Selene...
Since she came back to Duranell she had little free time to herself due to all the reports that her and Dean needed to go over and fill out because of their brief absence prior to the job in Lunaas and the fallout that came from Malthael destroying the villages.
Now that she finally had the time, she took her ruined suit of armor to Samael's shop to get repaired.
When she walked up to the front door she noticed that his door was open but she couldn't hear anything going on inside. It must mean that he was resting at the back porch of his shop.
She slung the bag containing her armor over her shoulder as she walked around the shop to his back porch.
There he was, drinking what looked like a glass of whiskey with ice, as he watched the sun begin to set.
His head turned to look her way and he nodded in greeting.
"Its rare to see your shop to be closed at this hour or to see you drinking at this time of day. What's the occasion?" she asked.
"Nothing in particular, I just wanted some time to enjoy myself before the hellish busy season arrives, what with the contest about to start," he said and now it made sense.
"Oh I see. I guess you would have a lot of work ahead of you with all the different requests that will come in due to the champions wanting new armor and weapons," she said as she pieced it together. The contest was the perfect opportunity for vendors and blacksmiths to sell weapons and goods.
"Is there anything that you need too before I have to deal with the large inflow of orders?" he asked as he eyed the bag she was carrying.
"Well...yes actually. You see, during my fight with Malthael, I got stabbed in the chest and on top of that I awakened a new form of magic and...it fractured my armor into a dozen pieces," she said as smoothly as she possibly could but Samael looked absolutely livid.
"WHAT?! You shattered your armor?! HOW THE FUCK...," he shouted in disbelief before standing straight up in surprise and she winced. He reached for her bag and snatched it out of her hands to look at the destroyed set of armor. As he pulled out each various piece she could see the hope in his eyes erode.
"Can you...can you fix it?" she asked.
"Can I fix this...? No Selene, I can't fix this. Do you understand how this armor was made? It wasn't crafted out of Black Iron or Adamantine, it was made of regular steel infused with dwarven enchantments with the intangible concept of a frozen flame, meant to contain your magic and keep you from destroying everything around by containing the heat in your armor. Armor like that can't be made with Black Iron because the it doesn't bond well with conceptual enchantments and Adamantine armor is too expensive. Despite that, most forms of magic shouldn't even be capable of destroying an intangible concept that bonds with the steel armor. The fact that your new magic was able to effortlessly shatter it means that I can't craft a suit of armor capable of handling it unless it was entirely made of Adamantine. Now I know for certain that you wouldn't be able to afford a full body suit of Adamantine armor unless there was another job as dangerous and worth the pay as killing Malthael was."
Losing patience from listening to him rant, she asked him, "Why can't you just make me a new set of steel armor with the intangible concept thing?"
"I can't replicate that method of forging for multiple reasons. One, technique of forging with concepts is something that not even I understand. I understand mathematics, science, and logic. What I don't understand is how to represent concepts and theoretical manifestations as tangible forces. That is a dwarven art that they refuse to teach me and something that I have failed to replicate on my own. Two, even if I did find a way to replicate it, I wouldn't have any idea how to prevent your moonlight from just destroying it all over again. Not only that but there is a big difference between your two magics. Your sunlight magic is very simple and straight forward with various applications that are easy to understand, with it being heat based and able to transfer that heat across spacetime to teleport as well as transferring heat into a person's body as energy to repair damage. There are many different applications to it yet all of them are easy to grasp. Your moonlight magic however has so many unknown factors to it that I can't even comprehend, some of which are beyond time itself. If my mind can't so much as comprehend it, how do you expect me to come up with a concept designed to counteract its effects and contain it?"
"So...the only way I can get a new suit of armor that would last is if I save enough money for an Adamantine set?" she asked and he nodded.
"Yes. Adamantine bonds to a person's soul, changing its nature to match that of the existence of its user, whether their soul or magic is in a different dimensional tier from what I can perceive. That's the only way you can fix this issue," he said and a feeling of panic overwhelmed her.
"Samael...I've...I've had this armor since I was fourteen years old. Its the only reason I'm even able to do my job as the Vice-captain. Without it-"
"Without it, you are a danger to everyone and everything around you, yes? Without it, you can't possibly keep your magic under control and run the risk of burning this entire city to the ground just by the mere activation of your magic. I am well aware of that fact but you will simply have to make do without it until you have the funds to pay for it yourself," he said sternly.
"You can't just...can't you make me a new set and let me pay it off over time?" she asked and he shook his head no.
"I can't because I don't even have the resources available to make you that kind of armor. I'd have to use the funds you give me to purchase the necessary adamantine to craft it on top of the smithing fee. So no, I can't just make you a set of Adamantine armor here and now without the appropriate funds."
