Candles lit the library as the night ticked on. Taka had been there for hours, trying to make progress in acquiring the psychic magic he sought, but to no avail thus far. Rhoz stood by the entryway to the library, standing watch. Taka had insisted that she go to bed and leave him be, but she refused. The Demon Lord had probably ordered her to guard Taka, and so it was no use. She was kind enough to bring him an apple to eat, a meal he hadn''t realized he''d needed. He had not eaten at all since being reincarnated into his new body, and while it seemed like he didn''t need to eat nearly as frequently as he did in his past life, he still needed sustenance.
Rhoz had already shown him all the pages of the grimoire that he needed. To Taka''s disappointment, reading a grimoire did not instantly give one new magical powers, it was little more than a glorified textbook. He had Rhoz flip to the pages in the book that explained Telekinesis, and it was fairly similar to how he had made the tree move with earth magic to try and protect himself from Zirko. To use psychic magic to perform telekinesis, he needed to first focus a sufficient amount of mana, then direct that mana at an object to push, pull, lift, or lower it. It seemed simple enough, and after explaining it to Rhoz, she brought him a feather to practice with. Taka was able to gather more than enough mana that what he thought necessary, but when it came to converting that mana to psychic magic and using it like the book instructed, something didn''t click. It felt like the the missing piece that''d let him use psychic magic was trapped behind a locked door in his mind, but he didn''t have the key. There was no introductory section of the grimoire, only spells, so Taka was left to fumble around in the dark.
For hours, he had been able to successfully focus his mana, visual reaching out, but was unable to affect the feather at all. He focused on his active TELEPATHY skill connecting him and Rhoz, but then realized something interesting: Rhoz had made it sound like skills, or "Divine Arts" as she called it, were not linked to magic or mana at all. No, that wasn''t it... Taka thought to himself. He definitely felt like he was using his mana when using his TELEPATHY skill, which was the same source of energy that fueled his earth magic. So, why was he having such a hard time casting any other psychic magic, if he already had a skill that was so impressive to other people? Was the rest of psychic magic completely unrelated to his TELEPATHY skill?
Pardon me, Rhoz, Taka sent to the lizard woman.
Yes? She responded, not bothering to speak aloud, or even turn his way.
You told me earlier that skills, Divine Arts, are not reliant on magic. But, like mine, they still can be. How is that so?
Rhoz perked up, the question seeming to genuinely pique her interest.
"Well, as I said before, it''s like playing a card," she explained, reverting to the habit of saying the words aloud. "The Art itself can be magical and will thus use mana, such as your telepathy, yes?"
Yes, Taka confirmed, understanding the logic so far.
"To cast magic on its own unrelated to a Divine Art, you must possess an affinity for it, the type of magic you cast."
And how does one know what magic they might possess an affinity for?
Rhoz curled her lip, "I unfortunately do not know first-hand, as I don''t possess any. I can only cast basic general Magia and use the Divine Arts I''ve been blessed with. But I''ve been told it comes in the form of a feeling, a pull towards something."The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
This new information realize what Taka had been doing for the past few hours was entirely backwards; he had been trying to cast a specific psychic spell without first -- what was the word the system used... awakening, his psychic magic.
Thank you, Rhoz, Taka sent. That was helpful.
Rhoz gave him a courteous nod and returned her attention to the entryway. Taka wasn''t sure if she was keeping him safe, or making sure he didn''t leave... he pushed the thought away; it didn''t matter. For now, at least, all that matter was he figured out how to awaken his psychic magic. He thought back to what the voice in his head told him to do while fighting Zirko: Feel the flow of energy. Follow the threads. Rather than just focusing raw mana this time, Taka sensed the energy flowing inside of him. In his blood, on his skin, all around him. He moved his focus to his head, concentrating on feeling the flow of energy as if he were observing it from the outside. Taka examined it closer. Then closer. And closer, until her couldn''t get any closer: he was inside of his own head. Then he felt something moving around as he thought, more so sensed than felt, but mentally reached for it. It was mana like he manipulated before, but, not as pure. It felt like it had passed through something. He imagined a finger, swirling it around like a streamer, then wrapped it around his finger a few times. He pulled out the the imaginary finger from inside of his head, making an active effort to keep the mana wrapped around it.
