Hai rested his face against his wife’s milky abdomen, listening for the heartbeat that may even now be finding its pulse.

The room was a mess, but that was fine, the NoM servants would restore it to pristineness tomorrow.

“Hai?” Qīn’s fatigue-riddled face turned toward him in the darkness. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing, my love, go back to sleep.” Hai brushed her forehead with his lips.

The usual Qīn would have kissed him then queried him until she was satisfied, for the moment though, his wife was arguably and understandably exhausted.

The Wedding.
Gwen's fiasco.
The Patriarchs' bitter dispute.
Gwen's fiasco, redux.
Secretary Miao's visit.

As any soul with half-a-heart would heartily agree, his wife deserved the rest.

Hai dug his face into Qīn’s voluminous hair.
He loved the scent of vitality radiating from her scalp, the softness of her supple skin; the warmth she exuded effortlessly. It was in moments like these that Hai felt genuinely happy.

Happy - and a little paranoid that his fragile happiness wouldn't last.

There had been a near-miss right after they had left the aftermath of the wedding. It was the reason why the room smelled like burnt paper right now, despite the Gust of Wind he had operated for half an hour.

After her father's disgrace, Qīn had stormed back into her room, screaming ‘I can’t even talk to you right now!' He had chased her all the way into the interior of her bedroom, where she dispelled an illusionary wall, revealing a hidden alcove.

Curious, Hai had followed his wife, then immediately regretted his decision.

Qīn was tearing down a wall scroll.
It was a picture in his likeness from many years ago.
On the table were chunks of pink salt, which tended to naturally form if he fought on water or areas with high humidity. There was a splayed, leather-bound volume as well, filled with old newspaper clippings of his past exploits in the military, as well as other propaganda pieces about when the ‘Song Brothers’ were still a thing.

If Hai had to be honest with himself, he felt unnerved but a little pleased.

To think Qīn had waited for him this whole while, alone and loitering, even knowing that he was 'dead'. Hai knew that if it were him in her place, there would be no chance he could muster the conviction to ‘wait’ for a woman, much less lose a decade of his life.

But of course, his wife was now in the process of tearing down her ‘shrine’.

His callousness had broken her heart.

“Qīn! Calm down! Hey!”

Hai approached his wife.

“No!” Qīn’s mascara was running down either side of her creamy white face like squid ink. “I can’t believe you didn’t help daddy! Your peasant family humiliated him, Hai! Humiliated him! I felt like I could have died right there! If I could have killed myself to save him from that experience, I would have!”

“But…” Hai scratched his head.

“I KNOW!” Qīn wailed. “Mao! Oh, Hai - I knew you couldn’t do anything. You ran away from your father, didn't you? You faked your death! But I had HOPED! I had a little spark of wishful, HOPEful thinking that maybe, just maybe, you could have done something!”

“I did do something… it was Gwen-”

“Then Gwen exposed you for the man you truly are! A RUNNER! When things get too hard, you RUN! ARE YOU GOING TO LEAVE ME NOW?”

“Qīn, that’s not true,” Hai protested.

“YES, IT IS!” Qīn touched a hand to her belly. “Poor child… poor baby…”

God damn it! Hai snarled internally, feeling the descend of torturous anxiety enveloping his mood like a dark shroud. Qīn was right though; he had a half-a-mind to get the fuck out of here while everyone was busy entertaining Secretary-General Miao.

Why was it that every time he achieved a little happiness, people from his family came and shat all over it. Was it so hard to get the fuck on with their own lives? To leave him to live his life in peace? Was that so impossible? The wedding wasn’t even for him or Qīn; they could have just eloped and be done with it. They could be happy somewhere, ANYWHERE that’s not here, living off his Abjuration and her Healing.

But Qīn loved her father, and he couldn't force her to leave Hangzhou.

Earlier, Qīn had demanded that he 'do something'.
He did.
It wasn't enough, but he did it anyway. Put himself out there like a worm for hens to mercilessly peck and quarrel.

"Waaaaa~" Qīn's wail was heartbreaking.

He had to do something.

Hai summoned the courage that came naturally to him in moments like these; he strode toward Qīn with the conviction of a martyr going to the cross, spitting at sneering Romans along the way.

“Create Flame.”

Hai set the scrapbook on fire.

"!"

His wife recoiled from the scrapbook, her misery suddenly replaced by shock. Her face was streaked with tears and fraught with fury, caught between wanting to preserve her childhood memento and letting it burn, like her marriage.

From behind, Hai's arms wrapped around his wife’s waspish waist.

The act surprised Qīn at first; then she began to violently struggle, beating his hand with her fists.

"Let me go! Let me go you bastard!"

“Qīn.” Hai held his wife tightly, ignoring her protest. “I love you.”

Qīn's trashing visibly grew tame.

“I won’t leave you, and I won’t leave our child,” Hai whispered beside her ear.

Her struggling ceased.

“You won’t?”

“No, not now, and not ever. I’d rather leave my parents, leave Gwen, leave all of them behind than leave you.”

Qīn gasped; she turned to putty in his arms.

“…”

She then began to sob.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Then we can leave right now.”

“Where will we go?”

“Anywhere you want. Just pick a direction, and we’ll be on our way. It’ll work out.”

The idea of ‘leaving’ struck Qīn like a bolt from the blue. It was such a romantic notion, and it was just like Hai. Just trying to imagine the two of them escaping from home and going on a life-long adventure had her heart in stitches. Her face flushed, her breath came in shallow gasps, her bosoms rose and fell dramatically. Perhaps not surprisingly, she could feel Hai stabbing her thighs with the proof of his commitment.

“We can’t…”

“We can,” Hai stated affirmatively. “Just say the word.”

“No.” Qīn refused, fearful of what she might undertake in the passion of the moment. When she seriously entertained the notion, Qīn found the idea of a future without the House of Liu, without the familiar siheyuan, without her koi- well, her koi were dead now.

Nonetheless, the abandonment of her family was abhorrent to her, and it made her all the happier for Hai's proclamation.

“Hai, we can’t just leave. Daddy needs me now more than ever; it’ll break his heart. Not to mention your daughter, your parents…”

“Then I’ll stay here with you. I don’t care what deal the family has made, Qīn. In the end, this is our marriage. It’s just you and me. It’s our right to be selfish; it's our life, our happiness, not your father’s, not my father’s and certainly not Gwen’s. ”

Hai needn't even have finished before Qīn melted into his arms, silencing him with her peach-petal lips. The warm glow from the flaming scrapbook illuminated their faces with dancing flickers of orange light, juxtaposing the acrid smell of diffused ink, old leather, and lacquer.

“Salt Bolt!”

A cascade of Salt washed over the burning effigy, snuffling the light.

Qīn launched her own assault, infusing Hai's abdomen with positive energy.

And that’s how they had spent the hour or so until they had to send off Secretary General Miao. Upon their return, Hai and Qīn had mucked about the entire room, as Gwen had once noted with asinine peevishness, like ‘goats and monkeys’.

An inestimable number of 'rounds' later, Qīn was OOM.
She collapsed beside her once again loving husband, sticky with musk, fast asleep.

Hai breathed out. His whole body was sore, and his legs trembled, and certain parts of his anatomy had pings and needles.

It was done.

By all accounts, he had sheltered his little corner of the world. His wife’s milky form lay beside him, and their future was arguably going to be uneventful.

Still, Hai felt an interminable 'bad feeling'.

Naked and sweltering, he shivered.
He embraced his wife.
As a Positive-Energy Mage, her quick metabolism meant she had a very snuggle-worthy body temperature.

He hoped, somewhat naively, that Gwen had no more grievances waiting to be unloaded. She was no longer a little girl, and her continued obsession with his life had gone on for far too long. With any luck, Gwen would be back to Fudan, back to her ‘interesting’ life of power and turbulence, leaving him to his boring old honeymoon on the placid surface of the West Lake.

On the other side of the estate, a conspiracy of Songs convened.

It was impossible to know if such a thing as ‘privacy’ existed in the Liu’s estate, and so Jun had suggested for Gwen offered up her Portable Habitat.
Now gathered together in the living room, the three junior Songs stood uncomfortably opposite their patriarch.

Guo.
Jun.
Percy.
Gwen.

One of these is not like the others, Gwen noted.

“You… told her. Without my permission.”

Gwen further noted acidulously that her grandfather’s accusation was not a question but a statement.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Grandfather, I hardly think this is the time to be bickering about-" Gwen began.

“I did. I informed Gwen while we were on Huangshan,” Jun interjected between the old man and his granddaughter. “And I intend to teach her the Rite when the time comes. You can’t deny her now, not after all that she’s done for us tonight.”

Beside the uncle-niece duo, Percy's expression took on one of confusion and contemplation.

“I-I see.” Guo’s fury was starved of its indignant fuel; he had indeed promised his youngest. He turned his head ever slightly toward Gwen. “I can’t deny that she has earned that privilege. Gwen?”

“Yes, Grandfather?”

“Tell us what has happened.”

Gwen back-peddled until she stood behind Percy.
For once in her life, it wasn't her who stuck some crackers up the cat's arse.

“First of all, I am perfectly fine.” She watched her uncle raise a brow. “Yeah, I know, I can’t believe it either. This time its Percy who’s in trouble. BIG trouble. We did what we could to mitigate the damage, but as I’ve said to Percy, there’s no point keeping secrets from family! Right, Percy?”

Guo glanced at Jun, who cleared his throat.

“Percy.” Gwen prodded her brother's spine; he'd been as quiet as a church mouse the whole time. “Tell them what you told me.”

"We're all here to help you, Percy," Jun encouraged the boy as well, following Gwen's lead.

Guo grunted.

"Percy, speak."

“A-alright.” Under the watchful eye of his family, Percy rustled up his courage.

