Introduction to Fire Magic - Supernova Dev

[23:39] The ivory dryad slowly walks up in-front of Calael, gaze cast slightly downwards, and begins shakily speaking to him!

Although, it isn't just her voice that's shaky- her hands are fidgeting awkwardly at her side, and her feet are shifting around.

She begins quietly, and nervously-

"U-uh...your...magic is really, really impressive, Mister C-calael...uh..."

And then her voice picks up a little!

"Do...do you think you...c-could show me how to...uh...use fire magic?

...or...uh...magic at all?"

Her gaze somehow looks further at the ground now.

"I...I don't want to...be unable to do anything if...something like the giant crab show up again.

I...I couldn't do anything..."
(Alesia Elisheva)
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[23:55] Calael had been standing out in the road watching the evening crowds go about their time when Alesia approached. He noted her nervousness and tried to be as reassuring as he could be in order to diminish it.

"Certainly! Pyromancy was something I picked up around your age, it's one of the more basic types of magic that can be taught." The demiangel tilted his head to the side. "If you're new to magic in general, we'll have to start there with trying to find what you're capable of."

Cal turned to Emiri, another fellow fire magi. "Do you want to come along to teach Alesia?"
(Calael Kang)
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[00:06] Calael's tone nearly immediately seems to bolster her courage- although not much. She's still kind of an anxious wreck.

But! She pushes onwards! Amazing.

"I...uh...I-I don't know how to cast magic at all..."

She steps slightly to the side, then back, then to the side again, then back, anxiety taking over her feet.

"I'm sorry..."

And yes, that is a genuinely stated apology.
(Alesia Elisheva)
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[00:14] "Alright, so first thing's first, all magic comes from within." Cal touched his chest with two fingers and gave Alesia another nod of affirmation. "It comes from you mana circuits and your innate ability to utilize them. Pyromancy itself is ah... a bit special, because it comes from what I might call an 'inner flame'." He smirked. It was cliché, but Cal was full of the cliché.

"Don't cringe too much because I said that, because it's true. Anger often times is what most pyromancers draw fuel from, but personally I latch onto determination and willpower, along with the heat of my own star." Cal raised his right hand to show off the runed glove on it. It gave off a distinctly golden glow before a few flames danced about the fingers. "I've mixed my own with the exorcist magic, but any sort of fire is a formidable weapon."

A wave of his hand down to his side put the flames out. "See what you can manage, even if you can't get the fire right this time, I can show you the basics of how to practice until you get it."
(Calael Kang)
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[00:34] The young dryad looks very nervous as Calael begins speaking...

...but then she begins to look confused.

From...within...? That makes a little sense...but...mana circuits...?

What are mana circuits.

This confusion is only compounded by Calael speaking of an 'inner flame'.

Even though she wouldn't've cringed were she fully together- she wouldn't have understood the cliche anyhow- she...is far too confused to do so, focused on trying to decipher his meaning while at the same time collecting MORE words to decipher.

...the ivory youth suddenly realizes that, oh no, this will not be as simple as she was hoping.

She had barely noticed the flame lick around his fingers, and...didn't entirely understand the part about 'exorcist magic'.

...and then he asks her to see what she can manage.

Manage with...with what? Practice with what? Her head dips downwards as she continues downwards on her own destructive spiral...

She asked him to teach her and she can't even understand the first lesson.

What hope does she have to do magic at all, then...?

Although throughtout this entire time time, it was kind of clear she was confused- only now is it apparant something is wrong as she begins to speak-

"I-I'm sorry...I-...I don't understand what you're saying. Not...not about mana circuits, or inner flames, or...or exorcists magics..."

The ivory dryad pauses for a moment to sniffle, and now Calael might notice something- that the young girl is crying. Over...not understanding something.

...despite definitely having issues understanding magic, it's...kind of clear there are some other issues in play too.

Emotional ones.

What is wrong with this useless child.
(Alesia Elisheva)
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[00:41] Cal blinked.

"You don't have to apologize, Alesia. I should take a step back from explaining and try to just... show." He nodded again and took a few steps forward. The demiangel raised his hand a second time. "Now, try this. Focus on your power within. Don't think about anything else I'm saying or the other instructions I've given. Don't think about the parts you don't understand."

