Congratulations, Jaune! A voice spoke in his head. You are now a Wizard!
Jaune started at the voice. It wasn't in his head, per se, but it most definitely wasn't audible. But he had heard it. He felt another headache come on.
Down here, dummy!
There it was, again. He glanced around the room and, feeling extremely foolish, opened the pages of the manual.
There we go. Welcome, new Wizard.
Jaune stared at the manual. The voice was coming…from the manual. Words were appearing on the page, but Jaune could understand the book through another means as well. It was the shaking of the pages in the breeze, the rustle of the paper. However abstract this method was, it felt more…real than normal speech.
It's called the Speech. Everything in this Universe speaks it.
Jaune blinked.
You're pretty much shouting into the void right now. I'm surprised your door hasn't said anything.
"My door?" Jaune said weakly. He had lost it. There was no other explanation. He was bonkers. Off his rocker. Lost his marbles.
Yes. Well, no, you're not crazy. You are like a newborn and your wails are heard by everyone around you. You'll need to learn to quieten yourself; it will be one of the first things you will learn in your lessons.
"Lessons? Is there a school to learn this…this…"
Speech.
"Yeah, Speech. Do I have to sign up, where do I go? Who do I talk to?" Jaune had horrible flashbacks of him asking almost the same questions before starting his path to become a Hunter. "Is the Speech how you were understanding me before? Even if I didn't speak out loud?"
The book seemed to chortle. Curiosity is a hallmark of a Wizard. I think you shall go far. Anyways, introductions now that you are officially a Wizard. Hello, I am now your Manual and your one stop-shop for everything Wizardry. Pleased to meet you..
"I'm Jaune Arc, and likewise." Jaune sat back on his bed and made himself comfortable.Wizard? After all the twists of the past night, he decided to keep an open mind about everything, no matter how outlandish the thing was. "Are you going to teach me the Speech?"
I shall be your primary source of knowledge on the language yes.
"When can we begin?" Jaune made up his mind. Even if this was some sort of elaborate hallucination or dream or what have you, he was going all in.
We already have. Just by conversing with me your ability to sense the Speech will increase and your intuition will only grow from there. Exposure to the Speech is a positive feedback loop. The more you are exposed, the more you understand and the more exposed you become.
"Then what's there to learn?"
Knowing and language and being able to wield it are entirely separate skills. You are like a growing child. You are being exposed to the language through your childhood, allowing you to absorb it and have understanding come naturally to you. You will eventually also learn to communicate socially. However, what you will not learn naturally is the ability to express abstract ideas, to convince, debate, argue. You will not gain the ability to communicate anything beyond rough wants and needs and you will forever see your skill stunted.
"What's the point?" Jaune asked before he could stop himself. He was still thinking about getting strong enough to get into Beacon. The words of the Oath had already faded to the back of his mind. "I mean, it's not like I'm going to discuss literature with a fence. Can we do this later and move on to Wizardry?"
If a book could appear furious, his manual would have been the picture in the encyclopedia. Jaune almost gasped at the sudden tension and the sudden pulse of energy that shook the air around him like a drum.
Do not be foolish. A Wizard never assumes, and he never makes up his mind before he has all the facts. Doing so is one of the most dangerous things one can do, not to mention the far-reaching consequence of doing this on a mission. Do you wish to be the cause of the death of an entire solar system just because you were not aware of the intricacies of how a star thinks? Do you want a volcano to kill millions of individual life forms just because you insinuated that his lava stream was too slow?
The words rang thunderous in Jaune's mind, driving the point home with each word. He opened his mouth to speak but it continued its tirade.
Do not speak of things you do not have knowledge of yet. Learn everything. Do one thing: regret nothing. Understood?
Jaune dumbly nodded.
Good. The manual calmed. Now to answer your question, no you cannot perform Wizardry without the Speech. Wizardry is the Speech and the Speech is Wizardry. To elaborate, Wizardry is the act of convincing the universe into doing whatever you ask of it. Your garden is being eaten by aphids? Talk to their guardian ants to moving somewhere else. Your car is acting up? Sort out the issues plaguing its components and it will run better than new. Your star is acting up? Solve its sunspot problem and it just might be gracious enough to do you a favor. You see the pattern.
