Master Mage: Ordained Magic: Book Three, page 13
The world’s outrage also spurred what would be known as the Pegasi Accords. A mage government in India wrote it up as a guide in conduct in the stars, defining the rules of dealing with alien races. Which of course, banned enslaving them via magic or other means, and any business deals needed to be above the board.
Not all mage leaders and leadership groups around the world signed, but most did, and the next time there was a Jameson Conroy incident the person would spend the rest of their life in prison. The accords would also let others speak freely, even if bound by a non-disclosure agreement, since it was now against the law around the world. So it seemed unlikely anyone would risk such a plan again.
During that week I also found out they had wanted a portal system for the mining ship, but after hearing my arguments and the ease of landing on Earth and getting back to space without further expenditure, they decided to adopt my solution. Especially since it also included a deflector and solar winds shield. It’d take them a little longer to get around, but nothing in the solar system was more than a day’s spaceflight away, so it wasn’t even a thing.
It was also worth noting they wouldn’t have to install maneuvering thrusters or buy the fuel to run them. It really was the cleaner solution, as well as the total solution, despite how cool portals could be. I suspected they’d still install them though, as a secondary backup, technological thrusters, I mean.
Lastly, I’d been communing with nature the last week, a couple of hours a day. I’d not only communed with insects and plants, but that morning I also communed with a rock. Rocks had nothing to say, being inanimate, but it did let me understand the rock at the deepest levels of reality, an intimate understanding of it below the atomic level.
The last thing I communed with was the sun. Yes, the big fiery ball up in the sky that kept the Earth warm. And that was enlightening, and it finally led to true understanding.
The commune spell was the key, to everything.
I smiled as Gabriella joined me.
“Hey, I have news, big news.”
Her lips twitched, “What did you do?”
I pouted, “Why’d that sound like an accusation?”
She giggled.
I waved carelessly, “I figured out the path of ascension, ready to listen yet?”
She blinked, “You’re messing with me.”
I shook my head, “The gods didn’t hide the path, they stuck it right under our noses in plain sight. It’s the one glyph spell they taught all the mages, regardless of personal beliefs and ambitions.”
She shook her head, “The commune spell?” she asked doubtfully.
Well, no one said the girl wasn’t sharp, she cottoned on fast with that teasing description.
“I’ve been communing with nature lately, driven for a totally different reason originally. Something I noticed when communing was that the glyph forms for that animal, plant, or inanimate object would linger in my mind. At first, I thought it was because I knew the glyphs for those things, but the truth is those glyphs are the definitions of the nature of it. That the commune spell was teaching me something I already knew. That if the gods hadn’t taught me about our universe, communing with all aspects of it, including forces, would’ve gotten me to the same place. In years perhaps, but the same place.”
She frowned, “What are you saying?”
I said, “We were wrong. The glyphs aren’t the language of the gods. The glyphs are the language of the multiverse itself. When we empower a glyph, we’re essentially telling the universe that this matter, energy, or force exists, and the multiverse makes it happen by utilizing the magical energy we provide to it. This is information we can’t share.”
She nodded, “That makes perfect sense, more sense than glyphs being prayers that the gods answer. It also puts the power in our hands directly. So, how is it the path of ascension?”
“I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s logical. I’ve been mulling over it the last week, and I’m sure you’d come to the same conclusions eventually if you tried it. I’m not sure I want to become a demigod, much less a true goddess, so I haven’t purposefully looked for new information. But what if you enhance a light spell with commune? You’d get a sense of its true nature, where it comes from. Then focus on that feeling and knowledge and cast commune again, which would lead to deeper information on the source of light magic, which step by step would lead you to deeper and deeper truths about the plane or planes of light and perhaps even the gods, angels, and demons. Same thing with spells of darkness. We could also learn about the planes of the multiverse that the gods didn’t teach us. Not just light and dark, but others that we don’t even know exist yet.
“Surely, with a thorough understanding of the whole, how to ascend would be implicit and likely obvious.”
Gabriella said in shock, “Holy shit. I think you’re right. I also think you want to see what happens to me first.”
I shook my head, “The truth is I was ready and a master around the same time you were. I delayed the final lesson by a couple of months because I was afraid. I overcame it, obviously, but it’s the same thing now. I’m scared I’ll lose my humanity, lose the connection to Carlos, lose what I love about this existence, if I choose to ascend to another and greater existence.
“So, at the least, I’m procrastinating. I mean, the point is I got the final instructions without your example to give me a sense of surety, it just took me longer to get there. You’re far more impulsive, you know, as well as a bit better with magic.”
She smirked, “Fair. And I was teasing, but thanks for that insight into you.”
I stuck my tongue out.
She snickered, “That’s… what is it that made you go that way, I never even considered using commune on nature, much less inanimate aspects of nature.”
“Aliens. I wanted to see how much of a difference the spell could overcome. I figured if I could reliably communicate with animals, then crossing the language barrier of a merely alien species would be easy for the spell. I figured that out the first day, but like I said the other part tickled at my mind and intrigued me to do more research. The sun doesn’t talk back, but it does have a very interesting nature.”
