]
>
> ----------------------------------------
>
> [Split Personality] (Level 1 Passive)
>
> [By possessing two personalities, you have different [Talents] depending on your favored fighting style and role. Because of this, you can learn up to 30 [Talents] with 10 for each personality. You start at 4 slots and it will increase by 1 for every two levels.]
>
> ----------------------------------------
>
> [Mental Network] (Level 1 Passive)
>
> [You can communicate with your other personality as if they are part of your thoughts during your thinking process.]
After reading all of them, I still have a lot of questions. And it seems like Vander is in the same boat as me.
"Looking at them, they are not much of a special magic affinity or anything we ever saw before. The name [Split Personality] isn't helping our self-esteem a bit."
"Gee, ya think?" I did warn him. "But they might be useful if we continue our studies. Look at [Mental Network] at the second. It says we can continue our conversation as if we're thinking about something."
"You have a point. Appearing out here is a bit annoying and I'm worried you might feel the same at the bad time," Vander said while having his arms behind his back. "Let's try it out."
I nod with a smile. "Let's do it."
I close my eyes and clear my head for a second. I'm not actually thinking about anything but the [Twin Minds Talent], but if it works by simply thinking.
Then I might be able to do something like this. Hello~
I open my eyes. That's not what I'm thinking. Unless...
Yeah, this is me. These are my thoughts coming from me. Confusing, yes. But this is interesting...
I can't say the same. It feels a bit uncomfortable. But it's not like I'm going to master it overnight.
True. It's like my body moves on my own accord, but my mind isn't.
Man, this is giving me a headache.
Okay, time to go back.
I gasped as I snapped out of my thoughts. That's...a bit too much...
"Ugh... I feel like my head got hit by Casia's thousand draconic head smacks," Vander groaned as I found him lying on our bed. "Yeah, we need to get used to it somehow. Just using it feels like a pain already."
"I know. But what happens if we meet someone other than Casia?" I reminded him. "We already agreed it's dangerous to let the public know about each other's identities and Casia said we can't stay home forever. Plus, I'm itching to leave the mansion and hunt like him."
"Good point. Casia did say he saw us like we were talking to nothing or a ghost whenever we talked in front of him. I don't know why, but I rather let ourselves expose by being careless."
Whadn't't left this mansion for a while now, even before I woke up. What would happen if anyone finds out we have Diso...Disoti... Our Twin Minds Talent by accident? Things will be bad if it happens and we won't have a happy life with Casia anymore. And I feel like I don't want to live a life of despair. It hurts just thinking about it. I'm not going to be weak. I'm not alone this time.
Things will be different from here.
"Huh? D-Did you think that, too?"
Vander responds with a grin. "If I didn't, I wouldn't try to use that ability again. We might be a Demi-Fiend and we're not strong as the other demons here, but we're going to be one if we put our heads together. We might have a chance to evolve if we outsmart the brawny demons in these parts."
I don't know about that last part. "Well, let's talk about it when Casia is around. It's too early to think about what to do when we grow up with our new abilities. "
"I guess. At least we know what to do next."
"Yeah. Small steps mean big things will happen." I groaned as another thought came into my head. "However, I do have one complaint regarding our ring's abilities."
"What is it?"
"...Do they have to call all of them [Talents]? Heck, does having Demon Physo...Physo... The one focusing on our body supposed to be a Talent at all?!"
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Vander hummed on the bed and it only took 20 seconds to realize what I meant.
"Maybe we should pray to the goddess about it."
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I thought that was Vander's way of coping with the strange naming of our abilities. But it was only until Casia's lessons on Umbaria and the religion they worshipped that made me realized he meant it literally. "If you leave an offering to the Goddess's statue and pray for her, she will give them temporary blessings that will help them achieve their desire." At least that's what Casia told us. The offering itself must be something equal to our wants and needs. Whether it's food, [Mana Crystals], or an object that is significant to us, she will answer our prayers regardless of how small we can ask.
I'm not sure if they're all true. No offense to her Grace, but I don't know if I can offer something that's enough to meet her in person.
Does it matter? She was the one who gave me this new life. If I worry about the buts, then what's the point of making a second chance?
Good point. Nothing will happen if we... No, I make it a reality. Besides, most of my complaints are a bit petty, so I'll see if I can find some crystals or anything important for me later.
"That won't be necessary, Aster." I quickly turned around and saw Casia approaching me. "I sense you have a bit of Mana of her Divine Darkness within you. As long you offered some [Mana Crystals] and give her a genuine prayer, I have a feeling you will have an audience with her soon."
"Are you sure?"
Casia nodded. "I'm sure. I already told you that you need to have confidence in yourself, Fledgling. You have amazing potential waiting to grow right now. You even take the initiative and work on something that nobody dared to try for years now. Be brave and stand up for what you want in life."
