EP.170 The Freshman Who Calls the Storm (4)
Sometimes, stars share their power with humans.
Some say it is a contract made between humans and stars, while others refer to it as the blessing bestowed by a god.
Personally, I prefer the former… but generally, society leans more towards supporting the latter hypothesis.
‘I don’t think it’s incomprehensible.’
Those who have never experienced a deal with the stars usually sanctify them. This hypothesis probably emerged under that assumption.
Stars are like gods.
What is given by the god is a blessing and grace.
It’s roughly that kind of logic. I picked up a piece of chalk with a bitter smile. Honestly, how it is written down or called doesn’t matter at all.
‘What matters is the content.’
I glided the chalk across the blackboard. Screech. Bits of chalk dust fell below the board. What I engraved was the content I would address from now on.
[The Blessing of the Stars.]
Talent received from the stars.
[The Basics and Utilization of Stars (星).]
How to handle it.
This was an unstructured field.
The power of stars is inherently mysterious and touches on the realm of senses… and the number of possessors is extremely small.
‘A handful of star-light possessors.’
Even they couldn’t explain the operation of starlight properly. It belonged to the realm of instinct and enlightenment. Converting instinctual enlightenment into words has always been a difficult task.
“So.”
I muttered as I placed the chalk down.
“This is a lecture that only I can give.”
I had always been close to the stars.
I had been with the hero chosen by the stars.
I had been with the saint who revered the stars.
When they achieved enlightenment, I was at the same place. I watched closely how they handled the stars.
Because I saw it, I know.
Because I know, I could also handle the stars.
There was a time I etched starlight into my soul with the sacrifice of my lifespan. The starlight inscribed back then has long since vanished, but the sensation I felt then remains vividly in my memory.
The sensation I remember.
The instinctual enlightenment.
As I mentioned earlier, converting that into words isn’t easy. But I am a mage. A mage is always a being of inquiry. How could one be called a mage if they cannot organize a single enlightenment?
This is my area of expertise.
Tap.
As I placed the chalk down, I turned around.
In the spacious lecture hall, only two students were seated.
“The blessing of the stars…?”
The star-chosen child, the hero.
Chloe.
“…”
The one who reads the context of the stars, the Watcher.
Resti Elenoa.
“Listen carefully.”
I smiled at the two of them.
“You can’t hear this anywhere else.”
—
[The Blessing of the Stars.]
Chloe looked at the letters written on the blackboard and slightly turned her gaze sideways. Another student was sitting not far from her.
‘…Violet hair.’
Light violet hair.
Neatly trimmed bob that reached her shoulders.
She looked elegant and cold.
‘What’s her name?’
While attending the lecture together, Chloe was curious about the girl’s name. But she found it difficult to approach her. The girl with violet hair had an air that made conversation challenging.
“Chloe.”
“Yes, yes, Professor Rania.”
While lost in thought, Chloe flinched at the sound of her name being called.
“I did talk to your guardian, the Master of the Black Tower, beforehand, but… I’ll say it anyway.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your constitution.”
Rania looked at Chloe.
Chloe blinked.
“Even this girl over here knows that you’re a candidate for the next hero. It was impossible to hide that fact.”
Rania’s gaze shifted sideways.
It landed on the girl with violet hair. As soon as the word “hero” came up, Chloe, who had held her breath, cautiously asked a question.
“…Impossible to hide, you say?”
“Because I can see it.”
It wasn’t Rania who answered. The girl with violet hair lightly tapped her eyes.
“I was not born like you, blessed by starlight, but I have the ability to see things related to the stars.”
Her purple eyes resembled her hair.
A ring of platinum light circled her pupils as she continued to speak.
“In my eyes, you appear as a platinum mass.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yep.”
The girl nodded nonchalantly.
It was challenging to converse with her. Chloe showed a troubled expression and looked at Rania. Rania, noticing Chloe’s gaze requesting explanation, opened her mouth.
“This is Resti Elenoa.”
