"Koli'ma somi'tera ula k rui?"

  "I-I don't know. 5000, maybe 6? I don't want to remember it..."

  "Pi'ma has'ah... Un id."

  "Praise Glory for his help... and Convi-"

  A frightfully cold feeling interrupted Lyi's short dream, water covering the back of her head. She felt a light poke to the wing, something sharp though incapable of breaking their protective feathers. With a grumble, she forced herself up, only to find the point of a spear directly in her face... and Hope's grinning face behind it.

  "Like it? Barely a shadow of mine, but its yours for the taking. Shouldn't sleep though, bad for you."

  Lyi watched as the spear fell onto her lap, its size completely the opposite of its practically non-existent weight. In similarity to Hope's, the spear was adorned by silver stripes along the pitch black shaft, two areas along its length clearly demarcated as the areas to hold it. The head took nearly a quarter of the spear's total length, a thin but long and curved speartip being only half of the total area; the rest seemed more like a curved blade than spear. She could tell that the spear's length more than matched her height, considering how it was nearly falling off the edge of the bed which she only took two thirds of. It certainly stretched the definition of 'Spear,' but it nonetheless could serve the same purpose.

  Dragging her finger along the curved blade that writhed down most the spearhead, she found a small button at its end. As she pushed it in, she couldn't help but yelp as the spearhead shifted into something more like a hammer; though the bladed parts still remained. Somehow, it felt much heavier, almost double its previous weight. Finding the button again, she pushed it to see if there was any other surprises held within the 'spear,' though - much to her relief - it morphed back into its previous form. Taking it up in her hand, she moved to stand, though fell almost as soon as she got out of the bed; the spear had touched the ground before her. Pushing herself back up, and shifting her hand to the spot closer to the spearhead, she managed to stand.

  "This thing isn't anything like the spears I read about..."

  "That's because it isn't a spear, little Lyi. I forget how to say it in this language, though in that old one its called a Rui Undea. A weapon of our kind, a shifting weapon. They all have a lighter form, like the spear of yours, and a heavier form, like the hammer. I only know how to build this type of Rui Undea and I don't think the hammer side's suitable to you, so keep it in the spear side. It'll be easier to use magic that way, too."

  "Rui... Undea? You've mentioned the first word before in... what was it..."

  "Rui'tura. The type of Mage I am and the type that I'm training you to be. I just don't remember what Undea means."

  "Mhn, I see..."

  Lyi flicked the spear around a little; it felt natural in her hands, though that would just be a byproduct of it being built for her. She definitely didn't know how to use it, just getting used to its weight would be a challenge. Hope even mentioned casting whilst using it, something that seemed like an impossible task even without the spear. Though, she also mentioned training... maybe it wouldn't even be too long before this would seem like a silly thought.

  Another tap on the wings, followed by Hope making a clicking noise and pointing outside. It took Lyi a moment before she got the gist: it was already time to start. The barrier still remained around the mountain edge, though the snow had melted and the ground even seemed scorched in places. Likely results from the forging of the Rui Undea. She could even see Hope's own Rui Undea, pierced into the ground just outside the stone door in the mountain. There it would remain, as Hope sauntered past it and stood up infront of Lyi.

  "Lyi, how much do you know of magic? Fundamentally, I mean. I know you can only cast {Clickrend}."

  "Nothing. I know its how I live and that I can see it, that's all."

  "To be expected. Then, lay down your Rui Undea. Let me teach you with experience what magic is."

  Following her instructions, Lyi laid down her weapon. It was but a moment before she was forced down to her knees, the weight of the air itself exceeding anything she had ever felt. Though she could already feel her sight waning, it was impossible to miss the flurry of white magical particles that overtook even the snow under her feet. With a distinct crack, the weight practically doubled, shoving her face down into the snow. Another crack, another increase to the weight. It was only after the sickening noise repeated once more that the pressure disappeared, leaving Lyi dug into the ground.

  Hope's voice rang out: "That was the element 'Force'. The fundamental." As her voice faded, Lyi could faintly see red particles start crawl their way up from the ground. As she managed to push herself up, the dirt she was previously laid in felt more like fire. The snow around melted, then evaporated, as a radiant red light started to surge from the ground. Lyi could barely lift her head to see Hope, who had a faint rainbow wind stirring around her... and what seemed like a mirror image of Lata circling her. Though, it didn't last long. The wind wormed into the small image of Lata, matching the shape of the faint few lines scattered inside the glass ball...

