Nexus Campus Town

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lawrence

"Close. Necromancy uses the underlying principle of connections, but their dealings are solely focused on the manipulation of the dead. However, more elaborate practices do manage to form bonds that go deeper. Resurrection, divination... even a ghost or a phantom could possess a living creature and slowly influence it. Its memories, its shape, and eventually... its sense of self. Unlike simple possession, which turns a body into a container for a necrotic force, these bonds can travel freely between life and death. No, it's more accurate to say that these concepts simply do not exist in the grander scheme of things."

His cane clacked against the ground, calling all to attention.

"Physical and spiritual deaths are merely transformative, they do not add or take energy or matter - only change it to a new state. It isn't to be confused with entropic death, the state where matter reverts to primordial nothing irreversibly. That is why spiritual and physical matter can still change and be manipulated. But that is a facet of morphogenetic theory. It isn't its underlying clause."

Through magic, the ink in his hands expanded and formed shapes and different figures, each illustrating different creatures forming through different patterns.

"Let us focus on living for a moment. It is not at all necessary for us to assume that the physical characteristics of organisms are solely contained inside the genes. That may in fact be analogous to transistors tuned in to the proper frequencies for translating invisible information into visible form. Thus, morphogenetic fields are located invisibly in and around organisms, and the manipulation of said fields through scientific or arcane means allows for the manipulation of flesh and mind of a wider scale. In turn, these links can form more complex patterns, as found in biological structures and plants - which remain consistant despite the circumstance. A pine will always be shaped as a pine. Forests will form through preset preferred shapes. A bird will always remain shaped as a bird. Cells follow a signal that directs them to form and interact in a specific way. This is a consistant law that is followed accross countless universes. But by tapping into these fields, the natural form can be changed, recorded, or transmitted elsewhere."

[yinsukin]

Entheo

A snore cut through the classroom, eyes gathering on the young man in the back.  Then, they returned to the professor and the same girl stood up.  "Is that going to be on the test or is this extra information?" she asked.  "Are we expected to learn spells in this field or just the one you are showing us now?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Entheo

A snore cut through the classroom, eyes gathering on the young man in the back.  Then, they returned to the professor and the same girl stood up.  "Is that going to be on the test or is this extra information?" she asked.  "Are we expected to learn spells in this field or just the one you are showing us now?"

Lawrence

"Oh, this is just to illustrate. It's easier than the chalkboard. My muscles aren't that big..." His lecture was cut short, and he stopped in embarrassment. "And most spells can find some grounding to this theory, so it would be pointless to learn them all. Just remember the underlying theory. Those morphic links exist and determine the laws of this world at large, and to manipulate them is no different than to manipulate these laws through magic. There is one main difference though, could anyone illuminate me on its nature?"

He smiled and invited his pupils to the challenge. With a wave of his hand, a black kitten - a miniature version of that lion from earlier - appeared behind Entheo's shadow and bit his bum.

His smile took a cold quality. He got scary when students slacked like that. That's why most people didn't dare.

[yinsukin]

Students

There was a strange empathic connection students get with their teacher.  When one is forced to spend so much time paying attention to one single person, they become privy to their mannerisms.  A flow exists in a lesson.  Good and bad students alike are able to pick up on that flow, as well as all the emotions contained within it.  That cold stare: they all knew what was coming.

"Damn it!" he yelped, rubbing his ass and staring at the kitten.  "Why is custard black now?"

No you fool.  Thats his spirit, the teacher.

"Oh right."

The orange haired girl's eye twitched.  Standing up she asked, "It requires a transfer of energy through mana, similar to the laws of thermodynamics right?  Also similar to how energy is generated in the body, requiring a metaphorical spark and fuel to start the chemical process in the form of ATP, mana serves to force the transformation."

"Did I miss anything?"

Of course you did.  Just pay attention.  I'll pass on the information you missed later.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lawrence

"That... is correct, yes, but it isn't quite right. Not all magic follows the natural laws, nor do all Morphic Links require energy in order to be manipulated. That is because the arcane is a craft made to wield the unnatural. Unnatural wielders can even negate thermodynamics. No, there is a special property that differentiates morphogenetic theory from magic theory. Both are able to manipulate the world, but..."

