Wind and Water Chapter VII: Splitting a Gray Sky, Magic is a Wonderful Thing

Disclaimer: Mabinogi belongs to Nexon and whoever else developed it... enough said.

A/N: Warning- The point of view will shift to Syra when she starts telling her story. This occurs early on. Everything else afterward will be from Aeria's point of view again. Splitting a Gray Sky is the music that plays during generation nine's credits. Magic is a Wonderful Thing is a quote from the chapter. This is the third longest chapter so far, and man, was it hard to write.

Ne?- Right?

"Speaking" "Reading Aloud"

Narration- Describing off-screen events (When it appears in story)
Exposition- Restating the most recent events of the prior chapter.

'Thinking' '-Telepathy-'

Underlined text is written on paper/wood/etc.

Flashback, Memory, and Similar.

"While in flashback, this is speaking."

'While in flashback, this is thinking.'

"Why doesn't she say anything?" A student asked.

"She's mute." Sert responded.

"How long has she practiced martial arts?" Another student.

"A year."

"What? No way!" The first student exclaimed.

"It's true, she's really talented..."

It was several hours before Sert and I managed to escape their questions and go home. That night, I didn't dream... One would think I'd be relieved, but instead it made me feel restless, and I didn't get much sleep at all as a result. It was so surreal an experience to have uninterrupted sleep, I awoke in the middle of the night.

I opened my eyes to see a dark ceiling above me. In the corner of the room, Eiry lay sleeping against her medium, proving that yes, apparently spirits did sleep. I looked outside to see the moon was a thin, waning crescent, and saw that the streets, lit with torches, were empty other than the occasional guard passing by.

I stood, clad in my white night-gown and decided to relieve boredom by exploring the house, since I couldn't get to sleep. And so I stood, seeing the portrait of the twins, their parents, and the little girl, barely making it out in the dim light.

As I was examining the picture, I heard footsteps downstairs. I went to investigate, careful to watch my step in the dark hallway, and found nothing until I reached the first floor, where I saw Syra sitting in a chair at the table, looking outside with a distant expression on her face.

I stood there, watching her for a while, until she noticed me and turned around. "Aeria? Why are you awake at this hour?"

I shrugged, and moved over to sit beside her, pulling out my conversation journal.

'Can't sleep... What about you?'

"The same." She said, a small smile on her face, "There's not much to do at this hour, is there?"

I shook my head, and then began writing. 'What is it... that you want to say, but can't?'

"Hm? What do you mean by that?" She asked innocently. My expression countered her ploy, though, and she sighed. "It's not what I want to say..." She said, looking at the picture by the stair well, "but more, what I wanted to say."

"Care to learn a little more about your house-mate?" At my nod, she began her tale.

"Fedel!" I turned to the exuberant youth before me, setting a pot of flowers on the counter.

"How many times have I told you, Faolan(1)? My name's Syralein, not Fedel. Where do you get that name, anyway?"

The younger girl, with her wild, untamed blond hair and ruby eyes looked the part of a fay(2) from the old tales as she smiled, "That's a secret, 'Syra'." She said my name with such a tone that it was clear she was humoring me.

"What do you want this time, anyway? Did you play another trick on father?" I asked accusingly, and she nodded once more, face completely unashamed.

"Yep, I got him good this time, too!" I shook my head and sighed. Faolan and my father had not gotten along well at all since mother took the girl under her wing. In fact, it seemed as if Faolan's sole reason for being here was to make his life miserable, as she was quite pleasant around everyone in the house... except for father. And she insisted on calling Sert and I Feidel and Fedel, and our mother, Maralein, Feidlimid(3).Her quirks aside, though, she fit well into the family, though father disliked her for obvious reasons. She lived with us for three years, until mother died.

That day, she and I had made a promise.

"Hey, Fedel, let's make an unbreakable vow!" She had said, an hour or two before mother actually passed on. I blinked, and she continued anyway.

"Ready?" She had said, before placing her left hand over my right and clasping it tightly, pulling me close to her face with that unusual, monstrous strength she possessed. "When two hands cross~" She sang, "Their owners are avowed~"

"Never to let go again~" She smiled, holding my hand tightly, her red eyes dimmer than usual. She knew something I didn't. "No matter what, no matter when, they'll never be alone again~!" She finished her impromptu song. "I'll never forget the time I spent with big sister Fedel, Syra." I had blinked, what was she talking about?

When mother died, father wasted no time in looking for her to kick her out of the house. But...

