Chapter 135 - Ask A Vague Question And Receive An Und.e.s.i.r.ed Answer

The Unawakened - A Comprehensive Analysis

Since time immemorial, there have been those amongst the beings of the sentient races who were found to be unable to learn to use any kind of magic. Even after the descent of the gods, this didn't change - they couldn't obtain a Magic after being blessed with a Falna either. Races that are usually highly attuned to magic, like the High Elves, aren't immune to this either. They would also occasionally have one or two of such individuals appear.

Only after inquiring with many a deity did we mortals finally begin to understand as to why this was the case. The gods called these people 'the Unawakened', referring to their inherent magical capabilities not having been awakened yet. This, however, resulted in more questions than answers.

As a small number of people are found to have magical capabilities, even right after being born, this led to the majority of magic researchers considering one particular possibility. Whatever it was that awakened a person's magical potential, it could happen while they were still in the w.o.m.b, but also later in life. For quite a few years, huge amounts of effort were concentrated on pursuing this train of thought.

One day, however, a primordial god of magic blessed us with a revelation. All beings of the sentient races had been reincarnated countless times, and nearly all awakenings had taken place in everyone's previous lifetimes.

So far, only one possible way for awakening the Unawakened has been identified: Using a grimoire.

Therefore, dear reader, as one who has obtained such an invaluable opportunity, should you wish to obtain a Magic of your own and become whole, please ask yourself this: What is magic to you?

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"It's the one stat that I haven't gained any excelia in yet. It still remains at 0 even to this day, and I don't know why."

This unexpected answer caused Aselina's mirror self to widen its eyes in disbelief, and to fall silent for a while. It stared at the greyish-white haired raccoon girl as if it was looking at an idiot, before an understanding smirk played across its lips.

'So it turns out that you're an Unawakened. That adequately explains why your first answer to this question of mine was one of such peculiarity. Now, let me ask you again, aside from what you have just stated, what is magic to you?'

Still wearing an icy expression as always, the absentminded Aselina seemed to be confused for a moment, before her mind settled on a second appropriate response.

"It's a method of combat that is most reliable when fighting as a member of a party. In any one versus one - or one versus many - scenario, it's a shortcut to an untimely death. The reason for this is the highly inefficient chant system, which leaves countless openings for strong enemies to exploit."

Apparently, that was not the reply that the mirror self had wanted to hear either. Upon the usually not-very-expressive face that it was mimicking, a vein on the forehead had started to throb. By this point, it had clearly become annoyed. Just how little fascination for magic as a whole did this awkward child have? And why did she have to mock the chant based system that countless beings had taken for granted all this time?

"Again, for the third time. Aside from what you have told me the previous two times, please tell me, what is magic to you?"

It took even longer for the raccoon girl to come up with an answer. For minutes on end, the two simply stared at each other in silence - one exuding a lot of patience, and the other deep in subconscious thought. Finally, Aselina's eyes sparkled a little, as if she had just found a light switch after stumbling around helplessly in a dark room.

"It's a method which is used to manipulate a certain kind of energy that is omnipresent in this world - namely, mana."

Utterly unimpressed, the mirror self shook its head. A slight scowl had begun to show itself. Still, it kept calm in the end.

'That is not your own understanding, you are simply regurgitating the words of someone else. What I need you to tell me is what you yourself think about this matter. So, for the last time, aside from what you have told me the previous three times, and ignoring anything that you have not comprehended yourself, what is magic to you?'

The following silence lasted far, far longer than the one before. Even the self in the mirror began to grow impatient, even a bit worried. Could it be possible… that this problem child honestly had never thought about magic in the way that was required for the grimoire's effects to work?

Fortunately, the wait didn't last forever, and the mirror self's speculations turned out to not have been the truth. Aselina finally found another answer, in the farthest reaches of her mind.

"It's an additional kind of strength to make use of to overcome one's opponents."

Clearly relieved, a bright smile spread on the mirror self's lips. Considering that it possessed Aselina's face, however, this expression appeared a little unnatural… or rather, unusual. It surely would have charmed quite a few people should they have had the chance to bear witness to it, though.

