[Last updated: 04/23/18]
When I came to, I wasn't sure how much time had elapsed. I opened my eyes and found that my pod had completely sealed itself off from the world surrounding me; no feeds on the pod's internal monitors, nothing on my suit's instruments … anything. All of the windows had even polarized until they were black as the void; I was flying blind. I even tried contacting Mira. Nothing.
Before I could do anything else, I heard a voice … a girl's voice. She sounded so close that had I not known better, she might have even been inside the pod with me. "Phew, that was close! Any longer and I might've lost you. And don't worry, you're not dead." Inside my helmet, I blinked a few times trying to comprehend this … she had the voice of a young girl, but this wasn't how a little girl talked – just who was this? "I guess one of the many questions you may have might have something to do with who I am, or how long you've been unconscious." She paused, allowing me to respond.
"Well, um – yes, those questions had crossed my mind. So … let's start off with where we are?" She made a thoughtful noise and let it trail off. "Well … I guess you could say we're in a space between spaces, I think your people call it the dimensional void, or something like that. No, wait … that's the designation given to it by your enemies … hmm … now what did you call it again?" There was silence for a little bit before the sound of fingers snapping could be heard, "Of course! You call it Slipspace. Silly me."
We're in SLIPSPACE?! "But don't worry, I'm taking you somewhere you will be safe." The only thing I could think to ask in the face of all this impossibility was … how. She giggled a little and stated, "Well, with magic of course." Now, that threw me for a loop and I was silent for a moment; I had to make sure I had heard her correctly. "Wait, magic as in … well, magic? Like actual magic? And almost forgot to ask this by the way, but HOW DID I SURVIVE?! I'm sorry to yell, but I'm kind of freaking out a little bit here." A short girly sigh could be heard. "Well, I used magic to briefly and drastically slow down time in the immediate area around the ship to save you. And it was rather difficult, let me tell you; time magic simply isn't my forte … but, I didn't really have a choice. As I can already sense the question coming, I can't yet say for certain about your teammates. By its' very nature, time magic is … well, it's complicated. I know that you must be worried about your comrades, and I sympathize, trust me. However, the only thing I CAN say for certain for now is that I have saved you. Ah. Here we go, give me a second to concentrate and we will be in a place more hospitable than this void."
The next thing I knew, I was sitting on a rock on a lush island covered in foliage. I surveyed my surroundings; it was a mildly small, rocky, steep island covered by lush vegetation, both bright yellow and green in color. One side of the island was particularly rocky, possessing large formations jutting outwards at an angle from the ground, one near the shore, protruding above the sea, and the other near the center of the island, overlooking it; the latter has a pair of waterfalls falling down from it into a small lake below.
Topping the second rocky formation stands the most distinctive element of the island: a truly gigantic tree with a gnarled, mildly curved trunk, ending in a number of large branches which sustain something that I would later understand as having been described as being similar to "An island on top of an island", being a large, flat section composed of earth and crowded by a multitude of normal-sized trees. It seemed to reach for the heavens themselves. It is such a gargantuan specimen that it is easily the single most distinctive feature of the island even from a great distance. It possessed a multitude of similarly large, curved and twisted roots, which right below the trunk sustained massive lumps of earth; something which creates some sort of covered area right below the tree itself. It was truly a sight to behold.
I heard a sigh of contentment and I looked behind me and saw a little girl sitting on an oversized blue and white mushroom of some sort, absent-mindedly swinging her legs. She was indeed a small girl, who looked no more than ten or fourteen years of age, but the conversation on the way here – wherever "here" was – proved otherwise. She was around five feet tall with a slight childlike build and had long flowing blonde hair down to her bare feet with what looked like small, stationary … wings? … coming out around her ears (If not just a bit more forward towards the forehead; perhaps a decoration of some kind?) and she had the most piercing green eyes, now warm with contentment. She was garbed in a frilly light pink and white layered robe which had hints of light blue here and there, with a pink ribbon tied loosely around her neck. "It feels so nice to come back home. Welcome to Tenrou Island!"
