One Month Later Later

  Year 606 of the Divine Empire

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Kanoa sat cross legged on the sandy beach, the rising sun painting the sky orange behind her back. She had been resting in front of Surnendra’s hut for a few minutes now, waiting for her first lesson to begin. It was a bit of a ramshackle construct, given that the old sasqal had to build it himself despite having no experience building anything more complex than a lean-to. It was made of tied together logs, with windows and a doorway made of weavegrass cloth. The occupant of this hut was pushing this cloth door aside, looking only slightly more annoyed than he usually did.

  Kanoa did her best to look as innocent as possible. “Didn’t you tell me to get here at sunrise?”

  “Yes, I did tell you that.” Surendra sighed, rubbing his temple, “It’s the other ones that I feel the need to question.”

  Kanoa looked behind herself to see Ailu and Ikaika sitting a couple yards away. Her best friend was looking around nervously, as she seemed to be afraid of Surendra for some reason. Ikaika, as always, was generally unconcerned.

  She looked back. “You didn’t tell me not to bring them.”

  Letting out a long suffering sigh, Surendra walked over to Ailu, taking a knee and whispering to her. “Listen, brat. I don’t know who you are, but I’m getting a bad feeling that I know what you are. I have two questions. First one: does Kanoa know?”

  Ailu avoided making eye contact, but was able to respond. “I told her what I am, but not all of the. . . duties. I’m not really allowed to.”

  “Hmm. That should be fine for now. Second: is this going to be a problem for her?”

  “. . . No. My family won’t even know she exists.”

  Surendra rose and turned to face Kanoa, who was looking back at them inquisitively.

  “Hmph. She can stay, though I can’t imagine this will help her too much. The crab is fine too. I like the crab.”

  Ikaika was both incapable of asking questions and the only one of the three that wasn’t some powerful magic being. Perfect.

  “Really!?” Kanoa ran over to sit beside Ailu, but was stopped by her new mentor.

  “Don’t sit back down. We’re heading into the jungle, and I’ll give you a primer while we walk.”

  Not waiting for a response, Surendra strode out towards the forest, a large bundle hanging off his back. The others followed behind him, though the children had a difficult time matching his massive stride. Ikaika attempted to lift them onto his shoulders, though quickly stopped after a death glare from the sasqal. They walked in silence as Surendra scanned the foliage for something, only beginning to talk once he had found a rough trail that didn’t look like it had seen use in some time.

  “Ah, here it is. Alright then Kanoa, let’s see what you know so far. Tell me, what is a Terrestrial Core?”

  Surprised by the sound of his voice, Kanoa took a couple moments to respond. “I’m not sure. I think it’s where all the power of an Ideal comes from, but that’s just because of what I can see.”

  “Hmm. Wrong. Your core exists just fine without the ideals, though they are a way to utilize it. The best way to describe a core would be the strength of your life. As a person grows stronger and older, the amount of life they can store within themselves increases. At the base level, it is fully inert and useless. There are two ways to make use of it, and I’m sure you can guess what at least one of them is.”

  “So, the Ideals are a way to use your own power?” Kanoa tilted her head, trying to wrap her mind around the concept. “And the other one. . . is that like my heat?”

  Though she could not see it from behind, a slight grin formed on Surendra’s face. “You catch on quick. As for your heat, that’s a separate thing. That said, magic similar to that is the second way to use your core. We won’t be talking about that for now as it’s not really relevant.”

  “Why not?”

  “Magic has some conditions to use. You can either be born with it, like I assume your little friend was,” Ailu summoned a small ball of water as a response. “Or you can make a deal with a higher being. I’ll explain all of that later, but for now all you need to know is that both Ideals and Bonds, which is what most people call those deals, can draw power from your core.”

  Kanoa was bouncing with excitement. “You mean like with my eyes? The way I can see power is from an Ideal, right?”

  Surendra took a second to respond, as he had to lift a large tree trunk that had fallen on the path. “Indeed. You’ve taken a bit of a backwards approach to things, so let me explain from the top. There are ten Ideals in total, though I’m not going to explain any that aren’t relevant. When you genuinely act in ways that support an Ideal, you unlock a path to draw from your core. Your dedication towards learning was what gave you the path of Curiosity.”

  Once the trio had passed under the log, he let it down and pushed past them. “Usually, the first thing people notice is growing stronger. The core power flows through you and enhances the various traits of your body. You become stronger, faster, and more durable. This can be affected slightly by the specific Ideal, but it’s generally the same across the board.”

