|
|
Post by David McKinnon on Sept 10, 2013 23:22:02 GMT -6
The girl than began to say that she wondered about her status as a Magiranger. David had heard rumours of such a team, a dedicated group of five magicians who wielded tremendous powers, he had hopes that he would be chosen for such a prestigious team. But then heard that they were part of the world that regulated magic and he found himself hating them for allowing such things to happen, to have a Magiranger as an apprentice made David happy because he would be able to corrupt her somehow and someday. But for now he would listen to her and act as a source of wisdom, "I have heard of the Magirangers, but they are composed of people who follow the magical laws and destory those that they deem to be unworthy of living; such as monsters. Like you said those monsters are also sentinent beings and therefore should they not have the same right to live as we do? Should they not be allowed to run free? Why do we enslave and destroy them? Simply for doing what is probably their primal instincts? It is no better than when we enslaved the African Americans for being different to them or trying to wipe out the Native Americans in America because they were annoying the settlers," David said.
"You are right to question such things Miss Dannielles, you need to question everything that you know about what is right and good for sometimes it is a biased thing indeed. For example what if those monsters could be used to protect people from the real threats? What if they could be talked to, negotiated with, so that they would serve us magicians so that we can protect those that we care about or want to protect? Are we not losing a valuable thing by destroying these creatures? Unfourtunately those in the magical world, like that man, would say 'no, those creature are evil and therefore they needs to be destroyed', but people like me say 'yes we should communicate with them for they are perhaps one of the ancient species who may hold the key to magic'! But alas we are drowned by the other party and so are pleas fall on deaf ears," he continued pacing around the room.
"As for mind magic. Say for example a murderer was going around killing people and you control the man's mind with magic, is that evil? Is it evil to stop him from killing more people and in order to do that you must take away his free will? In some sense yes that is horrible for you are taking away a person's free will, but one could also argue that the use of mind control could somehow be used for good. In my opinion the use of mind control depends on how it is used, if it is used for good than it is good, but if it is used for evil than it is evil. It simply falls once again to how magic is used. The way I controlled that monster when we met was for good, the monster may have harmed humans, but if I was able to control it than I would have ordered it to protect people instead of harming them," he finished.
|
|
|
|
Post by Erika Delicia Danielles on Sept 10, 2013 23:38:35 GMT -6
Mr. McKinnon's words were difficult to hear but at least he was taking her questions seriously, honestly considering them unlike most who just shut her down with 'They're evil' or 'They made their choice'.
"I don't really have a team. It's just...It's just what I've been called. I definitely haven't been following any magical code, at least not to my knowledge."
She sighed. "I guess...It's the nature of sentient creatures. We have to make sacrifices. We hurt others to protect what's important to us," she said painfully. She hated that logic but it was the only thing she was able to come up with.
She knew it didn't make it better but she did wish for the peace of their souls after she slayed them. She didn't believe in religion but if there was nothingness, that had to offer its own token of peace. And she recorded their names or descriptions if she didn't have them in her notebook so she would never forget what she had done. She needed to at least remember them, remember her sin.
"I've tried to negotiate with some of them," she admitted. "To little success sadly; but, maybe I'm just not skilled enough."
"That is always a tough question. You want to save as many people as possible but then it comes back to saying all life is equal. I mean...Morally speaking all life is equal but sadly...Some people are needed more than others. If it came to protecting a bunch of people or protecting an important scientist or magician who could alter the world for the better...What would be the right thing to do? Mr. Waynguard doesn't seem to get that it's not just good and evil. There are degrees just as there are with dark and light spells."
"I think mind magic could help break insane people free of delusions or hallucinations. But if it came down to using mind magic to prevent a serial killer from murdering...I suppose that would be the lesser of two evils. I would disagree with you that is good, though. It is just perhaps the best possible option at the moment."
|
|
|
|
Post by David McKinnon on Sept 10, 2013 23:50:35 GMT -6
"The usage of magic, the proper usage of magic, has always been a constant topic of debate. In all honesty it depends on who is using that magic. If it comes to protecting people than you would assume you would try to protect as many as could, but in your example...well I would try to save all of them if I have to. It is the reason why war still occurs: they say that they wage war to protect the innocent and to protect the world; yet they use violence in order to do so. They are nothing more than hypocrites and people like that man would say that only those that are of the light are important. I commend you for trying to negotiate with them, but it is still a hard thing even for me to negotiate with such creatures; we can only hope thatr one day we will be able to communicate with them and we would be able to work together to create a better world, a world where no one has to suffer," David explained as he sat down.
