"Hilia!"
As Lyi's voice resounded out, she dragged her hand down from the sky all the way to the ground, another *Click!* resounding when her hand touched the snow beneath her. In a short moment, golden magical particles gathered above the Rui Undea pierced in the snow 15 metres away from her; the air crackling with thunder. An instant later, those golden particles materialised into a radiant bolt of lightning, crashing down onto the weapon with a *Boom!*. The very next instant, the bolt faded from existence, leaving an undamaged Rui Undea and a pool of water surging with electricity.
Lyi's face betrayed her relief, "That was my 80th try..." being her sole thought. But she was successful, a new spell had been learnt: {Clickbolt}. As if rewarding her, she saw a light pink wind form around her, extending just barely to 80cm from her body. She even felt slightly stronger, feeling like she could take that very spell she just cast head on. Sitting on the bed inside the mountain, Hope looked on with a faint smile, calling out: "That's one more down! Just two to go now. Don't forget to practice them, though, wouldn't do to forget how to use them!"
Acknowledging Hope's words, Lyi flicked her hand out with a *Click!*, yelling "Di!" as she did. With far less effort than before, a {Clickrend} forged itself from Force particles and launched at the grey barrier, making a screeching noise as it tried to drill through the wall. After a few seconds, the barrier launched the {Clickrend} back at Lyi, though the invisible spear never met its target - rather, it found itself digging a tiny hole in the ground. {Redirect}, the second spell Lyi ever learned, forcibly moved magical objects of similar strength to her own spells out of her way passively. Though she still had to think to keep it active, its presence completely annihilated any chance of a sneak attack from those of a similar level to her.
She also constantly kept the effect of {Reinforce} active on her Rui Undea - this was why {Clickbolt} had no effect on the weapon. With {Shield} also active, the translucent shimmering of the air around her giving its presence away, she managed to keep three spells active at the same time. This was her absolute limit without letting her Intrinsic Aura leak, three passive spells with helpful effects that she could keep constantly active.
Besides those, she had also managed to learn {Bind}, a spell to force an object to stay attached to one's hand. Along with {Encharge} causing static electricity to course through any object she had bound, she was also getting herself acclimated to the effects of {Rapid}. Though she couldn't cast it yet, Hope had told her that getting used to the feeling of electricity in one's body was the absolute best way to learn how to use it. The final spell, {Message Tunnel}, she had made no progress on. She had experienced it with Tsomus' last word but for the life of her could not figure out how he had used it. It was by far the most esoteric and hard to use of these basic spells.
In learning these spells, however, Lyi had come to understand what the Intrinsic Aura, that Hope had refused to explain, was. That pink wind that surrounded her was essentially the crystallisation of her progress, an indicator to other people how powerful she was that would only emerge when she attempted to cast spells. A Primary Mage like her could have an Intrinsic Aura that extended up to a metre from their body before it would be shackled by a Seal, which she was swiftly approaching. Hope was right - learning these spells was certainly the fastest way to reach that point. As she dropped from her peak state, however, the Intrinsic Aura would slowly get smaller, showing how much magic she had left in her.
When she realised this, Hope had explained that a person's Intrinsic Aura was their ability to cast spells; the more they cast, the weaker their ability to cast would become. It was another thing she referred to as a 'shackle' of sorts sent by the universe to keep individuals in check. What's more, it took a great amount of time without casting a spell for that Aura to recover, though certain spells like {Shield} and {Redirect} drained so little that it would even recover whilst those were active. It was a balancing act, to cast as much as possible without letting one weaken to below their highest step.
This was why Rui'Tura existed, to allow a Mage to continue to fight whilst their Aura recovered. As someone on the path of Actualisation, Hope also mentioned something called an Ato - a type of fighter equally powerful to Mages that did not cast at all. This was a path she would have to follow alongside that of becoming a Rui'Tura, what Hope called a Rui'Ato, or War Lord.
Though, this was something she'd have to think about much later on in life. She couldn't even swing her weapon properly yet, so there was no chance she could become a Rui'Ato any time soon. Even then, Hope wasn't one - she wouldn't be able to fight a Mage on equal footing with just her weapon. Though, if she was pushed... Lyi was certain that Hope would be able to kill with just that weapon. There was just something about her demeanour when she swung the Rui Undea when Lyi was forced to rest... even to her untrained eye, it seemed far too advanced a technique to be something she didn't commonly use.
Lyi tried to let her lingering thoughts fade; with {Rapid} and {Message Tunnel} still unlearnt, she wasn't ready to start using the
"What do you mean Hylimdem's already reached the Eighth-stage?! Are you sure you saw right? There's a fucking barrier there, Gezo! A BARRIER!"
Shae, the Northern Custodian, felt herself fall to her knees. It had taken her 12 years to get to that stage and the practically newborn Espi did it in just a few days... she knew the world was unfair but this was just absurd. A light, unbroken seal floated around her, an icy Intrinsic Aura releasing itself ceaselessly. She couldn't stop it, the situation was just far too ridiculous for her understanding. Infront of her, a faint eye was formed out of Force particles, though she could just barely see it. Hearing it, on the other hand...
