Bonus Chapter: First Lessons on Arcane Lore

And so, Haalfrin begins in earnest his life as the archmage's apprentice – free for now of the pesky interruptions called Tallus and Kanus.

Since the discussion on Contracts was more of an impromptu lesson, Haalfrin doesn't consider it his first official lesson from his master.

During his first REAL lesson from Kalastros, he sees his master pacing back and forth in front of him with a black chalkboard to his side. "Tell me," the old man asks, "What do you know about magic so far?"

Haalfrin ponders for a second, then explains the simple "divine" body reinforcement spell that the goddess gave him. He doesn't really care if it's a secret or anything, and this man IS his master.

After hearing this, the archmage gets a concerned look and says, "Don't use that spell anymore. It was designed for people far more sturdy than a human, though it certainly is stronger."

Despite having met dragons before, Kalastros doesn't recognize the spell. It's not like he was close enough with the beasts for them to share their techniques with him.

This answer doesn't surprise Haalfrin; a goddess gave it to him after all.

Haalfrin then gives his other spell - the basic reinforcement spell. The archmage stands there for a moment, waiting for Haalfrin to explain more spells… but he's only met with dead silence and an expectant face.

Kalastros raises an eyebrow at this, then thinks in his heart, "Wait, those are the only things you know?" He coughs, then says aloud, "Well, I guess we'll start from the beginning again."

The archmage then explains as he draws 2 interlocked triangles in the shape of a 6-pointed star on the board, "The 6-pointed star you see here, in case you didn't already notice, is the universal symbol for the soul."

[A/N: Image of the archmage's board in comment]

"In case you hadn't noticed, when you got your 1st Gate open, the soul gate in the sky had a triangle symbol drawn in the circle. The 2nd Gate, however, had THIS 6-pointed star symbol on it instead."

[A/N: Image of the 1st and 2nd Gates in comment]

"This shape is the symbol of the soul; each arm of the star is a different section of your soul – a different Name."

He then points to the 2 triangles making up the 6-pointed star and says, "'Var' is the word for 'DO', and it's the label for black souls. The upside-down triangle represents this. 'Var also has another meaning. It also refers to Black souls."

[A/N: Updated version of Kalastros's board in comment]

Haalfrin looks up and thinks of the black coloring of Freyya's soul, and he asks, "So, I've seen Freyya's soul gate, and it was drawn with black light instead of white, like mine."

The archmage looks down and sighs. "I was avoiding asking about who you shared a Name with. Now I know…"

He rubs his eyes for a moment, sets his glasses back on straight, then says, "Freyya is the goddess of 'dying in battle'. She's the goddess of something that HAPPENS. If she were a sentence in the book of the universe, she'd be a verb. Seyyol, the god of our sun, has a white soul because he's the god of something that EXISTS – a noun. Black souls are verbs in the Soul Tongue, and white souls are nouns."

"ANYWAY!" Kalastros calls his attention back to the front. "The upright triangle that's on top is Wyn – the white soul, while the upside down, the bottom triangle is Var – black souls. 'Wyn' means 'IS'."

With his hand, the archmage starts tapping each of the 6 points on the star. "The 6-pointed star is the symbol for your soul on your soul gates. Each arm of the star is like another limb to your soul – another part of you – another Name."

He then taps 2 of the points, "You've learned 2 Names, which means 2 of the Name Runes here should be glowing in your soul realm."

Looking back at the board, Haalfrin's master picks up the chalk and starts writing on the soul diagram again.

[A/N: Updated version of Kalastros's board in comment]

After he finishes drawing, he says, "These are the 3 'Wyn' Names, and they're respectively called 'Reh', 'Dra', and 'May'."

On the black board, it reads:

Wyn: Stability. Internal. Is. (Noun)

Dra Wyn: Body. Physical.

Dra Var: To Force. (Power.)

Reh Wyn: Spirit. Connection.

Reh Var: To Will / Want. To Feel.

May Wyn: Order. Causality.

May Var: To Think. To Imagine.

Haalfrin sees the "Reh" Name, and he recognizes its location on his soul gate. So the Name he got while he was fighting Kaalhyme is his "Reh" Name. That makes sense, though, since that Name connects him with the spirits of those who died near him.

(It also makes sense for his first Name to be Yiir, since it forces people to confront the fate common for all mortals - Death.)

The Archmage turns back to the board and starts erasing the "Dra", "Reh", and "May" Names from the board.

"Wait, why are you erasing it?" Haalfrin protests.

"I don't like crowded boards," the Archmage replies.