"Alright, let's see here … The first thing you should probably know, as I can use magic, I'm known as a mage, or more commonly as a wizard. The world you now inhabit is called Earthland. To use a rough analogy, magic is what might be called the currency in this land much as higher technology and aliens are for yours. Sadly, I cannot take you back to where I found you. In order to save you – and hopefully the others – I had to use a very old magic simply called Dimensional Travel Magic, which as far as I know, is a one way trip for those living to cross to another world. This world." She paused again to let all this sink in.
As much as I wished to go back, with the war finally over … at least things looked like they would be in good hands from now on. Besides … other than a sense of duty, there really wasn't anything left for me in that universe. Most of which I had held precious died along with my childhood and my homeworld; and what remained were composed along with the rest of New Phoenix. There was nothing left for me there. Not a damn thing.
I quickly processed her information and was struck by something, "Wait, so if it's a one way trip to those using the magic, how could you come and save me? Not that I'm not grateful." She had a surprised look on her face for a second. "Oh, didn't I tell you already? I'm dead. This island is my final resting place and has been for quite some time now." I stared at her blankly for a second unable to form a coherent thought. Finally, after about fifteen awkward seconds of me staring at her in silence, I replied in a small voice, "Magic?" She nodded. "Magic. Or more appropriately, I am what is classified as a magical being but …" she shrugged, "… semantics."
I sat back down on the boulder I originally found myself on; my mind was racing and was filled with a jumble of questions. I took a second and calmed them down as much as I could, then grew curious as I realized that she just told me I was now in another world; one of which she was intimately familiar with, judging by how she was talking. "So … what is your world like? This … Earthland? It certainly can't be any worse than the seemingly interminable hell we had to endure during the war, and the events that came after … can it?" At this, she looked down sadly and continued in a small voice. "I've been watching from this island for quite some time, witness to what Humanity had to do to survive." She looked up at me with a solemn expression. "I watched helpless as I saw families being torn apart, continents being leveled by the push of a button, entire worlds once teeming with life … burned white with ash, and frozen under thick clouds. What was it you called that process?" I paused and replied, "Glassing. It's … called glassing." She paused for a moment to collect herself before she could continue. "Humanity may have done some horrible things to itself over the years, but nothing that deserved what it got … not genocide ." She was silent for a moment longer. Eventually, a pained smile crept into her features and she responded to my question. "I can't promise you won't have to fight seriously from time to time, but the fate of the world and of all Humanity won't hang in the balance should you fail."
She coughed, stretched and continued on a new tack. "As I said earlier, magic is what runs this world. Magic can be found in every home, bought and sold in any store. For most, it's really more of a tool … a mundane part of everyday life from the flame lacrima in a home fireplace or firebox in a steam train, to lighting lacrima providing electricity, explosive lacrima … pretty much everything you can think of. Of course not everyone can be a wizard. Only ten percent of a nation's populace are even able to use magic, which is what led to the creation of wizarding guilds, one of which are very close to my heart. Wizard guilds exist to help people in various means … but unfortunately, some have fallen from those teachings. Such instances are known as dark guilds." I asked for further clarification on what a lacrima was. "Simply put, lacrima are magical crystalline substances that can be infused with spells and used for all sorts of applications. When you get your hands on one you'll see what I mean better. It's kind of hard to explain without showing you."
She fixed me with an intensely thoughtful gaze and said, "A wizards magic is intertwined with the very essence of their life; their lifeforce, if you will. Throughout their life they strive to perfect their chosen magic and thus become stronger all the more because of it. Perhaps some even beginning to rival the strength of a Spartan, although in a different way, of course." She paused for a moment, thinking intensely. "Since you would stick out like a sore thumb what with your abilities and all, and little you could do to explain it without the use of magic, I shall give you a few gifts. Please hold still." She got up and walked around to where I was and motioned for me to remove my helmet and positioned her fingers on specific places on my temples and focused. Soon her hands began to glow. When she was done, I felt … different. Like I could do something more than I could before, which is to say a novel feeling for a Spartan. She let her arms fall to her sides, obviously drained and sat back down on her mushroom. "There. I have given you a type of magic called requip. It allows you to summon weapons and items by calling out the item's name, thinking about it, or interfacing with the system directly via holography. Here, try it." I cocked my head to one side and shrugged. Nothing ventured, right?