In affirmation of Gwen's growing validation of her brother, he bared the naked truth.

Percy told Jun and Guo that he had become increasingly jealous of Gwen ever since her awakening as a Lightning Mage, then again as a Void Mage. He confessed to his peevish insecurity as Gwen found belonging with the likes of Gunther Shultz and Alesia de Botton. He furthermore told them of his paranoia that Gwen would somehow be better suited to the Kirin Amulet than he. Lastly, as an unexpected boon, Percy told Guo of his sinful intentions the night Gwen attempted to ‘take’ his amulet.

“I lied. I was afraid, and I lashed out. I am sorry, Grandfather. Gwen as well. I’ve disappointed all of you.”

“Owning up to your wrong is a good thing, Percy,” Gwen stated with sagacity, leading the conversation.

Guo's gaze shifted between his two grandchildren.

"Father," Jun politely intruded. "Gwen is a model sibling, is she not?"

An unspoken missive passed between father and son.

“Gwen," Guo declared after a few seconds of hesitation; his expression one of constipation. "That time, I was too quick to judge.”

“You were under a lot of stress.” Gwen lowered her chin understandingly even as her heart soared with vindication. “Babulya already told me. So it’s fine. I understand your intention, Grandfather. I know it’s not personal.”

Guo nodded, his expression softening.

Percy then told of his killing of the two deserters.

“Percy.” Guo regarded his grandson. “You were right to defend yourself, but your lack of discipline must be addressed. Your training will be harsher from now on.”

Percy shook his head.

“You do not think you deserve it?” Guo’s face twisted into one of displeasure and outrage.

“No, Grandfather,” Percy answered. To their surprise, he retrieved from his neck the Kirin amulet, then held it within the palm of both hands. “I made a terrible mistake tonight, Grandfather, something that proves I am not worthy of this.”

Guo looked to Gwen, who quickly forced Percy to put the amulet away back where it belonged.

"Grandfather,” Percy uttered miserably. “They saw me use the Rite.”

Both Guo and Jun tensed, flooding the enclosed chamber of the Habitat with a sudden pressure that made it laborious for Percy to breathe. As for Gwen, she gauged her Grandfather’s aura to be inferior to Golos, especially when the Thunder Wyvern was fluffed up and as angry as a pissed wombat.

“No one else saw anything!” Gwen added quickly. “Percy took care of the two that attacked him. He came home wounded, I looked after him. Well, Petra looked after him. After that, Petra left, Percy told me what happened, and here we are.”

“What about their remains?” A military man, Jun followed up with a pragmatic enquiry.

“Ah, about that.” Gwen made a face.

She recounted that Percy had collected the bodies and that she had deemed it necessary to ‘void’ the evidence, as it were.

Guo raised a cynical brow.

“You helped your brother hide the bodies?”

“Guilty as charged.” Gwen raised both hands. “We’re accomplices.”

“And you discerned that they were deserters?” Jun was surprised that after all of Percy's misgivings, Gwen's immediate reaction was to shield her ungrateful sibling.

“They stank, their attire smelled like old onions and rancid grease.” Gwen creatively painted a picture for her elders. “They wore rags as well, completely haggard; matted, wild hair too. Does that sound about right?”

Father and son contemplated Gwen's depiction.

“Look, there's more. Percy made a booboo,” Gwen tried to downplay the catastrophic news of accidental Necromancy by making a cute face. Hopefully, it sounded better coming from her lips than if Percy stuttered out the truth in terror. “He used Drain-Life on the hobos.”

“HE DID WHAT!”
“WOCAO!”

Even the unfazed Guo leapt from where he'd leaned against the couch.

“IMPOSSIBLE!” Guo snarled. “The Blessing is a RITE! It takes minutes to prepare! How is it possible that you, a boy, can use it in the heat of combat? PERCY! Now is no time for deception! I want the truth!”

Percy’s mien turned the colour of paste.

“I was in the middle of the Rite itself when they attacked me!” The boy protested feebly. “I… I don’t know what I did. There were two of them; it was dark, I was OOM. I did the first thing that came to my mind.”

Guo's face was a tremor of conflicting emotions. Gwen could see the pressure building, the old man's weathered face may as well be molten tectonic plates.

"YOU INGRATE FOOL!" Mt Guo erupted.

Percy shielded his face.
Gwen reflexively moved in front of her cowering brother.

"Yeye! NO!"

The outburst, particularly her rare use of Mandarin, caught Guo off guard.

The intercept was just enough time for Jun to intervene.

“Dad, hold on.” Jun took his father by the arm. “Let Percy finish, what's happened has happened. You're right to be angry of course, but punishments can wait until after we figure out a solution.”

Guo struggled against his son's iron-grip before slumping a little against Jun's shoulders.

"I have taken too little care of this..." He signed. "I was too hasty. The boy's not ready."

"Percy?" Gwen swallowed, feeling fortunate that she didn't take an accidental licking in Percy's stead. "Tell grandfather what happened."

Percy took a few seconds to calm his nerves.
Unfortunately, it became self-evident that the boy was not talented in the gift of gab.

"Why are you all so surprised?” Percy had on a wounded expression of having been betrayed; the very picture of a child bewildered by circumstance beyond his knowledge. “Didn't you teach Gwen, Uncle Jun? She Life-Drained people in D-109, didn’t she? That’s how she gained those schools. She also used her Amulet in Australia as well. Maybe Dad taught her back in Sydney? How else is she stealing all those Schools of Magic?”

“…” Gwen stared at Percy, mouth half-open.

“…” Jun met his father’s disbelieving eyes.

“…” Guo looked as though he was about to open another jar of Salt-laden walloping on his obliviously entitled grandson.

“What do you mean, Percy?” Guo’s low voice took on a dangerous fullness.

Percy stared at his elders with incomprehension.
Even if he had no idea what was going one, even with his limited knowledge of the world and its people, he could read the mood. If he'd been up shit creek without a paddle earlier, now the dingy has capsized, and there was a Shit-Water Crocodile in the water.

“I think there’s a misunderstanding…” Gwen pushed between Guo and her brother again, much to their grandfather's annoyance. “What Percy is saying is that he accidentally took on Abjuration, the talent of one of his victims, after accidentally using Drain-Life on her in the heat of the moment.”

“Nonsense,” Guo dismissed Gwen’s counterpoint. “Percy has been trained in Abjuration. It should be no surprise that he could reach tier 1 by now. Not to mention your sister is... different, in a way.”

“Gwen's telling the truth, Grandfather.” Percy stepped back from the inquisitorial Patriarch. “Watch!”

“Shield!”

An external Salt-Shield sprang into existence, lingering even after Percy ceased his channelling. To Guo and Jun's trained eyes, either Percy had become a prodigy in learning secondary Schools of Magic, or he as telling the truth.

“Mao…” Guo touched the Shield, observing its rigidity and its slow corrosion of the skin on the surface of his finger. “Percy, tell me exactly what happened. Every detail.”

Percy retraced his steps as he had done for Gwen.

“Percy, perform the Blessing of the Kirin, right now,” Guo commanded.

“Do it outside,” Jun advised, not wanting to damage Gwen’s Habitat.

Once outside, the rest of the family retreated to a safe distance.

Guo activated his diagnostic magics, then watched as Percy underwent the process. Compared to Jun, Percy’s movements were clumsy and unrefined, his command over the essence reclamation was likewise ineffective and amateurish.

What impressed both Jun and Guo however, was the affinity Percy seemed to posses for the Amulet. What little mana the boy injected into the amulet induced a disproportional release of rarified essence far more generous than Percy’s expenditure.

“What do you think?” Guo enquired of Jun. "I've never seen anything like this."

“Same; not for me and certainly not for Hai,” Jun confessed. “Percy has taken to the Amulet’s Soul-Well like a fish to water.”

Though the incantation ended with the infamous Necromantic utterance, both Guo and Jun understood that the spells’ misnomer was a syntactic misunderstanding. The final utterance for activating the magic was the Hanyu incantation for ‘draw’, a synonym beside the Annunciation for ‘drain’. "Chōuqù," wasn't the same as "Xīqǔ". Where Necromancers would ‘DRAIN’ life, the Song’s magic ‘DREW’ Life from the Kirin Amulet.

Of course, anyone with limited knowledge of Necromancy and its reputation would naturally assume the spell ended with ‘drain’ and not ‘draw’, even though one implies taking out something that had been stowed, while the other was synonymous with usurpation.

Not far from where the trio stood, Essence flooded Percy’s Astral Body, forming a swirl of darkly shimmering energy barely perceptible at the edge of vision. The spiritual meta-matter first entered from Percy’s palm, with the Kirin Core at its epicentre, then diffused into his mana channels.

“I activated the Rite,” Percy reiterated. “Just like this.”

To his observers, it wasn’t so much the Rite, but the ease and efficiency by which Percy had completed the sigil and incantations for Drain Life that surprised them.

Percy could apparently 'switch' the 'draw' effect on and off at will.

Did the boy have a talent for Necromancy?
What a terrifying prospect!
If so, they should thank their lucky stars that Percy was a Salt Mage and had no means to raise, empower, or summon the Undead.

Of course, nothing the boy had demonstrated explained how he managed to ‘power up’ his Abjuration like Gwen. For the boy’s sister, there was a whole Elizabeth Sobel who came before to explain her otherwise inexplicable talents; likewise, her mastery over Caliban offered a rational logistical pathway for the acquisition of new Schools of Magic.

As for Percy, the family stood on unbroken ground.

If a Song had ever thought it was a great idea to use the Rite on a living human being, a Mage no less, they had undoubtedly not recorded it in the Analects for posterity.

“We need to keep an iron-lid on this,” Guo suggested darkly. “Until we know more…”

“I concur,” Jun breathed out, glad his father saw reason. “Gwen?”

