It had been three days since the incident in Witch's Isle. The witches decided to temporarily close the village to everyone until they could complete the necessary repairs. I wasn't just talking about the physical rebuilding, I was also talking about the witches trying to forget the pain and trauma they had suffered under the evil Head Witch for so long. The healing process might take a while, but I'm pretty sure they will be fine in the end.
As for our group, we decided to stay a bit longer in the village to find our footing first before we started on our journey again. Rein, on the other hand, was excitedly preparing herself to join us on our next travels. It looked like our team was expanding, so I'd better make sure that all our adventures were fun and memorable.
Chirp Chirp
Another beautiful day full of hope came.
Murmur Murmur
What a beautiful day it is to start a morning stroll, I thought to myself while sniffing the fresh air.
I woke up early and decided to walk around the street. After that, I planned to visit Rein at her house. Komraad and Fae were still sound asleep in the Inn, so I left them there to rest.
I was walking casually in my cat form, but some of the witches I encountered on the street still recognized me. They all came to greet me and thanked me personally for saving them. Some even offered me food and gifts.
I'm glad people appreciate me, but it's kind of tiring hearing things over and over again. I'd better get going and see Rein already.
I arrived at the Head Witch's house, where Rein was still in her room, packing.
"Hey, Rein, are you still not done preparing?" I asked, leaping onto her desk.
"Oh, Ms. Ina, good morning!" Rein greeted me with so much joy, spinning around.
"You look so excited. You really are looking forward to traveling with us, aren't you?" I asked, amusement coloring my tone.
"Of course, Ms. Ina! All my life, I never left this village. Finally, I'll be able to see the world and learn more magic. I'm also going to be able to see you every day, so I'm very happy. Tee-hee," she responded with genuine, unburdened joy.
"Me too, Rein, I'm super happy and excited that you're coming with us, but aren't you packing too much?" I asked, looking at the rapidly growing pile of bags.
"I actually think this is still not enough," she said, continuing to prepare more bags.
Aah, I guess I'll just let her be. It's her first adventure after all.
After Rein prepared everything she needed, we came back to the Inn and put her baggage in our carriage. We stayed in village for a few more days, hanging out with the other witches. Soon after, we prepared ourselves to depart for our next adventure.
Before we left for good, the witches called us in for a surprise. As a heartfelt thank you, they upgraded our carriage, making it sturdier, allowing it to carry more luggage, and travel more efficiently.
What they did was incredibly awesome and heartwarming, so we thanked them from the bottom of our hearts.
It was the day we finally said goodbye to everyone and the Witch's Isle. All of us bid our farewell, especially Rein.
"Are you guys sure you'll be alright?" I asked the witches before we left.
"Thanks for the concern, but we'll be fine, don't worry. Just focus on your grand adventures. We'll stay here and reopen the Isle one day to everyone. We love serving people with or without magic. If you need our help, we'll always be here," one of the witches answered kindly.
"How about the Head Witch? Are you guys fine with her here?" I followed up.
"Yes, we'll make sure she'll pay for the crimes she committed. After all, she's powerless without a magic staff," one of the witches, the owner of the flower shop whom Helen had previously hurt, responded with a clear sense of justice.
"I see, then take care. We'll be going now," I said for the last time.
"Yes, wishing you all the best of luck," all the witches said in unison. They then said their final goodbye.
Before our new and improved carriage started rolling, Komraad asked the millionth question.
"Where to next?"
"I still haven't given up on gaining back my memories and improving my magic, so let's find a place where we can find someone who can help me," I answered with firm resolve.
"Figures," Komraad responded as he took the map from behind our carriage for us to use.
We looked at the map together to decide on our next course.
"Ms. Ina, I have a suggestion," Rein mentioned, pointing at a section of the map.
"What is it?" I asked.
"You said you want to learn more about yourself, right? If that's the case, then I think you might need a clairvoyant. I don't know any, but I believe the closest and biggest kingdom is where we can find one," she suggested.
We looked it up. It wasn't that far away. It was an enormous and advanced human society called the Vermine Kingdom, and it would only take a month to get there with our carriage.
"You're right, Rein. This is the best option we can take," I agreed with excitement written all over my face.
"So it's been decided!" Fae said excitedly.
"Yeah, to Vermine Kingdom!" We said in unison, a wave of new energy washing over us.
It had been hours since we left the Witch's Isle when I suddenly thought of something important.