"You and I both know that the Arch-Custodian's {Distant Skies} doesn't lie."
"I.. I know, godamnit. You say the Wing of the West is with her, too? Why isn't there an extraction team getting her the fuck out of there? A second Wing is literally the worst thing that could happen to us right now. Literally."
"I'd wager on the fountain finally rupturing being worse."
"Urgh, we don't even know how strong that damned Espi is. Atleast we can put a tag on its race now."
"Her race. She looks the same as our Hylimdem, unless they present in different ways than the surface level."
"By Lata, Gezo. Does it fucking matter? Its the reason we're missing hundreds of Lightning Mages. I don't want to argue the specifics of that thing."
"I really wonder what she's trying to do with Hylimdem... I need to study it more."
A dumbfounded look broke out on Shae's face. Researchers.
"Atleast tell me it hasn't noticed {Distant Skies}."
"She's tolerating it."
"Fuck. Just... just get the fucking girl out of there. I get exposing children to members of their race is important but... that thing is the reason they're referred to as beasts. Ask the Arch-Custodian. He survived an encounter with the Wing, right?"
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"You really want to separate them?"
"Yes, Gezo! She's learning too fucking fast, Circuit Mage fast. Even the Wing took a triplet-cycle to go from the Sixth-stage to the Eighth-stage. I suspect it's trying to destabilise Hylimdem's Aura. Fuck, I'm going too. You'll need it."
"Got it, got it... I'll head in aswell, I suppose."
Just five minutes after Shae and Gezo's conversation resolved...
"Lyi, stop practicing. Looks like Poenticivt finally wants to come get you."
"Po-"
"Shhh, sh. A faction that stands against me. Figured I was pushing it too much, teaching you that many spells. Depending on who they send, I won't be able to protect you. In that case, go with them."
Lyi's face scrunched a little. A faction against Hope... but that was okay to be taken by? She didn't have time to think, though, feeling a sinking feeling as she saw a giant eye form infront of her from the Force particles. It looked familiar... like Hovi's. A much colder gaze with an accompanying, cold voice,
"You're being manipulated. Don't resist, I'll get you to safety."
As swift as it came, the eye disappeared. Lyi looked over to Hope, who's face was barely even recognisable. Part of this was due to the practically opaque rainbow wind surrounding her, though it mostly came from the expression of rage. The barrier around the plateau fell, the snowy mountainscape once again revealed itself... along with 3 floating Mages, their Aura clearly unshackled.
A short man, holding a weird club almost twice his height. His green eyes could faintly be seen through the obsidian coloured armour he wore, every inch of his body protected. Behind him, the same eye from before floated, merging with the pale wind that surrounded him. He stood in the centre, clearly the leader of the group.
A woman to his left, her blonde hair boldly swaying in the wind, her icy blue eyes somehow even more contorted than Hope's. Her Aura raged, overpowering the other two Mage's and presenting its blue colour clearly. The pale armour she wore had faint crystals forming on it: ice, most likely. Its accompanying helmet, held underarm, had a compass engraved in it with the needle pointed north.
Finally, a relatively unassuming man dressed in similar attire to the previous researchers that Lyi had met floated to the obsidian man's right. Though his hair was a pure white, his eyes were bright red, almost as bright as the flames that surrounded him and accompanied his Aura. A compass-like pendant hung around his neck, though the needle flowed freely.
The display was inarguably impressive. Lyi couldn't see any Seals surrounding them, they had to be fully unleashing their might. Hope, however, was matching their display even with a Seal still around her. Lyi had only heard two cracks, she knew there was another step that Hope could bring herself to if need be. Regardless, she could hear the woman's growl,
"Gezo. Shae. The mysterious Arch-Custodian."
The obsidian man spoke,
"Wing of the West. Concerns that you are manipulating young Hylimdem into advancing too quickly have been raised to me. Is there validity to this claim?"
"Mizem wants her. I want her safe. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"You know our purpose. Magical Beast abuse, even if committed by a Magical Beast, is against Poenticivt's law. You understand the consequences for advancing too fast, considering you suffer from them. I wonder, are you even powerful enough anymore to kill us, like you did my Western continent? Will you feel remorse, then?"
"This is all about that, isn't it?!" Hope let a chuckle out, "Isn't it in my nature that I kill? You'd convict a Beast of murder?"
"Not murder, no. A massacre, that's what I incriminate you with. To get it over with... committing a massacre, Magical Beast abuse, unauthorised entry into a continent, unauthorised study of dangerous Magics, unauthorised teaching of a young Mage, kidnapping and erection of a barrier without permission. Punishment for all that... well, if we can even do it, is the destruction of one's Magehood and a permanent stay in my fountain. Sound fair?"
"Bite me."
"Shae, with me. Gezo, get Hylimdem. Move her fast, straight to Poenticivt, no stops. Don’t let her kill you."