Without missing a beat, the teacher starts writing on the board again while saying, "These next 3 Names are the 'Var' names. 'Var' means 'Do' in the Naming tongue. Because Var is an ACTION and not a THING, it's a lot harder to measure most of the time... Ah done."

[A/N: Updated version of Kalastros's board in comment]

The new blackboard reads:

Var: Instability. External. Do. (Verb)

Yiir Wyn: Place. Time.

Yiir Var: To happen.

Fel Wyn: To Transform. Aspects.

Fel Var: To Take. To Exchange. To Lose.

Syl Wyn: Truth. Law.

Syl Var: To Restrain.

"The 3 Var Runes are... a little different," Kalastors explains. "Unlike the Wyn Names, Var can be lost and gained... Here. Let me explain."

"The first one I'll teach you about is 'Fel'," Kalastros begins, "Fel is... how best to describe it?"

Haalfrin's master looks down and taps his feet for a moment. "Fel the act of transforming – of changing. Everyone has a little bit of Fel; it's the reason why we grow old."

"Does that mean that somebody without Fel is immortal?" Haalfrin asks.

"Well, yes, technically. However, Fel is also there when we change moods or grow as a person. Fel is what makes us alive. You're able to gain Fel by developing your skills and character – by being adaptable. You also naturally get it as you age. I also hear you get a LOT of Fel when you die, though you'll have to ask your Death god friends about that," Kalastros teaches.

"What's the practical use of getting a stronger Fel?" Haalfrin inquires.

"Well, for one, alchemists depend on having powerful Fel," the archmage answers. "That's why all great alchemists you see are old."

"Next," the archmage continues, "is Syl. Syl is rules and laws – the things that RESTRICT you. Your personal Syl is the personal boundaries you set for yourself, and the rules that you choose to live by. It's also the rules that rule YOU, like the laws of your country, or even the laws of nature. You get a stronger Syl when you're faithful to these rules. A person who's unlawful to himself has a weak Syl."

"So," Kalastros says while pointing at the Yiir rune, "I imagine you're most interested in this Name. Heh heh…"

He coughs. "Anyway, Yiir is your Fate; it drives the direction of your life – or, more accurately, what HAPPENS in your life… I wasn't very clear. Yiir is the act of HAPPENING… Ah, whatever. Anyway, Yiir is your past, your present, and your future. The stronger your Yiir, then the more things happen in your life – good things yes – bad things, yes – Significant things, ALWAYS."

While Kalastros prattles on, Haalfirn puts his hand on his cheeks, and his mind wanders for a moment. "Master repeats himself a lot, doesn't he? I mean, he HAS told me what Yiir means around 4 times now. Is he just trying to make sure I remember or is he just old?"

The archmage puts his hands behind his back and says, "Being involved in a battle of historic proportions… becoming a hero that saves many people… having the adoration or scorn of many people…" He looks especially hard at Haalfrin and says, "or being the focus of a god's attention… Anything that makes your life more Significant in any way will strengthen your Yiir."

"Things like you being so lucky as to have me save you at the last moment…," the archmage continues, "…such a strange 'coincidence' is entire because your Yiir is working to make something specific happen in your life – like being protected and surviving. This wouldn't happen if you didn't have your Yiir Name unlocked."

Haalfrin leans back and groans. "Does this mean I'm not going to die in battle ever?" he asks.

"No, Everything Var comes and goes. Yiir doesn't always stay the same. Think of Yiir like it's a currency; the more it has to spend to protect you, the more depleted it's going to be."

Haalfrin then thinks of the two gods he knows. "If Yiir can run out, doesn't that mean that even the gods can run out of it?"

"Well, yes…," Kalastros answers, "but that's unlikely. The gods often obtain Yiir more than they lose it. You see, you obtain by doing important things, or doing things that affect others. This is one of the reasons why some gods like to meddle with humans; it's their attempt to stay Significant… Though if you DO run out of Yiir, you essentially run out of luck. If it's bad enough, you'll die pretty quickly."

Haalfrin perks up at that. He then leans back in his chair and thinks for a second. "Does this mean… that I'll die if I run out of Yiir? I have to first make sure that I don't get any more Yiir… meaning I should avoid important battles?"

Haalfrin sits back and recalls that his Yiir Name got a lot brighter after he won the battle with Kaalhyme. Killing the enemy general interfered with many people's own Fate, meaning that he gained a lot of Yiir, despite himself having to use some of it up to avoid falling in battle.

"So… this means that the perfect solution is to put myself in a lot of danger over unimportant things? Hm… I'll have to figure out how to do that later…"

[ Final Picture of all 8 Soul gates (1 for magicless plebians and 7 for mages) in comment.]