Building a magic system on threat of destruction

"So uh...how've you been?" Jack ignored Plexion's awkward tone, instead standing unmovingly as the group of people stood around him. Their eyes were hard, and Jack knew that they would shoot their magic at him if he provoked them in any way. The group, mostly humans, eyed his black cloak warily and Jack could feel the tension in the space around him. Jack felt frustrated for a moment at being caught out by a group of attackers before remembering where they were. If it was the white void...then he had the power to fight back.

His cloak rippled and blue butterflies exploded out of it. Several of Jack's would-be attackers fired off their magic in surprise, but the bolts of energy, fire, and ice all dissipated harmlessly when they struck the system bugs. Plexion yelled something, but Jack couldn't hear him over the shouts of surprise from the group around him. Jack spread his arms and sent a mental order to the butterflies as they swarmed around the attackers.

The butterflies responded to his will, their forms shifting and stretching. Their blue bodies intersected with the mages around him, freezing their limbs in places they made contact. In mere moments, Jack was surrounded by blue screens that passed through everyone around him. His black cloak fluttered in a nonexistent wind, and Jack felt...stronger somehow. He smiled to himself. With just a thought, he had overwhelmed ten people with ease. The people all looked in horror at their restrained bodies, shouting and making noises of protest. Jack mentally ordered the butterflies to intersect half of their mouths so that they could breathe but not speak. Once everything quieted down, he turned to Plexion.

The demon was currently invisible to Jack, but he could tell where he was based on how the butterflies had intersected at his last known location. He had blindly reacted in the moment and captured Plexion as well as the strangers. He walked over to the 'empty' spot where the blue screens converged. "Hey Plexion. Can you explain everything now?"

The former King of all demons appeared, trapped by numerous butterflies. He had an annoyed look on his face as he stared at Jack, his mouth half frozen by screens. Jack mentally shifted the screen so that Plexion could speak. "Geez Jack, what was that about?"

Jack looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What are you talking about? I showed up here under ambush, I defended myself."

Plexion looked around at the scene around him. Bodies were trapped amidst the screens, and if Plexion didn't know ay better, he would think these people had been cut into various pieces by the blue surfaces. "This seems...excessive."

"Oh come on. You know that I'm not about to let people hurt me." Jack held out a hand, and a butterfly landed on it. He could feel the power inside of him bubbling up, eager to shape the blue surface. "I have power here, and I won't just let people walk all over me while I have it."

Plexion gave Jack a look that was close to pity, then sighed. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. For what it's worth, I warned them against this tactic."

Jack looked around at the trapped people, and he saw fear creeping into their expressions at their situation. "Who are they anyway? Where did they come from?"

"Can you let me go first? This is surprisingly uncomfortable." Jack complied, the butterflies shrinking and floating away from Plexion. Plexion rubbed his arm where they had been. "First of all, it's good to see you."

Jack smiled, surprised by how much he agreed with the sentiment. "It's good to see you too, Plexion. I was getting worried about you."

Plexion nodded sagely. "Sorry I disappeared on you like that. I got involved with this group, and there wasn't a good chance to come back before now." He gestured to one of the bound men. "This is Jimmel, he leads a group of people nearby."

Jack took a look at the man. He was an unremarkable older human man. Jack likely wouldn't have picked him out as anyone important from the group if Plexion hadn't said something. Plexion continued speaking, "Jimmel here noticed that people's souls weren't getting reincarnated like they should be. So he decided to bring people together. As I'm sure you're aware, being by yourself up here can be...bad for mental health."

Jack nodded in understanding, even as his heart sank. His own time in the white void was incredibly unpleasant, even ignoring his interactions with Deis. Banding together would help prevent the emptiness of this space from becoming overwhelming. But the news that souls weren't reincarnating was very bad. It meant that Abac wouldn't wake up. Even more drastically, it probably meant that the white void would fill up with the dead. Could new people even be born if no one was reincarnating souls? Despite his worries, that was an issue for later. Jack decided to focus on the immediate concerns in front of him. "Are there other groups of people out there?"

"Jimmel could tell you better than I. I've seen some scouting around, but never met with any of the people directly." Plexion glanced at the old man again. "Speaking of, maybe you should let him talk now?"

Jack glanced at the leader of his attackers and sighed. With a mental command, the blue screens disappeared from Jimmel's mouth. The man cleared his throat before speaking, "Thank you, Jack. I'd say it's nice to meet you, but the situation has spiraled out of control a bit."

"I agree. I don't like being ambushed." Jack tried to keep his annoyance in check. This man was an unknown to Jack, his first impression being a very negative one. Despite that, the man seemed to be acting cordially, as if trying to butter him up. "I'll be blunt, Jimmel. Why are you here? And what do you want?"

"Well, we're here because this is the only place we've found with anything in it. Desks, chairs, even your little orchard and butterflies. We wanted to see them for ourselves, maybe even take them back to give our camp some touches of home."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "So you're thieves then. Here to steal my possessions?"

Jimmel shook his head. "We are not. We decided to wait here with Plexion for your return. I'll admit, your showing up scared everyone quite a bit. I hardly expect that you can really blame us for reacting the way we did." Jimmel offered a smile as if trying to defuse the tension that still hung in the air.

Jack stared at the man hard, his eyes locked to Jimmel's. He searched the man's face, looking for any sign of deception and not finding any. "Fine." With a mental command, he released Jimmel, and only Jimmel from the screens binding him. "I don't trust you, but I trust Plexion. He is vouching for you, and that's enough for me."

Jimmel rubbed at his arms and legs for a moment. "Thank you very much. Plexion has been more than helpful in our efforts, and we owe him a great deal." Jimmel paused, seeming to not know how to easily shift the conversation.

Jack chose to bring the talks back around by himself. "You want objects. Things that make life up here less...dreary."

"Primarily, yes. Furniture, decorations, and houses if we can manage them. Anything you can provide us would go a long way to helping people out."

Plexion jumped into the conversation at this point. "Hostenly, building materials built of screens would be best. Maybe some wagons to carry them as well." When Jack and Jimmel looked at him with confusion, he explained. "Simple beams and walls that can be put together will give people an activity to do. It also means we can break down the buildings and move camp if needed. Same with furniture, then even kids can help put things together."

Jimmel nodded enthusiastically, clearly pleased with the suggestion. "Excellent idea, Plexion! Would something like that be possible, Jack?"

"Sure. It will take a bit of time though. A day or two would be my best guess." Jack eyed the older man warily. He couldn't believe that Jimmel only wanted building materials.

As if sensing Jack's thoughts, Jimmel decided to address the elephant in the room. "Jack, there is one other thing I'd like to ask of you." Jack saw Plexion grow tense behind the old man, but Jimmel didn't seem to notice as he continued. "The situation we find ourselves in isn't sustainable. The white void simply isn't a suitable place to live for long periods of time. We need the High Deity to intervene. Plexion told me that you cannot call him on a whim, but surely there must be some way for you to beg for his intercession."

Jimmel's eyes were full of hope, likely the most hopeful he had been since waking up in this place. Unfortunately for him, that wasn't an idea Jack was willing to entertain...though he might need to start considering it sooner rather than later at this rate. "No promises, but I'll see what I can do."