“…Huh?”
Chloe’s eyes widened. She had heard that name before.
“Could it be, that… the Ashen Master of the Tower…?”
Rania nodded.
Chloe cast a quick glance at the girl sitting next to her, her mouth slightly agape.
‘The successor to the Ashen Mage.’
She had heard rumors about a girl her age.
‘She’s quite remarkable.’
As Chloe marveled internally, Rania lightly tapped the blackboard with the back of her hand.
“At this point, it’s understandable to be curious.”
She spoke.
“Isn’t it curious why the two of you are paired for the same lecture?”
Why were they both attending the same special lecture? Rania provided an explanation.
“You two will be resources for one another.”
She extended her arm, pointing first at Resti.
“Resti, how much do you know about your ability?”
“…I understand it as the ability to see to the core, for now.”
“Half right and half wrong.”
“…Huh?”
Resti blinked.
Rania continued speaking.
“Your eyes do not merely penetrate to the core. You see phenomena from a completely different perspective. However, that’s not where it ends.”
She pointed at Resti’s pupils.
“You see and simultaneously understand. For you, ‘to see’ and ‘to understand’ are synonymous.”
There is no gap between ‘seeing’ and ‘understanding.’ The gap that should originally exist does not exist for you.
As she explained this, Rania picked up the chalk again.
“Throughout the ages, it has been called by various names.”
Scratch.
“Some have referred to it as Insight, others as Inquiry, and still others as Wise Eye… In short, the essence is ‘to see.’”
Scratch.
“And the Mage of Ancient Dragons described it this way.”
With a clack, Rania put the chalk down, turning around to point at the letters written on the blackboard.
“A watcher of the stars, the Watcher.”
The being that observes, the Watcher.
“You can ‘see’ and simultaneously ‘understand’ everything related to the stars. Every spell carries a trace of the stars, making it a remarkable talent for a mage.”
Spells, circuits, balance, summons…
As Rania listed the items in order on the chalkboard, she paused the chalk momentarily. She turned around and glanced back.
“And then, the stars themselves.”
She looked not at Resti, but at Chloe.
“Merely a remnant of starlight, rather than an ordinary spell… raw starlight itself.”
There exists a girl who possesses it.
Right here.
“Hero.”
Resti turned to look at Chloe.
Chloe swallowed hard.
“For you, Resti, this girl is the perfect example. You observe and understand by looking at the example. Then, you express what you understood in words…”
“…That is the basics of a mage, isn’t it?”
“Exactly.”
Rania smiled.
“You will understand the stars in the special lectures spanning half a year from today. You will analyze them. In doing so, you might also seek growth.”
“That’s true…”
“And it would be great if you could share the results with this girl. After all, there should be something gained and something lost.”
Resti nodded.
That worked out well for her. Understanding the stars would surely lead to growth. If she could gain enlightenment, sharing the analyzed material would be more than acceptable.
“And Chloe.”
“Yes, yes.”
“You will learn based on the analysis that Resti conducts. As I mentioned earlier, you two will be resources for one another.”
“Hmm, umm…”
Chloe wore a puzzled expression.
It was evident that she didn’t fully understand yet. Rania shrugged and took a step back.
“Well, even if I say this… it won’t be easy to understand. No matter how many times you say it, seeing it once is better than hearing it a hundred times. Until you see it, it might be hard to understand.”
Leaning against the podium, she said.
“So.”
The two girls will be resources for each other.
Then, what will the professor, who teaches this class, do? Rania answered that question.
“I will show you.”
As always, she would merely present an example.
“What I know, what only I can teach. I will show that to you.”
Snap, she clapped her hands softly.
“Chloe.”
She called Chloe’s name softly.
Chloe slowly nodded.
“Pull out your mana, as much as you can.”
“As much as I can?”
“Just as much as you can. Even if you don’t know how to handle it, you can still release it, right?”
“I can, but…”
Chloe hesitated.