“I am at your mercy.” Gwen smiled simperingly, knowing that sort of thing placated Guo. "Percy, are you fine with it? Speak up!"

She slapped her brother's back.

“Percy?”

“…” Her brother was silent.

Percy looked up.

“May I return the amulet to Gwen?”

The quest fell upon his listeners like crashing thunder.

“No!” Gwen was the first to protest, an act which confounded both Guo and Jun. “It’s yours now! Didn’t you see how well it worked just then? I never had that kind of interaction with it, ever!”

Percy's weakness should have made Guo erupt once more.
But instead, the old man stroked his chin thoughtfully, gazing upon his granddaughter with a profound understanding in his eyes.

“You do not wish to possess the Amulet, Gwen?" Jun tested the water in case Gwen was playing one of her mind games. By now, he knew that the girl had a depth that neither he nor Guo could see through. "As you can see, it could help you train beyond what you are capable of doing alone, not to mention you may need it if you wish to master your Void element.”

“Don’t need it,” Gwen flexed her bicep in the 'We can do it!' Rosie the Riveter pose. “I got Ariel and tier 6 Lightning! Let Percy have his.”

“I see,” Guo’s voice took on a kindness the old man had previously withheld. “This makes me truly happy, Gwen. I don’t know what to say.”

“Saying you feel proud of her would be a good start!” Jun laughed. “See Dad, I told you; you’ve mistaken her this entire time!”

Guo scowled, but it was a sheepish expression, mingled with feelings of pride, scorn, and self-loathing.

Indeed, Gwen freely had given Percy the Amulet, if she had fought Guo tooth and nail, Klaviya would have likely sided with Gwen. Earlier, she had again refuted the Amulet when Percy first took it from his neck. And now, she had denied it thrice, not only verbally, but had used the attempt to encourage her brother, to help Percy attain his destiny.

Thrice she had resisted the temptation, and thrice she had proven herself, unbidden.

He had always known that her ardent loyalty to family sat well with him, and now his wayward granddaughter had demonstrated a selflessness that Guo knew to respect, even if he doubted the purity of her loyalty.

The girl was alright.

A groundswell of rapturous pleasure engendered in Guo’s bosom.

“Granddaughter.” The old man uncharacteristically placed a hand on Gwen's shoulder.

“Yeye?” In all honesty, the sudden generosity in Guo’s eyes made Gwen's skin crawl. Though she knew what to say, where Guo had expected her to meet him, she unconsciously shrank back.

The old man retracted his fingers, disappointed.

But lucky for Guo, Gwen wasn’t a sulky teenager who'd delight in rebuking an old dog who'd bitten her. The girl instantly recognised her error, as well as Guo’s desire for reconciliation.

“GROUP HUG!”

Taking the opportunity, Gwen pulled up Percy by the hand and brought him into the circle.

“Uncle Jun, come on!”

If Jun was Australian, he would have declared 'You bloody ripper!' but as he was Chinese, he chuckled politely.

Guo stoically joined the fray, his arms awkwardly tethered to his side.

The four of them huddled.

“Team Song!” Gwen stepped back, beaming at her work. “If we work together, we can overcome anything! Percy, don’t you worry about a thing, we’ll get to the bottom of this yet! There has to be a logical reason for all of this!”

“Sure thing, Sis.” Percy’s face was beet red.

Touched and invigorated by the spectacle of sibling communion, Guo took to silently Messaging his son.

“Jun.” Allowing a smile to touch his lips, the old hound of the CCP felt his well-worn bones loosen. “I think your mother will be overjoyed to know that the two of them have made up.”

“You should tell her yourself, Father.” Jun held his father’s shoulders and felt his father's tense shoulder relax. For how long had the old man stood by the tip of his toes, hung by a string, tethered and strung until breaking point? “With Percy’s talent and Gwen’s support, he will make a great heir.”

Guo watched the brother and sister muck about, giddy and happy after knowing they weren’t going to take up residence in Tianlanqiao.

“Ancestor’s blessing,” the old man muttered.

“I thought we’re cursed,” Jun joked, then more seriously, he returned a silent Message. “Dad, I'll be going to go back to Hubei once Ayxin is settled in.”

“About what the Yinglong told you?”

“Yeah. I should probably bring Percy.”

“Never trust these supernatural beings.” The mirth faded from Guo’s face, replaced by his usual indifference. “These Dragons, they give us truths to damn us with our own foolishness.”

“I’ll treat it as a matter of academic interest.”

“Do you believe that I made a mistake? Trying to save both you and Hai?”

“No, father. If you hadn’t made the hard choices, either myself or Hai would not have been here today, and without Hai…”

The two of them looked at Gwen and Percy.

Gwen had Percy caught under her arm and was now overpowering her physically more pronounced sibling. Percy, perhaps because of puberty and perhaps fearful of Guo, was too shy to fight back, woefully allowing Gwen to ruffle his hair at her pleasure, crushing his face against the side of her bosoms.

“Isn’t this fine, Father? We’re all here. Whatever happens, we will deal with it together.”

Guo blinked.

“You’re right.” the old man placed a hand on his youngest son's broad back. “Hai as well. You’re absolutely right. We’re all here, and that’s what matters.”


By the time Petra succeeded in dragging Gwen out of bed, it was almost 10 AM.

The family had only gone to sleep around four, having explored what paths Percy could undergo, and what avenues the young digger must avoid at all costs.

"The first rule of Per-secrecy is that we do not talk about the N-word or Percy's unfounded talents."

Gwen had proposed.

"Indeed, the second rule of Per-secrecy is that we do not talk about Percy's N-affinity, at all, to anyone."

The family concurred.

Thirdly, it was agreed that Percy would not use his newfound methodology carelessly and that any extra-curriculum progress would be in a controlled environment, under the strict supervision of his loved ones. Percy, she reasoned, was only fourteen. There was no rush. Now in possession of Abjuration, Evocation, and Transmutation, he was already far ahead of those who had to train their Meta-school Magic the hard way, through hard-coded memorisation and unceasing practice, risking mana burn and regression. He could slowly introduce his 'talent' over the next few years and with Gwen as a herald, his family connections, and some discretion, come of age 'naturally'.

Fourthly - there was no fourthly.

None of the stakeholders within the conspiracy of Songs had answers, nor what questions to ask. All they could do was to wait for an opportunity to uncover Percy’s incidental Consumption. Uncle Jun had mentioned that during Golden Week, he would request a break from his duties with Ayxin and return to Hubei. As for Grandfather, he would ensure that all eyes steered away from Percy and that those who wished to pry did so at their peril.

At its conclusion, after a deliberate sloppy kiss on Percy's forehead, Gwen returned to her room then struck the silken sheets like a corpse. She slept dreamlessly - until Petra twisted her arm.

“It’s time to go back to Fudan!” Petra slapped her thighs. “Up you get, porosenok!”

Gwen fought Petra for the blankets, succeeding in tearing the silken fabric from her cousin’s hands until Petra threatened to open the doors and reveal a semi-nude ‘piglet Gwen’ to the whole wide world.

“Alright! Sheesh, I am up!”

The girls had to be up early because unlike the oldies, whose position offered them Teleportation from the local military ISTC at the state's expense, the girls had to tap into their own pockets.

While Gwen was potentially in possession of a modest mole-hill of crystals, she wasn’t about to spend fifty odd HDMs for no reason other than to save six hours of travel. As students, their time wasn’t worth the crystals, not to mention for a mere 3 HDMs each; the girls could book a private cabin on the return train and catch up.

After a hearty breakfast of pickled vegetables, cured fish and porridge, the girls waited in the courtyard to be seen off by the remaining family members.

Lamentably, the only 'family' who remained were Gwen's father and his lady wife. Guo and her babulya had work; one had patients to save while the other had conspirators to condemn. Percy was deemed too dangerous to remain in Hangzhou for any longer than necessary, and so the grandparents had spirited him away.

Jun and Ayxin were gone via Teleportation as soon as the local ISTC station opened, arriving at Pudong where a major delegation awaited Ayxin’s Demi-divine presence.

“Take care.” Qīn waved at Gwen happily, a shared sentiment.

“You be careful out there.” Hai wore that goofy, guilty expression of his which he carried like an albatross, simultaneously incensing Gwen's ire as well as stoking her sympathy. “If you run into trouble, call me.”

Gwen smiled politely but said nothing.
It would be too awkward after her tempestuous outburst, not to mention her father had shown neither contrition nor remorse.

An estate car took the girls to Hangzhou station in the CBD, where a 13:00 express would bring them back to Hongqiao, forty minutes from Shanghai’s CBD. From the Transit Station, an additional Taxi would return the girls to Fudan.

“Farewell.” Gwen ducked into the cabin, towing Petra by the hand.

‘Thunk!’

The slamming of the door was her final farewell.

Hai watched his daughter and her cousin disappear into the distance with ambivalent emotions.

“Finally…” Qīn muttered beside him.

Hai turned to regard his wife.

“… we’re alone.” She beamed at him.

“I can hardly believe it.” Hai slid a hand around his wife’s waist, feeling the slight bulge of her belly. “My father left me alone. I wonder why.”

“He has heirs to play with,” Qīn quipped wittily. “You’re no longer his favourite.”

“I should be so lucky,” Hai chortled.

For the foreseeable future, it was just the two of them living in the estate, surrounded by wealth, servants, idyllic idleness. The West Lake and its boundless bounties both natural and man-made beckoned, and in seven months, they would be welcoming their child.

It was paradise, one that Hai wasn’t entirely sure he deserved.
What of the future? What would become of a child who lacked the means to tame their talent? Would the ‘drought’ curse manifest yet again in his third child? But that was something he has no control over.

The two kissed, he fell into the embrace of Qīn’s petal lips, falling endlessly into a land of flower and flesh, milk and honey.

Well, whatever. Hai shrugged mentally. The future was so far away.

