Chp.3: New problem

Maldor spent the next half hour explaining to Haku in painstaking detail all the various details of the formula, the inverse formulas he had derived from it, various other inferior formulas she had obtained by mixing the mathematics she already knew with the one she had just discovered, and so on. Haku was a very good listener and obviously was thirsty for such knowledge, and wanted to find out all of it. From his point of view that was a real treasure.

Magic was no small weapon. While it could not increase a person's fighting potential by much (a level adamantium would always have the same level of strength, regardless of whether they were a mage or a warrior), if used in the right way it could change a person's fortunes. battle with ease. The prime example, of course, had been their victory against Carrion and his army. With the right magic, an entire army could be destroyed very easily, so being able to find out as much as possible about this strange discipline was essential. The greater their magical knowledge, the greater superiority they would gain against their enemy.

The formula Maldor had obtained didn't account for the energy required to cast the spell or to concentrate, but that was to be expected: the math described only the process necessary for the magic, not the mental effort. From what Maldor had explained to him, to conjure a spell a mage simply had to have a clear idea of ​​what he wanted to achieve, and for this it required great concentration. Saying the spell aloud was only a means to improve this concentration, since by dint of pronouncing it it became automatic to connect that spell with those words. Indeed, most spells were not cast in any particular language, but in the ancient Elvish language, the elves being the ones who had discovered the most spells. For example, to summon a ball of fire it was customary to say the word 'ftumagh', which sounded like something very archaic and complicated, but was actually nothing more than the word 'fireball' in Elvish. Technically, if a human would said 'fireball' but had the same spell in mind, the result would be identical. The newcomers studied magic using the elven language only because it was easier, since it was known all over the world, and also it gave magic a kind of mystical image that many mages didn't mind at all.

Thus, the very workings of magic relied not on the words, but on the movement of mana, which had to be gathered from the surrounding environment and then moved in certain directions to generate the spell. For example, if you wanted to create fire, the mana had to be transformed into fuel, while if you wanted to create earth, the mana had to be changed into new physical matter. To do all this, energy was needed, and from it therefore came the formula that Maldor had found.

Haku could see the potential of that discovery. Not only could they improve the spells they already had, but with luck they might even be able to stabilize the invisibility rune. The rune of invisibility had the defect of requiring an excessive amount of mana, more than it could collect from the surrounding environment, and therefore after a few hours, even if fueled by dragon blood, it extinguished. It was unable to maintain the delicate balance that existed in the other runes. But perhaps now, thanks to that formula and the calculations they would derive from it, Haku could have figured out how to solve the problem and make the rune permanent... or at least enhance it even more, perhaps making it enough to deceive even the senses of the levels legendary. Had this been possible, he would have achieved absolute camouflage. If he had had it if in the future it was necessary he and his siblings could also have infiltrated the royal palaces or in any case places where legendary levels were normally present, without risking being discovered.

However, speaking on that subject, he wasn't sure that invisibility was the problem. After all Hara hadn't realized that Maldor and Kotaru were using fake bodies, at least not until she had fought them. Haku suspected that legendary levels could not see through invisibility by sight but by sounds and smells or some other sense, just like dragons (except dragons were far superior). And in fact when Hara found herself in front of Maldor and Kotaru, whose illusion matched perfectly with the physical body, she didn't notice the deception; when instead he noticed that something was wrong during the fight, he understood everything. Haku was convinced that it was already possible for him to cheat the legendary levels, even though he hadn't had a chance to test that hypothesis yet. But in any case, having an enhanced invisibility rune wouldn't have minded.

However, at the moment it was more important to use that discovery to improve other types of spells and runes, especially those aimed at food production or the search for useful resources. Given that by now they had almost completely reached the desert and once they reached it they would be out of danger (at least theoretically), it was more appropriate at the moment to study new methods of cultivation and construction, rather than magic aimed at concealment and espionage. After all, there was a time and a place for everything, and at the moment Haku didn't need hunting or war techniques but magic capable of solving the problem of resources. After doing this he would have been concerned with improving the other fields as well, but at the moment they weren't that important.

After answering all of his questions, Maldor started showing Haku some practical examples with Isaac's help. Indeed the predictions and the correlation between energy, mana and speed were always correct. Haku knew that they couldn't be absolutely certain that the formula was right (the only way would be to try it on every existing spell), but that generally if a mathematical formula was right for one or two hundred cases then it was right for all of them. Therefore, he was confident that this time would be no different.

