There was no one around when Gellar arrived in front of Freedom’s Peak, which served as the perfect excuse for her to shimmy up the face of the building and knock on the shutters of the room where the mix of divine and demonic magic was coming from.
When the shutters swung open, there was a gun and a sword pointed at her. “Good evening,” she said. “Do I have the correct room?”
“Gellar?” Kalender asked. Gellar took off the blindfold. “That is indeed my name.”
The gun and the sword retracted back into the room, and Gellar welcomed herself inside. She was careful not to land directly on the mattress on the floor.
Holding off on commenting about how sad their living conditions were, she homed in on the goddess in the room. Minimine only gave a nod, a sign which Gellar greatly appreciated. Page, on the other hand, was still on the bed, sitting up against the wall, and curled up in a blanket. The girl was a little surprised, but also curious … and pretty.
Page looked up at her and blinked. Gellar blinked back. “Is it her?” she asked.
“This is Page,” Kalender said. “Page, this is Gellar.”
“Why are your eyes like that?” Page asked. “They’re pretty.”
W-what wording! Gellar was a yellow demon, a member of a proud race who excelled in controlling emotions, but her control almost slipped there. “I’m a special doctor with special eyes,” she said in as controlled a fashion as she could manage.
“I’ve never heard of”—
“I see,” Gellar cut her off, squinting and looking over different parts of her body. She turned to Kalender. “Wisdom of Three, was it?”—Kalender nodded—“I see. Three is a prolific personality known to us ‘doctors,’ although not much is known about the woman herself. Nevertheless, this ‘Wisdom’ can only be a customized form of”—she looked to Kalender, and then to Minimine. This next bit of information was heavily regulated, something that a simple girl like Page didn’t need to know. To her surprise, however, both Kalender and Minimine nodded. “...Demonic empathy magic, something which she is famous for.”
‘Customized’ ? Kalender only managed to open his mouth when Gellar interrupted him, “This form of demonic empathy magic is actually much more palatable than the normal, rest assured. In any case…” She looked over to Page again, making sure of her initial readings. “Very good. She has only been in Stage 2 for a short time. Stage 3 won’t be due for around two weeks, and so you have all the time in the world to practice magic control.”
“Um.” Page raised her hand. “ ‘Stages’ ?”
Gellar cocked an eyebrow. For such a complex magic framework, did Three not bother to leave a manual for her victims? “Most demonic empathy magics do not have stages, but yours does, and for good reason.
“There are four stages. First is when you are made capable of directly observing emotions. Second is when you are able to manipulate emotions. Third is when you are able to reinforce or decouple emotions, and fourth is when you are able to work with System magic in-tandem.”
Kalender saw Page was wide-eyed. Everything after the first stage sounded like a bomb waiting to go off. He looked to Gellar. “Those sound dangerous.”
“In the wrong hands, it very much is,” Gellar said. She looked to Page, the poor thing. “As long as you train and nurture her, there will be no one better to trust with it.”
“Is there…” Page struggled to get the words out. “How can I control it?”
Even now, even with Page’s efforts, Gellar could see the way Minimine had had to use her own magic to keep things in check—not that it was dangerous at all at the moment, but a magical blast shield to keep emotional flares from going awry was still quite the assurance.
There were several ways to control demonic empathy magic, but Gellar settled on the one that looked like it would benefit this group the best. “Focus on the emotions of the person in front of you,” she said.
“That’s...that’s it?” Page said. “Do I have to focus really hard, or”—
Gellar shook her head. “No need.”
Huh. Page shook her head ... then shook her head again. That was just too easy, wasn’t it? Well, Gellar was the expert here. Thinking it rude to not even give it a shot, Page looked at Kalender, but a little shyly. He knew what she meant to do. He turned to Minimine, who nodded to him and turned to Page in confirmation.
Page focused on the dancing lights around Kalender. It was a sort of dirty white and stained yellow—worry, was it? Minimine eased her own magic, letting Page handle all control---though, Kalender couldn’t help but chuckle at how Page’s face was all crimped from focusing too hard.
He looked to Minimine. “Is she managing it all now?”
“All relinquished,” she said. “Page is in control.”
Upon hearing those words, Page smiled as bright as she could be---thereby losing focus, and now her joy infected everyone in the room, except Gellar. It only took a few seconds before Kalender and Jyn realized the happiness they were feeling wasn’t entirely theirs. Their bewildered looks was enough of a signal for Page to realize it herself a few moments later.
