Nothing But Illusions

1985 November

The residence of Vincent de Azrael was a sight to behold for any child, let alone one that had been raised in the slums. The Victorian terrace was easily separated from the neighbouring buildings and painted an intimidating yet dignified black with white accents. Alana had briefly wondered if Azrael had designed the place himself as it suited him very well. It practically screamed 'old money'.

A spare room had been quickly prepared for the girl, and she settled in with practised ease. It was a novel experience to have more than a temporary place to call home and one so well equipped at that. She was able to shower with freedom at last! Azrael had even gone so far as to purchase Alana some appropriate clothing before burning her rags with a satisfied expression. Whatever malnourishment she had experienced as a child seemed a bitter memory with the blood bond working its magic and three full meals a day at Azrael's expense. A few days after her moving in, he had placed a firm hand on her back to lead her to his collection of books. It was probably one of the few kindnesses he regretted as she refused to leave the room whenever she found a decent read, even to give blood. He'd had to move one of his more comfortable study chairs into the library for this reason.

It was these changes that lead Alana to start her current project.

The young witch yawned quietly and gave her arching letters a critical inspection. Over the past year, she had been documenting the changes in her mindscape creations with intimate detail. Learning to use the damnable quill had been more difficult than the math she'd skillfully employed to dissect the levelling system. The fruits of her labour peered at her from the ageing parchment.

Creation: Capricorn

Species: Library System

Created as a byproduct of mental growth and loneliness, Capricorn is a library system formed from the magic core of its creator. Capricorn is capable of filtering basic experiences and knowledge at its creator's discretion.

Capricorn I

Max level 10 : Capable of processing 500 words per hour + 100 words per level.

Capricorn II

Max level 20 : Capable of complex thought and processing 2000 words per hour + 100 words per level.

Capricorn III

Max level 30 : Capable of mind defence, complex thought and processing 5000 words per hour + 100 words per level.

Capricorn IV

Max level 40 : Capable of mind defence, complex thought and processing 12000 words per hour + 100 words per level. Efficiency of all basic attributes increased by half.

Creation: Aquarius

Species: Inventory System

If there is a will, there is a way! Aquarius is an inventory system formed from the magic core and will of its creator. Aquarius is capable of being summoned by its creator to store and release simple objects.

Aquarius I

Max level 10: Capable of storing 1 object + 1 object for every 4 levels.

Aquarius II

Max level 20: Capable of storing 3 objects + 1 object for every 4 levels. Summoning cost decreased.

Aquarius III

Max level 30: Capable of storing 8 objects + 1 object for every 4 levels. Summoning cost decrease doubled.

Creation: Pisces

Species: Healing System

Pisces is a healing system created from intense study of medicine and medicinal magic. Pisces is a spiritual summon formed from the magic core and will of its creator. It is capable of boosting focus, dexterity and precision, which are essential in the medical field.

Pisces I

Max level 10: Magic Focus increased x2

She gave her notes a gloomy look. It had taken so long! She was, nevertheless, pleased especially with her work and even more so with the newest addition to her clique of creatures. Pisces was a spirit summon that took the form of a long, wispy, white fish skeleton. The female fish was exquisite in her appearance and curled easily around Alana's arm when in use. Thankfully, there would be no further Siri repeats as the Patronus-like creature was blessedly mute and didn't seem to have any sentience. The only complaint the nine-year-old had was that the amount of magic required to summon her was ridiculously large. The first summons had left her gasping for breath for half an hour and only vaguely aware of the burning sensation in her stomach. After initial vertigo had worn off, she had prodded the area mentally. With an increased awareness of magic, she had found her magical core. That had been nearly eight months ago, and her new-found knowledge had not been put to waste.

The papers were slipped into a folder, and her latest book replaced its place on her desk. Mollis Magicae. 'Soft Magic' in Latin. A large chunk of Azrael's collection had been depleted within the span of a few months. Capricorn had already evolved to IV and had been stuck at level 25 for the past two weeks. Fortunately, the evolution bonus increased his base processing speed by half so he could process a total of 14,500 words in an hour. Considering her reading speed was just over 18,000 on average, the speed was fine as long as she took regular breaks to avoid headaches. The book itself had proven to be a valuable resource in giving a general overview of the types of magic which existed.

