More Magic

Valia has always been the very best at everything. Cooking, public speaking, politics. Everything. After twenty three years of experiencing excellence, Valia has grown to expect it. Always.

That had all changed a year ago, when she stepped foot in the Archive. The work of a Scribe is the most respected thing a Rajin can engage in, save for that of a soldier. For obvious reasons, the battlefield is not a place Valia has found herself longing for.

Valia became a scribe, expecting to dominate yet another field and become the most respected woman in all of Yellen. She had heard the name Yoru many times, but shrugged off the woman's great achievements. Even after meeting the current Head Scribe for the first time, Valia had not expected much competition from the woman. After all, who could match Valia's absolute talent in the game called life?

The Head Scribe could do more than just match her talent, Valia soon found. Writing, researching, and speaking. In every aspect that matters to a Scribe, Yoru triumphed over Valia by no small amount. The woman never seemed stressed, never slacked on her work, and even after taking the full brunt of Valias taunts, never lost her composure.

And that damned board, Yoru has never lost her place at the top of it. It's as if the woman is a magnet for foreign knowledge. And that magnetism and unbreakable composure has frustrated Valia to no end. She wishes deeply for something about Yoru to surface, something Valia can use to finally be rid of the woman.

Valia stands in the library, neck craned to read the book lying open in her arms. She reads the words with growing frustration, her jaw clenched. This is one of Yoru's Records, detailing the culture of a race a whole branch away. The descriptions are vivid enough that Valia need not exert herself to imagine what is being described. The wording is incredibly concise, each meaningful in their own way. No matter how much Valia wishes to think differently, there is no denying that this work is leagues better than her own.

Valia snaps the book closed and shoves it back into the gap on the bookshelf before her. She turns and stalks through the labyrinthine room with bookshelves rising to the ceiling. She ascends the stairs leading to the connecting hallway between the library and Scribe Office, a frown on her face as she passes Yoru's office.

Valia's ears perk up suddenly, and she halts before the closed door of the office. She hears talking, Yoru's annoyingly calm voice, and a man. Valia puts her ear to the wooden door, just in time to hear the man raise his voice at Yoru. The Head Scribe still speaks to the man with just as calm a tone, however, Valia hears something that should not be spoken aloud.

The Rage Stones.

The two voices become quiet, and Valia hears footsteps approaching from the other side of the door. She leaves her eavesdropping position, hurrying down the hallway to the Scribe Office, a wide smile on her face.

Valia chuckles to herself. She can use this. Finally, she will no longer be bested by Yoru. Finally, she will be able to take her rightful place as the most important woman in Yellen.

—-

Klash has always been trapped under the shadow of his family. He has two brothers, one is a king, and the other is the most feared warrior on the face of Mammoria. Yet all Klash has done in his life is study the words of men and women long dead. He has mountains of knowledge, all of which he rarely uses himself.

Klash's brothers have often come to him for this knowledge. He has written and reconstructed several laws at the king's behest, and has informed his warrior brother about crime syndicates that lurk within Ferilae. There are many other instances of Klash helping his brothers, none of which will ever be revealed to the people of Mammoria. If it was their choice, his brothers would be certain to wipe Klash's existence from everyone's memory.

Klash does not have a king's overwhelming charisma, nor the battle prowess of a seasoned warrior. And most important of all, he does not have the same pride that is expected of every Lion in Tanzide society. Most Lions think of themselves as the supreme beings in all of the Praesi. They not only look down on the other species of Mammoria, but on every other race in existence.

Klash has always thought differently. He has studied every race and planet that he can, including the Rajin. Tanzide travelers had told him of the neighboring civilization when he was but a teen, describing the massive, color-skinned people as hulking barbarians. Klash had believed the stories, thinking the Rajin people as daft miscreants that were only interested in war and bloodshed.

However, the more he studied, the more that belief was proven wrong. Over the years, Klash learned that the Rajin people were not only intelligent, but held a mountain of information that is to this day unmatched by any other civilization in this branch of the Praesi. They had been this way for nearly a millennium, yet one woman had transformed that mountain into a bottomless ocean.

