Private Finished Extracurriculars and Extraplanars

foggydoggy · Apr 21, 2020

It took a few tries, but sure enough, there were a few successful attempts there. The paper would light up for a few moments before dying again, which was a perfectly acceptable result. Naturally, had she been able to perform magic herself, it would have been much cleaner and faster, but that question was moot and academic at this point.

"You can learn to do it with your eyes open. A matter of getting used to it. I suggest you try and open your eyes as you do it so you can see the light you're making."

She kept Michi on the light rune for now, as it was the simplest and the easiest she had prepared, just so that the girl would know the sensation of evoking magic. Most people she knew felt a rush within the first time they ever accessed magic, and even if Michi didn't feel it, it was always good to see the results of one's efforts.

"Eventually, you'll see the weave without relying on my cocktail of fumes."

Hyper · Apr 27, 2020

Michi had lost count of how many times she'd traced the lines on the paper after the 4th try, choosing to focus on what was more important at the moment than counting her failed attempts at magic. It wouldn't hurt to say she was frustrated, but she didn't want Adelaida to hear that, and yet it was really frustrating that she could barely keep the light for longer. This wasn't the first time she'd worked with magic symbols, but this only gave her some sort of realization that maybe she really didn't contribute a lot during that particular ritual. When her thoughts drifted to the memory, Michi heard a loud buzz in her head, almost like a small reminder for her not to let her mind wander off. Adelaida could have easily seen her flinch. Focus, Michi told herself. She let out a huff. If she could barely do this with the 'cocktail of fumes' Adelaida had ready for her, then she would be highly disappointed with herself. Michi stared at the paper intently, and for the nth time, tried tracing the rune all over again, hoping the light would hold out longer.

a song from beyond

foggydoggy · Apr 27, 2020

"It's okay if it doesn't hold out as long as you're expecting. Normally, it takes days to even get used to the flow of magic."

Adelaida was likely dealing with someone with talent here. Then again, she did perform a ritual that marked her soul permanently, and even with instruction, those tended to be hard to do. Adelaida herself had difficulty setting up the Invocation of Flame after all.

She switched a little more to the teacher role that she had unexpectedly been saddled with. "The flow of magic is the first lesson, and has many branches, but we'll stick to the basics. Tracing runes is the most flexible of its applications, because the effect can be changed as you like, depending on how well you learn to create and evoke the patterns. But even without patterns, it's possible to learn ways to improve your health, reduce fatigue, and create explosions."

There was something she wasn't saying, mostly because she had no way to confirm it. But to Adelaida, the traditional manipulation of magic was a euphoric, even addictive force. It was what pushed her to even attempt the Invocation to begin with - the more complex and grand the magic, the greater the rush it held. No one else in her family ever admitted to feeling the same however, so she never knew if it was just her.

Hyper · Apr 30, 2020

Michi paused from her sad, sad attempts at magic to turn to Adelaida as she spoke, trying to understand the words her mentor was telling her. It was a little reassuring, if what Michi understood what Adelaida meant, that maybe she was actually doing better than what was considered 'normal.' So maybe she wasn't setting herself up for failure after all. With that, Michi looked back at the scrap of paper with renewed vigor. Holding up her hand, she traced the rune, carefully visualizing the flow of magic with every stroke. Once complete, the paper lit up, as it did in a few of her previous attempts. The light pulsed, as if struggling to keep itself alive with Michi trying to focus it all on that one attempt. A few pulses later, the paper suddenly burst into flames, prompting Michi to let go of the paper before it fell to the ground in ashes. Michi stared at it in disbelief before looking at her mentor. "Um. That's... is that supposed to happen...?"

a song from beyond

foggydoggy · May 1, 2020

"Huh. That indicates an overflow of magic. I didn't think you'd exceed my own magic capacity this much, so I hadn't prepared more durable runes. I guess we're transitioning right into output control."

Adelaida glowed with pride. She always liked it when there were advancements to be made with regards to magic, and Michi showed so much potential that it wasn't unlikely for her to reach the same heights Adelaida did in her time.

She gave Michi a gentle pat on the head, filled with pride. "My own magical capacity isn't too much, but my control is top notch. We'll have you learn that control too, so don't worry. When you're regulating output, watch the lines... you can make them thinner. The thinner they are, the more control you'll have and the more precise it is. It takes a bit of getting used to, adjusting the amount of power you put out, and you might feel a bit woozy or light-headed for a while. But it's essential, considering how you eclipse me in terms of magical power."