Why be greedy?

“St Peter’s Golden Gates! Tier 6!?”

On the express train, in the privacy of their cabin for two, Gwen revealed to Petra her recent Elemental upgrade.

Petra stuck out her tongue; in her haste and excitement, she had bitten it.

“That’s insane!” Her cousin could hardly believe her ears. “Is there a limit to Consume?”

“I am certain that I've maxed out diminishing returns,” Gwen confessed. “There was A LOT of deer, Pats. Carps, too, and goats. What Monsters are there beyond tier 7 for Lighting or Air?”

“An ancient Dark-beast, maybe. That or a Behir.”

“Is that like a Lightning-chicken?”

“Like a basilisk, but lighting-wreathed and semi-draconic, oodles of legs. Found in Black Zones here and there, mostly around central Africa.”

“Sounds interesting.” Gwen licked her lips as well, wetting her whistlers. "I could do with one, figuratively speaking."

“You’re not going to become a gourmet hunter, are you?” Petra quipped. Sometimes, the rich and powerful paid a premium for the flesh of rare beasts. Such obscure delicacies could be used in alchemical cuisine that fortified the body. As for her cousin, Petra had no doubt Gwen would likely gobble her victims whole, alive and kicking, maybe with a sprinkling of pepper. “Speaking of which, is Caliban back?”

“Yep.” Gwen made sure there was no one watching, then sprang her Familiar forth.

Caliban slithered into the world, happy to once again savour the air of freedom.

Ariel was already out. In its docile guise, it was discrete enough to pass as a marten-like creature, though a closer inspection would likely stifle the breath of one with sufficient knowledge to recognise a horned, clawed, and hoofed Lightning Familiar with fish-scaled fur.

Her Familiars sniffed one other, then began to play-bite, tumbling under the girls’ feet.

The Hangzhou-Shanghai Express did not serve lunch, but Qīn had ensured that a hearty banquet for two had been packed. One by one they brought out the lukewarm dishes, feasting upon the final generosity of Gwen’s stepmother.

The topic then moved toward Gwen’s future training.

Although the University was said to be open 365 days of the year, its facilities were shut between December 10th and January 7th. There was another break from 19th to 25th of January, where ‘Golden Week’ took place. During these times, the entire University went into lockdown.

Semester 2 began on the 2nd of February.
Semester 3 began on the 9th of July.

The IIUC Selection Trials begans on the 8th of August, with the five finalists and the five reserve members announced four weeks later.

It meant that Gwen had almost ten months to master her spells, gain proficiency in her auxiliary Schools of Magic, as well as pushing Evocation to 5 and Conjuration to 6.

“I’d honestly favour utility over raw power,” Petra advised her power obsessed cousin. “Do you seriously think you need MORE power.”

I need FIREPOWER FIREPOWER FIREPOWER! Gwen channelled Yue, feeling nostalgic for her friend's forever optimistic presence.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Should I… not?” Gwen twirled a finger around Ariel’s swishing tail, causing it to coil around on her lap. Sensing Ariel's empowered cuteness, Caliban too demanded that Gwen scratch its obsidian belly.

“We’ll work out a plan.” Petra smacked her lips sensuously; Spellcraft was her favourite thing in the world. “You’ve got a lot of Spell learning to catch up. Considering how long it takes to learn high-tier Magic, I don’t think ten months can be considered generous.”

“Took me close to a month to get a handle on Ball Lightning,” Gwen pointed out. “Amongst other things, of course. What do you suggest?”

“Some proper AOEs, now that you’ve got yourself Ariel as a Spirit. Finishing up your Transmutation Utility spells, as well as Divination and Abjuration Utility.”

“No Illusion?”

“Not your style, but you can play around with defensive varieties with contingency triggers like Mirror Image.”

“Ah ~ I want Invisibility!”

“You’re welcome to join the Ghosts anytime,” Petra chortled. “Other than that, don’t expect the state to be liberal with Unsanctioned Magic.”

“It’s not like I can sneak into government facilities with it.” Gwen shrugged. “There’s Polymorph as well. That’s the one people watch out for.”

“A straight ticket to Tianlanqiao.” Petra snorted. "Not to mention its absurdly tricky to master. One wrong move and your organs will never recover. That's why Shifters generally rely on Spirit-forms."

Gwen took another nap shortly after lunch, awakening to the sight of Shanghai as the train passed under the PLA Superstructural Tower.

“God, it looks bigger every time I see it.”

“Most of it is for tapping into Ley-lines.” Petra shook her head disapprovingly. “The Pudong Tower told the CCP the Superstructural Tower would disrupt the flow of geo-energy in the region permanently, but as always, they took the advice as an affront - or a deception.”

“So, did it damage the Ley-lines?”

“Hard to say.” Petra's shoulders fell. “The miasma is dense as anything in Shanghai. The city had already stripped its outer circuit; not to mention the NoM habitats are putting out an absurd amount of waste.”

Gwen was reminded of the bleak landscape she had seen during the District 109 trip. The rural countryside wasn't exactly dead, though it managed only patches of green and brown here and there, giving the impression of leprosy.

Compared to verdant Hangzhou, it was as though the land itself was sick.

“We’re here.”

The train pulled into the station.
The girls alighted, cutting curt figures across the concrete platform as they made their way to the taxi bay.

“Fudan, Guoding Rd, Apartment B1. It’s the one with the sky-garden, you can’t miss it.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” The taxi driver tipped his hat, then hastily bowed, sensing from the girls’ haughty airs that he had rare guests.

Bustling people, NoMs and Mages alike, surrounded the cab on all fronts, swarming through the streets like balls of sardine. Once they were away from the train station, an endless stream of vehicles meandered through crowded arterial roadways. The atmosphere stank of stale oxygen and stifling mana-miasma; the autumn humidity of early October sent an unpleasant chill through the air, pricking her bare legs.

Safe in the cabin, Gwen slumped back against the leather seats.

Just like that, she was back in Shanghai, as though the passing of a midsummer fancy, no more yielding than a dream.

It took the girls another hour to get through the 6 PM grid-lock.

As the cab pulled into the covered foyer of Gouding B1, Gwen noted a delegation at the apartment’s sliding doors.

“GWEN!”

“MIA!”

It was only to be expected. If there was one person who had both interest and expertise to predict the precise moment of her arrival, it would be Mayuree.

“Goddess, I missed you.” Mayuree pressed herself against Gwen’s torso, almost as if the girl wanted to meld into her. “I can finally go out! WONDERFUL FREEDOM!”

“Hahaha.” Gwen returned the hug. “Sorry I took another week.”

“How was the wedding.”

“Weal and woe,” Gwen replied. "A little too accurate for my liking."

"That's why you never ask!"

The girls grinned.

“Gwen, it’s good to see you back.” the next companion to accost her was Richard and his ‘crew’, meaning Lulan and Kusu.

“Richard!”

The cousins embraced.

“Lulu!”

Again, the girls exchanged greetings, with Lulan woodenly accepting Gwen's Westernised overfamiliarity.

“Kusu, did Lulu give you trouble?”

“Hahaha.” Kusu laughed with the sound of a man coming to accept painful haemorrhoids as a fact of life. Gwen could sense the buried uneasiness underneath Kusu's amiable exterior like intestinal ulcers. Poor bastard, she patted him on the shoulder. An adorable sister was a blessing and a curse.

“I’ve got a banquet set up!” Mayuree beamed. “Ah-Lei cooked up all your favourites!”

“Wonderful!” Gwen waited until everyone was ready before walking through the double doors. “Oh man, have I got a 'show and tell' for you guys!”

“Wow, your father is a cunt.” Richard sipped on a beer, stating what he considered to be obvious, his speech as liberal as ever. “That Qīn sounds like a character. Let's introduce her to Helena. The drama generated from those two clashing could tear a gap into the Elemental Planes.”

“Gosh, I am so... sorry.” Mayuree covered her lips. “What a horrible experience.”

"I'd just do this." Lulan made a cutting motion. "Problem solved."

“Excuse me,” Kusu butted in. “I think you’re all missing the main point here.”

The gathering turned to regard Kusu.

“Gwen defeated Wonsoo, right? Wonsoo Liu?”

Richard shrugged. Who the fuck was Wonsoo Liu?

“THE Wonsoo Liu! The Quagmire?”

“No idea who that is, maybe my brother would know, but I haven’t seen him in months.” Mayuree was as clueless as Richard.

“Come on. You guys seriously don’t know who Wonsoo Liu is?” Kusu was incredulous.

“He’s one of the 90s generation war-heroes, right?” Unlike the others, Petra had witnessed Gwen rooting the whole hog. Wonsoo’s omnidirectional entrapment spell, Quagmire, was as impressive as anything. Apart from his Spellcraft though, she had no interest in the man. She cared little about the workings of the PLA and the Front. As an expatriated Magus to be and a researcher, the chance of her being sent to the Front was zero, barring a cataclysmic failure of the Beijing-Xian battleline.

“He’s incredibly famous!” Kusu marvelled at his friends' ignorance. “During the Meeting of the Sixteen Sects ten years ago, he was undefeated. The Scholar-bureaucrat Houses see him as their big hope of ascension.”

Gwen paused; her chopstick resting halfway to a Wildland pheasant drumstick.

“Er… should I NOT have defeated him?”

“Of course you should have kicked his ass, Gwen,” Lulan declared sulkily. “Why Kusu, you scared?”

“What? No!” Kusu huffed. “Oh, Lulu~. Look, Gwen, what I am saying is that once the news gets out, you’re going to be even MORE famous. I’d be surprised if a single Clanner wouldn’t know your name, or want a piece of you, either for fame or for er... amour.”

“That sounds bloody awful.”

“Gwen,” Petra snickered, thinking of Gwen's future income stream. “Show them what you came home with.”

