An Explanation

“To be honest, it’s not as complicated as you might expect.” I pulled off the piece of Manalite-imbued crystal hanging around my neck. “This here is a necklace containing small chunks of Manalite. Essentially, that element is what gives us the ability to use magic. We draw power from Manalite crystals or Manalite in the surrounding air, and use our bodies as a kind of processing chamber to expel that energy in a new form. In essence, that’s what magic is.”

“Huh.” Martha twirled the crystal around in her fingertips. “If that’s the case, why can’t I use magic now, even though I’m touching this Manalite thingy?”

“The fragment you’re holding is supposed to be used as a device that measures magic, and it checks how much more Manalite your body can handle before it needs to recharge, so it doesn’t actually contain much Manalite itself.” I took the necklace as Martha handed it to me, securing it back over my neck. “At least, not enough for you to be able to covert its energy to magic. If it did, I wouldn’t still be here talking to you.”

“But if it was entirely pure Manalite, I would be able to use magic?”

“Assuming your body can handle Manalite at an average efficiency, with some training I don’t doubt you could.”

Martha let out a low chuckle. “Oh, hell yeah.”

“You’re probably never going to get the chance, you know.” I said, raising my index finger at her. “Even if you did, it would at most be relatively weak magic.”

“I understand that, but just hearing the fact that I can use actual magic is already the coolest freaking thing ever.” Making no effort to hide her smile, Martha handed me back the Manalite shard. “Continue.”

“Like I was saying, your body needs Manalite to be able to access most magical abilities. If your surroundings don’t contain enough Manalite, this atmospheric Manalite can be substituted for pure Manalite crystals. In this case, your body draws power from the crystals and not the air. You use certain words as triggers to activate the spells, which works by transferring the image in your head into reality. Similarly, when a spell’s Tier is high enough that it’s hard for your body to replicate with just a few words, a longer chant is used to properly focus your mind.”

“Wait, wait, rewind a bit. From what you’re saying, magic just doesn’t work if there’s no Manalite around?”

“I didn’t say that. Magic comes in a variety of forms, and external Manalite consumption is just one of them, though it is the most common.”

At this, I could see the confusion begin to ramp up in Martha’s eyes. She leaned forward, pressing on her temple. “Okay, there’s one thing here I don’t understand. If this Manalite stuff isn’t the only form of magic around, how come you don’t just use something else to zap yourself back home?”

“That’s why you should let me finish.” I blew a short jet of air from my nose indignantly. “The second form of magic one can use is something referred to in my world as ‘work energy’. This type of magic is drawn from directly within your body, and doesn’t require Manalite to manifest.”

Martha opened her mouth to protest again, so I quickly continued. “However, this form of magic is relatively weak, compared to the Manalite kind. While Manalite magic has a pretty high entry barrier for use, anyone can use work energy, and its effectiveness and quality depend on the user. It has a much smaller variety of things it can accomplish compared to Manalite-based magic, but it carries out grunt work well, hence the name.”

“So, I assume this work energy isn’t going to cut it for sending you back, then.”

“Not even close. But I do have quite a high level of magic potential, so my work energy output levels are boosted, which is also the reason I heal so quickly in comparison to you.”

This seemed to settle with Martha better, and she sat back into her seat, more or less satisfied. “So, what can work energy do, then?”

“Mostly things that boost a person’s physical prowess, like improved speed or strength, but it can also serve some rudimentary magical services, like providing light. It does take a while to activate, though, so it’s rendered almost useless in combat situations, unless you know something is coming and prepare in advance. Work energy still consumes physical energy, though, so keeping it activated for too long can cause major fatigue to the body.”

Magic fatigue wasn’t anything to brush off, either. In my travels, it wasn’t uncommon to hear tales of some young guy or gal who would manage to activate their work energy for the first time, and end up overexerting themselves as they were drunk with this newfound power. They would then try to show off to their friends, or attempt to surmount some impossible challenge with this newly acquired power fantasy, only to die shortly after of a heart attack or something of the like due to their body not being able to keep up.

As I recalled these stories, I gave a little internal sigh. Not too much of a stretch from what happened to me, huh? Guess it was a pretty stupid idea to take on the whole Royal Infantry just because I was confident in my magic.

A deep voice interrupted my ruminations, cutting through my thoughts like a pebble through a serene lake. “Hey, you all right there?”

I looked up from my seat to see the tall waiter, Chris, holding a metal platter with two cans on it. He was looking at me in a way that confirmed my hunch that he had been watching me and Martha’s conversation from a distance.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” My eyes drifted to the platter, where two cylindrical metal shapes wobbled. “Martha, I thought we ordered drinks?”

“Yes, yes we did.” For some reason, Martha looked a little embarrassed as she grabbed both the objects off the platter. “You can go now, Chris.”

