"Yes."
"..."
"Whaaaaaat? I thought I heard wrong." Grallu trilled dumbly, disbelief gradually spreading across her face.
"I said yes." Ikaris reiterated with a laid-back attitude. He never had any intention of giving up.
On Earth, he was a prodigy like none other. He had always been a fast learner and had naturally turned to invention and research when he grew up. He was one of those people who succeeded in everything he undertook if he put his heart and soul into it.
Anyway, living old had little appeal to him at this point. Even the untalented shaman with limited means and knowledge had managed to live for 46 years. She claimed that the other villagers would not live much longer than her because of their Spark, but was that the only reason?
The frequent blood donations, their deficient nutrition, their questionable hygiene and unsanitary living environment, their non-existent medical equipment and facilities... If one included all the other factors, one could paint a very different picture.
Furthermore, had the shaman really devoted all her energy to resist the radiation of her Divine Spark as she claimed? At the very least, she had been using her magic every morning to impart the local language to captured Otherworlders.
Malia was equally stunned, but inwardly she couldn't help but feel sorry for the teenager. Once he realized the difficulty, would he be able to keep the same single-minded expression?
"M-me too I want to learn magic!" A high-pitched voice suddenly stammered beside them.
Turning his head, Ikaris saw the weeping girl on her knees, her hands clasped in supplication. Apparently she had been awake for a while.
Her chest was squeezed together by her tucked-in elbows, making the boy suddenly realize that he too had been naked since the beginning of the discussion. Realizing that he was sitting cross-legged awkwardly in front of Malia and Grallu, he felt ashamed and clenched his teeth to stifle the feeling of humiliation.
"P-please! I'll study hard! I may not look like it, but I have the best grades in my class at the university." The young woman whined.
Ikaris remembered her name was Ellie, he had heard it the day before during the ritual. She was quite cute, a lovely blonde like you can find anywhere in Europe or the United States, but not so pretty that she would turn every man's head. What she had going for her was her cuteness and a mixture of vulnerability and innocence that made men eager to protect her. Many men were receptive to these characteristics.
But not Ikaris. This kind of people were the most insecure and easily swayed, the ones who depended on others to subsist, but also the ones most likely to betray others and their own values when fear overcame reason and dignity. On this hostile planet, she was just a burden.
Malia and Grallu assessed her with a squinting, slightly disdainful look, but eventually the shaman nodded and repeated what she had told the teenager.
"I-I still want to learn magic." She declared with slight hesitation at first, but more firmly at the end.
The root of her determination was not nearly as pure as Ikaris'. The horror of last night had simply terrorized her. She never again wanted to experience such helplessness. Of course, Ikaris shared that sentiment, but it was the boundless potential of magic that appealed to him more than the power that might come with it.
Seeing that both survivors from last night would not change their minds, the old shaman growled,
"Very well. Let's get started then. The first step is to reach out to your Spark. Close your eyes, breathe in and out slowly, focus on your breath, and when you are free of distractions turn your gaze to your inner world and try to feel that presence calling to you and let that feeling grow. If you don't feel anything then-"
"Done." Ikaris said, his eyes still wide open.
"What?!" The old Grally yelped in shock, narrowly averting a heart attack.
Malia was calmer, but it was clear from her tight lips that she didn't believe it either. Ellie suddenly felt herself lagging behind, and out of competitive spirit she closed her eyes and concentrated like never before as she tried to find her own Spark.
"Are you sure about what you just said?" Malia checked coldly. "If you're lying, we'll find out very easily."
"I have no reason to lie." Ikaris shook his head. "I don't know if my Spark is considered big or small, but even though I can't see it when I close my eyes, it hogs my attention no matter what I do, distracting me against my will. As soon as I focus on it, it grows quickly and I lose track of time. It absorbs me."
"You..." Grallu's face was livid as if she had just seen a ghost.
Malia was less obvious, but she was just as shaken. Just now, she couldn't resist using her own Divine Spark to make sure he wasn't lying. Presently a strange glint flitted behind her pupils, almost as if she had just thought of something.
Finally, after gathering her bearings, the shaman said in a husky voice,
"If you're telling the truth, we'll find out very soon if your Spark is big or small after you cast a spell. We'll wait a bit first to give Ellie a chance to impress us too."
In the end, the petite blonde surprised them as well. About 30min later, keeping her eyes closed she announced,
"I can feel it!"
Grallu showed a slight disbelief, but a delighted... and toothless smile lit up her face right after. Malia was also amazed. Ellie's talent was quite decent.
It should be known that in the village there were adults who had wasted years before they could cast a spell properly. Their initial attention span and focusing skills were just too mediocre.
"Good! Now, you will cast a very simple spell that is commonly called the Black Veil. The goal is very simple, simply wish to replace what the target of your choice sees with black, as if you had placed a blindfold on their eyes. Experience has proven that this is a spell that costs next to no stamina and it's relatively safe."
" And most importantly, don't wish for everything to go black in a certain area or at your level you will die." Malia warned them. "Intent is important. If your Spark interprets your wish as everything the person sees must become black, it can literally be understood as anything in that person's field of vision will become a black object forever, similar to pouring a can of permanent black paint on them. Always keep in mind, at least subconsciously, an idea of how long your spell should last or you will die. As a rule, avoid absolute wishes such as I want to be strong, and instead prefer I want to be stronger, or I would like to become stronger."
The village chief's words of advice were sensible and Ellie thanked her profusely or she would surely have made one of those mistakes. As for Ikaris, he nodded quietly, but he had already come to such a conclusion after his two blackouts the day before.
If he had formulated the wish to instantly heal all his wounds, he would have died. Without realizing it, he had just hoped to heal faster and be in a little less pain, because his rational mind knew that an instant recovery was impossible.
"Are there any factors that can improve the spell's odds of success and effectiveness?" Ikaris asked before attempting to cast this Black Veil. "You mentioned emotional charge and visualization earlier."
Grallu and Malia exchanged another look, both reading their own astonishment in the other's eyes.
"Visualization and understanding are important." The shaman explained patiently, starting to realize that she was not looking at an ordinary boy. "If you can visualize this Black Veil clearly, the spell will be more powerful and true to your expectations. As for the emotional charge, emotions, feelings and moods also affect the power of your spells. Strong anger, blissful serenity, passionate desire, or overwhelming fear can all multiply the power of your spells at the right time."
"Okay, I'll try." Ikaris nodded.
He closed his eyes, letting his eyelids provide the darkness he needed to visualize this Black Veil and its target. A clear image of Malia losing her sight appeared in his mind. Then three seconds later, he turned his attention back to his Spark whose presence he could feel at all times and whispered,
"I'm ready. Who should I target?"
Grallu and Malia had begun to grow numb to his monstrous talent and the old shaman simply replied,
"Try me."
"Don-"
Thud.
Ikaris immediately flopped face down on the ground, his wobbly legs momentarily failing to carry him. He immediately ended the spell to avoid more severe consequences. Lying face down on the floor and still unable to move, he inquired with concern,
"Did the spell work?
" ... "
The two women stood silent, but dread and hope simultaneously filled the shaman's face. For half a second, she had lost her sight, as if a thick blindfold had been tied over her eyes. Malia immediately understood what had happened when she saw the old woman's reaction.
'What a monstrous mind...'
So this was what they called talent. They didn't have the concept of IQ in this remote tribe, but Grallu knew that his inborn intelligence was most likely extraordinary. He didn't belong here.
Unfortunately, something else had also been confirmed.
His Divine Spark was minuscule.