"Mind magic is a tricky subject Miss Danielles, it is not something that is easily done or easily broached upon. You must have incredible skill to use it or you will destroy not only the other person's mind, but also your own. It may sound like an interesting branch of magic to look into, but I will only warn you to attempt reading such things only if you are truly ready to learn about it. For now...we shall concentrate on making sure you know about the elements."
He then added, "And I should say that such codes are meant to be used as guidance, not strictly followed, if you stick to the codes then you will result in nothing more than those fools who continue to preach about keeping magic to a minimum and not experiment more on it."
|
|
|
|
Post by Erika Delicia Danielles on Sept 11, 2013 0:02:30 GMT -6
"Of course the goal is always to save everyone," she agreed. "Sadly, it doesn't appear to be possible. Being in one place, saving one person, means leaving someone else out to dry." She hated it; but, that was the way it was.
"How do you even determine what light is?" she asked. "I wonder...I know some people can read magic auras...At this stage I can't. But I wonder if someone were to look at my aura what they would see. I try to do the right thing, to the best of my abilities. But I'm troubled and I'm not always sure just what the right thing to do is. And maybe with my visions...Maybe my aura would be dark," she said sadly. "But...I don't think that would make me a bad person. It can't be so easy to tell who is good and evil even with magic," she insisted.
Erika shook her head. "No! Mind magic is definitely not something I want to touch for a long while! I need to assume proper control over the elements first, like you said. It's just...I was just thinking about it is all. I mean since we seem to be taking a break from magic so I can better recover my stamina." Although her stamina should have been much worse off than it was. She really needed to learn how to turn off that ability. She didn't want to drain water all the time. What if she was killing insects without her knowledge?
"Being open minded is important. Codes can't account for everything. In the end, you're responsible not a written text, so you have to make sure you do everything in good conscience. And of course you should experiment! How else would we improve or learn our limitations? It's foolish to say dark magic is evil and not use it at all. That's what's really dangerous thinking. Dark spells can be used to good ends. Knowledge is pure. Magic is neutral.
I don't get what Mr. Waynguard meant when he said he didn't decide good and evil, the universe did. As far as I know the universe isn't sentient. I think he means other people decided and he blindly followed. But just because a bunch of people said something was right doesn't make that true. Many geniuses were burned at the stake as heretics. Only later did people realize they were right and that they shouldn't have been terrified of what they had to offer."
|
|
|
|
Post by David McKinnon on Sept 11, 2013 0:26:51 GMT -6
“Ah…I believe I have been using semantics when I meant dark and light wizards. When I say light wizards I mean wizards who primarily use magic for ‘good things’, basically they go around say that they are better than others because they use magic for good. But of course as we both know that doesn’t matter because there could easily be someone that is better than them and use magic for something else though in the end the ultimate goal is to use magic to protect people. I am sure if someone sees your aura they would say a different thing, it is more important to have confidence in yourself, confidence that you are a good person and not to believe what people like Mr Wayland says,” David remarked.
He nodded when Erika said she didn’t want to touch mind magic for a long while, to concentrate on the elements first, “You have a good mind, a good heart and most importantly you always consider alternatives. That is why I chose you as a student…I have known many people who are close-minded, fearing for their lives because of the Magical Code, they would not consider other alternatives for fear of breaking it even if that alternative means that it could make magic better. They are, as you said, fools and are not true magicians. It has been a while since I have seen a true magician…one that does not care about the constraints of the Magical Code. Perhaps you will be one of the few who will rise to become a true magician and change how things are done…I would be honoured to have been your teacher on that day.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Erika Delicia Danielles on Sept 11, 2013 0:40:44 GMT -6
Confidence in herself? That was definitely something she needed to work on. She simply had so much guilt. Guilt for the people she couldn't protect despite her visions. Guilt for the sentient creatures she killed. Guilt for not better controlling her powers. Guilt for not being able to snap her father back to normal. Guilt for being able to foresee the future of complete strangers but not her mother's murder. An overwhelming amount of guilt. It likely would have crushed her already if she tried not to dwell on it.
She giggled, masking her insecurities. "How can I be confident that I'm a 'good' person when I'm not sure exactly what constitutes a good person? Like you said, there's always room for improvement."
Mr. McKinnon was trying to make Erika sound profound. She didn't feel that way. She was struggling, trying to do the best she could. "I think you give me too much credit! I'm just a beginner!" she insisted.