"He smiled and walked down the rows, and tapped Entheo's desk lightly with his cane. "When this boy dozed off in the middle of my re-cap, you all collectively had the same reaction. Despite being born in different backgrounds, even different worlds in some cases, regardless of culture or biological background, you all had the same idea. It was... an instinct, correct?

[yinsukin]

Students

The student body nodded in unison, further proving his point without even realizing it.  Entheo's eyes were drawn to the cane, then back to Lawrance.  "Shit.  Gezo is probably right," he said aloud... still.  "Damn it I hate when he is right."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lawrence

"In your case, let's assume the excuse is nothing more than 'common sense'. But then... what of animals?"

His tattoos rippled across his body, and the fiery bird from before soared high and mighty, spreading its wings with an incandescent show.

"When a baby cub is born, it instinctively knows to seek for its mother's milk. When a baby turtle is born, it instinctively knows to seek the waters and follow its kin - despite the latter lacking basic self-awareness. And in the case of humans, even something called the sixth sense is possible. To avoid danger despite having never experienced it is only possible because someone, somewhere else, has experienced it. Habits, instincts, likes, dislikes, all of these are insignificant on their own... but they still float in the collective unconscious of every living thing. And somehow, through trial and error, humans have honed this 'common sense' into a link that provides each and every one of us with a blank slate. We might paint it later down the line, external stimuli might influence it upon birth... but all men are born equal in this way."

He smiled at each and every one of them, from the bottom of his heart. Fire danced, showcasing worlds, stars, and even the torrent of souls called the afterlife - but always splitting, always diverging. From reality to reality, from timeline to timeline. The world was an endless stream of possibilities. They are all based in reality...but whence is the root? What determines the constant values?

"Parallel versions of ourselves, through trial and error, leave their mark. And through morphic fields, subconsciously, we respond to the knowledge that flows through the streams of time. Each moment, every one of us leaves a mark on this intangible force. On its own, it's only a bundle of droplets - not nearly enough to change the natural order. But united, through trial and error, we pass our mark through history. The fruit of knowledge and time is what we entrust to future generations, and in turn, it becomes a torrent that can shape even mountains."

He paused and opened his book in a dramatic fashion.

"Page 236! Two plus two will always make four, as long as enough people believe it to be so. The connection that every living being shares... draws us closer on a fundamental scale. And through the 'common sense' we share, it paints the natural laws as per the collective unconscious. Unlike magic, which paints the world despite the natural laws."

[yinsukin]

Entheo

Entheo leaned back in his seat, one eye open, the other shut.  With arms folded behind his back, he sighed.  Look at that Sakuyomi.  Even this power, magic uses strength from others, even another version of myself.  You think its wrong to seek improvement in myself then?

No.  But your folly is in assuming people are built from their own efforts alone.  That is your folly Entheo.  You can't just slink off into your corner and improve yourself.  You need others to gain strength.

Then Sakuyomi... whats even the point of personal strength?

Another man stood up.  Black hair, blue eyes and a cool stare.  Indeed it was Entheo himself standing up now.  "What about the dead, spirits, gods?  Supernatural phenomenon that are both part of the natural laws and beyond the ones we know.  Where do they fall?"

I'd say personal strength exists simply to endure, gather the will to improve and then contribute that to others.  When everyone does this, we all grow stronger together and in our own ways.  Thats why I don't think your wrong Entheo.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lawrence

His eyes perked for the first time in the whole lecture. "I'm glad you asked. Well then, let us start with the simplest example. Gods."

With a dramatic wave of his hand, Phenex and the Grail king were summoned in the center of the lecture hall and stood proud as mighty spirits can be. Fire and shadow illustrated and coalesced to form otherwordly shapes, beings of worship and the humans beneath them.

