As Blake entered the library, Salem glanced up at her only briefly before turning her attention back to her writing with a tiny smile on her face. Blake, for her part, made her way into her usual corner, carefully selecting a book off the shelf and sitting. Then, carefully, she slipped the notebook inside the other book and slowly opened it to the soft swirls of Salem's handwriting.
Salem tapped at her lips with a thoughtful hum before drawing her quill out once more and beginning to write.
"It is important to begin with a simple concept." Her voice was soft, ostensibly meant only for herself, but Blake's ears twitched slightly as she spoke, and Salem's knowing smile told all it needed to. "The mind and the soul are separate, but they are intimately connected..."
Slowly, the smooth cadence of Salem's voice and the writing before her blended together...
It would thus be foolish to assume that they cannot affect each other. Omen and Aradia discovered this by working in both directions, for where Aradia's soul had affected the way she thought, Omen emulated her soul by copying her methods of thinking. Because we cannot yet alter the soul, the only way to approach the issue of magic is to begin with the mind.
Some teachers force their students to meditate on concepts without explaining the reasoning behind them, but the core of magic is thus: To impose the will of the soul, and therefore the will of the mind, upon the world at large. To do so is difficult, because by its nature the soul is always connected to the body. It may reach distant places by way of certain Natures, but it cannot be separate while the body yet lives.
This is a restriction that cannot be broken.
But it can be twisted.
The way lies in a simple truth: We are, each of us, our self. But we are also... more. Every group you are a part of, every ally or enemy, every place you have visited... you are connected to each of these, and in turn to all the things they too are connected to. To access the magic of Aradia, you must dissociate from your self and embody your connection to the world around you. Thus, your soul is connected to all, and all can be manipulated.
Even knowing the way, to manipulate your own mind at such lengths is not simple. To deceive your own soul, to drift away from your own identity, is a trick that only the greatest liars could have claimed. Yet, the benefits it brings are great. Aside from accessing magic, this deception connects your soul to the world around you. It comes with an instinctual knowledge of your surroundings; after all, if they are a part of you then you should know them as your own body.
But no power is without cost. The soul cannot sustain this twisting of its nature forever. It burns itself away to maintain the connection, and magic burns it all the faster. There must be a way to solidify the connection between the self and the world, but none have found it. Perhaps, to achieve a perfect connection, one must alter both the mind and the soul at once...?
Speculation can come later. For ages, Ciel has utilized meditation to teach the dissociative thinking required for magic, and the Royal Family has refined it over many years.
The first exercise on the path is thus. . .
Each day that Blake returns to the library, to listen and to read, you observe and consider.
This method is... strangely compelling, even in all its inefficiencies. A truly creative school of thought and magic, it is precisely what you would expect mortals to design. Even without your ability to dissect magic or the soul, they approach the truth. Perhaps Ciel would never achieve the true potential of what they created; without the ability to manipulate the soul directly, it would always be a half-measure. Even so... the evidence of its strength surrounds your Arbiter.
And, despite the dissociative nature of their magic, the magicians of Ciel rely on none but themselves and the knowledge of those who came before them.
As you suspected, it appears useless to you. You are not a part of the world the way mortals are, and even if you were your self is too great to manipulate in this way. And yet... is that the truth? You are deeply connected to your Arbiter, obviously, but it would be a lie to say that you are not also connected to your other mortals. Ruby, Weiss, Penny, Yang Xiao Long, and even Neopolitan are connected to you. And, through them, have you not witnessed their own connections? For mortals, such connections quickly outweigh their own existence, but for you it is a drop of rain against your self. Yet, even if that precludes you from wielding Soul Magic... the connections remain. Are they not valuable on their own...?
Either way, the knowledge itself gives insight into the soul, and mortals themselves, and... Should you ever return, you now understand. Penny. The nature of your daughter's soul as your own power makes it malleable in ways that a mortal soul is not. If a "perfect form" of Soul Magic exists, there is no entity more suited to discovering it than your daughter. Should you see her again, you have something to give her. A lesson all her own.
As the conversation died down, and servants came to clean up the remnants of the meal, Blake took a breath. "Veve? Is there... somewhere I could practice my magic in peace? It isn't particularly destructive, but I haven't found anywhere I could do much without being..."
"Watched?"
"...Yeah."
Veve smiled. "We have some rooms set aside in the Tower that should work for that. I'll show you to them."
As they stood, Blake cleared her throat. "Ah, I also wanted to... Well. If you or Salem would like to observe, you're welcome to. I know you're both curious, and you've shared with me, so..."
Veve blinked even as Salem beamed. "Are... you certain? I know we're no longer allowed to teach you anything further. There's no need for you to..."