Update: Magic: PSYCHIC has been awakened. Base PSYCHIC magic skills now available.
It worked! Taka had a hunch that if he followed the same steps he used to awaken earth magic, there was no reason why it wouldn''t work, as long as the source was right. It only made sense that psychic magic originate from the mind, and thankfully his intuition was right. Focus, Taka. You''re not done yet.
Taka imagined the psychic energy he had gathered melt together into a single mass, which seemed to work, and then visualized the feather being blown off the table away from him. As soon as he had a clear image, the feather flew through the air as is a gust of wind had blown right through the walls, falling gently to the floor.
Rhoz! Taka sent, buzzing with excitement.
The lizard woman looked over to Taka, then noticed the feather on the ground. She let out a gasp, then smirked as she walked over to him.
"Congratulations, Sir Filo," Rhoz said, "you moved a feather."
She let out a laugh at her own joke. Taka smiled.
I have one more favor to ask of you, he began...
The first light of day shone through the window of the library, making Rhoz''s scales gleam more brilliantly than the most beautiful emeralds as she slept, head down on the table. She looked like a creature out of a fairytale in that moment, as picturesque as a dazzling dragon. Taka took a deep breath in, one more time.
As soon as he moved the feather, Taka asked Rhoz to get him something. His next goal was to be able to get around on his own, and telekinesis would be how he achieved that. Rhoz returned to the library with what he had asked for: a small pot. For the rest of the night, Taka had been trying to gain enough control of his telekinesis that he''d be able to fly himself around in the pot. It felt ridiculous, but he needed a way to get around on his own, and for whatever reason, he felt comfortable in dirt.
Taka had managed to raise and lower the pot consistently, and slide it left and right, as well as forwards and backwards. But when it came to combining everything and using telekinesis on a 3-D plane... not so much. Keeping the pot level and steady was hard, and then flying it around on top of all of that? It''d take practice to be able to make sudden maneuvers without throwing himself off.
Rhoz grumbled, stretching as she woke up. She looked out toward the sun rising peering through the window, then to Taka. The lizard woman reached over the table and picked the High Worm up between her fingers, then plopped him down in the pot before resting her head back down without a word. There was enough soil packed into the bottom that he was able to see over the edge if he stretched, and Taka felt like he was piloting a hot air balloon, minus the balloon.
Moment of truth, Taka thought to himself as he gathered psychic energy. Feel the flow of energy. Follow the threads, Taka repeated as the pot began to rise into the air. Slowly but surely it ascended, stopping after it was about a foot off the surface, hovering with a slight wobble.
Chapter 14: Telekinesis and Vectors
"C''mon dude, it''s not that hard" Dylan said as Taka passed the controller back to his friend and threw his head into his hands.
Like most of their hangouts went, Taka would go over to Dylan''s place, let himself in because with the key that Dylan left under the mat, and find him on the couch. Today, Dylan was trying out a new flight simulator, a type of game Taka found to be incredibly boring. Planes were cool, flying was cool, but Taka didn''t enjoy those kinds of games on a controller. It''d be different if it was in VR, maybe, but it wasn''t.
"I don''t know, man. I just don''t get it," Taka complained, grabbing the bowl of chips that sat between them.
"You like racing games, right?" Dylan asked.
"Yeah."
"And you love Dragon Rider--
"--yeah but Dragon Rider is way cooler, you can do way more tricks and it''s not as fidgety with--"
"Whatever, dude," Dylan said as he finished another perfect barrel roll.
