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I remember when I first took you in as my apprentice. You were brash, impulsive, always with a desire to prove yourself. Hmm, maybe not much has changed since then. But even then, I could tell you always had a good heart. Nonetheless, I proceeded to do my job as your teacher, not just in the magical arts, but to guide into being a better person. For all these years, I would like to thank you for allowing me to be your teacher and though that may not be the case anymore, I hope that you will allow me to be more than just your former teacher

I remember how bitter you were, cold and how you tried to push others away. But you’ve grown up so much since then. Much warmer than before and certainly much more happy. It makes me happy to see you like this.

Happy Birthday and may you have many more, my dear Kyoko.

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April fool's may be over, but I don't think I'm quite done with this "joke" just yet.

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I'm going to go ahead and remove technology altogether. I'm placing my setting to be either more medieval or feudal Japan. And everything will be done through magic. Everything. And because everything is magic, I don't need to explain anything.

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Already thinking of writing a new setting. The MC for this setting will be able to travel at least 1000 times the speed of light, have the ability to phase through dimensions and be able to lick their elbow.

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If a setting can't survive a nuke, then it's a terrible setting.

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Closure

I've been on and off with this setting of mine, but I think it's time to keep myself off. The more I think about it, the more I realize I'm not getting anywhere with it and how I don't have any interest in continuing. And so, though short, I close the book on SOM. Maybe I should have given my cast the ability to be beyond the concept of time to the point where it means nothing to them with abilities that would make universal tier characters feel jealous. Now that would have been quality writing. Oh, I could have just constantly made fun of characters I don't like to reassure myself, but I have standards.

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What is a demon(in Slice of Magic)?

Although "demon" is an accepted term among both humans and the demons themselves, it can be argued that it may not necessarily be the correct term. The origins of the demon species is actually an enigma in itself as any records about their origins have never been found. Even the demons themselves don't know much if anything about their first ancestors. There are various theories regarding their origins. Some believe thst the first demons were actually summoned familiars from mages that became too powerful and have decided to remain in our world. Some claim that the first demons were the cause of a mutation among those that studied the dark arts of magic and became consumed by it. And there are even those that say that science was the cause as they were the results of artificial beings. Many of these theories believe that demons are actually a more recent species, one that was created only a few centuries ago. Their genetic makeup is extremely similar to a human, in fact, it is believed that even the modern day full demons have had human ancestors in their past. What can't be disputed are their capabilities that once made them feared. All demons posess the ability to wield a demonic energy they produce subconsciously. This energy grants them an improved regeneration and further tapping into it will improve their physical capabilities and give them a more demonic appearance. In doing so, their mind temporarily reverts to a more primitive state that relies more on instinct than rational, even if the demon in question is normally a very rational individual in addition to generally being more aggressive. Although a demon can easily pass off as a human, anyone that can sense lifeforce(A.k.a anyone trained in Ki arts, magic arts or is an esper or even another demon.) can sense the demon energy they produce. Additionally, almost all demons posess red eyes. Half demons also known as halflings, posess the same demon energy as their full counterparts but the benefits they gain from them are more limited and tapping into it will still revert their mind to a more instinctual and aggressive mindset. Though their demon energy can still be sensed, its presence is weaker and unlike their full counterparts, they may have their human parent's eye color instead(or both) although this will turn red when they're tapping into their demon energy.

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What are your opinions on deceptive technological aesthetics? Like an example being some sort of linguistic tech where mere speech or writing can perform wondrous feats that would make flashy distant future machinery look like caveman technology in comparison. Basically, incredibly primitive on the surface, but ridiculously advanced in function.

Well, I don't know about simple speech or writing making something amazing unless it's a speech/writing recognition for something. But making a highly advanced piece of technology look like scrap metal has its uses, such as making the enemy underestimate your capabilities or hiding a powerful item in plain sight. One can never forget the art of deception.

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What are the criterias for a combatant to be considered dishonorable or unforgivable to you?

Doing such things in a formal duel with rules established. On the battlefield where its a fight to the death, honor gets you killed.

