Kiko, was going mad. Grounded was not a problem, she liked helping out in the camp and so she was basically being ‘forced’ to do what she would do anyway. But Eternia seemed to see something that Kiko didn’t, and was getting wild with training. Studying had gone by the wayside, since she had learned everything she could learn about the tricks and secrets that turned Mystical to Mundane. Practical and Practice was where she was for eight hours a day. It was rough on her and sometimes she skipped her Zeldi workout to just collapse on her bed.

  There was no physical impact, but the metaphysical impact was rough, and it was the dichotomy of being physically fine but still exhausted that was messing with her mental equilibrium. Though, at the same time, she couldn’t deny it was awesome to be floating six foot off the air by aeonic inertia, spiraling Mana through her body, and trying to exert it out into the air. So far a failure, but closer every day. She could feel her Soul getting stronger every day, burning just a little bit brighter, bringing her closer to the Second Gate.

  From how she understood it, The Gates were a concept rather than anything that is ‘real’ in a physical sense. The First Gate is opened when you first come into contact with your Mana. The First Gate is what stands between you and Magic, and it is the safeguard that prevents a vast majority of people from dying horribly from rampant magic. It is opened, most of the time, by training in the Art of Magic and spiritual meditation, though magical races in intense stress situations could blow it open accidentally, as in her case.

  The Second Gate is opened with the Manifestation of Mana. Aeonic energy could be condensed into form with enough power, and that condensement opened the Second Gate. Must have been why Eternia was so vigorous about training. It is the gate that stands between you and the auxiliary energy you accumulate through your life. Once opened, a Magus can draw in Aeonic Energy from the surrounding area to recover and empower. It is here that the Aeonic Threshold becomes relevant; too much energy drawn in can burn your existence.

  The Third Gate is opened after you successfully grasp the three Major Pillars of Magic. It is the Gate that stands between your Soul and the Aeonic Current. As opening the Third Gate is a prerequisite for becoming a Second Tier Magus. Once you can tap into the very undercurrent of the Galaxy itself, you are unlimited in the amount of power you can draw, and will never exhaust your supply as Kiko did every day.

  Studying definitely helped as well, because she had read up on The Three Major Pillars of Magic and knew what they were when they were referenced. The first was Terrestrial Magic, which is magic of your own. It is inherently the weakest of the three because a person is limited by their own power and capabilities.

  The second was Celestial Magic, which is magic that comes from prayer, often called Miracles. This was the magic she had used to free the Blue Fae, and it came from Vanaet, casting magic with Kiko as a conduit. She was warned never to cast Terrestrial and Celestial together, as they were opposing energies that conflicted violently.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  The third was Sidereal Magic, which is magic of the stars. The most complex of the three magics, Sidereal Magic requires very specific understanding of stellar constellations, rooting natural Mana through the Ley-Lines from these constellations and then harnessing it into the spell you want to use. In an attempt to ease use, Sidereal Magic had specific “Spells” that could be used, unlike Terrestrial and Celestial Magic which was more freeform.

  Ley-Lines were a part she was struggling with though, their definition was very loose and theoretical, as if the person writing the book didn’t even know what they were precisely. Fortunately, she didn’t need to actually cast anything of Sidereal Magic to unlock her Third Gate, merely grasp it on a conceptual level. And that wasn’t too hard, since her vision was improving to a point she could see the Aeonic energy inside their Star.

  But, Reme wasn’t burned in a day, so after a while of hovering, she dropped to the ground. Boredom aside, Ele was awkwardly standing around, half-hidden behind a tent and trying not to be obvious about looking at Kiko. It was understandable that she was awkward given that their interaction in the last week or so has been to rip into each other with claws and teeth, and Kiko had stopped burning her inhibitions since Eternia took a very dim view on that and she was smart enough that Kiko trusted her on most things.

  Catching Ele’s eye, and then heading over when the woman didn’t scurry away, Kiko would give a smile.

  “...Hi” Kiko said, mentally kicking herself for such a terrible opening but not sure what else to say.

  “...Hello” Ele replied, a soft and demure tone that she had been trying to use more and more lately, but didn’t hide the fact that she was equally nervous and awkward about the whole thing. It was fine when they were just flirting and messing around with each other, but now that moves had actually been made, all that false bravado just melted away.

  Silence dominated for a few moments, before - snatching at anything - Kiko took a breath and spoke.

  “Did Yeni ever tell you why Queenie was here?”

  “....” Ele’s silence continued for a few seconds, but with a pursed lip as if totally confused at the question. “Who’s Queenie?” she finally asked, which made Kiko blush.

  “O-oh, right…She err..Tai’Zian. She made us call her Queenie in SIR for some reason I have yet to discover” Kiko explained.

  “Ahh. No, she never did. We, didn’t talk much” Ele’s comment was soft, her hands wringing together and feet shifting subtly.

  “R-Right” Kiko stammered, scratching her head. Reminding her of that time wasn’t the best move on Kiko’s part to get her to open up and branch away from the negativity. “I hope the sex isn’t this bumbling”

  Ele, caught totally off guard by the off-hand comment, stared for a few seconds and then creased up with laughter, leading Kiko to break into giggles herself. Deciding to just put all the harsh emotional stuff aside for a moment and indulge in being a delighted teenager, she’d catch her breath and then hold out her hand,

  “Check this out. I…if it works” Kiko exclaimed, holding out her hand and willing a spark of electricity into being, manifesting her magic with nothing but the desire for it to manifest. A few seconds into this attempt, Ele nodded.

  “That is indeed a very nice looking hand” the sarcasm of the tone was distinct and teasing, which ruined Kiko’s concentration in another bout of laugh.

  “Fine, fine. I’m blowing off magic for today. Let’s go practice hitting things. Fighting with our sanity intact would be a nice change, don’t you think?” Kiko asked, shaking her head at the whole situation and taking off. Ele, seemed to have a little more of an issue with the whole thing and didn’t laugh, but followed anyway.