"Water is a reflective force. It shows you yourself and the nature of things even if it's not pretty. And it's adaptable, adjusting its size and form as the situation requires. Maybe I'm a water mage because the affinity is in tune with my thinking. I want to know the nature of everything, even if it's disturbing to see. And I want to deeply ponder matters and reach conclusions for myself based on what I experience."
She laughed. "Although maybe I have it backwards. Maybe the way I think is reflective of my water affinity."
"There must be a reason people are attuned to certain elements. What do you think? Why are you a red mage?"
|
|
|
|
Post by David McKinnon on Sept 11, 2013 0:48:33 GMT -6
"What constitues a good person and what constitutes a bad person is purely semantics, a person may have their version of it while another may have a different version. But the underlying thing in it is motive: if you want to be a good person than you must have a good motive. In your case you want to save people therefore in the eyes of many that would make you a good person, but don't let definition tell you what to do. You have to do what you think is correct, what you believe you must do to be a good person, forget what other people say because they will only confuse you and hinder your progress," David said as he wondered if he would be able to work on that angle, helping Erika boost her self-esteem...if he did that and she credited him with her being confident than he would be able to manipulate her even further; but it would have to be a careful plan for it to work.
"The reason why we are chosen the elements that we have has also been a topic of research, to this day it is still unknown why we receive our elements, some say it is our personality that matches with our elements. Others say it is fate. Personally? I just believe that I was chosen to be a red mage because I had the luck to be chosen to be a red mage," David said, "of course water matches well with the powers of a seer since it is able to be used to see the future as many have done so perhaps that is the reason for your elemental style. But I myself do not know...maybe it is because of my love of experimentations for fire is attributed with creation and life."
|
|
|
|
Post by Erika Delicia Danielles on Sept 11, 2013 0:58:37 GMT -6
"But people can delude themselves with the nature of their motives. Some people wish to help others to be praised instead of wishing to help others just to save them," she pointed out. "Sentient creatures are pros at rationalization!"
Erika nodded. She wasn't always confident that she was doing the right thing but she always took responsibility for her decisions. She always did what she believed was best.
"Fate?" Erika scoffed. "Sounds a little too close to religion for me. But it certainly would be interesting to research why mages have certain affinities. I doubt that would be my project, though. It doesn't seem possible to find an answer. Too many variables."
Erika laughed. "Yes, my visions are definitely strongest when surrounded by water. I can provoke them most easily there as well. Although I do need to be careful about not drowning if I have a seizure."
She pondered. "My visions might make more sense if I could hear what I was saying, or if I had someone there to interpret the Ancient Greek. I only figured out I was speaking Greek in college because one of my friends was studying the language and she was with me when I had one of my fits. She couldn't translate it on the fly like that. She just knew I was speaking it."
|
|
|
|
Post by David McKinnon on Sept 11, 2013 1:04:05 GMT -6
"Which is why we must be careful about what we want to do, and what we do so that we know what are our true motives. However my personal philosophy is that if you stick to the path that you desire eventually you would arrive at the destination, never waver from that path because you'll just keep on going around in circles if you do that," David said as Erika mentioned that she spoke Greek and that water seemed to be conductive to her powers. "Yes...I do know a little bit about Greek, perhaps I can record what you say should you have another vision, but that is not to say I wish such a thing upon you," Daniel said. "But let us get back to the lesson, that is if you are still wanting to learn, since you are able to make an ice golem we will try something bigger. An ice dragon, a dragon is the universal symbol of power, and if you are able to create such a thing then you are truly well on the way to becoming a true mage."
|
|
|
|
Post by Erika Delicia Danielles on Sept 11, 2013 1:18:29 GMT -6
"I want to protect people so they don't have to suffer," she said confidently. That much she was sure of. She was in pain, she was suffering. She wanted to put others at ease, protect them, save them from such a cruel fate.
"I hate my visions but I have provoked them on occasion. I'm a seer and as such I have an obligation to try and see and protect. I hate visions and wish I didn't have them but at the same time I do wish to see, to know, to save. So it's fine if you wish it and I'd appreciate it if you could record what I say to better understand what I see."
Erika brightened when dragons were mentioned. She's always really loved those mystical creatures, particularly water dragons. "I'd love to try and make a dragon!" she said breathlessly, beyond eager to begin.
Her eyes snapped shut and she summoned water to her side. She had pictured the mythical beast many times so it was easy to manipulate the water into the proper form. She pictured the Japanese Dragon, the Ryu. It had three claws instead of four like the Chinese dragon. It was considered benevolent, being associated with water and on occasion it was known to grant wishes.