  Kanoa poked at his leg, bothering him enough to ask her own question. “Why didn’t I get stronger then?”

  “I said usually, didn’t I? The other way people can use Ideals is to create techniques. They alter you in more specific ways, weakening your overall physique to specialize. You’re young and don’t have much of a core, so the Erudite Eyes is taking up most of your power output.”

  “Erudite Eyes?” Kanoa put her hand in front of her face, still seeing Surendra’s core power through it. “Is that what this power is called?”

  Surendra looked back, giving her a hard look. “It’s known as the primary benefit of Curiosity. Not common, but known. It’s one of the few that are common enough to have a general name, with most people just making up their own. I wouldn’t let others know that you can use it, as most don’t like the idea of people getting insights on what they can do. This is especially true with magic users like Ailu, as most are pretty paranoid due to the Empire’s prosecution.”

  Looking back at Ailu, Kanoa saw her power once again. It wasn’t like the Ideals at all, where instead of raw energy flowing through her there was only a fathomless depth. Her friend had called it “the deep,” though wasn’t allowed to say more.

  “Yeah. . . I’ll be sure to take care.”

  Surendra shivered. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what she had just seen in her companion’s core, nor what that could imply for his own fate. “Good. Anyways, techniques like yours are rare because they alter the way you interact with the world. They’re called enlightening techniques, and they impart knowledge upon the user. Much more common are enhancing techniques, like mine.”

  Kanoa watched as Surendra’s core power shifted, expanding around his body until it resembled a shell just under his skin.

  He continued. “Mine is called Bulwark of Obstinance. It draws on my Selfishness to reflect my desire to do what I please, no matter what others say. By reducing my enhancements to strength and speed, it enhances my durability and density. All enhancing techniques are tradeoffs like this.”

  Noticing that Kanoa was deep in thought, Surendra paused his lecture to give her some time to process. She would likely question him about the third category anyways, so there was no need to rush. Indeed, she asked the exact question he was hoping for a few minutes later.

  “Alright. . . But what about Mr. Walker’s technique? How he made people afraid of him?”

  Surendra gave out a low chuckle. It seemed he was starting to predict the girl. “That is the last type of technique: the dominating kind. These techniques enforce the will of the user upon the surrounding area. They can distort magic and other techniques, manipulate the wills of others, even grant remote control over objects. The range is dependent on the strength of the user, but they can be pretty versatile. Oh, and Walker’s technique is called Tyrant’s Domain, in case you wanted to know.”

  At this point, the group had finally made it to their destination. They found themselves in a large clearing, at the edge of which lay the entrance to a cave. There were various large rocks scattered about, which made for some good seats as everyone gathered up to complete the lecture. Surendra passed around a waterskin as he continued speaking.

  “Now, most people don’t use techniques with such well known names as Kanoa’s or Walker’s. The first one is just a natural result of Curiosity, and the second is a trick that is commonly known within the imperial nobility. Most techniques are like mine: personalized around the individual. Sometimes they manifest naturally, sometimes you need to create them on your own. Not that most people feel the need to make too many, after all. Once you’ve got one of each category, that will usually be more than enough for any competent fighter.”

  For once, Ailu was the one to ask a question. It seemed that hearing Surendra talk for long enough had allowed her to acclimate to his temperament a bit more. To call it fear would be improper for a being as powerful as her, with its reality being closer to the anxiety of meeting a new authority figure.

  “Umm, what about you? What other techniques do you have?”

  Surendra let out a long sigh, fixing his eyes on the strange child. “First off, if you had asked anyone else that question, they would have seen it as an insult or challenge. With how specific most techniques are, most know that their best chance of victory is in keeping it secret until in a situation where it excels. If they don’t volunteer the information, then don’t ask. As for the actual answer, I don’t have any others. I’ve been losing connection with Ambition since some time ago, and the techniques I had with it have long since faded away.”

  Kanoa piped up at this. “So you can lose an Ideal?”

  “Indeed. They need to be maintained, unlike magic which becomes bound to one’s very essence. I wouldn’t be worried about Curiosity, though. With a personality like yours, I have no doubt that there will be plenty of other things to fascinate yourself with in the future.”

  She gave him a flat stare, not liking that he was starting to understand her so thoroughly. “Well, that’s good. . . But you keep talking about magic, and I don’t really understand why it doesn’t matter for me. Can’t I use it myself?” She raises a hand towards him, giving off a little wave of heat.