"SHIT!" she shouted as she repeatedly slammed her fists into one of the largest trees in the forest on the outskirts of Duranell. She came here so that she could vent out her anger without the risk of hurting anyone else in the process.
As she pulled back her fist to vent out the last of her anger she accidentally let out a sliver of her magic with it. The moment her fist connected with the tree it was shredded apart by her moonlight and the ground around her shattered not a moment before they were completely incinerated to ashes. The heat that was released from her body then burned everything within a two mile radius of her and turned it sterile. She then looked down at her clothes and realized that although they hadn't been burned because they had been woven with the frozen flame enchantment that Samael had talked about, they were torn to shreds from the moonlight magic that had been released from her body.
She noticed that her arm was shaking as she realized that she could no longer control her own power and she ended up hugging her knees against her chest as she sat on the scorched earth.
"Why was I born with so much strength...," she said with a muffled voice as she struggled to make sense of what her life will lead to without something to keep her at bay.
Marcus...
"So what exactly are we doing out here for?" he asked as he followed Ruvick out into an empty field.
"This should be good enough...," Ruvick said as a sword appeared out of his own shadow and he tapped the point of it against the ground. As he did, a darkness spread out all around them and the light shining down on them from the sun seemed to be blotted out.
"What did you...?" Marcus asked as he tried to make sense of what just happened but couldn't. Before Ruvick dimmed the world, he was able to sense the energy coming from the people in Duranell. He could even make out Thalia's soul among them but now he could sense nothing even if he could still see the city in the distance.
"Seems like you're having trouble understanding what's going on so I'll try to explain it as best I can. What I've done is construct a replica of Erebus within the shadow realm, the shadow realm being a reflection or parallel universe to our own. This way you won't have to worry about restricting yourself. You can release as much of your power as you want, you can even try to destroy the planet if you want and it won't make a difference so long as I am here to help you train."
"Hold on..., you've recreated Erebus in this dimension? Just how far can your power reach?" Marcus asked him.
"I could easily recreate this entire universe if I wanted to, dozens of times over. There is no sense of scale that I am restricted to. However, that is not the topic that we are here to discuss at the moment. I've brought you here to discuss the matters of manifestation magic and train you in its use so that it can provide you with additional utility to your magic," he said but Marcus was still having trouble grasping how powerful Ruvick really was.
"Marcus, I need you to focus for a moment."
"Uh, sure."
Ruvick then waved his hand through the air and created a table and two chairs for them to sit in.
"Take a seat. I doubt you want to be sitting on the ground or standing the entire time while I explain this," he offered.
"Oh uh, thank you," he said as he took his seat.
"Okay, for you to understand the concept of manifestation I must ask, do you understand the concept of faith?" Ruvick asked.
"Faith? In what way?"
"As in the faith one would have in God," he said but the undertone in Ruvick's voice and the way his eyes scrunched together was that of disgust.
"Does it have to be God or any god?" Marcus asked.
"Any god would do but I figured that the easiest way to understand this concept would be through exploring the faith in God," he said.
"I get the feeling that you aren't trying to 'preach his good word' so I'll assume this is just to help get a fundamental understanding of manifestation, yes?"
"You are correct. How much do you understand in regards to faith in God?"
"Well...for the most part I've been nonreligious my whole life. I never saw any reason to put my faith in anything I couldn't understand and yet...during my life I watched as people put their faith in what was essentially an idea, a metaphysical construct that they believed would allow them to redeem them from whatever sins they committed in life and guide them to heaven. However...if we assume that this idea of God does exist as an actual conscious entity, then would it be as a result of man bringing him into existence out of sheer willpower or did he exist before man?" Marcus said as he attempted to explore this concept.
Ruvick eyed him curiously as he said, "That's an interesting hypothesis, however work with this concept under the assumption that God was not manifested by the will of man and in fact predates humanity. How could you explain the faith in god that truly did exist before and was discovered by man and was not simply a construct of humanity to explain their own existence?"
Marcus was silent for several minutes as he pondered this but he couldn't seem to come up with an answer that lined up with his own logical mindset.
"I don't know. I'm stumped," he said plainly and Ruvick nodded as if he expected that answer.
"For a man like you that bases your thinking more on logic than faith, it would be difficult to grasp something like this so I will take the time to explain it in a way that you can understand it," he said before he leaned back in his chair.
He then turned his head towards the sun and sighed.