Now the freezing part. She summoned the image of the lake freezing and then changed gears. This was a dragon...A dragon she wanted to bring into existence, maybe eventually make sentient. She wanted to breathe life into it. And to do that she needed to freeze it. She needed to manipulate the water into ice. The ice dragon would be complete, awake. Water was just the beginning. And water was adaptable. It could change.
Despite her enthusiasm, this was a monumentous task and one not accomplished easily. It took a great deal of power and energy and much patience. It was slow and somewhat frustrating but she wanted to breathe life into this dragon, bring it into this world as a golem. She grew weary but she kept at it. It took her two hours as she was determined to make her dragon as perfect and complete as possible but she eventually accomplished her task.
She finally snapped open her eyes to admire her work. She fell back, her energies exhausted. But she was pleased. Sitting before her was her dragon. "Umi," she named it. It didn't matter that it wasn't sentient. It deserved a name.
|
|
|
|
Post by David McKinnon on Sept 11, 2013 1:26:12 GMT -6
"Those visions are both a boon and a curse. It merely depends on how it is used. I am confident that you will be able to choose the correct course of action in regards to what you want to do with your visions, but for now we must concentrate on this," as he watched Erika create an ice dragon. To create a dragon of any element was no ordinary task, it required tremendous effort and skill, this was usually reserved for those that were highly skilled at their element and had the stamina, willpower and concentration to do such an intricate thing. Legend had always spoken of mages that are able to do it instantly, but as Erika demonstrated it was no easy feat and even David himself required at least an hour to create a fire elemental dragon yet alone a lava elemental dragon which required two hours. However Erika did remarkably well for her first time though he could see exhaustion on her face as she smiled at her work, "Well done Erika...you have done very well," he said clapping his hand on her shoulder, "I am very proud of you. Take the day off, you have done tremendously well for your first lesson and I shall look forward to future lessons with you," he said.
|
|
|
|
Post by Erika Delicia Danielles on Sept 11, 2013 1:32:53 GMT -6
Erika was pleased with her dragon and happy that her teacher seemed to appreciate it too. "Thank you!" she said gratefully if somewhat wearily.
Her magical energies were certainly exhausted for the moment. She would need time to recover but her exhaustion was of a physical and magical nature. And she was eager to keep learning as she had been deprived of proper magical instruction for her entire life.
"It's true that I can't cast any more spells but if you're willing I'd like to learn more about the theory behind magic or perhaps the history. Theory and history can be really useful in terms of understanding the magical element and thus manipulating it." And frankly she just wanted to learn. If he refused her request she'd just go poking her nose into the stack of books anyway. Still, she'd prefer his instruction as she wasn't sure which books were best for beginners. And he certainly seemed to know a lot.
|
|
|
|
Post by David McKinnon on Sept 11, 2013 1:41:52 GMT -6
Although the body might be weak and tired, the mind was still sharp and willing. That was a good thing for it would allow him to see what potentials are locked away within that mind of hers. "Very well, let us perhaps continue with the history of magic, as I said before Elves were the first people to use magic and eventually we harnessed it. It is not know how exactly we managed to harnass such a powerful power such as magic, there are many speculations, but none of them seem to match up with evidence or other historical documents. It is around the same time where notable names of magic such as Morgana, Merlin and others became legendary for their feats of magic, in a way they were the first true magicians. They were the ones that experimented on things and were more willing to diverge from the norms of magic in order to increase their potentials, of course these days that is forgotten in favor of simply having them as figureheads of magic," he continued.
|
|
|
|
Post by Erika Delicia Danielles on Sept 11, 2013 10:10:52 GMT -6
Feeling like this was a proper classroom setting Erika had to restrain herself from raising her hand. She was the only student here so she supposed that would just make her look silly.
"Could you please explain to me what exactly Elves were? My only knowledge of them comes from fictional stories and movies. I want to have a clear concept of them. Are we like them in that they too had an affinity for a certain type of magic? You said before that they didn't really experiment or play with magic but just let it be? What exactly do you mean be that? Weren't they using magic and not just letting it be through casting spells? If the elves were so powerful why did they die out? Did they leave magical books behind? Are we able to translate their language?" she asked eagerly.
"Again, I'm sorry to disappoint you but even in terms of history and magic lore I've had no proper training. You and Mr. wynguard are the first mages I've come across outside combat. My mother was a mage and likely a seer but she'd completely given up on magic by the time I was born. She became really distressed any time I showed any signs of magic potential. She didn't teach me anything. She just wanted me to be normal.