I placed the palm of my left hand over the back of the right, and slid it upward back towards my right elbow and a holographic menu appeared before me. I found a rather large menu that wasn't there before; I selected something simple and familiar, an M6. I felt an intense upwelling of … something deep inside me – from the core of my very being – it wanted, needed out. "Try to place your hands close together and focus on the item you wish to summon."
I brought my hands together like I was holding a Grifball close to my chest and a small light began to shine in the center of the area I created. I focused intensely and the light began to glow brighter and brighter until the light began to take shape and an M6 dropped into my grasp, cold, hard, and familiar. My companion, who had been watching intensely, clapped gleefully. "You did it! You used magic!" I began to smile and was about to respond before I felt weak; my stamina was draining rapidly. I sunk back onto the rock and breathed somewhat heavily; sweat dripped off my nose, surprising me. When had I begun to sweat!? I felt like I had just finished running the length of the Infinity several times! I looked up and my companion had a serious look on her face and was nodding at me. "Ah, yes … that's right. Magical fatigue. Feels great, doesn't it?" I raised an eyebrow, "Magical fatigue? What's that?" She did a small shrug, "It's exactly what it sounds like; you used up a lot of your magic summoning that weapon. If I were to guess from your body's reaction, you used up most of your allotment. However, this is good news. Like any fatigue, you can mitigate it with training and practice." I slowly got up before going over to a nearby spring to drink a little from it. Feeling better, I went back to my rock.
My companion had a curious look about her, "So … you feeling up for trying it again?" I paused slightly, taking stock in how I felt, and nodded. She grew serious and held up a finger for me to pause, "Hold on. I'm going to transfer a small amount of my magic to you; I don't want you to overdraw yourself." This sounded like something rather important I needed her to elaborate on. "What exactly would happen if I were to overdraw?" I could almost sense what she was about to say, but I needed to confirm it; this felt much too important to just let myself assume what she meant. She focused a serious gaze onto me, "Well, it has a few levels. Depending on how much is overdrawn as well as the size and scale of the spell used, you could feel extremely fatigued and unable to perform magic for a while. Trying to do so at moments like that could lead to serious harm to yourself. The next level is that you go into a small coma. After that point, if your reserves are overdrawn enough, you actually begin to use your life energy instead of magic, which quickly leads to death." My eyes widened in comprehension. "I see you understand the need to be careful with magic. Trust what your body tells you; ignorance easily leads to death. Remember that."
She raised her hand to me and it glowed with a soft golden light for a short time and I felt much better. "There. It appears I wasn't wrong before; your reservoir of magic is pretty small. However, like I said earlier, that can be dealt with. But then again, that's to be expected as you only just began to use magic." She grew less serious and more cheerful, "But enough with that. Are you ready to try again?" I nodded. I tried a weapon that I was a little bit more familiar with, a DMR. I brought my hands together and tried to summon it, like before. However, it proved to be quite a bit harder to accomplish.
In the end, I was able to summon the weapon into my hands, but only just. I had to focus extremely hard – to the extent of ignoring everything else around me. I had to completely exhaust my supply of magic; she even had to feed me a little more magic during the process. I fell from the rock onto the ground and laid flat on my back, breathing hard for a long time, completely drained. She came over and sat on the ground nearby. I eventually brought my breathing under control and looked over to her. She had a small smile on her face, "You've done an admirable job at requipping your weapons, but I suggest you don't try it again anytime soon." I looked down at her hands, it appears she picked up the weapons that I unceremoniously dropped when I fell to the ground.