When he opened the door to her room, she had already been gone. Her room had been arranged perfectly, and all that was left of her was a small note on her bed that read, 'Never let go again.'

I remember running outside, to the nearest gate, just in time to see it shut. I raced up the steps to the rampart of the wall, ignoring the cries of the guards, and saw Faolan walking along the road, into the mist. She stopped and turned, waving to me, before walking into the mist and vanishing from sight.

"So you see," Syra spoke, watching the moon outside, "I loved Faolan as much as I loved Sert. She was like a younger sister to me. I wanted to tell her, 'Don't go!' or 'Come back!' But, I couldn't find the courage to say something so brave when father had promised to kick her out anyway... And then father abandoned us and moved to Emain Macha a few days later..."

'I see...' I wrote in my journal, but really, I didn't. I had no idea what it felt like to lose a family member, as I knew very little of my past aside from brief glimpses. 'So... you regret... never saying good-bye to her?'

'It's never good-bye, Aeria... Never! Just... see you later.' I blinked, shaking the memory from my mind as Syra responded. "Yeah, I guess so."

We sat in awkward silence for a while after that, until Syra excused herself and went back to bed, leaving my alone in the kitchen with my thoughts. I wondered, then, what it was like to grow so attached to someone, and then be force to part from them without even being able to bid farewell... After a while, I went upstairs too, and this time, even though I had no dreams, I slept a deep sleep, until I was woken by Dawn. The day after formed what would soon become a pattern in my life. I awoke to the dawn, changed, sheathed Eiry, went downstairs to see Syra cooking breakfast, went back upstairs, at which point Eiry woke Sert in the most creative fashion she could think of (everything from putting a water pail under his feet, to trying a mallet to his wrist and tickling his nose). I would, after eating breakfast and occasionally sketching something, train with Aranwen in the morning and spar with her in the afternoon while her students ran drills or sparred with each-other. Occasionally I would spar with a student as well. For the longest of times, I didn't have any dreams.

Of course, nothing lasts forever... The day the pattern changed, I had a dream. Or, rather, an extended version of a dream I had had before. Details were much clearer this time... So much clearer.

Above, thunder rumbled ominously and rain poured continuously. I was cold, and wet, and drenched, and water poured down me. Beneath me, the fast rhythm of a well-trained horse threatened to unseat me if I did not hold on, but I held on, clutching the shaft of the spear in my hand tightly. Water threatened to blur my vision, but I blinked furiously, eyes focused on the road ahead.

Lightning flashed, lighting in minute brilliance, and I turned swiftly to the sound of a carriage's wheels being pulled through mud, and people shouting. My long, white hair blocked my vision, and thunder rumbled ominously as I head the sounds of horses whinnying and the solid crack of the carriage's wheel breaking off. I turned, frantically reining my horse in and rotating to see the carriage tumble off a cliff to the side, both its horses running wild. I screamed, "Amaranthe!" Even as she screamed in turn, from within the carriage, "Aeria!"

I dived into the river after her, dropping my spear, heedless of the dark figures approaching us rapidly. I landed in the river, but I held favor with the Lady of the Rivers and Lakes, and so the water carried me to the surface instead of drowning my. I turned and saw the carriage, sinking rapidly into the raging waters, and I turned and swam furiously, rushing to the carriage receding into the water, but then something happened, and I felt a sharp pain in my back, followed by another, and I coughed up blood. My arms lost their strength, and I reached for the carriage as I sunk into the water, reaching for it desperately, as the blood flowing from my mouth tinted the water red.

Thy wielder of providence be cursed by providence(4).

That grim voice echoed in my ears, seeping down into my core, and shaking me as my vision faded to black. And then, there was nothing. For a while, I ceased to dream, but remained conscious, trapped in the limbo of being self-aware, but unable to do anything at all... Not even think.

I awoke in a cold sweat, did I just dream... of my own demise? Eiry was at my side, looking at me worriedly, and outside the sky was gray, instead of sunny and fair as it had been the past week. The clouds were cold and gray, and threatened to rain any second. Outside my window sat a large, skinny raven, its eyes a glittering scarlet. That was when the voice of my mother whispered in my ear,

"There will come a day the Lady sends a Raven to you... Do not fear it, as it has not come for your life, but for you." I blinked, shaking my head as the statement made little to no sense. I realized Eiry had spoken, and turned to her concerned face, "Are you alright, Master?"