  Crack

  The image of Lata burst into nothing and the wind surged to the point it could even reach Lyi. The light in the ground burst into the air as the world around them caught fire, everything but the Rui Undea on the ground starting to melt down. Another image of Lata emerged, shackling the wind down to its current size... and was burst through again, the flames rising ever higher than before, reaching half-way up Lyi's legs. She was too distracted to even notice, however, even the pain being blocked out by her attempts to comprehend what she saw. One more time, an image of Lata appeared. One more time, the image was shattered and the wind reached even greater size, though it quickly retracted back into Hope.

  She spoke again: "Flame, a lesser element of Destruction. Though, I see you've already caught on to what I was trying to show you. I'll keep the other 10 brief." At the end of her words, the flames around were quenched, a torrent of water falling down from the sky and piling onto the ground as a single image of Lata was shattered and the wind around started to roil again. Hope didn't drag the wind back in this time, however, as the water on the ground started to solidify into ice. Earthen pillars ruptured from the ground and were dragged into small tornadoes. The ground itself sank into darkness, whilst the sky above started to rain down lightning through a blinding wall of light. The ground below, even the barrier started to disintegrate, objects started to slip through small gaps in space and appear elsewhere... until it all reset back to its original state, with Lyi standing above a completely unmarred ground, Rui Undea in hand.

  "Force, Flame, Water, Ice, Earth, Wind, Darkness, Light, Lightning, Destruction, Space and Time. The twelve elements. Thirteen, if you count Myriad, the one I study. You also noticed those little images of Lata that kept my Intrinsic Aura in check, right? Those are called seals. Universe's way of not letting people get too strong too fast... or letting morons get too strong, either."

  Though she could hear Hope's words, it took a while for Lyi to get herself back together. Considering how little she had experienced in her life, what just occurred was certainly overwhelming. All she could really see during it was a storm of primarily white and gold particles, though beyond them she could tell that Hope had summoned what could only be described as a calamity.

  "Get yourself together, Lyi. That's nothing, just the aftereffects of a true Mage's Intrinsic Aura. Mine's a little more intense than others, being a user of Myriad, but its still weaker than a {Clickrend}. You're stronger than that, kid, even without being a Mage."

  Though Hope said it, breaking past that fear was much easier said than done. Even the weight of the Force element completely wrecked her and she could tell Hope had made some kind of protective field around her so that the rest would just barely reach her. The disintegration, in specific, spawned some kind of primal fear in her. Something that couldn't be explained by nature on its own. Based on Hope's description of Flame, that disintegration that she assumed to be Destruction was far superior to most the other elements. It would be much rarer than other elements, logically, so maybe it would just be best to try and forget about it. It took time, almost five minutes, but she managed to speak up.

  "Is that... what you're going to teach... me?"

  "No, kid, definitely not. You're not suited to Myriad, unfortunately. Vi told me you could best see white and gold magic particles. Those are Force and Lightning. I'll be teaching you the 6 primary Force spells and the 3 primary Lightning spells. Part of our biology is that we get stronger the more spells we know, so we'll be starting with this before you learn how to swing that weapon. Now, hit me with a {Clickrend}."

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "Hit... you?"

  "Yes, hit me."

  Despite looking to Hope for any extra explanation, she knew she wouldn't get any more. The woman was certainly a hands-on teacher. With seemingly no other choice, she lifted her arm, pushed it forward whilst clicking her fingers and muttered 'Di.' The Force particles around her arranged themselves into a giant spearhead, without delay flinging itself towards Hope. Though...

  Hope caught the spear and crushed it in her hands. Looking at the ground, she wasn't even pushed back. It was as casual as catching a ball, the complete opposite result from what should happen against something that could shatter heavily-reinforced glass. Responding in kind, Hope's so called 'Intrinsic Aura' started to surge, that rainbow wind surrounding her once more. Though she didn't break the seal that contained the aura, she fired off a {Clickrend} that was completely incomparable to Lyi's. It flew past Lyi, just barely scratching her ear and bending the grey barrier that surrounded the plateau they were stood on. It fought for a moment, emanating a sound like metal scratching against more metal, before dispersing with nary a sound.

  Drip... drip...

  Every few seconds, a drop of blindingly golden blood fell from Lyi's ear. For the first time, she felt like she was in actual danger. Even before, when she was being hunted, nothing actually hurt her. But this simple spell from Hope, the most basic of basics, could easily pierce her skin... it didn't even touch her. Hope's expression was one of satisfaction, her mouth moving, but... Lyi didn't know what she was saying. The pain from her ear was intense, far more so than when the fire was scorching her legs.

