[Flashback] Just Another Day (Eridanus)

[Nira'lia]

506 Winter 35th Nira'lia walked around the halls of the University, visibly looking for someone. She scanned over the number of students that she passed by, but she couldn't find the person that she was looking for. The sun was starting to set, but it wasn't dark yet. Nira'lia didn't know what his form would be at this time of the day... she didn't know enough about ethaefals to know exactly which face she should currently be looking for. She had already looked in the library, then at various other locations. Nira’lia had met him at the library, and she had decided to take a gamble to see if he was there. When she didn’t find him there, she started picking spots by random. For a while, she had even contemplated on asking students if they knew him and if they had seen him... an ethaefal wasn’t a common sight, after all. Currently, she was at the West Wing, and she couldn't help but marvel at its architecture. Its pre-Valterrian architecture was a beautiful sight. Nira'lia had only been there a few times in the past to attend the annual ball, and it was the first time she was seeing it when it wasn't crowded by party-goers. She was glad that she decided to go there, because in seeing it without the crowd, she was able to appreciate its beauty fully. Soon, she came upon the stairs that led up to the Astronomy Tower. The konti had never been there before, and she was intensely curious at what could actually be found at the tower. After thinking about it for barely a second, she impulsively started to climb the stairs. There were more flights of stairs than she realized, and when she finally arrived at the top, she was out of breath. She paused to regain it and then started to look around, her initial intention of finding Eridanus completely forgotten.

[Eridanus]

A lone ethaefal sat in a shadowy corner at the top of the Astronomy Tower, the only illumination he got was the light from the moon. He had eschewed going to the library this time, due to a certain event held nearby that caused the surroundings to be a tad too noisy and congested for his liking. Namely, an outdoor party organized by one of his dormitory neighbours. Fortunately, this also meant that most of the outgoing population in the campus would be gathered there, and so this probably meant that the Astronomy Tower, one of the quietest places in the University, would be empty.

Glancing down at the sheet of vellum he laid out on the floor along with a pile of books and his trusty quill and ink-well, he finished writing the title of his assignment, underlining it as he ruminated on the method of progression.

[Relevance of Intention in Magecraft: A Research Proposal]

He actually gained this idea through his experience with Resonant Harmonics under Wejerx, and a little booster from an unexpected author. He had read Nolan Cudhel's dissertation on the limitations of magnetism in magecraft, but he had not quite expected a brief paragraph just before the conclusion of the essay.

[A possible limitation that might stunt the potential growth and evolution of the aforementioned Paradigm would be the utter exclusion of user and tool. In other words, by completely delegating the manipulation of internal djed pathways to non-sentient tools and objects, the wizard's own intent and emotions are left out of the creation process. Though it has been proven that personal intent is crucial in personal magic (Godek et al., 385), as well as certain world magic (such as Animation, Alchemy or Spiritism) that involves the use of the wizard's blood and thus intent (Godek et al., 387), it is uncertain if this hypothesis applies to magecraft as well. This uncertainty in research prevents me from suggesting this exclusion and personal delegation as a limitation, and instead I suggest it as a possible, further research.]

He did not quite liked the standard convention of writing papers from start to finish. That was the reason he used the more inexpensive vellum instead of parchment, for he had expected multiple revisions and drafts before completing the actual paper. Perhaps starting at his thesis might be a good idea.

[I posit that personal intentions are crucial to Magecraft.]

That had been his personal thought even after all this while. He did not know why, but it was a gut feeling. It was fine that it was unsupported by empirical evidence, for it was only a research proposal. When it was approved by Professor Wejerx he would need to work on preliminary research. As such, all he had to work on was on his objective and what he could glean from previous research.

However, that sentence seemed a little off. He could not be so brash in his proposition. Even Cudhel had acknowledged that the Paradigm mentioned in his paper completely separated the wizard from the creation process.

[I posit that personal intentions are relevant, but not necessarily essential, to Magecraft.]

Now, that seemed like a more reasonable proposal. What else could he write? What else did he know?

Picking up one of the books that he had deemed useful, he flipped several pages to find the part he was looking for to confirm his thoughts.

[It had been claimed multiple times that intentions were crucial to all djed operations (Forsley, 300; Dreluse, 373; Adjermann, 446), but insofar there was no concrete evidence that it holds true for all djed operations. Certainly, Godek's team (385) proved this idea for all known disciplines of personal magic post-Valterrian, but not for all known world magic (387). I emphasize that the "unknown bracket" mentioned by Godek includes magecraft. This paper aims precisely to disprove the unsupported claims from above, and also to further Godek's inquisition into the role of intentions in magecraft.