Jaune could indeed see where this was going. "And all this is done through the Speech?"
Precisely. Your mastery of the Speech will determine your ability to communicate your ideas clearly and concisely. It will allow you to define both your intentions and their object clearly to ensure the highest efficiency of your spells.
Jaune blinked, a small grin creeping onto his face. Now we're talking. Outwardly, he maintained the appearance of a chastised, curious student. "Spells? Are they done in the Speech too?"
Good attempt, but you forget you are an open book. His Manual smirked. Yes, Wizardry will give you power. I will not tell you what to do with that power as imposing restrictions and giving commands are things that ultimately are the domain of the Lone Power. The Powers That Be saw potential in you, potential for you to use this gift of power to fight back and protect the universe. You are free to use it how you wish. That is part of the risk of creating a Wizard.
All I will say is, remember your Oath. Remember what is at stake here for the universe. Then make your best decision. I am your manual; I will assist you to the best of my abilities to achieve whatever goal you want to achieve.
Jaune licked his lips. Wow, that was, that was some heavy stuff. Though if I have to be honest, fighting Grimm should count as fulfilling my purpose as a Wizard right? I should be fiiiine.
The manual remained silent. Jaune stared at it, waiting for a reprimand for trying to bypass the rules or something like that.
"Uh, hello? Manual?"
I am here, Jaune.
"Do you have anything more to say?"
I have said all I need to on this matter. You are a Wizard now, your decisions are your own.
"Ok. Ok. Ok." Jaune muttered. He took in a deep breath while he thought about what he was going to do. "First things first, I want to learn as much of the Speech as possible and how I can create spells. Is that fine?"
That is the standard path most follow, which is why it's part of Chapter 1.
"Are you saying that I'll learn about wormholes directly after the Speech?!" Jaune wasn't sure if the manual was pulling his leg. "Aren't they…unimportant? I mean worms have to get around somehow. And what are worldlines anyways?"
The book 'blinked' in surprise. We shall not learn about wormholes right after the Speech. The reason that was Chapter 2 was simply a matter of random placement. As you've seen, my entries are dynamically generated for the best use for you. Whatever you wish to learn next will be the next chapter. Thought I daresay I have my work cut out for me in the astrophysics field. Worms indeed…
"Astrophysics?" Jaune recognized the word. "Isn't that like the study of the stars and the moon?"
… The journal didn't respond for a few seconds. Forgive me. I had your species confused with another. I shall begin constructing a new learning plan for you.
"What other species?"
A species quite like yours, but far away. I daresay our little chat is about to be interrupted.
"Wha…" Jaune flinched as his door burst open and his youngest sister burst into the room carrying about as much energy as a small bomb. She ran straight into him and bowled him over onto the bed.
"Whyaren'tyoucomingwithusbrotherpleasepleasepleasewe'llhavesomuchfunpleasepleaseplease!"
Her shrill excited voice almost deafened him as she shrieked at the top of her lungs right next to his ear. He grabbed her and started tickling her, drawing giggles and excited shouts. He finally got her to tire out and she lay down on the carpet, giggling quietly to herself. The 6-year-old was the headache of the house; her limitless energy more than a match for everyone but Jaune.
"Sorry Rouge, I have some work I need to do." He put his finger over his mouth before loudly whispering. "Secret Hunter business."
"But Mom said that you'd be free after your party yesterday! Come on, please!" Her eyes grew wide and her hands came together, clasping near her chin. "Pleeease!"
Jaune sighed deeply. There went his plans for the afternoon. He could never say no when she did this. "Fiiiiine." He hurriedly interrupted her cheer of joy before she could run out of the room to deliver the happy news to the rest of the family in tones that he was sure his neighbor could hear. "Two conditions."
Her eyes narrowed, she stared him down with hands on her hips and a large pout on her face. "No tricks."
"First, I may have to leave for a little bit to…meet a friend. Don't be upset, ok?"
"Ok."