Maybe Maldor was right. Perhaps mathematics really was the common language of all that existed. Haku initially didn't believe much in that hypothesis, but the more he thought about it the more he believed it to be true. He already knew that many world events could be explained with numbers; if even something as strange as magic could be, then why shouldn't that be true of everything that existed? Maybe it was possible to explain even more with mathematics. Perhaps with the right formula Haku could have predicted the weather, calculated the falling speed of an object, established the correct trajectory of an arrow, and so on. The possibilities were endless. If only he had found the right formulas he could even have given an answer to the bizarre motions of the celestial bodies about which Kialandi had complained so much. He decided that once he arrived at the Thul Oasis and established a stable and lasting settlement he would devote himself body and soul to the study of that discipline. The potential was too much for it to be left unexplored.

When finally Maldor had finished all her explanations and all the various examples, Haku gave her an admiring look. "Sister, you managed to do something extraordinary, something that even I hadn't thought possible. You deserve my praise. I wish more people could admire you for your genius"

Maldor blushed again at her brother's compliments, but Haku also noticed that there was a little sadness in her eyes. "Everything is fine?" he asked her.

Maldor quickly composed herself. "Sure! No problem" she said trying to sound convincing, even if she wasn't even a bit. "In any case, there is still a lot to do. I assure you that both Isaac and I will work hard to improve our knowledge even more!"

Haku didn't let that fake smile fool him, but he decided that maybe it wasn't a good idea to talk about it right now. He wasn't sure if his sister wanted to talk about it in front of Isaac, or that she wanted him to know what she was really thinking. He doubted pressuring her would help, so he decided to postpone the conversation until later. Perhaps he should have had her talk to someone who understood feelings better than he did, like Kotaru or Sisna. "Yes... Yes, I'm sure. I know for sure that you will succeed in your intent. Well... now I'm going. I'll let you work"

As soon as Haku walked away, Isaac looked at Maldor with a confused look: "Why did you look so down before? And why did you lie to him?"

Maldor shook her head. She knew her brother hadn't been fooled but had just chosen not to pursue the matter, and she was grateful to him for that. But she also knew that the same wouldn't be true of the human. "It's just… when he said that other people should look up to me, he reminded me of you when, all excited about what I'd told you about the runes, you told me my name would be written in the books of magic. I mean... let's say I'm a little nostalgic"

It took Isaac a moment to figure out what Maldor meant. "You miss the academy, don't you?" he asked her.

The dragon shrugged. "Don't you?"

"Of course I miss it. But I like live here too" Isaac replied. "At least here I can get enough sleep"

Maldor smiled slightly at that joke. "I know I can't go back there, but I miss spending time with the students. I wish I could go back to that life" she said. "I can't tell Haku, or anyone else. They would remind me that it was just a dream, a fake life. And unfortunately they would be right. I know it too... but I can't forget it"

"Then don't do it" Isaac said. "Nostalgia is the price of having lived a happy moment. Not feeling it means forgetting that happy moment. It's not a bad thing to feel nostalgia, as long as it doesn't affect our lives"

Maldor let out a snort. "Thank you" she replied. "But the problem is that... well, my nostalgia is strong. I would love to go back to my students and relive that experience... I would like to at least see their faces again. And I would like others besides my family and the few allies in my possession knew of my discoveries"

"Is that vanity perhaps?" Isaac teased her, and Maldor couldn't deny. After all, dragons, especially the females, were quite vain and self-absorbed. "Anyway, it all happened just four months and a few weeks ago. It's just a quick moment in your life, Maldor. Don't get discouraged just because you haven't made it back to the academy until now. A dragon's life is long , you will have other opportunities. Here, for example, why don't we build a school of magic in the new community at the Thul Oasis? You could teach there like you did at the academy"

Maldor didn't mind the idea. "That would… well, that would be good" she murmured.

"Yeah! I doubt your family will mind, visat we'll help stabilize our new community! More mages means more magic, more magic means less effort!" Isaac exclaimed, proudly pounding a fist to his chest. "And I, of course, will be happy to take on the burden of being the principal of the school..."

"So you don't have to teach and stay up late?" Maldor stopped him immediately. "Forget it"

"Oh come on! Like you know how to run a school!"

"Why, do you know?"

"Well... I got to see him a lot longer than you! I was friends with Bump, remember that!"

"And how many times have you helped him with matters related to school management?"

"More than you imagine!"

"Sure, sure..."

"I'm serious! Hey, don't ignore me! We're not done yet!"

While Maldor and Isaac bickered (or rather, Isaac tried to assert his point of view and Maldor blatantly ignored him) Haku was marching back to the army, intending to continue his previous conversation with Zamor and then to think carefully about the potentialities of Maldor's discovery, but midway he saw one of his siblings running towards him. Very soon he realized that it is Serengal. "Uh? Sister, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be..."

"Haku, there's no time!" Serengal exclaimed breathlessly. Her eyes were open in panic. "They got him!"

Haku stiffened. "What are you saying?"

"Rhaegal!" Serengal seemed on the verge of tears. "They got him!"