She giggled, “Okay, I’ll let you know what I figure out. I don’t think knowledge alone will change me, I’d have to embrace that knowledge with action to change myself, wouldn’t I? I’m saying it would be worth learning over your lifetime, so you could make an informed choice when this life is at its end. I might do the same, choose ascension at the end, and not just abandon this life when I’ve barely gotten started. If you wait too long, you may not be able to learn enough to have a choice at the end.”
I replied, “That… I’ll probably do that, I need more time to internalize it all. On a practical note, should we keep any new glyphs between ourselves?”
She grinned, “Absolutely. We can’t share all the glyphs on our part of the multiverse without offending the gods, I imagine that goes double for the ones they didn’t even share with us. I’m taking it as a challenge, to learn what they didn’t teach about the multiverse, and I think they’d approve. Or hope they do, anyway.”
I shrugged, “Also, I can reverse my age now, so I can start studying in eighty years, if I want. In short, it won’t be too late, and it might even take longer than a lifetime to discover all we need to. But I’ll probably do it sooner. A lot sooner, but I’m too chicken to poke my nose in what could be a hornet’s nest, right now.”
She shook her head, “No, you’re messing with me for sure, now.”
I smirked, “Nope, it’s a master spell called life extension, and it removes a year at a time. A very simple master spell, it only took me six hours to make it. I bet there’s a simpler way to do it, a light magic glyph that we don’t know yet, but a simple time reversal in a localized field, with a memory transfer spell to preserve memories, will make us pseudo immortals.”
Her eyes narrowed in thought, then widened, “But… but… that’s so obvious.”
I snorted, “I guess it’s my turn to tease you. I plan to maybe start using it when I look around twenty-five again. Once a year I’ll remove a year. It’s in my private spell book, but I’ll share it with you if you want.”
She waved that away, “I’ve already got it mostly designed in my head, don’t worry about it. It’s also a relief, because I wasn’t sure I’d have enough time to learn all the multiverse in this lifetime, or at least enough to ascend, until now.
“I could see where becoming an immortal demi-god would be hellish, and why you fear it. It would be a clinging to this life and reality, only to see everything and everyone you love pass. But true ascension would be starting a new life, as a more powerful being of true immortality, a life where you’d be letting go of this mortal existence to enjoy a new life. I think that would be much healthier, and not something depressing.”
I tilted my head and thought hard about what she’d just said, which truly did resonate with me, “You know, that insight makes me feel better about the idea, a lot better. I think I will continue to investigate, and the new, instead of just verifying what I already know. I’ll also only use the life-extension spell if I have to in order to complete my education. I want to grow old with Carlos, and see my great grandchildren grow up, before I say goodbye to this life and mortal existence.”
She grinned, “Insight free of charge. Any other miracles you’ve been hiding from me?”
“No, except for a step backwards in regard to the gods of magic. If it is the language of the universe, then how do we empower them by using magic?”
She said, “They may not be the source of the language, but they have to be the conduit that we as mages use to access the power to utilize the glyphs through magic. Without them in our universe, we’d have no access to magic. Perhaps every time we cast a spell and use them as a conduit, they get a tiny bit stronger by leaching an infinitesimal amount of it.”
I sighed, “How did you see it so quickly? You make me feel like an inadequate dunce sometimes.”
She smirked.
“That of course, begs the question if they have access to it and can share that access with mortals that have magical potential, why not just take it directly?”
I frowned, “Rules implicit in the structure of the multiverse that we don’t know about. Maybe the multiverse won’t let them just take it without a purpose within its designed use, so using us to ask the multiverse to create and destroy things, energy, and forces is the only way to tap that power in a way that the multiverse, or the higher gods, will allow. Just speculation, but I suspect if they could do that, they would.
“They certainly aren’t powered by faith, since after the first magical generation dies only a select few master mages will even know of their existence, and fewer still will reach where we are.”
She grinned, “And even less than that will reach where we’re going.”
Yes, ascension. It was tempting, but at the same time I was sure there’d be a cost to it. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to learn all about it, and make an informed decision on the trade-offs. If it was a price that I wasn’t willing to pay, well, being reincarnated into a new life, and living another life as a mage, had an appeal as well. The learning wouldn’t be a complete waste either, since more glyphs meant more magical power.
I had all the time I needed to figure it out, as long as no one came along and killed me, that is. I mean, with the level of my protections accidental death was off the table too. I’d have to be killed, by murder or war, to frustrate those plans.
I’d do my best not to get overly paranoid or cling too strongly to life, that it started to warp who I was as a person…
Chapter Fifteen
War came to Texas that weekend, the call came early morning on Saturday which had me teleporting to the Dallas area. It made sense, that their attack would target Dallas. That area including Ft. Worth and Arlington held half the state’s population, and therefore half the state’s mage population as well.
The tactical consideration was it was done in the hopes they could win fast and have the war half done before the leaders and recruited fighters of other cities could respond. That way they could fight two short battles at two to one odds in their favor, giving them the best chance of success. It was our most likely invasion scenario, so we were more than prepared for it.