"I''m happy watching you play" Taka said, "it''s not like I''ll ever fly anything."
Taka replayed the memory in his mind, trying to remember how Dylan flew so steadily. If he had known he would have to fly a flower pot in order to get around on his own in the world, he might''ve tried a little harder before giving up on that flight simulator. Taka missed his friend.
Taka was back in Syla''s bedroom in his pot, which sat atop the same dresser the now-destroyed basket he had originally woken up on lay. It was mid-afternoon, Rhoz had brought him back to the room, which she had confirmed was Syla''s bed chamber, so he could get some rest. She left before closing the window curtains, but Taka was able to use telekinesis to shut them. He discovered that using telekinesis to make an object perform a simple movement, moving something non-biological in a single direction, was fairly straightforward. Sustained, complex movement, such as making a flower pot levitate and fly around, was not.
Rather than sleep, Taka decided to continue practicing his newly acquired psychic magic. The telekinesis spell Taka had learned in the grimoire used mana to move objects, which seemed like it''d be extremely versatile, but in reality made sustained movement much more difficult. The spell worked like tying an invisible string to an object ad then pulling it in a single direction. He realized that if he wanted to levitate, he''d have to sustain the exact amount of energy it took to keep the object from following the pull of gravity. If he wanted to float up, more energy; go down, less energy. That made sense.
What proved difficult was moving around while levitating. When he first tried to move forward while floating, he adjusted the pull of the telekinesis spell to make him go forward, which worked for a moment, until the pull of gravity made the pot start to tilt downwards and fall. Taka was able to save the landing and brought the pot back to the table, but he realized that the magical spells of this world were not going to be as easy to use as he had hoped.
Taka had never been a math guy, which is why before becoming a worm he had chosen a career path that was focused on people and communication, but he still passed physics in high school. Telekinesis, or at least the basic telekinesis spell in the grimoire he found, used psychic magic to create a vector. He could control the direction, and the amount of mana he used translated to the magnitude. Gravity was constant, though he had no way of knowing if it was the same as it was in his past life, but that didn''t matter: it was the concept that mattered.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
If gravity was a constant force, then in order to make his pot maintain equilibrium while floating in the air, he''d need to match that amount and use telekinesis to pull the pot up. Then, in order to manipulate the pot''s movement in the air, he''d use the spell four additional times to make vectors that formed a compass level with the pot horizontally. If he matched the amount of mana he used on each, that would match their magnitude, which, if he was right, would act like string pulling on the pot from opposite but equal directions. Then if he added more mana to one side or put in less to another, he should be able to move with significantly more control.
The idea made sense logically, but Taka was not confident in his physics knowledge to be able to math it out at all, or even figure out if there was a more efficient way to move around using less vectors, which would mean less spells he had to cast at once.
No time like the present, Taka thought to himself as he lifted the pot into the air. He managed to levitate, and then began casting additional telekinesis spells. 1, 2, 3, and 4. Taka cast them all, maintaining an equal flow of mana into each of the 5 spells. He could feel the constant drain of sustaining all 5 at once, but he had enough mana to last for a little while. Taka slowly added a small amount of mana to the... the vector, he thought, facing the bed, and the pot began to float slowly towards it, not falling this time. Yes, finally! I can get around without crawling.
A knock on the door broke his concentration for a moment, and the pot started to lean forwards. Taka was able to recover, and the pot floated in the air above the bed, wobbling only slightly now. Syla entered, and Taka immediately used his TELEPATHY skill to establish a link as the elf let out a delighted yelp, seeing Taka in the pot, floating.
"Sir Filo!" Syla said, the delight in her voice warming Taka''s heart. "You''re flying!"
Not quite, but perhaps soon I will, Taka sent to Syla as he floated the pot into the arms of the elf. Syla caught the pot, and Taka released the spells: casting that many versions of telekinesis at once was not sustainable for more than a few minutes right now. He needed a way to improve his mana capacity... another question to add to his list.
