The Reincarnation of Alysara

Chapter 225: Ambient Magic

Chapter 225: Ambient Magic

“Grand Healer.” The guards salute Lanya as we arrive at the Helikan palace. They eye me with extra scrutiny but otherwise make no moves.

“Don’t mind them,” Lanya says. “It’s their job to keep me and this place safe.”

“I understand,” I reply and follow Lanya through the entrance hall and the courtyard.

Lanya leads me to the central spire that has a powerful anti-sensing protection at the top. I am sure I can break past it if I tried, but if there is such a strong concealing effect, then there is sure to be a powerful retaliation in it as well.

At the entrance is no less than six guards standing resolute and alert. They salute Lanya as she approaches.

“I will be bringing someone with me,” she says before taking out a knife and cutting her palm. She places her bloodied hand on the door.

“Of course” The guards nod.

The door opens, and one takes point while a second follows behind us.

“Hold up, are there any retaliations in there?” I ask. I am sure I can lower my perceptive pressure low enough so I won’t trigger them, but I don’t want to take any risks.

“Good point,” Lanya says.

“I will deactivate them, Grand Healer,” the one at the front says and enters, coming back out after several minutes. “It is safe for the guest now.”

We walk up a long spiraling flight of stairs, and at the top is a large crystal cluster made purely of Magic. The Magic has a vibrant color to it and swirls around in turbulent excitement. As I approach, the colors shift to an indescribable color that is more strange than it already is.

Healer

“I take it this is what worries you?” I ask Lanya, to which she nods.

“Yes, it has been here for hundreds of years, long before I was even born.”

Interesting. I examine it with ever-increasing perceptive pressure, ignoring the chime of my skill gaining levels. It doesn’t have a body, at least one not made of matter, energy, or mana; it is pure Magic, much like the Fallen Legacy Safyr fought.

It does not react to my perceptive pressure, but I’m not sure if that is an indication of whether or not it can feel perceptive pressure. In a way, it shouldn’t if it doesn’t have perceptive eyes. When I temporarily blinded Ruluna’s perceptive eyes, she could no longer feel my perceptive pressure.

I am reminded of Safyr’s and Kayafe’s brief mentions of Magic Beings and how they have a type of instinct, or programming, that they adhere to. If that is true and the name of this being is any indication then it should have an instinct to heal.

“As far as I can see, it is not a Cursed Being,” I say, which brings visible relief to Lanya.

The Magic looks weird to me. It is not like the Cursed Beings I saw; rather, it seems to be... what’s the right word... Young?

I place my hand on it and feel invigorated as the surrounding mana vanishes, burnt from existence.

It healed me?

A Magic Being centered around healing in a nation dedicated to healing, that is not a coincidence. Yet it doesn’t seem to be very... active? That’s not the right word, the Magic is very active but not quite coherent. It is still forming? No one mentioned how long it takes for Magic Beings to be born or if there is even a consistent time for them to gestate.

I need to ask Kayafe or Safyr for more information, but Lanya has entrusted me with a national secret; it’s not my secret to tell.

I can probably ask Yrania, she should be somewhere around here... maybe, but will she know more than Safyr or Kayafe? If I try to suddenly call for her, Lanya may take it the wrong way.

I should at least ask for permission. In the end, Lanya asked for my expertise, not anyone else.

“There’s only so much I know, and unfortunately, I haven’t met Magic Beings other than Cursed beings. I can’t say for certain whether this is good or bad, but it is probably not bad. I might be able to get a more definitive answer if I consult my mentors. Is that alright with you?” I ask

“Maybe, but let me get this straight first,” Lanaya says. “Magic beings aren’t Cursed beings right? And this is a Magic Being?”

“All Cursed Beings are Magic Beings, but not all Magic Beings are Cursed Beings. The difference seems to be that one is made or formed with Miasma, the other is formed by pure Magic, but that’s just a guess.”

“I see. Any idea on how this one came to be?”

I adopt a thinking pose and flick my tails in thought.

Now, this is much more useful.

Being able to accelerate an object will allow me to turn any random thing into a deadly projectile.

