Apparently the of Minotaurs that had been cleared out n for this clearing, and so the Kitsunes were pag up and leaving. It was a glorious sight, to see the entire camp just get dismantled in a day. Even the clearing was removed, as a special, glowing green bulb was dug up from the ground and trees immediately sprouted from the ground again. The Kitsunes had a strong pace, though stopped twice a day to rest a properly. It was these stops that Kiko had her lessons.

  Eternia was not kidding that they awaited, and she was inundated with lessons on magic. Though, right now, she wasn’t learning any actual magic but what they called ‘The Art of Magic’ which basically revolved around safety procedures, proper casting traditions and general eduerely accelerated for Kiko as she had smashed the First Gate to pieces and o learn before she caused an act. It was b and dragged on and Kiko wao just set something on fire, but she uood why this dry slog was required, and did it with as much as she could muster.

  “So where did this even e from? This system is damn plex, so who even made it to begin with?” Kiko asked, looking at the words that would craft a spell, the suffixes to ge it, and why speaking it would help to begin with. Words focused the mind and the mind lihe soul, so to speak was akin to aiming one's gun rather than firing from the hip.

  “Magic is, to some, an instinctive thing beyond the o learn. The words came from the soul and sparked the creation of power from that. Rather tha to themselves, however, they taught the world what words were required to pull it from their souls, and it grew out from there. As you grow in power, you don’t o speak them out loud so long as you say it in your soul. Though, even the best magus focus their Aeonito form with words if the need arises, such as high tier magic or lengthy intations. Ignis is easy, Soris Trius Airus Jeritus, is not something I would risk trying wordlessly”

  Eternia finished her lecture and Kiko just stared at that st bit.“Sol…what?” she asked, her jaw a little hung from the fusion.“Ahh, sorry. Soris is the base of the spell. It’s high tier fire magic that produces psma-esque fmes. Trius is the primary suffix designating additional strength” Eternia started and Kiko lit up, flig through the book.“I remember that bit! Duos, Trius, Quadrio, Paragon. They make it just, like, basic stronger?” she asked, grinning broadly. When she grasped a bit of magic she was really happy, just wished it wasn’t so damned plex.“The basiswer is yes. The loeical answer is you are casting the spell multiple times within the same instance. Hence why the suffixes have root in number. Paragon is different, it’s the refi of Mana from the mortal impurities to a point the spell begins to reach perfe, the first, gentle caress of the divihere is a level beyond that called Ultima, which is absolute perfe and active touch of the divihough, generally you are a Sed Tier Magus by the time you do that. First record of an Ultima css magus is the founder of my order. She is the reason we know about it as anything more than a theory” Eternia seemed, almost delighted to be teag someone about this. It did seem her life’s passion after all.

  Flig through the book some more, she eventually came across the other oernia seemed happy to leave her to learn it herself rather than tell her about it.“Airus…suffix to turn a spell gaseous. That sounds…painful” Kiko grimaced at the idea of gaseous fmes engulfing a person. Though, would they really be any worse than normal fmes when it got to a suffit degree? “Jeritus…is…” She returo the index and sed for it, flig back to the right page number and then suddenly stopping and scowling at Eternia .

  “You are making me enjoy studying. What kind of Witch are you?” Kiko asked, her scowl and tone pyful and filled with mirth. Wheernia gave a soft ugh, she returo the studying and read about it. “Jeritus. Suffix to allow the spell to work uer! That is cool!” Kiko bounced gently in her seat and then suddenly stopping and looking up at Eternia .

  “How does a person remember all these suffixes to call on when you casting?” Kiko asked, raising an eyebrow.“You don’t. Art of Magic is learning, well, the art of magic. It helps you treat magic as a thing that immutably exists, and from there you are able to ect to the Mana of the world far better than just using it spontaneously. There, you think ell you need and the suffixes e to mind instantly” Eternia would theher from showing off or simply by being used to it at this point, take a seat on the air, to Kiko’s delight.“I do treat magic as a thing that exists though. I mean, look at it! It’s right there! How you not?” Kiko asked, passionate and vigorous as she spoke. This whole thing was fantastical, out of a storybook. How could she not love it?“True, but you still think of it as fantastical, as mystical, as something apart from that of a remote trol or radio, or phone. Eae of those are fantastical and mystical. You speak to a person oher side of the p in such crisp instancy that they appear to be standing right beside you. Ahere is no sense of marvel for that. It is perfunctory and a part of life. So too, much magic be” Eternia tutored. Though, Kiko couldn’t see hoersoed such power as the same as a toaster.