He thought back to his list of questions, now that he would be able to flip pages with telekinesis, and that having skills, or Divine Arts, meant a god was blessing him, his situation had begun to change:
The immediate questions:
- How would one go about learning magic? How can I flip pages?
- Are the defined skills I have common, or is that part of the system unique to me?
_- What''s the history between the retired demon lord and the god that summoned me?
-Which god blessed me?
The big questions:
- What was happening in that dream? How do I make sure that doesn''t happen?
- Why am I a High Worm and not just a normal worm?
/ did some god bless me?
- Is the god who summoned me going to try to kill me?
Taka wasn''t sure if figuring out which god blessed him would even be something he would be able to figure out in the immediate future, but it was important considering how much influence and power gods seemed to have in this world.
"It''s a nice pot, Sir Filo," Syla remarked, brining Taka back into reality, "it suits you quite well."
Thank you, Syla, Taka sent, would you mind putting me down? There is something I wish to discuss with you.
Syla smiled at him and set the pot down on the dresser, then sat on the bed next to him.
"Of course, Sir Filo, what is it?"
Taka wasn''t sure if it was a good idea to even talk about gods, but he trusted Syla more than anyone else, so he decided to go on.
I believe that my coming here is related to a deity, Taka began. I know that I am not in his service, in fact I''m quite sure that I''m at odds with him, but, what can you tell me about a god of creation? His name is... Taka took a moment to search his mind for the name and noticed Syla grow awfully still, Valish.
Syla''s eyes filled with a desperate sort of fear that made him instantly regret asking. The elf looked down at the ground, head slumped in tangible sorrow.
I do, Syla replied in his mind, not looking up, all too well.
Taka said nothing, nor did Syla. They sat in silence for a while, Taka waiting to see if the elf would continue, but not wanting add any pressure. He saw a tear run down frosty white skin.
If it''s too painful, Taka began, but was cut off by a sharp, breathy inhale.
"No," Syla croaked, pain tainting the elf''s voice. "I will tell you my story, the story of the god that made me into... this."
Chapter 15: Martuck
"Libera, come back!" A voice called out from the village.
The elf girl giggled as she continued to scavenge around the base of trees for mushrooms. She was only 17 years old, meaning she looked about 5 years old to humanoids, but faster than any other kid she''d raced. Even the older kids in their 40s and 50s couldn''t keep up with her.
"Nata?" A woman''s voice asked the forest, much close than before.
The elf had wanted to play a little longer, but her mother came all the way out to fetch her. That meant something important was happening, maybe dinner?
"There you are, Nata," the adult elf woman said, picking up her child. "Didn''t I say not to run off before dinner?"
The child giggled, "sorry, Mama!"
The woman smiled back at her and set her down, grabbing her hand. She gently tugged on the child''s hand, letting her know it was time to go. The child groaned under her breath in protest.
"But Mama--"
"Tomorrow you can go out with your brother and explore, alright?"
"Okay..."
The pair walked back through the forest, purposefully making their way down what would''ve looked like a dense maze to untrained eyes. As they pushed through the foliage, the girl watched her mother. She wanted to be like her someday, when she grew up and got her own name, her own staff, her own soul stone... she was still a long ways away, but dreams never hurt anyone she knew.
The two pushed through what looked to be a dense mesh of interlocking vines and branches, but it peeled way as they approached. Suddenly, the dense tree coverage cleared and they were on the edge of a clearing that enclosed the small village of Martuck in the far west lands of the spirit kingdom.
Martuck was an elven village populated by light elves. Their pale white skin glistened in the sunlight and they truly were creatures of legend, living upwards of a millennium. The light elves in the village of Martuck had lived there as long as he forest had risen, a powerful barrier protecting them from being found by any outsiders. The forest itself wouldn''t allow entry to those not from the village.