I nodded. Memory or dream... if it was a memory, it was in the past, and if it was a dream... it was just a dream. What mattered now was moving forward in the present... not looking back at the past. That aside, my movements were still subdued and lethargic as I dressed as, I'm sure you'll agree, no matter how strong your resolve... Dreaming of your own death scares you(5).

I set off downstairs, walking into Sert's rooms and clapping my hands rather loudly to wake him, as I, quite frankly, didn't feel like helping Eiry set up a prank. As he awoke, crying out, "Dang it, Eiry!" I was already leaving the room and heading downstairs.

Syra noticed me immediately, and judged my mood quickly. "Did you have a dream, Aeria?" I nodded mutely as I pulled out my journal and began writing it down in detail... which was easy as, despite my best efforts to the contrary, the dream was still fresh on my mind. I nodded(6), focusing on my writing. As Sert came downstairs and leaned over my shoulder, I dotted my final sentence and snapped the book closed, sliding it into my pack.

"I take it that it wasn't that great of a dream, was it?" Sert asked rhetorically, and I nodded again, standing up and walking to the door, Eiry following me and glancing back at my house-mates, the expression on her face invisible to me, but easy to guess. "Hey, aren't you leaving a bit early? Breakfast isn't-" Sert spoke up, but was interrupted by Syra placing a hand on his shoulder. I waved and stepped out into the sunlight, what little of it there was. The populace of the streets was sparse, and I walked briskly to the school, determined to find something to do that would clear my mind. Sparring with Aranwen was on the top of my list.

"You're early." The aforementioned woman spoke bluntly. "What's bothering you?"

As expected, she saw straight through the facade I was putting up... Probably I was actually trying to maintain an impassive face. Instead of responding, I lifted the shaft of the practice staff from its holdings and took a ready stance in front of Aranwen.

"Looking to clear your mind, then? I can't guarantee it will work, but..." She took a defensive stance, unwilling to risk an offense when I was wielding a weapon with a long reach.

I obliged her and charged, sending the staff straight to her jugular. She batted it aside with practiced ease, having sparred with me many times and learned my habits, and spoke, even as she stepped back to avoid my follow-up, "You're sloppy today."

I over-extended my arm while performing a large sweep with the staff's end, and she proved her point by taking advantage of the opening and ducking under the staff while dashing forward and jabbing my arm-pit with her sword. I jumped back, dropping the staff as I did so and sighed. I couldn't even fight properly anymore. Aranwen merely stood back and watched me silently as I collected the staff and took a stance, before changing my mind and setting the staff back. I walked up to the benches and sat down, staring at the sky above, and noting that the raven from before was sitting on the edge of a nearby roof. To my mild surprise, Aranwen took a seat next to me and sighed, "You know, this would be much easier if you could talk."

'Wouldn't it?' I thought, agreeing with her as I nodded.

"So, what's bothering you, exactly?" I turned to her and tilted my head inquisitively, and she elaborated, "You're my student, I'm supposed to worry for you."

'You're not just my watch-dog, Aeria. You're my friend, of course I worry for you.' Amaranthe...

These words struck a chord in me, somewhere, and, as if a great dam had been released, I began to sob, crying silently, without realizing I had been crying at all until Aranwen spoke, "Aeria, are you alright?"

I found I couldn't respond at all, other than to cover my eyes with my hands in some effort to stem the tears, or at least hide them... though it was fruitless either way(7). I cried uncontrollably, my chest hiccuping though no sound was produced, as my vocal chords were incapable of producing sound. A breeze began to pick up, softly at first, when I first began to cry, and growing fiercer as I grew more emotional, until my hair was flying wildly off to the side. The air was much colder now, as well, but I didn't notice, unable to focus on anything other than the tears streaming from my eyes(8). The wind grew steadily louder in an extended crescendo, until I heard nothing but its howl in my ear, and at the climax the air had grown so cold that ice had actually begun to collect around me... And then, as my tears gradually slowed, the wind faded and the temperature returned to normal.

That was when I noticed what my impromptu fit had wrought. I looked around, rubbing at the lines tears had stained my face with, and saw that the veranda above the courtyard was now, to put it bluntly, a mess. The small tree near my was missing half its leaves, a flag had been torn from it post, and everything was soaked. Next to me, Aranwen was breathing heavily and standing up, moving her hand from the wall she had been using to steady herself. As she stood, she looked at me quizzically. "Feeling better?" Her tone was dry, but without malice.

I nodded.

"Well, I should hope so..." She looked around, "You should be learning from Stewart instead, with that kind of latent potential."