  Drip... drip...

  Lyi stood there for almost three minutes, a tiny pool of blood forming on the floor under her. Hope had only just noticed, her hand moving to cover Lyi's ear with that gentle green light. A short while later, Lyi was no longer losing more blood, her faculties slowly returning to her. A faint voice from her side... "First brush with death, then." It wasn't like she was wrong. But the way it was acted out, the complete crushing of her own attack into using the very same one to completely overwhelm her... it woke her up. She was pathetic, especially compared to the other member of her race. Though... she had that same person as a teacher. She slowly turned her head to her.

  "How... do I do that. Make it as strong as yours."

  "Effort, Lyi. Effort and time. There's no shortcut. What you just experienced, that's what its like to face a true Rui'Tura. A War Mage."

  "I'll become one. Experiencing it myself... I..."

  "Won't survive on your own? Correct. Lyi, I'm going to give you options. For people like us, there's two ways to grow our strength. My path, Ascension, the study and absorption of elements to learn and control them, enhancing your own body and Intrinsic Aura in the process. Or the path I'd recommend for you, Actualisation. Training your body and magic separately, becoming a vessel to bring forth the true power of magic. No matter your choice, I have confidence in your ability."

  "Actualisation. I don't need to think about that."

  Hope's small smile shifted into a great grin. After worming her hand past the wings and patting Lyi's back, she moved back to her original spot to face Lyi. She lifted her hand, muttered under her breath and closed her fist, an esoteric symbol forming in the ground. She held out her other hand, performing the same action, a letter of an unknown language appearing in the center of the symbol. Lowering her arms back down to her sides, she looked up at Lyi after confirming she had formed the symbols properly.

  "Stand in there. You'll be meeting someone who will teach you how to strengthen your body in line with Actualisation."

  With a nod, Lyi moved into the symbol. After she stepped in, small golden lights started to trace along the lines, the air around her becoming heavier the more of the symbol it covered. A strange feeling welled up in her chest, one that told her this was dangerous. But she ignored it. When the light filled the letter in the center, the space around her completely shifted.

  The ever-expanding ground was some kind of dark marble, with four pillars stretching infinitely into the starry sky above. The air felt cold, colder than cold, a vast emptiness accompanying it. There was next to nothing in this space.

  The only other notable thing in the space was a person, another of her race. Though, they were shorter than even her, perhaps only reaching her shoulders. Their hair was was a kaleidoscope of colour and their sharp ears were like stubs compared to hers, with only a single hole in them. Their wings were small, similar to her undeveloped ones. The eyes, however... were completely grey. Even the pupils were covered.

  But she could easily tell that Hope wasn't lying about this person. The air bent around them, as if straining itself to even show them to her. They didn't seem to notice her, only standing and staring into space. Lyi had to take it upon herself to call out...

  "H-he-"

  But she could barely make a noise. The person certainly noticed her, however, as their face now filled her entire vision. They weren't staring her in the eyes, rather focusing on her ears, then her wings. Their gaze… being under it somehow made her feel even more pressure than the cataclysm Hope unleashed before. After the short moment, their expression clearly relaxed and they floated back down to the ground, looking up at Lyi. Their voice resounded, feminine yet far more authoritative than Hope's, the space they were in lightly shaking with every word:

  "You are not Tulemti. She wastes this chance, yet again. I am Tsomus. You may call me Tsom."

  "H-hello, Tsom."

  "You need not speak. Tulemti's message says you desire to learn how to Actualise. Give me your hand, then leave. I don’t need to test you for something petty like this."

  Following Tsom's command, Lyi gave them her hand. In an instant, her mind was filled with methods of how to strengthen a body like hers in accordance to Actualisation. One for her cores, the Wing, Soul, Mind and Heart. One for each of her arms and legs. One for her torso and one for her head. Without time to absorb the information properly, Tsom pushed her with extreme force, the space dissipating as fast as it came.

  As soon as she returned to the plateau, she heard their voice once more, tunnelling itself into her mind.

  "Those methods will reveal themselves to you slowly. Actualisation is dangerous. Never forget that."

  Then, it was gone, as if it had never existed in the first place. The snow under her still had shreds of the letter that was scarred into it, but the symbol had completely disappeared. She looked to Hope, who remained where she was previously, though expected no clarification.