The term 'soft' magic simply referred to magics that were instinctive to a race and required little to no force to use. The allure of a veela, the occlumency of vampires and the sensory enhancement of werewolves were all included in this category. Witches and wizards were written to have a more flexible aura in the book which explained their larger selection of 'forced' magics but lack of 'soft' magic. It was a fascinating read. She had yet to find any material specifically regarding human magic in Azrael's library, so any snippet of information was treasured.

Despite the lack of information, she had managed to perform some small feats of magic without the aid of her systems. Fire was easy enough to summon with a quick 'inflamare' for good measure and shove of condensed magic into the area she wanted. Oxygen already existed in the air, so she just needed heat and fuel to start a combustion reaction. The properties of magic were unknown to her, but it had proven to be able to act as both a heat source and a fuel with a very low ignition temperature. Consequently, fire was easy to make but hard to control. Ice was the opposite being considerably more difficult to create but easier to direct as energy had to be pulled from matter to create it.

With practice, she had learnt that shoving objects was the easiest feat to accomplish, but like fire, it seemed a great deal of control was sacrificed to make that happen. Often, migraines were her only reward for concentrating. Magic was not as easy as it seemed - wandless magic even more so.

1985 December

Vibrating with excitement, Alana darted closely after Azrael's robed figure. The vampire turned his eyes to regard his significantly smaller companion. His red irises had been shielded by brown contacts earlier in the morning. She examined him in turn while smoothing the surprisingly worn fabric of her borrowed black cloak. He flicked his wrist silently - a signal to stay close. The darkened alley was anything but innocent, and the two made their way to their destination cautiously. A hand was placed on a stone wall, a string of Latin words spoken in hushed tones, and then the solid wall became nought but an illusion.

Twisted buildings hunched over cobbled streets like beggars with empty lanterns hanging from their boney limbs. Azrael placed a hand on Alana's shoulder as they moved out of the small alleyway and onto the street. Those few to pass the pair walked hurriedly down the road or quickly slipped into a shop with their heads down. The sides of the path were livelier with decrepit hags offering their wares to the mute passersby and a handful of hooded figures dealing in the shadows. Alana surveyed the scene with keen eyes and ears, picking up bits of conversation as she walked.

'The best wares in Knockturn.' 'Another job tonight.' 'A drink at Harley's sounds great.' 'Bloody werewolves.'

The whispers were harsh when focused on, but she was determined to adjust to her changing physique. Azrael had mentioned her blood donations, possibly having such an effect on her senses. They stepped off the main street and down a less frequented road. A few moments later, Alana was following Azrael into a dusty shop. The vampire turned to his ward to make sure she still remembered his instructions not to touch anything. Then, he went about the task of tracking down the store's clerk. The establishment dealt in a wealth of less used objects including athames and ritual blades which Alana swiftly gravitated to. Azrael quickly found the elderly woman at the front desk.

"I require a set of black tourmaline earrings with the rune Perth and an iron piercer," Azrael quietly requested and watched the woman scurry away with a swish of long skirts. Alana glanced at him briefly before returning to her examination.

"There were several books in your library on the symbolism of precious stones and minerals. Correct me if I am wrong, but naturally-black tourmaline is a protection stone. Iron cleanses, and Perth is the rune for initiation and… concealment I think?" Alana commented absentmindedly as she admired a shelf of silver-coated skulls. The historical practice of drinking from the skull of one's enemy came to mind.

"That is correct, young one."

It was only after returning home that the purpose of the accessories was revealed to the eternally curious Alana.

"They will mask the majority of your magic signature from unwanted attention," Azrael explained. He had noticed her growing restlessness and curiosity towards the wizarding world. He was reluctant to restrain her, so he had opted for a more gentle approach. A short ritual would ensure none of the ministry's old tracers would pick up the use of her recently accessed accidental magic. Of course, how was he to know that Alana's magic was far from accidental or recently accessed? Her summoning ability was a form of haphazard mind magic supported by the impressionable magic of a child's core.

He had not worried about the ministry previously as his own house was thoroughly steeped in ancient magics and blood, which would mask her wandless practice. What was truly fortunate was that mind magic could not be traced or Alana would have been found out much sooner. The witch only smiled at his explanation and inquired about the ritual needed. Good intentions should be returned with gratitude and a favour such as this would be difficult to pay back.