Chapter 47 - Essence of Formations

Daniel looked over at Felicia, finally feeling at peace again. 

It had irked him all day, not knowing she was safe, wondering whether the other students were treating her well. Worrying whether she was overwhelmed, struggling, or hiding her discomfort behind that brave face she wore too often.

And instead of calmly trying to convince himself that this was for the best, he was thinking of formations he could carve into her index to keep a watch and protect her from a distance.

No, that's going too far.

He forced the thoughts away, recognizing them for what they were. The kidnapping last time I left her alone just made me paranoid.

They walked in silence for a short while, passing a few students on their way between classes.

"So," Daniel eventually said, breaking the quiet, "how was your first day? Aside from Merry."

Felicia breathed a small laugh. "It was alright, just… something I need to get used to, I think. I can see why it’s called the weirdo class."

Daniel smiled, thinking back to his own class all those years ago. He'd been one of the more normal ones, only being a fisherman's son with some talent. Though the others would surely disagree, given how quickly he'd outpaced them all. 

"That part hasn't changed much. The teacher seemed good as well."

“Yeah, he’s great at explaining things in simple terms. And passionate, like I said.”

“Compared to…?”

"I'm not comparing him to you, of course." She turned her head toward him and smiled. "That would be unfair. But I've had plenty of teachers lacking both of those things."

Warmth spread through his chest, pleasant and embarrassing in equal measure.

She really does know how to flatter.

“That white-haired kid seemed the strangest, though.”

His words made Felicia react immediately. Her mana suddenly burst outward in all directions, washing over the hallway, checking corners and nearby rooms, making sure they were alone.

He laughed. “There’s no one around, don’t worry.”

"...I was surprised to see him there." She relaxed slightly, letting her mana retract back to normal range. "He seemed so normal."

“I’m sure he’s practised for years how to act like a normal kid. And I’m not surprised to find him there. The man loves talent and special cases, where else would he go?”

"That makes sense…" Felicia's head tilted thoughtfully. "Care to tell me how you ended up bringing a mermaid to my class?"

“What, you can’t guess?”

"No?" She sounded genuinely puzzled, which meant the joke failed.

“I used an old ritual to call for a mermaid trade. She arrived shortly after, then we talked about the potential problems I told you about earlier. She wanted to learn formations to help deal with those problems—potential ones—so I brought her here.”

Saying ‘potential problems’ many times would surely make her worry less, right?

But Felicia read between the lines well. “So things are quite dire…”

“Potentially.”

“You’re so vague I can barely see you, Danny.”

He grinned. “Oh no, is something wrong with your eyes?”

"These falcon eyes of mine?" She gestured at her scarred eyes with mock pride. "Of course not… Just let me know it's nothing too serious."

Ah, and where would that line go?

Two impossibly powerful beings duking it out in the sea, locked in a battle that had lasted fourteen years and showed no signs of ending. A world serpent large enough to circle countries, fighting against a mermaid queen barely old enough to understand her own power. A conflict that could end up deciding the fate of the world.

That should probably count as something too serious…

"I will let you know if it gets to that point, promise." The lie came smoothly, protecting her from worries she didn't need to carry. "For now, it's just potentially serious, like I said."

She nodded, though the slight tightening around her mouth suggested she didn't quite believe him. Another thing she was getting better at—reading the truth behind his words.

Her enhanced hearing will be the death of me one day. But it’s not like it’s not a complete lie.

They soon reached the door of their quarters, opened it, and closed it behind them. 

Daniel's formation immediately sent him information—someone had entered the room while they were gone. He tensed for a moment, but soon realized it was likely just one of the maids visiting to clean the room.

That turned out to be wrong, though. A young child sat waiting on their couch, looking over at Daniel with serious eyes the moment they entered.

"Oh, you were that curious?" Daniel said, walking over and sitting across from Zoltran on the other couch. “I would say make yourself at home, but…”

He gestured around the room that belonged to the academy Zoltran created.

But Zoltran was not in the mood for jokes, it seemed. His young face remained grave. "Did you learn anything?"

Daniel glanced at Felicia, who'd stopped just inside the door. "...Fillie, I'm going to talk with the old man in private for a bit, okay?"

She straightened slightly, recognizing the seriousness in his tone. "Fine. I'll make some more circles in my room, then."

"You do that. I doubt we'll be long."

As Felicia moved toward her room, Daniel waited until her door clicked shut. Then he raised his hand, calling on his gold light magic. A box of pure light appeared around the two couches, rising from floor to ceiling, locking them in a private space where no sound could escape.

"It's worse than I feared." Daniel didn't bother easing into it. "The world serpent has been awake for fourteen years at this point, and the destruction it caused ended up forcing the mermaid queen to hatch."

"What?!" Zoltran's composure cracked immediately as his small hands gripped the edge of the couch. "But surely someone would notice such a giant monster moving through the seas?"

"You would think so." Daniel leaned back, running a hand through his hair. The absurdity of it still bothered him. "But Merry was the one who brought the serpent up in the first place. So I'm pretty sure she was telling the truth."

"Then…" Zoltran's brow furrowed. "Is it a lesser danger than we feared?"

"Potentially, but the only thing keeping it in check seems to be the mermaid queen fighting it to keep her people safe." Daniel spread his hands. "Many mermaids have died already, so now they just hide where the serpent struggles to reach. Deep trenches, underwater caves, anywhere they can scatter to when it approaches."

"Where does teaching the mermaid formations come into the picture?"

“The queen is very young, so all she has is instinct and pure mana. Merry wanted to learn formations so her queen could fight more efficiently, but teaching her something that would work at that scale of power turned out to be impossible. So we will have to take it slow.”

“And the queen is too busy fighting to come herself?”

