"Is that something you would actually do...help 'make' elven children so strong?" (Alto)
Her eyes pierce into mine with a sudden intensity, as if she's searching them for something, and her tone carries a clear edge of apprehension.
I can't help but raise my eyebrows at her question.
"Uhm...I mean, I hadn't really thought it through, I was just speaking theoretically. But I'd be lying if I said I thought it was a simple issue. Based on that uncharacteristically un-cute look on your face, can I assume that you don't approve of the idea?" (Mizuki)
Alto's expression becomes solemn.
"No, I most certainly do not. Even if it worked perfectly, without health risks, you'd still be dooming those children to a life of immense expectations from my people. They'd be constantly raised for some destiny they had no part in deciding, unable to live on their own terms." (Alto)
I guess...I hadn't really thought of it from that angle. The first concerns that came to my mind were imbalances in global power, potential repercussions from Azazel, and the more abstract moral question of whether it qualifies as eugenics. But Alto has a point as well...while such children would be too powerful to be actual puppets, they'd be slaves of another kind, prisoners to duty and guilt. Yet, I can't help but wonder why that's the point of concern that she's decided to focus on.
I raise my hands in a conciliatory gesture.
"Well, I won't do it then. I mean, I had my own concerns about it as well, it was just talk. Plus, you should know that I'd never do something like that if you weren't on board with it." (Mizuki)
Alto's expression softens.
"I know...I appreciate that." (Alto)
I give her a small smile.
"Great. Still up for our little research project, then?" (Mizuki)
Alto smirks.
"Don't you mean my research project? I'll be doing all the work, it seems." (Alto)
I have to fight the urge to laugh at her. One of these days, I'm going to have to explain how principal investigators get all the credit. But today...
I nod.
"Right, my mistake. Still up for your research project?" (Mizuki)
Alto's lips twist into a warm smile and she nods.
"Certainly...I'll take care of it while you're away." (Alto)
Just like that, Alto's first independent research assignment was decided, and I took my first step towards understanding the reason for my abilities.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
Half an hour later...
"What exactly are you doing?" (Alto)
I glance up from my seated position on the ground to see a puzzled-looking Alto staring at me. I give her a small smirk.
"Practicing my magic, of course. Wasn't that what we just agreed to do?" (Mizuki)
Alto frowns.
"You know that's not what I'm asking. As far as I can tell, you've spent thirty minutes staring into space and waving your hands in the air...no obvious spells. What, specifically, are you practicing?" (Alto)
My smirk deepens.
"Fufufu...specifically, I'm practicing forcefields." (Mizuki)
Alto narrows her eyes.
"Are you mocking me? I'm quite sure you've mastered those." (Alto)
I give her a wry grin and shake my head.
I focus on the space between us, carefully visualizing the details of what I need, then I will my magic to act accordingly. After a moment, a white barrier shimmers into existence.
"Here...tell me what you feel." (Mizuki)
She raises her eyebrows, then steps forward with her hand out. She gently places her hand against my barrier, running her hand over its surface. She gives me a curious look.
"It's...not slippery like they usually are. It feels almost like a stone wall. There's roughness against my hand." (Alto)
I nod.
Normally, my magic forcefields are frictionless because I visualize them as perfectly flat surfaces, but this one is different. All I have to do is visualize microscopic, uniform nodules or dimples along the forcefield surface, and voila – friction.
However, this isn't something new for me. I've been doing it for some time now, whenever I need a forcefield with friction. A good example is when I make forcefields that I want people to stand on safely. So, that's not what I've been practicing here today...
"Good catch, but there's something more interesting about it. Try pressing on it." (Mizuki)
Alto returns an expectant gaze to the white barrier, then slowly presses her hand forward. As she does, the white barrier seems to stretch and contort under her hand, as though she's pressing into a trampoline. Alto's eyes widen in shock, before darting back to me.
"It-...it's stretchy! How are you doing that!?" (Alto)
Indeed...that's what I've been so fixated on. I've been trying to give my forcefields more flexibility, to expand their potential functions. The problem is that I have to visualize the molecular properties that give normal matter 'stretchiness', and apply it to magic, while also only keeping a portion of the magic stationary relative to another object. Or at least, that's what I assumed, until I thought of an easier way.