"Lets take Lumos for example, the name for this world's sun. Or Apollo, Terra's sun if you really want to. Its bright, vibrant light helps keep this planet alive by providing it with light, warmth, and energy for the plants and animals to live and thrive. If you were a man belonging to a primitive species in a tribe of sorts, you would herald it as god. Even though you see it with your own eyes and can affirm that it is real, you still worship it because it is what blesses your world with the ability to live. Fast forward several thousand years and apply science to your understanding to this marvelous wonder we call Apollo. Oh! However, there is more! You look deeper into the night sky and realize that the glowing lights that inhabit it are also stars, suns that burn with the same light and energy. You realize your sun is not special and that there are many like it. So...how do you explain this then? The creation of this vast universe? You could continue to look at it with a scientific outlook or ignore that and think of it as a construct of an even greater god. One that is far more powerful than that pitiful Apollo you once worshipped but had now lost its relevance. In this scenario we are pretending that you know that other stars exist in the vast universe but not why they do or what it means. You only have enough scientific understanding to realize that your star is one of many. How would you, as someone with a limited understanding of science look at this?"
"Hmm...well, if I'm using this mindset to look at this then I can't apply my current way of thinking and assume there is a logical and scientific explanation for it. I would assume that whatever this creator is, that he made this universe and everything in it and I try to apply a name to this god."
"True enough. But lets imagine this concept. Think of this god as a fundamental force of energy and power in the universe that keeps everything running. You would interpret this god with faith the same way that you, as you are now, understand the concepts of gravity and electromagnetism. You would see it as the truth, the very concept of order. You would convince yourself so thoroughly in your belief in this supposed god that it becomes the truth in your eyes. The more difficult it is the separate this god from science, the stronger one's faith in him can be. To critique the very belief in god is not necessarily a method to disprove god's existence but rather to gain an even deeper understanding of him."
"What is the point of telling me this?" Marcus asked.
"The point is that for you to understand manifestation, first you need to understand the concept of turning ideas into faith and faith into fact. In other words, you would need to be so convinced by your own idea that it becomes a reality. Let's take the god Ordovis for example."
"Ordovis...? I had never heard of a god by that name in Terra."
"That is because he is not a Terran god. He is a god of this world, Erebus. Ordovis is known as The God of Shattered Earth. A god that holds the power to shift the plates that this world's kingdoms rest upon, even to move the very planet itself. The name Ordovis is many thousands of years older than that of even Dagon himself and yet his name continues to live on and although people don't necessarily worship him they still understand the power that the god held. There is even a sect of warriors that follow the path of Ordovis and manifest the same form of magic that he used in battle. Through their firm belief in Ordovis' existence and the power he held, they manifest Ordovis' power through their own magic," Ruvick stated and yet Marcus was still struggling to understand the concept.
"How is that possible? How are they able to manifest the power of a god if it is not through their own soul self?"
"To be perfectly honest with you, I am not completely sure but my idea is that it has to do with the goddess Styx. Styx is a goddess of a power that transcends logic and understanding, a power in the form of manifestation and ideation. If one's ego is powerful enough to recognize their own ideas as part of their identity, so too shall it manifest into reality. Those that believe so strongly in the ideas of those gods will be able to call upon their power as well. Lets take our mutual acquaintance Artemis for example. Terra's moon existed long before she was born and yet she was named as its Goddess and even now holds the power over it but over the years, more ideas have been associated with the moon and some of them have even carried over and have been assimilated as part of her power. Artemis herself is able to manifest constructs out of her magic that represent the moon itself. Can you imagine what that would be like? To manifest a construct of the moon that you could hold in the palm of your hand and release its power upon everything around you?"
"That would be devastating! The gravity and tidal forces that would be released from that would be catastrophic!"
"Indeed it would. Are you starting to understand how manifestation works now?"
"Ruvick, the power to manifest the moon and release its power in such a way could destroy this world," Marcus said worryingly.
Ruvick, however, scoffed at the very notion of that.
"Of course it could! Do you really think that I wouldn't be aware of the potential dangers that such power could hold? What you need to keep in mind though is that Artemis is capable of such power and the only reason that she would abstain from using it is to avoid such collateral damage. In fact, there are many in this world capable of such power via manifestation yet very few who have the ability to contest with it using raw power alone. You are one of the few people in the world who could contest with the strongest people in this world with raw power but that could end up being a hindrance if you do not adapt other methods of fighting."
Marcus was silent for a moment as he contemplated whether or not it was a good idea for him to learn this new form of magic.
"Even if I were to learn any manifestation techniques, how would I know what form that my manifestation would pair with the best?"
"Well, in regards to that, you wouldn't be depending on other gods or beings to manifest their power through but rather, you would be manifesting your own ideas and power through sheer force of will," he said.
"I would be...manifesting my own will? Wouldn't I have to be a god to do that?" Marcus asked.
When Ruvick heard that he smiled as if he knew something Marcus didn't.
"Well Marcus, for a god to manipulate reality with their own willpower, their ego would have to be quite powerful and in your case...I'd say its more than strong enough, even more so than Artemis in fact."
With that, Ruvick got up from his seat and said, "Well then, shall we explore the limits of your strength and find out what your ego will manifest as? We have less than a month left to train you in the art of manifestation so we better use the most of it."