I tell Kayafe about the different types of energy.

“How did people figure all that out without mana?” Kayafe wonders.

“Probably because they didn’t have mana. They couldn’t use spells to solve problems, so they had to figure out other ways to solve their problems.”

“So, in a way, our ability to cast spells is holding us back?” Kayafe asks.

“Not really. It’s more like we haven’t yet dedicated ourselves to exploring the nature and fundamental rules of our reality, on a societal level. There are a lot of factors that add to it, though. The spread of knowledge is the most important thing, as it allows the right people to build upon the work of others throughout space and time. Hiding knowledge is possibly the worst thing one can do for the advancement of technology.”

“And that’s where the issue lies, doesn’t it. For the advancement of technology. Keeping that technology and knowledge to yourself is best politically and for personal power.”

“Knowledge is another form of power,” I nod.

Safyr would probably say something along the lines of ‘Tyranny consolidates power and keeps it for itself, and because of that, it would never allow the free spread of knowledge’. I suppose she’d be right with that line of thinking; history is full of instances where science and economy have to be sacrificed for politics.

In an ideal world none of those would have to be sacrificed, but we don’t live in an ideal world. The Nexus is as close as we can get to an ideal place where there is little to stop the spread of knowledge; perhaps I should start a school when things die down a little, and I can afford to operate enough clones to run it.

Come to think of it, the Runalymo don’t have schools, so I guess it’d count more as a university, a place of higher learning where one can learn more advanced subjects. The one thing I won’t be able to really teach is advanced math, since I forgot it all during my past life. I’ve made do with direct observations, but who knows what I am missing since I haven’t been able to express my theories mathematically.

In any case, I can leave my shortcomings to others; I can’t be expected to solve everything on my own.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Oathbound Lin spots the Nexus far off in the distance. Even without his racial [Mana Sight], he’d be able to see the sheer concentration of mana in the form of dancing colorful lights hanging over a wall of mountains.

Inside the mountains is what looks like a tropical sea, much shallower and clearer than the ocean. A few islands with vegetation with a village built upon jetties next to it can be seen. The mana is vastly thinner than the other Nexus he’s been to and is constantly flowing toward the center of the Nexus as if something is pulling it closer.

“So that’s how they have survived here,” Lin mutters.

No civilization can survive in a Nexus, the mana is just too great, but would become possible if nine-tenths of that were to be reduced. These people would have had to live on the outermost edge until they gained a mana toxicity resistance racial trait, but that would be guaranteed after a few generations.

However, that isn’t the strangest part. Even from here, he can feel intense heat radiating from the Nexus, and he can see steam wafting up from the Nexus Sea, which explains the increasing amount of clouds and storms on the way here.

Lin expands his Bond presence, reaching out with it, metaphorically knocking on Safyr’s door; if she is here, then she will answer. Lin didn’t have to wait long to see a gargantuan blue dragon with scales and horns glistening like sapphire gemstones. She lands on the tallest mountain peak and spreads out her wings majestically while her finned tail dances behind her, fine-tuning her balance on the uneven peak.

A wave of pressure hits Lin, Safyr’s oppressive Bond presence stifling his own effortlessly.

“What do you seek, Human?” Safyr demands. With each word, her Bond presence increases, constricting him and making it hard for him to even breathe. “Do you seek knowledge or fortune?”

Lin tries to push back as hard as he can, but that only results in Safyr suffocating him with renewed vigor.

She’s so strong!

“I seek help and friendship!” Lin calls out.

Safyr’s presence halts for a moment. “Help?” Safyr asks, sounding like she already knew what he was going to say

“My Kingdom is facing an unknown threat; we only ask for scrying services and to build good relations with the people who live here!” Lin pleads his case.

If he cannot convince the dragon, then there’s no way he could even begin his mission.

Fortunately, he didn’t need to say anything else, for Safyr withdraws her presence.

“If you so much as raise your blade against these people, Human, you will die before your next breath.”

Lin breathes out shakily. “No matter what they do, I will not retaliate; upon my honor, I promise you this.”