Yohnas pointed at the chalkboard with a long wooden stick. An abstract tree was drawn in chalk. The three children sat cross legged around the board.

“Alright children. Today, you’ll be assisting me with teaching Lady Rayleigh here on magic theory. This will help with your fourth test too, so please don’t slack off.”

“So, what’s the rundown?” Frances asked.

“Well, there are several unbreakable rules in magic. Roy?”

“1. Magic can only be utilised by those with the appropriate mana circuitry in their body.”

“Good. Next, Markus?”

“2. If the one casting the spell cannot visualise the magic they are casting, that magic will fail without exception.”

“And finally Ange?”

“3. All magic carries a cost in mana. It is impossible to use magic without costing mana.”

“That’s great. We have the three main rules of magic down. Do you have any questions so far, Lady Rayleigh?”

“Where does mana come from? I understand that there are different types of magic, such as planetary magic, divine magic, and aura.”

Yohnas nodded. He added more circles to the tree. With each explanation, the tree grew. A large trunk held several branches, all reaching out. They all contained terminology that was a mix of words she understood and those that needed Hye-Sung’s help. Demons, gods, humans.

“The essence of magic can be found in mana. Rather, magic is simply the way mana expresses itself. Children, you all know what a planet is, right?” All of them nodded. “Alright. And the planet itself is living, and generates mana. This mana gets released in certain areas known as leylines.”

With surprisingly good artistry, he drew a globe. Various diagrams, of mana circulation and other things, were added in due time. His slender fingers glided across the chalkboard, leaving long white lines in their wake.

“When it comes to magic, there are two schools of thought. Those that want to integrate themselves with mana, and those that want to control it. Both are equally valid. However, both have their own pros and cons. For us who try to integrate ourselves, we experience, or rather, age slower. Ange.”

She nodded. The reason was simple. By integrating themselves with mana, they became closer with mana itself. And it seemed like the realm of mana observed time far slower. Those that sought to control mana naturally distanced themselves from it. Perhaps it was easier to compare it to spiritualism and materialism. Most mages that she knew opted for the first option. After all, why wouldn’t they? Compared to the universally beneficial trait of ageing slower, there was nothing significant from the latter.

“Brilliant.” Yohnas clapped with her explanation. “Now then, let's get into the more difficult parts. Have you read the Magic Chronicles, Lady Rayleigh?”

“I’ve had no exposure to magic outside of meeting and speaking to mages.”

“Alright. Then each of you three will take turns explaining to the Lady. What benefit did the demons bring?”

“Um.” Markus answered with a raised hand. “Demons were naturally talented, but could not grow. As such, they slaughtered thousands with magic, but were eventually outpaced.”

“And what kind of spells did they bring, and how did we adapt those into our basic spell list?”

“Uh, those spells were Sollbaze, Haletis, Mournasa, and...”

He kept count with his fingers, but he stopped and stared. He let out a long ‘uhh’ until Roy helped him out.

“Younasas.”

“Ah! I keep forgetting that one. Thank you, Roy.”

They went on and on. As expected, magic was a complex beast, and its history even more so. The mythical elves, talented demons, and adaptable humans. Similar to the field of physics and maths, magic had scientists and theorists.

Of a similar existence to Euclid, there was Sage Ethal. He was fundamental to magic, acting as— well, the foundation to magic theory. Just as Euclid laid the foundations for mathematics, the sage wrote the four postulates.

Though, just as much as theoretical physics mattered in her world, she didn’t care too much for that. Various names of sages and professors were thrown at her, and she dodged them like a ninja.

Aside from magic however, was a system of alchemy. That in and of itself was questionable and mostly mythical. Yohnas firmly disagreed with the idea that converting an element into another was possible without magic. Of course, altering the properties was possible with the assistance of magic, but that would just be magic.

Even the question of where mana came from was a topic of hot debate. Some preferred the Gaia theory, whilst others preferred to think of it as a symbiotic relationship. Mages expended mana that returned to the earth, and the earth returned that mana back after cycling it through. To Frances Rayleigh, the former made more sense than the latter.

Gaia theory, as stated by Yohnas, was a school of thought. Gaia theory however, was a deceiving name. Instead, calling it the Gaia Hollow Earth theory was far more accurate. Those who believed in the theory believed in an ancient being living deep within the earth. Some believed that the earth itself was a living being, the mana it provides being a simple byproduct.

The other theory, without a name, seemed far more scientific. Similar to the water cycle, mages expended mana that returned to the earth, which returned to the atmosphere as a byproduct of a natural process. Water came from comets aeons ago, but what about mana? Alas, space travel was simply too far out to get conclusive answers.

“Still, we are scientists,” Yohnas concluded. “We create a hypothesis, we experiment, and we conclude.”

“Ah, the scientific method,” Frances commented.

“You’re familiar with it, Lady Frances? I wasn’t aware science was part of a royal lady’s curriculum.”

