39 Nature of Magic

As I held the container, I had a feeling the blood was far too heavy for blood. But since my understanding of weight has been warped by knight training. I didn't realize the power that this drop of blood helped. I opened the cap and felt my spell circle ignited with desire.

I grew curious about the nature of the spell circle, I let the bloody aura reek out and inundate me. My spell circle worked in full operation with the true qi from my glabella. They worked in conjunction as the bloody aura was consumed through my forehead like a ravenous mouth.

The convenience of this training was akin to picking a low hanging fruit, I absorbed the aura but I hadn't touched the blood itself. I feared the power would cause me to rupture rather than increase in power. So I choose to focus on using the aura, and then I stood up and start exercises.

I swung my sword, still, my arms felt heavy but it wasn't challenging enough. So I took one of the saffrons and didn't distill it like last time. I chewed on it, as my body started to burn like a sun quickly. Last time I distilled it, so I could control the dosage and dilute some of its essences.

It was meant to cause pain, it was my first time so I thought not to make it too difficult. But this time I took an extreme path, using the aura of the fey blood. I started to wonder about the origin of this blood as I cut through the air. My sword creating small winds, with its great force.

Though my body was aching, my willpower was increasing. I resisted the urge to drop my sword, as I cut through all my internal demons. A sword is meant to train oneself to kill internal and external evils. But after all evil is a relative term, and my evil is my weakness.

My blood vessels started to show on my skin, as they pumped more and more blood. I exerted my sword intent to control the distribution. Though I want my blood to flow, I don't want to become vulnerable. My skin became reddish as it released some steam from the heat of the saffron and my sweat. My breath became heavy and vaporous.

I felt my energy spike in my body, as my I examined my physical situation. My sword intent and magic power had settled in my cells. Which became even further saturated with their energy, they started to evolve becoming stronger and more compact. I felt my blood energy, and vitality increase as my spell circle distributed the blood aura. My body became akin to a legendary fey beast.

Threatening to consume all in its path, a serpent danced around my body. A red serpent with blood energy surpassing anything I had ever experienced. But its power was suppressed by the qi from my glabella, and consumed by the spell circle. Causing the final metamorphosis in my body, as my level rose from half step level 2 to level 3.

'The blood of a flying serpent.' Drrak said to me lightly

My stats increased by 1 all across the board with magic power increasing by 2. I looked at my updated stats in happiness, but the increase in magic power was strange to me. Over the black lotus, the spatial rift started to expand slowly, as it distorted into various shapes. I could feel more void energy inside my body but my void comprehension didn't increase.

'Drrak why is my magic power improving while I am not a mage yet?' I asked

'The first time was a gift from his majesty's primordial source. This in a way was a gift of the void.' Drrak responded

'Now that I have more magic power, I can increase my void comprehension.' I thought to myself gleefully, spatial magic is incredible and is one of my trump cards. Any chance to develop it will make me happy.

I put it off for now and focused on my body, which had grown stronger. I did some exercises with basic telekinesis, which I was getting efficient in. The next morning I jumped up to the second floor with much more ease. I went exploring books of anatomy, and information on the age of collapse.

I wrote down all the info I could glean and only gained a little more information. It was of no importance but I chose to remember them just in case. Then I had Drrak survey the area, as I made observations with my magic eyes. I then documented the flow of magic power on the second floor.

'Kid what are you planning with that?'

'Nothing specifically but just a precaution.' I said that only to calm Drrak in truth I had a much darker purpose in mind. I ultimately want to find all the spatial nodes in this library, but so far I haven't found a single one even though I follow the magic flow.

'For now, there is something I want to try out, it's only an interesting idea though.' I told to Drrak

I went to Brian and asked about some pressure measuring equipment. As well as various containers, and he went off to get me the gear. I paid my 15 sword marks and followed normal procedures. I did some more reading on physics, teaching myself the mathematics as I went. I then read books on magic theory, and I started to bridge the two schools of thought.

When I got a general idea about how to bridge the two schools I went home. I set up my experiment with three bottles one with pure water, the other with air, and the last with magic power. I inserted the pressure equipment as the pressure was raised in water. I activated my magic eyes and observed the water, afterward I looked at previous data in a book on the observed interactions.

When I felt I had replicated them I started the same experiment with air. I took more data when the experiment worked out, I highlighted the major points moving on to magic power. My elemental brandings burned as I observed the magic power

I tried to use mathematics to abstract formulas for the motion of compressed magic power. Contrary to the multifarious nature of magic power, it behaved similarly to air. It could create small vortexes or have higher and lower concentrations.

There could even be magical winds and other weather phenomena. It was rather interesting, but the strangest part was only magic power could interact with magic power

'So magi are like very specific conductors.'

For the other materials, physical compression would work, but only compression using magic power would work on magical energy. It also remained normal and didn't defy physics until it was conducted.

'Drrak was right, Willpower is truly the most fundamental. Mages use their will to conduct magic power and change their environment. Knights use their will to channel their intent and change themselves. But the most convenient way to change the world is through your intent. Everyone has a will but one must generate intention through a hardened will.' I thought to myself

With that my insights deepened and so had my plans for the future. I spent the rest of my days' training, and further studying as well as running experiments. I used the mathematics I deduced from the experiments to deduce the proper flow of magic power in the library. I went to the library's first floor and took further observations, and then went to the second floor and did the same.

I did some math at a table and realized there was a disruption on some of the places. There should be more magic power, but it just disappeared. Also, the magic power was too orderly like some was directing them I grew suspicious. I went to the areas where I found missing the magic power.

They were often near the walls or smaller shelves where nobody was looking. I had Drrak send out his consciousness to investigate and he found small restriction circles. They were etched throughout the library, and magic power was covertly flowing through them. I wrote down the restriction circles and noticed some similarities with the one on my forehead.

'It seems the restriction magic that Priscilla showed me is based on spell circles...and formations are a combination of both methods! Spell circles on organic objects, and restriction magic on inorganic objects. Then formations are paired use based on the circumstance!' With this realization, all my previously gathered knowledge of restrictions and spell circles became a complete hypothesis.