"They thrive on the worship and adulation of others. That isn't to say it's emotional dependency. Rather, they draw power from the belief and worship given to them. In return, their power is granted to their most ardent believers, and even aspects of their being. Theoretically, this is the concept behind aspects and prophets, but on a more general scale, gods are shaped by their believers just as much as they shape their believers. In turn, this reciprocal relationship is almost like a contract. An unknown god with no one to praise him has no more power than the scattered winds. Rather, it's no different than a catbox. Without believers, a higher entity ceases to be an entity. Of course, there are exceptions... but in those cases, we can view these divines as no different than some humans in this respect. Powerful, certainly, but with connections that only go one way. A lonely, painful existence."

A human who embraced his connections and nurtured them was a fearsome thing, but as he said, a droplet alone can't change the ocean. Even in the grander scheme, a lone God is no different than a lone man. No, even less than that. Because at least, man still has potential. But a tool without a user is no different than junk.

Lawrence smiled. "In essence, a true God is nothing more than a slave. You've heard of the legends, right? That it was angels who came down from heaven to teach humans how to use fire?"

[yinsukin]

Entheo/students

So thats how gods work in this world.

C'mon thats still true to an extent in our world as well...  Still, its a condescending way to present that information.

Why do gods get to be strong if they don't have anyone to grow stronger with?

Because they aren't strong, merely powerful.  Entheo, you are stronger than a god, most humans are, but only in unison.

You stood up to a god alone didn't you?

Aren't I dead?  It went a lot better when we did it together.  Thats always been our strength Entheo and nothing you can do will ever surpass it.

Entheo raised his hand again, but the orange haired woman shot daggers at him with her eyes.  "Can I take a turn?  Thank you.  Professor, what do gods have to do with any of this?  They exist on another plane, their actions could be considered secondary at best.  Even in the example you used of the legend, it was the angels, servants of the gods who came from heaven to teach humans to use fire.  They never get involved, so why does studying their magic matter?"

Yeah your probably right.  I kinda wish we talked about this before I signed up for classes though.

Why?  We are both learning a lot from this.

"Before that answer my question," Entheo said, cutting in between the student and professor's turns talking.  "I want to know where your going with this.  What do legends have to do with the magic of the gods?"

[Bern]

Neptune

"Since the flickering of the first star~" Like she was gonna tell him that she'd been doing this for less than 5 years, he might not take her seriously and that was seriously bad for business.

"Oh and make sure to not touch anything funny looking, I won't pay if you accidentally turn into a eunuch but I will laugh at you post images all over your social media feed, maybe. Who knows hehehe..."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lawrence

Lawrence's smile widened, and he spread his arms as wide as ever.

"Nowhere in particular. It's merely a story told to children. You know, people make up all sorts of nonsense when they're backed against the wall. Swords? Dragons? Magic? No, no, no. It's legends that stoke up the masses. And what better story than an all-knowing, almighty benevolent God? I say, an idea as ridiculous as that is something only a human could come up with."

He twirled his cane and pointed it at Entheo. Relaxed as ever... his eyes gleamed.

"And yet, they exist. Ever since... no, before civilizations were born, people looked to the heavens. We found guidance, healing, communities and power in the stars above. So what came first? The chicken? The egg? Does it even matter?" He smacked his palm with his cane, and pointed it dramatically to the skies.  "Ah, of course, it doesn't. That's why faith is so powerful. It can make even the wisest man lose wisdom, and the most foolish be hailed as wise. More importantly, if enough people believe one thing, that belief will unconditionally become truth. To turn something that cannot be into something that is is only possible thanks to a leap of faith." He turned his gaze to the girl and grounded his cane decisively.

"This phenomenon is observable even in this world, dear. The Goddess of Liberty of Columbia, the Great Monarch of Albion. They are deities in their own right... and many more exist, scattered across the worlds that are drawn to the Nexus. There is even a world where game consoles are embodied by goddesses, and the worship of humans is turned into shares that grant them power. A truly fascinating contract, yes, but a mutual one. Because it's thanks to the worship that the collective unconscious has devised that the rules we believe exist turn into reality. That is the fire that was granted to people. The bond of worship... a truly devilish morphic bond, which binds and controls the world's laws at large."

