"That is...difficult to imagine...and incredible." (Alto)
Alto, now recovered from the scare of my little spell cancellation experiment, is sitting on the ground across from me, her brows furrowed in thought. She seemed more than a little thrown by my theories about the connection between magic and consciousness. She was also quite incredulous about my new magic domain and spell cancellation abilities.
I shrug at her.
"If we're talking about the whole, 'magic is a medium for consciousness' thing, then I agree it's kind of hard to accept, and even harder to understand. But if we're talking about my magic domain and spell cancellation techniques – they're fundamentally quite simple, though that doesn't mean it's easy to use them. The sensory input alone is nearly overwhelming, and I actually doubt that you have enough magic to use either technique on a practical scale. Still, the spells are very real." (Mizuki)
She stares at me in thoughtful silence for several moments.
"You can really sense spell casting? Even if it was me, without a cue or incantation?" (Alto)
I nod, and Alto's brow furrows.
"Can you show me? But...I don't want another experience of having my spell destroyed." (Alto)
I have to fight the urge to roll my eyes. So, I just nod again.
"Sure...how about this? I'll close my eyes, and whenever you're ready, try probing my power level with magic sense. I won't interfere with it, but I'll tell you when you've started using your spell." (Mizuki)
Alto's eyes light up curiously, her interest clearly piqued. She nods approvingly. I smile at her confidently, then close my eyes and re-activate my magic domain.
"Alright then...I'm ready when you are." (Mizuki)
For a few moments, nothing happens. Then, I sense magic snaking out of Alto's core. Contrary to my expectations, though, the magic doesn't leave her body and start arranging itself into a magic sense grid. Instead, it seems to move to her skin and coat her entire body.
What the hell?
For a few seconds, I'm confused, but then I realize what's going on. I can't help but smirk.
"Is that an invisibility spell? I'm guessing...to test how precise my ability to detect spells is, while also removing any visual cues for magic sense that I could use to cheat. Well, that's quite clever of you, even if it hurts my pride a bit." (Mizuki)
Alto doesn't bother responding. Instead, my words hang in the air between us, and the silence seems to stretch on without further actions on her part. After several minutes, she still hasn't done anything, and I'm bored enough to contemplate admonishing her. Just when I'm about to speak, though, I notice her magic core stir again. This time, I'm greeted by the 'sight' of magic tendrils spilling out from her body and arranging themselves into a sparse 2D grid that's all too familiar to me.
I can see the magic grid passing through the center of my magic domain's perception bubble, where my body is presumably located. Naturally, since my magic domain is only tuned to respond to foreign magic, my own body and magic power is invisible to me. This saves me from a potentially disorienting out-of-body experience, thankfully.
I let out a small, cocky chuckle as Alto unleashes her magic sense.
"Finally...it sure took you long enough." (Mizuki)
I open my eyes and give Alto a knowing smirk. However, she seems oblivious to my taunt, and she's instead wearing a very troubled expression. I raise my eyebrows.
"What now?" (Mizuki)
Alto's eyes move to study me in silence for several seconds, her troubled demeanor unfading.
"You didn't block my spell or anything, right?" (Alto)
I give her a puzzled look.
"No? Of course not, I promised you that I wouldn't." (Mizuki)
Inexplicably, my reassurance only causes her to frown, her expression becoming even more troubled. Her eyes meet mine, and they almost seem filled with...concern?
"Mizuki, are you...feeling okay?" (Alto)
I narrow my eyes, my expression no doubt bewildered.
Where the hell is this going?
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" (Mizuki)
Actually, if anything, I feel better than normal. I mean, my new normal. Gaining magic on Azura has done wonders for my stamina and health in general, but I've felt especially great in recent weeks, which I attribute to residual improvements in my physique from my Dragon Bond with Nina. It was a big change, after all, so I'm sure it takes time for me to get used to.
Despite my incredulity, Alto just stares back at me in silence for several seconds, a thoughtful air about her. Eventually, she gives me a small smile that somehow feels a little forced.
"Never mind...it's nothing. Your new spell is very impressive. I thought for sure that I'd be able to trick you, but it seems I was wrong." (Alto)
I'm briefly confused by the almost evasive, ingratiating nature of her response, but I quickly dismiss it. In addition to dropping some pretty heavy magical revelations on us both, I did also just put her through a mildly traumatic experience in the process. Weird behavior from either of us wouldn't be out of place.
I give her an appreciative smile.
"I'm glad, I was starting to worry that nothing impresses you anymore." (Mizuki)
With that, the topic of discussion swiftly and seamlessly changes back to the upcoming research project, at Alto's behest. We spend another hour discussing it, with me answering all of Alto's questions about the methodology and the theory behind the statistics. We also discuss how she should frame the request for access to the data when approaching Elira, and how helpful Ilina could be in that endeavor. Amidst the discussion, Alto also sprinkles in several more questions about light theory with respect to her spells, as well as her guesses about how I made the lightblade earlier today.
