Ocular Arcane Arts

Jien looked into her eyes with a hint of curiosity. He had not heard of the one-eyed oracle before, not that being unaware was uncommon. Most weren't aware of all the gods that existed, nor would they be aware of all the wonders in the world provided by those divine beings. Still, Jien could tell by the glow in Runa's eye that the magic she was using right now likely did not subscribe to the general theory for the arcane arts.

As if reading Jien's thoughts Runa, who had now finished assisting in washing him and was now helping him to dress into something comfortable to sleep in spoke up once more. "Being a worshiper of the one-eyed oracle has its benefits and its downsides like with most of the gods." she stated casually as she helped him lean back against the head of his bed to lay comfortably. She then took a seat at the edge of his bed to continue on the topic in earnest.

"A good example is that though I can see some distance into possible events of the future, to do so I need to give up the use of one of my eyes, even if only temporarily." To highlight her point she pointed to her misted over eye, as if pointing out that she couldn't see from it at all. "The second downside is that while others may be given multiple spells, the one-eyed oracle only ever provides this one. That being said this doesn't stop a follower from learning common mana manipulation and what are known as Shared Arcane Arts, or the spells that all races have some up with and are known as common knowledge."

"It's with this ability that I can keep track of the flow of events and be ready to assist you when and if you need me. Though the flow of the future isn't set in stone until the very moment it occurs, seeing the most probable futures allows for a quick and adequate reaction." She took a moment to let Jien absorb that information and saw that he was deep in his thoughts at the moment. She waited patiently, knowing that he would likely be coming out of his thoughts in the next moments and would begin talking to her once more.

In the vision of her glowing eye what she was seeing would make someone inexperienced likely feel seasick. She saw numerous images overlapping and acting in different manners. Each image appeared to be like a layer of ghostly imagery placed on top of reality and they were all layered so thick that if they were not roughly the same image of Jien on his bed, she likely wouldn't be able to see him at all. Most of the images seemed to carry similar actions, which allowed her to pinpoint the futures that had the largest probability of occurring at any given time. That being said, though she could see Jien talking to her in many of the visions she couldn't make out what he was saying with lip reading, nor could she hear his words. Still, it didn't take long before that part of the future to solidify as Jien finally gazed at her and began to ask what was on his mind.

"I had never heard of a spell like this one that uses the eyes." he stated, looking into his handmaiden's eyes. "I have been trying to figure out a spell but no matter what I have attempted it has always failed to work. I think that there is likely something with the general approach that doesn't work with this spell in particular. Hearing about your goddess's spell makes me curious if perhaps that is what I need to succeed in casting it." Runa smiled at this statement, letting the mana circulate out of her eyes. This led to the misted over eye regaining its vision and the blue iris, while the other stopped glowing.

"You will need to be careful when using ocular arcane arts. They aren't exactly common, but they are fairly broadly accepted school of magic. Much like a failure with martial mana manipulation can cause bodily harm, failure to circulate the mana properly for ocular arcane arts can lead to misfortune as well." Runa said this with a somewhat worried and stern look on her face. She didn't want Jien to mess around with something so dangerous without understanding the risks with the practice. "If you fail to circulate your mana or release it properly there is a chance that you will simply damage your eyes, but there is an even greater chance that your eyes will be destroyed. Mana is not something so docile that it can be poured into sensitive organs blindly."

"Did your god or priest provide you with a specific method to use to circulate the mana?" Runa asked this in hopes that she would be able to guide Jien without poking around in the dark for the correct answer. Unfortunately, Jien responded simply by shaking his head. He was thinking back to everything the archon had said and done during his unsealing rite, but he couldn't find any hint as to how to circulate mana for the two spells he was given. He had only lucked into casting the Night Light spell because the use of it was through the most common way to use the arcane arts. There wasn't even anything in particular that he could discern from the feeling that the second spell Personal Library provided him.

Runa could only give a light sigh to that response. There were some general methods for the use of ocular arcane arts that had been created by arcane scholars, but often the gods had their own way of doing things. This is what made spells unique from god to god and why none of the spells themselves had quite the same effect even if they were of the same type. Since Jien wasn't given any guidance and her goddesses spell used an awkward circulation that would temporarily blind one eye to gain its effect, she could only show him a few of the ocular techniques that were commonly taught.

"I will do my best to help you get the hang of some of the general methods for ocular techniques while you are healing." Runa stated calmly. "I am sure that your mentors won't want you to exert yourself while you are healing so studies on arcane arts will likely be your routine for the next week or so." With that Runa stood up from the bed before facing Jien to give a short bow. "I will go get you something to eat. I am sure the mission and travel have left you hungry and tired." With that she left the room to head toward the kitchens.