She looked over the weapons in her hands, obviously pleased. "So … what do you think, will you be able to use this?" I nodded, "Yes. Very much so. The ability to bring pretty much any weapon to my side via this method should prove to be quite useful." I looked at the M6 for a moment and then back up at her, "Eh, I spawned it, but how do I put it back?" She replied, "Imagine you were just putting the weapon or item down or storing it away in a container. Simply storing something doesn't use magic, but summoning something does. Again, the larger and/or more complex the object is, the harder it is to summon and the more magic is needed. Although, the more times the same object is summoned, the less magic is required per summon. That means that summoning those guns, and those like it – while hard at first – will become as stepping stones for harder summons. You'll see what I mean soon enough."
By then I was just lying down on the ground, completely drained. She laid down on the ground next to me and stared up into the blue, cloud studded sky. "If you're worrying about your current proficiency, don't. You're just beginning at it. At higher levels, you will be able to summon a weapon, use it, and simultaneously store it and bring out another. These things just take time and patience." She turned to face me with a pleased and confident expression on her face, "You'll get there."
Then a thought occurred to me, "Can I use this magic to store things as well? Other than weapons, I mean." She thought for a moment, "I suppose so, but I don't remember hearing about anyone trying that." I reached out and grabbed a large fruit twice the size of my head that was lying on the ground near me and held it up. "You said storing an item doesn't use magic, right?" A nod. I concentrated on the object and imagined placing it into a large footlocker. The fruit lit up brightly, floated free of my grasp slightly, and vanished in blue particle effects. I nodded in satisfaction, "Huh. Cool." I brought the menu up on my arm and indeed it was listed there, under the "Recent" tab. How convenient. (Although I'd be hard pressed to pronounce the name given it)
Eventually, I felt well enough that I got up and fetched my helmet. I put it back on and noticed something new on the HUD. An empty meter was running along the very top of my field of vison alongside the shield status bar. I asked her what that meant. "It displays how much magic you have at your disposal as a bar. Of course, over time and once you've gotten used to magic, you will eventually be able to gauge how much magic you have left just by how it feels. It replenishes over time much as your shield does, only you have to eat or rest to replenish it – ideally both. As your shielding is technology-based, I guess you could say that magic is biology-based, as it is replenished along with the body."
She got back up and came back towards me with a thoughtful look on her face. I heard her mutter something under her breath. I asked her what was up. "I just thought of something that should make things easier for you. How would you like ammunition that incapacitates rather than harms?" I thought for a second, "You mean like training ammo?" She placed a hand horizontally and turned it side to side, "Ehh … kind of." I nodded, "That sounds great. I'd rather not seriously harm anyone if I can get away with it." A pleased look crossed her face, "Good."
She outstretched both arms and turned her hands so they were open and palms facing up. She materialized two boxes of M6 ammo in her hands before looking at me. I could sense something different from one of them. "You can tell, can't you?" She held out the one that felt different. "This box holds ammunition that I imbued with magic expressly for this purpose. Now, when someone gets shot by these … while they are still quite painful, at worst they will only knock them out. Remember, stronger foes will take more shots to knock out than weaker foes. The other box is the normal ammunition you're familiar with. To utilize this, I have added a switch on each of your weapons to toggle between the two modes near the safety; as of right now, all of your weapons now default to the magic ammunition." She materialized a small number of large crates around us. They had strange glowing purple and black writing all over them on every side in strange, unfamiliar patterns. "These crates hold all the ammo you will ever need for all of your weapons. As for your energy swords and Forerunner/Covenant weapons, they now behave normally until they make contact with someone. When this happens, they merely incapacitate those they contact; if the need arises for lethality however, I've added an override switch on them. Although I hope you won't need it."
I internalized all that. My weapons taken care of, my mind turned to my Mjolnir. I asked her what I should do if/when my armor became damaged. It wasn't like I could just take it to a blacksmith's shop or something and ask for repairs. This was 26th century technology … not something that would take kindly to being beat between a hammer and anvil; if it could even affect it at all. She thought for a second about this. "I don't know just yet, for now it would probably be best if you didn't damage it, if at all possible. I hope to have better news for you a little more down the road."
