Magic

Lucian walked to the edge of the pond, looking down at it and seeing his reflection looking back at him. It was the following day after he had seen the ruined village he apparently destroyed. Everything was too much for him; emotions overwhelming the young man. 

He didn't ask for any of this, to be thrown into a foreign world and a power of destruction to be granted to him. He didn't understand the half of it; to him, all of this could be a dream. But it was real, he knew it. 

Lunaris had granted him one night of proper sleep before she said that his first stage of training would begin. To this exact second, Lucian was naught but confused still. He didn't understand how this world worked, he didn't know what his power was. He wanted answers and Lunaris claimed that she would answer them. 

He sighed, "I...." He said as he lifted his arms

He saw the cuffs on his arms, feeling a strange vibration. To him; this was a mark of a prisoner. And that's pretty much what he felt like, a prisoner of this beautiful woman with angel wings. Everything was so strange to him, he just wanted to go home. 

But deep down, he knew that might not be possible. 

"The 64 Seals of Infernis." He heard a voice say

Lucian turned to see Lunaris walk up to him, her wings shifting in the air behind her as she stood there, placing her hand on her hip. 

"What?" Lucian said

"You've met the Occult Sisters." Lunaris said, "They're members of a faction in Infernis, capable of casting forbidden spells and the 64 Seals of Infernis is one of those spells." 

Lucian nodded, "It....it hurt." He said

"It is meant to." Lunaris said, "It attacks the Calamity and forces deep within you, only allowing a small fraction of its power to leak out. It's like millions of tiny magical needles ripping into your body, sewing the Ether in you together. An extremely painful process. The 64 Seals were created for the sole purpose of countering Calamities. But it has several drawbacks." 

Lucian frowned, "Huh?" 

"Once used, it can't be used on a Calamity again. So if the Seals happen to break, well, that's that." Lunaris said as she walked up to him, "And in order to successfully use it, the Calamity must be burnt out after its initial rampage. When Cursed Ones are freshly traversed, there's a high chance their Calamities will activate and will rampage, causing great ruin. But, it's almost guaranteed that that power will easily burn out and enter a cool-down stage. It is within that time-period that the 64 Seals must be placed on the Cursed One. With you, we were lucky enough to get you right after you burnt out." 

Lucian looked down, "H-How long was I rampaging?" 

Lunaris gave him a serious look, "10 Seconds." 

Lucian widened his eyes, "W-What?" He said with shock

Lunaris nodded, "According to the reports, you landed right outside the village after being Traversed. And within a couple of seconds of landing, you rampaged." She said, "And within the next 10 seconds, you laid ruin to half of the village. It is fortunate that you burnt out quite quickly and only 3 people died. But within those 10 seconds, the people saw a Dragon God, distorted with nothing but malice." 

Lucian looked at her, "I....." He said

"Worry not." She said, "As I've said before, It is not your fault. No Traversed chooses to be brought here. Especially Cursed Ones." 

Lucian looked down, "I...." He said, "I didn't mean to." 

"Do not dwell on it." Lunaris said as she walked past him and looked at the pond, "There is much for you to learn. Especially how our world works. So pay attention." 

Lucian looked at her, "Okay..." He said

"Firstly, Infernis is governed by Magic." She said, "The air, space, and pretty much everything in this world is infused with what we call Ether, the source of magic. Every single living being, whether it be a mortal race, Fey, Demon, or even an Entity, they have Ether in their cells." 

Lucian blinked, "Okay..." 

"I'm going to get a huge lecture, right? Exposition?" He thought to himself

"Those native to Infernis are capable of wielding magic in several different forms." Lunaris continued, "Some are more adept than others. There are three main forms of magic that have their own sub-trees, so to speak. Those three are Sorceries, Graces, and Calamities. Sorceries are the base form while Graces and Calamities are the most superior version. Those with Graces and Calamities can wield forms of Sorceries as a side-effect." 

Lunaris raised her hand with her palm open and summoned a fire ball. 

