NOVEL NEXT Chapter Thirty-Three: Intermediate Transmutation
I glanced around professor Gemheart's room as I slipped inside. There were about twenty students in here, scattered across fourteen long black tables. I didn't recognize most of them, though I did vaguely think I'd smelled one of the treefolk students with a dryad bloodline around at least once or twice.
Most of the students were clearly in their second year, but there were about five students in their third year, who must have taken the first year course in their second year, rather than self-studying and passing the exam like I had. With so many people across so few tables, I was forced to join someone at their table, so I sat next to the tall pine dryad-blooded treefolk, and extended a hand.
"Emrys of White Sands," I said. The treefolk lowered one of its branches that was roughly shaped like a hand, with twigs for fingers, and shook my hand as it shifted its bark to respond.
"I am Celandine of the Sevenheart Grove," the treefolk said, and I perked up at that. The Sevenheart Grove was from Summerbone, not far from White Sands, and where I'd visited for the testing.
"I've never had the pleasure to visit your grove – it was too close to the big city. But I've heard it's beautiful."
The tree's branches rustled in a pleased manner, and I was about to continue speaking when professor Gemheart entered, lighting up his pipe and sticking it in his mouth as he did. The chalk rose up behind him and began to draw out on the blackboard, writing the name of the class.
"Alright, alright, welcome everyone to the intermediate level of the transmutation track. Whether you're a second year planning to finish out the track, or a third year who just had an interest in the courses, I'm glad to have you in class. In our first year, we went over the mathematics and science needed to understand many transmutation spells, as well as those spells that dive into areas where our modern understanding of science has yet to reach: the mysteries of life force, sympathetic associations, and the will of the unconscious. This year will continue to expand on these mysteries, at least to the best of our current understanding."
He pulled out a pile of papers from his hand, and they began to float throughout the room, a handful of sheets dropping before each student. I picked mine up, noting the syllabus down. We were beginning the year with an ether exercise, which should be interesting, before we delved a lot deeper into both the understood and poorly understood elements of transmutation. Much like the pile of books he'd given me first year, there were multiple books listed as required reading, with four times as many listed on the recommended reading list.
Of course, a considerable amount of the class was also dedicated to the practical learning of spellcraft. After all, it didn't matter to Magyk how well read someone was on the poorly understood theories around spiritual mirroring, or the better understood theories around the methods and processes by which stone was formed, if they weren't able to cast the spells that made use of the information.
Most of the spells were about what I expected – levitation spells, hasting spells, body changing spells – but a few spells did manage to catch my eye, like the entry for unburning flame. If I'd heard the name on the street, I'd have likely assumed it was an illusion spell, but given that it was in the transmutation course, I couldn't help but wonder what it did.
"If I may have your attention, please," professor Gemheart called from the front, and I put the papers in my locker, then looked up. On the board, a pair of patterns was beginning to take shape. They somewhat reminded me of spell arrays, but at the same time, they were rather… crude. In a way, they were closer to the spell diagrams that had been used in the Age of Pools than they were to modern ones, or akin to simple affinity magic like Jackson's. On my shoulder, Seren burbled out a questioning note, and I shrugged, unsure of what it was.
"Much like how we began last year with teaching a cantrip containing some common parts of the spell array, this year, we're going to be using these. How many of you have experience in shaping exercises built to assist in a specific school of magic?"
All of the third year students, as well as about a third of the second year students, raised their hands, causing professor Gemheart to puff on his pipe and nod.
"This will be a bit of a review for you all, then, but I encourage you to listen in. These two forms are shaping patterns, a bit like spell formulae, or like Willow's path, which I believe you should all be familiar with. While the path is an excellent tool for improving the overall ability to move ether, as well as helping to train the precision with which you can wield it, it is a universal technique."
One of the students put up her hand, and Gemheart nodded to her.
"When you say universal, do you mean it in the sense of the universal school of spells? Affinity magic, permanency, wish…"
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"Ah, good question. If I could answer that question definitively enough to publish a paper on it, I'd certainly be awarded the Cendel Award for Academic Research," the professor said, letting out a belly laugh. "I personally believe that, yes, like spells, ether manipulation techniques can be classified into schools. Many techniques are universal, working for anyone, in the same manner that the wish spell can replicate any other spell without regard for school. Other techniques, however, only improve a person when it comes to their ability to cast specific schools of magic, or even specific spells."