'Good, good! That is what I wanted to hear. Then let me ask you the second question. Why do you want to obtain this strength?'

This time, the raccoon girl's response was immediate. The reflection in the mirror didn't even have an opportunity to show her a different scenery to help her along.

"To become stronger."

Yet again, she had successfully stunned the mirror self into silence. In incredulity, it muttered to itself.

'She wants to obtain strength to become stronger. And to become stronger, she wants to obtain strength. It's… so simple and straightforward. So… pure?'

After a short pause to gather itself, the self in the mirror decided to continue on, as it felt that there would be no point in trying to obtain a better answer. Accompanied by a sigh, the mirror suddenly began to show the homeland of Aselina's tribe, and her childhood.

It replayed the events that had led up to the fall of the ancestral land, and the series of tragic incidents which followed it. Even the young girl's journey towards Orario was included.

All that time, Aselina clenched her fists tightly, strong emotions bubbling underneath her frozen expression. When the mirror's reflection returned to normal, she elaborated on her previous answer. If Isaac had been here, then he would have found her words to be very familiar.

"I want to become stronger, so that I don't have to suffer through such tragedies ever again."

Next to the mirror self, the small figure of a younger Aselina, one that was not even seven years old, appeared, before just as suddenly exiting the picture again after a resolute nod. What took its place was an Aselina that was maybe three years younger than her current self - 15. It faced its actual self with a cold glare bordering on disgust.

'So, you've given up on your d.e.s.i.r.e to become the strongest just like that?'

The raccoon girl only nodded calmly.

"Yes."

This response sharpened the dangerous glint in her younger self's eyes, its tone of voice far more hostile and desperate than before.

'How could you!? Have you lost all of your ambition? Without becoming the strongest, you will suffer again!'

Instead of growing panicked, Aselina shook her head and replied in a matter-of-fact way.

"I won't. The only ones who I know I won't be able to beat in my lifetime, no matter what, are milord and milady, and they would never hurt me."

'Don't you think your blind belief in them is misplaced? It is likely that they will not live up to your expectations.'

Scarily unperturbed, the raccoon girl shook her head and shot the younger girl a look of undisguised pity.

"Only because you don't know milord, and how much he has changed milady, do you think this way. You wouldn't act any differently in my shoes."

Furrowing its brows, the younger self looked deep in thought for a while, before returning to Aselina's standard expression. With that seemingly emotionless frosty look on her face, it gave its older self a nod, before fading out of existence.

Again, the one facing her was only her mirror self, and another inquiry was made.

'What kind of power will allow you to overcome your obstacles and the agony that you fear so much?'

"Invulnerability. It will shield me from harm, and take my opponents by surprise. With it, I will be able to employ far more varied combat strategies. By forsaking a part of my defense, my offensive power will soar."

Although she wanted to become stronger, that didn't mean that she simply chased after physical power. 'Being strong', to her, only meant that one could defeat their opponents. As for how exactly one accomplished this, that wasn't actually important. Admittedly, her wish to obtain a way to become invulnerable was partially motivated by her d.e.s.i.r.e to avoid suffering, but that was only a minor reason as to why she had ultimately chosen this path. What she had told the being in the mirror, those were the main ones.

'A sensible choice. Looks like I didn't end up disappointing myself after all.'

With an amused and somewhat relieved smirk, the mirror self excused itself from the stage, allowing the raccoon girl's mind to come to a rest.

-----

The next sensation that entered her mind was a certain wetness on her face, which left her at a loss. With heavy eyelids, she raised her head and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, groaning in a bit of pain. Only now did she realize that she had been napping in a very uncomfortable position.

A few hours earlier, she and Mina had convened in the Chienthrope girl's room, where both had sat down on the bed and pulled out their grimoires. They had felt it to be more secure to tackle this together, so if anything untowards ended up happening, they would be able to support each other.