“Hm. Enough about myself. So far, you’ve only covered the demon’s influence on magic, and theories on where mana comes from. But aren’t you forgetting something? Magic can manifest in several forms. Terrestrial, the divine, and aura.”

“Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with the latter two. Are you able to teach us a little about those two?”

The students turned to face her. Frances furrowed her eyebrows. Certainly, someone like Hye-Sung would be a far better teacher. Even Noah, with his deep history with the gods would be a more acceptable choice.

“I’m not too familiar with it myself but. Priests, clerics, shrine maidens, all of them use divine magic. A ‘corridor’ between a deity and the mage is formed, and the deity provides mana.”

“What about aura, Lady Frances?”

“It's nothing that you’ll see anytime soon.”

Yohnas stared at her with a confused look. He raised his eyebrows, and started to mutter to himself. Placing a finger by this mouth, his eyes darted around.

“The thing is, Lady Frances, we’ve never heard of aura.”

“Is that so?”

She found herself avoiding his eyes. The entire topic of aura was simply far too different from the typical applications of magic. She couldn’t even imagine mages, skinny and pale, trying to fight with conventional weapons. A suit of invisible armour? An additional layer of steel for a sword? The mages that sit in the back of the armies, waving wands and shaking staves? A complete mismatch, both in fashion and in logic.

After a brief consideration, Frances sighed. If not for the desperate eyes of the three children, perhaps she would have just walked away. They were good students, those three.

“Alright. Fine. Magic is the product of visualisation. Everyone is able to agree on that, yes?”

“Yeah yeah. We don’t need a lesson on semantics and language, Lady Frances.” Ange shot daggers.

“Good. Now, usually magic is manifested in a way that is unique to the caster. Even a basic fireball will be different from caster to caster. So, what if a mage imagined a suit of armour around themselves?”

“Why would a caster do that? Isn’t the whole point of being a caster in the army to stay back?” Markus raised his hand.

“Your thinking is mistaken. Aura is not utilised by mages. You are thinking from a perspective of a mage with knight training. I want you to instead think of a knight with mage training.”

“A knight with mage training...” Roy echoed. “I see.”

“Do you get it?”

“I think I do. In nearly all situations, a skilled mage would easily defeat an equally skilled knight. But in a fight between knights, the advent of magic could turn the tables.”

“Bingo. Knight training for a mage does nothing, besides bravery. Mage training, however? Magic is universally useful.”

Roy nodded. He placed a finger on his chin, deep in thought. The crisp, cool wind blew in from open windows. His glossy black hair, wet from a fresh bath swayed. It was a shame they were living in this isolated reality. It would not be hard to imagine a world where they were normal schoolchildren, getting confessed to left and right.

“But what would aura look like?” Markus asked.

“Good question. From what I recall, it covers your desired part with a coating of glossy black. But in theory, a master of aura can spread the coating to others, and can even change the colour too. Not the shape, however.”

“Can you use aura, Lady Rayleigh?”

“No. I literally cannot use any magic, unless a god pulls something.”

“Speaking of gods, you mentioned divine magic. Is the difference only the source, Lady Rayleigh?” asked Yohnas.

Frances shook her head. Of course, there was a world of difference. Having a deity act as a conduit was either a stroke of luck, or the most unfortunate thing to happen to a mage. Perhaps the sole exception was Hye-Sung, and maybe Noah. Those two seemed to use a combination of both planetary and divine magic. Furthermore, even Hye-Sung met with the goddess of magic, Ihenglass.

“It's hard to explain, but it's intuitive. A water deity would mostly use water related stuff.”

“Ahh. I see. So the god that provides you magic has control over the type of magic used?”

She nodded. That was a good way to put it, but not exactly correct. From what Hye-Sung explained long ago, the deity has control to some extent. But the main purpose lay in the additional firepower the god provided. Healing magic provided by the god of medicine was far stronger than what a war mage could cast.

Though, as a non-mage herself, it was hard to understand. Perhaps if she used magic instead of brutal violence, it might have been easier to understand. Still, Bahamut would have never let that happen. A True Dragon like himself held power on the level of the gods. If she didn’t get anything when she died except for this body, which in Bahamut’s defence, she appreciated, she wouldn’t get anything now.

“Are there any other questions?”

Her eyes darted across the room. The students, and the professor himself, stayed silent. That was to be expected, after all. Even in the modern world, when a teacher presented a class with students, no one answered.

“Well then. I’ll be taking in the fresh air outside if you need me.”

With a quick turn of her heel, she walked out. The great plains stretched out as far as the eye could see. The closest city, Limβurs, was at least an hour away by horse. Frances shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun with her hand. Hye-Sung had left early in the morning, back towards the city. She was safe, even if left alone. A mage as powerful as she was would have no problem navigating the city of magic.

She leaned against the walls of the atelier. The grey bricks that constituted the large building were cool to the touch, having been exposed to the constant winds and chilling temperature of the climate. The wood of a fireplace crackled behind the stone bricks.

