The OP Lich is a Returnee, Chapter 170

Chapter 170 – Tested

Having a dinner with the family wasn’t the only reason I’d come to visit my brother’s home, of course. Yes, there was his birthday present, and the more pointed gift for Genjo, but I had other business, as well. While the rest of the family had been tested, and learned their elements, and the styles that best suited them, little Kaori was too young for that, before.

Not that there was a safety issue, or anything. Opening oneself to mana, and beginning your cultivation was not a dangerous act, in and of itself. However, to start the process you needed a certain level of discipline and concentration. Most young children were too energetic to calm themselves enough to consciously begin the process.

When she was six, little Kaori had started training in kendo. She wasn’t learning any advanced techniques, obviously, but the exercise and discipline were good for her, and helped her concentrate enough to find her mana. Now, she had drawn enough that she could be tested, and find the element and style that suited her.

There was an interesting mix of elements and styles in the family. Tatsuo was a Earthblade, on the Warrior’s way with the Earth element, while Hiroko was a Radiant One, a Witch with the Light element. Teika was a Pyromancer, like my disciple, Ya. Genjo, perhaps unsurprisingly, was a Lifesoul, which explained, in part, his activities with the ladies, but his lack of discipline needed to be corrected before it caused trouble for himself, or others, which is why I went along with his mother’s request for his birthday present.

Both Witches and Warriors of the Soul were problematic in that way. Because they ‘flowed’ with their element, it dictated a lot of their actions. Hiroko, as a Witch of Light, reveled in bright lights and sunny days. As a Lifesoul, though, Genjo had a less severe version of the instinctual problems affecting the Troll Patriarch. The instinctive need to sow new life was strong in any Lifesoul or Druid. Not so strong as a Life Troll with a Hero’s powers, perhaps, but strong all the same. Which meant control was needed.

Little Kaori, however, had not yet been tested, so we did not know her element, or her style. When Hiroko called, and told me that she was ready for her test, I insisted on being there to do it personally. A couple weeks would not matter, at this stage of her development, so Hiroko had agreed.

After dinner, we gathered in the sitting room, and I brought out one of the testing kits Phantomline had devised at my direction. Looking at my niece, I smiled, “Kaori, you know what this is, yes?”

“Yes, Aunt Kaori. It is the testing kit from Phantomline, that tells you what kind of magic user you are, right?”

“Exactly. You were too young, when your parents and brothers were tested, to have fully started learning to use your mana, but your parents told me you were doing well in your kendo training, and they believed you are ready, now. Would you like to take your test?”

“What if I get it wrong?”

I reached out and stroked her hair. “Oh, little one. There is no ‘getting it wrong’. This is not a pass or fail test, and your choice does not make you a good or bad person. This test simply tells you the type of magic you have the most talent for. Magic is not good, and it is not evil. It just is.”

I could see she was not entirely convinced. “Let me put it this way. Magic is like a car. It is useful, and can be used to help you in your day-to-day life. However, it can also be used for evil ends. That does not mean the car is evil. The actions you take with the car may be good or evil, but the car is just a tool, and there is no evil tool. So, there is no such thing as ‘good’ or ‘evil’ magic. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Aunt Kaori.”

“Good,” I smiled, and then reached into the test kit, and pulled out the sheet of paper that was used to determine someone’s element. “Now, I want you to take this paper, and run a bit of your mana into it. The paper will react to your mana, and tell us what element you have.”

Little Kaori took the paper in both hands, and closed her eyes, concentrating. At first, nothing happened. Not surprising, since she was still new to using mana, but I could see the trickle beginning to flow from her fingers into the paper. Just a bit more, and it would reach the proper threshold…

The paper burned, crumpled, cut, flopped over, grew larger, glowed golden, shone black, withered away to dust, and radiated a sickly green light, all at once. The entire family’s eyes turned to me, the unspoken question easy to read on their faces. That was not one of the standard responses for the test, after all.

I pushed down the surprise I felt, and smiled at the girl. “Well, little one, you are full of surprises! You have a very, very rare combination of talents, just from your mana alone. According to this, you are a Nullmage and a wielder of Unholy mana. Even in the other world, such a combination was perhaps one in a million. You have the potential to be quite powerful, if you train.”

Tatsuo frowned. “Nullmage, and Unholy? What is that, Kaori?”

“A Nullmage is one who has no affinity for any of the standard eight elements. They can use them each equally, with no penalty, but no bonuses, either. It makes them especially tricky opponents, since they can adapt their spells to counter whatever element you are using. Not as good on the attack as someone who has a singular element, but strong on the defense.”

“So, someone without any particular strengths, but no weaknesses?” Genjo asked.

“Precisely. If I might quote the Art of War, ‘the good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy’. The Nullmage is the physical embodiment of this concept.”

“What of Unholy?” Hiroko asked. “Unholy means ‘corruptive’, right? Is it dangerous?”