Heh. He's right. I've been having trouble getting hopeful at anything that I've been getting these speeches from Casia for a while now. Honestly, I've been following them, yet I can't seem to bring myself to put them into practice.
What am I saying?! I'm a Demi-Fiend, the lowest-ranked demon of all. AKA the weakest. But does it have to do with being the smartest? No!
Yeah, that's it. It doesn't matter if I'm strong or not. I have the Twin Minds and if I can figure out how we can take advantage of it, we might be able to evolve!
"Well, that's nice to hear that from you two. But you can't exactly become the strongest if you slack off from your lessons and training," Casia suddenly said with a smile. "Unless you want me to remind you about the homework you've been setting aside because of your experiments."
Ugh... Can he not read my mind for just one second?! Seriously, I need some privacy, too, you know?!
"Right... I understand. I'll do it right away," I said as I gave the book to him so he could return it to the library. It's not like I can continue reading it anyway. "Hey, Casia. I want to ask you something."
"What is it?" He asked as he accepted the book.
"Did anyone try to use magic to combine [Mana Crystals]?"
I wish that's possible. But Casia answered with a shake of his head. "Not that I know of. Many have tried doing so, but they haven't found the right formula to achieve it for a while now."
I'm disappointed at his answer, but it does give me some thought. [Magical Formulas] are the building blocks of magic. I don't know much about them, but they tie into two requirements needed for casting a spell, which I recall are [Conceptionalization] and [Formation]. Knowing the incantation is nice, but if you can't imagine the formula, then you can't cast the spell you want.
"Not even the demons know it?" I asked.
"If they did, mixed crystals would be abundant around these parts. Heck, they simply eat the pure ones rather than combine them," Casia answered. "One reason behind it is that fusing two different kinds of crystals will make unpredictable results. Fusing the same element would simply create a powerful explosion manifested through them instead. Your experiments show it and no one dared to try, no matter how risky and rewarding it would come out of it."
"Oh... I see."
I guess making a spell to combine them is not as easy as it looks. That seriously bums me out.
"Don't give up that easily, Aster," Casia said as he was about to leave the study. "I already told you many times about your potential. If you can solve the puzzle that no magician or demon dares to risk themselves to create spells and magical tools, you will find your answer. Who knows? Maybe your ring might have some ideas to deal with your current dilemma."
My ring... Yeah, maybe there is.
"Just don't go overboard with it, okay?"
I groaned. "I get it! Come on, Casia! Will you stop reading my mind for once?!"
"Hahaha... I will if you get to tonight's homework. Good night, Fledgling. You too, young Master."
And there he goes. Right out of the study. I guess I should do my homework before he starts reading my mind again behind the door. I take out the other books I brought from the library and I take one of them as I read the cover.
"[An Apprentice's Guide to Alchemy]..." I sighed. "I can't believe Vander managed to read this while I slave over the basics."
Then again, I did sleep inside myself and woke up late during my rebirth.
I sighed again at that sudden thought that didn't come from my other personality (not a denial phase). I opened the book to start reading.
> [Chapter 1: Basics]
>
> [If you learned about the basics of magic, you might already know about the two steps necessary to cast a spell.
>
> To review, the steps of magic are [Conceptualization], [Formation], and [Vocalization]. Conceptualization is where the caster imagines their spell, Formation is manifesting it, and Vocalization is inciting a special chant that powers it.]
Ugh... I know about that part already. I appreciate the reminder, but what's so important about them?
> [For [Alchemy], we only need to borrow the actions of [Conceptualization] and [Formation]. They are needed to form the elements for synthesis and creation. We call this spell, [Synthesis].]
Oh, that answers my question.
> [Along with these steps, there are also [Deconstruction] and [Reconstruction]. Deconstruction breaks down an element or item and Reconstruction reform it to a new shape or its normal form. Combining these steps, you can create items and enhance them as long you understand their basic structure and materials.]
Oh, I see. It's like cooking. You need the proper ingredients to make a meal and know the instructions so you won't burn and destroy your cooking. [Deconstruction] does the opposite. It's like taking apart something and collecting the materials from it and [Reconstruction] is building a new item from them. I have to keep that in mind when doing one myself.
Now that I think about it, Reconstruction sounds like combining two items together. If something like a [Synthesis] spell exists, then what about a spell that combines two Mana-based items?
First things first, I decided to try [Synthesis] first. I flipped a few pages where it takes about it next.
> [Chapter 2: Synthesis]
>
> [To use a [Synthesis] spell, one must remember the elements of the world. [Fire], [Water], [Wind], [Nature], [Earth], [Light], and [Darkness].
>
> As long as you remember them, you may able to use [Synthesis] to create an item related to it or combine them together for more difficult elements. These items can be used for [Alchemy] as materials. For example, you can create dirt using [Earth], an ice cube with [Wind] and [Water], a cotton thread with [Nature], clay with [Earth] and [Water], a low-quality crystal with [Earth] and [Fire], and a hardened lava with [Fire] and [Water].