  ‘When I was young, I could not see how the Uprights made fire from two bits of wood, let alone trol such a primal force for their own goals. It will e in time, Kiko’ Va spoke. It made some small amount of sense…So she spent a few more minutes reading about the nature of magic, the history of powerful or intelligent Magus – something eveernia had ary on – and theories on higher realms. She was already in on the secret of Gods being about, so the part about them having their own realm up there wasn’t all that surprising.

  ‘Why do you stay up there though?" Kiko asked suddenly. Eternia raised her eyebrow at the sudden excimation, though seemingly from some kind of remote viewing, gave a gentle smile and nodded. "I mean, if I was a God I’d e down here and have fun with my literal godlike powers. Va eveernia would stand suddenly as Kiko mentiohe Kitsune Goddess in such a casual toepping over to Kiko and staring into her eyes, beautiful purple turning a bright silver.'Hello Eternia' Va said, causing the woman to recoil slightly.

  “You… really see me. That’s an impressive e you have. How is this possible?” Eternia asked. ‘How personal. We’ve only just met’ Va replied, grinning slightly. Though, Kiko wasn’t sure if Eternia could see the grin. “S-sorry...Talking to divine beings is aremely rare experience. Gods ’t e to the universe anymore, at least not properly. So we don’t talk to them very often aiquette is x” Kiko, just along for the ride at this point, gave a bre but gave up and just let her ramble.

  ‘Mmm, you know I made The Avatar. At least, the V1 cept. Teltatitia made the “Walks Among Us” version and then Sean and his daughter made the ohat lets us actually use Celestial Magic to a degree while we are here’ Va was talking with a passion in her heart that really melted Kiko’s irritation. Well, she did take three hundredish years breaking into libraries despite the risk to read about magic, so one would assume she was into it. “I have been writing a dissertation of Aeonic Theory, and the Avatars are a fasating subject. The idea of trated energy being used for form makes the possibility of prosthetics made in the same vein a field I would love to see e to fruition”

  Kiko didn’t hear Va’s reply. There was only so much talk about a subject way over your head you could take before you just started to have a little monkey with cymbals in your head. Eventually she was brought back to reality by Eternia shaking her shoulder.“I am sorry, Kiko. I got excited talking to the Goddess Va, a my emotiohe better of me. I shall eo have a way to unicate around you in future” that chipper little school girl tone was gone, and was repced by the formal school teacher tone."Brain was already burned out from all of this. I o fu' get out and do something" she replied. It was a on thing, to stop lessons half way through and go hit something. But, also, good. She felt like she was getting a better grasp of magic every day.

  Walking outside to the temporary camp that they had on the way to wherever they were going, Kiko streched and took in the ountain air. “Mmmhmm" she excimed, the straretg hat often came. "You know, Va doesn’t sound like a Goddess. Or feel like a Goddess. She just seems like any other person” Kiko replied, heading over to help chopping the firewood. Getting out and doing something was needed after sitting in filling her brain.

  “Admittedly, they are people. The founder of my order was said to be…God-Adjat, and that all Divine Beings were just really powerful people. Having followers and being able to perform Miracles loses it’d uniqueness when a person like yourself do exactly the same. The separating line is scale and potency. The Weakest God is still a very powerful Third Tier Magus, and the Greater Gods are on a scale beyond what we prehend. But that in no way means there are no none-divine Magus who also have power beyond what we prehearia replied. Kiko wao ask about these Tiers, but was wrung dry on learning and so just nodded.

  It was quite hard to be told Gods were real aed in the universe, even if she knew Va. And it was infinitely more hard to hear that they weren’t any more special than a normal person who put the work in to match them. She’d be equal to a God if she worked on it, was the kicker. And that, well…really brought everything into stark trast.

  "Wood now. Existential crisis on the possibility of people turning into Gods, ter" Kiko excimed, grabbing an axe.