“Merry said she was busy, but she also lied to me about why the queen couldn’t come herself. Said the queen doesn’t like humans at first, then changed the reason when I pushed her on it. I don’t know which part is a lie, but there is something she’s keeping secret about the queen.”

"That is troubling…" Zoltran's fingers drummed against his knee. “But you chose to side with the mermaids.”

It wasn't quite a question, but Daniel answered anyway.

“I’m pretty sure the serpent is the greater threat.”

"True enough…" Zoltran leaned back slightly, sinking into the couch cushions. "Helping the queen fight the serpent does seem like a good decision. I just can't believe the Council hasn't noticed this by now."

“They might have, without telling you. You should contact them.”

"I already did, right after we first spoke. The message should reach them soon—I expect a representative within a day or two. Or maybe sooner if they send a spatial mage."

Oh. That's good.

Daniel wasn’t quite ready to meet anyone from the Council yet, but at this point, they had to involve them. No one knew better how to prevent disasters.

The Council was an organization that had existed for millennia, even when he wrote his book. They didn’t intervene in the world unless they deemed it necessary for the survival of humanity. 

One of the missions they considered most important was the maintenance and protection of the world seal, so Zoltran was technically a member—only of a separate branch.

“You sent a message with your spirit animals?”

“A hawk, yes. It’s the most reliable method, aside from sending it with someone I really trust. But back to the matter at hand—if this mermaid has the time to learn formations, is it not as urgent as she says?”

It was a valid point. If Merry could spend months here, how urgent could the threat really be?

"She said she could stay here for hundreds of days, so I guess not." Daniel frowned, still trying to reconcile that timeline with the severity of the threat. "But the world serpent seems to be hunting the mermaids actively for some reason. Otherwise, I'm sure humans would have noticed it by now. Ships disappearing, tsunamis, something."

“I would think it’s due to the queen being the only being posing a threat to it. At least in the ocean, where few powerful mages reside.”

“You might be underestimating the queen if you think there exists any mages stronger than her.”

Zoltran's eyebrow rose, clearly sceptical. "In terms of sheer level and mana, perhaps. But she is as young as your apprentice, meaning she has no control over her power. Would she even know any Sarun magic?"

It was a fair point. Raw power without refinement, instinct without technique. A child wielding a sword too large for her hands.

"I don't know," Daniel admitted, spreading his hands. "But I think befriending her is the better option, because I trust my knowledge of the threat she poses to humanity."

Which was to say: he'd written her as a potential disaster. Unfocused, it might not be the greatest threat, but after learning how to use her power properly…

“...Then let us suggest that to the Council when the time comes.”

"Yeah…" Daniel paused, then grinned slightly. "Oh, I'm your teacher now, by the way."

Zoltran scoffed, trying to hide a tiny smile. “Did Morin beg you to take the formation class from him?”

"Well, beg is a strong word." Daniel's grin widened. "But I'm sure I could teach you a thing or two."

"Perhaps." Zoltran's eyes gleamed with challenge. "But the study of formations has changed since your time. Now it's more about memorizing patterns and recreating them than understanding and developing them."

"What?!" Daniel leaned forward, gripping his knees. "But that's not what formations are about! No wonder it has stagnated so hard."

Teaching formations like recipes instead of language, like copying pictures instead of learning to paint. No creativity, no understanding.

Are they creating copy printers instead of scholars here now?

"Not everyone can create improved formations on the spot, Artorias." Zoltran's tone was patient, but also slightly amused. "In fact, you might be the only one. Most formations used in combat today were developed decades or centuries ago. Students learn what works, what's proven."

"...Then obviously no genius like me would appear again." Frustration bled into Daniel's voice. "Even I would be stuck in this type of educational environment, never to blossom. How would anyone discover they had talent if they were never taught to experiment, to create?"

"I understand your frustration. And perhaps there is truth to what you say." Zoltran inclined his head, acknowledging the point.

"You don't understand the potential that exists within formations!" Daniel stood up, too agitated to sit still. He paced a few steps within the golden barrier. "It is a language of pure logic and creativity, not a recipe. You can't learn a language just by memorizing phrases, you have to understand the meaning."

"Then show me that in your advanced formations class tomorrow." The challenge in Zoltran's voice was clear.

Daniel stopped pacing, turning to face him. "I will. It will be a class those poor students will remember."

"I don't doubt it…" Zoltran's expression shifted, becoming more serious again. "Speaking of formations, did you see the two twins in the class?"

"The ones with tattoos?" Daniel remembered them because their skin was covered in intricate patterns. "Were they formations?"

The thought of integrating formations in one's own body had intrigued him in the past, but it was too risky to ever attempt properly. Formations and organic material tended to act in unpredictable ways, and that’s never a good thing when every component has to work perfectly.

“They were. It’s a practice that has been outlawed for centuries, but some crazed individuals still try to force it in search of power. Those two were test subjects, and the only ones who survived.”

Gods…

Daniel felt his stomach turn. Children used as experimental materials. It seemed power was more important than humanity for some people.

"Yes, it is grim." Zoltran's small hands clenched into fists. "But justice was served, and the research was destroyed—by which I mean, handed over to me for safekeeping. I wanted to know more in case their situation worsened, if the formations started breaking down or causing complications."

"So that's why you were in that class?" The pieces clicked together.

"Most of it, yes. Would you mind taking a look at the formations on their bodies? I have diagrams here."

"Of course, if I can help at all." Daniel sat back down, leaning forward with sudden intensity. He almost felt responsible, in a way. And perhaps he was, if his discoveries had led to this.

Zoltran retrieved two pages of paper from his index, spreading them out on the table between them. “Let me know what you see.”

It only took a glance for Daniel to feel intense rage.

What kind of monster does this to children?

Ch.46 --I-- Ch.48