So could you please explain what Morgana and Merlin did as mages? I only know the typical lore. Supposedly Morgana was a magician with incredible healing powers. There are many different versions of her and what she did but all the stories at least seem to agree that she was a healer. Some stories say she was human and others that she was something else entirely. Some don't give much detail and some say she tried to destroy Arthur Pendragon. Beyond that I know nothing.
Merlin was supposedly born from a mortal woman but sired from an incubus from which he inherited his powers and supernatural abilities. He supposedly engineers Arthur's birth through magical means. In some versions Merlin was a prophetic bard and a slightly mad one at that.
In some versions it wasn't an incubus that was responsible for his powers but a demon. He was baptized at birth which supposedly frees him from the power of Satan. However, he still has a preternatural knowledge of the past and present, which is supplemented by God, who gives the boy a prophetic knowledge of the future."
She look back to Mr. McKinnon hastily. "Of course I don't believe this. I'm just telling you the lore as I remember it." She had studied a lot of magical lore in hopes that in some ways it would help provide her with greater control.
"In some versions Merlin has the power to shapeshift and has a connection to the holy grail. Some stories portray him as never doing any good, only evil.
His death or disappearance varies quite a bit too. Some say he was bewitched and imprisoned by the lady of the lake. In others his love for the huntress Niviane orchestrated his downfall. She swears to never love him unless he teaches her all his spells. Niviane, disgusted with Merlin's desire for her as well as his demonic heritage, casts a spell over him and places him in a magic tomb so that he can never escape, thus causing his death. In another version Niviane confines him in the forest of Brocéliande with walls of air, visible as mist to others but as a beautiful tower to him.
In another version he climbed the Pine of Barenton, had a profound revelation and never returned to the mortal world. Supposedly the tree is sacred and his soul waits to return.
In another tale Merlin angers Arthur to the point where he beheads him, cuts him in half, burns him, and curses him."
She took a deep breath. She had a very good memory for the things she read, particularly if they were interesting. She looked at her teacher helplessly. "Obviously the majority of my information must be false but perhaps there is a kernel of truth somewhere. What were the true Morgana and Merlin like? What magic did they specialize in? Did they have teachers? What were these 'norms' that they went against to increase their potential?"
|
|
|
|
Post by David McKinnon on Sept 11, 2013 15:53:51 GMT -6
The girl was well read on everything. She was asking him questions that only those who have read books would ask, and even the apprentice magicians usually didn't know this much. But he would break it down into two different segments rather than answer all of them at once. "Not much is known about the Elven civilization because there are little records about them and that they secluded themselves away from human interaction, what is known is that they were given the gift of magic and used it for various purposes. They are always depicted as what you know in story books though their beauty is eternal and many mortal humans have fallen for them and a few Elves had fallen for humans in return though that is rare, and they are immortal as well or so the books say. Now for the magic, it seemed that they did not have a natural affinity to any elements as they are able to use any elements they want. But of course there would be preferences among the group and they would use whatever elements they liked most of the time though they could change to a different one just as quickly. They did not experiment because they saw no reason to experiment, in a way they were somewhat close minded, though several did experiment it was not to an extent that would change the world. The Elves did not die out...they decided that humans were too arrogant and selfish and that they were not worthy of their knowledge and so they hid themselves...until this day we do not know where they are, some say that they have died out, others say that they are biding their time until the world needs them once again. They have only left us a few books that have not been deciphered yet and there are many people who are working continually, sometimes for a lifetime, deciphering these books."
"Now onto Morgana and Merlin. I will tell you what is fact. Both of them were human mages that obtained knowledge from normal ways, through learning, they were highly talented though and did many great feats that you and I would consider miracles in this modern age. However when they were older here is where they diverge. Merlin wanted to experiment more with the dangerous aspects of magic, the darkness element, while Morgana did not think it would was wise and prudent to do so. Both argued about the finer things of magic and eventually they arrived at Camelot, where King Arthur resided, and became sorcerers in his court showing off to everyone whether the darkness element were dangerous or not. However King Arthur feared the so called corruption that would be brought with using dark magic. Therefore it was Morgana who he trusted, not Merlin as the story states, however historical facts derive from that point. Some say that Merlin left Camelot and never returned while others say that Merlin killed Morgana, took control of Arthur and wrote history as though Morgana was the villain. In a way this incident is perhaps the reason why magicians like that man believe that magic is divided between good and evil. And as you can see mind magic is not to be trifled with."
|
|