She then took a short walk away to drink from a small fjord and beckoned at me, "Please, follow me. I have one final thing to do." I despawned my helmet, and continued after her. (After hastily making sure I could bring it back, I sighed in relief when it did in fact come when I summoned it)
She led me to a babbling brook that eventually overlooked a large river not too far away. She indicated for me to sit on a large, flat rock in the middle of the brook. I did so and she folded her legs under herself and sat down beside me, not caring of the water. "The magic I gifted you – requip – was not originally intended for use in combat roles … at least, it wasn't in my time – I was always told it was used most frequently in farming. However, there are those who now live who use it in combat, and use it well. No … the purpose for us being here isn't so I can give you another magic, but so I can help you find your own." I was quite surprised at this. "What? I have a magic?"
She nodded. "Yes. … Well, yes and no. You have the capability to use magic … one of your own, I mean – but I can't tell the type. We are here to bring it to the surface. I noticed it when I gave you requip. I'll be honest, I don't know where it came from, perhaps it has something to do with your being a Spartan … I just don't know." She looked over to me and grinned slyly, "Well … enough of this. Let's find out what you can do!"
About ten minutes later, I was meditating like I was instructed to. Listening to the sounds of nature around me; the rustle of the leaves, the gentle sounds of the water around us … I just began to zone out. I reflected on our conversation not too long ago.
She picked up a stick and lifted it into the air, the end of which glowed brightly. She began to write in the air; what she wrote with it stayed where she left it. "The power to use magic must come from both within and without. Spells are the concentration and physical release of the magic power that we possess, stored within our bodies. Put simply, magic power is as vital for a wizard as the air they breathe; without it, we can't really do much at all … though I'm feeling you may be an exception to this rule. The base substance on which magic power is built is called Ethernano." I raised an eyebrow at that. "Ethernano?" A nod. "Yes. Ethernano can be found in the atmosphere around us. We have the ability to absorb it into our bodies, then after intense focus, the Ethernano is transformed into magical power. Meditation is the best way to draw in Ethernano, so that's why I have you here." There was a small pause for all that to sink in. "So, what were to happen if I absorbed a lot of this … Ethernano? Would I be able to use more complex or bigger spells?" The corners of her mouth turned upward in a small smile, "Good question. Every wizard has a container – as I said earlier – a limit to the amount of magic power and the amount of Ethernano they can absorb. When you use a lot of magic, you empty this container, but your body continues to draw in Ethernano on its own. In a relatively short time, your container will be replenished and you can use spells again without having to do anything at all; not even meditating. In short, there's no limit to the amount of Ethernano in the atmosphere." I turned my head from side to side, contemplating this. "That sounds like very good news, tactically speaking." She grinned knowingly. "There's one other extremely important element to this. It simply isn't enough to absorb Ethernano out of the atmosphere, and then convert it into magic power. I am referring to a wizard's feelings." Naturally, I was skeptical. "A person's feelings? C'mon, you're pulling my leg here." She made a little pouty face at that and crossed her arms, "I'm serious! It's vital to the process and almost impossible without it!" I sighed and apologized to her. She accepted it and continued, "As I said, it's almost impossible to use magic well without feeding off of our strongest emotions, so it's absolutely vital to be able to access them." She smiled at me for a bit before I grew curious enough to ask. "Hm? Oh, it's nothing … it's just that you've simply reminded me of a conversation I had quite a long time ago with someone I used to know."
I was brought back to the here-and-now by a peculiar sensation enveloping me so I opened my eyes and looked around me. A blueish-white miasma was covering my body. "So … it works …" I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up. She was there, extending a hand with an approving smile. "Part one, complete!" I got up and we walked up onto dry land and asked her what was next. "Next? Why we put that magic power into use!" The next hour was spent doing all manner of things trying to find a way for me to activate my magic. Eventually, I took a break and set up an impromptu shooting range with head-sized fruit as target practice.
My friend was nearby, watching in curiosity. I equipped the DMR I had by then put across my back; the M6 was on my left hip. I chambered a round and shot a few fruit before an idea came to me … what if I used this new feeling I had and pushed it into my weapon? One way to find out. I saw her take notice as I chambered the last round in my magazine, and briefly wondered if I would need to reload. I breathed in to center myself, took aim, and on the exhale, I squeezed the trigger.