The second the obsidian man stopped speaking, Lyi found herself halfway across the mountain range. She could barely see it, but... the first spell cast, the woman called Shae performing it, was far from anything she had seen. The particles in the air formed into a kind of ring, more lines joining into it as words were uttered. Once the ring was filled with those lines, a flash and it became nothing more than a cross infront of Shae's eye. She was too far to see the resulting effects, but she knew... Hope likely would take some real damage from the attack.
As for the Gezo carrying her by her neck, Lyi had already figured out that he must be Hovi's brother. His movement was much, much slower than Hope's, even letting her see. A message tunneled into her mind, 'We're 3 minutes out. I'll explain once we land,' though she didn't wait for that. Her arm raised up, clicked and threw itself down, another click ringing out. Her voice rang out, 'Hilia!', as the golden particles rose into the sky and burst down in a radiant lightning bolt, striking the man carrying her.
Though he didn't make noise, Lyi felt his grip weaken substantially enough for her to be dropped. With a thought, she felt a mild discomfort as {Reinforce} activated, cushioning her fall as she crashed into the snow on the ground. The amount of distance they had made was already ridiculous, such that she could hardly believe that the spell was even one that a Mage like that Gezo was even able to cast. As soon as she though of him, the man crashed down just infront of her, a dark red trail emerging in the snow he scraped through. His body was clearly messed up, the arm he landed on reduced to mulch. Every so often, he twitched, the after-effects of {Clickbolt} still clearly present in him. On the back of what remained of his researcher robe was a burning flame, slowly eating away at the remnants. Even then, the worst of it was the face, or what was left of it. She could see the skin trailing behind him, a small pool of that same red extending out into the snow.
Lyi couldn't help but cover her mouth. He was... fragile. Far too fragile. She wasn't even scraped and the man was... barely even there.
She had killed him.
She had definitely killed him.
"... esamo uhmo has!"
In Shae's eye, a cross formed that followed her sight. The magic had formed into a way to aim her spell, which only had moments before it would fire. Holding her hand out flat, forming a spike and pulling it upwards, she released the spell {Ice Pillar} directly underneath Hope.
Alas, Hope would not be hit by a magic so slow. By the time Shae had released it, she was already infront of the obsidian man, her Rui Undea slamming down onto his shoulder. Without speaking a word or making a single gesture, a ring of magic similar to the one Shea had formed emerged behind her. After two more strikes parried by the obsidian man, the ring burst out with a golden ray of light, burning the obsidian armour with such intensity that it began to melt. Under her breath, she muttered {Radiant}, its strength seemingly raising slightly.
The obsidian man fell to the ground after this, though his eyes darting towards Shae made it obvious he managed to survive. With a nod towards her, the tattoo on the back of his neck that was hidden by the armour shone alongside Shae's helmet. In but a moment both disappeared, but not before Shae managed to grab Lyi's Rui Undea from the ground it had been left stabbed in.
Hope clicked her tongue, her Aura retracting back into her body as the Seals reformed. She knew the direction of Poenticivt. To head there would be ideal... but she knew she had wronged Lyi by forcing her advancement. It would be better for her to stay away from the little Espi. Even if there were dangerous people who wanted her for their own gains. Even if she stood against them... Poenticivt would be a good home, for now.
As she let her thoughts drift by, she looked down at her old home. It was a short fight, barely two spells even cast. It was already ruined. She sighed and flew in the opposite direction from Lyi. Towards the old Western continent.
Sat in the snow, still trying to think through what she had done, Lyi found herself hyperventilating despite not needing to breathe. The obsidian man who barely had any armour left and woman named Shae appeared by the side of Gezo, the amulet around his neck shattering. Their faces were not much better than Lyi's, a sadness crawling up both as they looked down at Gezo. Shae lifted what remained of his head, a grisly face missing half of its previous features.
"This wasn't your fault."
With a light 'Huh?' from under her breath, Lyi finally managed to see the two people next to Gezo. Her sight had been filled with just him, what she had done. Even if she knew her previous incarnation did far, far worse things... it was still the worst feeling she had ever experienced. With faint crunches, Shae knelt down to block her vision from Gezo.
"Gezo was strong, real strong. But you are too. The Wing's the only Mage you've ever known, so of course you wouldn't hold back against someone stronger than you. Never felt like you could hurt it, right? We're not like her, nor are most people. We'll get real badly hurt if hit, regardless of what it is. If we fall from high on up, we die."
"I- I..."
"Don't speak, Hylimdem. It'll make it worse. Come on, lets have a walk."
Shae held out her hand, right in front of Lyi. A minute passed... five minutes... ten... but she never moved her hand. Lyi had to give in, grabbing her hand and not letting go. The woman's hand was just as icy as her demeanour before the fight. The snow crunched under their feet as they walked slowly away from the scene, the man in obsidian armour staying behind with the corpse.
"H-how long... will we be walking?"
"Until we get home, to my Poenticivt. Far away from the Wing."
"Her n-name is Hope."
"From Hope, then. As far as we can."