There are two things that make up a being for what it is - the Soul and the Core.
The core is present in every being and so is the soul. These two are however confused with eachother sometimes. Here are the clarification for these.
The core is the center of the being. This is the place where all the magic and power of the being lies. It consists of many layers. Under and under, you can keep going, and something, it won't end. It really depended on the individual how many layers there can be to this.
The core controls the mana flow of a being. This means this also controls the use of all the three types of spell - Destructive, Preservative and Creative.
These were the spells that were used by most of the individual. For the purpose of destruction, creation and preservation. They were however know by different names all around the world. There were besides this more ways to use this mana. They are free to everyone, skilled or not. That's not what the soul is.
The soul is a tricky concept to unravel. This had to be discovered or awakened (depending on who's talking) to be used. There were however different philosophies for how this expedition for the soul worked; none really went to the point.
Regardless. Many individuals had discovered their souls. It was not that surprising of a thing to be done; that is for an grown up. For a child of only 15 of age, awakening their soul was a challenging task. That meant they are certainly a prodigy. Most of the students in Almagica had done this. Not everybody but regardless many students. They were prodigies after all.
If someone did Awaken their soul, they would most probably be able to manifest it. This manifestation may be a weapon; or it may not. The soul of each individual is different. No soul can be exactly the same. And thus each of these 'souls' get their own peculiar ability. This is what they call 'Anaponlon' , which is often dubbed 'Anima'.
One may not manifest their soul sometimes. It's quite rare but the soul does that. For those individuals may also get their powers; it just doesn't manifest. In that case, the body as a whole, becomes the indestructible soul that the Anima are. In such cases they are called 'Altar'.
Besides these two (spells from core and Anime and Altar from soul), there are many ways that people can use their powers within them. These may unique to a race, for all, or may be made by certain individuals and then passed on. The last ones are the rarest among them.
That is all for what they are. The soul and the core, that is. That is how the power is used in this world.
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Miden had be present in the chamber along with all the other members. It was indeed not a squad call. It was for no reason at all. Miden was the only one out, apparently.
Now Miden thought about a squad. What his squad will affect him, about the members. He recalled the rules. The one dictated by the professor the day.
Now squads were kept for only 3 years. Aster the first 3 years, the squads would be disbanded and the fourth and final years would be done solo. The squads were important only for the sake of the group activities. The personal activities of the students are totally different. If a student gets in trouble; the squad would not be affected and vice versa.
The girl Ariel entered after Miden did. Miden was confused; his squad members even more. Ariel took of the hat she wore and carefully placed in on the table.
"I'm very sorry for not introducing myself before." she apologized and then bowed. There was a gloomy feeling in both her face and her voice.
"I'm Ariel Autumn. I am from the eastern part of the Angel realm." she introduced herself. She then took an unusually long pause. "I don't belong to any class of nobility or royalty... Infact, I am a peasant."
To this Miden was slightly surprised but he had noticed that before. The other two however did not seem to be startled by this at all. Then Mavros got up.
"It's about time you introduce yourself." he said, he then opened the window and fresh afternoon wind flew in.
"Your one cheeky bastard." said Vortex. " You know what you said didn't matter anyway."
Her face had a surprised look on it. It was not in a bad way. It was the kind of surprise that one gets when their birthday occur unknowing to them, which just slightly creeps in. Miden did not know the cause for such a reaction but that was this time not a good one. She seemed glad.
"Want to go out? Maybe get something to eat?" asked Mavros.
Vortex got up and hoisted her hand in the air, clearly excited. "Yes. Yes. Yes. That's what I wanted you to say."
"Let's go." said Miden. To this their mouth turned silent and their faces gave an soft reaction.
"Are you sure, my lord?" hesitated Mavros. "You would be accompanying us?"
"What's the doubt?"
"It's just that..."
"Don't worry about anything you might be thinking. I wouldn't care less for what we eat."
"Don't you people eat meat and blood." interrupted Vortex.
They both remained silent, the demons. They comprehended the what they had heard for a while and then stared her down.
"Vortex, Are you okay?" asked Mavros. The he slapped his head.
"She's done it. I think she's gone senile. Is that what you thought?" he continued.
"I didn't for the matter. Not seriously at least. But I thought that's it for a while." came the reply.
Ariel chuckled at this and then burst out into a small laughter. She sat on her bed. A tear trickled down her eye. It was unsure if it was one of sorrow; or of joy. They all looked same to the still-young Miden.
"Would you mind joining?" asked Miden.
"Why not." came the reply.
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Miden had returned to the enchanted bazaar, the one he had been lost the first time he came to Zen. There were the beautiful shops he had noticed and some seemed changed.
"How about that place right there?" asked Vortex. She pointed towards a restaurant. Not the one that was like street, but a proper restaurant. Not too fancy or too bad.
"That seems good." replied Miden. Then they followed Vortex as she ran into the restaurant.
Miden had been used to eating whatever he had. He had to hunt sometimes. It was a rare occasions for him, not normal, but it still was a thing.
Vortex was the one who ordered, maybe because she knew the place, but they could not tell if she did. This was a first time for Miden. He had never eaten with any friends; or rather, had never made a friend at all. It began with Reo, if he could call him a friend.
"Careful" said the man as he set down the plates, "It's quite hot."
"Thank you." replied Vortex.
Miden had found the food to be quite delicious. He had never eaten the dish he beheld and Mavros didn't seem to either. Vortex was enjoying her share and Ariel was quite similer.
They talked for a while and then they ate with a appetite. It was a lovely feeling.
From a distance came a loud bang. An explosion. To this Mavros gave a reaction, looking at the direction of the explosion.
"What was that?" asked Vortex.
"We leave." said Mavros, "Trouble's brewing."
Miden got up and ran. The rest followed. There was a smirk on Miden's face. He knew what was coming and Miden knew it was fun.