"Well, it would certainly be too dangerous to leave it unchecked." I turned, and there stood a man in red robes, his face adorned by a pair of foldable glasses that hid his soft, gray eyes, and framed with shaggy, blond hair that looked as if he had done his best to tame it.

"Stewart." Aranwen greeted.

"Aranwen." The mage greeted in kind, "I came outside when the storm-shutters of my windows began to well... shudder." He turned to me, and the easy-going smile he had adopted grew gentler. "Now, on to more pressing manners... Are you alright, little one?"

I nodded stiffly, and Aranwen introduced me, "This is Aeria... She's my most excellent student... Though I would have never guessed that she held such potential with magic as well... Martial arts, archery... now magic. Do you have any weak points at all?" She asked rhetorically, and I shrugged in response as Stewart spoke up again. "Hm... A true prodigy, then... I think I remember your name... you learned a bit from Lassar, in Tir Chonaill, right?" At my nod, he continued, "That's right... Lassar mentioned you in one of her letters. You were her star student too... And I find no reason do doubt it, but... just what made you so upset?"

I looked down, and Eiry spoke up beside me, reminding me of her presence, "Come on, Master, tell them!" I looked to her, and saw how worried she was. Her eyes were actually on the verge of tears... truly, Eiry's puppy-dog expression was a force to be reckoned with. I sighed, and pulled out my journal, before beginning to write, idly ignoring Stewart asking why I was writing and Aranwen explaining my condition.

'I had a dream this morning... Not that it's a rare occurrence, I have dreams often... memories. But this time... I dreamed of my own death. It wasn't peaceful either... I died in the process of saving someone's life... Someone I cared for, and someone that probably died as well... It's not the only dream I've had like this, but I guess it was just too much this time.'

"I see... It's amazing you could hold it in so long but, you know... You really shouldn't." Stewart spoke, "Well, I have a class to teach... so I must bid farewell, for now. Come by whenever you like, and I'll give you some pointers."

I nodded, and I realized what my mother had meant, as I looked at the raven on a nearby roof-top. It flew away under my scrutiny. 'Not for my life, but for me... The raven was sent to comfort me... Though I didn't realize it at the time.'

I pointed to the staff, '-Let's try that spar again, Aranwen.-' I didn't notice anything was amiss until Aranwen spoke. "Aeria..."

I turned to her, '-What?-'

"Are you talking to me?"

'-No...-'

Aranwen continued, "You're not moving your mouth, but I can still hear you..."

I blinked, '-What? That doesn't make any sense...-'i

"No, it doesn't." Aranwen agreed with my unspoken, though apparently still audible statement. "Maybe you're doing something with your magic unconsciously?"

'-Maybe-' Though at the time I had no idea, I realized later that Aranwen was correct. My outburst had made my magic more receptive to my demands, and as a result started acting to fulfill my desires without specific direction. Apparently, having a high affinity for wind also allowed me to simulate sound. It also meant I'd have to be careful not to accidentally lash out with my magic. I shrugged, pointing to the staff again. '-So... shall we have a rematch?-'

"Sure, I'll beat you this time, too." And with that, the two of use descended into the courtyard, after cleaning up the mess my fit had made, and began to duel in earnest. We ended with an even spread of six to six when Aranwen's students arrived, so technically it was seven to six, the seventh win was because I accidentally used my magic to interrupt one of Aranwen's combos, and I insisted on not counting it. As I walked home, waving at Sert as I passed him to reassure him, I looked up and noticed that the sky looked rather odd. It was still gray, for the most part, but there was a large, jagged line of gold stretching across it, as if someone has split it open. I found it an interesting coincidence that the gray sky above split as my mood improved.

"This is great, Master! Now you're even stronger, and you don't have to write in your journal anymore!" Eiry exclaimed, stretching her arms with her usual enthusiasm regained.

I nodded, smiling a small smile myself, before pausing in front of the door to the Edan house-hold. Hesitantly, I knocked, and I could make out a strained, "Wait a moment!" before Syra opened the door.

"Aeria, feel better now."

I nodded, '-Much.-'

She blinked, speaking and trailing off, "Did you just..."

'-Yes, well... kind of. I'm using magic, somehow. I've been able to do it since earlier...-'

"Well... That's great! Though you should apologize to Sert, he's a bit upset."

I nodded, '-I know. In the mean-time, don't you have work to do?-'

She nodded, "I was just about to head out now.