“No more dangerous than a kitchen knife, if used properly. As I said, magic is a tool. Unholy is magic channeled from the kami, or gods, and used to break down defenses, amongst other things. The exact nature of the power depends on which entity she channels from.”

“So, I’m not bad?” little Kaori asked, anxiously.

“No, little one. You are not bad. This is no different from you having black hair. If someone said that having black hair made you bad, then that is their foolishness talking, yes? It is the same with your mana. If you strive to do good with your mana, then it is good. Simple as that.”

Kaori breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked me in the eye. “OK. What about the ‘style’ thing, then? And do I just choose a kami to pray to?”

I had to chuckle at that. “Let us worry about your style, before you go decide which shrine to visit, hmm? That will help decide which path suits you best, after all.”

I took the first of two trays from the kit, the one which had wand, crystal, grimoire, ring, and dagger in it. Unlike the one I had used to test my disciples, these were not tinged with elemental magic. They were supposed to be general kits, not specialized for the element. The item would not make casting through it any easier, like the wand or grimoire my disciples had, but they were not locked to single elements, and could be made more quickly and easily than the others.

However, that also made it perfect for a Nullmage, who would have no elemental resonance calling them, even if the items had been touched in one way or another. “Close your eyes, Kaori, and reach out with your feelings. Try to sense things with your mana. When you are ready, reach out your hand, and run it over the different items, using your mana to sense them, and pick the one which calls most strongly to you.”

Kaori reached her hand out over the tray. I could see her mana trailing over her fingers as her hand traced the different items. Finally, it stopped, and she held up the ring. That… I had never heard of that. In the other world, something like that had never happened!

I kept my voice steady and said, “Now, that tells us the style for your elemental ability, but for your Unholy, we have a second tray. Keep your eyes closed, dear.” I switched out the trays, and presented the one with the dagger, amulet, and bracelet. “Now, same as before. Choose an item.”

As before, her hand traced the items, her mana touching each one. And then, she chose. The bracelet. I managed to keep my face serene, even though I was swearing all the curses I had ever heard in the other world inside my mind.

“Open your eyes, dear,” I said. Kaori looked at the two items in her hands, and then up at me. “From this day forth, you are a Nullsoul and Avatar. You are a precious rarity, little one. Perhaps one in a billion have this combination of gifts, if I am being generous. It is probably rarer still.”

“Avatar? Like the old movie, with the blue people?”

I chuckled at the childish question, and shook my head. “No, my dear. Much better than that. First, let me tell you what a Nullsoul is. You will walk the Warrior’s Way, focusing your mana within you. This will allow you to be stronger, faster, healthier than other kids. If someone throws Fire at you, you will learn to clad yourself in Water, negating their attack. If you buffeted by Air, Earth will guard you and keep you steady. And when all else is in Shadow, you shall be Light. All this, and more, with a defense to any spell thrown at you.”

I was not unaware of how my words were affecting Kaori, or her family. Tatsuo and Hiroko were worried, naturally, since power often ran side-by-side with danger. Her brothers looked slightly envious at the start, but a bit of relief crept in their faces as I kept talking. There was something to be said for having too heavy a destiny for one’s shoulders, after all. And Kaori? She looked at me with wide-eyed wonder.

“Now, for Unholy. You will have to choose a focus for your powers. Anyone with Holy or Unholy mana must chose a focus, since it ‘flavors’ their abilities to a large degree. The focus can be a Cause, so that you have a Holy Blade of Justice. Or it can be a god, or a pantheon of gods, with an Unholy Priestess of Susanoo, or of the kami in general. If you choose a god or cause, your powers will naturally focus themselves around what that god or cause represents. The more focused the choice, the more powerful your abilities will be, but the more limited, since Justice is not exactly known for Healing or Peace, as an example. On the other hand, the wider your net, the more flexibility you’ll have, but with less power or specialization.”

“So,” Tatsuo said, “she should choose a patron, like with how you are a warlock?”

“Similar, yes, but not the same. This is not a transaction, as a warlock’s pact is. A wielder of Unholy, especially an Avatar, must have dedication. And, through that dedication, they channel the power of their patron or cause.”

“So, zealotry, then?”

“No, brother. Or, not necessarily. But true belief is required, at least to reach the highest levels. Fortunately, no one expects children just starting their training to have that much true faith at the start. And, should they have a crisis of faith, they can always choose a new course to follow, so they are not locked in to a decision made as a child.”

“So, I’m going to be a shrine maiden?”

I smiled as little Kaori brought the attention back to herself. “Perhaps. Is there one of the kami you like better than the others? That may be a good place to start, as you learn more about your talents.”

“Um, what about the goddess who helped you, in the other world?”

“Murena? Would you like to be a little huntress, then? As a Nullsoul and Avatar, you would do well, I believe. Perhaps, when school is on break, you can talk your parents into taking you on a trip to Mount Shiroyama? There is a shrine to Murena there, and the Priest will be able to tell you what you need to know. But just remember, you still have time before you need to make a decision. A few years, at least.”

“A few years? That’s practically forever!”