Isolde listened to my request, and instead of showing a puzzled or astonished expression, her face curved into a smile with a tinge of... something perverse.
«It seems that my mother is a fan of the area....»
I blinked and, in that brief instant, she took the book out of my hands, went to find a chair, sat down, and placed me on her lap.
In my past life, this would never have happened. I was born in the age of technology; it was the norm for parents to turn on the TV and put on a children's channel. I don't blame them... I would have done the same thing.
The book had a striking cover: a pentagram on the front cover, accompanied by characters that looked like runes and strange symbols. On the back cover, the same pentagram, but with different symbols, and the characters on the cover are reversed. It seemed to be no more than fifty pages long, although there was something odd about it... When I took it to ask Isolde for it, it felt heavier than it should.
«Is it because my body is still developing?»
When Isolde took the book, she placed the palm of her right hand on the back cover and, on the top, she rested only the index finger of her left hand. Then she said:
—Dimittis magnitudine.
I immediately thought:
«Was that Italian... or rather Latin?
I don't know why, but I'm sure that at least one of those words is very similar to a language of the world I come from.
When I came back into focus, I saw that the book, which had seemed to be thirty or fifty pages long before, was beginning to grow to perhaps five or a thousand pages. —I'm sorry, I'm lousy at calculating measurements— As this process was occurring, the diagrams on the staff were illuminated with blue and green light. The more the book expanded vertically, the dimmer the light became.
I was so surprised... Yes, I am a little boy, at least physically, but I am twenty-seven years old in my mind. And that didn't matter: the most important thing was that, just by reciting those words, magic could be produced.
The reading of the book began by telling the story of the god Raimund.
Here, the term god is not used to refer to a deity, but as a title. According to Isolde, it is the highest rank a person can attain in this world. So far, only six people have been worthy of holding it:
Raimund, God of Magic.
Lauris Reges II, Demon Decapitator God.
Petra Gilmore, Goddess of Health.
Ximena Torrunt, the Real Human Goddess.
Luriel, Immortal Demon God.
Vladislav Fournelle, God of Innovations.
—From the latter, you and I are descendants of the latter —Isolde said with a tender but melancholy expression, as if she was remembering something that had marked her deeply—. Although the family has expanded into four houses, we belong to the second most prestigious one.
It seems that in this house, we don't have to worry about money. We are part of an influential family. However, something didn't add up for me: my last name is not Fournelle, nor my mother's. They always refer to my father's last name, Duvalmont. They always refer to my father's surname, Duvalmont. Maybe the culture of this world only takes the man's surname, and the mother's is not shared.
—So why don't we have the surname Fournelle, mother? —I asked bluntly. I have to take advantage of the innocence that this body grants me, jijiji.
—Ummm... Well, I like your father, and I wanted to take his last name.
Even I know when a woman is lying. She must have some problem with her family, so, for now, I won't insist.
—Well, with that said, let's move on —Isolde said, somewhat uncomfortably but trying to keep a cheerful tone.
According to the book, magic can be perceived in five ways, just like the senses: it can be seen, heard, felt, tasted, and smelled. Most people are born with one of these senses, with sensing magic being the most common.
It is normal to possess only one. To be born with a sense other than touch is rare, and even more so if you are born with more than one.
Throughout history, the only one who has possessed the five magical senses has been Raimund, thanks to the world contract he made with the spirits. —the only one of its kind— so that mankind could manipulate magic and thus defeat the immortal demon god Luriel. The latter had been driven mad by a curse that one of his subjects had made him ingest through a drink, which also drove all his vassals mad.
In short, thanks to this contract, Raimund was able to guide humanity for more than five hundred years to learn how to use magic. Together with the heroes Petra Gilmore, Lauris Reges II, and Ximena Torrunt, they managed to defeat Luriel.
—How many years can a human live, Mother? —Does that mean that the world is full of humans or that the desire to procreate is low? The latter worries me too much.
—The spirits gave Raimund more years to live so that he could defeat the demon god —my mother replied, surprised that a child my age would have such a perception of time.
The story continued until they mentioned that Lauris Reges II decapitated the demon god with a magic of his own: strands of light wrapped around his body and sword. Even if you dodged his blows, the strands would always reach you, numbing and burning your skin, as well as giving him impressive speed.
«I don't believe it... He's talking about electricity. Electricity magic! Ever since I've been watching anime and manga, I've always been drawn to this power. Will I be able to use it?»
Once the matter of the demon god was resolved, Raimund's contract was terminated. The spirits, seeing the ingenuity of mankind in the applications of magic, decided to allow mankind to continue to use it.
—Are spirits that important? —I asked, since they seemed to have mastered magic, or at least set the rules about it.
