by John Gold
You have a specialty offer: Life Magic
Accept: Yes/No
“Yes.”
***
Eliza arrived once again at Angie’s tree, but he was no longer there. The guards had jailed him for attacking another player without warrant. She found the respawn point quickly, and they were even there when the demon attack started. Her wards enjoyed the show from their VIP box seats at the windows of the tavern. Neither Eliza nor her assistant joined the battle—they were too busy protecting the tavern doors.
Nobody saw Angie after the battle. A few archers with the eagle eye skill said he was sitting up in a branch of the tree a hundred and fifty meters off the ground and staring at the door to the tavern, but nobody else could see him or confirm that it really was him.
After that, Eliza went back to look at old recordings of the conversations he’d had with his old psychologist. He had been eleven, and it was a year before he was transferred to the other wing in the orphanage.
Angie Ganet and his psychologist were sitting in two comfortable chairs. The boy talked openly, and they were discussing important issues.
“Angie, why did you stop talking with the other kids? Did they do something bad?”
“No, Mrs. Full, they wouldn’t even know how to. It’s just that they’re…the other kids…stupid! I don’t see any point talking with them. Reading books is much more interesting—they let you systematize what you know so you can dive deeper into the meaning.”
“What do you mean, Angie?”
The boy thought for a second about how to explain that to the psychologist.
“Mrs. Full, every time someone makes a statement, you only come away with and remember the key moments. I can remember every detail, every word, every inflection, but only if I really need to. When I’m reading new books, new links form between different things I already know. I think back to a dialog or something smart someone said, and I understand it in more depth, in more detail. I get a better feel for what the author is trying to say, how powerfully his personality is expressed in the words. I understand people better. It’s like an iceberg: what people say is just the tip, and you have to see the whole thing if you want to understand their meaning. The more I read and try to understand, the less I want to talk with other kids. They think in different terms and look at the world too simplistically.”
“…”
“I know I’m not too smart. Not as smart as the kids with good grades. But I think fast enough, I have the wit and sagacity, and I might even have the desire to be better than them. For now, I just want to better understand people and myself.”
“You’re just eleven, Angie! Where did you get ideas like that?”
Angie stared at the psychologist, angry in his childlike way.
“I’m already eleven! When Thomas Hadd was my age, he started piloting his parents’ mining ship. Etfindus Dobrale came up with his hypothesis on the levels in the quantum sea. When Diana Gumm was eleven, she started her own business delivering weapons.”
“She was a smuggler! You may not know this, but she completed her first deal just so the ship her parents were on wouldn’t get shot up by pirates.”
“No, she was successful. By the time she got out of jail when she was twenty, she was already a millionaire.”
Mrs. Full smiled and handed the boy a piece of candy.
“They used to say that wisdom comes from the mouth of babes, but you’re drawing all the wrong conclusions.” The woman picked up the empty wrapper and showed it to Angie. “The difference in what you know and your ability to understand deeply let you explore life on a more detailed, fuller level. You can see the whole picture. On the other hand, not talking with people means you’ll lose your understanding of life from a child’s point of view—the ability to be happy about the little things, to enjoy your freedom. You’re thinking superficially, matching individual facts instead of looking at the aggregate of the factors that make people successful. You’ll eventually stop understanding the world around you. Your social development will stop, and that will put a huge damper on your mental development. People need to talk. That’s how your personality develops.”
“I don’t understand, Mrs. Full.”
“Growing up is a complicated process, and talking with your peers is an integral part of it. Do you know what I mean? Without the experience you get from talking with them, the foundation of your personality will be too fragile. You’ll be an adult, but still a child at heart. Does that make sense?”
The boy thought about it. Eliza had a hard time understanding what Mrs. Full was getting at herself, or where she was taking the boy. It definitely wasn’t a conversation with an eleven-year-old.
“But that doesn’t mean I should talk with other kids. I can talk with adults—they’re more interesting.”
Eliza realized that Angie hadn’t heard what the psychologist was trying to say. Full confirmed her suspicions.
“In that case, your personality won’t develop correctly. Normal people express emotions and carry on intelligent conversations at the same time, though your brain just does one or the other. If you purposely limit yourself to talking with adults, you’ll focus on the meaning of the words, losing the feeling invested in them. When you grow up, it’ll be much harder for you to read emotions. Your emotional intellect will be stunted. And if you can’t understand emotions, you won’t be able to empathize or sympathize with other people.”
Angie was starting to protect himself psychologically.
“Mrs. Full, I read in a book that money is more valuable now than later. I’m prepared to forego my childhood and emotions in the future in favor of my current development.”
“That’s silly, Angie. With a decision like that, you’re robbing yourself of a normal future. You’ll ruin your everyday life, and the decision is such a simple one. All you have to do is talk with the other kids.”
The boy paused to think.
“Mrs. Full, I’ve read two hundred books already, and I’ve made one conclusion about how people think. Only the ones that consciously decline normalcy can reach their calling, success, and wealth. They turn their back on morals, principles, social norms, and formulaic thinking, and that’s how they go farther than normal people. Your opinion of my decision is just a perspective on my future. Sure, I won’t be normal, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be bad or underdeveloped.”
