"So, magic," I said to the Soul. She wasn't here, but I could feel her.
"Yes, yes, this is the perfect spot to practice it," she spoke in my head. I could hear her voice echoing from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. It was a surreal experience. "The first thing you need to know is there are three types of magic."
"Three. Got you." I said, gripping the armrests of my throne.
"Three what?" Lana Fulmine asked. She hugged the back of my throne and peaked around, her silver face sparkling with curiosity. The will o' wisps began crowding around my throne, kneeling on the sides and smiling up at me with such eager interest in eyes.
"Types of magic," I said.
"Which are?" Lana Fulmine asked, her crackling wings fluttering.
"Yeah, which are, Soul?" I paused. I needed a nickname for the Soul. It was such an awkward thing to call her. Susan? Eww, no. She wasn't Susan. Karen?
Definitely not a Karen.
"Magic is split into External, Internal, and Ritual categories. An external spell is prayed to the Lord of the element, the God who presides over it. It is magic that affects the world around you. They can often be offensive magic, but not always. Internal spells are prayed to the Lady of the element, the consort to the Lord."
"These spells only affect you. They are buffs or transformations. Things that enhance or protect you. The last category are Rituals. These create permanent effects or magic on very large scales. They take time to cast and are prayed to both the Lord and the Lady."
I nodded. "That seems straightforward. Other than I have no idea whom I'm supposed to pray to. I thought it was like arcane magic. This sounds more like divine magic. Miracles or something."
"You're not casting miracles. You are merely speaking incantations that are in some ways beseeching the gods. But the power comes from you. It's drawn out of your connection to the Void Crystal. You have the words imprinted on your heart."
"I do?" I glanced down at the glyph on my chest. The stylized S made of the three cuneiform markings. Was that important?
Were they really cuneiform markings or was it just something that looked like them? I was in another world. Cuneiform was used by the Ancient Sumerians, right? Or was it the Babylonians? Maybe both? It was biblical times shit, so way before me.
"So, how do I cast spells?"
"I know of three spells in the Beginner Tier of the Lightning Element. Two External and one Internal."
"All right," I said, an eager excitement racing through me. I stood up, my will o' wisps all staring at me with eager looks on their faces. Their white hair almost crackled with the static electricity coursing through their bodies.
"How do I cast them? What do I have to say?"
"You must focus your mind on what you wish to happen as you cast them. You must guide the spell. You speak the Words, but the Will that shapes them is yours. Just as with this place. I am the Soul of the Words, but your imagination is still needed. Your mind, Lord Leo. The first spell is Lightning Spear. An offensive weapon that flies from you and strikes one enemy."
I nodded, thinking about that. I stared out at the throne room then focused on a column. How to throw it out?
I could feel my connection to the Void Crystal. This nebulous tether that tied us together. It flowed between us. A strong connection that tingled and pulsed.
My fingers flexed as this anticipation flowed through me. My heart pounded faster and faster. The heat built and built in my body. I smiled, eager to unleash my power. I pictured a bolt of lightning flying from me and striking it. I could almost see it.
My heart pounded. Blood rushed hot through my veins. I could almost hear words echoing through my ears.
"Okay, I feel the connection. I want to throw it."
"Then speak the words written on your heart," the Soul whispered. "Lord Leo, do you hear them? Their rhythm. They are there, waiting for you to speak them."
I closed my eyes. I could almost hear them. What where they?
The words were muffled. Indistinct. I furrowed my brow, feeling the weight of the words pressing down on me. My skin prickled. My harem of monster girls and my movie starlet all stared at me. What were those words?
"Focus. Do not be distracted."
"Easy for you to say," I muttered.
I breathed slowly. My fingers twitched. I could see the lightning bolt. Shape it, but what where those words? It was like trying to pick out a single conversation from a crowded room.
My jaw clenched. Sweat broke out across my head. I focused on it. The words sharpened. My hands clenched, balling into tight fists. Fingernails bit into flesh.
"Lord Leo?" asked one of the will o' wisps.
"Shhh," another hushed. "He's concentrating."
"Trying to," I muttered.
I kept standing there. I was starting to feel foolish. Embarrassed. My cheeks warmed. I was before my women and failing to hear these words. They were in there.
Just waiting for me to unleash them upon the world. I just had to speak the damned things. They were screaming through my blood, pumping from my heart.