Though I don't think much of it in the moment, I'm vaguely aware that Alto's disposition is more muted, lacking her typical zeal while discussing research. She seems distracted, as though heavier thoughts weigh on her mind. Alas, any deeper meaning to this behavior goes unnoticed by me.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
Alyse collapses backwards onto the bed in her guest room, her eyes staring up at the ceiling vacantly. She stays like that for several minutes, unmoving. Then, she absentmindedly pulls her new lightblade from her belt and holds it up to inspect. Her eyes study it with a glint of awe as her thoughts wander to the events of the day.
'What exactly have I gotten myself into here...'
Almost nothing about this day has gone the way she expected it to. From her interactions with Alto and the shockingly un-aggressive dynamic with Alara, to the sword fight with Zara and the welcoming meeting with Mizuki. Not a single one of them is quite what she imagined. Well, except for Nedonera. She seemed as distractedly uninterested as usual.
Alyse lets out a deep, regretful sigh as she sets the lightblade down beside her on the bed, her interest in it slightly dulling as she remembers how she received it. Contrary to Mizuki's inferences at the time, she was never disappointed to hear he'd be gifting her a sword, per se. In fact, it's a testament to how much she loves the gift that she showed any excitement at all at the time.
The reason for her reservations is something he'd have no way of knowing. The thing she'd like from Mizuki, more than anything else, is for her brother to gain the ability to use magic. She'd been resolved to earn such a favor from him through her own contributions to his group, but she can only see receiving this lightblade as a setback. It's like, before she even got the chance to prove herself, he's preemptively paid off any favor she could earn.
Yet, it's not like she could decline the blade outright, and asking for something else would be immensely ungrateful. After all, the gift was clearly tailored just for her, and it really was very thoughtful.
Alas, that's not the only reason that her memory of obtaining the lightblade is tainted. Her eyes move to the empty space in her double scabbard where her own sword used to reside...before it was broken in Mizuki's little demonstration. At his behest, she left the remnants of it with Mizuki to have it repaired, but she can't help but wonder if such a repair will be possible without practically remaking the sword.
She thought he'd have some secret Nephilim ability to do it, but he was quite embarrassed when she suggested so, and he was quick to admit that restoring it with magic would be 'surprisingly complicated'. So, her sword's repair has been left in the hands of Percivil, the dwarf she's heard about. All she can do is hope that he's capable of fixing it, because as far as she knows, that's not something an elven blacksmith could do.
That sword is the one she's had longest of her two blades – over a millennia – and her sentimental attachment to it goes well beyond what one would normally expect. The only reason she's put so much effort into making sure it lasted that long is because it's part of a duplicate set of blades...and her brother has its twin. It was a gift from him – a kind of promise that he'd one day be her equal with the sword. While she finds that idea ridiculous, since the only reason he's not already her better is his lack of physical enhancement affinity, she's always treasured the brotherly devotion it represented.
So, even though she knew the sword wouldn't last forever, it still hurts to potentially lose it.
She shakes her head lightly, trying to banish the thought.
'No, at the very least, I'm sure that Percivil can piece it back together. Even if it can't withstand being used anymore, I can still have it as a keepsake from my brother. That's what's important...'
With that little bit of reassurance, her thoughts drift to the other surprises of the day. She feels her heart quicken a bit as she remembers her clash with Zara, her lips involuntarily twisting into a crazed grin.
'I haven't gotten that riled up in so long. I was a little skeptical at first, but she's the real deal...and she's not even two decades old. In a few centuries-...no, just a few decades, will I even be able to beat her anymore?'
As she allows herself to imagine what it'd be like to fight a more seasoned Zara, holding nothing back, she can't help but feel anticipation thrum through her veins. But just as quickly, her heart constricts, a sobering realization dashing her hopes.
'Right...she'll only live another five or six decades, if things go well. And in just two decades, she'll already be past her prime. We'll never have that battle...'
The thought pushes her into a state of melancholy that catches her off guard.
As a high-elf, she's used to dealing with premature loss...they live ten times longer than normal elves, after all. In addition, they retain their youth much better. While an elf at the end of their natural lifespan will look and feel like a human in their late 50s, a high elf won't look past their mid-30s.
Still, even normal elves are far more long-lived than humans and demi-humans, aging at about a twentieth of the rate. There's enough to time to appreciate their existences. To love them, even. She's had her fair share of lovers that she's had to watch grow older and die, and while it wasn't pleasant, she at least had enough time to come to terms with their mortality.
By comparison, five decades is the blink of an eye to her...to realize that Zara might not even exist anymore in that amount of time is jarring.
As she contemplates the drawbacks of her own longevity, a certain sapphire-eyed blonde elf flashes through her mind, filling her with a mix of conflicting emotions.