'-Alright... Don't let me cause you to be late.-' Syra nodded and headed out, and I entered the house, shutting the door behind me. Immediately thereafter, I walked over to the table, pulled out my sketch pad and pencil, and promptly slumped over and fell into unconsciousness without warning(9).

I found myself sitting in the plain, stone room lit by its warm, inviting hearth. Across from me, sitting on her stool was my mother, clad in white robes with her face impossible to make out. She was talking to me, and I was listening with rapt attention.

"Listen carefully, Aeria. Magic is a wonderful ability, and it can do nearly anything you want it to do, but there is a limit to how much you can use your magic. You can only use so much magic before you collapse, just like you can only stay awake so long before going to sleep. If you stay up longer than you should and don't go to bed, your body goes to sleep by itself. The same goes for magic- if you go past your limit, then you go to sleep. Sometimes... You don't wake back up for a long, long time(10). The amount of magic you can use before collapsing is called mana, just like the amount of things you can do before tiring yourself out is called stamina. This may not seem important now, but you should remember... You should never use too much magic, and you should rest for a while without doing anything if you use a lot at once, okay, Aeria?"

"Alright mother, I won't." I responded.

"Alright then, let's explain the different types of magic now... There are eight that we know of, and six we can use, and they are red, blue, green, silver, gold, purple, orange, and teal. None of our mages can use orange or teal magic, but a few other nations can. Understand so far?" I nodded, and she continued. "Each type of magic has a corresponding element- fire, water, earth, air, light, shadow, chaos, and balance respectively. One can only use magic they have an affinity for. You, Aeria, have a major affinity for a gray and blue magic, as well as a minor affinity for gold magic. Which means what?" She asked, checking to see if I had been paying attention.

I paused, fingering my chin, before smiling and responding, "I can use air and water well, and I can kind of use light." Mother nodded, smiling.

"Very good," She said, "With air, you can do many things. You can make wind when there is none, speed people up, or slow them down, conjure lightning, and even fly and give others the ability to fly. With water, you can make people heal faster, form ice, or melt it, breathe under water, and even walk on the water's surface. With light, you can make illusions, heal wounds to the point it was as if they were never there, light your own way in the dark, and much, much more, but light isn't a very potent element, so it needs to be used in conjunction with something else..." My vision faded to black as mother went on, describing how elements could be used together to produce unique effects.

I awoke to Sert shaking my shoulder, "Hey, you alright?" He asked, worried. Beside him, Eiry floated, her expression mimicking his own. "Eiry here says you collapsed as soon as you sat down..."

I nodded, sitting up straight. '-I used too much magic earlier today... Sorry for making you worry.-'

"Well... It's fine as long as you're alright, right?" Sert said, stepping back and sighing with an exasperated expression on his face, before suddenly something clicked to him. "Wait! Did you just talk?"

I shook my head, '-No... I'm passively using air magic to convey my thoughts to you... I'm not sure how, but I've been able to since earlier.-"

"Okay... I don't really get it, but... if you just collapsed from magic, should you really be using it now?" He asked, concern outweighing confusion and curiosity.

Some words from my mother revealed the answer, 'If you use too much magic, but not so much that you're asleep longer than a day, then you can use small magic safely afterward. In fact, it means you'll be able to use more before running out of mana next time. You should still be careful, but passive spells are fine.'

I shook my head, '-The spell doesn't drain very much mana, because it's passive, and I've recovered most of my mana anyway.-'

"Well, whatever you say..." He trailed off, remaining silent for a while as he took a seat at the table. In mutual silence, we waited for Syra to return, before he spoke up, "Hey, you think... That one time in the dungeon, you did the same thing?"

I thought back, remembering the scream I had let out, and shrugged. '-Maybe... Maybe it was something different entirely.-'

"Geeze, magic is so confusing." He whined, and I smiled in response, prompting his mouth to curve into a broad grin and let out a hearty laugh(11).

Eiry looked between us, "I don't get it... What's so funny?"

Neither of us answered Eiry's question, and Syra came home shortly afterward. That night I dreamed of my mother sitting on her stool in front of the fireplace, fashioning a tunic from blue and silver cloth. It was a warm dream, and Eiry told me the next day that I had slept with a smile on my face.

-Author's Note-

While Aeria is an exceptionally talented magic user, she also has a hard time controlling her magic (at this point, at least) because wind is so capricious and unpredictable. It responds to her slightest whim, and so she has to be extremely focused in order to make it perform a specific task without doing anything else as well. And no, in game you can't use wind with magic, though you can with alchemy (I think). More than that, Aeria has access to an entirely different style of using magic than the Tuatha da Danaan. Below, after the footnotes, are the key differences. By the way, after this chapter, can anyone PM me and guess why the story's name is Wind and Water? If you can, I'll see if I can grant you a favor (I won't add in any of your characters or make a specific plot, but I might do something similar to the suggestion).

