Restart Again: Volume 2 by Adam Scott (hardest books to read txt) 📕

“In the world I was born in, most people believed in some sort of God, or Gods. Different people believed varying versions of the story, but they mostly stuck to the same core ideas. It’s these same tenets that show up everywhere; if you follow the rules, good things will happen to you, and if you break the rules, bad things happen.” The attempt to think back on my first life was difficult, like trying to look at something through a fog-covered window. “We didn’t have magic in my world, so we didn’t have to explain that.

“The beliefs of the Unity Church seem very logical to me. If you believe that each basic element of the world is created and controlled by a powerful being of some kind, it’s easy to attribute magic to each of those beings as well.” I shrugged as I thought through the logic. “The first time somebody created fire from nothing, what would seem more reasonable to them? That they had an invisible energy inside of them which, through the perfect circumstances, could power the creation of fire? Or that the Primeval of Fire they’ve learned about their whole life saw fit to bless them with a fraction of its power?”

Lia sat quietly and mulled over the idea, her discomfort clear in her demeanor. I moved across the aisle and placed a comforting arm over her shoulders. “I’m not saying that the Primevals aren’t real. They might very well have created this world and everybody in it, and are watching us right now. But the one thing I know for sure is that no matter what world I’m in, the rules of magic and mana have been the same.”

I put on a didactic, over-the-top voice in an attempt to bring some levity to the situation. “Rule number one: Mana is created naturally inside of all living things. Until recently, I believed it was only humans and other intelligent species, but Detection magic has proven that to be false. You saw the mana flowing inside the horses pulling our wagon, right?” Lia’s face lit up with a small smile as she nodded.

“Rule number two: Mana is the sole energy source that powers magic. That one is pretty simple so far, but I still have some testing to do when it comes to magic items before I’m fully confident.” Although I had never been a teacher, I felt strangely comfortable in my impromptu lecture. “Based on everything I’ve taught you during our training, can you guess what another rule might be?”

There was a pause as Lia chewed her lip in thought. “In all the stories I’ve heard about wizards, they used staves and orbs to cast spells, and we always use our swords. Is that a rule?”

I nodded excitedly. “That’s right! The reason you always tend to see gems in wizard implements is because of the atomic structure—” I cut off suddenly, scrambling for a better description. “Um, it’s because gems are made up of very reliable materials in specific, repeating patterns. Mana has a much easier time flowing through materials like that. Metal is made the same way, which is why we can use our swords to cast spells.” Satisfied with my explanation, I moved on. “The fourth rule—”

“I have a question.” Lia looked up at me innocently, her amber eyes glinting in the early afternoon sun.

“Of course. Ask away.”

“Why do you...need an implement, to cast magic?” she asked haltingly. “If magic comes from converting mana into energy, why can’t you do that inside your body?”

“That’s a great question,” I responded happily. “Technically, you don’t need an implement to cast magic. Just like, technically, you don’t have to say an invocation to cast magic. In extremely stressful or dangerous situations, your body can unconsciously activate all sorts of abilities. I’ve used magic abilities in combat that I still can’t reproduce now, even after lots of thought and practice.” The memories of Jack writhing in pain with black smoke billowing from his chest floated to the front of my mind, and I winced reflexively.

“I know a lot of the rules I have about magic aren’t entirely true, but I’ve never been able to break them on purpose, so I like to think that those situations are exceptions. I never met anybody in Alderea who could use combat enhancements without a weapon, so I’ll keep that rule until I know how to break it reliably.” I chuckled and smiled at Lia. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the one to figure it out.”

Lia’s face set into a mask of determination. “I can try,” she said as she settled into a meditative stance.

“I didn’t mean right this instant, Lia.” With a grin, I reached out with Detection to watch her experiment. “I’ve gone down a few routes trying to cast without an implement, but I think the...I, uh…” My words stopped as my mind became singularly focused on Lia.

“Lesser Agility...Lesser Agility...Lesser Agility,” she chanted under her breath. The spell didn’t take effect, but whenever she spoke the words her mana pulsed throughout her whole body and shone a bit brighter. It was an effect I had never seen before, even in myself. I quickly followed suit and intoned the words, but saw no pulse within my body as expected. “Lesser Agility...Lesser Agility…”

With every incantation Lia’s mana reacted differently. It pulsed in one location, then in multiple places at once, then bounced between her core and her shoulder blades in rapid succession. What IS this? HOW is this? I watched in stunned silence as the patterns slowly changed, as if the mana itself was testing every possible permutation inside her. I began to notice repeating sequences in the flow as her chant continued, and the energy grew brighter with every attempt.

With a final whisper Lia’s mana flashed a brilliant gold, and a dim green glow flicked into existence across her body. Her eyes snapped open as she looked at me in disbelief. “Did...did that work?” We sat together quietly as