FSE

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Jake finishes chewing as he looks up to the Calmar as the mage looks between his two pupils.

"Mana," Calmar intones, "is the lifeblood of magic. An energy that permeates everything around us." He lifts a hand into the air and pinches his fingers together and moves it as if pulling an invisible thread through the ether. "It's what is channeled to give form to a spell."

Listening intently, Jake savors the last bits of syrup in his mouth as he considers the concept. It seems like something out of a fantasy novel or sci-fi movie, yet here he is, sitting in a place that defies logic, with a man who appears to be far older than any human has a right to be.

"Think of mana as a fount from which to draw power from." Calmar continues. "Your ability to cast spells depends on how well you can summon the mana and how well you can direct and shape it."

Kendra pushes her empty plate aside as her brow creases in thought. "A fount? Do you mean like a pool of water? Or maybe even a river that can be drawn from and directed?"

Considering her description for a moment, Calmar smiles with appreciation. "An apt comparison; but unlike a river, mana is boundless and comes from without to within."

As the explanation sinks in, Jake looks around the room again as he remembers the absence of any windows in any of these rooms and how doorways change where they lead. "Is this place constructed by magic?"

"It is," Calmar says as he gestures as if to point to everything around them. A knowing smile comes to his lips as he explains, "We are in what is called a dimensional space. This isn't like any house or building you have known. There is no 'outside' here, which is why there are no windows." He gestures to the two doors that lead to their bedrooms. “Each door leads to other rooms as needed and the pathway can be changed."

Kendra lets out the beginning of a laugh but quickly cuts herself off as she lets out a slight whistle as if in deflection. She then leans back in her chair as she closes her eyes.

Both Jake and Calmar look at each other than toward Kendra curiously as they watch her mouth curl into an amused smile.

"She didn't like my joke." Kendra says but oddly it's not her voice, instead it's Zoe's! Before either of them can respond, she adds, “Shhhh. she's thinking deep thoughts."

Doing everything he can not to laugh at the situation, Jake simply looks down at his empty plate as he moves it aside. As he looks back to Kendra, she leans forward and looks to Calmar and asks, "Is this some kind of non-Euclidean space? I can't devise any geometry that would allow for this."

"What?" Calmar asks startled, taken aback even, as he clears his throat. But before he can respond Kendra continues.

"It can't be wormholes between doors, the amount of gravity or energy would destroy us."

Calmar looks over to Jake, complete helplessness in his eyes. Jake simply shrugs as he turns his attention back to Kendra.

Without stopping, Kendra continues, "It looked like you were grabbing a thread earlier. Are you hinting at strings then? Have you devised a way to travel to another space in some multiverse or some smaller dimensions?"

"No!" Calmar exclaims with authority.

The sudden outburst startles both pupils as they stare directly at the mage. Looking back to Kendra, Jake watches as she seems to sink back into the chair as her enthusiasm drains out of her. She looks down as Zoe laughs through her, "Nya hahaha! Professors got her tongue!" As her face turns a bright red as she seems to shrink even further into the chair.

Bringing his hand up to his head, Calmar rubs his temple slowly as he gently says, "That was not good of me. You simply took me by surprise, young miss. I want to offer you an excuse for my outburst; but that is not befitting for you. I am simply not sure what humans have been thinking. It's pointless to explore anything beyond magic."

"Nyot quite Calmy," Zoe responds. "This one's smarter than you can imagine. Compared to what I knyew in the war, this one single woman knyows far more than everyone in the past would have knyown combined."

"What?" Calmar asks startled. "About what?"

"Many things that I will nyot be able to understand until she explores the topics more with me."

Startled by what Zoe's saying, Jake can only sit back and listen to this discussion. Winter must work in the same way. That means-

An emotion similar to a wink crosses Jake's mind causing him to lose his train of thought as Winter's voice fills his head. <I know what you're thinking. As you form new memories or remember old ones, I will know them too.>

Not sure whether he should be concerned about this, he must admit having Winter with him has been surprisingly enjoyable. A laugh from Zoe brings Jake back to the conversation happening before him.