The moment the round hit the fruit, a shining grid of light quickly spread out from the point of impact and around the object. It then exploded into little cubes, leaving behind a cloud of dust and a short rain of cuboid debris. I looked away from the iron sights, surprised. She walked up to my side and thought aloud, "I wonder …" She asked me to go over there and after directing me to focus the feeling on my fist, she had me punch a larger boulder. The moment my fist touched it, a bright light shone from the point of contact. White tendrils of energy wrapped themselves around the object, it exploded, and then an impact crater was all that was left of the boulder after the dust and the smoke settled. "So, that's what it is … you have Crash magic." I stored the DMR and walked over to her so we could hear each other more clearly. "Crash magic? What's that?"
"It is a very advanced Magic which gives the user the ability to smash everything they come into contact with. If the user is unfocused, they may destroy objects such as houses unintentionally." I emitted a snort at that. "I can destroy houses as is if I'm not careful." Now, it was her turn to look surprised. "Oh, right … well then you shouldn't have much trouble controlling it then." Curious, I pressed on, "What else can crash magic do?" She searched around for a stick and began to draw in the dirt. "Crash has various offensive and defensive properties. Using its inherent nature of being able to crush anything it comes into contact with, the user is able to nullify the effects of certain magics by literally smashing them to pieces. By imbuing their fist with Crash, the user is able to send an enemy flying quite a few feet with incredible force. It is also capable of being fired as a burst of energy at the opponent; you have discovered this particular property just now with your weapon. This magic can also be utilized effectively as a defensive means; for example, by crushing the ground underneath them, the user is able to create a cushion of sorts against enemy attack. It is also possible for Crash to be used as a deflective barrier, sending an assailant flying backwards when they come into contact with it. You'll discover more the longer you use it. However, until you can use Crash magic consciously, in times of stress it will help you on its' own. There is so much about magic that we simply don't know. At times, it seems to simply be inanimate, but at others … it seems to have a mind of its own." She trailed off and stopped speaking.
It was then I realized I hadn't even gotten her name yet. "Hey, I probably should've asked this earlier, but what's your name?" In reply she simply winked at me, held up a finger, smiled slightly and said, "Spoilers, sorry. I'm not ready to reveal that little piece of information as of yet. You may simply refer to me as … a friend." Friends? "I'm extremely grateful for your help; I … I don't know what to say." She smiled widely, "It's no problem; I'm glad to help as well as make new friends."
She then produced a sly grin, "Now, you may have noticed that we're on an island. Weren't you in your pod before we got here?" I quickly looked at her. "Well, yes. That had been nagging on my mind, but I figured that you'd get to explaining that eventually." She elaborated, "Using a different type of magic, I 'barrowed' your mind. Now, if you want to get technical, we're currently residing in my mindspace … it shows where I feel most at peace. Not surprisingly, it is a mental reflection of my home island. The great thing about this is that in order to do all this training I've just put you through, it would've normally taken about two days ... but in reality, it has only been about ten minutes or so." I was impressed at that. "Time dilation?" She nodded. "Yes. That's exactly right. A quirk of this magic is that I can manipulate the perception of time in my mindspace."
Smiling, she shook her head, "Well, anyway … I'm about to reintegrate your mind with your body. Some things you should know before I do, however. I have changed your insertion point so that your trajectory will land you a comfortable distance from a population center. Once you're on the ground, I ask that you seek out the wizarding guild known as Fairy Tail. It's a great guild to join; they treat their members as family. When they ask you about yourself … well, I'll leave that decision up to you – but, I've always known honesty as the best course of action if you want people to trust you and fight by your side. If you choose honesty, please … break it to them as gently as you can. Welcome to your new home. I sincerely hope you grow to love and fight for this world as much as your previous ones. Good luck … Spartan. Watch that first step, it's bound to be a doozy!" A white light again enveloped me, and I saw no more of this island.
[If any one of you guys haven't already watched Fairy Tail, you may want to fix that. It's great; plus this story will stick rather closely to it, so beware of large spoilers. You have been warned. :)]