And just as awe-inspiring, the Rajin army has held off an invading force for a century, a feat unreplicated by any other civilization targeted by the Utherians, including his own people. When the Utherians invaded, Klash's brothers panicked under the sheer number of their enemies. From the very beginning of the attack, it was clear that the pride of the Lions would not save them from utter annihilation.

Klash thought of any and everything to help save his people, and eventually, he remembered the race that had done the impossible. He knew there must be some secret to the Rajin's repeated victories. And Klash planned to uncover that secret.

He snuck away in the night, knowing that his brothers would never let him leave Mammoria at a time like this. A Utherian squad guarding the stem nearly killed him, but while not as strong as his warrior brother, Klash still has the strength of a Lion at his disposal.

Klash walks through Yellen now, crowds of Rajin men and women surrounding him. He can't help but look around anxiously as he approaches those massive iron gates. Klash has just met with Yoru, and finally obtained the secret that he came for. He feels terrible for the way he went about the exchange, Yoru is a kind woman, and she did not hesitate to help him.

However, Klash knew that books were not the secret that held off the Utherians. If that were the case, then he would never have left his home. When Klash confronted Yoru about it, she hesitated. That was enough for him to know that there indeed was something else, and more importantly, Yoru knew about it.

Klash threatened to kill her if she did not give him what he needed. To his surprise, it did not take much for Yoru to crack. It was almost as if the woman wanted to give him the information. She told him that the Rajin army use crystals called Rage Stones to make themselves stronger, faster, and less reactive to injury. They are collected from the next planet over from this one, Kalar.

Before Klash left, Yoru warned him that a Massor had appeared on Kalar a couple of weeks back. Preposterous, Klash thinks, I will not be fooled by such a ridiculous threat. Everyone that is not an infant knows that a Massor appearing on a planet is impossible. Yoru is intelligent, there is no denying that. But under pressure, her mind seems to fail her, Klash thinks.

Klash arrives at the gate of Yellen, anxious as he is searched by the Guards. However, he passes through unscathed, the parchment tucked into his boot left untouched.

Kalar awaits.

---

"There are two categories of Anima users; Imbuers and Conjurers. Imbuers are able to infuse an object with Anima, giving said object attributes that the user chooses. Conjurers have the ability to manifest their Anima in the physical world, which can take the form of a creature or weapon. The form of their soul is based upon the experiences and beliefs they themselves hold," Alyra speaks with a scholarly sophistication, hands laced under her chin as she gazes at Cage. A book is open before her with records of Anima users written on the pages. She does not need a book for what she speaks of now.

Cage scribbles in his notebook, glancing at Yoru who sits across from him while Alyra sits at the end of the table. Yoru saw that he was writing under the table and laughed, telling him that he was safe around Alyra. Apparently, Yoru had already told her about Cage's situation after Alyra noticed that the Head Scribe was lying through her teeth about him.

Cage finishes writing, furrowing his brows as he looks at Alyra, "Aren't Imbuers the same as External Vas users? They seem pretty similar at least," he says. Alyra has her long black hair in a loose bun, revealing her lithe neck and three helix piercings at the top of her ears.

Alyra hums, "I suppose both types do affect physical objects. But no, they are quite different," she says, "You see, External Vas users directly change the physical aspects of an object. Take Kyro for example, he can change the shape and size of his sword. And for Imbuers... you know of the trackers, right?"

Cage nods.

"Those tiny crystal beads have always been the same shape and size. Only now, they have been imbued with the ability to be tracked and detonated. That is the work of an Imbuer. Their touch is not visible to the naked eye," Alyra says, smiling, "The items they imbue can also affect living beings, though there are very few Imbuers that have the skill and experience to do it."

Cage nods again, humming as he begins to scribble in his notebook.

Yoru raises a brow, glancing at Alyra, "Are you going to tell him about their Shroud ability?" she asks.

"I was getting to it," Alyra responds, waving a hand toward her, "I know what I'm doing."