It wasn’t a bad plan really, especially considering the leader of all of Louisiana and Oklahoma had no clue at all what he was about to walk into. The Peace master spell was a secret among the leadership only, so no other mage on our side was expecting to get out of a fight save us, much less the enemy’s side of things.
When I arrived at the coordinates given, I moved to stand with the other leaders that had arrived, who were facing off with the enemy. I don’t think I’d mentioned his name yet in this account. Franklin Rhodes was the mage warlord who controlled Louisiana and Oklahoma.
The battle hadn’t started yet, nor would my Peace spell react on intent alone. They had to attack first, since it was a defensive spell. Apparently, they were going to talk first, and that I hadn’t expected at all.
Franklin said, “Have you considered my offer. Surrender now, and none of you have to die, and none of your people will die either.”
I wanted to answer, but we were in Julian’s territory, so it was his show.
Julian said, “I have, and this is my answer. NOW!”
Julian disappeared with a teleport to appear at Franklin’s side, while his people in our ranks turned on us. It was a shock, as the entire area the rest of the Texas leadership stood in was blanketed in hundreds of elementals and elemental spells.
Obviously, Julian had not cast my peace spell here in Dallas, and he was depending on all of us leaders dying, and the knowledge of the spell dying with us. It was a good plan, for a traitorous jackass.
I’m sad to say, my good friends and fellow leaders, Laura, Jacob, and Kevin were instantly torn apart and the pieces incinerated. The only reason Rosa, Brett, Violet, and Jessica had survived was they weren’t standing with the main joint leadership group, they were leading our four contingents of volunteers much farther back.
It also enraged me, which quickly cooled to focused and cold determination. They’d never imagined that both me and Gabriella would survive the area attacks of two hundred elementals and mages of our former allies.
My master protection spell only needed to level up to level eight, out of twenty, so it wasn’t even a close thing. I wasn’t sure how Gabriella had set her protections up, but they were more than good enough to keep her safe as well.
Both of us reacted a split second later by doing the same thing, we both cast the Peace spell in quick succession three times, over the entire Dallas/Ft. Worth and Arlington areas. That was okay, overkill in inactive spells waiting to take over couldn’t hurt.
A split second after that every elemental on the field of battle was banished, and all of Julian’s mages were dispelled as the second wave of their attacks were eaten by the spell as well. Then they were put down, with confusion, trip, and stick.
Amusingly, Franklin and about half his mages were too, as they’d attacked right after Julian’s first surprise attack and betrayal.
“Hold!” I yelled, to our side. Many of those, especially those mages ruled by Laura, Jacob, and Kevin, had cast spells in a rage at the betrayal and deaths of their leaders. Which of course, had them getting put down by the spell too.
If they’d attacked in defense, they’d have been fine, but attacking in a vengeance driven rage had triggered the spell and made them targets.
I said, “Direct our people to dispel the spells on our allies.”
Franklin growled, “What is this? How the hell are you still alive?”
I smirked, “You’ll find out soon enough,” on the first part anyway, I literally couldn’t answer the second part, “I made a promise to take away everything if you attacked us, did Rachel tell you that? Well, I’m about to, right now,” I finished, as I took out my cell phone and updated the shared file, to the version that held the Peace spell.
I waved around, “I just shared this to the world, the master mages in it anyway. There will be no more war, and I’m afraid you’ll have trouble keeping a hold of all those cities you conquered, when they become protected by this master spell. Peace.”
I turned to Julian with a dark scowl on my face, “And you, what the hell were you thinking?”
He shrugged, “Julian’s empire is getting a little big. He offered me all of Texas, as his provincial governor, and if you’d have died in that attack as you should have. More than that your damned spell would be gone too, as well as everyone that learned it. He could’ve eventually ruled the world, while I ruled Texas instead of the soft-hearted idiots like you that I’ve been forced to work with.”
Franklin glared at Julian, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He shrugged again, “It’s a very effective and impossibly powerful spell, as you can see it will end war around the world, shortly, now that it got out. I didn’t cast it, so I figured it’d be fine if they died in the first second of the war. But I was afraid you’d backpedal if you knew about it and decide to leave Texas alone.”
What a jackass. I never even conceived he might betray us in favor of making a deal with a dictator type warlord, and three of my friends had just died because of it. No one else had expected it either. Sadly, and guiltily, I was more upset over what could’ve happened, if my inner circle had been standing with me instead of leading our contingent of mages.
Now the Dallas area would need new leadership, but that was none of my business. Neither was the other three cities, but Kevin, Laura, and Jacob weren’t sole rulers like Julian had been, they were part of a ruling council. So it was up to those councils on if they’d replace them or not.
“What do we do?”
Gabriella said, “Follow the plan.”
I nodded, “That works for the invaders, make fun of them a bit, then send them home to wait out the eight hours. They’ll never come back, or we won’t send them home next time. What about Dallas, they’re not outsiders, and they tried to murder us and followed this idiot into betrayal. I’m not as sanguine about letting that pass, and letting Julian continue to rule here.”