  For the first time, Surendra looked uncertain about his answer. “. . . I’ve seen power like yours before, and all I can say is that it isn’t powered by your core. From what I understand, the goddess Kinohi is using you as a way to channel her power. You don’t have any control over it, do you?”

  “Not really. . .” She seemed a bit abashed.

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  “Precisely. Your emotions have some influence, but Kinohi controls how much is actually getting through. I don’t know much more than that, since even most higher beings seem uncertain as to how blessings work. The gods who use them are the ones who know how they work, and it seems like that’s a well kept secret.” He gives out a large snort, masking the embarrassment from his lack of knowledge. “As for magic overall. . . Well, I think Ailu will be the most knowledgeable about that subject.”

  Ailu was startled as she realized that everyone was now looking towards her. She had only wanted to come along because she wanted to hang out with Kanoa, not to become a teacher. This was a risky situation; she couldn’t risk accidentally revealing too much about her true nature. She wasn’t sure if her mother could actually tell when that happened, but it wasn’t something she was going to risk. She would probably be banned from going to āina Hānau if that happened, which was something Ailu would rather avoid at all cost. Taking on a somewhat serious expression, she faced Surendra directly.

  “I won’t be able to tell you everything. . . but I’ll say what I can.”

  Surendra leaned back. “Don’t hold anything back that you don’t have to. Kanoa is in the eye of a god, and a supposedly fickle one at that. She ought to know everything you can tell her.”

  Glancing towards Kanoa, she could see her in absolute attentiveness. Sighing, Ailu began. “Alright. . . So, there are creatures out there called higher beings, right? Spirits and gods and stuff like that. They can all use magic to control their domains and-”

  “What’s a spirit? How are they different from gods?”

  Ailu lost her train of thought completely as she realized the gap in baseline knowledge between them. It looked like she would have to start from the basics.

  “Oh, well, alright. . . So, every higher being controls at least one domain. Spirits and gods are different ranks, with the stronger ones having more fundamental domains. Umm, first there are greater deities, who control really big ones. Kinohi is a greater deity because she controls the domain of fire.”

  Looking at Kanoa, she could see the girl was processing things so far. “Right, and lesser deities work under the greater ones. They control parts of the greater domains, like how the god of rivers controls a part of the water domain. Spirits are even more specific, they control stuff like specific locations or species.”

  Surendra interrupts at this point, hoping to guide things towards something more directly applicable. “Yes, and to my understanding, any higher being can allow a mortal to use their core to manipulate that same domain, correct?”

  “Right, yes. I think higher beings have their own cores too, but they’re a lot bigger. Sometimes they can give blessings of power, like Kanoa’s, but usually a magus has to draw power from their own core. The more power your core can produce, the larger and more complex your spells can become.”

  “The permissions to use your core power like this is called a Bond, and is a lot more flexible than a technique.” He pushed further. “Because of this, magi tend to be physically weaker than exemplars (people who use the Ideals) unless they have the strength to maintain both. Though some of the magi I’ve seen do use both-”

  Ailu cut back in. “Right! Because that’s how they become higher beings!”

  “Wait, what do you mean, become higher beings?” Surendra looked genuinely baffled.

  “Oh, uh. . . yeah. I think any mortal can become a higher being, but they need to be someone really impressive first. Ideals can only make you so strong, so they use magic to get even more powerful. Then, if they do something really important, or if a greater deity just lets them, they can become a higher being. Dunno how though.”

  Surendra was baffled. He had no idea that regular mortals could reach a higher level of existence like that. Though that did somewhat make sense, he supposed. The imperial ban on Bonds made magi quite rare these days, so it was only natural that some information there would be lost. It would explain what the sasqal elders were going on about with all that “approaching divinity” nonsense. He was now looking at Ailu in a new light. He had assumed she was just a weak spirit, though her tangibility made that a little hard to believe. If the children of higher beings were mortal, albeit with some magic built into them, and then had to work their way up to reaching the level of their parents, that would explain what she was. He hadn’t been expecting to be receiving a lesson himself today, but it was a welcome surprise to be sure. It also meant he could be a little bit less terrified of a ten year old child, which was doing well for his ego.

  “. . . I see. Well, that aside, most magi either only or primarily use their magic instead of the Ideals. They can control anything that fits within the domain of their Bond, which means the actual strength they can put out varies pretty wildly. The most common ones I’ve seen are beast magi out in the wilds. They can turn into the form of their spirit’s chosen species, but not much else. I did once run into a magus Bonded to Ukunsur, the lesser goddess of oceans, which is not a fight I would recommend taking.”

