29 [Pneuma and Vital Heat]

Fate/Defiance

Chapter 28 [Pneuma and Vital Heat]

By theMadLad

Beta: Old man of the mountain, Kira (The Court Jester)

Unfortunately, no matter how much Icarus wished to bully Castor… he was still a bit too injured to fight.

After Chiron spoke out, "Well then, let's get to work!" The other campers were forced not into training or lessons… but into chores. They were pretty mad about that one, it had totally killed all the hype that Icarus had garnered.

But it was necessary, as they also had to prepare for their journey towards Mt.Pelion, which was… quite a distance away. Their current location was, of course, Arcadia, which was north of Sparta and inside of Peloponnese, a large peninsula connected to mainland Greece through a land bridge called the Isthmus of Corinth, which was located west of Athens.

It was actually the area of land that Icarus had flown over on his balloon during his travel to Arcadia.

But Mt. Pelion was still very far away, and to get there they would have to leave their current peninsula and travel far north of Athens, deep into mainland Greece… before also having to climb the mountain.

Icarus really wished he could still fly, the journey would probably be a lot more enjoyable that way.

Thankfully he pretty much had everything he needed to be ready, as he and Atalanta were already traveling with all their necessities in the first place. They also were unable to help, as Icarus was not in good enough health to do so, and Atalanta refused immediately as she didn't care.

It didn't help that she couldn't really understand what they were asking for either.

Which left him some free time to bother Chiron as everyone else got their things together.

He made sure to bring Atalanta along as she could use some help getting used to Chiron, it would also be beneficial for her to learn some things. Paimon had already gone out to hunt for some food, which Icarus had promised to cook up into something especially tasty as a reward for his previous behavior.

So it was just the two of them who approached Chiron's tent slowly, with Atalanta helping Icarus to stay upright regardless of his crutch.

The cabins around the camp were being torn down as they prepared to leave, instead replaced by easy to store tents as the days remaining here became negligible. They were only waiting for Icarus to recover anyways.

A moment later he stepped inside Chiron's tent, with the centaur in question putting down the parchment in his hands as he turned to them.

"Icarus, is there something you need?" Chiron asked, mostly free as he had already prepared his things with the knowledge of Icarus' arrival some time prior. He had the other campers do all the work tearing down the cabins and packing everything else as a form of punishment towards their recent behavior.

"Teach me." Icarus requested, leaning onto his crutch as he spoke.

Chiron blinked, "...What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

Chiron sighed, but there was a soft smile at the edge of his lips, "You need to be a bit more specific."

Icarus shook his head, "I need to complete my trial at the end of our training, but even without that, I would still request the same thing…" Icarus stared straight into the famed Trainer of Heroes' eyes, "...Teach me everything you know. Combat, Arts, History, Music, Etiquette, whatever else there is—I want to learn everything possible for you to teach."

Chiron gave him a warning glance, "Mind your hubris Icarus, as it will bring nothing but nemesis." [1]

Chiron knew what the boy was like, a simple look at his duel with Heracles was enough to glean his core character trait—Hubris.

It was not true arrogance, like Castor, who carried excessive pride relating to how much better he believed he was than others, whether that be through status, lineage, or ability—but hubris, one burrowed deep in the boy's bones; completely unrelated to others—It was a personal self-confidence, taken to the utmost extreme.

Icarus may not have believed himself better than others, but his belief in himself as no less was an equally dangerous mindset. As when taken to its utmost extreme, he could only end up like Bellerophon before him, whose belief reaches the realm of equating himself to the Gods… before he was promptly struck down for such a folly.

Because of his hubris.

His nemesis.

His doom.

Icarus gave a bitter smile, one that seemed so foreign on his face that even Atalanta tightly gripped his hand as she saw it, "I know." He looked up to Chiron, "Trust me, I know."

He had known since the day he had been reborn—since the day he had first heard his name. After all, even in the distant future, where this era was nothing more than a faded myth… he was the poster boy for the consequences of hubris, a cultural icon of limitation that eclipsed any other.

He was Icarus, the boy who flew too close to the sun.

But even then—!

…Even then, he would carry on regardless.

Icarus' eyes brimmed with determination. Even if the sun was determined to burn down his wings, he wouldn't mind—because he would be just as determined to reach out and touch it in exchange.

With those thoughts in mind, he then looked towards Chiron, who seemed understandably confused at his previous words, and spoke with conviction that burned from his very soul, "It may become my nemesis, but without it, how could I ever become worthy for it to do so otherwise?"