"Really now?" Yoru smirks, shrugging, "Just making sure."

Cage peeks up at the women as he writes. Due to the previous night's... events, Yoru took the liberty of attending this session in the hope of preventing distractions. If she needs to be here, then why doesn't she just teach him herself? Oh well, Cage thinks, Alyra is pretty good at explaining things. However, the look Alyra gets in her eyes when meeting Cage's own can be distracting at times.

The strange behavior Cage had noticed in Alyra the day before was her testing him, apparently. She wanted to see how good he was at hiding his secrets in the face of a threat. As Alyra said, that threat was a pretty woman.

"So what about these Shrouds?" Cage asks, dropping his quill and flexing his hand.

"It's an ability that all Anima users have, which allows them to hide the Anima inside of them," Alyra responds, "All Imbuers have the ability to hide their own Anima from other users. Conjurers, however, can create a bubble that expands from their body, not only hiding their own Anima, but all that step inside of the bubble as well."

"So Conjurers are pretty important, huh?" Cage asks, "They can hide an army from a Massor in the branches."

"Correct," Alyra nods, "But Imbuers are just as important. If they didn't exist, then there would be no way to travel through the branches. The vessels you see flying through the air have been given that ability by Imbuers, and even an imbued steering crystal is needed to control the vessel. Given time, one Imbuer can create a hundred vessels for branch travel."

Cage nods, turning a page in his notebook and scribbling some more. After a moment, he looks up at Alyra again, chin held up by his hand, "So I understand that Vas users need Vas particles to fuel their magic, but how is Anima magic fueled?" he asks.

"Well, um..." Alyra trails off, clearly stumped by the question.

"There are many theories, the most solid one coming from Gira's work," Yoru says, "I know you have not gotten that far, but in the second volume, Gira records passing by a star at the very top of the Praesi, one much larger than any other and with no planet to orbit. In one of the passages describing the star, Gira says that he feels great energy pulsating from it. It's not concrete, but it's thought by me and many other Scribes that this energy he speaks of is Anima."

Cage wrinkles his forehead, "Okay..." He mutters. A star? He thought of many possibilities as to where Anima came from, but a star had never even crossed his mind. Cage glances at Alyra, who looks frustrated. He chuckles, "I thought you were supposed to be an expert on magic? You let Yoru take the spotlight with that one," he asks.

Alyra glares at him, earning another chuckle from Cage. She clicks her tongue, glancing away, "I haven't studied Gira's work as much as Yoru," she mutters sourly. Cage smiles at the pouting woman. After being teased all through yesterday's lesson, he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy returning the favor.

"Anyway, we can leave the rest for tomorrow," Yoru says, sighing as she meets Cage's gaze, "I need to share the plan I wrote up today with you."

Cage nods, and silence falls for a moment. Alyra begins to stand from the low table, but pauses as Yoru raises a hand. Their eyes meet, and Yoru nods, "Stay, Alyra. We need a third mind to work out any kinks," she says.

Alyra hesitates, but sits back down, closing the book before her and placing it back on the stack beside her. Cage furrows his brows, watching as Yoru pulls a few pieces of parchment from between the pages of a book she brought with her.

Has Yoru already told Alyra about the meeting and the possible execution? Cage knows that the two women have always known and trusted each other, that much is obvious to him. However, the more people that know about this, the higher chance it has to find its way to the public. And if the Epochs were to somehow find out about their plan, how long would it take for both Yoru and him to be in the same position as Kyro and Ingen?

What's done is done, Cage thinks, sighing. Yoru begins to explain the supposed plan, reading from the parchment. Cage listens intently, anxiety looming in the back of his mind. Time is running out, and soon, there will be no room for thinking, only action. Tommorow, the action that Cage needs to take will be decided, whether he likes it or not.

There is a sliver of hope in his mind that Kyro and Ingen will be released. That they'll be able to slip away quietly and begin the journey, all with their heads attached. However, a piece is shaved off the sliver with every passing moment.

Even so, no matter how small that sliver becomes, Cage has his part to play in their survival.