>
> Do note that combining more than 3 elements requires more concentration and [Mana] to create it. And most of them must be organic by nature. Anything from magical items and handmade items is beyond the [Synthesis's] capacity and must be created further using the alchemic method. Also, creating any form of life from it is considered a strict violation of the [Alchemy's Laws].
>
> To make it brief, the [Alchemy's Laws] is a series of rules that the gods created to prevent this [Talent] from being exploited for the alchemist's own gain. If it's violated, there will be severe consequences to the alchemist in question. Because of this, it is also part of the kingdoms' laws to ensure safety and peace for their people.]
I see. If anyone dares to try reviving the dead or making a person through [Alchemy], then the laws won't allow them to happen. That sounds very familiar, but I can't quite place it.
Whatever. What about [Mana Crystals]?
[It is also possible to create [Mana Crystals] through [Synthesis]. While it is not a violation of Alchemy's Laws, it is highly discouraged to use for everyday use. This is because creating them is simply forming their [Mana] into a crystal. If they attempt to create a larger crystal, there is a high chance they will completely exhaust it and die. They are mostly created to store mana in case they run out of [Mana Potions] or in the case of elemental crystals, release a spell without any mana within them.]
I see. Even if we can create [Mana Crystals], it will use up all of our Mana inside our bodies anyway. So being a creature who eats Mana Crystals every day doesn't make it very useful in the long run. But the book says that we can use anything we create for [Alchemy]. Are there any uses for them?
[Whether they are mined from the [Mana Mines] or through [Synthesis], [Mana Crystals] are widely used with [Magical Tools] created by [Magic Alchemists]. Two of the famous tools created are [Crystal Lamps] and [Mana Artilirary]. [Mana Alchemists] are often confused with [Magic Crafters] who mostly create magical scrolls, wands, and staves used by magicians.]
Huh, so the same-old, same-old here. But they didn't about combining them at all or why I should never do so.
Ugh... I've already lost my patience with this book. This might be homework, but I am so frustrated that these people wouldn't dare to take the risk and try new things with their current knowledge of Alchemy! If I were them, I would try to combine Fire and Water together to...
> [Your [Magical Knowledge] has leveled up to 2!]
ARGH! I almost used Fire Ball at that thing!
Wait, my Magical Knowledge did what?
Yeah, I know that! It happens whenever I learn something new about this world.
Huh. I never knew that. Wait, what does have to do with magic anyway?
Well, it mentioned Mana and how it mentioned [Magic Crafters].
Do I know anything beyond them beforehand?
Yeah, like I ever.
I sighed. I guess not everything, then. But if I can level up just by reading this, then would that mean I can learn a new Talent just by reading a different subject?
Yeah, that's it! I can try out that [Alchemy] thing tomorrow! That's why Casia let us learn about it after all.
Of course, it had to be related to our homework. Do I need to recall why I can't try Alchemy right now?
I recalled that I almost burned down the mansion when I tried breaking a [Fire Mana Crystal] in half.
...I don't want to know how that happened. "Is there anything else that I know, Vander?"
I turned and saw Vander coming behind me as if he was there the whole time. He looked at me for a while before he looked at the book I was reading right now.
"Other than the Talents that were listed in those tablets, probably yes. I did learn a bit about demons themselves."
I sighed. "I also know about Demon Knowledge, you know. Why do you think I know about us being a Demi-Fiend in the first place?"
"True. But I have my reasons why I want to learn more about them. You haven't seen it lately?"
I have no idea what he meant. I want to double-check my Talents, but I don't want to ignore my homework again.
"Look. We still have no idea about our abilities, so we might as well take a risk. Besides, those humanoids have no idea how many possibilities they are missing because they are too ignorant to know beyond their limits. And you're not giving up all because they're unable to break them, right?"
Creepy voice aside, he's right. Why am I still thinking like those humanoids? I'm not one of them anymore and I don't plan to be one. I don't want to let my thoughts push me away from what I want and I don't want to remain as a weak demon any longer. I wish to burn away these bad thoughts and become stronger. To evolve. To be two of the greats that anyone who opposes us will regret it.
"I thought so. How about this? Tomorrow, let's try out our experiments after Casia's class. It would be better if we could try coming up with something amazing if we put our heads together, right?"
"I guess. Better than doing nothing," I said before I realized what he said. "Wait, you have an experiment, too?"
Vander only responds with a smile. "You'll see. Like you, I'm also curious about another impossibility I wish to break as well. And it revolves around one concept alone."
I raised my eyebrow. "And that is?"
Vander's smile then turns into a grin as he turns to the blood-red moon outside. "How demons are born."