I'll only grant one request, and I'll tell you next chapter who it is, if anyone even answers at all.

-Footnotes-

(1) On Line 2 of Syra's flashback): Faolan {Fay-oh-lan}- Little Wolf (actually a masculine name).

(2) On Line 3 of Syra's flashback): Looking at the pronunciation of her name, this is a pun. A fay is a fairy, or a person of the fairies. Things such as elves, pixies, sprites, etc. Typically the more capricious and (sometimes) enigmatic of beings.

(3) The first paragraph of Syra's flashback, halfway through): Fedel and Feidel are both variants of Feidlimid, a unisex name meaning either 'beauty' or 'ever good'.

(4) The bold text in Aeria's first dream): Possible Spoiler (Depending on how you look at it)- This is a curse, (duh, captain obvious!) but it's not intended to cause misfortune. Providence, in this case, refers to magic as the ability to channel mana was a gift from the gods/goddesses of Aeria's home-world. In other words its intended to cause a rebound effect, turning the benefits Aeria has from being blessed into negatives, albeit temporarily (she probably would have survived otherwise).

(5) End of the fifth line after Aeria's first dream): Personally, I think dreaming about being in limbo after dying is far scarier than dying in the first place.

(6) The fourth paragraph after Aeria's first dream): I wanted to put 'mutely' here, but decided it'd be too horrible of a pun.

(7) At Aeria's fit): Need I remind you... Aeria's eleven years old. Even though she was aware of her memories being gone in the first place, she's still a child, and she's been bottling up the raw emotions that a few choice memories sparked at her, such as fear, horror... sorrow, etc. Dreaming about her own death is the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, though she managed to hold it in a little longer afterward.

(7 Continued): As for how she caused such destruction with just a fit... She's named after (and blessed by) the Lady of Storms. She's in a different realm, so her patron can't actively assist her, but things that don't require active attention are (for the most part) still there. And her affinity for wind and water grows stronger as the weather becomes worse. The Raven wasn't Aeria's (the goddess, Aeria's, that is) doing, but Morrighan's.

(8) Again, Aeria's fit): Crying aloud and screaming, wailing, etc. has a therapeutic effect on people. However, Aeria can't do that, and so instead, she unconsciously taps into her magic potential. E.g. The wind and chilling of the air is the equivalent to her screams. What, you hadn't guessed she was causing that already? My bad.

(9) When Aeria collapses just before her second dream): What? Her style of magic may be much more potent and adaptable than that of the Tuatha da Danaan, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its drawbacks (understatement).

(10) Aeria's second dream, half-way through the first paragraph of her mother's lecture): I'm pretty sure you know this, but she's basically saying that if you push yourself too far, you'll die. What's more, you'll die painlessly and without warning as your body simply ceases to function. It's like flipping off the lights, and it's impossible to resuscitate someone whose died from mana exhaustion.

(11) When Sert laughs, just before the end of the chapter): After such a day, you'll laugh at the smallest of things.

-Magic Styles-

Tuatha da Danaan

Anyone can learn.

Used by absorbing magical energy provided by the gods/goddesses when Eweca rises.

When one uses too much magic, they simply cannot use magic until they absorb more energy. Persisting afterward drains their stamina (not canon, I don't think).

Aeria

Only priests/priestesses and the blessed can learn.

Used by channeling magical energy inside oneself. The ability to do so is provided by a god/goddess.

When one uses too much magic, they die painlessly and without warning.

-Character Profiles-

Been a while since we've seen one of these, eh?

Name: Faolan

Appearance: Her curly, tangled blond hair is as golden as the sun, and reaches down to the ends of her shoulder blades. Her eyes are crimson, and eerily similar to the eyes of Sert and Syra. She wears a brown, leather dress under a white over-shirt and leather boots.

Other Information: She appeared without explanation at the door of the Edan's home and Maralein (the mother of Syra and Sert) took her in after discovering that the girl had no where else to go to. Faolan loved to harass the twins' father and insisted on calling the twins and their mother by alternate names for unexplained reasons. A boyish, energetic youth, Faolan became very close to Syra and Sert the three years she knew them, but this only made their parting two years ago more painful.