"The second is…" Jaune leaped off the bed and crouched, his fingers making little grabbers. "If you don't have fun, the tickle monster is gonna getcha!" Jaune stomped forwards at his sister and she ran straight downstairs in one continuous shriek of delight. He stopped at the door, letting the smile fade from his face before turning back to collect his Manual and get ready for the trip.
An excellent choice. Plants and trees are always fun to talk to.
"Yeah, I bet." Jaune shook his, still resolute to see this madness play out. "So. When can I start learning the Speech?"
We can begin now. You should be able to practice what we learn today by the time we reach the park. Are you ready?
"Sure. Chapter 1 right?"
The manual answered in the affirmative. Jaune opened the manual randomly, which turned out to be the correct page on the first try. This wizardry stuff sure is handy. He quickly read over the first page, which went over the proper greetings in the Speech. He repeated the pronunciation a few times in his head before speaking out loud to the room.
"Dai'stiho."
He was almost bowled over as a sudden rush of warmth enveloped him. He felt friendliness, love, and companionship in the surge, but it was all simple, almost one-dimensional.
Your room enjoys you being its occupant.
"My room? I just talked to my room?"
You pretty much shouted it to anyone within hearing range. Before we begin further lessons, you will need to learn how to only speak to things you mean to. Otherwise your spells will not only be useless, but also malicious.
Jaune cringed, imagining the destruction errant spells could cast. His Manual was right.
Of course I'm right. I'm a Manual.
Jaune just glared at the Manual. Cheeky, very cheeky. His Manual did its best impression of innocence and Jaune sighed, opening it once again. This time it opened to Speech exercises.
Time passed quickly as he moved through the exercises set forth. The first exercises dealt with defining a 'self', whose verbose definition was simplified by his Manual for his better understanding. It consisted of holding everything he thought of as himself in an imaginary infinitely thin permeable membrane called an Ontological Veil.
Once he had internalized the definition of his own Veil, he could project it onto the universe around him, cementing it in the definition of local spacetime itself. Of course, spacetime was a finite resource so you had to bully a few liters of atmosphere and a few moles of photons to stabilize your Veil. It wasn't pleasant, but it was the price you had to pay to disrupt the local entropy. Oh, and have some damned privacy.
Most of what was being explained went way over his head, metaphysics being what it is, but he eventually got his Veil to stabilize and anchored in local spacetime. Now all he had to do to speak to someone (or something) in the Speech was to reach out and create an interface between their Veil and his.
Jaune almost whooped in joy when he extended his Veil to connect with his blanket's and got a warm, fuzzy greeting from the warm, fuzzy cloth. He grinned and detached the connection, pulling the sun-warmed blanket around himself.
Well done. Take note of the pressure you feel on your Veil. Anytime anyone is breaching your Veil, you will feel that pressure, but its strength will depend on the intruder, and each intruder has their own signature pattern.
"What happens if someone breaches it? Do I die or something?"
Potentially, nothing. Most wizards are friendly and will only brush against your Veil to communicate. A breach is an extremely intimate thing and is generally only initiated with consent.
Jaune felt a blush creep up his face. "I'm guessing there are times when it's breached without consent?"
Yes. Once someone has broken into your Ontological Space they can use spells that attack your very definition.
He gasped out loud at the implications. "They can change who I am! How do I fight back?"
You will have to scrub your previous definition of self and define a new Ontology while under constant attack by the opponent, but we are getting ahead of ourselves. You need to learn the Speech but that will have to wait until you have breakfast. Pick up your scroll.
Jaune blinked. "Sorry?"
Do it, now. Pretend you've finished talking to a friend.
Jaune put his scroll on the manual and waved goodbye at his reflection, feeling mighty foolish. "Alright, I'll see you around. Bye!"
Good. We have a visitor.
Jaune looked up to see his door slightly ajar and a single forest green eye looking at him through the crack. Oh. I see. Thanks for the warning, Manual. A ruffle of the pages was enough to understand the Manual's acceptance of his thanks.
Jaune smiled and patted his bed. Jaune's second youngest sister crept in silently and sat down next to him, frail as a newborn doe. Her eyes nervously alternated between him, his Manual, and his scroll, confirming his suspicions.