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"My new year's resolution?" Margaret's humanoid look becomes more demonic looking as her green eye becomes red, a mischievous look in her face. "Unite all the demons of this world and rule over it as queen while taking over humanity and using them as my personal pets. Mwahahahahahaha!" Margaret then reverts back to her "normal" self. "Fu fu fu. You didn't think I was serious, did you? I would never do something like that. Besides, isn't the point of New year's resolutions to completely ignore them anyway? Oh, I had a nice birthday in case you were wondering, nothing too fancy mind you. But I prefer it like that anyway. Oh and here's to another year. Let's make it a good one."

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Happy Birthday Kyoko!

I didn't forget this year.

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Demonic ambitions part 10

The portal opened in front of the entrance to Aaron's place. Aaron proceeded to take out a key and use it to unlock the door. "Welcome back. I trust the mission was a success." said Lucas. Lin stepped in front. "Is my sister here?" "Hmm? I see... she's here but be sure to give her some time to process." Shortly after, Rin would walk in the room. "Back already? So that's...." Rin cut herself upon noticing the additional person among them. "Is this some kind of sick joke? How dare you mock me like this!" "It's not a joke....nor a cruel trick." Rin gasped from hearing her sister's voice. She approached her and began to feel her. "But how?" "I was lucky, I was given a chance to survive that horrible encounter." She then embraced her sister, tears beginning to form on both. "I've been looking for you ever since....and I finally found you." As the two reunited, Vanessa quitely commanded the others to let them have their moment. They all stepped out to leave the two alone. "They both have closure and one that gave them quite a happy ending. I couldn't have asked for anything better for them." said Vanessa. "Is it really that simple? said Aaron "There was some in fighting as well, right? Who's not to to say that the winner of that might decide to continue this little war?" "Rather unlikely. If they were in fighting like that, I don't think they believed in the cause as much as one would think. They just sought power." said Margaret "With nothing to rally behind, they'll be in too much of a disarray to be any major threat." "Let's hope you're right." said Lucas. "At any rate, Steele, Wolfe, we got quite the paperwork to fill out. "Don't remind me." said Aaron "And I need to make arrangements to have a word with William regarding the information he's been disclosing to Lin. I want to be sure there wasn't anything else." said Vanessa. "I need to let mother know what happened. Though he intended to have our kinds divided, he was still family." said Margaret "Ya got the roughest job out of us all." said Aaron. "On another note, I gotta ask Lin if she's got a place. I figured the twins are gonna stick together for a while to catch up. I told Rin I would help her out but with her sister actually still alive, she might not need my help." "Still defending her, I see." said Lucas "Hey, I knew she wasn't a bad girl. Just misunderstood. Wanna make sure she'll be all right." "I would most likely do the same in your position, Wolfe." "O'Neal, when you're done playing around, let's head back to base, we still have work to do." Said Vanessa "Yes, ma'am" said Lucas as he prepared to leave "Wolfe, make sure those two are ok then come back to base as well." "You got it. This has left me wanting more. Can't wait to hit the base gym." "Margaret, was it? You have my thanks for your cooperation." "No thanks are necessary, ma'am." Vanessa nodded before turning to leave signaling Lucas to follow and leave the two behind. "You know..." Margaret said as she leaned close to Aaron "Those last moments back at the castle. It looked to me like we worked rather well together." "We took advantage of each other's openings that's all." "Don't be such a spoilsport. You know it was more than that." "Sorry, just seemed that way to me." "Regardless, it was enough for me to convince me! I've grown rather fond of your company. Yea, I think I'll come by to tease you every once in a while." "Bwah? I was under the impression that this was just a one time thing." "So you didn't like me around?" "It ain't that. I just don't think you thought about that idea of yours