Ugh… I forgot to ask someone to help me learn magic! The other reason why we came to the Witch's Isle in the first place was to help me grow accustomed to my magic, and now it's over! We left, and I completely forgot about it! I thought in regret.
I was contemplating when Rein and I suddenly crossed eyes.
That's it! Why didn't I think about it sooner? Rein can use magic! I'll just ask her to mentor me. I thought excitedly.
"Uhm… Rein?"
"What is it, Ms. Ina?"
I was feeling shy at first, but I eventually succumbed to the need. "Can you help me learn about magic? You see, I'm still very new to it. I don't even know the basic fundamentals of magic. All I do is feel it, and my body just remembers how to do it, but sometimes I just wish I could use it without having to rely on my instincts," I relayed, turning back into my human form to better talk with her.
"Really, Ms. Ina? You want me to teach you magic?!?" Rein asked, obviously overjoyed to finally share her passion.
"Yes, I really need your help with this one," I begged her.
"Let's start right away!" She answered, opening her thick book about magic.
"So, before I teach you the basics of magic, you must first learn its origin. According to this book, everything in the environment is born with mana. The trees, the ocean, the mountains, the skies… everything, just name it. Just like the environment, most creatures and inhabitants of this world were born magical and have mana in them. That's why some other races can use magic by using the mana in their bodies.
"Though, unlike other races, who were born magical and can use magic using their mana, we humans are the complete opposite. We aren't born magical, so we can't use magic without an external source, specifically mana crystals. These mana crystals are embedded in objects like a magic staff, a magic sword, and magic items like artifacts. We need the mana crystal so we can borrow mana from our surroundings, store it, and convert it into magic spells. That's why we're powerless and can't use magic without it," Rein explained in great detail.
Learning the origin of magic helped me better understand this world.
"I see… so that's the reason why you witches can only cast spells using a magic staff," I observed.
"That's right, Ms. Ina," Rein responded proudly.
"I have a question, though. Why can I use magic without using any wands or magic staff? I mean, I can turn into a human, right? Does that mean I'm classified as another race?" I asked her out of curiosity.
"Hmm… I actually don't know either," Rein responded, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
"As far as we know, there's no such race that can turn into a cat and a human," Fae chimed in, leaning over Rein's shoulder to read the text. She was also quite the bookworm.
"How about Komraad, though? He's from another race, but I've never seen him use magic," I asked for comparison.
"We are different, of course," Komraad joined in, puffing out his chest from his seat at the front of the carriage. "Instead of mana, we have aura. My race, the Beastkin Tribe, can use aura to boost our physical capabilities to the fullest. Strength, durability, speed, regeneration… all of it!" He added.
Oh, that's why Komraad was so strong and can heal so fast.
"I'm curious about the other races who can use magic. How many are there?" I asked out of curiosity.
"There are only seven great races in the world that are close to humans who were born magical and can use magic. These races are called the Great Races. Mr. Komraad's race is one of them. They were created a long, long time ago by the great and powerful Titans," Rein explained.
My curiosity was piqued when I heard a new, unfamiliar word. "Titans?" I asked.
"Yes, Ms. Ina. The Titans were made of pure and refined mana, both enormous and majestic. The Titans existed one thousand years ago, but they decided to sacrifice their physical bodies to create the seven Great Races, in both their image and that of humans. Each of the seven Great Races can only use one type of magic associated with the Titans that created them. The Beastkins, just like Mr. Komraad, can produce an aura instead of mana. The magic that I'm using is from the Sea Folks, who can use water magic. There are many others, like the Featherlights, Cottontails, Dragonscales, Fairies, and Serpentines... But just like them, they can only command a certain element," Rein explained the world's deep lore.
"Unlike them, we humans can use and access all types of magic because we aren't bound by the rules that the Titans put on them. Humans and the seven Great Races are basically opposites, but each has its pros and cons. The Great Races can use their internal mana but can only access one type of magic. Humans can only use the mana from their surroundings using external help like mana crystals, but can access all types of magic," she further expounded.
Her explanation was so detailed and very easy to understand, but I still had one question. "I see. I'm starting to understand now, but one more thing, how about the demons? Where are they classified?" I asked.
"They aren't classified as anything. They're an enigma, an error in the world. They don't live in this world but in an unknown realm, but sometimes they can cross through this side, though no one knows how they do it. They also can't use magic. Instead, they use dark arts like forbidden curses," Komraad chimed in.
It still surprises me every time I hear Komraad sharing something useful and informative.
After our magic origin session, Rein finally proceeded to the basics of magic.