I leaned forward, considering that. I'd picked up a lot of bloodline compression techniques from the assorted mentors I'd found scattered across White Sands, as well as the ones I'd learned from the Dreki family. But I'd had to adapt them, change them to suit my fire. It was possible that was because they were set to specific bloodlines, like spells in schools, but I'd been the one to change it. I knew I couldn't change a spell.
"But shaping techniques were discovered or created, whereas spellforms were a blessing from Magyk that fell from the sky as meteors. People don't create spells," I said. "Is it not equally likely that it's the other way around? That the reason certain techniques fall into schools is because spells do, and we created them to suit spells?"
Professor Gemheart hesitated for a moment, before making a so-so gesture with his pipe. A bit of ash trailed out, but was swept into a bin on a trail of smoke.
"Spell modification and creation is not something that we'll even touch on until you reach the graduate level – there is more to it than simply assembling a spellform with the right chant and gestures for each portion. But setting that aside for now, that is the common counterargument to my belief. There are rebuttals, and if you want to delve into the topic, I'd be happy to recommend some books after class. For practical purposes, though, it doesn't matter."
He coughed loudly enough to cause me to jump, drawing the attention of those who had been tuning out the general explanation of specific ether shaping patterns, then tapped the first of the shaping patterns that he'd drawn out on the board.
"This is known as the particulate shaping pattern, and it contains many of the flows and motions that are used in the purely physical transmutation spells. For example, when converting ether into kinetic energy for a spell like coinshot, compacting loose materials together for a rubblewall, or transmuting ink and paper with scribe's friend, you utilize patterns like these. I won't claim it's perfect, or that it covers every possible practical transmutation spell. Now, I know that in your first year, you were given ether manipulation tools. I unfortunately don't have a stock of those for you to use, but fortunately, these are external techniques. Everyone, please cast ethersight."
There was a moment as people around the class shifted, pulling out wands, raising their hands, muttering spells, and other things. Once everyone was ready, professor Gemheart raised his hand and began to expel ether from his hand, then twist it into the shape on the board. The shape was rather loop-like, so as soon as he'd created it, he began to spin power through it in a circular pattern. As I watched, the power went off-kilter, and the entire thing collapsed, the ether spilling out into the air.
"Unlike internal techniques, where losing control can damage your spirit, if you mess up an external technique, the worst that will happen is the loss of some ether."
He reached out and tapped the second ether manipulation exercise that he'd drawn on the board.
"Now, this technique is called the spiritual shaping pattern. It's even less perfect than the particulate pattern, as the spiritual aspects of transmutation are poorly understood. In fact, one of my long term research projects is working with the head of the restoration department to create an ether shaping technique that will better assist with transmutation spells that muck about with the life force. But this should at least help with most of the more unusual transmutation spells, like hidden hideaway, animal morph, or animate plants."
Once again, he demonstrated the shaping pattern, and its circular nature, though this time he didn't intentionally disrupt his shaping to demonstrate that it was harmless to mess up. He lowered his hand and pulled the ether back into himself, then nodded to all of us.
"Well, everyone, let's start practicing. I recommend that you practice by writing the exercise out on paper to break it down first, but it's hardly a requirement."
I took out some paper and tried to do as he suggested, but after about ten minutes, I tossed the idea out entirely. For most of my career as a wizard, I'd been forced to memorize everything, and often had been made to learn just by watching what others were doing, rather than through actually having a spell guide before me. While I was sure that professor Gemheart's suggestion worked just fine for most people, it was counterintuitive to me.
Instead, I began to cast it the same way that I'd first learned to cast arcane missile. I expelled ether out into the air around me, then shaped it into the first symbol of the spell – or in this case, shaping – pattern. The instant that I started to run into difficulties, I pulled my ether back into my pool and started the entire process from scratch.
I would have loved to say that each time I was forced to restart, I made a bit of progress, but while that was true in broad strokes, that wasn't how learning really went. I got stuck in spots, and had to repeat them dozens of times in order to figure out how to get past the section. But even still, by the end of class, I'd managed to create the pattern even if I couldn't yet cycle ether through it. I felt like that was a testament to the degree which my learning speed and quality had improved since coming here – when I'd first arrived, I'd struggled to pick up most of a cantrip within the same couple of hours of time. Now I was able to mostly pick up an exercise.
When the class came to an end, I did actually approach professor Gemheart, who gave me a list of different books that he recommended on the theory of ether shaping, and the competing ideas around it, before I left. I met up with Salem, and we ate at the cafeteria, before spending the evening working on our assorted class assignments.