Ludo and Seth step through the portal into a world that is far too odd for Ludo to wrap himself around. All around them is blackness. There is nothing but a stone floor, and endless nothingness.
Seth: Ludo, this place, I call Cerebra. It is not only somewhere, but everywhere, and nowhere at the same time. It is also... someone.
Ludo: Who?
Seth: I don't know. I discovered this place the first time I used the scissors. I don't know where it is. I took Iggy here before and the best he could make of it is that it is a living, breathing dimension, one that is empty, but when inhabited, conjures an appearance based on the emotions of its inhabitants. But now that we're here. Lets try something.
Seth closes his eyes. He imagines himself at peace, and suddenly, he and Ludo are in a massive, green grass prairie, dandelions form all around them. The sun shines bright in a mostly cloudless sky.
Seth: I love it here. That room I showed you. That wasn't my true sanctuary away from the world. It's here, in Cerebra. I think it likes that name, because the sun shown on Iggy and I when I named it. When I took Iggy here, he was astonished. He never saw anything like this.
Ludo: Seth, does Iggy know you practice magic?
Seth: Igginaus Rogannien is a smart man. He figured it out a mere month after I began. He could see my curiosity. But he's the only one to figure out that I was practicing magic. I made him swear to tell no one. And in return, he got to study the phenomena of magic. He's so far spent hours and hours in this dimension taking notes. In fact, he's probably spent more time here than I have.
Ludo: Man, you really gotta admire a scientist that accepts that magic is reality, and not fantasy.
Seth: Really. It goes against everything a scientist stands for, which is to study science, the laws of nature, physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, all that stuff.
Ludo: Maybe Iggy sees magic as yet another form of science, just one that few, if any other scientists understand. Maybe he, unlike others, doesn't merely scoff at mysticism, but is excited, because it's something concrete, that exists in front of him, that he can study. Iggy told me himself that he gets really excited when he finds out about something he doesn't know about. It seems all he wants to do is understand, and not understanding something makes him fascinated with it.
Seth: You know, I think you're one-hundred percent right. You probably understand him more than I do, and I've known him for hundreds of years.
Ludo: So, is this where I get to learn my first magic?
Seth: Before I move on to trying to get you to dip down, once again. I wanna show you some basic stuff, just a demonstration. Imagine, for me, an object. Any will do.
Ludo: Can it be a ball?
Seth: Yeah sure, why not? But make it a hard ball.
Ludo: Okay.
A grey sphere conjures out of thin air and falls to the ground. It is thick and heavy.
Ludo: Oh, I hope I didn't make it too heavy.
Seth: Not at all Ludo. It's perfect. Good job.
Ludo smiles.
Seth: So, I suppose that your first spell was the same as my own, the old Levitato trick. You know how that one goes.
Ludo: Yeah.
Seth stretches out his hand over the ball.
Seth: Levitato!
The ball rises from the ground, right before Seth's face.
Ludo: How are you controlling the height?
Seth: So, this is as far as Glossaryck got with you, right?
Ludo: Yeah.
Seth: Ludo, of course you realize that what goes up, must come down, right? Who said that again.
Iggy: Earth physicist Isaac Newton, 1643 to 1727, earth time. One of my favorite earthlings.
Seth: Iggy, glad to see you join us.
Iggy: Ludo, you hit the nail right on the head about me. Really nice to see you both again.
Ludo: Ha ha, Iggy, I get to learn magic from Seth.
Iggy: I know. I didn't want to ruin the surprise for you. I just came to spectate. This dimension is amazing.
Ludo: I really wish I could show Jade this place. Maybe she'd feel better.
Seth: Ludo, focus.
Ludo: Right, sorry.
Seth: So, like I said, what goes up, must come down. And to do that, we need the counter spell, Descendo!
The ball falls straight to the ground.
Ludo: Descendo. Very useful. Gotta remember that.
Seth continues his tutelage, with Iggy taking notes on a tablet and Ludo trying to squeeze all he can into his head.
Seth: In addition to mere levitation spells, there are such for the various 4 elementals, earth, fire, wind, and water. Allow me a mere demonstration of a few basic spells. You're gonna wanna stand back a bit.