  The one in the space, that Tsomus, seemed far beyond anything Hope had shown her. Their gaze alone… one that was barely on her for a moment. Everything about that person seemed different than anything she had been shown. Another thing caught her attention, something Tsom said. Tulemti. It was a name, clearly…

  ”You’ve met Tsom, then. Don’t think about him too hard, not until you actually meet him. Lyi… don’t call me by the name he uses for me, either. I don’t like how it sounds. Take a little time to think on the methods he gave you.”

  So it referred to Hope. Though, she wasn’t oblivious, she pieced that together herself. Hearing it from her herself was just confirming it. Considering what Hope had said, she forced the name to the back of her mind. It was a pointless one if she didn’t want it.

  As instructed, she set her mind to what Tsom had gave her. Although… she only seemed able to reach one of the methods, the one for her torso. The others… she knew they were there but it was as if they were under lock and key. No matter how hard she reached into her mind, nothing came to her when she thought of them.

  So she focused her thoughts onto the method for her torso. It was called , a study of how to reinforce one’s body against Light magic in particular. In addition to the reinforcement, it provided an excellent foundation to continue on to the rest of her body and was even required to work on her cores.

  Although itself was excellent, the method to train in it was… arduous, to say the least. It required the support of someone who could use specific, powerful Light magic, a spell named {Sunray}. Not only that, but it required being subjected to the effects of the spell for almost 3 days, as it was used to trace the so called into the front of the torso.

  Perhaps Hope could cast it, but certainly not for that long. Luckily for her, forging the was the final step of the method, the one which provided her resistance to Light magics. The rest of the method was overall easier to train, but not by much.

  Being bathed in a lesser variant of {Sunray}, called {Radiant}, would significantly strengthen the body. Infact, it was necessary to undergo that process for over a month before she’d even be able to survive under a {Sunray}, let alone forging the .

  In her mind was a detailed agenda of how to utilise {Radiant}’s strengthening to its best effect, without overworking or damaging the body. Thus…

  ”Hope, do you know a spell called {Sunray}?”

  ”No… that’s a 4th step Light spell, not something I’m capable of casting. I know its lesser, {Radiant}, though. You intend to form a ?”

  ”How’d you-“

  ”I know Tsom. is… something I know how to perform, I just don’t have the capability. I can certainly perform the {Radiant} step for you, though.”

  ”Would we be able to start it now?”

  ”Now? No, Lyi, you’d crumble under {Radiant}. We’re weak to the Light element, its why Tsom is teaching you . What you need to learn now is the primary spells of Force and Lightning. You… should be able to acclimatise to {Radiant} after learning those.”

  Lyi’s face twisted slightly. She never even thought of the possibility she couldn’t withstand the spell, though it made perfect sense, weak as she was. Hope’s words made perfect sense to her… the more spells she learnt, the stronger her body, the faster she could start .

  ”Then I ask you to teach me those spells.”

  ”Very well, Lyi. Let me explain how spells are categorised, then.

  A Mage like you is only capable of learning what we call Primary spells. They’re out of the bounds of real Magehood, something that anyone can pick up and learn given enough time. You, Lyi, can pick spells up much faster than others. So, you should learn all you can, especially Primary spells.

  Then, we have where I’m at, a true Mage’s spells. We just call these spells, no special name or the like. These are separated into steps, the first through to the fourth, leading to Mages also having these same steps. They’re separated by Seals.

  Learn to break a Seal and you can go up a step. As long as you keep your aura raging, that Seal won’t be able to reform and you can keep casting spells of that step until you’re out of juice.

  There’s certainly more past that fourth step, but I wouldn’t know of it. Tsom would, though I’ve already exhausted my last chance of contacting him on getting those Actualisation methods for you.

  Our goal is to get you to the first before any more of Mizem’s soldiers arrive. The best way for an Espi like us to do that is to learn two element’s Primary spells.

  For you, those’d be Force’s and Lightning’s. {Clickrend}, {Redirect}, {Shield}, {Reinforce}, {Bind} and {Message Tunnel} for Force. {Clickbolt}, {Rapid} and {Encharge} for Lightning. Of those, the [Click Series] spells are offensive, {Redirect} and {Shield} are defensive. {Reinforce}, {Bind} and {Rapid} will enhance you, whilst {Message Tunnel} and {Encharge} are for utility.

  So, think you’ll be up to the task?”