Before she had started to read her grimoire, Aselina had sat down cross-legged and rested the book on her t.h.i.g.hs. When she had fallen asleep… she had ended up leaning forward, until her face had been planted right in the pages of the book. Because of this, her back now ached a little, and felt strained. As for the source of the wetness that she had felt? It was her own drool, which had soaked through quite a few of the book's pages.

Her unusually white cheeks reddened a little and she hastily wiped her face clean, then she looked towards her right, at her friend Mina. What greeted her… was quite the embarrassing display. The dog girl had apparently laid down on the bed, grasped her grimoire and held it overhead, reading it in the same manner that some people from Isaac's old world would check new messages on their phone before going to bed. And needless to say, the exact thing which was usually prone to happen in these cases had indeed occurred - the heavy book had left her grip, and was now covering her face.

Smiling slightly, Aselina picked it up and placed it right next to her friend, then she shook Mina's shoulders a little, trying to awaken her.

She waited for a bit, but nothing happened. A bit concerned, she then shook her somewhat harder.

"Mina, wake up."

Yet again, there was no change in the dark-blonde haired girl's state. Her breathing remained as steady as ever, as if Aselina's words and actions simply hadn't reached her.

Frowning a little, the raccoon girl thought back upon what had happened to herself… only to realize that she didn't recall anything that had taken place ever since she had opened her grimoire. Considering how she had awoken from a slumber herself recently, maybe Mina's current state was simply… natural?

With no better alternative, she decided to stay here and watch over her friend for a few hours. If her condition worsened, or if she didn't wake up that entire time, then she would rush to her lord's side to request his assistance with this matter.

Right as she was settling down, a golden drop of Ichor appeared in front of her eyes, and unhurriedly made its way to her back, unlocking her Falna. A familiar sensation enveloped her entire being, and a relieved smile momentarily spread on her lips, thawing the ice.

'If milord can update my Status from afar, then he is surely aware of Mina's current state as well. It seems like she isn't in any danger. That's great!'

Shortly after, the refreshing feeling of obtaining a new power surged within her, and a sheet of paper settled down on the bed, answering all the questions that had just started to emerge within her mind.

[ Pýrgos Aias: (Passive) Increases the user's Strength by 20%.

(Active) Expends mana to construct a bulwark surrounding the user, which will negate a certain amount of damage from physical, magical and mental attacks. The exact amount that will be guarded against depends on how much mana is consumed to construct the bulwark. Will require 50% less focus if activated via the chant.

Chant: "Fortify." ]

A wave of comfort overcame Aselina as she glanced at that last line. She had dreaded a long chant, mostly because it would take up a lot of focus and time during combat to actually deploy the Magic. Her new acquisition was clearly intended to take her enemies aback, or to be used in dangerous situations - usually, those didn't just announce themselves beforehand. A super short chant Magic like this one may not be completely ideal, but it at least didn't suffer from as many drawbacks as any Magics with a longer chant did.

Suddenly, her eyes fell upon the second to last sentence, and realization struck.

'It can be activated without the chant as well?'

Surprise flickered on her face, then she hastily tempered her expectations. Considering that it would require more focus to accomplish the same result, it really wasn't a direct upgrade. In essence, it was just a version of the Magic that could be used in even more dire straits, when she wouldn't even have the opportunity to utter a single word.

'Should I try it once?'

Admittedly a bit excited as well as afraid at the prospect of trying something entirely new, Aselina stood up and distanced herself from every furnishing in the room. She didn't want to accidentally damage them with her Magic. Well, she didn't yet know if that would actually happen, but better safe than sorry. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her nerves and recited the chant, as well as the Magic's name.

"Fortify. Pýrgos Aias!"

Expectantly waiting for something to change, the raccoon girl stayed highly focused, for around a minute or two. But nothing happened. It was at this moment that she realized something vital.

"My Magic stat… is zero. I can't actually cast any Magic."

She wasn't sure whether she should sheepishly bury her head in a pillow or wail in dejection, so in the end, she simply wordlessly stared ahead, her expression a blank one. After a while, she shook her head and chuckled to herself, then she sat down next to Mina again.

