Discordant Note | TBATE

Chapter 2: A Hike in Another World

Toren Daen

I knew how the runic magic of Alacrya worked, at least in theory. Runes could be bestowed upon mages in ranks: first were marks, then crests, emblems, and finally regalias. A rune gave its owner a basic understanding of its function, and through understanding and mastery could be upgraded to greater tiers.

Mine was a telekinesis rune that could push or pull on objects.

And so, as I slowly walked north, keeping my eyes nervously peeled for mana beasts, I tested the limits of my crest. Picking up a small rock, I concentrated my mana flow into the runic marking on my back. I felt the warmth suffuse my body, and with an effort of will, targeted the small stone in my hand.

A small burst of white mana behind the rock preluded it shooting off with considerable force, as if I had thrown it with my hands. I heard a dull thump in the distance, causing my shoulders to tense in nervous apprehension. I paused in my slow walk, glancing around once more. If some mana beast had heard that...

Seconds ticked by with only the chirping of birds to greet my ears. I relaxed slightly and continued my testing.

Further experiments revealed the range of the effect. I could push or pull things in a radius of about fifteen feet around me, but the further out my 'reach' extended, the less force I could muster. The force I could use seemed to decrease exponentially as my will tried to affect things farther away.

I was now holding a sizable rock in my hands, weighing a little under ten pounds if I guessed right. My next experiment would be important.

I pushed with as much force as I could muster quickly, a noticeable drain on my mana reserves. The rock shot upwards so fast I stumbled back. The burst of white mana underneath it had also been far more pronounced. I tilted my head up, watching the stone careen into the sky and off beyond my sight.

"Probably faster than any baseball player I know," I said with awe. This was only a crest as well, and from what I could feel, Toren hadn't had much practice with the spellform before he decided to waltz into mana beast territory in a suicidal gamble.

For my next test, I walked over to a nearby tree, raising my hand towards the bark. With a light press of mana that was getting easier and easier each time, I pressed lightly against the bark. The bark began to slowly indent as mana funneled through my rune, a small glob of white mana pushing against the tree. As this happened, I felt a slight pushback against my hand. It seemed that my rune operated on familiar Newtonian physics, at least. Every action had an equal and opposite reaction. Every time I pushed something, that something pushed back.

A dozen different ideas coursed through my head at the implications, but a quick glance into the sky revealed that it was darkening quickly. I would have to pick up my pace if I wanted out by nightfall.

As I made my way through the forest, now at a considerably brisker pace bordering on a jog, branches and fallen leaves crunched under my feet. Each step made me want to pick up my pace even more. For all I knew, with each crinkle of leaves, I drew a predator closer to my location. I picked up as many sizable rocks as I could as I ran, stashing them into my pouch as ammunition. The thought of fighting something made my pulse jump, but I couldn't avoid the possibility.

I weaved through the autumn trees as the sun finally set. I wasn't in danger yet as far as I could tell. Light still seeped over the trees, and if this world operated anything like my own, it would be another half hour or so before it was truly dark. It seemed I wouldn't have to face any mana beasts that day.

My mind began to wander slightly as I jogged, a habit of mine whenever I did monotonous work. The implications of being in another world started to build in my mind like a festering wound. Existential questions began to bubble upwards, pressing into my skull with a building migraine. If this world was real, what did that mean about other worlds that I thought were fiction? Did that mean Multiverse Theory was a concrete truth; that with infinite universes there were infinite possibilities? And with all the horrid things that occurred in this world, could I even survive?