The girl and her mother followed the dirt path back into town. The sun was starting to set, so not many of the townsfolk were outside. The girl greeted those that were as they past, her mother having to pull her along before the girl became enraptured in conversation. They approached a large wooden house with a boy waiting out front, a little older than the girl.
"Soror, Mama!" He yelped as he ran towards the pair.
"Soror!" The girl yelled back, grinning.
Their mother smiled. Children in their village weren''t given true names until their 25th birthday, only referred to as "Libera" or "Libero" by their elders, "Nata" or "Nato" by their parents, and "Soror" by peers until them. It was a custom of their people for as old as the village itself, as one had to wait to receive their true name when their magic awakened. The spirits were fickle, so it was best to not upset the order as it had been established.
The boy tackled the girl, and the two began wrestling in the dirt. Their mother sighed, still smiling, and went inside.
"So, Nato, you''ll join your sister tomorrow in the forest," their mother said as she picked at her dinner of Yvellen salad, a mix of fruits, nuts, and vegetables.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
The boy groaned, "do I have to? I want to keep training with the bow."
"Then you can bring it with you," their mother said. "It could be good practice if you run into any beasts, just don''t go too deep."
The girl was beaming with excitement, careful enough not to get involved when her mother was on her side. With her brother there, she''d be able to go further, down to the river where her dad used to take her.
"Fine," the boy said flimsily. "But we''re not staying out too long."
The water felt good beneath the girl''s feet. She was standing in the riverbed, looking down at the flowing water. She could feel its power rushing beneath her, the earth itself singing.
"How much longer do we need to stay here, Soror?" Her brother asked from atop a nearby boulder, impatience making his words harsher than he usually spoke. "I''m hungry."
"Catch a fish!" The girl offered, delighted with her ingenuity as she stared into the crystal clear river. It was beautiful, just like she remembered.
From the other side of the river, a branch snapped loudly. The girl''s ears perked up as the boy tensed and readied his bow.
"Soror, come back here. Now," he said in a hushed tone.
The girl turned toward the boulder and started walking to her brother as a group of winged creatures appeared on the other side of the river, weapons in hand.
The Fae, the girl thought to herself as her walk turned into a sprint.
"Hey, boss, I see someone!" One of the creatures called out, as the elf children ran back into the forest.
"Soror, what--" the girl started.
"Don''t. Just run," the boy said, grabbing her hand and leading her back as fast as he could manage.
The sound of voices and branches breaking grew closer as the elves approached their village.
"Just a little further," the boy encouraged, picking up the pace.
As he started to run, the girl tripped, knocking into her brother, sending them both tumbling on the ground. The girl felt a sharp point against her neck, and looked up to see a fae with green wings and a hungry expression painted across his face holding a sword to her throat.
"Caught ya!" He exclaimed, licking his lips in anticipation.
"Daldrus, no," another one that the girl couldn''t see said. "We need them alive."
The fae with green wings, Daldrus, sighed. "I know, I just wanted to have a little fun, you know?"
The other fae scowled as Daldrus hauled the girl to her feet. Her brother was a few feet away, dagger to his neck by a pink-winged fae that looked like an assassin. The girl looked around: there was five fae with them, and she could hear a much larger group approaching. They all seemed to be fae, but were talking in elvish for some reason.
"Do we need both?" Daldrus asked.
"No," the other one who had spoken before, a tall fae with milky white wings said as he looked between the girl and the boy. "Just the girl."
The girl looked to her brother just in time to see blood begin to pour from his throat. He stared back at her in shock, choking and clutching at his neck.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!" The girl screamed as the hilt of a sword slammed into the back of her head.
Charcoal... ash... the smell of wood burning filled the girl''s nostrils. She gasped and startled herself, as if waking up from a bad dream.
"Soror?" She asked the world.
Her head ached. She sat up, rubbing the spot where she''d been hit. When she opened her eyes, she saw Martuck burning away. Through the bars of the prison cart, the girl saw her entire village enveloped in flames. The bodies of her neighbors lay on the ground, slashed open and burned by the fire. It was a bloodbath.