well." "Ah, well let's try it for a bit at least." "You're going to go for it even if I say no, right? So just get it out of yer system." Several hours have passed. Despite everything, for most it was business as usual. Vanessa Steele waited in her office for the one she called for. The door opened and her guest arrived. A blonde man, his uniform more form fitting designed more for mobility. "Lady Steele." He saluted. "I consider it an honor to have the chance to speak to you in person." Vanessa simply looked at him. They both knew what they were here for and she wasn't interested. "Straight to the point then. I understand your concerns. Allow me to state that this was not my plan, but one left by my previous commander. A negotiation that started about 20 to 25 years ago." He proceeded to take out a folder and pulled out some files. "It started with this incident. A city and village close together. One more inhabited by humans, the other more by demons. Despite the treaty we've had for years, these two places were more "tolerant" than "accepting". So when there was a sudden attack on the humans, you can imagine all the hell broke loose. By the time the group before me managed to arrive, both places were a disaster. That's when they found her...." "Lin." "They say she was under the corpse of a human woman who gave her life to shield her. Her killers were still there too, the group apprehended them on the spot. A later investigation revealed that the demons initiated the attack weren't even from that village to begin with. Someone knew how tense the situation was and took advantage." "Trying to instigate a race war." "The group took Lin in and told her they would try and figure out who was truly responsible. Officially, Lin was just a victim they were helping." "But the truth was something else." "I found out when I was promoted. Just before I would take the commander post, the previous commander told me about Lin. How they were looking to find and give her any info they could find in exchange for her doing a little recon work for them." "So unofficially she was part of the team." "They were taking a huge risk with that. Can't say I was very comfortable with it, even I don't know why I continued to go along with it. Especially since there was a long period where we had nothing. This recent incident was the first in many years of inactivity. We had expected they had given up. We even told Lin about the possibility that they wouldn't come back." "But she suspected that they weren't done." "It's more like she was hoping they would return, not just to avenge the ones lost in that attack, but because she suspected that her sister was among those manipulated into joining their false cause. She wanted to reach to her sister and save her before anything happened to her." Vanessa thought back to the incident. It was fortunate that Aaron took pity on her and spared her, but what if it played out differently. What if she wasn't as lucky, Lin would have been devastated. She remembered the brief moment she thought her sister had perished, how she looked for that moment. "Lady Steele." Vanessa snapped back to reality on her name being called. "She's taken some training here." said William. "At least enough for some self defense capability. If she were to properly finish her training, I think she could be a good candidate. However, I should mention that I told her that once this was finally over, that she should try living a more "normal" life." "Hm? That's a surprise. Thought you would try to convince her." William shrugged. "The circumstances didn't seem right to keep dragging her into this. Now then, in regards to what I know about Lin, I've told you everything. In regards, to whether there are other situations like Lin's among our ranks, to the best of my knowledge she was the only one and after today, she'll be treated like any other civilian. Our deal is complete, after all. Will that be sufficient?" Seeing that she had the story she wanted and that she won't get any more of it, she decided it would suffice. "That is all. You're dismissed." William saluted. "My congratulations on your upcoming special day. The Centurions will lose one of their best once you retire." "That's only what the official record will say. In truth, I don't think I won't ever stop being a Centurion. Still, you have my thanks." "I believe I understand what you mean." William said before proceeding to leave the room, leaving Vanessa alone to finish her reports.

