There are four main branches of Powers, these are:
- Magic gifted by a God. Gifted Power
- Magic created by the person. Creation Power
- Magic taught to students. Taught Power
- Subset is contract magic which prevents Taught Power from being used after leaving a job. Governments and Institute have a law that if refused to or unable to remove contract magic that Institute must do it for free.
- Magic stolen from users using spy/infiltration/information techniques. Stolen Power. Cursed to only be able to steal if you learn exactly how to replicate it. Like how a Taught Power is passed down. Stolen Power is not as powerful as it's original.
- The Basics of Mana and Powers.
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Prior to his conviction and plan to start creating Powers, Michael and the Coan’s kept distant. The Coan’s realising that their new house mate had some heavy things to work through. But now, it's more general. Lots more talking and many questions.
After spending a few days reading about Powers and trying to make that Psychokinesis Power, Michael’s run into a wall. It’s hard to visualise something that is not there to begin with. Especially when the mind keeps coming up with new ideas.
An invisible hand lifting the object, how about tendrils instead, how about trying to move air around it, how about… and on and on and on.
Writing the idea down and avoiding feature creep is helping, but the next hardest is trying to move mana. It’s not like people are able to think about moving the blood in their body, they just do. But with magic you’ve gotta push it from inside to outside and then in between shape it to be the right pattern and then move it outside where Power (the god) takes that pattern and creates the effect.
Man I wish magic was more point and shoot than study. I need more brain-power. Or, how about more brains?
Not a mind absorbing, knowledge stealing thing but maybe something like Shadow Clones. They're popular in fiction all over, who hasn’t imagined having more of themselves to help do all the work?
But before I do that, I need something to help me visualise. Actually speaking of Shadow Clones, why not use hand signs?
After some further research and asking some difficult to articulate questions to Malter Coan (the dad). Turns out that hand signs are not uncommon for beginners to use to get a grip on their mana.
Though as Michael cannot really understand most words still it's hard for Epego (the mum) and Malter to articulate to him exactly what he’s doing and what to change.
They can say doing good or not till the Isekai Cows come home but without some more training it’ll be a long time before I can reliably shoot mana outside my body.
Talking to Malter Coan about it some more he nodded and said that he will talk to someone. Meanwhile I’ve been going out for progressively longer walks and eating more high protein foods.
Might help with getting more control over the body and shooting out mana, if not then I get more physically fit. Stick to the schedule!
The next day, just five days after arriving in this world, Malter walks into the kitchen while Michael is having breakfast. Normally he’s already out working till the late afternoon.
“Michael, I have a friend who’s willing to train you. Finish up and we’ll go.”
“One second!”
Devouring the food and taking a massive gulp of water he puts the plates in the dishwasher cupboard thingy they have and walks out with Malter. A short walk along a trail takes us past a few sheds.
Malter takes me to a barn not too far away and introduces me to a few of the local farmers. They mainly fish for food but also they grow plenty of other crops and a sizable animal farm which I haven’t seen just yet.
The barn is filled with some recognisable tools but there are a couple standing out like a large boat with a massive net and a hand lead cart with what looks like a fishing rod and line hanging off the back.
After some quick introductions a late comer arrives to which Malter turns to and grins. “Ah, here he is! Michael, I would like you to meet Aikoki. You had asked about training and there is none better than him to train you.”
“Nice to meet you Mr Aikoki, thanks for agreeing to train me.”
“Ha! Thanks for agreeing to train me, he says. This time next month you’ll be wishing I’d disagreed! And it's just Aikoki to you.”
“Sure thing. Well, I’m all for a challenge mate. And if I can survive having my legs grow 20 meters and age over a thousand years I think I might be able to handle you” Michael replied with a wide grin.
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I can see a few strange looks between the other farmers but Aikoki must have been told I’m an OutWorlder as he barely blinks.
Elbowing Malter in the side he replies “Oh Malter, this is going to be fun! I like this kid, first thing tomorrow we’ll start out. I'll come to fetch you. In the meantime let's let these guys go back to work and we will talk about the Powers you want to create.”
“Sure, I’ve got notes here. Lead the way.”
“Now by the way” says Aikoki as we start walking, “my training speciality is in people vs people, not people vs monsters or animals. You alright with that?”
“Yea sure”
And so Aikoki and Michael sat underneath some tall trees away from the barn, sitting on soft green grass, back against a tree.
“Ok kid, what do you want to do, I should warn you though. You might get lucky with creating one or two but it normally takes years to fully develop a Created Power.”