—It is said that the spirits invented magic because before Raimund made the world contract, only a few people could use it, and they did so in exchange for giving parts of their body as payment to the spirits. —Isolde replied. Then she put on a serious expression and added—: Remember very well, Mikhail: even if a spirit seems friendly and offers you a deal, always keep in mind that it will ask for something in return. This is a non-negotiable Natural Law.
—Sure! —I answered seriously, without asking any more questions. His words were clear... but they frightened me.
«This means that spirits are beings to be always respected and to be wary of».
Well, back to the main topic: when will I be able to do magic? A few pages later, Isolde answered that question without my even having asked it.
—I'll explain the mana test…
—Mana test?
—Yes. This test consists of finding out how much magic you possess and how many magical senses you have.
«Will you test me with the glass of water and the leaf?»[Author's note: Yes, I am referring to Nen's Hunter × Hunter test.]
My mother prepared four objects on the kitchen table. From left to right, she placed salt, a blue-petaled flower with white edges, a black cloth, and a crystal.
After organizing them, he told me:
—I don't have a sphere that tells me the amount of magic or your affinity, but for now, it's not important.
«I want to know what I can do to practice from now on!» I thought, and then I said:
—But, mother, isn't it better to do that test first to make sure he can feel the magic?
I wanted to know if I could use electric magic to train my body to withstand the shocks, since I sense that, probably, its use could affect me. Even if magic exists, I think some science could help me.
—No, honey, rest assured that you will have at least one magic sense —he replied confidently—. And of course, you have magic. When you were younger, before you knew how to walk, you would go down the stairs and, if it wasn't because you had magic back then, you would have hit the floor, and the safety I made wouldn't have worked.
—What insurance?
Of course, I knew what he was talking about. How could I forget that day? But wait... What do you mean, if I didn't have it? If it wasn't for my great gift of birth, I would have rolled down the stairs like a sack of potatoes. What responsible parents...
—Yes. Your mother is a great, magical engineer. I was able to apply a type of magic that is normally only done on living things to inanimate objects. Back then, the only condition was that whoever activated it had to have a minimum of magical energy.
Ahhh... you mean what you explained to Edrick at the time. I was more stunned than a boxer in the last round, and of course, I don't remember many details.
Isolde muttered in a very low voice:
—You are too perceptive.
Shit... I'm asking too many questions. Am I talking too much? This could play a trick on me... if I go on like this, at any moment they'll take me out of the cast and bring in another more discreet protagonist.
Locked in my thoughts about whether I was acting like a child or not, Isolde came over and lifted me in her arms, almost doing a "little plane", while praising me for being "very smart" for my age.
—I knew you were going to be as smart as your mother. I'm sure you'll be great in the future.
Yes, Mom, and with a little bit of luck... I will also survive his way of raising me.
After all that show and a brief explanation of why it should have magic, we moved on to the test.
The first was the taste test - the first and, I believe, the easiest - Isolde placed her hand on the salt and applied magic. I focused on what she was doing and managed to see that, for an instant, the salt took on a different hue. However, there was something in me that told me that it was no longer salt. Although its color was the same as always, like any other, there was something that warned me that it was not what it seemed. I didn't worry, since it didn't seem dangerous and, besides, it was my mother who was handling it.
—Try it, son —Isolde said.
I reluctantly tasted it; salt, by itself, has never seemed a delight to me. I stuck my finger in, brought it to my mouth... and felt a sweet taste. I thought I hadn't had enough and tried again.
«What the fuck?"
That salt was defective: it was sweeter than the sugar itself.
—It's sweet, mother —I said in shock.
Consequently, Isolde smiled and became excited.
—Really? Wow, Mikhail, that's amazing. At least it's now certain that you can understand and feel the magic.
I didn't see much point in detecting magic with my tongue, but I continued with the following tests.
Isolde moved on to the next object: a flower. According to her, this flower was called Magiacelis. It was a plant with blue petals with white edges, delicate as frosted glass. Its cultivation required a constant flow of magic, and so it only bloomed in the hands of sorcerers. Its properties made it very valuable: used in potions to relieve coughs, soothe the pain of deep cuts, and even accelerate healing.
I had seen it before, and, according to Isolde, it emitted no odor... but when I approached it for the next test, I said:
—Mother, this flower smells like the perfume you use.
Surprised, Isolde, without even explaining the test to me, shouted with excitement:
—Two down!
As if she were sure that she would have more magical senses, she immediately went on to the next test.
—Luckily, I can apply this test for you. Normally, we would have to hire someone with a sense of taste for this.
—Why?
—Because I have a sense of taste," he said proudly. Well... actually I have four out of the five senses.
—Ohhh…
Four senses? Already, having two senses, or even sight, is rare... Isolde, my mother, had four of the five senses. No wonder, from time to time, she acted so proudly: she had what it took.
Isolde proceeded to cover my eyes and said:
—The next test is to see if you have a sense of hearing. For now, I am going to cover your eyes and proceed to recite an incantation silently. If you hear anything, just repeat.