"What's up, Jade? Excited to head out today?" Jaune smiled kindly down at her, hoping to ease her nervousness. She was always skittish and being caught spying on him wouldn't help matters.
"A little." Her voice was quiet and small, complementing her stature well. Jaune suppressed a sigh and wrapped her into a hug. The direct approach would be best here.
"I'm not mad Jade. Everyone gets curious, especially those with brave heroic older brothers doing their secret Hunter business." Jaune cracked a half-smile as she giggled. "Just knock next time alright?"
Her giggles subsided and she nodded, yet her gaze remained fixed on the floor.
"Jade?"
She swung her legs but remained silent.
"What's wrong?"
She threw her arms around his waist and clung tight. Jaune tightened his grip, confused.
"I don't…" Her voice cracked. Jaune stroked her back, trying to comfort her. "I don't want you to die Jaune."
Jaune froze in horror. How much had she heard? Manual?
Her approach was most silent. I did not notice her presence until she disturbed the door.
Jaune unfroze and held his sister tight, rocking slightly. "Nothing's going to happen to me Jade. I'm surrounded by some of the best Huntsmen in the world. I'm as safe as safe can be." She didn't know about his…situation with Signal and she didn't need to, yet.
"I heard you talking to your friend about someone attacking you… I'm sorry this is silly." She started to pull away but Jaune held her tight.
"Hey, look at me. Look at me." Jaune waited until she turned his tear-streaked face up to him. His gut twisted. He hated causing his already emotionally-weak sister any pain and seeing her tears made him feel even worse. "Did I say it was silly? No, I didn't. Worrying about family is not silly but worrying yourself sick over something that's not real would probably count as silly in my head. As far as I know, you're the least silly girl I know. I mean, look at Rouge for example!"
A smile shone on her face and she wiped her face with a free hand. "That's true, I guess. It's…it's not like you're in the wilds." A sniff later and she was back to her normal self.
"Did you have breakfast yet? I was heading downstairs when I heard you speaking to," she gestured at his scroll. "that person."
"No, I was busy talking to, err…Manuel." Jaune waved at the scroll that lay on top of his Manual. He knew he had to lie, and this felt like the smallest form of lying to him.
"Who's he?"
"He's just a friend from school. We were just discussing a game we were playing at school." Jaune was not a good liar.
"What kind of game is it?"
"It's…well…" Jaune hesitated, his brain trying to come up with ideas. "It's this game we play where we pretend to be Hunters and one person has to come up with new monsters and such for us to fight. It's like a real-life video game in a way. Helps us develop strategy."
She frowned. "I don't get it."
Jaune laughed nervously. "Neither did I, but here I am, using children's books to come up with new ideas to get one by my friends. It's a lot more fun than it sounds, I swear!"
She smiled, most traces of worry gone from her eyes. Jaune grinned in relief.
"Now, let's get some of those pancakes, aye? Who's with me!" Jaune jumped to feet and stared pompously marching out the door.
Jade smiled wider and gave him a mock salute. "Aye aye captain. Lead the way!"
Jaune marched down the hall and down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Rouge was helping their dad finish off the latest batch of fresh pancakes. Their mother was in the middle of chiding her when she noticed their approach.
"…that syrup better not get on your clothes or I swear, good morning Jaune, Jade." She finished brightly, expertly flipping pancakes with one hand while pouring dollops of batter with the other. She was a veritable machine of efficiency, like most things she did.
"Hey Mom, Dad, Princess Syrup." He dodged out of the way of a syrup covered swat from Rouge. He and Jade sat down at the table, fresh pancakes landing in the center of their plates with almost inhuman precision.
"Perfect aim as usual honey." His father wiped his mouth a napkin and studied Jaune.
Jaune looked back, taking a cautious bite of pancake. "Whashup." He swallowed. "Sorry, what's up dad?"
His father paused for a second before speaking. "You seem…off. Everything alright with you?"
No! I just lost our family's most prized heirloom and now I'm either a Wizard or Clinically Insane!