"Nata!"
The girl turned around to see her mother clinging onto the bars of the prison cart.
"Mama!" The girl cried, wrapping her hands around her mother''s fingers.
"Stay calm, Libera," her mother said as she frantically gathered mana into her hands. "We need to--"
She was interrupted by a kick to the face from the green-winged fae, Daldrus.
"Hey boss," he called out as he grabbed her mother by the back of her neck. "You think he''ll want this one?"
The fae with milky white wings walked over and examined her mother as she struggled. He motioned for Daldrus to put her down, and he dropped her to the ground.
"Yes, bring her back yourself. Make sure she stays in good condition."
"You got it, boss," Daldrus replied as he gagged her mother and bound her hands.
"Mama, no!" The girl cried out, ignored by the fae.
The girl''s mother tried to say something to her, no more than muffled screaming as she was dragged away, tears streaming down her face. The elf girl was alone.
Mama, Soror... the elf girl thought to herself as she sobbed, watching her life burn away before her eyes.
Chapter 16: Friends in Dark Places
"Eat."
Under the bars of the cage, a tray of monochrome stew was slid toward the elf girl. She sat in the corner of her small cell, wrapped in the darkness of the shadow.
"Listen, we''ll both be in for it if you don''t, so, please," the armored fae begged.
The armored fae wasn''t cruel. He gave her food once a day, and was not unnecessarily mean compared to his compatriots. This was the 10th meal, maybe the 11th, the elf girl had lost count. She hadn''t taken a bite yet and was starting to feel the effects of the hunger strike on her growing body. Her stomach growled.
"Starving yourself won''t help anyone," the armored fae said as he walked away, leaving the girl alone.
The elf girl began to softly weep, trying to stifle tears, but choking on sobs.
"If you don''t eat, they''ll make you," a young girl''s voice called out from somewhere down the hall; this was the first time one of the other prisoners said anything to the elf girl.
The chamber that contained her cage was small, a short hallway with 3 other cells beside her own. Only one of the other cages were occupied, as the guards only brought the elf girl and one other meals each day. She couldn''t see the other captive, but she heard the guards take her somewhere each day.
"Don''t be too loud or they''ll separate us," the other girl warned the elf girl. "I''m Brie, what''s your name?"
The elf girl stayed silent; she didn''t have one. This other creature was probably not an elf, and the girl hadn''t spoken to anyone from outside her village before.
"Or do you not have one?" Brie probed, then waited for a response that never came. "That''s okay," she continued, "some of the others don''t have names either."
The elf girl felt herself begin to speak, but the words got trapped in her throat. She bit her tongue.
"In a few days, they''ll start bringing you to the tests too," Brie said. "Goodnight."
The elf girl wanted to ask about the tests, but instead, sat in silence, breathing in the dark.
The armored fae unlocked the door to her cage, then stood to the side.
"Come on," he said. "We''re going."
The elf girl got to her feet, though her legs felt weak. It had been a few days since Brie talked to her, and it seemed that she was telling the truth about the tests, too. The elf missed her family, and hoped that she would pass her mother while walking wherever the fae was taking her. The elf girl trudged out of the cage, and was surprised to see an orc girl next to the armored fae. The orc girl gave the elf a small smile, and the armored fae nudged the elf girl along.
Walking out of the chamber was overwhelming. The sunlight felt blinding to the elf, the first natural light she had seen in weeks. She followed Brie through the halls of what seemed to be a palace, and as her eyes adjusted, saw a sprawling city through the windows. Brie stopped in front of a set of tall double doors and the elf stared at the orc. Brie was a good bit taller than the elf and looked older, but the elf wasn''t sure how orcs aged, so Brie could''ve easily been the younger one.
The fae opened the door and Brie stepped inside.