Realm of Monsters

Stryg followed Vayu to the tallest building on the east side of campus. They passed by several floors until they reached the highest floor with a simple hallway and only two doors. 

Vayu showed him to the door on the left, “This is where we will be training.”

“What’s the right door for?” Stryg asked.

“Oh, that? That’s for yellow mageborns and their wind magic. They like to jump off buildings, crazy shit, really. Nothing for people like us to worry about.” Vayu opened the left door, “After you.”

Stryg paused in wonder the moment he stepped inside. The room was twice as long as it was wide. One of the walls wasn’t really a wall at all, but a set of sliding doors made from almost translucent paper.

What truly caught Stryg’s attention were the tall wind chimes hanging from the ceiling throughout the entire room. Each chime was about 8 feet long and 1 foot wide, and made of polished redwood.

The floor was carpeted save for a small wooden pathway that began at the doorway and led straight to the middle of the room. The pathway ended at the center of the room to form a circular wooden platform with a spiral pattern. Several arcane sigils had been carved throughout the platform with a pair of magestones engraved at the very center. The wind chimes covered the entire room save for where the wooden pathway and platform lay. 

“What are those?” Stryg pointed at the large wooden hollowed pipes.

“Wind chimes, they make different sounds when the wind passes through them. We use them for training.”

“I thought you said the other room was for wind spell training?”

“It is. This room is designed for a very specific exercise that every purple mageborn must master if they wish to be called a mage.”

Vayu stepped past Stryg and walked on the pathway to the center of the room. He took a seat on the platform and beckoned Stryg to join him. He followed the drow all the while staring at the large wind chimes.

Stryg finally took a seat across from his new teacher. He studied his features briefly, some were the common traits he had learned to recognize from the dark elves, pale grey hair, pointed ears that curved upwards. But, there were some differences. His grey skin had a slight hint of blue within its hue. His eyes were also not the common blue, but a soft teal.

“So, you are Vayu Glaz,” Stryg said thoughtfully.

“That I am. Lord Noir tells me you are from the Sylvan Ebon Hollow tribe. I’m going to assume you are still fairly new to the inner workings of this city and her people.” He leaned in a bit. “How much do you know about me? Ah, let me rephrase that. How much has Loh told you?”

“She told me you were a captain serving as her right-hand, back when she was a general. And that you’re from a really powerful House. Oh and you’re a true mage, though I’m still not sure what that means,” he admitted with a slight frown.

“Seems you got the basic gist about me,” Vayu nodded. “I come from House Glaz, which is considered the most powerful of the Ruling Families, but I hope that doesn’t make you uncomfortable. You have nothing to fear from me, you can think of me like an uncle, the young and dashing kind. Besides, I would never hurt Loh’s apprentice.”

“You must like her a lot then, that or no one’s really told you much about me.”

Vayu laughed, a bright almost metallic sound, “I am proud to be in love, yes. But, truth be told even if I wasn’t I wouldn’t harm you. ...None of us ever thought Loh would ever have another apprentice.”

“My master had another apprentice?” Stryg blinked. She had never told him.

Vayu’s eyes dimmed as if he was watching a distant memory. “Her late elder brother, Aizel. It was a brief apprenticeship, during Aizel’s time in the army with us… It did not end very well. She closed herself off after that. None of us thought she would ever take an apprentice again.”

Vayu’s eyes focused on Stryg, “But, here you are. I’m glad she’s finally found someone to connect with. Someone who has reminded her how to smile once more and for that, you have my eternal gratitude.”

Stryg found his kind words offsetting. People normally didn’t need Stryg, nor did they want him around. But, this powerful mage was actually expressing his appreciation and thankfulness towards him. It was odd but perhaps nice.

“...My master’s helped me more than you know. If it wasn’t for her and a few others, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to a powerful mage from the most powerful tribe in all of Hollow Shade.”

“Woah, I’m not that important,” Vayu chuckled.

“But, don’t you have true magic? That makes you strong, right?” Stryg tilted his head.

“True magic is just another spell-form. Having various spell-forms doesn’t make one mage stronger than another. Remember, the mage who has mastered a single spell-form to its utmost is far more dangerous than a prime mage who has learned twenty.”

“Like Melantha the Blue,” he nodded.

Vayu turned his head, “Yes, actually. Did Loh tell you that story?”

“Yeah, right after I botched up a necromancy spell,” he wrinkled his nose.

“Heh, I told her that story back when we were in the military.”

Stryg looked at his hands, “So, true magic is just another spell-form like the rest?”

“Well, not exactly. Listen well, it’s time for your first lesson. The spell-forms magi are used to casting are the combination of chromatic and elemental mana. Two per each chromatic color.”

Vayu opened his palms and raised his hands. A small illusionary figure of a hawk flew above his left palm, while thin purple mind tendrils curled out from his right fingertips.

“In my case, illusion and mind spells,” Vayu said.

Stryg leaned forward, eyes glued to the magic literally at hand.

Vayu continued, “Every mageborn innately absorbs mana within the atmosphere and stores it within their hearts. Now, chromatic mana naturally bonds with elemental mana, it's what creates the basic twenty spell-forms. However, a true mageborn is someone who can filter the mana within their heart.”