If I imagine the particles of magic having both attractive and repulsive forces on one another, but with different rates of decay over distance, the individual particles behave like they're in an energetic well and the forcefield structure gains elasticity. It's like a simplified Lennard-Jones potential. Of course, I had to empirically 'feel out' what the magnitudes of the forces and orders of the decay constants should be for different applications, but the past half hour has been very productive on that front. I have to say, I'm quite happy with the results.
I give Alto a smug grin.
"Yeahhh, I'm pretty cool. As for how it's done, well...that's a long explanation. Honestly, with how we've been neglecting your math lessons in favor of physical sciences, it's probably a premature discussion." (Mizuki)
Alto pushes her bottom lip out, and her sapphire eyes stare into mine accusingly.
"You can't just tease me like that, Mizuki." (Alto)
I blink.
Is she...pouting!?
"I'm not teasing you. We can talk about it, just as soon as you get better at math." (Mizuki)
She instantly frowns, then glances away annoyedly.
"Math lessons are boring..." (Alto)
It's not the first time she's expressed those sentiments. In our prior 'research' sessions, I've broached the subject of incorporating more math and biology. After all, biology will be absolutely essential for her performing any alteration-type true magic spells, and math has its uses, too. Yet, she's been adamantly focused on physics and chemistry. Honestly, a little bit of me dies inside every time she reaffirms this inexplicable aversion to the beautiful subject of mathematics.
I give her a pained look.
"Math is fundamental to everything...and it's not boring! Besides, if you hate it so much, why did you agree to oversee this research project? That's mostly math, you know..." (Mizuki)
She scoffs.
"That's different...it has a purpose. It's not just meaningless number exercises." (Alto)
My eye twitches.
The only thing I teach her is applied math! It's not like I'm making her do proofs! What does she mean it's meaningless!?
I take a deep, steadying breath.
"Well, until you can do those 'meaningless number exercises', you can't manipulate forcefields like this." (Mizuki)
Alto gives me a long, disapproving stare in silence, but I don't break eye contact. After a few moments, she frowns.
"Fine. What about how you colored the forcefield white this time? You told me that white light is just a mix of all the other colors in this 'visible spectrum', but every time I've tried to make a magic barrier that reflects all that light, it turns out...wrong." (Alto)
To make her point, she raises her hand and focuses on the air next to us. After a moment, something that I can only describe as a perfectly circular mirror appears, poetically reflecting Alto's frustrated expression on its surface.
A wry smile finds its way onto my face. I raise my hands and clap them teasingly.
"Nice mirror. You look very cute in it, but isn't it a little vain to summon one just to admire yourself?" (Mizuki)
Her expression sours further.
"Are you going to say something helpful, or do I need to tell Ilina you were flirting with me?" (Alto)
We stare at one another in silence for several seconds, then I cough nervously.
"Ehem...your problem is that the natural light around us that you're reflecting isn't a mix of all the colors in the visible spectrum. After all, you're not seeing pure white around us right now, are you? To make the surface of your magic barrier white, you need to mix those different wavelengths of light as you reflect them." (Mizuki)
Realization dawns on Alto's face, before her brow inevitably furrows.
"Okay...how am I supposed to mix light, though?" (Alto)
I nod knowingly.
"Instead of visualizing the surface of your barrier as flat, visualize it as being covered in imperceptibly tiny bumps. It will scatter the reflected light randomly and mix it." (Mizuki)
She raises her eyebrows thoughtfully, then returns her attention to her mirrored barrier. Her brows furrow in concentration, and the barrier slowly morphs into a white surface. Alto's face is quickly overtaken by a beaming smile, and her excited gaze shifts back to me.
"It worked!" (Alto)
I smile.
"Naturally." (Mizuki)
A curious glint takes root in her eyes.
"While we're here...how do you change how bright it is? How transparent?" (Alto)
I sigh.
She's really got a lot of questions about light manipulation today, doesn't she?
"That's slightly more complicated. Essentially, visualize your magic barrier as being made of some kind of small, repeating unit, like a square, and imagine that repeating unit being composed of multiple segments, like triangles. Then, all you have to do is selectively make some of those segments reflect light. The less segments, the less bright and more transparent the barrier will appear." (Mizuki)
Once again, Alto eagerly returns her attention to her barrier. Several minutes of furrowed brows and murmuring ensue, and eventually, I decide that she'll be distracted for long enough that I can return to my own experimentation. Other than my forcefields, there's one other type of spell I want to work on improving.
It's time for me to upgrade my magic sense.