"Everything's fine dad. Why?" Jaune lowered his face and took a huge bite of pancake. He knew his dad would probably figure something out if he looked up. It was just one of the superpowers parents have.
"How was the party? Did you have fun?" Aslan Arc was many things, but not imperceptive. He could tell when someone was trying to cover something up, but his own son? It was like reading an open book. He also knew that allowing Jaune to make his own mistakes would only foster independence in his son. It had worked for his older 4 daughters.
Jaune was thankful for the tactful change in subject. "Yeah, loved it! Music was great, had fun dancing, everyone was pretty happy to finally be seniors."
"Everyone?" His mom's tone was casual, but as usual she had cut straight to the point. Jaune saw his dad's bushy eyebrows knit together.
"Well, you know, I was happy for them yeah. They're where they belong." He speared another piece of pancake and slathered it in syrup.
"Jaune, you can't still believe you can't become a Hunter." His mom turned to face him, a hand on her hip in classic Stern Mom pose. "Just because you're not the best in combat class doesn't mean you're not an asset."
"I know, but it would be easier to apply my relevant skills to somewhere I won't be a liability. Maybe something like Border Security? I can plan pretty well, that's what my teachers say." Jaune waved his fork around casually. "The counselor says that with my 3 years at Signal I can get into most any college. I could drop out now and have a gap year and still not suffer."
"Seems like you've made up your mind. I'm not going to try and change your mind. Just don't take any rash decisions based on what others say. It's your life and the worst thing you can inflict on yourself is regret." With that he left the table and walked to the living room to switch on the television.
"Jaune, you're not going to be a Hunter?" Rouge and Jade were both staring at him. All 4 of Jaune's sisters were Huntresses and the pride of the family. Rouge's voice was surprised, but not judgmental.
"No, seems like I'm just not made for being a full-time Hunter. Can't have so many Arcs on the roster or people will get confused." He chuckled, mostly to himself. His sisters glanced at each other awkwardly.
"Jaune, we trust you. Just…don't hurt yourself, alright? It's your decision." His mother's voice was kindly, but slightly disappointed. He had already spoken to his parents about dropping out, but today was the first time he had shown confidence in his decision.
"You're still coming to the park with us, right?"
"Yes Rouge. A promise made is a promise kept. Call me when you guys are ready, I'll be in my room." Jaune walked back upstairs, his Manual clutched tightly in his hands.
Jade and Rouge finished their meal and left to wash up. Aslan picked up their dishes and headed to the sink where his wife stood nursing a cup of coffee.
"Thinking about Jaune?" He set the pan into a large pot full of water to soak.
"Of course." She took a deep sip, lost in thought. "Something happened last night, at the party."
"Maybe, maybe not." He started scrubbing the plates clean off the syrup. "Did you see the book he was carrying around?"
"So You Want To Be A Huntsman. I don't think he's touched it since he joined Signal."
"Do you think that book has something to do with his leaving Signal?"
"I don't know. But something happened at the party last night to make him take this decision. Remember how hesitant he was last time we spoke to him?"
"Yeah." He set the plate aside to dry and picked up the next. "I feel like we should give him some space, let him get his bearings. We can ask him about what happened after that."
"Sure. I can talk to his professors in the meantime." She gave him a kiss and left to corral Rouge into getting ready for the outing. Aslan smiled and continued scrubbing the plates.
His smile faded as his thoughts went back to the book Jaune was clutching to so dearly. He was no psychologist, but that book was one of the major reasons Jaune had looked up to Huntsmen. His sisters had helped him train and were role models, but the book had planted the ideological seeds in his head. For him to give it such love, especially after deciding to give the dream of becoming a Hunter?
Something was up, but Aslan Arc decided to give Jaune time to sort it by himself. He was a big kid but not an adult. He wouldn't be able to hurt himself with his mistakes at point.
Right? Right?
AN: Hopefully you guys liked the chapter! As usual, please do review, PM, follow, fav, praise, and criticize (constructively, of course). I hope you enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Jaune's life is about to get a whole lot exciting from now on. With one year left to Beacon, who knows how he'll get the power he desperately wants?