“I can separate the elemental and chromatic mana within myself,” Vayu pointed to his chest.

“But, you’re a chromatic mage. What happens to the elemental mana?” Stryg asked.

“Good question. Our bodies can’t hold pure elemental mana and so our body ejects the mana instantly. However, chromatic pure mana allows us to cast chromatic magic as it was always meant to be.”

Vayu released the illusion and mind spells. Faint purple lines began to form around his hands in the shape of arcane sigils. They grew in hue and brightness until they glowed a brilliant purple.

“We call it binding magic, the true purple spell-form,” Vayu said.

“Woah,” Stryg said slowly. He looked up in excitement, “Can you teach me that?”

“I’m afraid not,” Vayu’s magic faded away. “You’re not a true mage.”

“How do you know? Everyone used to think I was a dual manifold, turns out I’m a quadra manifold,” Stryg crossed his arms.

“It’s because you’re a manifold mage you can’t learn binding magic.”

“Huh? I thought having more chromatic colors was a good thing?”

“Well, it’s not a bad thing. The thing is, all true magi only have one chromatic color. Now, I admit when a mage starts out they might not know if they are a true mage. But, seeing as you have multiple colors I can guarantee this is one spell-form you will never learn.”

“Oh… I see,” Stryg hung his head in disappointment.

“Don’t worry about that, you have eight spell-forms to learn ahead of you.”

Stryg had utterly failed at learning necromancy, so it was actually only seven spell-forms. Then again, he was technically a prime mage, so that means he had 19 spell-forms to master, if he had talent with them that is. Stryg thought it best not to mention any of this, though.

“Mind spells are sensitive magic to practice since you technically require living targets. Most of the time you will spend practicing on animals. But, we will leave that for another day. Today we are starting here in the wind chimes room. This is where you will learn the illusion spell-form,” Vayu said.

“I’m ready,” Stryg nodded.

“How much do you know of illusion magic?” 

Every student had learned the bare minimum of the basic twenty spell-forms. Stryg had learned some from the off-handed comments of Plum and from the conversation with the purple magi of the Singing Willow troupe. 

Stryg gathered his thoughts and tried to summarize, “Illusion magic is the spell-form fueled by chromatic purple and elemental dark mana. They can make all different kinds of shapes and even sounds. Most people including magi think illusions are simply fake, like a trick of light, but they’re not. They have substance.”

“Exactly and there is the key. Illusions have actual shapes and forms. They have a very low density and are very fragile. A single strike from an opponent can shatter the illusion, like glass. But, with proper training, illusions have various wonderful applications.”

Vayu created a small golden orb above his palm, “Now the key to illusions is a mage’s focus. Other spell-forms allow a mage to simply create or manipulate an object, then fire it off.”

“Like a fireball?”

“Exactly. An orange mage doesn’t have to worry about what happens to the fireball once it has left their hand. Purple magi do have to worry about their illusions at all times. A single lapse of focus can destroy the illusion.”

The golden orb cracked and shattered into a thousand small purple fragments. The spell faded away as quickly as it had appeared.

“When creating an illusion you must take care to focus on each aspect of it. The more complex the illusion the more difficult. For example, if you create an illusion of a person, you must take into account not just how they look, but their voice, their subtle movements, gestures, etc. Failure to do so will result in an illusion that seems fake or worse, simply falls apart.”

“And I thought necromancy was hard,” Stryg sighed.

“I wouldn’t worry too much. I’m told you were Professor Gette’s top student when it came to shadow spells. Illusion and shadow magic both use dark mana. You should have an easier time learning this than you think,” Vayu smiled.

Stryg took a deep breath, “If you say so.”

“Let’s start with something simple, try creating a plain grey orb. Cup your hands together and imagine your mana flowing within your palms and forming a perfect grey sphere.”

Stryg closed his eyes and focused. He recalled the image of the seregulus he had killed as his spark to draw power. Purple mana flowed softly through his veins and into his fingertips and palms. He willed the mana to curl and spin inwardly to create a grey sphere.

He opened his eyes and stared at his work. A splotched grey oval with several lumps and indentation stared back at him. “What the-?”

“Hm, that’s normal. No one gets their orb perfect on the first try or the hundredth for that matter,” Vayu said.

“Of course not,” Stryg twisted his lips. 

Vayu’s words should have made him feel better, but it only served to make him feel worse. He wasn’t supposed to be just anybody. He was a magical prodigy, Loh and Elzri had told him as much. If he was just like the rest, then what did he have? Who was he, but an odd goblin?

“It’s alright, don’t mind the shape too much. What we need to focus on is mobility. Try mentally commanding the orb to move towards one of the chimes,” Vayu said.

“Okay,” Stryg nodded.

He looked at a chime next to him and willed the misshapen orb to go towards it. The orb wobbled in the air for a moment before shattering into small clear purple fragments. Stryg’s shoulders trembled.

“Moving an illusion has always been difficult,” Vayu said.

Stryg grit his teeth, “I’m not finished. Let’s go again.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Vayu grinned.