As the waiter walked off, throwing me with a sideward glance, I looked back to Martha, confused. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s just that –” She paused. “I forgot how little you know about this world.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

“Don…” Martha held up the cylinder in front of me, pointing at it with her free hand. “This is your beverage that I ordered.”

“I don’t get it.” I took it from her hands, turning it in all directions. "Where’s the drink?”

“No, you… hand it over.” Giving a defeated sigh, Martha snatched the cylinder back. Using her fingernail, she popped open a clip on the top of the cylinder that I had not previously noticed, which gave way with a soft hissing sound. “Here you go.”

As I took the cylinder back, it seemed to have transformed into something else entirely. Where an incomprehensible object once stood, a sort of cup now took its place, filled to the brim with sloshing liquid. I held it up to my face with awe, the condensation on its surface stinging my hand just a little. “How did you do that?”

“Just now? With my finger.” Martha did a little hand gesture to demonstrate.

“No, not that, I mean –” I set the metallic cup back down slowly, careful not to spill any of its precious contents. "How did you humans, on this magic-deficient world, manage to seal this liquid without magic?”

“Oh.” Martha’s exasperation gave way to a faint smile. “Well, I don’t really know the specifics, but we use something called science to make and package these cans.”

“Science?”

“Yeah.” She popped open her own drink, which gave off the same satisfying hissing noise. “It’s kind of like magic, except without the magic part.”

Seeing my puzzled expression, she attempted to backtrack. “No, sorry, that was a confusing explanation. Wait, you’ve got to have some form of science in your world, right? Maybe you just call it something –”

Pausing mid-sentence, she stared at me curiously.

“What now?”

Martha giggled, and took a sip of her drink. “I feel like I’m talking to a caveman.”

“Was that an insult? It felt like an insult.”

As she waved off my comment with a hand, Martha gave me a warm smile. “It’s just a little funny the way you act sometimes. You know, I almost forget that you’re a criminal alien guy from a different world until you pull stuff like that.”

“Well.” I blinked, not really knowing how to respond. “Thanks, if that was a compliment.”

“Anyway, continue with what you were saying before, since magic seems to be your one and only knowledgeable point.”

“Mm.” I nodded, taking a long sip from the metal cup, apparently called a can. I was hesitant at first, but the taste was almost as good as the alcohol back home. I downed the can in a single gulp, slamming it onto the table.

“I’m not paying for any more of those, you know.” Martha said, eyeing the crushed can.

“That’s fine.” I was completely satisfied with my first encounter with this world’s cuisine. “One is more than enough.”

“So, the thing about Manalite-based magic is that it can be categorized into many different ‘sections’. Light, dark, earth, et cetera,” I continued, absentmindedly spinning the husk of the can. “Most people have around two or three that they are proficient in, but some people with a higher magic potential can master just about all of them.”

“What, like you?”

“Yes, exceptionally gifted individuals such as I.” The sharp edge of the open hole in the can sliced the tip of my finger, and I recoiled. “Ow.”

“Gimme that, stupid, you’re gonna hurt yourself.” Martha swept the can away with a hand, sending it clattering to the other side of the table.

“Well, going back to that idea of sections in magic, there are some people that choose to focus solely on a particular section, or even a single spell.” I changed the subject quickly, hiding my injured finger behind my back. “In doing this, their proficiency over that tiny sliver of magic grows exponentially. We call people that choose to focus their magic in this way Adamants. The bounty hunter that came after me, Eli, was one such case. He relied heavily upon light magic, but was experienced enough to be able to cast light spells without even speaking triggers.”

“What, so if you’re an Adamant you can only use one form of magic?” Martha frowned. “That’s kind of lame.”

“Well, you can still use other magic, but it won’t be very effective since you haven’t dedicated to learning it. But you really shouldn’t underestimate the power of Adamants,” I warned, “since the form of magic they do focus in becomes far enhanced compared to the layman’s version of it. This is why most bounty hunters decide to become Adamants, because having one form of magic that suits your magic affinity is in most cases more effective than having a variety of spells that are close to harmless.”

“Why? Is bounty hunting really dangerous or something?”

“Odd jobs, here and there. It could include dispatching forces to take care of troublesome monsters or gangs, or providing services like rescuing survivors from a landslide or the like.”

“Huh.” Raising her head, Martha looked at me inquisitively. “So, I’ve been wondering. Can your so-called monsters use magic as well? Clearly, whatever non-human life you have on your world is different from what we have here, since you nearly wet your pants after seeing my pet cat.”

“Most monsters harness a rudimentary form of work energy in order to fulfill their tasks, though some more intelligent monsters have been documented to use Manalite-based magic in rare cases.” I said, before narrowing my eyes. “And I ‘nearly wet’ nothing.”

“Yeah, sure. Anyway, does this work energy let monsters breathe fire and stuff?”