"I'm sure. I don't mind."
"I'm looking forward to it." Salem's eyes were almost gleaming with interest, and Veve hadn't seen her smile like that in a long time.
Finding Blake had been one of the best things Veve had done in ages.
This is so... easy, Obsidian.
She reached out and the shadows leapt to follow her gesture. With her mind, she pulled, and the net of shadows around her body moved her. She could, if she chose, relax her muscles and move solely by magic.
Or, with both in tandem... move with far more force.
Unsurprising. You have absorbed some of my ability.
Is this what magic feels like for you?
I am magic. It feels like my self.
...Yeah. That's... a good description.
She flowed through old forms, crafting a blade from her shadow that reminded her of Gambol Shroud. The steps came easily, and when it was time to jump she pushed herself up with the shadows and had to cushion herself to avoid striking the ceiling.
Instead, she pushed herself off of that as well. Wherever she willed, her shadows traveled. So simple.
Glancing down at the blade in her hand, she considered. With a swipe and a thought, the blade became a black whip – or a ribbon. She swept it back and forth, the motions reminding her of her broken kusarigama... but the shadows had no need to obey physics. She bounced the shadow ribbon off of walls, or around obstacles, striking with it however and whenever she pleased. She coiled it tightly like a fist and thrust out, exploding it out in a straight line like a spear that might have cracked the wall if she hadn't diverted it to the side at the last moment.
She slid from side to side, a weave of shadows visible on pale skin. They carried her in unnaturally smooth movements as she twisted and struck again and again, a black blade bursting forth from her hand as though it belonged there.
All around them, the shadows subtly danced, weaving in time with her. Periodically she would gesture and they would burst forth, spears and thorns and fangs cleaving forth from the ground or the walls or the ceiling. When she leapt into the air, propelled forth by a geyser of darkness, the shadows reached up to cradle her and welcome her back to the earth.
And the room drowned in her magic.
"Salem..." Veve was transfixed.
Salem's hand rested over her heart, her eyes wide and breath shallow. "...So much magic... is this... Veve, do you think this is what Aradia felt like? Or Omen?"
"...I don't know, little sister."
Blake... do you even realize how frightening you are...?
Once again, there was a knock on her door. Once again, as Blake opened it, Salem stood there.
"May I... come in, please? I need to talk to you." Her face was a picture of nerves, and Blake wondered if they'd been caught in the library. She stood aside, allowing the girl to enter, and closed the door behind her.
"That doesn't fill me with confidence."
"Ha... haha, I suppose not." Salem swallowed, averting her eyes. "...Blake, are you aware that you are being watched?"
Your Arbiter stilled. "...What? What do you mean?"
"I noticed it... while I was watching your magic. There's something... I don't know how to describe it. Something in your magic is observing you. It's... attached to your magic, part of it but also not. At first, I thought it was a consequence of how you described your magic; a seed from your teacher. But... it's active. I could feel it shifting and acting, completely independent. If- if you don't know, and I didn't tell you... I'd be very angry at myself."
"...I... what did Veve say?"
"She doesn't know. Her senses aren't as sharp as mine. Blake, do you know what's going on?"
...Obsidian? I don't... should I lie to her?
[X] Explain. {Reveal your nature as Blake's 'teacher.' Your magic is inseparable from yourself, so because Blake wields 'your' magic she is connected to you. You will not speak directly to Salem. Salem becomes aware of your connection to Blake. Salem's relationship: ?}
[X] Refrain. {Keep your secrets. Blake will explain that what Salem has realized is one of the only true secrets she has, and she cannot explain without betraying her teacher. Salem will come to her own conclusions. Salem's relationship: ?}
An Event approaches.
Blake has grown comfortable with her new magic. Combat potential significantly increased.
Blake has acquired a new skill! Soul Magic: D- - The ability to deceive one's own soul, and manipulate the world beyond the body. For Blake, whose identity is entangled with yours, Soul Magic is difficult if not impossible to utilize. However, she possesses significant knowledge on its workings nonetheless.
You have satisfied a Curiosity.
Through persistent investigation and exposure to ancient knowledge, Curiosity: Soul Magic has become a new trait.
Scion of Ciel - You carry with you the knowledge of the ancient world. You understand the fundamental nature of Soul Magic better than any living individual, and are capable of both teaching its function to mortals and improving upon the ancient techniques, and actions related to the souls of mortals will be more effective. More than that, you have come to understand that you are connected to the world of mortals, even if only by a few links. The strength of such bonds will be far greater for this understanding. [Aura or soul-based actions will be more effective. Bonds with mortals are more potent, for better or worse.]
This echoes across the flow of time. . .