The Chronicles of a Scalebound Sage: Wandmaker Vol.2

WM [71] My Blessing

Tanisha had been talking with Aurelius to find out more about his lightning fast attacks. Chaos magic was indeed rare, so much so that she only remembered her teachers at the academy mentioning it once. Of course since she was stuck in the remedial classes due to her inability to use magic effectively she never knew if there was more to the study. The prevailing theory among her instructors was that her chaotic core might be linked to chaos magic, but after experiencing Aurelius's aura firsthand, she knew the truth. Their cores were fundamentally different. His was chaos but hers was the core of a sage.

"So chaos magic is essentially the same type of magic most people call monster magic?" Tanisha questioned.

Aurelius thought about it for a while. "I think. There was a wizard I traveled with for a while who tried to explain it. I think he said something like that. People who can sense auras often mistake me for a monster because of it. He claimed that what monsters wield is an imitation, but what I have is the real deal."

"Yeah, I can sense it." Tanisha said. "Your magic is controlled in a way I don't think a monster can replicate. It's like—it's tied to something real. It's hard to explain, but it's there."

Fuyumi, who had been leading the group, slowed her pace to join their conversation. "That is exactly what it is, Tanisha. Monsters and the magic they use are the same, there is no flesh or body, only mana condensed to replicate life. What they can't mimic is the essence of life itself. Think of people like flames—our auras are the heat we radiate. Monsters are just the heat. No matter how intense, you'll never see a flame."

"I am surprised you used a fire analogy." Aurelius said with a smirk.

"It's so confusingly hot and cold here I have heat on my mind." Fuyumi said with a grunt of displeasure. "The analogy works though."

They had only been walking in the new volcanic zone for an hour but it was a confusing sensation to be both really hot and cold at the same time.

"There is something I wanted to ask, Tanisha," Aurelius said, sounding almost embarrassed. "Are you an elf of some kind? I know you said you were similar to the wendigo but you have a lot of elven qualities too."

"Oh, the ears and tail?" Tanisha questioned.

She gave her long, black tail a casual wave. The fur absorbed the surrounding light, giving it an almost otherworldly sheen. Since her evolution into a cernunnos, she had grown accustomed to the appendage, even adorning it with silver rings that gleamed against the inky blackness. For a fleeting moment, she considered teasing Aurelius, claiming to be a hybrid of wendigo and elf, but decided against it.

"No, I am not an elf." Tanisha said her tone was amused. "Although I see what you mean, maybe my True was inspired by goblins though."

"Inspired by goblins?" Aurelius blinked in confusion. "What do—"

Before he could finish, Bjorn's large form suddenly collapsed. The dull thud of his body hitting the ground made Tanisha's heart lurch. Instantly, her focus snapped to him. She felt nothing through their bond. One second, Bjorn had been fine, his presence steady and strong. The next, his connection slipped to a threadbare wisp, almost imperceptible.

Panic surged through her veins as she dropped to his side, her hands trembling. No, no, no—stay with me, Big Man. Pouring her power into the bond, she forced it to stabilize, though it was tenuous at best. Bjorn's breathing was shallow, his eyes open but vacant, staring through her as if he wasn't truly there.

"Bjorn? What's wrong, Big Man?" Tanisha screamed. "Bjorn!"

"Tanisha, can you lift him? We need to move somewhere where there will be cover." Fuyumi said as she knelt down beside her. "If we stop here we will attract attention we don't want."