“Ah, yeah…” Gwen grinned. “Guys, as I said, we got our hands on A LOT of GOODIES in Huangshan and Hangzhou.”

She stepped back.

First, to whet their appetite, Gwen gave her family and friends gifts of silk.

“AND NOW, for our main course - Mayuree, this is for your Auction.”

Gwen then produced one, two, three, a dozen and more Creature Cores from her ring. There were twelve from the Draconic-deer, two from Dragon-carp, and one murky Merfolk-core, as well as one sapient sibling of Ayxin, now deceased.

‘Thunk!’

A fist-sized Pangolin-core rolled across the floor.

Lulan sucked in a breath of cold air.
Kusu’s eyes bulged.
Richard smacked his lips.
Mayuree wailed.

“They're ALL DRACONIC?!” Mayuree took the pangolin core and brought it closer to her face. “I know you’ve told me already, but Goddess! REALLY?! You were gone for TWO WEEKS, and you come back with more Draconic-Cores than the House of M has seen in the last financial year?”

“Oh.” Gwen pulled half of them closer to her bosom. “How about you pretend these don’t exist? That one's just a Merfolk Core, still Lightning though, maybe a sliver of Dragon in it.”

“Ha! You wish.” Mayuree picked up another core, her pupils glowing with faint divination. “Great clarity as well. No cracks, no fissures. How the hell? What did you do? These Draconic-beasts died peacefully in their sleep?”

“Magic.” Gwen spread her fingers.

Petra burst into laughter.
Richard's face took on a contemplative mien.

“Say, Gwen.” Her cousin leaned in closer. “Can your 'luck' hold out if we go on a Quest of our own?”

Gwen shook her head.

“Does it have to do with you know what?”

Gwen nodded.

Richard glanced at Mayuree.

“I’ve got a proposition for you and Percy,” he Messaged Gwen silently. “Nantong region dungeon crawl. We’ve almost cleared the whole district, but a lair refuses to budge. Give you the details later.”

Gwen inclined her chin.

Mayuree observed Gwen's interaction with Richard; as a Diviner, she was very sensitive to Silent Messages.

“Gwen, if you’re going away again, take me with you!” the girl interjected guilelessly, her almond eyes begging for approval. “I hate being stuck home, please?”

Richard formed a, ‘noooo,’ with his lips.

Gwen grinned amiably at her cousin.

“If there’s any chance you can join us, Mia,” she answered diplomatically. “Then I’ll be happy to have you with us! Adventuring with you in D-109 was awesome.”

Richard returned to sipping his beer, his expression as stoic as a monk's.

The girls clinked glasses.

Gwen swilled down her glass of red, savouring the dryness of the oaky Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mayuree sipped hers gingerly. Like most Asians, she had a low tolerance for the sauce.

The rest of the dinner proceeded with small talk, in particular, the HDMs Gwen stood to gain with her harvest of Draconic-Cores.

“You want any Magic Items crafted?” Mayuree asked after a few more dishes arrived, courtesy of Lei’s extraordinary culinary artistry. “Draconic Cores make master-crafted items, after all. I could offer you a trade-off with our in-house enchanters.”

“Any good suggestions?”

Mayuree tapped her glass.

“Staves, wands, rings, armour, clothing, that sort of thing,” Mayuree suggested. “For example, it’s not much on paper, but a Thunder-Deer’s core could be used to craft a Thunder-Rod.”

“Those things are REALLY expensive.” Lulan appeared nervous just thinking about owning such an item. According to Richard, Lulan had become hyper-conscious of the balance of her bank account after leaving Huashan. For the last months, she squirrelled away every crystal she had earned on her adventures, fearful that she wouldn’t have enough to pay for tuition and training. “Like, heirloom expensive.”

“Not really,” Mayuree explained. “You have to consider what the Rod’s capabilities are. A master crafted Thunder Rod can be used as a knocking-baton that shatters hard-Shields and displaces soft-Shields. It can convert Air and Positive user’s mana into Lightning Bolts at a tier lower than the caster. It can likewise be used to destroy brittle surfaces. Decisively, you can overload the Core for a massive AOE burst. Its a hard counter against Earthen Mages, the most common of Abjurers - which, I might add, counters Lightning and Void.”

“Alright, alright. So, what's the damage?”

“The core I’d say is about 5000 HDMs, while the crafting is usually by Commission, ranging anywhere from a thousand HDM to almost ten thousand HDMs if you want a famous artisan to put their name on it. Keep in mind that this includes the extra materials as well, like the Mithril-inlay, the Elder-wood insert, the dragon-blood inscriptions, and so on.”

“So what you’re saying.” Gwen did some quick math in her head. “I give you two cores; one is for your Enchanter to do his or her pet projects, the other is for the baseline material. Then we auction the Rod?”

“Precisely, or keep the item for yourself,” Mayuree suggested. “For example, we take the two largest cores - around tier 5 - and make the item. In that case, the Rod could likely auction for 12,000 to 15,000 HDMs.

Lulan’s eyes twitched.
What were these numbers, SO LARGE and inconceivable!
She had laboured endlessly for almost a month or more, and she had just made 500 odd HDMs while covering herself with fish-slime and worm-gore. She tried to count the number of zeros in her head, but the tremendous amount gave her a headache.

“Hmm, do you have a list of potential items?”

Mayuree swilled her glass.

“I’ll send someone over and discuss it with you by the end of the week. The sale of your Cores will take up to six months. We’re going to release no more than TWO per month, to keep prices afloat if that’s fine with you. If you want them crafted then sold, maybe up to six months per item.”

“Of course, supply and demand,” Gwen noted. “Cheers, Mia.”

“Anything.”

The girls clinked glasses again.

“There’s like 80,000 HDMs in that pile?” Kusu allowed his chopsticks to fall gently beside his bowl. “Mao, I’ve never even seen 10,000 HDMs in one place!”

Lulan’s eyes were two blazing ochre orbs, akin to her berserker days.

“If things go well, we can also borrow some of Gwen’s luck.” Richard burped, replacing the empty bottle. Gwen popped another beer and passed it toward her cousin. “Cheers.”

Lulan and Kusu turned to regard Gwen.

“I suppose.” Gwen grinned. “I’ll have to ask Grandfather for permission to bring our lucky-charm.”

“Very well.” Kusu raised a toast. “For the lucky charm!”

“For Cores!” Lulan raised her juice. Kusu had forbidden his sister from having more than one glass over dinner.

“Hahaha.” Gwen raised her glass as well.

Mayuree wasn’t sure what’s going on, but she had good premonition it was all going to be alright, and so she raised her glass as well.

“For Crystals!” Richard raised his bottle of frothy beer.

“Gānbēi!”
“Gānbēi!”
“Gānbēi!”
“Cheers”
"Za zdarovje!"

Gwen swirled the scarlet liquid in her overlarge glass, then with one tilt of her head, she downed the red wine, leaving not a single drop to linger.


**Sanctioned Schools of Magic**

(Sigils by Lampshade)

Evocation

The most commonly awakened school in modern Spellcraft, Evocation is a school that manipulates energy. Evokers become the mainstay of the citizen-soldiers, wielding spells of Fire, Earth, Water, and more exotic elements such as Lightning or Radiance. As Evokers mature, they become more specialised in a particular elemental affinity, taking up specialist equipment, attunement and contract Spirits. In the media and propaganda, the Evoker is the archetype Mage, the spell slinging, fireball blasting Sorcerer of yore, tapping into and drawing limitless power from the elemental planes.

Abjuration

Abjurers weave spells that protect, block, dispel or banish. An Abjurer is a common but highly sought after profession. Abjuration made Shielding Stations possible. An Abjurer possesses the unique ability to utilise restoration spells such as De-Curse and the ability to dispense protective AOE combat buffs. Specialists in this field typically contract elementals of earth, ice, and water, all of which are relatively common.

Conjuration

Conjuration is a school that materialises creatures or materials for the caster. A Conjurer becomes a one-man army after mastering higher tiers of Magic. Through Familiar rituals and or contracting Magical Creatures, Conjurers gain life-long companions that grow with the Mage in power. Due to this advantage, it is not uncommon for Summoners to become several magnitudes more powerful than Mages of equal tier. The disadvantage of Conjuration is the persistent mana drain caused by most of its sustained effect spells and crippling loss of combat potential to specialised Abjuration such as Banish. Certain Conjurers choose to focus on the summoning of items or beings. These valuable individuals are also responsible for the Teleportation Circles around the cities.

Divination

Diviners reveal information. They are highly prized for their cognisant abilities in detection and foretelling. Many diviners go on to become telecommunication specialists, becoming key intelligence and strategist operatives who serve a multitude of critical roles. Other schools of Divination focuse on disaster deterrence, by reading the threads of time and fate. Despite their lack of offensive capabilities, it is said that the most influential Magi on the United Nations Council is the Oracle of the Acropolis. Though the Divination school has no preference for elemental afflictions, it is a school that synergises well with subsequent studies of other schools. Many Diviners go on to become Magus or Magister.

Enchantment

The school of Enchantment remains the most difficult and expensive to train of all schools. Capable of imbuing items and buildings with protection, strengthening materials and extending persist phenomena - Enchanters are essential to humanity’s cities. The world's most successful manufactoriums and artisanal workshops are all operated by skilled Enchanters. Unlike regular Mages, many Enchanters seek to master additional schools such as Transmutation or Abjuration for the creation of magical items. A dangerous school within-a-school of Enchanters are those whose abilities allow them to control, manipulate, and glamour the minds of others. Mind Mages are closely watched by government forces, for the misuse of mind-altering effects on others could lead to life-imprisonment or banishment.