In the following paragraphs, I will, through evidence from my preliminary research (please refer to Appendix where lab results are attached) show the difference intentions can play in various Paradigms that possess "varying emotional exclusion" rates (Joclaud, 380) in terms of magecrafted results, ceteris paribus.]

Well, it seemed that this Jack Mentrim had the same thoughts as himself even back in the 5th century. In that case, what new things could he bring into the foray? What discussions could he raise, and what could he respond to?

Eridanus was not quite familiar with the world of academia yet, and the art of scientific writing was still new to him. The world of scientists and wizards in academia was a largely confusing one, dominated by multitudes of eccentrics and geniuses, and if he was to make his mark somewhere in there he would have to pull his weight and think out of the box.

In fact, he was so deeply engrossed that he did not notice a new presence making her way up into the top floor of the Astronomy Tower.

[Nira'lia]

She was surprised to see that the Astronomy Tower was empty, seeing as it had a magnificent view. Nira'lia stared up at the night sky blankly. Why hadn't she been here before? Truth be told, she wasn't even sure if non-students were allowed to be there. A figure sitting in one of the corners caught her attention. The konti glanced to her side and saw Eridanus. He was surrounded by books and seemed to be writing something, and he seemed very much engrossed in what he was doing. The ethaefal was much too concentrated in his work to even realize that Nira'lia was there, which caused a slight frown on the konti's lips. Hesitating, but seeing as he still didn't take notice of her, Nira'lia started to walk towards him. Nira'lia blocked out the light and casted a shadow unto what he was writing on. She leaned forward to see what he was so immersed in, but she couldn't read the paper since it was facing away from her. "Don't you know it's bad for your eyes to write in a place with such bad lighting? I mean, all you have is the moon!" she said. She moved out of the way, allowing the light to shine back on his paper. Nira'lia circled around his books and took a seat beside him, peering at what he was writing, not really thinking whether she was being a bother. It was full of terms that were foreign to her, and after looking at its title, she decided that it was beyond her ability to comprehend. Nira'lia leaned back and rested against the wall behind her. She looked up at the sky and had half the mind to just sit there and stare at it, even if he decided to continue his work rather than speaking to her. She actually thought that might be a good idea if he wanted silence – she would have enjoyed herself anyway. But then, she remembered one of the reasons that she may have had for looking for him. The konti looked at him from the corner of her eyes. “Hey, how’s your injury?”

[Eridanus]

Frowning, the ethaefal reached to pick another book that he thought might help him, when suddenly darkness filled his vision. More accurately, an impediment appeared that blocked his access to the moonlight streaming in gently, causing a shadow to mar his view of the texts in front of him.

Who in the...

Raising up his head, he saw a youthful looking konti, a familiar and welcome face looking down at him and lecturing him for his choice of illumination.

"You!" He exclaimed in surprise. "It's bad for mortals I suppose, but we ethaefal are immune from that sort of things."

As she sat herself down beside him, he muttered softly, "The moon's enough for me anyways," his voice a bitter mixture of melancholy and false optimism.

She was silent for a while, and he found it strange to break the silence, instead returning his attention to his magecraft texts. After a while, she took the initiative, asking him about his wounds.

"I won't be competing in any combat-based tournaments, if that's what you're asking," He replied, poking the myriad of bruises in his upper torso gently. The pain was much lesser, and he could function properly but he did not see himself doing any physical activities until he was fully healed.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

[Nira'lia]

Well, he was acting like he was fine, and he even had the ability to climb flights of stairs carrying that much books. It had been only roughly two weeks since the unfortunate brawl, and Nira'lia had expected him to be in worse shape. Just for good measure, she sharply prodded the part of his torso that he had poked in order to see if it was all an act. "I don't know. I was bored," she replied with a shrug. It was true: today had been a slow day. On the topic on what had actually possessed her to seek him out, she didn’t know. Thinking about it, her reason of wanting to check on him seemed weak, especially since he could obviously take care of himself. However, she decided to stick to that rationale. "...so I thought of checking up on you, but you look fine." Nira'lia looked at the books and papers before him. She took a moment to wonder why he had decided to choose the Astronomy Tower to work in. Nira’lia had noticed a party elsewhere, and it had been a great contrast to the silence and emptiness of this particular room. Perhaps he... wanted to be alone? "What about you? What are you doing here?" asked the konti as she grinned at him. "Do you need some time to yourself? Because if you do, I can leave!"

[Eridanus]

"Ow!" He exclaimed playfully. He probably exaggerated it, but it did hurt a little for he had not fully healed. His racial skill could not be used on his whole body, which prevented him from halving the healing time required. Instead, he could only speed up his recovery slightly, though he mostly focused on the bruises in his upper torso.

