"Okay, okay. You're done? Good, this might take a while!" Wanxi seemed incredibly hurried as she tidied up the room, quickly making a suitable space for Bie to sit in the center of the floor. The boy set his plate aside, thinking about putting it back in the reception area but unable to because of the excitement he was feeling.
Of course, it came off as rather subdued, but the excitement was there, nonetheless. Sitting down where Wanxi emphatically gestured, he quickly crossed his legs and awaited further instruction.
"Okay, so we can do this in two ways. The first is where I explain, and the second is where I forcefully rouse your Component into action...is what I would say if I was going to do anything BUT the first. The second is way too dangerous, especially since I'm inexperienced...hehe."
"So, mentor Frie did it the second way for you, huh?" Wanxi's smile became sheepish as it was the laughter stuck to her throat, but she quickly shook her head, redoubling her focus.
"Quiet! Now, please tell me what your Component is."
"You told me to be quiet, though?" Bie's eyes revealed a mischievous glint, strands of his hair of both colors curling upwards as he put on an innocent expression. Wanxi rolled her eyes before catching a glimpse of his face, blushing as the naive look seemed to further exacerbate his beauty. Waving herself down with both hands, she pretended as if it was feeling hot and decided to maintain her lecturing posture.
"Component, please!"
"Shouldn't it be obvious?"
"Oh, is it holy?"
"No, it's ephemeral."
"..."
"I mean, technically my race is an undead, so I don't know why holy would be your first thought..."
'Because when I look at you it seems as if you're surrounded in a halo, sometimes. Nice to know you just do that, I guess...ethereal does fit you when I think about it.' Wanxi thought to herself, her face serious as she rested her chin on her hand. As if she had suddenly realized something, her face brightened up, and she began speaking once more.
"So it's unlikely to be volatile. That makes this easier...okay! So, magic, in the simplest of terms, is a language. Firstly is the mind, which has to be able to comprehend and picture a will to communicate. Next is the form, which our Ink takes because it understands us very well. Third is the word, which beckons the Component and allows it to entwine itself with the form."
"Lastly is the work, also known as casting, which brings about the effect as well as drains energy. Components are like our Ink, in that they can become exhausted and replenish with time as well. Though they're different in the way that they're...kind of like people? They can understand orders and choose to be uncooperative as possible, despite the fact that they are technically a part of you and belong under your control. Think of it as being unable to control your mind when it's sleeping, it reacts off of the subconscious, or...honestly, I forgot! Ehehe..."
Wanxi rubbed the back of her extremely pale purple hair, while Bie's overall bearing was quite studious. He calmly closed his eyes as he repeated all that she said several times in seconds, before his topaz yellow orbs were filled with a sense of understanding.
Inside his Inner World, the flickering orbs that were smaller and less pronounced than the Remnants seemed to coo with joy. The ephemeral spheres began dancing, their colorless whiteness revealing a tinge of blue on the outline as they seemed to rush for the Inkwell.
Outside, spherical particles with blue outlines and flickering white insides emerged from Bie's body. He thought back onto the few times he had seen magic, and the particles seemed to nod as they danced around him.
Suddenly, three figures emerged beside him, one wrapping her arms around his shoulders, the other laying a hand on his left shoulder, and the last swaying and dancing before him. Wanxi gasped in shock, and Bie's eyes suffused a blue glow!
The phantasmic apparitions appeared as humanoid figures with beautiful faces and serene expressions. Of the three, one was masculine, one was feminine, and one seemed to change from both to neither with each spin of it's ballet dance. Bie felt as if they were waiting for his orders, a growing restlessness in the particles communicated their eagerness to serve, and so he gave them an order.
"Gather, and form a Pill." His fingertip stood stalwart and alone on his hand, and the apparitions quickly assembled and heeded his command. They shrank, one disappearing completely into particles as it became pure energy that enveloped the tip of his finger. The two others shrank even further, revolving around the spherical ball that was forming on the tip of his digit as they reached out towards each other, releasing a pale blue glow as they formed a sigil, a translucent disc faintly covering them as well.
As the pill settled, Bie flicked it, and it swiftly crashed into the wall. A coldness filled the room as whispers seemed to pass the two Guides by, the boy hearing kindness and the girl hearing sorrow. Hurriedly covering her ears, she turned to Bie with a look of amazement.
"You didn't put much Ink into that thing...and...you did a perfect Manifest?? I'm still struggling with that...you must have such high affinity..."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Bie asked, taking in the sensation of casting as his energy settled. Though some of it seemed to surge towards his heart, his body releasing a dim glow most noticeably pronounced on his chest. Particles surrounded it and formed a circle, before a small explosion rocked the inside of Bie's chest and caused the unprepared Guide to spit up some blood.
"Oh, they even got rid of some stoppage for you...how nice of them. Congratulations, you're now a Circle One Caster! Oh, and Manifest is technically a spell where you directly command the Component to do something, but people usually choose not to do it. It's a lot more straining energy and mind wise than giving it a "name.""
"Oh, is that what you do when you say Ram Lend?"
"Yep! Ram is the name of thunder and lightning, and Lend is the form. Names give things a shape and form, so spells are generally completed by naming the subject and then naming the command. The Component then goes with whatever dormant intent, will, or thought is lying in your head. It should be communicating it's name with you shortly...make sure you listen!"
{...Ya.} Multiple voices uttered this all at once as the Component orbs glowed and dimmed in succession. Bie nodded, making sure to remember it, and noting that the spell he casted earlier did seem manually controlled, to an extent. It also gave him a dull headache, though he felt as if the pressure he was supposed to receive was somewhat alleviated.
"Hmm...Ya. Simplistic, but appealing..." He muttered to himself, his lips forming a small smile. With a relaxedly exuberant countenance, he looked back at Wanxi, who was still processing what had just happened.
"What does it mean to be a Circle One, and how do I go up a circle?"
"Wellll...I only know up Circle Five. One requires mastery over one spell, two requires two, three requires four, which is where I am, four requires eight, and five requires both sixteen and approval of a Component. It's important to decide which Component makes the circle, because it's an easy way to raise affinity and its power without giving it something additional. You'll have to coddle your other Components to make up for the bonus your main Component gets, basically."
"Hmm. So if I learn more "names", and study them to the point of full understanding, I'll be able to get to at least Circle Five. Thanks for your help, Wanxi~" Bie flashed a resplendent smile, sending the War-Mer's heart aflutter. With that, he got up, picked up his plate, and left, mulling over the concept of names in his mind.
'A name gives it a form and purpose, huh...are those Remnants any different?'
--
Casmere returned, his four charges following behind them as they left the city. They had just left for the Violet House, soon arriving before it as hours bled by and the sun bleakly aimed a ray through the thick clouds.