—OK.
With my eyes covered and raising my thumb as a sign that I was ready, I indicated to Isolde that she could continue.
Seconds passed, and I heard nothing. I think it was a couple of minutes before Isolde removed my blindfold. As I looked at her, I noticed that she looked... cleaner? Or rather, in better physical condition. However, her expression reflected a slight disappointment. Exactly: the hearing test had failed.
Nevertheless, I didn't see her discouraged at all. For my part, I didn't feel bad either; I already had two out of five senses, and with that, I could do magic. If it were up to me, we'd call it a day... but there were still two tests left. Although, to be honest, I could only see one object on the table.
By the way, the spell my mother cast in silence was a revenge spell, she told me later.
After the failed ear test, we moved on to crystal.
My mother, as with the salt, imbued it with magic. At first glance, I saw it the same way as before, but there was something strange. Before I could mention it, Isolde took the stone and channeled light magic through it.
The beam split into several colors, forming a prismatic spectrum like that of a rainbow... but there was something else. A color I couldn't identify. Blue? No... violet? More like... red? No, neither... It was a shade I had never seen before, similar to chrome, but with a hue impossible to describe. I almost got dizzy trying to give it a name.
—What do you see? —Isolde asked.
I told him about that strange color, and as I had suspected since the salt test, I also possessed the sense of sight. Although, for now, that mysterious hue was too overwhelming for me.
Isolde, my mother, looked elated with excitement, and just as she was celebrating, Edrick, my father, arrived.
—I am back —Edrick said as he entered—. What are they doing?
He gave him a sidelong glance and, realizing the situation, took a step back as if trying to disappear quietly. I don't blame him; surely he had already noticed that his dear wife had spent the whole afternoon doing experiments on his son and, knowing her, as obsessed as she was with magic, it was certain that she was going to drag him into the scene.
Edrick tried to move back a little further, almost reaching the door, but Isolde's voice stopped him as if she had cast a spell.
—Perfect, just in time... you're going to help too.
The poor man let out a resigned sigh.
It seems that Edrick, my father, will be the one to apply the next test to me. It is relatively simple, and I understand the logic: he will apply magic to his entire body, a very common technique among warriors to enhance their physical capabilities.
—Okay, son, I'm going to show you how to do this. It's going to be a little difficult, but since your mom told me that you can see the magic, it might be easier for you. You're going to concentrate all your magic around your palm, just like me.
I focused on what he was doing and carefully watched as a kind of luminous blanket covered his hand. It was the same strange color I had seen before, that shade impossible to define. As I paid closer attention, I noticed that in fact the hue was present all over his body, albeit faint, but on the palm it was much more intense, as if energy was swirling there.
«Impressive... so this is what magic looks like when concentrated.»
I took a deep breath, trying to imitate it. I imagined the energy gathering in my palm, I visualized the strange color... I tried to force it, to channel it, to push it into my hand...
...Nothing happened.
«Damm it…»
It was obvious: he didn't explain how to do it, he just told me what to do. And as vague as he was, I was sure I wouldn't accomplish anything.
—Father... how do I do this?
—Didn't your mother teach you that? —Edrick replied, giving Isolde a look of irony and a half-smirk—. Weren't you a genius at these things?
—I told you that you would be the one to give him the test, so you must teach him everything.—Isolde replied, with the same mocking tone as one who passes the buck to avoid responsibility.
In the end, Isolde admitted that she had not taught me how to release magic because she did not know how much I had, and she wanted to keep me from passing out.
Edrick was silent for a few seconds, arms folded and staring at the ground, until he looked up with an expression that did not bode well.
—I think I have the solution...
Isolde and I stayed the same: heads bowed, eyebrows raised, and an invisible question mark hovering above our heads.
—Are you going to tell me if you feel hot —He said, suddenly.
Before I could react, my lord father took my hand and placed it on his forearm. As soon as he did so, I noticed that it began to radiate a gentle warmth... which gradually increased.
At first, it was pleasant, like a blanket in winter, but within seconds it began to burn as if it were touching a kettle fresh from the fire.
—Damn it! —instinctively withdrew his hand.
Edrick let out a laugh and looked at me, satisfied.
—Perfect, that means you feel the flow of magic when it comes in contact with you. Welcome to the club of those who can use touch.
Isolde rushed over to check my condition, but not before reflexively giving my father a hard punch. I think I saw magic in that fist. By the way, Edrick was left lying on the floor.
At least today was productive: I discovered that I have four of the five sensations, just like Isolde... only she doesn't have the sense of smell, and I do. Maybe I'm someone special.—I put on a proud face— I already feel like I look like Isolde.
«Today was productive. I can't wait to start reading that magic book that I didn't understand before, because it was compressed.»
By the time I realized it, I had already fainted. The tests exhausted all the reserves of magic in this little body. In the end, Isolde was right.