Ninjagaësia

Magic

They had been following the trail for some time now when Jay had to ask.
“Could every Rider really use magic?”
Misako huffed at the question. “Yes, though it was a closely guarded secret, even among young Riders in training like you would be. It was kept hidden this way because it provided an advantage over their enemies and because younger and more irresponsible members with the knowledge could easily make a mistake they could not come back from. Moreover, common folk would be unruly with fear if everything knew what the Riders were capable of. As a result of this secrecy, many believe that Lord Garmadon or the Forsworn were also wizards or sorcerers, when in reality it was purely because they are Rider that they can do what they did.”

“There's a difference?” Jay was astonished. Misako shot him a bewildered look before Lloyd spoke up.
“Yeah, sorcerers summon spirits to do stuff for them and wizard powers are just potions and spells.”
She nodded at her son with a hint of pride before continuing.
“Your powers stem from your dragons, unlike other magicians. This makes each of you uniquely powerful by comparison- and consequently, equally capable of unintentional destruction.”

Nya grimaced at the concept as Misako continued.
“This brings us back to how Riders were originally trained. They were put under a strict regimen for months, even years just for the sake of teaching them responsibility enough to handle magic. Then, and only then, would they be taught of their powers and trained to wield them properly. Anyone who has trained in this way is very skilled in the ways of magic, and there are still many who are old enough to have received it. The remnants of the Forsworn, for example. And all Shintarins.”

“So we just have no hope, then?” Nya asked.
“Not yet, no. There isn't much we can do, as it isn't easy to learn such discipline on the run- but.” She paused dramatically. “I have reason to believe you four will be able to manage. You're all talented. Especially you, my boy.” She swung her horse around just to ruffle Lloyd's hair, the child cringing and immediately trying to fix the glittering mop on his head.

“Just so you know, no Rider your age ever managed to use magic the way you did back there.”
Lloyd paused long enough to look up with gleaming eyes, amazed. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” She smiled as he glanced back in admiration.

“Does the language have a name?” Jay asked, briefly following the younger boy's gaze.
“It does.” Misako admitted hesitantly. “Though no one knows it. If someone were to find it, they would have power over the entire language. It has been sought after for millennia; I doubt anyone will discover it any time soon.”

“I still don't get it, how are we actually supposed to use it?” Cole questioned, scratching his head.
Misako scoffed at the question in disbelief before shaking her head, taking the time to form a response.

“To wield magic.. you need to have a power inside yourself. The capability is nowadays quite rare, but either always present in Riders or somehow granted to them through their dragons. Furthermore, you need to be able to summon the power at will, an ability that dragons specifically lack. When you have summoned this power, you must either use it by casting a spell or letting it fade back whence it came. In order to use it, you must cast a spell by speaking in the ancient language and willing your desire into being. Ergo, if Lloyd hadn't said Brisingr with the intent to kill the serpentine yesterday, nothing would have happened.”

“So we can only do things based on what we know of this language?” He frowned thoughtfully.
“Precisely.” She smiled, glancing upwards.
“Also, it's impossible to lie while speaking it.”
“How??” Jay questioned.
“A language can't just stop people from lying!” Nya protested.

She shook her head. “To speak in the ancient tongue is to be bound by truth. Attempting to lie halts the words before they can even leave your mouth.” She raised her hand then. “Fethrblaka, eka weohnata néiat haina ono. Blaka eom iet lam.”