Illusion

Illusion is the magic of mirage, the altering of perceptions to create false visions. Many Illusionists go on to become involved in espionage if they choose the path of the militant. Many others, however, have elected media and entertainment, creating spectacles for adoring audiences, becoming superstars of immense prestige. Illusion spells which deal damage attack the mind directly, creating what is known as psychic feedback.

Transmutation

Transmutation is an unusual school in that it changes the caster and the objects they touch, manipulating the properties in powerful ways. In the present world, Transmuters become builders, architects and creators, working hand-in-glove with Enchanters. In combat, some Transmuters choose to specialise in manipulating life itself, changing plants, creatures, and even themselves to become deadly and proficient in the art of war. It is said that Transmuters posses the most versatile school of all and enjoy the most lauded status after that of Evokers. An overall well-rounded School of Magic.

Biomancy

The Clerical School of Healing Magic has always existed in human history in one form or another. Some say that this was the original 'School' of magic. In Modern Spellcraft, Clerical magic exists between Conjuration and Evocation, and is considered a 'hybrid school of magic'. Exclusively, Biomancy requires Mages attuned to the Positive Energy Plane. The combination of Healing Magic and Positive Energy often shrouds the Biomancer with a 'halo' of sorts.

Necromancy

The dreaded School of Necromancy was banned after WWI following the Geneva Convention. Currently, the school is studied only by Sects authorised by the U.N, arguing that the study of souls and the afterlife is inseparably connected to matters of faith, culture and religion. For many scholars, the irony of the matter is that Necromancy is most likely the most ancient school of magic in the world; dating back to the Egyptian Pharaohs, in an age when man first uncovered magic. As such, it is more accurate to say that the summoning, raising, and animation of the dead is strictly forbidden, as much of the old world had turned into ash and cinder following The Great War with the Undead.

Post Note: Other schools of magic likely exist but lie beyond the reach of the ordinary Mage. These include Faith Magic, ancestral worship, old world shamanism, naturalism, animalism, and so forth. By the same measure, rumours of humans learning the magic of monsters, magical beings, and demi-humanoids, or Demi-humans learning Human Spellcraft abound.

**Elements & Elemental Magic**

**
**by Me (best with white background)

**Prime Material Plane (The Material Realm)**

The Primary Elements of the Material Plane are what Astrologists propose our world is made from. It is the very stuff of existence itself, existing in perfect harmony. It is suggested that when a Mage is attuned to a certain element, it is because that an excessive element is present within their body. Though exceedingly rare, there exist individuals who are born capable of tapping into all four Prime Elements, becoming mages capable of manipulating 'wood' and other natural phenomena, hypothesised by Eastern Spellcraft as an individual element.

**Prime Energy Planes**

**The Positive Plane -** The Plane of Positive Energy is a place of pure life-force, it is where the healers draw their power to heal and mend one's broken bones. The Undead are fearful of this energy, and the unwary caster should be as well. Too much positive power without the ability to channel it may lead to strange mutations and cancerous tumours.

**Negative Energy -** Where Positive is life, Negative is death. The Undead are tethered to this plane, drawing their undead lifeforce from this domain. When 'living' creatures utilise Negative Energy, they suffer Negative Drain, rapidly diminishing vitality. In the old days, the Mage world saw the Negative Energy as just another source of power. After WWI, Necromancy became highly controversial, gaining a dangerous reputation as a forbidden craft.

**Prime Elemental Planes**

**Earth** \- Earth is one of the most useful and common elements awakening in Human Mages, it is the element responsible for most of our industry, mining for Mana Crystals, building our cities, and so on. It is said that one-fifth of Mages awaken as Earthen Mages.

**Air** \- The Elemental Plane of Air, as the name suggests, a place of gases and open space, frequently filled with thunderstorms, blizzards, microbursts, tornadoes and all manners of interesting weather phenomenona. Of the four common Elemental Affinities, Air is the rarest.

**Fire** \- Fire is another common element Mages manifest. Ancient legend has it that Fire was stolen from the Gods themselves. With Fire, man has created many useful tools and beaten back tides of monstrous creatures. Fire is another common element for Mages to possess and the mainstay of Combat Evokers, Transmuters and Conjurers.

**Water** \- Assumed to be a near-infinite volume of water, this Elemental Plane is pivotal to the survival of modern magical cities. The Plane provides Human cities with its supply of fresh water. Likewise, human cities pump its waste-water back into the Elemental Plane. It is theorised that the Oceans are directedly connected to this Elemental Plane. Water Affinity is exceptionally common among coastal communities.

**Para-Elemental Planes**

**Ice** \- Ice is the most common Para-Element to awaken in Mages. It is a supremely useful element that creates drops in temperature - being a combination of Air and Water. The Plane of Ice is said to be a tumbling expanse of frigidity with islands of glacial ice. Ice provides good defence and offence capabilities, as well as chill and slow effects against water-based enemies.

**Ooze** \- Ooze is a stranger element, scarce and virtually non-existent outside of isolated magical bloodlines. Ooze Mages are specialists, pending on their school, with spells that focus on entrapment, debilitation, poison, and other strange and mysterious effects. A speciality of the Ooze Conjurer is the ability to summon creatures that exist within that elemental plane - Oozes. It is theorised that some oozes are virtually indestructible except by other Specialist Mages. Ooze is the combination of Water and Earth. Mud is a derivative of Ooze, though far closer to the Elemental Plane of Water than true Ooze Mages.

**Magma** \- The Magma Mage is unique indeed; a rare combination of Fire and Earth. These Mages are typically found where there are volcanic islands or fjords. Their power combines the physical prowess of the Earth Mage, with the damage potential of the Fire Mage.

**Smoke** \- Smoke is the marriage of Air and Fire. Smoke is an element that is said to only exist in legend. Very little is known about Smoke Mages or the Para-Elemental Plane of Smoke.

**Positive Quasi-Elemental Planes**

**Mineral** \- Mineral Mages take their capabilities in the form of specialised mineral or metal to which the caster is attuned. As such, the Element creates distinct abilities that differ from Mage to Mage. A Mage capable of summoning volcanic stones, for instance, would generate obsidian shards which are brittle and fragile but possess dangerous offensive capabilities. Jedite Mages create powerful super-dense defensive layers. There are rumours that King Midas was a Gold Mage.

**Lightning** \- Existing between the Air and Positive Elemental planes, Lighting is the most penetrative of all elements due to its electrical nature. Lightning causes stun and paralysis, in addition to manifesting instantly and delivering payloads in a fraction of a second. Lightning Mages are preferably Evokers, Conjurers or Transmuters. The Quasi-Elemental Plane of Lightning is said to be a place of plasma, ozone and endless thunder.

**Steam** \- Where the Positive and Water Elemental Planes meet, one gets Steam. Steam is a rarely seen element. Only a handful of Mages are on record as having tapped into a Goldilocks' zone where two Elements meet in harmony. There is little known about the Plane and its Elementalists.

**Radiance** \- Radiance is formed from Fire and Positive energy. Often mistaken as the power of Light. In theory, it should be useless, too scattered to be used offensively - too dispersed to be used defensively. It takes a special Mage, therefore, to change something so immaterial into a powerful projection of destruction. At a certain intensity, Radiance is capable of melting through solid steel, boiling blood, searing flesh, and severing matter. Not much is known about the Elemental Plane of Radiance.

**Negative Quasi-Elemental Planes**

**Ash** \- A derivative of Negative-Fire that manifests corrosive ash and black flames. The most destructive element in the array of Elemental Planes. Ash Mages rarely live long as the Element eats away at their minds. It is said that Ash Mages exist as tortured existences whose ruinous powers rack their bodies with unbelievable pain. If one is Negative Drained by an Ash Mage, one loses one's seven emotions and six desires.

**Dust** \- Dust is the most stable of the Negative Quasi-elements, next to Salt. It doesn't have any offensive capabilities of its own but enjoys the same corrosive ability drain as Ash. The most annoying part of fighting a Dust Mage is their ability to deaden all elemental damage. Due to its abrogating nature, Dust consumes Fire, Water, Air, Lightning, even Ash. It is said to be the most stalwart Abjuration Affinity next to Mineral.

**Salt** \- Salt is a stable Negative Quasi-element, with the additional ability to form into a range of crystalline shapes. It's capable of dealing extreme damage to Slimes and Oozes, as well as an assortment of creatures composed mostly of water - including Humans. The desiccation caused by the Salt Mage draws out elemental water from the bodies of their enemies. Elemental Salt is different from mortal salt, found in oceans and sometimes in rocks; it is formed where Negative Energy and Water meet. Salt is the least destructive of Negative Quasi-elements.

 **Void** \- As the name suggests, the Elemental Plane of Void is a place of vast, perpetual darkness, where strange, forgotten things lurk in a vacuum darker than black, always hungering. It is a Plane consisting of the very idea of nothingness, a place where forgotten things end up. When manifested in the Material Plane, Void consumes matter, then disappears. Like Steam and Smoke Mages, very little is known about Void Mages. Arguably, the most famous Void Mage in Modern History is Elizabeth Sobel.

**Spellcraft and Metaworld Glossary**

**Astral Body** \- The cognitively generated projection of one's connection to the Multiverse, visualised via indoctrinated Spellcraft. Typically manifests as a humanoid silhouette with abstract details pertaining to the user's Sigils and Elemental Affinity. Elements are perceived to be within the astrophysical body, while Sigils manifest Externally. Only Mages possess Astral Bodies.

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**Physical Body** \- No matter how powerful a Mage may be, they are still biological creatures that need to eat, crap and sleep, subject to Eros and Thanatos, life and death. The Physicality of a Mage tends to reflect the degree of their Elemental affinity. Most infamously, Earthen Mages have rock-hard physiques, Air Mage are frail and flighty, while Lightning Mages have quickened metabolisms.