Looking exacerbated, Calmar sighs as he asks, "What in the world is non-uclid meters!?"

Shaking her head as she flicks her hand playfully, Zoe jokes, "Nyo, nyon-Euclidean geometry!"

Laughing to himself, Jake looks at Kendra's eyes as her eyes move from looking at Calmar to looking back at him. Jake offers Kendra a smile as Calmar asks if she's referring to the Grecian mathematician. Using the silence, Jake asks, “Are you ok?"

"Yeah..." Kendra says as she cuts off Zoe's laughing reply.

Sighing, Calmar recollects himself and shakes his head. "In any case, I behaved poorly as your instructor. I know better than to stop a curious mind. I allowed my emotions to betray that knowledge and for that you have my sincerest apologies."

“Thank you, Calmar." Kendra says with a polite nod. “I need to think about what you said, though. I respectfully disagree with your assertion that magic is all that needs to be studied. I do not mean to prove you wrong; but I must understand what magic is before I can rule all other knowledge as worthless."

Nodding approvingly, Calmar remains silent for a bit before he seems to find where he left off. "I, and the other mages, created this space for our use. We collected the mana required to create these rooms and we can use and reuse the mana stored here to change things as needed; within bounds that is."

Memories of the previous day pass through Jake's mind as he remembers when Calmar had told Winter that she could not draw mana from this space. Looking back to the aged eyes of the mage, Jake asks, “Is that why Winter, why I, could only use mana that I had stored for the healing ritual?"

An approving smile crosses the mage's face as he answers, “Exactly! Winter was well aware of the limitations and took time to make sure you were teeming with mana. She's an excellent planner and I know you will heed her advice. If she were to have used the mana here, we may be lucky to have one or two rooms left."

A slight shift from across the table causes Jake to look toward Kendra who looks uncomfortable. She's doing a good job of hiding it, but she probably realizes that they're talking about when they healed her. In a whisper, she asks, “Can Winter have so much mana?"

“You can as well," Calmar answers. “How Winter and Zoe collect and use mana is different. Winter is a stationary fighter. She must be aware of what's around her and where she can draw mana from. Zoe, on the other hand, is highly mobile. She's always moving and pulling mana from her foes as she fights. For that purpose, her form is..." Pausing, the mage seems to think for a moment. “I am getting ahead of myself though. For now, I recommend we focus on the basics of using mana to cast spells."

“To that point," Kendra starts as she sits upright. “You said mana was limitless. Why are you saying it's limited here, and that Winter needs to know where to draw it from?"

Nodding in appreciation, Calmar's smile turns to a wry smile. “Quite right, my dear, why indeed..." Standing without actually answering the question, Calmar motions for the two students to follow him. He moves toward a door on the side of the dining room.

Stepping into the next room reveals an empty open space with the same wood-trimmed walls that appear to be duplicated in every room in this magical building. The air seems to hum with an energy that tickles the hairs on the back of Jake's neck.

"I've forced more mana into this room." The mage explains as he sees Jake and Kendra react to the feeling on their skin. "You likely feel the mana against your bodies. Close your eyes and learn what it feels like."

Doing as instructed, Jake closes his eyes and smiles as he feels small tickles all over his body. The mana even seems to ignore where clothing is covering his skin.

"Let me show you what mana looks like," Calmar says softly, bringing their attention back to him as he raises a palm. He closes his eyes and takes a steady breath as he says an odd word. A small flickering light begins to dance above his hand as wisps of nearly invisible energy flows from the mage's palm, into the light, before the energy is ejected in all directions.

Watching the light and the flowing mana, Jake remembers his encounter yesterday and the magic he had cast. As the memories go through his mind, the ball of light seems to grow more intense before it turns into a small flame, like that of a candle's.