That's right.

How could one do the impossible if they never even bothered to try?

How could they invite ruin if they never reached for greatness?

"If my hubris became my doom, I won't shy away from it… because one could only fall once they have reached a suitable height for the drop." Icarus held up a clenched fist in front of Chiron's stunned eyes, "And if hubris is what is needed to accomplish such a task—then I'll be the fool who rushes in to jump from the highest cliff!"

Then his face gained a smirk, with his eyes carrying a mischievous glint as he finished, "...Because only if you dare to dream, can you fly."

Ah.

Chiron realized it.

While Icarus' hubris may be his so-called fatal flaw, his greatest weakness—it was also his greatest strength. Icarus was unlike the other campers who were completely held back by their flaws, such as Heracles' whose rage killed his previous teacher, Jason's whose placidness was slowly turning into complacency, Castor whose pride blinded vision, Pollux whose passivity discouraged ambition, and finally Asclepius, whose impiety invited ruin.

Icarus' hubris actively pushed him forward, not only towards doom… but greatness. Perhaps this mindset may be dangerous, but it was also what made the idea known as 'Icarus' possible—just look at what he accomplished so far, he was only a child yet not only had he managed to fly but also had made his name ring throughout the known world!

A normal person would have stopped, never taking the audacious risk that infringed on the domain of the King of Gods, yet Icarus did so anyways, without permission or hesitation. Chiron could see the roadblocks the boy would face in the future, the sheer danger he would court… yet even so, he couldn't help but want to root for such a defiant child.

…Perhaps this thrilling emotion Chiron felt was what made the boy so popular throughout Greece, to see someone not divine, not a prince, not special, challenge the impossible and overcome them even with their mortal limitations.

His very presence gave them strength, not physically, but mentally—or even spiritually, on a global scale.

He gave them the strength to dream.

Chiron gave a laugh, although he felt that he was thinking too much, he still decided to support such a notion. If Icarus wished to strive for the impossible, who was he to stop him? No, as his teacher, there was only one option… "Very well."

Noticing Chiron's demeanor change, Icarus smiled while Atalanta tilted her head.

"For now, let's wait to teach you any kind of combat until you are all healed up." He stated.

Icarus nodded, easily accepting his words without doubt.

Chiron briefly put a chin to his hand before deciding on a topic. "Any arts or etiquette would take too long to explain—history as well." He then rested his hand as he decided, "I suppose I'll tell you the basics of things that will soon be relevant."

He directed them outside, where the two of them followed him to a small clearing where he could comfortably sit even with his horse half.

"Atalanta!" Icarus whisper-shouted, causing the small girl in question to whip around towards him in alarm. Icarus smiled before he spoke while patting her head with his free hand, "Can you hand me my notebook?"

Atalanta had been carrying his bag for him due to his injuries, and after hearing the familiar words that he had taught her, she quickly did as told. A moment later Icarus sat down near Chiron, putting down his crutch to free up his hand to write.

He wanted to write down whatever Chiron taught him so he wouldn't lose it. Chiron seemed not to mind much either, as he gave a small glance at the notebook before disregarding it entirely.

"I'll start with explaining a concept known as 'Pneuma.'" Chiron started as Icarus quickly began to write with his stiff arm, "The simplest way to explain it would be through its name's meaning, Breath."

Chiron spoke slowly, making sure to give time for Icarus to not only write, but also absorb the information as well, "It is the breath of life that pervades the world—the planet's breath that encompasses all of nature. Through it things such as magic are possible, for it is the fuel that allows one to actualize magic's mysteries."

Chiron knew his words were complex, he could even see them visibly fly over Atalanta's head, who just nodded along with glazed eyes. But not Icarus, for he had tailored his explanation to the boy with confidence. He was the son of Daedalus after all, who was widely regarded as the greatest mortal inventor alive.

And he was right, for Icarus had only one thought in response to his words…

Mana!

He could only be referring to Mana!

"When we breathe this Pneuma, it circulates into our body through the lungs and eventually into the heart. When it reaches our heart it is converted into 'Vital Heat,' which brings warmth to the body through the blood and maintains the consciousness in the seat of the mind." Chiron further explained before demonstrating by inhaling a deep breath that caused Icarus to feel his presence seem to… fade? Obscure?

Regardless, he already had an idea for what the centaur was referring to with his words.

Od.

Vital Heat was most likely Od, but it seemed distinctly different from what he remembered. The Od he was familiar with was merely the limited 'life-force' contained within the body… but there was a distinct difference with Vital Heat, that being—it was produced by the heart.