"Why? Did you miss me?" He grinned, prodding the tip of the konti's nose gently. That seemed like a pretty lame reason to search the University just to find him, but he did not pursue it further.

"Homework," He sighed in response. "I got to write a research paper of sorts, though for now it's only a research proposal. I can't find anything good to write though." Brightening up, he added hastily, "No it's fine, I just can't stand rowdy crowds when I'm studying. In fact, maybe we can bounce ideas off each other!"

Pursing his lips as he glanced across his array of books, he wandered aloud, "What new area could be explored in magecraft and magic? Tell me, Nira'lia. What have you ever wondered regarding magic and magecraft? Regarding enchanted objects?"

[Nira'lia]

The konti's cheeks went slightly red and she frowned to hide her embarrassment from his accusation. "No, that's not it," she replied in a defensive and childish manner. She stared at the books and decided to just be quiet since she wouldn't be able to understand any of it. That was why his suggestion caused her to look at him with slight confusion, as she was doubtful at the fact that she would be able to contribute anything. "That's... uhm..." she started, stumbling on her words. Magecraft? She could vaguely remember him mentioning it before, but it's not like she actually knew what it was! Nira'lia stared at him, stupefied. She decided to gather her thoughts on the context clues that were provided. She guessed that magecraft had something to do with creating enchanted objects. He had mentioned as much, and it was also in the name itself. So, regarding it, what has she ever wondered about? Well... everything! "I don't exactly know what you’re talking about..." she replied, grinning. The red on her cheeks were now from the embarrassment which was caused by admitting that he was speaking a whole other language to her. "I guess... if I would wonder about something, then I’d wonder about what exactly can you make?" Nira'lia shrugged, sighing. She racked her brain to make an effort, and decided to go with questions that could be asked about any particular field. "I guess... what's the sense behind it?" she asked, staring at him. "Why practice it? What good is it for?"

[Eridanus]

Eridanus grinned when the konti began to glower in embarrassment, but he hid his smirk just so that he could be considerate. Looking away from her as he stared far into the night sky, he gravely considered her questions.

"Magecraft is the art of creating legends and marvels. We enchant items with artificial power not found in natural sources... and if one is good enough one can even grant mundane items the power of the gods."

Turning his head to look at her in the eyes, he steadily replied, "To get better at it. To create things that we do not have. Perhaps create a flying carpet for efficient travel, or a water purification system. I am throwing out radical ideas, but these are all possible if one is creative in magecraft. Can you imagine, Nira'lia? How we all can progress with the creation of such powerful objects?"

Glancing at the sky again, he sighed, "Most people think magecraft is about creating new weapons of destructions. And unfortunately that is the most common use of the art. No one ever thinks of innovative ways of creating wondrous utility objects. Everyone is going on all about destructive power..."

[Nira'lia]

The power of the gods? Nira'lia couldn't help but crinkle her nose at the term. She wondered if it was a wise idea to create such items, even if they were for mundane purposes. "I can imagine," she replied simply once he had listed down a few of his radical ideas. A flying carpet sounded quite silly to her, and she wondered if anybody else would actually think of the same thing. However, a water purification system... that sounded nice. The konti took a moment to fully understand what he was saying. She could vaguely remember their first meeting at the library, and he had spoken about creation, about progress. "You're telling me that at the moment, most of those who practice magecraft use it for terrible means? Why is that? That's just a waste of good skills. I'm quite confused, though... who is this everyone you're talking about? I mean, here you are, and you obviously don't think the same way they do, and I'm sure you're not alone either. What do you plan on doing about this idea of yours, then?”

[Eridanus]

"I wouldn't say for terrible means, Nira'lia. It's just the way of magic, for some reason. The rest of the wizards - yes even those of other disciplines - emphasize and prioritize combat potential. The reason is simple: profit. The industry rewards destructive weapons because of the state of this post-apocalyptic world, and because magecrafting is so expensive most of our operations have to be commercial so that we can afford to engage in experiments that may or may not turn up viable results."

He looked at his paper with the underlined thesis, humming thoughtfully before continuing, "I don't know, to be honest. I want to explore, I want to innovate. There are so many things that seem possible in magecraft, but I don't know why so few people are willing to attempt the unknown. Is it a result of cold pragmatism? Or perhaps people prefer to stick to tried-and-tested ways? I don't know to be honest, I do not have enough experience in magecraft. But I'll definitely try."

Looking at the konti again, he pressed on. He needed to find a topic for his research paper. "What can I do, then? What area can I explore, that no one has done before? What do you think magecraft can - or should - do that hasn't been done before?"