**Anima (Animus)** \- Drawn from the theory of the Meister Sigmund Jung, the psyche, the Anima (male psyche & common vernacular) and Animus (female psyche) inference a being's subconscious self-awareness. Only sapient creatures are classified as capable of possessing Anima and Animus.

**Mana** \- The Gurus of Hinduism refer to this as spiritual energy or Prana. Chinese Doshi denotes this spiritual energy as Qi. Early Western Theology referred to this energy as Faith or Zeal. Modern Spellcraft unified the term as Mana, a generic word for mystical 'energies' of any kind. The Astral Body produces mana as it interacts with Glyphs and Gates, channelling mana into conduits of the physical body.

**Mana Pool** \- The maximum amount of mana which a Mage can produce. When the Astral Body is no longer capable of producing mana, this is referred to as OOM, or Out of Mana. VMI - Volumetric Mana Index - is the official nomenclature for measuring a Mage's mana pool.

**Mana Channel -** Often confused with the concept of a Mana Conduit. A Mana channel refers to metaphysical pathways by which Mana produced by the Astral Body enters the Mage's physical body. A Mage's Mana Channels can never be damaged without injury to their Astral body.

**Gate and Conduit** \- A Gate refers to nomenclature describing the effect of non-elementally attuned mana becoming suffused with the Mage's Element. This 'elementally-attuned' mana then feeds back into the physical body. The pathways through the Mage's physical body are referred to as Mana Conduits. Damage to the physical body damages one's Mana Conduits.

**Essence -** A metaphysical form of energy derived from a being's existence. Referred to commonly as one's 'Soul' or "Spirit" in ancient Spellcraft, contemporary Spellcraft sees Essence as a hitherto little-known form of energy, separate from mana. Creatures possessing great magical power and ego possess higher degrees of Essence. Likewise, sapient beings typically possess greater essence than their non-sapient peers of the same subtype. NoMs, in general, possess little Essence. Human and Demi-human Mages possess immense Essence, a fact profoundly valuable to the study of Necromancy. Theoretical Spellcraft propose that Essence is tied to a Mage's ability to access particular Schools of Magic.

**School of Magic** (Imperial Metric Schools) - Since unifying the study of Magic under the IMPERIAL METRIC system during the Spellcraft Revolution at the turn of the 20th century, 7 Schools of Magic exist: Evocation, Transmutation, Conjuration, Abjuration, Divination, Enchantment and Illusion.

**Hybrid School of Magic** \- Rarely, some Mages awaken with Magic in between the Sanctioned Schools of Magic, belonging to no School. Of these types of Magic, Biomancy: the manipulation of Postive Energy and Necromancy: the manipulation of Negative Energy, reign supreme.

**Awakening** \- The term is loosely used to describe an Acolyte coming to terms with their first School of Magic and their Affinity for an Element. In Frontier cities, NoM Civilians are filtered, with potential Mages tested for aptitude. In tier 1 cities, Mages naturally grow into their powers, training from an early age. A 'Stimuli Crystal' may be used to induce an Awakening, circulating mana into the recipient as to 'jolt' their Astral Bodies into existence.

**Spellcraft** \- The study of Magic. The Imperial Metric System (IMS) splits spells into 9 Tiers.

**Advanced Spellcraft Theorems** \- Spells whose theory and manifestation fall outside of existing methodology. Most universities study Advanced Spellcraft to push past the current boundaries of human knowledge of Magic. Those who contribute significantly to this study are awarded the title of Meister.

**Sanctioned and Unsanctioned Magic** \- Sanctioned Magic may be purchased by Tower Mages with LDMs, HDMs, and CCs. Unsanctioned Magic may only be acquired through petition. If a Mage is found practising unlicenced Unsanctioned Magic, they are subject to severe punishments and even disbarment.

**Sigil** \- A spiritual manifestation of one's affinity for particular forms of Magic, tied to the generation of one's Astral Body during Awakening. Each school of Magic possesses a unique Sigil under the IMS visualisation doctrine.

**Glyph** \- Sigils exist only in one's mind. When Mages wish to manifest the concept of Sigils externally, they turn to Glyphs. Glyphs vary but may be thought of as symbols of power capable of channelling Magical energy as though a man-made conduit existing outside the Mage's body. Magic Items and Enchantments such as Wards rely exclusively on complex Glyphs and Mandalas.

**Mandala** \- Taken from Tibetian Mysticism, Mandala refers to large-scale, complex Glyph arrays used to support complex Spellcraft manifestations.

**Spell** \- A series of Incantations both somatic and verbal which triggers magical phenomena when exercised with mana from a Mage's Astral Body.

**Rite** \- A spell requiring time, preparation, and setup, typically includes meditation, ritual and complex external components. Rites include city-wide Strategic-Class Spells.

**Incantation** \- Invocations with somatic and verbal components. These are mnemonics which manifest Magic through Sigils. The higher the 'tier' of magic, the more complex and convoluted the number of Major and Minor Incantations. Senior and experienced Mages may specialise in particular spells so that they become 'silent'.

**Shield** (Mage) - Shield refers to the mental ability for Mages to form a barrier of mana around their physical bodies. Even without training, a Mage is capable of manifesting a membrane of mana, projected just outside of their physical body, which displaces hostile mana and foreign objects. Abjuration specialises in forming persistent Shields and Shields that can manifest on Mages OTHER than the caster.

**Acolyte** \- Neophytes and Acolytes are the colloquial names for beginner Mages. The moniker of Mage or Senior Mage is given to those with mastery over at least one school of magic, meaning access to spells over tier 4.

 **Magus** \- A Magus is an arcanist who has gained multiple Schools of Magic through talent or laborious study. To be called a Magus in public, the Mage must undergo examination within a Tower.

**Magister** \- Likewise, a Magister is a peer-reviewed, publically sanctioned Magic Caster. Unlike the moniker of Magus, Magister is a title that comes with the weight of public service and responsibility of upholding the Tower's interest.

**Meister** \- A Meister is a Magister, but not all Magister can become a Meister. A Meister is a Mage who has contributed significant advancement to Spellcraft, and whose work benefits all of Mankind. Claude Van Saint, the famous healer who pioneered modern magical medicine, is a Meister. Philo R. Farnsworth, the man responsible for proving that Illusions may exist as a form of media stored in Capture Crystals, is a Meister. As powerful as famous individuals like Henry Kilroy has been, his preference for keeping his studies wrapt and secret excludes him from the title of Meister.

**Magi** \- A Mage whose power and command over Spellcraft exceed Sanctioned limits, going beyond the 9 Tiers. A Magi rarely concerns themselves with worldly affairs. They are seen as humanity's greatest deterrence against Demi-human and Magical Creature incursions. It is unfortunate that Magi are typically old and venerable.

**Sanctioned Mage** \- A Mage registered under a Tower, beholden to its Laws, Codes of Conduct, and Ethics for Public Practice of Spellcraft.

**Rogue Mage** \- A Free-Mage that is not registered, practices magic freely and therefore perceived as dangerous to society.

**Tier** (spell) - Tier 1 to 9 of Spellcraft. Tier 1 - 3 is accessible to almost all Mages. This tier is capable of combating individual, as well as groups of Monsters. Tier 4 - 6 exists within the realm of all Maguses as well as most Senior Mages with a single School of Magic. This tier is capable of wiping out Monster lairs and Demi-human villages. Tier 7 - 9 is open usually to Magisters for reason of both academic-access as well as state sanction. High tiers of Magic can act as strategic-class spells capable of wiping out cities.

**Tier** (Affinity) - The attunement of a Mage to their element. The higher the affinity, the higher the efficacy for Damage and Mana Cost. As Affinity grows, damage increases by a magnitude of 10% for every observable tier. Likewise, mana cost for spells decreases with higher affinity. Though damage increase appears to be on a linear scale, mana cost suffers from diminishing returns. As such, a spell will never be 'free'.
Higher affinity likewise involves physiological and psychological changes for the Mage in question. Some examples are provided below, taken from the story-in-progress.
**Fire** Mages are often hot-tempered and over-zealous, possessing a short fuse. Physiologically, they gain resistance to cold and heat.
**Air** Mages become fragile and whispy, becoming airy and flighty in their mannerisms.
**Earthern** Mages undergo the most profound physiological change, becoming taller and more robust, with enhanced musculature, increasing both strength and fortitude.
**Water** Mages are known to be pliable and easily convinced, with personalities that like water, are capable of fitting any vessel.
**Lightning** Mages gain increased metabolism, becoming prideful and possessive beings.
**Ash** Mages are known to become apathetic. Their emotions become dulled by the continued practice of Ash Magic until they waste away.
**Void** Mages are rumoured to exhibit extreme hunger, both physiologically and in terms of their psychological demands.
**Ooze** Mages are said to be slothful and lazy, unmotivated and uninspired.
**Mineral** Mages become dispassionate and pragmatic, often, their eyes take on the likeness of their attuned mineral element.
 **Positive Energy** Mages are ubiquitously known to be amiable, friendly and full of life and vigour, possessing a halo of likability.

**Tier** (Creature) - A generic classification system used in common parlance to ratify the danger-level of a particular creature. Goblins usually have a tier of 1. A raid of Goblins may be up to 4 or 5. An adult Dragon up to 11. A Leviathan with a swarm of Mermen may be up to 25 - 30, requiring the mobilisation of a Tower or Towers.

**Class** (Monster) - Military lexicon for the number of Mages needed to pacify a threat. Soldier-Class infer a single Mage. Lieutenant-Class infers the need for a Magus or two or more Mages. General Class requires a Magister. Usually, a party of Mage may subdue a Lieutenant-Class Magical Creature. A Party of Senior Mages lead by a Magus may defeat a General-Class Creature. Some creatures, such as Titans (overlarge Monsters) and Mythics (Land Gods) are likewise a part of this denomination. Class systems differ from nation to nation and are not an official Tower designation.