She understood how her mana was released ‘in what way’. She had done it in front of the Master of the Black Tower.
‘The result wasn’t good…’
All sorts of magic tools broke.
The Master of the Black Tower had screamed and collapsed. Seeing a much older guy collapsing while screaming had left Chloe with a rather unpleasant memory.
“It might hurt your eyes a little…No, actually a lot…?”
“It’s fine, just try it.”
“Okay, then…”
Chloe took a short deep breath.
She breathed in deeply and let it out. As she exhaled, Chloe closed her eyes.
Vwooosh!
And then, starlight surged.
—
Starlight floods.
The rushing current of starlight tears through the lecture hall.
To those who cannot perceive mana, it may seem as if nothing happened at all. Those who can see a bit of mana will find every corner glowing platinum.
And for Resti…
In Resti’s eyes, where she can read the context of mana, everything becomes clear. Resti lost herself in the starlight spreading throughout the room.
Glimmer.
Starlight flows.
It ripples and swells like waves. The watercourses radiating from a single girl spread through every corner of the lecture hall. It was the most essential form.
‘…Starlight, the Milky Way.’
The platinum stream rushes.
Resti subconsciously reached out. She tried to touch the flowing starlight. It slipped through the gaps between her fingers. It couldn’t be caught.
‘Do you… understand this?’
Her head hurt.
A tremendous amount of information poured into her mind. While her eyes saw and understood everything… whether or not she could accept it was another matter.
“…Oof.”
Her head refused to accept the information.
Only limited information lingered in her mind. Resti pressed her temples and groaned.
“Take your time.”
From somewhere, a voice resonated.
Resti lifted her head. She saw the girl pouring out the starlight with her eyes closed. Opposite her stood someone at the center of the starlight.
“Don’t try to take it all in from the start.”
She said.
“Right now, it would be best to focus here first.”
Her ash-colored hair waved gently.
She, Rania, reached out her hand. She dipped her hand into the flowing starlight. Starlight flowed between her fingers. Up to that point, Resti was the same.
However, the next step was different.
“Take your time.”
She flicked her fingers.
“But make sure you do it right.”
Starlight wrapped around her index finger.
“Catch it. Like taking control of mana.”
Starlight coiled around each segment of her fingers.
The water flow extends in every direction, but the starting point is coiled around Rania’s fingers. Resti understood its meaning.
‘…Grabbing the reins of mana.’
It felt akin to grasping the reins of mana.
“Chloe.”
Rania touched Chloe’s shoulder.
“Open your eyes.”
Chloe slowly opened her eyes.
She saw Rania standing before her. She saw the professor holding the flowing stream of starlight.
“Watch carefully.”
Rania moved her hand wrapped in starlight.
First, she wiggled her index finger.
Fwoooooosh!
The extended water stream shifted. The starlight, which had been flowing at a steady pace, surged violently. Then, the flow began to change.
Thumb, middle finger, ring finger, pinky.
She moved her fingers in sequence. Some moved slowly, while others moved quickly. The movement dictated the flow of the water stream. The previously scattered stream was rearranged.
Clench.
With her fist clenched, she pulled like drawing a net.
Fwooooooosh!
The water stream followed her hand. The streams that had spread in every direction converged into one place.
“…Ah.”
Chloe watched all of this from the closest vantage point.
She couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.
Until now, Chloe had not known how to handle her starlight. She knew starlight was stored within her heart. However, she had no idea how to handle it or in what way to utilize it.
The answer lay right in front of her.
The previously rushing starlight was no longer chaotic. The once scattered starlight was now neatly gathered around a central point. The starlight enveloped the professor before her.
“Now that you’ve caught it…”
The professor, who grasped the reins of starlight.
Rania van Trias moved her hand grasping the starlight. She inserted her other hand into the intertwined stream, as if it were threads.
“The next part is just like handling mana.”
She tugged at the starlight with her hooked finger. She extracted the desired stream. She treated the bound starlight like paint. Her fingers became brushes and the starlight became the paint.