Hyper · May 1, 2020

Overflow of magic? Michi echoed in her thoughts. By the look on Adelaida's face, Michi couldn't think that that was possibly a bad thing that she was able to smile back, though rather meekly. She stared at the ashes for a moment supposing she's going somewhere with magic if that could easily happen. Her attention snapped back to Adelaida as she was pat on the head, listening to her instruction. Right as Michi tried to speak, her voice came out hoarse for a bit, as if she had an impending cough, but even after pausing nothing came of it. Thinking it was nothing, she simply cleared her throat. "Uh. I feel relieved to have met your expectations...?" Michi began, laughing meekly to hide the layer of self-doubt. "So when you say 'a bit woozy', to what scale of lightheadedness are we talking? Because I'm not that fond of being dizzy and/or feeling sick."

a song from beyond

foggydoggy · May 1, 2020

"Have you ever had or heard of a runner's high? It's kind of like that. Unless you overexert yourself, it's typically just a light tingling. I personally liked and miss feeling it, but not everyone's like me."

Adelaida missed weaving complex spells. Only part of it was her missing the high that came along with it. She also missed being able to focus that hard on something, to the point of the world disappearing. It was harder to do now that she only had one school of magic available to her.

She rolled up one sleeve and let fire flow trace a line down it. It began thick, and she let the orange fire narrow and thin until it was the size of her veins. "When you're trying to control your output, it should be visually something like this. The more proficient you are with it, the faster and more precisely you can narrow it, and the more you can get to start it at the right size."

Hyper · May 5, 2020

Michi fell into thought. A runner's high, huh? Michi couldn't draw a moment in her memory she felt the same -- maybe those few stage performances she had but they were but vague memories now. She nodded nonetheless, with partial understanding. Maybe she'll understand later. Adelaida gave her a visual example, though half her attention was caught by the fire as it burst into view, before thinning down. She was mildly distracted, the dull whispers of her head immersing her into the moment until she remembered where she was. She nearly missed Adelaida's explanation too. Again, Michi nodded, noting the thin lines on Adelaida's arm. Considering, she didn't even know what happened earlier, she wasn't exactly getting how the 'output' would come so differently. "So about.. visualizing? Is it possible to visualize differently? Other than lines?"

a song from beyond

foggydoggy · May 5, 2020

"It's possible to perceive it closer to its true form, which is like water, but it's a lot harder to organize that into the patterns that require magic. It's like trying to do one of those puzzles where you guide a ball through a maze. Or you can try to be like me and skip straight to the end pattern, but that's difficult and if you mess up the visualization even a little and invoke it like that, you'll be casting unknown spells."

Adelaida preferred that Michi would stick to the line model, proven by time. It was typically the easiest and simplest of modes, and the one that lent itself best to taking things slowly and precisely. Her own style was a lot riskier and relied heavily on Adelaida's years and years of study that gave her knowledge of the shapes.

"I'm trying to teach you the basic line method because for beginners, it's the safest. The spell doesn't invoke until you completely close the shapes. I trust your magical potential. I just want to make sure you learn to use it properly," Adelaida explained. She knew many people with more raw magic than her, and yet far less control. Magic, the way she understood it, was always about control. She did not want Michi's immense potential to go to waste by skipping the steps.

Hyper · May 6, 2020

"Water, huh?" Michi mumbled, mostly to herself. Well, with that context, the line visual made some more sense than earlier. Seeing Adelaida sample it with her fire gave her a funky idea to visualize it that way but she supposes the water logic made more sense. "Fair enough," Michi responded with some semblance of finality. At least from the sound of it, she wasn't going to question further. She couldn't really question Adelaida's logic anyway, but it was probably worth asking. While she was quite flattered at Adelaida saying she trusted in her potential, Michi couldn't help but wonder how far she can actually go. She looked at her own hands, visualizing the lines of magic floating around them. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but after earlier's 'blunder', some of the lines seemed to look like they looked thicker in some parts. Michi took a deep breath before turning to Adelaida once more. "Okay. So what do I do right now?"

a song from beyond

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