**Wildlands** \- Lands not occupied by Human Cities, separated into Zones. Green - relatively safe for NoM habitation. Orange - unsafe for occupancy, safe for Mages to traverse. Purple - dangerous for both Mages and NoMs, contains hostile creatures that will disrupt human habitation. Black - extremely dangerous for human habitation; zone includes creatures that predate on humans. Environmental factors may also play into codified Zoning.

**Demi-Humans** \- Humanoid races that share the Prime Material Plane with Humans. Friendly species include Nordic and Bavarian Dwarves, Keltic Elves, German Gnomes and Hobbits from New Zealand. Hostile races include Goblinoids, Dragonoids, Harpies, Serpentfolk, Merfolk, Mermen (Oceanic), Lizardmen, Dryads, and other sapient beings capable of speech. Like most Magical Creatures, these beings possess a Core. Some Demi-humans are capable of interbreeding with humans. The majority of Human cities are highly xenophobic and racially homogeneous.

**Magical Creatures** \- Creatures generated by nature where the veil between the Prime Material and the Elemental Planes are weak. Current theory infers they are Elemental creatures that manifest into the Prime Material. Magical Creatures possess Cores, which are condensed mana that serve as the anchor of the creature's Essence to the Prime Material, giving it life.

**Cores** (Creature) - From the lowest Snotling to the highest Ancient Dragon, all Magical Creatures possess Cores. Upon death, the Core shatters, releasing the wild energies contained within. Interesting fact - ancient creatures have highly condensed and compact Cores that are virtually impervious to damage.

**Spirit** (s) - When a creature possesses a high level of anima, its Core may contain a Spirit. Spirits are potentially found in all forms of Creature Cores, though typically, it is exceedingly rare amongst lower order Magical Creatures. For Spirit-Seekers, the irony lies in that billions of low-tier creatures exist with a lottery's chance of possessing a Spirit. While beings with a high probability of retaining a Core upon death, as well as possessing both ego and anima, are exceedingly rare, and more often than not incredibly powerful.

**Spirit** (Mage) - A Mage dreams of augmenting their elemental powers with a Spirit. A Spirit may be acquired through directly killing and harvesting Cores, then bending the will of the 'anima' of the creature contained therein to the Mage's service. When successfully attuned, the Spirit is absorbed into the Mage's Astral Body, becoming a part of the Mage's ability to channel Elemental powers. The alternate method of gaining a Spirit is through taming existing Magical Creatures and opening one's Astral Body to the foreign Spirit. This methodology is considered highly irregular and potentially fatal for an unsuspecting Mage incapable of melding with the entity.

**Familiars** \- Typically, the Conjure Familiar spell is responsible for bonding Elemental entities to a Mage's psyche or anima. Such creatures are manifested from the psyche of the caster. When a Spirit is partnered with the Mage, the Anima of the Spirit usually takes the form of the Familiar. When a Spirit is bonded with a Mage already in possession of a Familiar, it usually subsumes the form of the Familiar and replaces it with its own. It is not known if Familiars can become Spirits through gaining ego and animus.

**The Frontier** \- Originally a term denoting cities which are cut off from logistical support after WWII, the term has grown to encompass all Human territories lacking geodynamic Ley-lines. Some Frontier cities such as Merauke, Darwin, Chittagong, and Izmir, are little more than Human havens eking out a living in the wilderness, serving as little more than trading ports and supply stations. Prosperous Frontier cities such as Sydney, Singapore, Naples, Las Vegas, have a quality of life nearing tier 1 cities in all but name, lacking the geography, natural resource and political power to ascend into the status of a tier 1 city. With exceptions akin to continental hub-cities like Singapore and Istanbul, the vast majority of Frontier cities have limited access to Spellcraft and Magitech.

**Tier 1 Cities** \- Cities build around powerful convergences of Ley-lines are considered tier 1 cities. These cities have the near-perpetual energy to supply to their internal and external Shielding Stations. To apply for tier 1 status, a city-state must pass muster with the Commonwealth Towers , joining the network of tier 1 cities.

**Shielding Station** \- A stationary mini-Tower built to withstand the elements, manned by Abjurers and a patrolling team of Mages. At the heart of the Shielding Station is a Resonance Crystal which projects a frequency harmful to all beings possessing Cores not attuned to a Mage. A Shield Generator Tower creates the resonance, visually manifesting as a shimmering 'wall' or 'barrier', and additional, smaller station refract the "Shielding".

**ISTC Station** \- The Inter-State Teleportation Circle Station allow Mages long-range teleportation to and from nations. Prohibitively expensive, ISTC Stations are used only by the upper echelon of Tower Mages and State-level operatives. Most tier 1 cities have ISTC stations to and from the Towers in allied cities, as well as its satellite, Frontier cities.

**Tower** \- A robust structure with inbuilt Enchantments. A Tower can vary in size, function and power. In most cities, the Tower functions as a way-station, a bastion, and a nerve-centre for all magical matter. Even the most basic Tower include the ability to amplify the manifestation of Spellcraft of its stationed Mages, the levitation of its structural body, long-distance teleportation and displacement, and the ability to act as a mass-communication Divination array. A tier 1 city's Ley-lines usually provide power to the Tower. For Frontier cities with limited geodynamic supplies of mana, a significant cargo of HDMs are required.

**The Towers** \- The United Nation Council of Towers (U.N) refers to a coalition of all Towers from around the world formed after World War II's Beast Tide. Akin to the U.N in Gwen's old world, the Towers sanctify and ratify the regulation of Spellcraft, the status of city-states, and mediate the conflicts of interest between Human nations.

**Tower** (Commonwealth) - Towers belonging to the old British Mageocracy, said to have conquered more than 50% of all Human lands in its Golden Age. The Commonwealth form a loose factional coalition through a shared ideology of social democracy, English as a primary language, and mutual defence-pacts.

**Tower** (Independent) - Towers not beholden to any specific faction and are wholly independent (on paper). Singapore, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, and Hong Kong are examples.

**Tower** (State Owned) - Towers which are a part of the global network of Towers but are beholden to their city-states or nations. Almost all non-independent Towers belong to this category.

**NoMs** \- Non-Magical Human Beings, also derivatively known as No-Magic. In the Frontier and tier 1 cities, NoMs serves as a labour force. The majority of NoMs work in agriculture and manufacturing, with a small percentile working in Administration and other white-collar positions. Most NoMs, whether because of indoctrination or the social climate, see the possibility of becoming a Mage, or introducing a Mage to their bloodline to be a way out of a life of oppression, poverty and mediocrity.

**House** (Mage) - A bloodline of Mages usually with a powerful or influential Progenitor. A House usually includes three or more generations of Mages. A Branch House is when a potential heir, usually a sibling, starts a new House with the same bloodline.

**Clan** (Mage) - A coalition of Houses sharing the same bloodline. A Clan involves several hundred individuals across a dozen Branch Houses, supporting the Main House. Clans are highly hierarchical. Clans are also unique, pending context and culture. Asian Clans focus on styles or Schools of Magic, while European Clans may focus on bloodline lineage. Some Clans operate by region, heedless of bloodline or magic. Due to the desire to keep a particular bloodline 'pure' or a specific magical talent prevalent, marriage within the Clan is common.

**Sect** (Mage) - Sects can be religious, ideological, factional, or based upon styles of Magic. In China, old Doushi Clans evolved into Sects, with famous examples such as Kunlun, Huashan, Shaolin, Wutang, The White Lotus Society and so on. The Western world's Sects tend to be based around organised religion, while regions in continental Africa tend to have Sects based around tribal boundaries and shared ancestry.

**Currency** \- The objective means by which trade is conducted. Humans use localised currency, LDMs, and HDMs.

**Mana Crystals** (LDMs and HDMs) - Mana Crystal is the currency used by Mages across the human cities. In its raw form, they are harvested from places where the fabric between the Prime Material Plane and the Elemental Planes are thin, allowing 'crystalised' shards of mana to grow. Where there are large volumes of Mana Crystals, there are almost always powerful Magical Beasts. While most mana crystals are non-elementally aligned, rare and precious specimens do exist as gems and precious stones. Examples include Jadeite, Citrine, Emerald, Zircon and Turquoise.

**Crystal Currency** \- Defined by the World Bank as a single shard of High or Low-density crystal, containing a standardised (1 LDM or 1 HDM) volume of mana. A shard of LDM resembles a fingerling crystal akin to a 3cm hexagonal pencil. The appearance of LDM currency is exemplified by its semi-opaque state. Comparatively, a shard of HDM is transparent and without blemish, measuring 5 CM. Certification is overseen by a cooperation between the Towers and a local agency (Bank of China, for example). The volume of crystals in circulation is often controlled on the Frontier.

**LDMs** \- Low-Density Mana Crystals are commonly used on the Frontier and as lesser denominations. Raw shards of L-D crystal can be exchanged in terms of weight and total mana volume, but cannot be used as formal currency.

**HDMs** \- High-Density Mana Crystals are the currency of choice for Mages in the tier 1 cities, consisting of compressed and certified crystals.

**Currency Cards** \- Certified cards which contain 10 - 50 - 100 - 1000 HDMs that can be exchanged at local banking branches and Towers.

**NoM Currency** \- Local currency issued by the government for use by the NoM population. In poorer Frontiers and tier 1 cities with large volumes of NoM activity, the local currency is vulnerable to hyperinflation, forgery, and currency fraud.

**Demi-humans and Human Currency** \- As humans are the only race capable of mass-producing crystal currency, Demi-humans have taken to use human currency as the preferred unit of exchange for barter.

Future Lexicon -

Geo-Political Factions -
Ideological Factions -
Archetypal Mage -
Combat Mage
CQB Mage
Artillery Mage
Clerics
Summoner
Enchanters (Artifice)
Scrolls
Magic Items
Magitech