He paused for a moment... walked through the class hall, and absorbed the bird and the lion into himself with a devious smile.

"Ah, but of course, the stronger the law, the more iron-clad the worship. Such is the nature of bonds. It isn't just a matter of quality, but raw ineffable quantity. To truly change the world, you would need countless planes to coalesce their beliefs into one direction... and even then, the sheer scale of a feat like this is impossible to quantify, let alone visualize."

[yinsukin]

Entheo

Both Entheo and Sakuyomi laughed together, remembering something long since passed.  It had been a while since their journey together through that tournament.  That speech reminded them of something from a while back.

The orange girl stood up and glared at Entheo.  "I don't understand.  Who the hell are you?!  You barge into our class and start sleeping, talk back to the teacher and then you have the gull to laugh at his lecture!  You cocky little..... ugh!"

You sure have a way with women don't you?

Hey I like the angry faces.  They are cute.

That fetish is going to be the end of you someday.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Neptune

"Since the flickering of the first star~" Like she was gonna tell him that she'd been doing this for less than 5 years, he might not take her seriously and that was seriously bad for business.

"Oh and make sure to not touch anything funny looking, I won't pay if you accidentally turn into a eunuch but I will laugh at you post images all over your social media feed, maybe. Who knows hehehe..."

Marc

"Scary, scary. Don't sweat it, my hands are clear." He put them up, palms in the air, and waddled behind her pace. She was a nice girl, don't get him wrong, but if there's one thing he hated, it was secrets. Finding out wouldn't be hard, sure, but if he bothered to ask it was because he wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth. And that's why he wasn't going to show mercy here.

"Hmm, the first star... Two years?"  He smiled innocently behind her.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Entheo

Both Entheo and Sakuyomi laughed together, remembering something long since passed.  It had been a while since their journey together through that tournament.  That speech reminded them of something from a while back.

The orange girl stood up and glared at Entheo.  "I don't understand.  Who the hell are you?!  You barge into our class and start sleeping, talk back to the teacher and then you have the gull to laugh at his lecture!  You cocky little..... ugh!"

You sure have a way with women don't you?

Hey I like the angry faces.  They are cute.

That fetish is going to be the end of you someday.

Lawrence

"..."

Huh? DId chomethin happen? I, *munch* wasn't really paying attention. Phenex was savoring a freshly cooked bag of popcorn inside Lawrence's mindscape.

But ironically, the one smiling was Lawrence.

Hey...what's so damn funny?

Nothing, nothing at all. It's just ironic. That boy still hasn't caught on.

No duh. And hopefully, it's going to stay that way. Your body's a ticking time clock anyways, after lil' bro smashed you to splinters. If the book got damaged, you'd have been a goner.

That's what makes it exciting though. The risk of a gamble is simply addicting. It wouldn't be fun if the cards were utterly stacked in my favor. Why else did you think I refused Nep's offer?

Oh. I thought that was because you're a masochistic loverboy.

That too. You know, why don't you go greet them yourself for a change?

Tch. Fine.

It was sudden, without any warning. But Lawrence's hands clapped and commanded silence in the room. "Quiet, quiet." As he said that, his expression changed slightly. It was a bit more youthful... almost similar to Entheo in its uncaring cockiness. It's as if it were a different person standing in front of Entheo... but the difference was barely noticeable. If there was anything to see, it was only that the color of his soul had changed.

"Then again, my throat is parched after all that yapping. You know, I think this calls for a recess. Let's resume this after a break."

Even the eyes that looked at Entheo had a different quality all of a sudden. It was almost like a challenge.


And so, the uneventful lecture ended. He showed them a few cool tricks, like how to blow up things with magic and set up a barrier to keep peeping toms out of your dresser. But... oh man, just using this body was like walking in a fog. Couldn't get any gloomier unless they changed the girl's dress code.

Nonchalant, Lawrence walked down the halls, a carton of juice sipped casually as if he was trying to wash out an unpleasant taste from his mouth. Ugh. I hate coffee.

Well, in small halls like this, it wouldn't be hard to find the brat again.