“This is tricky.” She nervously chuckled to herself.
“Focusing on others when you have lived your life mainly inside your mind is a challenge,” Gellar said, “but not a unique one. Many have tread this path before you. You can hardly fail.”
Page was taken aback. ‘When you have lived your life mainly inside your mind’ was not something she expected to hear about herself today. “Thanks?” Page said. “I’ll---er---practice as much as I can.”
“This can go without saying, but hide your magic as much as possible,” Gellar said, eyeing not only Page, but also Kalender, Jyn, and even Lilia who was listening from the door. “There are ‘doctors’ with a dulled attachment to the world. Do not be found by them.”
Kalender gulped. They even had demons as enemies? He couldn’t do anything against that!
Jyn glanced at him. Right. That’s why he was training. He wasn’t strong now, but he never would be if he didn’t put his heart into surviving in this world. He wasn’t alone, either, and really, he wouldn’t have the courage otherwise. There was something he had to do, and, it felt to him, that if the entire world were asked, “Who here would fight the curse,” that he’d be the only one who’d raise his hand.
The gulf between what he wanted to do, and what he could do, couldn’t be wider---but this was what he’d decided.
“Thank you,” he said to Gellar.
“Of course”---she offered a bow to him, to Jyn, and a deeper bow for Minimine. She paused, though, and turned back to Page. “Librarian Turner, if we see each other again, call me ‘Doctor.’ Should we have the affordances of privacy, you may ask me about your magic at that time.”
She stood by the window sill, but before she made her exit, she looked back to ask one last question. “Do you all really sleep in the same bed?”
What she saw through her demon eyes was an explosion of colors and an amusing variety of nonverbal reactions: Jyn looking away in shy pink, Page hiding a smile under her arms in a warm orange lake, and Kalender erupting in power-up yellows from his feet with two thumbs up raised barely higher than his hip. “Yep,” he said.
Gellar nodded. She jumped out, asking a column of air to cushion her landing on the pavement below.
The Wisdom of Three, huh. She’d need to keep close tabs on this one.
There was no one around when Gellar arrived in front of Freedom’s Peak, which served as the perfect excuse for her to shimmy up the face of the building and knock on the shutters of the room where the mix of divine and demonic magic was coming from.
When the shutters swung open, there was a gun and a sword pointed at her. “Good evening,” she said. “Do I have the correct room?”
“Gellar?” Kalender asked. Gellar took off the blindfold. “That is indeed my name.”
The gun and the sword retracted back into the room, and Gellar welcomed herself inside. She was careful not to land directly on the mattress on the floor.
Holding off on commenting about how sad their living conditions were, she homed in on the goddess in the room. Minimine only gave a nod, a sign which Gellar greatly appreciated. Page, on the other hand, was still on the bed, sitting up against the wall, and curled up in a blanket. The girl was a little surprised, but also curious … and pretty.
Page looked up at her and blinked. Gellar blinked back. “Is it her?” she asked.
“This is Page,” Kalender said. “Page, this is Gellar.”
“Why are your eyes like that?” Page asked. “They’re pretty.”
W-what wording! Gellar was a yellow demon, a member of a proud race who excelled in controlling emotions, but her control almost slipped there. “I’m a special doctor with special eyes,” she said in as controlled a fashion as she could manage.
“I’ve never heard of”—
“I see,” Gellar cut her off, squinting and looking over different parts of her body. She turned to Kalender. “Wisdom of Three, was it?”—Kalender nodded—“I see. Three is a prolific personality known to us ‘doctors,’ although not much is known about the woman herself. Nevertheless, this ‘Wisdom’ can only be a customized form of”—she looked to Kalender, and then to Minimine. This next bit of information was heavily regulated, something that a simple girl like Page didn’t need to know. To her surprise, however, both Kalender and Minimine nodded. “...Demonic empathy magic, something which she is famous for.”
‘Customized’ ? Kalender only managed to open his mouth when Gellar interrupted him, “This form of demonic empathy magic is actually much more palatable than the normal, rest assured. In any case…” She looked over to Page again, making sure of her initial readings. “Very good. She has only been in Stage 2 for a short time. Stage 3 won’t be due for around two weeks, and so you have all the time in the world to practice magic control.”