"This part is the one I'm most excited about. Why don't we stop for a while? I would understand it more if you demonstrated it to me," I suggested.
"Sure, Ms. Ina, that's a great idea," Rein agreed.
We stopped for a while and parked on the side of the road. We were able to find a vast field where we could practice magic.
"So, Ms. Ina. I only learned it in the book that I was reading, but I'll still teach you everything that I've learned from it. Rest assured that there are more things you can learn about magic besides the ones I'm going to teach you," Rein reminded me humbly.
"Yeah, let's get started," I answered her, giving my full attention.
"Oh, before we start, Ms. Ina. A quick reminder: for us humans, we can't just cast any type of magic. We must first connect with the specific type of magic by analyzing its magic composition before we can actually use it, and once you've connected, you can create your own spells and cast them. Your imagination is the limit," Rein explained.
"Oh, so spells are born from the imagination of the caster?" I asked.
"Yes, though there are already existing spells created by previous magic users, and they recorded them in books for other people to use. You can always create your own spell depending on your desired outcome," Rein expounded.
"I see. Then can I cast a spell besides a straight-up beam of dark energy?" I asked.
"Yes, Ms. Ina. Just imagine what you want it to do, and it'll happen just the way you want it. All you need to do is relax, focus, and imagine it as clearly as possible," Rein instructed.
"Let's learn new spells right here, right now, Ms. Ina. Techniques are important in a magic battle after all. No matter how strong your attacks are, if they're plain and predictable, then the enemies can easily block and dodge them. Creating your own techniques will help you become more well-rounded and practical. Sometimes a battle to the death is determined by who outwits their enemy first," Rein further explained, sounding like a seasoned general.
Yeah, Rein is right. I experienced it firsthand on the Witch's Isle. I couldn't use the most powerful attack I know because I might end up destroying the whole place.
"Now that we've finished discussing, let's get started. So the only magic you can use is a beam of dark energy, right? It's a good attack in general, so why don't we just improve it by adding new commands? You haven't connected to other elements after all," Rein said.
"What do you mean?" I asked in confusion.
"Imagine your beam changing trajectory mid-flight. That way, it can catch your enemy off guard," Rein instructed.
I followed Rein's instructions, but it didn't work at first. It took me multiple attempts to finally pull it off. When I pulled it off, the trajectory of my dark beam really changed mid-flight, but unfortunately, instead of other directions, the dark beam I cast came back flying to us. Thankfully, Rein was able to create a water barrier in time to block it.
"That was close!" Rein and I sighed in relief.
We laughed together after. We were enjoying ourselves learning new spells for future encounters. Fae and Komraad, on the other hand, were supporting us from the sidelines, giving us the inspiration to push forward.
"Ms. Ina, you can do it!" Fae shouted from afar to cheer me up.
"Oh, Rein, before we continue, I have a question."
"What is it, Ms. Ina?"
"Remember how you defeated the Head Witch? I heard you saying ultimate magic, what was that all about?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Oh, that. It's the highest form of magic that is unique to every caster. You must first learn the basics of magic and connect to the magic type you're using deeply before you can cast it. It takes a lot of practice and dedication to achieve such a spell, but some are born prodigies and can use it from the get-go. I actually thought I wouldn't be able to do it at first because it's my first time and I didn't practice at all, but I guess lady luck was on my side," she explained modestly.
"Can I use that too?" I asked her, hoping for a positive response.
"Yes, Ms. Ina, but you need a lot of practice and knowledge about magic before you can use it. You also need to fully understand your own magic and connect with it on a deeper level," she answered.
"Also, using ultimate magic drains all the current mana in the body, if it's for the Great Races. But if it's used by humans, we end up gathering the entire mana in our surroundings just to cast our ultimate magic. Sometimes we can't even use it if there's too little mana in our surroundings," Rein explained.
I see, so it's very situational. I guess I fall into the Great Races category if I ever get to learn my own ultimate spell, because I use my mana instead of my surroundings. It's basically a double-edged sword. But still, I want to learn it as soon as possible, it might help a lot in times of crisis, I thought genuinely.
"Shall we continue?" Rein asked as she got herself ready for another magic learning session.
"Yes, bring it on!" I answered with a lot of fighting spirit.
I continued learning magic and spells as we traveled closer to our destination. With Rein's help, I was able to understand more about magic and master a lot of techniques that might help me in the future.
It took a while, but after a month of traveling and learning, we finally arrived at our destination: the Vermine Kingdom.