Magic

He jumped back in surprise.

'What should I do?

Should I run away, or should I answer?

No.

Do I even have the right to answer?'

The mage continued.

– "There's no need to panic. Come over here. I would like to see your face" –

Still questioning himself, walking to the wall as if possessed. If he didn't cross that wall right then, he felt like he would never be able to cross it.

As he climbed the wall, at the top he saw white-hair, an elderly man who would look quite common on the street.

– "Come. Are you here to be my friend?" –

Having gained confidence from his kindness, jumping over the wall and entering the academy seemed a little easier. And under the shade of the tree, children around his age sat in a circle.

One child frowned.

– "Headmaster, he's not a nobleman. I think he's a commoner" –

– Huh? Really? Commoners aren't allowed here. Hey, get out of here! –

The headmaster looked puzzled for a moment as if he was expecting someone who was of noble status but soon spoke warmly – It's all right, come this way. "So, what part of this old man's words drew your heart?" –

He wanted to get closer, to follow what he says, but the eyes of the others were preventing him from doing so. The little of confidence has vanish no long after.

– Magic. I want to see it –

– "Have you never seen magic?" –

– I've read about it in books and heard of it, but I've never seen it in person –

A child pointed his finger at him.

– As if! What kind of commoner can read? –

For the faces of two kids, they didn't understand what the other just said but were eagerly nodding in accord. Outsiders. They are the only ones speaking Carva fluently, apart of the headmaster.

– Okay. What kind of magic do you want to see? –

– I don't care, that doesn't matter. Anything is fine, so show me. Please –

The looks of the others make him realize his situation, so he lowered his head.

– Ja Ja. This old man's only joy is to show his magic to his honey buns – raising his head at the laugh, he can see the mage wave his hands – Alright! Then this time, I'll show you the magic that creates wind –

– Wooaah! It's wind, wind! – While the children clap their hands in awe, he is tense.

'Wind? How can I…?'

The mage raise his hand, the wind is stronger.

– Whoa! –

And the weight of his body disappeared, flying up the sky. The numerous buildings of the magic academy, and the mountain ranges that were situated beyond it, were noticeable at a glance.

– AHHHH! –

Screaming was the only sane thing for him to do, but the other children were enjoying it while cartwheeling around the sky.

After a while, they start to drop, one by one.

The speed of the drop was so great, wind too strong to keep his eyes open and the sight of the fast-approaching ground scaring him.

– Wha- –

There was none of the impacts he was expecting.

Feeling strange, he open his eyes and see that his body is floating a little above the ground.

The other burst in laughter.

– "What do you say? This is magic" – He is laughing too.

But only a part of his mind notice it, the beating of his heart is all he can hear.

'This… is magic

This is magic!'

This sensation he experienced for the first time in his life is completely beyond anything he imagined ever.

After recovering his senses, he ask.

– What is magic? –

– Well, let's see. Magic is… –

– It doesn't matter if I don't understand. Please tell me the truth! – The others expressions hardening at that.

Even though they were close to his age, they knew what position the mage had in the magical world. One that even the children of noble families lay low and act like obedient children in front of him.

Maybe he is being bold, but this is his only chance.

He is not trying to understand things right away, yet this can only be his only accurate information he could get ever.

'It doesn't matter if I understand, just having it

I only need to get home and write everything they say to me

Having the chance to study it myself!'

The mage is tense.

– Haha! Listen comfortably, it's not a difficult thing to understand. But if you would like, I can raise the difficulty a bit – Moving his hands to emphasize, the other ones look engaged at this point – Magic is the incorrect way to call it, it just a name that was given, the result of failed explanations or to avoid them and not break the bubble of innocence.

Magic is alchemy without arrays. But alchemy to the core, as it follow the Laws.

Alchemy is something that deviates from common sense, it uses research, questions, calculations and experimentation.

It's the process of exploring and search the truth of a phenomenon –

Something is bothering him.

– So it's not an easy phenomenon to explain, but you're saying that is the truth? – The mage blink. Even himself didn't understand what he just said – I mean. If that phenomenon is not easy to explain, the magic-alchemy thing and is neither part of common sense. You're saying the truth about it –

– How did you get that? –

– Oh, in a book –

– There was a book with content like that? –

– No, I just thought about why books are used. Even if someone goes out of their way to write down something that everyone knows, no much people would bother looking at it. Truth is different from the common sense we normally know, that's probably the reason why books are written and read –

'Anyone can memorize and recite. However, understanding the concept of a book requires an inherent characteristic… insight.'

– Common sense is something from experience, but can be change. And yet the truth, the real Truth is something that can't be change, a thing that's absolute –

'That ended up being filoso-philofy—the word that start with phi however is called. Think deeply'

– How can I learn alchemy? Does it require special powers like magic? –

'If alchemy can be done with arrays

Maybe he could make it…

And how are people that do alchemy called?'