“Um.” Page raised her hand. “ ‘Stages’ ?”
Gellar cocked an eyebrow. For such a complex magic framework, did Three not bother to leave a manual for her victims? “Most demonic empathy magics do not have stages, but yours does, and for good reason.
“There are four stages. First is when you are made capable of directly observing emotions. Second is when you are able to manipulate emotions. Third is when you are able to reinforce or decouple emotions, and fourth is when you are able to work with System magic in-tandem.”
Kalender saw Page was wide-eyed. Everything after the first stage sounded like a bomb waiting to go off. He looked to Gellar. “Those sound dangerous.”
“In the wrong hands, it very much is,” Gellar said. She looked to Page, the poor thing. “As long as you train and nurture her, there will be no one better to trust with it.”
“Is there…” Page struggled to get the words out. “How can I control it?”
Even now, even with Page’s efforts, Gellar could see the way Minimine had had to use her own magic to keep things in check—not that it was dangerous at all at the moment, but a magical blast shield to keep emotional flares from going awry was still quite the assurance.
There were several ways to control demonic empathy magic, but Gellar settled on the one that looked like it would benefit this group the best. “Focus on the emotions of the person in front of you,” she said.
“That’s...that’s it?” Page said. “Do I have to focus really hard, or”—
Gellar shook her head. “No need.”
Huh. Page shook her head ... then shook her head again. That was just too easy, wasn’t it? Well, Gellar was the expert here. Thinking it rude to not even give it a shot, Page looked at Kalender, but a little shyly. He knew what she meant to do. He turned to Minimine, who nodded to him and turned to Page in confirmation.
Page focused on the dancing lights around Kalender. It was a sort of dirty white and stained yellow—worry, was it? Minimine eased her own magic, letting Page handle all control---though, Kalender couldn’t help but chuckle at how Page’s face was all crimped from focusing too hard.
He looked to Minimine. “Is she managing it all now?”
“All relinquished,” she said. “Page is in control.”
Upon hearing those words, Page smiled as bright as she could be---thereby losing focus, and now her joy infected everyone in the room, except Gellar. It only took a few seconds before Kalender and Jyn realized the happiness they were feeling wasn’t entirely theirs. Their bewildered looks was enough of a signal for Page to realize it herself a few moments later.
“This is tricky.” She nervously chuckled to herself.
“Focusing on others when you have lived your life mainly inside your mind is a challenge,” Gellar said, “but not a unique one. Many have tread this path before you. You can hardly fail.”
Page was taken aback. ‘When you have lived your life mainly inside your mind’ was not something she expected to hear about herself today. “Thanks?” Page said. “I’ll---er---practice as much as I can.”
“This can go without saying, but hide your magic as much as possible,” Gellar said, eyeing not only Page, but also Kalender, Jyn, and even Lilia who was listening from the door. “There are ‘doctors’ with a dulled attachment to the world. Do not be found by them.”
Kalender gulped. They even had demons as enemies? He couldn’t do anything against that!
Jyn glanced at him. Right. That’s why he was training. He wasn’t strong now, but he never would be if he didn’t put his heart into surviving in this world. He wasn’t alone, either, and really, he wouldn’t have the courage otherwise. There was something he had to do, and, it felt to him, that if the entire world were asked, “Who here would fight the curse,” that he’d be the only one who’d raise his hand.
The gulf between what he wanted to do, and what he could do, couldn’t be wider---but this was what he’d decided.
“Thank you,” he said to Gellar.
“Of course”---she offered a bow to him, to Jyn, and a deeper bow for Minimine. She paused, though, and turned back to Page. “Librarian Turner, if we see each other again, call me ‘Doctor.’ Should we have the affordances of privacy, you may ask me about your magic at that time.”
She stood by the window sill, but before she made her exit, she looked back to ask one last question. “Do you all really sleep in the same bed?”
What she saw through her demon eyes was an explosion of colors and an amusing variety of nonverbal reactions: Jyn looking away in shy pink, Page hiding a smile under her arms in a warm orange lake, and Kalender erupting in power-up yellows from his feet with two thumbs up raised barely higher than his hip. “Yep,” he said.
Gellar nodded. She jumped out, asking a column of air to cushion her landing on the pavement below.
The Wisdom of Three, huh. She’d need to keep close tabs on this one.