It took about ten minutes for her to feel a twinge of boredom, which motivated her to pick up her grimoire once again to read the first few pages a second time. Unexpectedly, this actually managed to cheer her up.

'If I read this correctly, then I should now be able to gain Magic-related excelia. So while I can't cast any Magic at the moment, that will change in the future, so long as I train hard.'

Before she knew it, she was engrossed in the book, but in a different way than before, when its effect had been activated. She didn't realize this, but the words that had requested the reader to ask themselves a question had disappeared, leaving behind only a 'simple', regular book. Aselina, admittedly, didn't understand much of it, but because it seemed like she had been one of those 'Unawakened' - at least before she had read the grimoire - it had piqued her interest and she read it in its entirety, in one sitting.

By the time she was finished and had put the book aside, it was already close to midnight. It was also at this moment that the lovely Chienthrope girl next to her finally opened her eyes.

"Mina! How do you feel? Is everything okay?"

Mostly at ease due to her friend's return to the world of the non-sleeping, Aselina rattled off a few uneasy questions, before realizing that Mina had to be very confused right now. Maybe overloading her brain with all of those inquiries wasn't the best idea.

However, contrary to Aselina's expectations, her friend's eyes were devoid of any bewilderment and only showed gratefulness for her concern.

"I'm fine, just a bit annoyed. I hope I don't have to meet that being in the mirror again."

Now it was the raccoon girl's turn to blink perplexedly.

"Umm… what are you talking about?"

Frowning slightly, Mina sat up and sized up her friend, as well as the book that was next to her.

"You obtained a Magic from your grimoire, right? To do so, you also had to interact with a being in a mirror, correct?"

Innocently, Aselina shook her head. She had no idea what her friend was talking about.

"I don't know. I don't recall anything that happened after I started to read the grimoire."

Mina's eyes widened, then she seemed to come to some sort of realization and her mood worsened.

"I knew it, that being isn't to be trusted. Why else would they erase the memories of someone that met them? Wait, hold on, why do I remember them, then?"

A bold guess surfaced in Aselina's mind, so she cautiously wagered it.

"Maybe it was only a dream? After all, you fell asleep, right? It's possible that whatever you believe that you saw… is just something that your mind made up."

Helplessly, Mina shrugged. Yes, she hadn't thought of that possibility before, but it honestly didn't change anything.

"It's possible. But it's also possible that it really happened. Who can say?"

Feeling just as powerless as her friend, Aselina nodded and plopped down on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a while, then she thought of something and turned her head to glance at Mina.

"What did that being to do annoy you anyway?"

Whether or not it had actually been a part of a dream, the raccoon girl was still curious. Usually, her Chienthrope friend was quite docile. Just what could have taken place to affect her like this? She had never even talked badly about the enemies that had ambushed them before - but to be fair, that was probably because they hadn't survived the encounter.

As if she was recalling something unpleasant, Mina furrowed her brows, then she released a pent-up sigh.

"That being constantly asked me question after question, all while putting on the air of someone enlightening an inferior lifeform. That already rubbed me the wrong way, but then it started to spout off ignorant nonsense."

While listening, Aselina nodded along. So far, the encounter definitely sounded like the unpleasant sort - in other words, just as expected. Sometimes, one would meet people that had their noses so high up in the air that they were solely looking at the sky, sparing no effort to observe where it was that they were actually planting their feet. They expected others to serve them willingly and without question, because of an overly inflated ego. Needless to say, running across these sorts of people was never great. She could certainly understand where Mina was coming from.

Up to this point, Aselina had only been calmly sitting at the side, feeling a bit of pity for her friend. All of that changed, however, when the Chienthrope girl's next words reached her raccoon ears.

"Worst of all, it even dared to blaspheme against milord!"

Both girls - usually behaving obediently and appearing like attractive young maidens - suddenly exuded an overwhelming bloodl.u.s.t. The being's behaviour had clearly crossed the line, and touched their reverse scales.