“Mana," Calmar says softly into the silence, “is the essence we draw upon. Imagine it as a current within you." The flame goes out as he lowers his hand. "It is your turn to create fire."

Feeling his eyes turn on their own, he looks over to Kendra whose face appears stricken from the fire. His eyes look back to the mage as Winter says with a chillful voice, "Calmar, must it be fire?"

"Come now, Winter. This is the first spell every mage learns."

"Nya-ha! Foxy afraid of a little heat?" Zoe teases through before Kendra regains control and yells, “No! I'm the one who's afraid Zoe!" Taking a breath, she looks back to Jake and smiles. “Thanks for your concern, Winter."

“I didn't even think..." Calmar says abashedly. “I am not doing very well today. I offer my apologies to you again Kendra..."

“It's fine," she responds as she shakes her head. “The fire brough back the memories but I need to get past that. I made my commitment and I need to learn."

Appearing not sure what to do, the old mage takes a breath before starting again. “It'll probably be best if you're in your animal forms for this first attempt. They will help instruct and guide you through this. I know you have experience Jake but use this time to learn properly."

Nodding, Jake looks to Kendra as a blush comes to his cheeks at the thought of transforming in front of people. “Uh, Kendra?" Jake starts as his gaze drops to the floor. "About this transformation thing... um."

Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, she lowers her head a bit as a blush comes to her face too. "I think I know what you're thinking... I'm not sure if we should see each other, well, you know..."

"Exactly," Jake mutters back. "Awkwardness aside, it's kind of..."

"Personal..." Kendra finishes for Jake as she clasps her hands together tightly.

A gravelly laugh breaks the tension as Calmar says, “The first transformation is the only one where you go through the entire process. Both of you are fully bonded. The transformations will be nearly instant now."

"But what about the other parts..." Kendra says slowly.

With assurance, Calmar explains, “You're both fully bonded and fully linked. The transition from your current forms and your animal forms will be very quick. Please trust me in this."

Satisfied, Jake looks over to Kendra and asks lightly, "Want me to go first?"

Offering a brave smile, Kendra nods. "I guess watching each other transform will be good. That way neither of us are surprised when we see it."

"Good point," Jake agrees, as he thinks about the collar around his neck as it seems to pulse with excitement. Inhaling deeply, he closes his eyes and thinks, <Winter? Can I... umm... what do I ask here?>

<Your intention is clear, and the transformation will proceed if you confirm your intention. Otherwise, you can tell me to 'transform immediately' for emergency situations. If your life is in immediate danger, I will activate the transformation to protect you.>

<Thanks Winter,> Jake thinks as he adds, <I really appreciate your ability to explain things concisely, to the point, and dryly like, um, ice-> A cold, soft, flick hits his brain as he realizes Winter is embarrassed by his silly praise and showed it with that strange sensation. Thinking about transforming again, he thinks to Winter, <I want to transform.>

A bright light fills his closed eyes as he feels the collar around his neck pulse as the gems start to swirl around his body. The cool air of the room hits his now-bare skin as he feels the tickling on his skin intensify by ten, no, a hundred-fold! Opening his eyes, his vision is filled with a white light, broken occasionally by small colorful gems as they wiz around him. After a few moments, the light dims as the gems return to the collar and the tingling stops. Slowly, Jake falls to the ground on her padded paws as she looks down as sees the white-furred fox body. Watching as her breasts rise and fall as she breaths, she looks over to Kendra who's still watching her intently. Having to look up to meet Kendra's eyes makes her realize how much smaller she is in this form too; when she's a guy, Kendra only comes up to her chin.

"You're so cute!" Kendra cries as she runs up to Winter.

Stepping back in surprise, Jake holds up her black-furred paws then hesitates as the complement sinks in. It's oddly comforting to be called cute.

Kneeling to be at eye level, Kendra asks, "Can I pet you?"

Unsure what the proper protocol is for this kind of interaction, Jake stammers, "I..." Looking over to Calmar for a hint yields no help as the mage is simply watching. Deciding it's not going to hurt anything, she finally says, “Sure."

