"Say, what are you reading?" Lupus asked, tracing her fingers along the edge of the book in Jack's hands.
"Oh... I've been trying to learn more about the arcane. I've been deciphering glyphs and runes for some time now," Jack replied enthusiastically. He then launched into an explanation of how he had compared the symbols to modern language and had finally managed to understand the book's contents.
Lupus chuckled softly, watching his excitement with an amused glint in her upturned eyes. "You've outdone yourself, my esteemed Novitcius," She praised, her voice carrying a cheerful lilt.
"Still, the arcane system is based on essence... Oh, and there's a word here," Jack continued, skimming over a diagram of a circle with smaller circles along its radius. "Slot? I don't quite understand that yet," He admitted, recalling a conversation between Willhelm and Lupus at House Tasmania.
"Oh, my student, would you like me to teach you?" Lupus asked, running a finger over her plum lips in anticipation.
"Please!" He replied eagerly, shuffling closer so she could see the book properly.
"Ahem! So, our arcane system comprises two separate entities: essence and slots. You already know that, right?" Lupus paused. When Jack nodded, she continued, "Well, let's see... um... ah!" She hesitated, struggling to find the right words. Teaching had never been her strong suit; in truth, this was the first time she had ever explained arcane concepts to anyone.
Seeing his furrowed brows, she offered a sheepish smile.
"It's better if I show you!" Lupus eventually suggested, lifting a finger. "Now extend your hand," She instructed. Jack obeyed, though his confusion only grew.
"Now repeat after me and focus on your fingertip: Epopteia!" She commanded.
"Epopteia?" Jack echoed hesitantly, stumbling over the unfamiliar pronunciation.
Lupus gestured for him to try again. Their fingertips touched.
"Epopteia!" They chanted in unison.
A blue glow enveloped them. Glyphs floated into the air, twirling like butterflies.
"Wow!" Jack gasped, his eyes reflecting the mesmerising lights. Get full chapters from N()velFire.net
An image formed in his mind — not like a HUD screen before him, but as if imprinted onto his thoughts. Glowing lines and symbols appeared against a dark canvas, mirroring the glyph circles and their accompanying slots depicted in the book.
"How many do you see? The small circles around the edge?" Lupus asked.
"I counted... four. Wait!" Jack suddenly noticed something. "There's something inside them."
Lupus chuckled softly. "Those circles are slots. They're an innate trait, we're all born with a fixed number of them. Highborns tend to have more. In my case, I have four slots," She explained excitedly.
"Okay..." Jack mused, processing the concept. Before he could ask about their purpose, Lupus interjected.
"Inside the slots, I can place essences. Each essence is different; think of them as spell types. Got it?"
Jack raised a brow. "So, to put it simply, essence is like a skill, and you need to equip them into slots to use them?"
"Aha!" She nodded, pleased.
Jack rubbed his chin. "So in your case, you can only have four spells at a time...?"
"Correct! Here, look, this one is Iasis," Lupus pointed, and Jack instinctively knew where to look in his mind. The green essence, containing a pink blooming lotus, pulsed with light.
"A healing spell?" Jack guessed.
Lupus nodded. "Then there's Magnetos, Phoros, and Lagoskinesis!" She presented them one by one.
She explained that Magnetos functioned as a barrier generator, capable of deflecting solid objects and close-combat weapons like plasma blades, while Phoros was particularly effective against projectiles.
The last one caught Jack's attention. The essence had intricate designs along its edges and was noticeably larger than the others.
"Lagoskinesis? It looks oddly cute, like a furball," Jack remarked, noting the silver tuft inside a white orb with an elegant vessel.
"Hehe, thanks! That's my passive essence. All Hoffmanns are born with it," She said, averting her gaze. "But, um... mine is epic," She added, suddenly embarrassed when she should have been proud.
"I think it just makes us stronger and more agile, fufufu."
"And you mentioned something about it being epic. What exactly does that mean?"
Lupus smiled and patiently explained, "Well, essences are classified by quality. The higher the quality, the stronger or more effective the spell."