Her fingers moved.
Starlight followed behind.
Using the empty lecture hall as a canvas, she began to paint.
“Bend it.”
The starlight rippled.
“Stretch it, swing it, twist it, and engrave it again.”
It quivered and transformed into meaningful patterns.
It was akin to a flower blooming. The starlight blossomed. Chloe etched the blossoming starlight into her very eyes.
…Under normal circumstances, this would be impossible.
The hero’s starlight is contained within.
If it doesn’t come out, there’s no way someone else can take control.
Yet, Chloe is a mage.
The starlight flowing through her body is optimized for expressing spells. Casting a spell means drawing mana from within to the outside.
“This is how it’s done.”
And here was a mage.
Even though she had not been blessed by the stars, she knew how to handle them. She was showcasing the enlightenment attained through the consumption of her lifespan before the candidate for the next hero.
What she realized at the boundary of life and death.
What she acquired by renouncing her future.
Yet, something she could no longer reach.
She displayed this before the next hero candidate. Chloe stared at it in rapture. It was beautiful. It was an endlessly beautiful sight.
‘Catch it, weave it, twine it…’
It felt like playing with thread.
In the simplicity of the process displayed… Chloe felt something difficult to articulate. Chloe’s eyes sparkled.
Jingle jangle.
A pattern floated before her eyes.
Rania’s azure eyes and Chloe’s jade-colored eyes met across a platinum circuit. Chloe involuntarily leaned her waist forward, inching her face closer. It felt like she was being pulled in.
The platinum circuit.
It was the moment about to be completed.
Crunch!
The circuit shattered, causing all the starlight to return back to Chloe. She coughed lightly and sank her head down.
“Hmm.”
Rania muttered as she stroked her chin.
“Casting spells seems to be too much of a challenge.”
“Yes, yes?”
“Even if you hold control, you are still the owner of the mana.”
Rania clicked her tongue, as if disappointed.
“An ordinary mage could grasp control and manipulate it freely, but it seems that’s not the case for you. Well, then, that just shows you’re a true hero.”
It seems to be quite the nemesis for that skull-headed dude.
Muttering like that, Rania nodded.
“Shall we call it a day for now?”
Before long, quite some time had passed.
Chloe looked at Rania as if entranced. The scenes that had just unfolded before her eyes… still lingered before Chloe’s eyes.
‘What was all that just now…?’
In that moment, as if someone had just awoken from a dream, Chloe absentmindedly wiggled her finger on the table.
Tap.
Paper was placed before Chloe.
“Well then, today’s homework.”
Chloe lifted her head. Professor Rania, smiling brightly, was looking down at her.
“Everything you just saw, write it all down here. Let’s meet again next week.”
“…Huh?”
“In the time you’re poking around your desk with your fingers, I want you to grab a pencil and draw it here.”
“U-uhh…”
“Oh, and this is a summary of the concepts I just shared… Oh, there’s this too? One moment.”
Tap, tap, tap.
A pile of papers stacked up on the desk.
The height was concerning. The towering pile of papers cast a shadow over Chloe’s face. Chloe’s pupils trembled.
“W-What is all this…?”
“What do you mean what? I told you just now.”
Are you seriously asking something so obvious?
With that tone, Rania replied sharply.
“Homework.”
Homework? This? All of this?
Chloe spun her head around. She looked at Resti sitting beside her. Resti was quietly sorting a similar amount of papers into her bag.
“U-uhh…”
Is this the average?
Is this the average assignment in Apuria?
Chloe’s pupils shook even more at Resti’s nonchalant attitude. At that point, Chloe felt that something was off. However, she couldn’t pinpoint what precisely was amiss or where it had started to go wrong.
The stars could only sing of despair.
The song seemed to whisper, ‘See? What did I tell you?’
“Heh, heh…”
Chloe’s complexion turned pale.
Unfortunately, this was only the first class of the special lecture.