Fire ignited along Calael's arm a second time. "Focus on how you felt when the crab showed up and attacked everyone. Focus not on your fear, but the idea that you wanted to defend who yourself and your friends. Imagine the crab coming at you right now and just--"

The fire flared brightly in the night air of the forest. "Push outward."
(Calael Kang)
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[01:00] Despite having been utterly wrecking herself emotionally, Calael's words manage to soothe her- at least, enough for her to listen.

She's still crying quietly, but...she listens.

Her eyes widen as his arm ignites- which draws her out of the depths of her emotions long enough to reign them in. For now.

Don't...don't think about what else he's said...? Just...focus on her 'power within'?

But...she doesn't...

The dryad shakes her head, entirely to herself- and the tears have stopped now. Focus. Focus. Don't...think about...just focus.

She closes her eyes, and tenses- eyelids squinted tight in concentration...

And then does as he directs!

She pushes, imagining quite vividly the image of the giant enemy crab attacking her, and her friends- the despair of being unable to do anything to stop it...

...no, not just despair. The rage. The rage at being unable to do anything to help her friends. The rage at feeling entirely useless, at being knocked aside by a stray beam of water. And the desire to protect her friends, and her family, and her new home- not that her old one could be called a home.

And suddenly...her body alights with fire. Pale, weak, yellow flames...but flames nonetheless.

Her eyes open soon after, and Calael would be able to perceive some of those emotions behind her eyes.

-although that quickly vanishes as she realizes that she's on fire oh no this is bad why is she on fire.

These new thoughts subsequently cause the fire surrounding her to vanish almost immediately as she goes about batting them away from her body.
(Alesia Elisheva)
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[01:13] Cal's smile went wide when Alesia's fire burst outward. Part of him was wondering if she was a non-magi, maybe incapable of tapping into any such magic at all, up until she succeeded in following his directions. She had learned the most important thing about pyromancy, and that was that the fire was coming directly from her emotions and heart rather than a direct and intentional focus of the mind.

But she was still panicked.

"Oh! This is good, don't worry, don't worry! Your own fires can't harm you." Which was only partially true. Fire magi normally didn't have to worry about burning their bodies, but it didn't mean that they could be completely careless when it came to wielding their spells.

"You did it!" he said as her fires vanished. "But there you go. That's what you have to practice now to get better at it; latch onto that feeling and learn how to control it without fear. It's a start though, and that's what matters."
(Calael Kang)
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[01:39] Once the fires have sufficiently faded from her form, and Calael's reassurance sets in, the dryad manages to stop panicking.

Mostly. She's still nervous. She...has no idea how she did that. And that makes her uncomfortable.

Then again, a lot of things make her uncomfortable.

Luckily enough, though- she's feeling a lot less anxious now that she's actually done it. Even though, as noted...she doesn't understand it at all yet.

Progress. It's progress.

She nods once, a genuine smile across her features as she looks at Calael- apparently, all the negativity previously plaguing her has, for the moment, been banished from her thoughts.

"I- I did it! I...I actually did..."

There is disbelief aplenty in her voice- but also joy. Pure joy.

...and then a slightly nervous look crosses her face.

"C-control that...oh...okay...I...I'll try really hard! To...to do well. So. I can protect everyone.

...t-thank you, Mister Calael."

She pauses a moment, and an embaressed look crosses her face.

"A-and...I'm sorry about earlier..."

The young dryad is. Definitely referring to her minor breakdown.
(Alesia Elisheva)
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[01:39] Calael Kang says, "Again! There's nothing to apologize for Alesia."
[01:40] Calael Kang says, "You're doing well, better than expected, even."
[01:40] Alesia Elisheva says, "...I-I am? I..."
[01:40] Alesia pauses a moment, her mouth open as she goes to say she isn't...then she realizes she didn't really expect being able to do anything. Oh.
(Alesia Elisheva)
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[01:41] Alesia Elisheva asks, "I...still don't know how I did that...w-what if...it happens and I hurt someone...?"
[01:41] Alesia is definitely distressed about that thought. Although she's distressed about a lot of things.
(Alesia Elisheva)
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[01:41] Calael Kang says, "Try to control it first, before you do it around others."
01:41] Calael Kang asks, "If you practice near the beach it might help, just in case, you know?"
[01:41] Alesia Elisheva says, "Okay. O-okay. I can do that."