Full nodded. The camera caught a slight smile.
“You’re right about that. Just don’t forget that I have more life experience, and that I’m looking at your problem from a wider angle.”
“I’ll think about that, Mrs. Full.”
The recording ended as the boy was walking out of the room. A second later, Mrs. Full made a note that the boy was socially unadapted and potentially dangerous.
Eliza, having seen the recording, realized how poor her own attempts to converse with the boy had been. He wasn’t even eleven in that recording, and he was discussing his future better than most adults. Very shortly after that meeting, he was caught at the space port and started working there—he’d set it up himself.
***
Kirk was a mind mage who’d been living in the mage quarter for more than half a year. There weren’t any houses per se, just administrative buildings and dorms. Two mages were housed in each room, while his dorm was split into a men’s wing and a women’s wing. The wings each had common bathrooms and a common cafeteria—it was a quiet, secluded home for mages who preferred solitude and peace.
In real life, his name was Stan Quoch. Six years before, Stan had gotten into serious trouble with his parents, formally losing their care, his inheritance, and his status in high society. But the lost soul was able to find his true love in Project Chrysalis, in a small shop near the Airis Castle walls. Lira accepted Stan and his broken heart. He fell madly in love with her, turning over a new leaf, even if that leaf was in the game world. But during the battle with the undead, Lira, like the thousands of other inhabitants in Airis, died in
Sagie’s final attack.
After his wife’s funeral, Kirk, playing under the name Zack, spent the next six months mourning his loss. Ultimately, Project Chrysalis lost the warrior called Zack, who went by the nickname Crazy Lightning and founded the Warriors of Persia clan, though it gained Kirk, now at Level 1588. His attribute points and warrior class skills were wiped, his username was changed, and his appearance was randomly generated.
Elf, Kirk, Level 1588
The new character became a mind mage, the least popular class of mage. His newly created character didn’t have any money, so Kirk was living in the dorm and working at the academy when his services were required. He was enjoying the student life he’d never had in real life. Living in a room, going to lectures, training his skills, earning money on the side for food and board—it all made him happy. It was the peaceful, calm, and sometimes fun life he’d been looking for. It was only in Project Chrysalis that he learned what it meant to live.
Stan considered himself the poorest mage at the academy. He wore the simplest clothing the local store had to offer, he ate in the cafeteria, he washed in the common bath room, and he lived in the dorm. That day, however, a barefoot, grimy beggar smelling like fish was assigned to live with him. He looked to be about twenty years old, and he was wearing the kind of dirty village clothes that a city beggar would sniff at.
Anri Diuval, who Kirk often worked with to make body modifications, explained it to him.
“The boy has as little money as you do, and he asked to live in the dorm. He’ll probably be taking my place this week for body modifications.”
“What if we need to do a level ten modification?”
“Oh, don’t worry, he’ll be fine.” Anri smiled slyly and left the room.
The guy was standing by the window, and Kirk thought aloud, muttering to himself.
“That bum thinks he can replace the dean of the Life Magic department?”
The bum turned around instantly and flashed a predatory smile. He’d heard everything, and he liked it.
***
It’s snowing outside, the soft light coming from the walls of the quarter creating a magical atmosphere. I can hear people crunching through the snow outside, laughing, and enjoying an interesting lecture on Life Magic. There’s a pair of girls who just stepped into the building and are on their way up the stairs to the second floor. My roommate must be a player, too—they wouldn’t have put me with him if he weren’t. He’s wearing a gray mind mage’s uniform, his strength is average, and he’s living in a dorm. Poor, probably.
There are two beds, two wardrobes, and two bookshelves in our room, not to mention a table, two chairs, and a small window. In other words, your standard dorm room. I’m a fan.
My roommate decides to introduce himself.
“Hey, I’m Kirk, a mind mage.”
Elf, Kirk, Level 1588
It turns out that some elves study outside their forests. And he actually is strong, even if I’m not sure why he’s so poor. I don’t show him my name; he doesn’t force the issue. Mind mages know better than anyone what you can do with someone’s name.
It’s warm in the room, and I’m feeling drowsy, but my roommate offers me some tea. We spend the rest of the night talking about everything that’s happened in my absence. Mostly, Kirk tells me about the events of the past five years, not to mention what he’s been up to. It’s a winter night in a warm room with tea and pleasant conversation.
Kirk has lived alone for a long time, which is why he’s missed talking to people so much. I’ve met a couple of people like him—they smile, laugh, and behave well in groups, though they’re empty inside. Without even knowing it, Kirk closed himself off from the world and decided to stop letting people in. But the emptiness he feels inside hasn’t gotten any better. It’s actually gotten worse since he’s started to realize what’s going on.
Lately, Kirk has been starved of conversation, and I get that—I’ve been through it myself. I was young and stupid back then. The ways I tried to talk were too coarse. But now, Kirk has someone who can help him take the first step toward getting rid of that emptiness.