“Let's take it one step at a time then, the first one is a simple training one that I can expand into multiple abilities. I read that those are called Alaia Powers though back home we call them “Psychic Powers” he explained, pronouncing “Psychic Powers” in English.
“I see.” He replied deep in thought.
“That won’t be too hard to train, there are some steps to do before that but we can definitely give you a baseline to do that quickly.”
“Awesome, the next one is a bit more specific, its best translation that I have at the moment would be “Shadowed Cloned Bodied”. Basically it creates a full duplicate of me which can think and move independently, with access to all my powers with memory and more coming back if the Power is undone.”
Silent, Aikoki looks at Michael like he grew a second head before finally replying when Michael tilts his head.
“Muahaix, you want to recreate or rather create a new version of Muahaix Aiwatito”.
“I figured it wasn’t an original idea, but I’m interested in why you reacted that way”
“Muahaix is the name of another OutWorlder from history, he had a similar Power and won many a fight and war. It's said that during a war of an army versus only him he conjured double their forces and nearly won. He was only defeated after a lone assassin made it into his camp during a pivotal moment when they were distracted and killed him. His entire army disappeared in a single instant. Poof”
“For you to create a Power like this will be very, very interesting. No ones been able to recreate it since, and it's been a long time.”
His voice was almost melancholy and looking up at the tree tops.
“You’d think that something that useful would be recreated, just the other day I was reading about Stolen Powers and Power archeology, guessing how a power works and using cryptic clues to recreate it.”
“Does your reading explain how Stolen Powers work?” he asked, looking back at Michael.
“Sure, it's the opposite of a Taught Power. Where you try to create a copy or your own version of a Power based on the original. When completed it is not as useful as the original.”
“You're half right, but you see if you hear of that Power or even how it works and then try to recreate it then it becomes a Stolen Power. In other words, so long as someone hears of a famous Power that governments don’t want recreated they popularise it.”
“So, even if you just hear about it you just can’t recreate it easily.”
“Yes, Knowledge will let Power know if a person is trying to create a Stolen Power and so Power will limit the possibility of the Power being created. This is slightly different for Power archeology because of the intent behind it.”
“So, Knowledge can read people’s minds?”
“Obviously, but you shouldn't really worry about that, he and his priests keep anything they know secret. It is never shared without express permission or urgent need.”
“Huh, I guess that explains how Abcier was able to speak English. Back to that Mau-Hax guy's Power.”
“Muahaix, but yes I wont be of much help aside from helping you guide the Mana.”
“Thanks, Actually, how am I able to create a Power that I now know is based on a previous Power?”
“It might be different for OutWorlders, I’m not sure. Maybe ask Abcier or Dr Rath next time you see them?”
“Yea I’ll do that, thanks. Well, what's next?”
“I need to go and do some checking and figure out a training plan for tomorrow, in the meanwhile I’ll get you started with trying to visualise your mana. Get comfortable.”
Michael stops leaning against the tree and lies down on the grass.
“Good alright, now close your eyes and try to imagine this: On your cheek there is a pimple that's ready to pop.”
Michael raises an eyebrow while looking up at him, very confused how a pimple has anything to do with mana.
“Lie down again! And stay calm, breathe. Now, here’s what you're gonna do, imagine your tongue pushing the pimple from the inside. That’s what you need to try and do, try and push outwards from a point in your body. Doesn't have to be your cheek but somewhere, Pushing outwards from under your liver is normally the best point.”
“At least for me, liver in the same place?”
Michael points to his liver, eyes still closed.
“Yea, bit lower, yes. Now, try and push. Not too hard, but a constant pressure.”
Like pushing a pimple from the inside. What a strange way to visualise it.
Michael starts by imagining his liver, where Aikoki directed him and tries to imagine a pimple there. Pushing, trying to build up pressure on the area.
“I can see you tensing your stomach muscles, relax, you're not pushing mana out with muscle.”
Releasing the tension, pushing, willing it to move outwards from just that point.
A few minutes go by without much sound except the odd sounds of the birds before he feels something. Like a faint leak, like how you feel a single drop of water roll down your arm, but from a single point.
Whispering Aikoki says “That’s it, nice and slow. I’m putting a crystal near that point that will collect your mana. Keep going, trying to make it bigger and send your mana in. Once you get half empty, stop and go back. I’ll leave you to it.”
The wisp of mana comes into contact with the crystal and is slowly absorbed into it, a light in the forest to aim for. Mana slowly releases, muscles relaxes as Aikoki returns to work with the promise of another day of training tomorrow.