“Actually, the only type of monsters that really use magic for purposes other than slight physical boosts are spirits. Though they can still react with the outside world, spirits are basically physically invulnerable, and have immense wells of internal magical energy they draw their magic from. They can manifest in really almost any shape or size, and are proficient in one or two forms of magic. Some of the smartest spirits have learned to use Manalite spells, but are mostly limited to very simple ones, linked to their magic proficiency. Although, most spirits will have their own form of work energy, dubbed spiritual energy.”

“Wait. Physically invulnerable?”

“Meaning, you can’t cut them to death with a sword, or strike them with a blunt object. Using magical attacks is almost the only way to really deal damage to them, which is why they’re considered high-ranking monsters.” As I spoke, I realized something and stopped this train of thought. “To clarify, though I say that magical attacks work somewhat well on them, it is not the conventional method of counterattacking spirits.”

“I’m not really following here.” Martha tapped on the table lightly. “You say that you can’t really hurt them physically, but also that magic isn’t the best way to fight them? Then what else is there?”

“I’m not sure when it was discovered, or by who, but many years ago we learned that several ethereal monsters like spirits and ghouls are held together by bonding to their internal magic source, like gravity pulls mass towards itself to form planets. However, some specific plants, when ground up into fine powder, carry an intensity strong enough to strip these spirits from their source of magic, causing them to cease to exist.” I traced my finger in a sort of a crescent shape on the table for Martha to see. “These oblong fruits, called Spiritsbane, are often sold in high quantities to markets. From there, they are then processed into powder and sold off to travelers wary of unplanned attacks by spirits. The stronger the spirit, the stronger the intensity of the Spiritsbane powder needed to match it.”

In my world, the five kingdoms, Righard, Onimus, Anysma, Elkard, and Blumon, attempted to keep much of Spiritsbane powder under government supervision, and whoever wanted to grow and sell it would need to go through a lengthy process to obtain a permit. Being a more militaristic kingdom, getting a permit was harder in Righard, while rules were enforced less in the rustic villages of Elkard. But the only kingdom that outlawed the trading of Spiritsbane was Onimus, where all plantations of the Spiritsbane plant were under direct kingdom control. Imports had to be shipped from outside, making it harder to travelers to fend off wild spirits in those areas. Of course, this was never a problem that affected me, as I was powerful enough that the use of Spiritsbane was trivial.

“I find it interesting how you know all these little obscure facts, yet don’t even have enough common sense to tell what the norms are on this planet,” Martha hummed.

“Give me a break. You think you’d fare any better in my world?”

“Maybe I would.” She crossed her arms indignantly. “My parents raised me to be able to adapt well to situations. Don’t know if the same can be said for your parents, though, considering how you turned out.”

“My… parents?”

“That’s right.” Martha finished taking a sip from her drink, and set it down on the table. “You’ve gone on and on about your world and how great it is, but I still don’t know anything about you. Did your parents both have that blue hair of yours?”

“I…” For a moment, I was confused as to why I didn’t answer her question immediately, before it dawned on me that I didn’t really have a proper answer. “I’m not sure, actually. And I don’t think it would really have mattered, anyway.”

“What do you mean? Is blue hair not hereditary?”

“It is, but I wasn’t really talking about it in a general sense. Just about me, as an individual case.”

“Your blue hair isn’t hereditary?”

“I… guess you could say that.”

“And why is that?” Martha asked, her eyes gleaming. “Now that I think about it, are you even a human? Back in the alley, you referred to ‘humans’ like you weren’t one. Yet, when I talk to you, you seem every bit as human as me. Yeah, at that time…”

“Didn’t… didn’t you call yourself a god?”

For some reason, I felt an annoyance start to build up deep inside myself at her questions. “I’m not sure if I can even be considered a human, and… maybe it was presumptuous to have openly declared myself a god like that.”

“Then, why did you do it? To intimidate those thugs?”

“Because…” Only at this moment did I realize how much of my life I was revealing to a virtual stranger. It was probably rude of me to withhold this amount of information from her, considering she was going out of her way to help me get a grasp on this world, but I still didn’t want to share so many personal details. It just didn’t settle right with me.

“Because of a promise I had to keep, for one of my closest friends.” I finally finished my sentence, and that was about the extent I was willing to tell her. And I think that Martha could tell, because she leaned back in her seat.

“Sorry, I feel like I might have hit a sore spot,” she said, rubbing her left arm apologetically. “I do want to learn more about you, but there’s going to be some stuff you’re not going to want to say, right? Some parts of your past you don’t like revisiting?”

I nodded, thankful that she was able to tell that just from the way I was acting. I guess it was pretty unfair for her to have to guess all this by herself, but I was thankful nonetheless.

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Martha gave a slight nod, and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose slowly. “I… understand that feeling.”

Later, Chris arrived with the food we had ordered, but the rest of the meal was finished in relative silence. But, I didn’t remember if the food tasted good or not.

I didn’t really remember much from the rest of that night.