  “O-oh, Ukunsur, huh?” Ailu was doing her best not to seem suspicious, a detail that Surendra was doing his best to ignore for the sake of his common sense.

  Kanoa had stars in her eyes, and so, so many questions. “Wow. . . Ailu, you said some higher beings have multiple domains, right? How does that work?”

  Ailu was immensely thankful for a distraction from. . . that topic. “Oh, well, sometimes the more powerful ones will take on smaller domains. I think Kinohi has the domain of earthquakes as well, which she got from the goddess of earth. They can give control of their lesser domains to magi, but I’m not really sure why they would.”

  “And what about you? What’s your domain?”

  “Oh, yeah, I’m using the domain of the deep sea. I can’t do a lot with it yet, so I’m not really sure what it can do. . .”

  “Wow! And how does-”

  Surendra attempted to regain control over the lesson. “Alright, alright, that’s enough! You two can do this in your own time, so let’s focus on what’s actually important. What you should understand now, Kanoa, is that magic is currently out of your grasp. Making a Bond with Kinohi might be possible for you in the future, but for now you barely have enough core power to maintain Erudite Eyes. WIth the way things are now, you need to focus on getting stronger and learning how to control your own core. Get a better position on that rock, because you’re going to be meditating.”

  Kanoa’s face fell a bit, but she knew he was right. She wiggled herself into a comfortable spot in the middle of the stone’s top, and got herself into a cross legged sit.

  “Right now, you’re using Curiosity purely by instinct.” He continued. “While that is very impressive, it’s also a bit of a problem if you want to use your core properly. I cannot help you in this next part, but I can at least get you started.”

  Her expression narrowed slightly, as this was starting to sound like Kehlani’s excuse. “Why can’t you help me?”

  “Because my understanding of Curiosity is that of an outsider. If I truly understood it, then I would be able to use the same powers as you. I can guide you into a state where you can perceive your own core, but figuring out things from there is up to you. Now close your eyes.”

  Ailu watched as Surendra walked Kanoa through the steps of entering a state of meditation. Being a regular mortal had to be a pain, especially if you could only use your power when such specific conditions were met. As a sea serpent, she would have more than enough power to ascend by the time she was an adult, so it was just a matter of waiting. As she noticed Ikaika's attempt to follow the same process, she couldn’t help but wonder how long this was all going to last. Though still a child, she at least had enough understanding of the world to know how unsustainable this relationship was. She cared for Kanoa, more than she cared for almost anyone else, but the kālai was just a hominid. It would take an astronomical amount of effort for them to be at the same level of strength. It would only be a decade before Ailu needed to assume her responsibilities, and that was somewhere that Kanoa would likely never be able to follow. Still, a decade was more than enough time for the two of them to spend together. Or at least that was what she was trying her best to believe. Ten years felt both like an eternity and the blink of an eye in the mind of a creature that knew she would live for millenia. She only hoped that, when the time came, she would be able to tell her best friend the truth.

  Unaware of the existential crisis happening a few feet away from her, Kanoa was able to reach a state of tranquility. The outside world faded away, and all that she could perceive was her own form. No, it was more than that. It took some effort, but eventually she could see within herself. She could feel every muscle and ligament, every nerve and vein working in an absurdly complex network that allowed her to be. . . Kanoa. But this wasn’t what she was looking for. Though it was hard to tear her eyes away from her own fascinating inner workings, (she would have to do this again to get a closer look later) she knew she had to look deeper. Straining even further, she tried to look with her mind and with her soul, looking for the core that represented her force of life. It took a while, though the true length of time was difficult to discern in this half-conscious state, but finally she saw what looked like a bead of light, located right above her stomach. Looking closer, she saw faint veins of that same light expanding outwards, leading towards her eyes. But it wasn’t really light, she could tell. It was. . . drive. These strands were made of a hunger to perceive and to understand, the simple act at understanding the basic surface of a thing and being unsatisfied. Kanoa now understood why Surendra could not help her here. This primal desire could only be understood by someone who could feel it directly.