Yohnas stood next to her, eating a stick of salted bread. Each bite produced a crunch, without any indication if it came from his teeth or the hard cold bread. He ate in silence, as quietly as the tough meal could provide.

“So. You’re a high profile target, and those people want you dead.”

“Yeap. They’re not related to anything you’re involved in though. Certainly nothing to do with magic or anything.”

“That’s good to hear. My children, they won’t get targeted because of you, right?”

“Unlikely, but I wouldn’t put that below them.”

“What are you going to do then? Back to Limβurs?”

“I think that’s the most probable thing. My attache should be coming back with news soon.”

“Ah, Lady Kim, yes? Might I ask what’s your relationship with her? Just so that I can clarify the situation with the kids.”

“Hmm. It's hard to explain succinctly. We aren’t in love, we just sleep together.”

“Complex. Intricate. No doubt the source of many problems?”

“I’d say that my entire life is a source of issues. Why?”

“Nothing, just reminded me of home.”

“You ran away?”

“That easy to tell? But yeah. It's complicated.”

The soft wind filled the silence. Yohnas moved closer, until their shoulders touched. He was taller than her, but not by much.

“Who helped you with your body? The mage that cast it, I mean.”

“The sex change magic? Why?”

“I was a woman once.”

“Ah. Is the field in Friaren far more advanced? I might seek further treatment whilst I’m here.”

“Advanced, yes, but not by much I’m afraid. I believe the culture in the empire is far better, however.”

“Is that the case? I was under the impression that the Friaren people are more open than us.”

“Open to the strong. Nepotism, corruption, cronyism. All next to non-existent here. It's a pure state of governance. A meritocracy based on might.”

“And if you’re weak?”

“Oppressed. Your empire outlawed slavery long ago, but here?” Yohnas shook his head. “If my information on you is correct, you can change it. The current king, he’s old and decrepit. His mind is fading, growing duller as the days go.”

“And you want me to replace him.”

“Just change it. His mind is aged, but his body and strength has barely diminished since his prime.”

“See, I admire the Friaren culture and society. The subtleties of the court simply do not exist here. No coy remarks, or mind games. It's simple. I’m jealous.”

“A fusion, then. The progress and basic rights of your empire, and the meritocracy of ours.”

“Are you suggesting war?”

“I am not a political person, Lady Rayleigh. It is simply up to you to decide.”

Teacher Yohnas laughed. He had a rather toothy grin. Certainly, some would have found him attractive. But he was not her type.

“And I believe that’s your companion, there in the distance.”

She rode like a cowboy. Set back against the setting sun, in the orange haze. Arrows hailed from behind her, but she countered most of them with magic bolts.

“How many?” Frances tapped her temple.

“Got 4 of them on my ass right now. Took two out on the way out from Limβurs. A mage too.”

“Anything significant?”

“None, but even I’m outmatched against sheer numbers.”

“Regroup at the atelier. How far away are they?”

“Within shooting range.”

Frances nodded. She reached into the coat pocket, pulling out a simple gun like a magician pulling a rabbit. It used a new type of bullet, one that used less metal. Amelia’s industrialisation project was on its way, with the foundations for a whole batch of factories laid. With the immense backing of the crown, and intelligence from several otherworlders, it would not take long before they came online.

Hye-Sung’s horse neighed as she brought it to a stop. 3 black bolts leapt from her hands, and zapped the arrows out from the air. She nodded, and Frances returned her gesture. The empress focused her eyes. Using a rudimentary set of iron sights, she took aim. Several hooded figures rode on horseback, wielding bows and arrows. On the backlines, a man held a staff as he rode.

“I’ll shoot the mage. Defence magic can’t do shit against a bullet.”

“Leave him to you.”

“Cover your ears, Yohnas.”

It was a simple shot. Compared to the archers, the mage was far slower. Barely faster than walking. She waited until the core of his body appeared in her sight. Hye-Sung didn’t even need to be asked, as two pairs of dark blue ear plugs appeared. Stuffed into the ears of the fighters, no more words could be heard. Even the gunshot was muffled.

Though the mage deployed his defence magic, it proved useless. The sphere made of hexagons shattered into a billion pieces as the bullet struck. Frances cursed. She missed the heart.

“Hye-Sung.” Frances unplugged her ears as the archers collapsed. “Remind me to finish what my father failed.”

“He’s not dead.” Yohnas removed his hands from his ears. “Don’t kill the mage. I need to question him.”

“Why? You know him?”

He didn’t reply. Instead, he walked towards the collapsed mage. He did not have long to live in that state. Yohnas used a stick to life up the sleeves of the dying man. A black line ran along his left arm. Straight and thick, it ran along the main artery. Yohnas made a tight face.

“What’s that?” Frances asked.

“The conspiracy. I had a second reason to let you stay here. The assassins after your heart are working with July’s Sight.”