Reaching out, Kendra places her hand on Winter's shoulder and squeals, "You're so soft!"

Gasping at the odd feeling of being pet by someone else, Jake looks at Kendra's hand as it goes down her arm. Then, as if totally natural, Kendra raises her hand and puts it on top of Jake's head and scratches behind her ear. The feeling is amazing! Jake can't help but push herself into Kendra's hand to try to get her fingers to get deeper into her fur.

"Nyaa haha! Does Foxy like a head scratch?"

The pleasure coming from Kendra's scratching immediately freezes as Winter glares toward Kendra, growling as she bears her canine teeth as much as she can from her short muzzle.

"Oh, stop Zoe!" Kendra says as she shakes her head with a smile. It's also apparent she's holding back another squeal, likely from how cute Jake looks when Winter's angry. Zoe takes over again as she asks, "Ready Kendra?" Nodding, Kendra stands hesitantly stiff as she closes her eyes. The air in the room feels heavier with anticipation as she takes a deep breath much like Jake had done moments before. Then the gems on Kendra's collar detach and start to orbit around her as the room is filled with a bright golden light and her body is lifted a bit into the air.

Through the light, Jake can just make out Zoe's silhouette as fur grows from her skin. Her figure shifts as her body seems to become slimmer, more athletic, as a long, agile, tail grows from her back. Looking up, Jake's able to see cat ears poke out from Zoe's hair as her muzzle finishes forming. The light dims as Zoe slowly falls to the ground and the gems return to her collar. Her eyes open revealing the golden slit eyes of a predator.

"Wow..." escapes Jake's lips. She can't help but gawk at the sight before her as Zoe would put any athlete to shame as she takes a graceful step forward.

"Winter?" Zoe asks in a softer, younger, tone than the woman who is wearing Zoe had; she's speaking in Zoe's tone of voice now.

"Oh, sorry, I..." Jake stumbles at a loss for words.

Smiling with a hint of teasing mixed in, Zoe bounces from one foot to the other as she exclaims, "Amazing, right?"

They stand for a moment looking at each other as they share this strange new reality together. Jake's gaze lingers on Zoe's spotted fur as Zoe's eyes seem to roam Jake's body, especially her bushy tail. Finally, Jake says clumsily, "Your spots, they're kind of incredible..."

Looking down at herself, Zoe reaches up and lets her hands explore the contours of her new form. She even looks over her shoulders to watch her tail sway back and forth.

It's strange how peaceful Jake feels in this form and watching Zoe enjoying herself is wonderful to watch as well. Relaxing, her mind wanders to the feelings all over her body. Where in her human form, she felt the mana on her skin, in this form it's almost like a constant bombardment. The feeling is soft enough to ignore but once she focuses on it, she can feel every fur on her body vibrating. Does Zoe feel the mana this much too?

"Thanks, Winter." Zoe says with a slight blush before a sly, fang-filled smile comes to her short muzzle. "Though, you knyow, for a fox-" Her muzzle closes with effort as she stops what she's about to say. After another moment, Zoe says, "Now's not the time!" Then she starts to laugh, “Nya haha!" Her eyes go cross as they look down at her mouth. A few more moments pass before Zoe looks back at Winter. "Thanks for being patient with us Winter. We're still working this out."

Jake tries to say something but finds that she cannot. In fact, she realizes Winter has taken complete control of her body as she says with a chilled seriousness that is not unfriendly, "Zoe is a cat to her very core. It is neither you nor her that should be or will be trained by the other. Do not try to control her. The balance will come with time and respect."

A strange expression crosses Zoe's face as she closes her eyes and breathes slowly. After a moment, her her entire body seems to release a held tension as her face shifts from uneases and concern to one of comfort and understanding.

"Zoe is a powerful ally." Winter says just above a whisper, just loud enough for Zoe to hear. “While I despise her at times, I also would not trade her for anyone else in the world."