He isn’t weak or miserable; it’s more that his values and self-confidence have been shattered. People like him just need to talk more, as that helps them rebuild their identity. It’s pretty clear that Anri wanted me here for a reason.
Kirk fell asleep in his chair, wrapped up in his blanket. Before I leave, I rip the sprouting chair out of the floor and make sure I clean up after my Life Magic. I noticed a nice flowerbed on the other side of the building, so I’m going to practice. I don’t need to sleep.
It’s been snowing all night long, the temperature is dropping, and the white stuff in the back yard is up to my ankles. It crunches pleasantly underfoot, and the night air is bracing. There’s a round garden area with lots of raised flowerbeds featuring a variety of winter flowers. They’re arranged around a lone dwarf tree, the glowing paths all leading directly toward it.
I’m here to work on my Life Magic.
Just thinking about putting in some work on myself brings back memories of the time when all I knew about magic was from books. Even without being a mage, I realized how advanced the local magic system was. The mage skill from the League of Hunters lets you boost how strong your spells are by ten times. The tenth-level scaling skill the Academy of Magic gives you offers a way to expand the area your spells affect. Then, there are familiars, which widen your range of working spells. In other words, you can boost the number, density and quantity of your spells. You can even pour enormous amounts of mana into them to drive colossal power. To have those skills, however, you need to be a strong mage who’s gone through the probation period with the Hunters.
Apprenticeship for all mages ends at the tenth level. It’s then that you get the magic vision ability and the spell scaling skill as well as the ability to pick a second specialty. The ability to work with the astral is unlocked at level five, something generally utilized by mind mages and mixed classes.
You can get spells once you hit the right level and advance your skills far enough. I, for example, could learn quite a few if I only had the money.
Tomorrow, I have my first battle for the first level. If I win, my Life Magic will pick up a five percent boost.
The flowerbed is the perfect spot to work on it. I sit down quietly at the far end, where nobody will notice me, and focus all my streams of consciousness on healing. It’s quiet, dark, and snowing, while my Life Magic is giving off a pleasant warmth, and the air is crisp and chilled. As I look over at the guard towers, erected along the wall ringing the mage quarter, the light of the full moon falls on me. There are large astral creatures with barely visible contours wheeling around in the sky.
At first, I feel unnerved, like somebody is watching me. It isn’t a god, and it isn’t that thing from the astral. It’s something different, something studying me, probing my soul, and watching my reaction. I look around—nobody. The anxiety rises, my nerves tighten, and I start to feel hostility, rage, interest. It’s like a beast is eying its prey. My senses are heightened, and I can even feel vibrations in the air. Still, I can’t figure out where the threat is coming from. The enemy is nearby. I use all my streams of consciousness to instantly throw up a shield in case I’m attacked suddenly, but nothing happens.
Minutes of anxious expectation tick by, and I don’t even notice at first that the air is starting to glow. It happens slowly enough that I don’t see it and run off. The snow melts in the air; rain drops are falling to the ground.
Dogs stop howling, all the other background noises die away, and an imposing silence settles in. I hear my heart beating, my blood flowing through my veins, the water dripping from the roof, the air tingling.
“Phase ten,” calls a voice from the sky.
Damage received: 5315 (ignored: 81422)
6400/6400
I’m mashed into the ground, the flowerbed slowly flattened by the increased gravitational force. The entire
backyard feels the blow, and everything around me is being pressed into the ground.
A wild roar breaks out over the mage quarter, the glass windows of the dorm quiver, and the plaster starts falling off the walls. Gravity is getting stronger. I’m halfway underground, and even my amplification doesn’t help me get up. Shield! Maximum!
As soon as I sit up—just barely—I sense new creatures in the air. Fifty meters away, there’s a person floating. He has three enormous snakes made entirely of light next to him.
Debuff received: Mental incinerator
Effect: Morale -22%, Intellect -36%, Wisdom -27%
Duration: As long as you are within range of the incinerator
The plants in the flowerbed die away instantly, the snow melts, and the air fizzes like water on a hot stove. I feel like I’m in a catalytic self-cleaning oven. Everything is burning, but only on the mental level—that light is searing all the mental bodies within its aura.
The snakes start moving slowly toward me, while the man watches my reaction. One of them brushes up against a guard tower, leaving it to crumble in its wake. Concentrated Light Magic!
“Spear of darkness! Maximum!”
I aim for its head but end up barely catching its tail. The explosion takes out the remains of the guard tower, and I get a stun debuff. The second snake gets even closer—the next spear of darkness does catch it in the head. Just then, however, the third snake throws itself at my shield, and the explosion flings me against the stone wall of the dorm.
Damage received: 166780 (ignored: 292021)
6400/6400
Lightning! The bastard is toying with me. The windows on the first floor shatter one by one. I’ve always thought I was a monster, but apparently even monsters have their monsters. This is one of them.
Damage received: 277515 (ignored: 1155597)
6400/6400