They all move back a few feet.
Seth: Geodite Smash! Pyromanic Pulse! Aerocide Attack! Aqua Splash!
The spells utilize all four of the elements in a series of attacks that Seth had aimed at the ball.
Seth: There are much greater, heavier elemental attacks as well as well. But lest we forget, there are two additional elementals: ice, and electricity. Rime Rocket! Lightning Lance!
Upon initiating those attacks. The ball disintegrated.
Ludo: Wow, so many spells!
Seth: I hope you're paying attention.
Iggy: I'm taking notes, so if Ludo forgets, I have them all written down.
Ludo: Thanks Iggy, you're a life saver.
Seth: Doing the kid's homework for him, Igg?
Iggy: I just don't want him to feel overwhelmed while you can feel safe resuming your brisk pace.
Seth: Very well. I don't know if Star ever tried this on you, now this is a pretty advanced technique, but did you know that you could dual wield as well as combine spells?
Ludo: Combine spells?
Seth: Yes, and doing so requires a lot of focus, and not all spells can be combined. A true master, can, however initiate many different spells in mere seconds, overwhelming their opponent. Lets combine the earth spell, with the fire spell, for example. This will leave you with a new spell, Geomanic Blast!
Seth launches a series of molten hot rocks off into the distance.
Ludo: These are incredible. But...
Seth: But what?
Ludo: Where's all the stuff with unicorns, and narwhal blasts and spiders with top hats?
Seth: Ah yes, you refer to Star Butterfly's spells. Spider With a Top Hat!
A nearly identical spider to Star's emerges from before Seth's hands, and starts firing off randomly into the distance, bullets landing nearly a mile away with falloff before dissipating. The spider looks confused before Seth dismisses him.
Seth: Man, it's still difficult to initiate that kid's spells with a straight face.
Iggy: You should have seen Seth try to activate Super Rainbow Dolphin Slap without busting out laughing. It was pure gold.
Ludo and Iggy giggle while Seth grimaces with a slight blush to his face.
Seth: Not all the kid's spells are weak like that. She did come up with Cataclysmic Total Extinction Death Blast!
Seth fires a blast of magic near equivalent to a nuclear bomb and it goes off in the distance, creating a blinding white light and blowing their hair back.
Iggy: Maybe you shouldn't be staring at that.
Seth: Perhaps not.
Ludo: Wow! I'm sure glad she didn't use that on me! I'd be cooked to a crisp!
Iggy: You'd be less than dust at that temperature.
Ludo: How am I supposed to just remember all of these off the top of my head?
Seth: Ludo, you don't HAVE to remember all these spells. You must remember the most important part of spells, and that's making your own.
Ludo: Wow. I want to make a spell. I want to make a spell!
Seth: And that you will, after, and ONLY after you learn how to dip down.
Ludo: Seth? Is it hard to make a spell?
Iggy: Apparently not, I managed to make one.
Ludo: That's right! Iggy, you've used magic before.
Iggy: Only once. I didn't really try to do it either.
Seth: He did, and it's because he spoke the spell with conviction and full intent on casting it.
Iggy: There's still so much I don't understand about magic myself. But I promise Ludo, if I can, I will aide you in this whole dipping down thing.
Seth: Are you sure that's such a good idea?
Iggy: Well, you said that your method to get him to dip down didn't work.
Seth: Iggy, you've never dipped down yourself, how are you gonna teach someone else?
Iggy: Like all teachers do. With trial and error.
Seth: Fine. Then you will get him to dip down. I, will resume my leadership over Septarsis. Class dismissed.
The trio head back through the portal to Septarsis. Seth heads over to his book and stares at it for a moment. Iggy and Ludo go back to his place.
Ludo: I can stay with you again?
Iggy: You can continue to stay at my place Ludo. I set you up with a proper bedding situation and if I'm gonna sort out this dipping down thing, I want you to be there if I need you. You've become a valuable asset in studying magic.
Ludo: Iggy, why are you studying magic, but not practicing it yourself?