"Nyow you're just toying with me foxy!" Zoe says with admonishment as she opens her striking eyes.

Shaking her head, Winter says honestly, "While it does pain me to have said that, Zoe, it is an honest truth. Thank you."

Chewing on Winter's words, their eyes meet. There's a strange transition as Jake realizes that she and Zoe's wearer are looking at one another; neither are in control of their body. Yet their eyes watching one another is a shared, otherworldly, experience. Jake can only hope that they will be able to form as strong of a bond as Winter and Zoe have.

"With that settled," Calmar says, breaking the still silence like a pebble being dropped into a still pond, "Are we ready?"

Feeling control come back to her, Jake looks back to the mage who's waiting patiently. "I'm glad to see you two are making up but at the same time we must learn to control mana."

"Okay," Jake says as she shifts her focus back to the task at hand. "I heard you say something when you created the flame, but I couldn't make it out."

"Nor could I," Zoe adds as she raises her paw in an imitation of Calmar's earlier display as a loud siren fills the air causing her to put her hands to her pointed ears to help deaden the sound.

Following suit, Jake puts her hands to her ears she looks to the mage's surprised face as he turns and runs through the door they had entered from. Looking over to Zoe who's looking back, they nod to each other and follow through the door and to another door at the other end of the dining room that Calmar is already opening.

They step into a study with a writing desk and some chairs. There's also a small bookshelf full of old tomes along the far wall. Calmar makes his way to the desk and taps on an orb as he says something that's lost to the blaring noise before it stops and an image is displayed in the air above the orb. The scene is one of smoke and destruction.

Gasping in surprise, Zoe raises a paw to her mouth.

Knowing that she must be remember the theater, Jake reaches out and places a hand on her leopard friend's back as she gently leans into her side as a source of comfort. The tension in Zoe's body seems to fade as her paw moves from her muzzle to Winter's shoulder as she asks, “Is that Paris?"

"Yes," Calmar confirms, his voice bearing a heavy weight. "It's the Saint-Germain district. Another attack by the Ghoul King."

Paris? Thoughts spiral through Jake's mind. She's only ever seen in pictures and now, here, an entire destroyed building is laid out before her. Through the smoke, she can make out the twisted wreckage and debris littering the street like confetti after a parade gone horribly wrong. There are also people running from the destruction, strongly driving home the need to act now. She knows it's up to her to protect those people, but doubt gnaws at her. How can she, a college sophomore, who barely knows anything about magic, hope to contend with such a destructive force?

“We need to help them..." Zoe says softly.

Looking up, Jake sees Zoe's eyes quivering as she watches the helpless people. It's clear that she's scared; but at the same time, she seems to be resolute in her conviction. Feeling a chill in her mind, Jake feels Winter's presence sending the same resolve to her as well. She's faced this danger before, she can do it again. Taking a long breath, she asks, “How do we get there?"

Stepping to the door they had entered, Calmar closes it and mumbles a long string of sounds under his breath. Turning to the two animal girls he answers, “I've linked this door to an anchor near that location. When you're ready, open this door and you will be there. “Before you go, take a final look at the image. You'll notice the damage is otherwise contained to a small part of the building."

Looking back to the hanging image, Jake notices that there does seem to be an area where the destruction seems to end abruptly.

“We mages had enough time to set up a sort of containment field around certain locations. It's temporary and once this field drops, whatever was sent will destroy everything else."

“Will that field pertain to us?" Zoe asks as she turns from the image and looks back to the mage. “Will we be able to enter and exit?"

Lowering his hand to the door's knob, Calmar shakes his head. “The field's magic will allow you to enter." He opens the door which let's in a flood of screams and char-filled air to fill the small room. Raising his robes to his nose, he motions for Jake and Zoe to go through.

Zoe silently darts through the door and Jake follows as they run down an empty Parisian cobblestone street toward their next encounter.