  Spending a little more time analyzing this light, no, her Curiosity, she began to understand the nature of her power a little more. Those strands represented her desire to learn more about Ideals and magic, fueled by the incompatible teaching standards of the alaka’i. Because so much of her mind had been filled with that drive to understand, all of her newfound power was being forced into a technique that allowed her to do so. Paradoxically, her Curiosity hid itself from her in an attempt to help her see. It didn’t take long to figure out how to unwind those strands, allowing Kanoa to activate and deactivate the Erudite Eyes more or less at will. It was as easy as taking your first step: once it had been achieved, the rest followed as naturally as breathing. As Kanoa finally opened her eyes, she was a little startled by how different the world felt. She could no longer see the power of her companions, only what lay on the surface. It felt. . . underwhelming. Unsatisfying. The feeling of her Curiosity being unfulfilled was a frustrating one, but it was paired with a far more powerful sensation. She felt. . . stronger, as boring as it felt to say it in such simple terms. Kanoa was less fatigued, the sun felt a little less intense on her back, and when she took a standing jump it felt just a bit higher than usual.

  “Looks like you figured it out.”

  Hearing Surendra’s voice, she turned to see him and Ailu sharing some dried fruit and nuts. It seemed that this process had taken long enough that it was now time for lunch. She joined them, with Ikaika soon following behind. Realizing that he had finished the meditation as well, she questioned the pāpaka.

  “Have you learned how to use your power as well?”

  Ikaika swung his claw at a boulder next to where he was sitting, shattering it in one blow.

  “.--. .-. --- ..- -.. / ... .- - .. ... ..-. .. . -..”

  Surendra stared at them, mouth agape. “. . . So, he had an Ideal as well?”

  “Yeah.” Kanoa responded. “Why did you think he followed along?”

  “To protect you?”

  “Oh, that wouldn’t be a problem. Ailu’s way stronger than him.” The words were a bit garbled coming through a mouth filled with fruit.

  Surendra didn’t feel a need to question things further, as he knew that the answers would only piss him off more. He just looked at the rubble that used to be a rock larger than Kanoa. The crab was stronger than he was.

  Once their meal was over, Surendra finally unwrapped the bundle he had carried all this way into the jungle. Everyone else looked in awe at the pile of weapons, tools, and assorted junk that fell out from it. Picking up a massive bo staff carved from some sort of black wood, Surendra addressed the group.

  “These are weapons and magic tools I’ve gathered from old opponents. I had meant for only Kanoa to pick one, but Ailu might also get some use out of one of them. I’ve heard that magi can use items they’re fond of to make directing their power easier.”

  Kanoa looked at her mentor questioningly. “Uh. . . I already know how to use a spear. . .”

  “I’ve seen the spears your people use,” He responded dismissively. “and I refuse to let my student fight with a blade made of carved glass. There’s a metal spear in there somewhere, but I wouldn’t get too attached to a single weapon type. Look around, see what feels right to you.”

  Not entirely sure what he meant by that, she began rooting through the pile of items. She found the spear pretty easily, but chose to keep digging around. Surendra hadn’t been wrong so far, so she saw no reason to doubt him now. Most of the options available didn’t really speak to her, either from their unfamiliarity or just. . . oddness.

  “What’s the point of having a knife at the end of a rope?”

  “It’s a bit of a gamble to use, in all fairness.”

  “A gamble of whether it’s useful or not?”

  “A gamble on whether you cut the enemy or yourself first.”

  Putting that option aside. . . probably forever, there wasn’t much else that really caught her eye. This was until Kanoa found something interesting at the very bottom of the pile. It looked like a longsword with a handle as long as its blade, with the whole weapon being made of one continuous piece of metal. Giving it a few slashes through the air, she found she really enjoyed the balance of it, even if it was perhaps a bit large for her.

  Surendra chuckled. “A swordspear, eh? I guess that’s technically a different weapon. Looks like you’ve found something interesting as well, Ailu.”

  She just grinned widely while holding up a drinking gourd carved with designs of crashing waves. He could only hope that her parents didn’t ask her where she found that.

  Grinning, he addressed the newly armed trio before him. “Alright then, looks like you three are ready! I’ll admit, I was worried that this next stage would be a bit much for Kanoa, so I suppose it was a good thing you two came along.”

  Kanoa was starting to get a bad feeling. “Um, what is this next stage, exactly?”

  “I’m glad you asked, my apprentice. And before I explain it, I would like to remind you that you’re the one who wanted to learn from me. As a demonstration of what both the Ideals and magic can enable, we’re going to be doing some field research. Or, more specifically. . .”

  He turned towards the mouth of the cave, which had been completely ignored up until this point. While seeming to be just an ordinary cave, a common sight on a volcanic island, Surendra’s tone made the trio envision a more ominous aura emanating from within.

  “. . . We’re going to kill a magus.”