Iggy: It's a good question. I suppose it's because I'm not a fighter. I'm a scientist. But you and Seth make excellent specimens for studying it. Really... I don't want to do magic because I watched it destroy everything I care about. Doesn't stop me from wanting to understand it though.
Ludo: Then study it we shall.
When Ludo and Iggy make it back to Iggy's castle, he leads Ludo to a rather large room inside of a box.
Iggy: Ludo, do you recognize this box that you're in right now?
Ludo: um, no. Should I?
Iggy: You might. It's a box of a similar anti-magic indestructible material to the one that was sent to your castle around the time of its destruction.
Ludo: Oh yeah, that's the one that cad Toffee tossed Marco in when he was holding him hostage in exchange for Star Butterfly's wand.
Iggy: You really don't like Toffee, do you.
Ludo: No! He's a jerk, and I'm glad that butt-hole is dead!
Iggy: Watch it, Ludo. He might not have been your friend, but he was someone close to me.
Ludo: Oh yeah, I forgot. Man, I sometimes wonder how things would have been had he not been so preoccupied with his work. I wonder if we could have ever been friends.
Iggy: I kinda doubt it. Toffee, even when he was alive and living in Septarsis, wasn't a particularly social creature. He's always been cold and distant. It's not just you Ludo. He was like that with everyone, so don't take it so personal.
Ludo: I mean, it just sucks, that he used me like that. It really hurt having him betray me because I really looked up to him.
Iggy: But you have Seth now, and he's treating you a lot nicer than Toffee ever did, so you should feel better that the leader of Septarsis has this unexplainable fondness to you for whatever reason.
Ludo: What did we come in here to do again?
Iggy: Dip down.
Ludo: Right. I really ought to focus, like Seth said.
Ludo sits on the ground again. He starts thinking about Jade, but he can't seem to conjure anything new.
Iggy: Ludo? What are you doing?
Ludo: I'm trying to think about Jade.
Iggy: You like Jade?
Ludo: Yeah. I really do. But for some reason, I can't dip down. Seth said I needed to channel fear, so I did. I channeled my fear of never getting to see her again. I really messed up, Iggy. I told her the truth about what happened with me and Toffee.
Iggy: What DID happen between you and Toffee?
Ludo: You seemed pretty mad when I was just talking trash about Toffee before. I don't really know if I should say it again. When I told Jade, she wanted to kill me.
Iggy: That bad huh?
Ludo: I hired Toffee a while back to be an efficiency expert for my monster army, to whip them into shape and organize them better to attack Star Butterfly and take her wand. Long story short, he betrayed me, and he got his just deserts when Star Butterfly melted him with a giant magic beam and I pushed a column on him.
Iggy: Wow... well, that's one way to get revenge, I suppose.
Ludo: You don't seem as mad as before.
Iggy: I'm a bit surprised by the details, but not that he betrayed you, and not that you'd provide him with some sort of karmic justice.
Ludo: It doesn't sound like you're all that bothered by his death.
Iggy: I mean yeah, he's one of my own, but he and I have never really been close, even when it was just the three of us living in Squall's Greet. I felt almost like a third wheel. I was actually closer to Seth than I ever was to Toffee, although I never really felt like I could call either of them truly my "friends". Seth is definitely the nicer of the two though, the "lesser of two evils" if you would.
Ludo: Man, I don't know if I can do this. All this sitting and trying to think of Jade is just tiring me out and giving me a headache.
Iggy: Maybe you should just call it a day then. This room will really do us no good if you just strain yourself. Maybe try getting some sleep and perhaps we can try again tomorrow when you're nice and fresh.
Ludo: That's a good idea. Uh, Iggy? Is it still okay if I crash at your place?
Iggy: Ludo I already told you I don't mind if you sleep at my castle. You're good company, even if you do snore really loudly.
They both laugh. Ludo and Iggy depart from the room, and from that point, never actually wind up returning to it. Ludo grabs one of Iggy's anime girl blankets and curls up on his ratty, yet very comfortable couch and dozes off almost immediately. Iggy goes into his little man cave of a corner, and puts on headphones to not only listen to his questionable taste in music, but to drown out Ludo's snoring.