…Which made Icarus think of Magic Circuits, as he remembered that their existence was the only thing that could replenish Od in the body through converting Mana. Was the heart and cardiovascular system in the body a form of biological Magic Circuits in the Age of the Gods? …Or was it simply an adaptation that humans of this era held because of the excess Mana contained in the air?

Did Magic Circuits even exist?

Icarus didn't know, while he was admittedly a big fan of the Nasuverse, he didn't know everything… but he resolved to find out someday. Although, he didn't think it mattered too much currently, as this Pneuma and Vital Heat seemed more than enough for him to learn about for now.

"You can use this Vital Heat as a form of internal… 'energy' which can fuel personal or internal spells without a need for Divine Words, as well as magical inscriptions used in things such as Alchemy or the creation of items."

Icarus knew this. He had used this so-called 'Vital Heat' before when marking the boundaries of the bounded fields he would make, although he had never used it for any type of personal enhancement like the future 'reinforcement' spell. The way he had used it so far was still reliant on the Gods to function, such as with the alchemy symbols placed on his wings borrowing their concepts.

He had simply assumed it was Od, and with the absence of any active Magical Circuits, made sure to use it sparingly, as he didn't know if it would replenish without them and didn't want to take too much risk.

But now he knew it did, which was very relieving.

Icarus felt that being born in the Age of the Gods with a body full of mysteries was such a cheat.

Chiron paused as he watched Icarus absorb his words, before patiently waiting to speak once more, "Another important aspect of a person is the psyche. It is the immortal shade independent from, yet constrained within the body. Only upon death is it released, separated from their corpse and transported to Hades."

Psyche? The term Chiron seemed to be referring to rang out as something else in Icarus' mind, that being the word, 'Soul.' Perhaps the current term was a more archaic version? Because to his modern sensibilities, the word Psyche was more inline with terms such as thought, behavior and personality.

Or perhaps he was just unfamiliar with it being used in such a way?

Also, Magic Circuits were said to be in the soul… or more accurately for the time period—psyche, perhaps they were still in there regardless of the heart's Age of the Gods buff?

It was a lot to think about.

Chiron also taught a few more terms which Icarus noted down as well, but eventually Chiron seemed to deem it enough for now and soon switched to teaching Atalanta about various basic topics. Not that Icarus minded, as these terms seemed more than enough to ponder about.

He also felt that Atalanta needed to catch up as well, and she still needed him there to comfort her anyways, as she still was particularly wary towards the centaur.

But perhaps he could learn some things with Asclepius at another time? He is the future God of Medicine after all… and Icarus could only imagine the possibilities they could come up with.

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Author's Notes

Fuck, what a shitty month!

I'm really sorry for such a late update, and double sorry for it ending up pretty short. Alot happened this past month ranging from me getting food poisoning to my sibling getting blackmailed.

Just a shit show. Not to mention that my other sibling ended up getting suddenly sick while I was trying to write this and puked all over the bed.

Anyways, enough excuses! I am back!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, I need a drink. Leave a like if you did and drop a comment as well, I'll make sure to answer them.

I felt all the things I included would make sense in the context of the Nasuverse's Age of the Gods, and also made sure it conformed to an actual mythological/historical basis. Pneuma and Vital Heat were believed by quite a number of Ancient Greek Philosophers and Physicians, such as Anaximenes, Diocles, Praxagoras, and even Aristotle. Psyche is related more to Plato, and also Aristotle as well.

Also, before anyone gets their Nasuverse fact checking panties in a twist, yes Magic Circuits still exist. Circe is confirmed to have them after all. They are however… much more useless in this era, unless you're in what, China? Where they have Philosophy Keys.

Otherwise, they cannot enact magecraft because Thaumaturgical Foundations do not yet exist, as Solomon has not been born, and in turn has not made Goetia.

Pfft, but who cares, Divine Words are better anyways, amirite?

This chapter has hints towards the development and differences in mystery held in the bodies of those born during the Age of the Gods in comparison to those in the more modern age. So, look forward to it!

Also, I will likely go back and rewrite/revise the first 3-4 chapters of the story as I neglected to add in some important parts, and I also feel I could do Daedalus quite a bit more justice. Don't worry though, it won't interfere with the current pace of the story at all.

Join the discord at, https://discord.gg/AMyqBN2

Glossary

[1] Nemesis

The inescapable agent of someone's or something's downfall.