NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38: First Legendary sword mage
"As you can see, Astraga, your pendant given to you by that midwife, Anaya, was it? almost certainly holds great power," Derrick said, certainty heavy in his voice.
I thought back. "Now that you mention it, I did hear a voice calling to me, prompting me toward the light that led to your domain. Could the voice have come from the pendant?" I asked, touching the small charm at my throat. Even if it held some power, I couldn't be sure it would be enough. I remembered my birth hadn't Anaya said she and her sister failed to defeat the same thing? The demon of twins.
"But... Derrick, what exactly is a taboo?" I asked, my thoughts shifting. "Why do they exist in this world in such a manner? Back in our world, taboos were often rooted in superstition, restrictions made by religious or social groups." I sighed, the irony not lost on me. There was nothing superstitious about a shadow demon hunting me.
"Well, Astraga," he replied, "you're not far off from how they work in this world."
He then replied with a solemn expression. "To understand a taboo, you must first understand three key advanced mana manipulation concepts: seals, curses, and taboos."
He explained that to grasp how taboos worked and why they were so potent, we first had to understand three forms of mana manipulation. A curse, he noted, was the oldest of the three techniques, while a taboo was the newest, having come into being during the Second Elven Dominion.
"Let's start with the basics," he said, taking on the role of a mentor. "Seals. They're the easiest of the three to understand. And of course, I perfected it, taking it beyond what it was many years ago." This statement reignited my thoughts. How was he able to create Ashborn Words and Signs when ancestral weight was usually a key factor? Perhaps I would get my answer.
As he began to share a deeper understanding of each concept, I listened intently.
"Seals," he explained, "were initially used as a form of binding and trapping. The Born family, in particular, was gifted at binding someone's mana or energy in a paused state, like shackling them to the ground. During my time, seals were primarily used for setting traps, as the core idea was to trap the mana within the person, which in turn trapped the mana user himself."
"So, seals won't work on people without mana?" I asked.
"Well, yes and no," he replied. "It depends on how the seal is created. Everything in this world has some degree of mana; nothing exists without it."
"Next, a curse is basically will-amplification mana casting. This is when a person uses their will to bind another person's mana. They are usually long-lasting and come at a very deep cost to cast, as you're essentially burning your will to create suffering for another mana user. As you will soon realize, the elves have one of the four legendary curses placed upon them by the very first legendary Swordmage, a half-breed. Unfortunately, you'll have to find that out for yourself when you return."
The thought of returning home was a welcome one, but what kind of curse had been placed on the elves?
"But why can't you tell me?" I asked Derrick.
He responded with a sigh. "As you're aware, this isn't the world of the living, Astraga. There are certain rules of domains that each domain god must not disrupt. The first Swordmage was so powerful that he cursed his own race so they wouldn't repeat their obsession with world domination again."
I wondered just how bad the elves had been for a half-breed to curse his own race. What kind of curse were they placed under?
"Like I said," Derrick continued, "will-mana casting has the ability to place curses, but all come at a cost to the caster."
"Finally, a taboo," he said, as the tension in the air built. "A taboo is simply a rule created by a mage who has achieved Dragonhood. As they are granted a divine gift from the Rainbow Sun, an ascended mage is given access to an 'Authority.' This is where a mage can now create a semi-sentient being to do their bidding. That creature will be forever subservient, and even dragons are unable to access such powers. This leads to a contract between mages and dragons." I wasn't sure what dragons themselves needed this for, as they appeared to be powerful already.
"Why are taboos linked to Authorities?" he continued. "Well, those semi-sentient creatures, depending on how the mage conceptualized them, were used to enforce the mage's law. They would enforce anything as long as they were created to be suited to enforce such laws and orders of the master, as in your case, the killing of twins. It's clear that the mage who made this demon was highly skilled."
Derrick's expression turned thoughtful. "I wonder what kingdom possessed such a mage. Most likely the Volkar Kingdom," he mused. "That reminds me, what kingdom did you come from, Astraga?"
"Well, I'm not quite sure of the geography, but my father did say 'Manyblood'," I replied.
"Many... blood?" Derrick looked shocked.
"Yes, it's a new kingdom," I confirmed. "My father said the founding king was a son of the King of Verdon."
"Ah, Verdun," Derrick said, a look of recognition on his face. "Now that I know."
"So, Astraga, do you now understand what you're dealing with?"
"But come to think of it, Astraga, making taboos like this that affect multiple kingdoms was a taboo in itself and would most likely get the mage killed by 'The Order'."
"The Order," he explained, "was a governing body solely built to check and balance powerful mages. So how they haven't been able to stop this, I'm not sure about yet, as I have been in this domain for centuries. Times must have indeed changed."
"But that leads me to an unanswered question," I began, my voice filled with curiosity. "Greatest grandfather, were you not able to achieve Dragonhood?"
"Well, the simple answer is no, Astraga," he replied. "I was unable to achieve it because after the Second Elven Dominion war, I decided I had to protect the Ashborns. This was when I truly understood the concept of 'Universal Resonance'."