– I don't know what special powers you're talking about, but it does take a lot of mental strength to do it. And work ethic –

It is an unexpectedly lackluster answer.

– That's it? Does that mean with magic you can fly in the sky when you think of the wind? –

– Well, if you add a little exaggeration, yes. But, it's not just ordinary thoughts. The mage's consciousness must coincide with the world – The mage serious expression prevented the children from intervening – An extremely sensitive state of mind, for instance –

– What is a sensitive state of mind? –

The mage smiled.

– When a mage focuses, his mind becomes sensitive enough to sense everything around him. Mages call this entering the Spirit Zone. I'll show you a demonstration, so watch what this child does. Eric, would you like to enter the Spirit Zone? –

– Yes, headmaster –

A boy answered confidently.

As it was natural for them to show off their skills.

Eric closed his eyes and the others created a reverent atmosphere on their own.

– I entered the zone –

– Then let's get started –

The mage, who took out a coin, shook it in his hand. Suddenly, he clenched his hand and held it out.

– Now, how many coins are in my hand? –

– Five –

When he opened his hand, there were exactly five silver coins.

The mage repeated it for a second time as he sees in awe.

– Three –

Once again, that was the correct answer.

After that, they tried a few more times, but the result is always the same.

– That's enough, Eric, you did a great job –

– Haaah – Eric let out a long breath.

The only thing he did was guess the number of coins, but his forehead was covered in a cold sweat.

– That, right there, was an example of an extremely sensitive state of mind. The moment they enter the Spirit Zone, a mage can perceive the outside world with extrasensory perception. Excellent mages can even guess the number of leaves at a long distance. Of course, the skill Eric showed us was great, too –

He, who performed the 'Thunder Strike' by relying on his senses and the blue thing, could vaguely feel and understand it.

'He wasn't counting the number of coins!'

He was sensing the totality of the primitive data that existed long before that.

To sense the entire state of affairs in front of you…

It is not an empty assertion to say that a master of the Spirit Zone could guess the number of leaves from far away.

Then a question naturally followed.

– Can I as well… No, perhaps I can't? –

– Anyone can do it –

Something in the tone of the mage tell him there was, no there is more to that.

– Practice in a quiet place. First, you have to feel yourself, and then dismiss it. If that happens, a different world will unfold. Do you understand what I'm saying? –

– All right –

– If you don't feel yourself, it will be impossible to erase yourself. Would you like to give it a try? Here –

There was no reason to refuse, so he just nodded without hesitation and closed his eyes.

'If I recall back to the 'Thunder Strike' incident

I could find something to start'

Except when he started to focus, it is on another level from back when he was trying to find the vital spot hidden in the grooves.

-- How much do you know about yourself? --

'Who am I?'

He realized for the first time how difficult it is to clearly define himself.

'There is just too much of me to delineate, and none of it is accurate.

Me. What am I?'

At that moment, he felt a very simple truth springing up like a fish.

An extremely sensitive state of mind.

The mage previous claim was frighteningly accurate.

'Brain'

It's not an organ of the body.

'I… I don't know the world beyond the brain'

The concept of the brain.

The truth is that all the senses and realities he accept are arbitrary.

'There's no need to define it

Just feel it

It's not that my existence gets sensitive…'

Only a keen mind would remain.

Instead of trying to define it, he erase everything he thought is 'himself'.

Because if you erase it like that, eventually there would be nothing left.

And finally.

Even his thoughts disappeared.

Then he hears it.

The students were yawning and he could clearly hear them all, make their forms a little.

And that is the strange part, the blue thing is back, but is different, is everywhere the others are, outlining their forms.

His eyes were close, he knows that.

'And yet, I can clearly see them?'

See is not the correct word.

No, not for him.

Heard feels correct.

– Haah Haah –

The scene in front of him was peaceful. The children were sitting in boredom and Eric was playing with his clothes.

Everyone in the same place he sense 'hear?' them.

– I heard it –

The mage raised his eyebrows at the answer.

– Oh, what did you hear? –

– Sounds. I heard everything –

– Hoho, I see – The mage nodded, a look as if he was expecting that result – Well done. If you practice hard in the future, you'll be able to hear more. Well, that's the end of the special class today. You all go back, too –

When the mage walked away with the student, he jumped over the wall without delay.

– Haah. Haah –

After crossing the wall, he sat on the floor and breathed heavily.

His heart beat to the point that it started to hurt.

– It worked. I really did it –

He heard a huge sound. And smelled something that lasted so little. See without his eyes.

Maybe it wasn't a sound or a smell, but he can't think of any other way to express it, less the part of seeing.

It felt like he was attached alongside every object around the world and had conveyed something to him. All the sounds came together and eventually became one.

'I'm not who I thought I was.'

It was the world itself.

As he was recalling what the world had conveyed to him, one enormous truth hit his head.

'It's all a cycle

I'm part of it

Everything is connected'

-- And everything is infinite --

Feeling overwhelm by that voice he close his eyes and dash off.