"whoa..." Lucian said with awe

"Sorcery has several different subtrees in it, being the most common form of Magic." Lunaris said, "There are the Elemental Sorceries, Alteration Sorceries, Conjuration Sorceries, Nature Sorceries, and Forbidden Sorceries among many others. This, the firebolt, is the most common form of Elemental Sorcery." 

She flicked her wrist, firing off the firebolt at the air in the middle of the lake and Lucian watched as the bolt detonated in a small explosion above the waters, causing ripples. 

"I see...." Lucian said, "And I have a Calamity?" 

Lunaris nodded, "Yes." she said, "Graces and Calamities are polar opposites of each other. Graces are a unique magical trait that while are less potent than Calamities, they're easier to use and control. Graces grant people great power and potential and people prefer to have a Grace, rather than a Calamity." 

"A Grace...like an Angel?" Lucian asked, "Do you have one?" 

Lunaris gave him a slight smile, "Quite the smart one." She said, "Yes, I am a Graced. I bear a Grace." 

"I can tell....the wings and all." Lucian said

"Anyways." Lunaris snapped her fingers, "There are Calamities; unstable and incredibly powerful magical attributes that can make the Cursed One into powerful god-like beings. But the danger of wielding a Calamity is that apart from the danger it poses to Infernis, you could lose yourself within the power, becoming something similar to the Chaos Demons. Which is why the 64 Seals were created, to keep that from happening." 

"I...I understand...a bit...I guess." Lucian said, "So....I'm a Traversed.....who happened to be granted a Calamity. And how many types of Calamities are there? And what do they do?" 

"Graces and Calamities can fundamentally change the person's being; physically and magically," Lunaris explained, "There are many types of Graces and Calamities. Some can even confuse the two but the one defining factor of Grace and Calamity is their attribute. Graces have the White-Ether while Calamities have the Black-Ether. The color of Ether doesn't necessarily matter with Sorceries since they're neither white nor black but when it comes to Graces and Calamities, it does. You'd do well to remember that." 

"Okay...." Lucian said

"Another thing for you to know is this; Traversed." Lunaris gave him a serious look, "Nobody knows why but one thing has always been a fact. And that's that Traversed have an unnatural affinity for Magic, whether it be Sorceries, Graces, and Calamities. That's why Traversed Cursed Ones are the most dangerous beings in Infernis, especially those who aren't sealed." 

Lucian's brain was starting to hurt. All of this was a lot of information that he was having a hard time to process. He wasn't used to being forced such a power system, but deep within the back of his hazy memories, he knew that he'd read about even more complex systems than these. 

But that was one of the things that bothered Lucian the most; he didn't remember much about himself, his past, his life, and anything else. All he knew is that he was named Lucian, he was from Earth, and that was it. It bothered him, he knew how he felt about this, and was getting more frustrated at his lack of memory more than anything. Lunaris had mentioned that the so-called Soulway affected his memories greatly and it was quite common. 

Over time, he'd soon regain them. 

Lucian sighed, "Alright." He said, "And....what's this about?" 

He gestured at his cuffs. 

"Pain Tolerance." Lunaris said, "You see, after the 64 Seals were placed, your rather strong body became unusually sensitive. It's normal after the Seals are placed, don't worry. If you can be bothered by the lowest setting of the shocks, well, you're not ready to begin your Sorcery Training. As someone who's experienced with Graces, not really with Calamities, I can teach you how to harness your power and we'll see about releasing the First Seal." 

"Okay..." Lucian said, "How do we do that?" 

"Physical conditioning." Lunaris said with a slight smile, "We're strapped for time, so we'll have to go the tough route. You said you hated me, but after this, that hatred will grow. I don't really mind, I am doing this for a greater purpose, greater than you and I; the safety of Infernis. Valkren's armies are mobilizing against us and The Order needs to act. There is no time for me to deal with your constant whining." 

Lucian frowned, "Listen lady, I just got thrown into this." He said, "I'll go along with what you say if it means finding some sort of freedom." 

"I'll get stronger so I can find a way to go home, whatever it takes." He thought to himself

"Suit yourself." Lunaris said, "Three days. Within the three days, I'll put you through hell." 

"And it'll be painful."