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Demonic ambitions part 9

The portal opened near the entrance to a large castle. The three stepped out briefly looking at their surroundings. "So this is what they're using as a main base." said Vanessa. "It doesn't seem much but I'm certain they must have heavy resistance inside. Perhaps it's best to hold our ground here and wait for backup." "You do that. I'll go on ahead and take care of this quickly myself." Said Margaret "Wait. Margaret can you even sense him from here?" asked Aaron. "Oh, he's here all right. That dark energy you're sensing ain't just from the two of us." "Figured as much. But ya think you can handle it alone?" "I would say my chances are good. That and to be honest, I should be doing it alone. This is a family matter, after all. I was hoping you'd be able to help me find him quick before he gets too problematic and you did. I thank you for that, but in the end this is something I must do." "Lady Margaret." Vanessa spoke up. "Your family matter is bigger than that. This is someone that threatens to undo years of our relationship with demons. To undo the peace we've worked so hard to attain. Needless to say this involves us as much as you." "And you believe there's a chance he could succeed?" "I assure you that all it takes is a small spark. They start showing any kind of power with their ideals and soon others will have ideas. We're stopping that from happening." "All right ya know what?" said Aaron "How about you go ahead and take care of your uncle and we just help ya make that job easier?" Margaret smirked. "When you put it that way, I guess we can make it work." Just then, both Vanessa and Aaron's comms rang for them. "Hello? Can you hear me?" came the voice from their comms "Rin? Did something happen?" answered Vanessa "No, we're fine. I was remembering something that could be important. Aaron, the demon you killed, he was the second in command. Once Warlord was killed it, left a spot the others really wanted. "A power vacuum." "I suppose. It caused some in fighting among the others. Obviously the spot would be easily filled by whoever killed Warlord's killer." "Hold up." said Aaron "Is that the real reason why you attacked me?" "W-w-wait a moment. I knew I could never beat you. It was more to keep you in place while the others arrived and ambushed. That way, we could resolve that problem right away and....I'm sorry, Aaron." "Huh" Aaron sighed. "Ya don't need to apologize, we were enemies until now. Hey....once this is over, I'll see what I can do to help ya out." "Regardless it does give us a tactical advantage. The internal disarray will-” Vanessa said before being interrupted by a screeching noise. "We got company!" said Aaron noting the source of the screaming. A large group of beast like creatures, much like the ones Warlord commanded. Reaching to her right, Vanessa pulled out a device from her right as she unfolded it to reveal it to be a submachine gun and begin firing at the beasts who stood no chance against the bullets. "Let's start moving in before more of them come." said Vanessa as she began to head in followed by her demon and half-demon companions. "We need to find the throne room of this place." said Margaret "It's where I would be if I were an egotistical bastard living in ancient times." Another group of beast creatures were coming up. Margaret quickly took care of them by rapid firing magic beams at them. "These things all they have left?" asked Aaron "Don't jinx it, big guy!" said Margaret. It wasn't long before they reached their destination. A large open room with nothing but the throne and the demon who sat in it. Large and imposing, unlike Margaret and Aaron, he didn't bother hiding his demonic traits. He looked at the group as if he was expecting them. "Truth be told, I was not expecting you to find me so quickly. But once I sensed your presence nearby, I knew it was a matter of time." He looked over to Margaret. "I see, you're the child of my sister. You ended up looking like her. It's a shame that you ended up being a halfling." "Should I be ashamed? On the contrary, I'm proud of my heritage, both my human and demon sides. I am proof that the relationship between our kinds can be a peaceful one, a relationship that I find perplexing that you would work so hard to destroy." said Margaret "Because it's a lie. A desperate plea by humans who are afraid that they will find out who truly is the tip species. A lie that my fellow brethren have been believing. One that I intend to dispel." "Desperate plea by humans? It could not be farther from the truth. This relationship is the result of generations of hard work realizing that the battle between our kinds was pointless and foolish." said Vanessa before pointing toward the demon "To allow someone such as yourself to undo our progress would be an insult to both our kinds." "And yet, even now you continue to look for ways to control us." "He ain't going to listen. It's just as Margaret said, he's too stuck in the old ways. And in the old ways, the only thing that mattered was power." said Aaron The other two put themselves in a combat stance. The demon stood up from his throne and pulled a sword, the blade emanating a powerful dark aura. "That sword... it's almost like my soul is going to be sucked into it just because of its presence." said Margaret Aaron stepped in front of Vanessa blocking her path with his arm. "Wolfe, what are you-" "Vanessa, you need to run." "What?" "Your weapons won't work on him and as handy as you are with that rapier, you're more likely to die trying to match his swordsmanship with yours." As they talked, the demon swung his sword, shooting a dark wave toward their position. The three proceed to jump out of the way. "Besides, aren't you planning to retire soon? I heard you were planning to do something less dangerous as part of your plans to settle down. Ain't you already planning a wedding?" said Aaron. "A fair enough point. Allow me to give this order to you both. DON'T DIE!" said Vanessa as she proceeded to run out. "Yes ma'am!" Aaron proceeded to fire a dark projectile toward the demon who dodged it. After he did, a nearby portal opened as a set of hands shot out from them. The demon quickly slashed at them, slicing them off as they disappeared after the slash. Aaron fired more dark projectiles which were deflected away. At the same time, Margaret took the opportunity to create various runes on the floor beginning to cover the floor with them. The demon responded by planting the blade into the floor creating a powerful shockwave that would destroy the runes. This however, left him vulnerable to a sudden attack by Aaron, who dashes above the shockwave to deliver a powerful punch to send him flying toward the wall. Wasting no time, Margaret summoned the hands again to immediately grab him upon impact. The demon struggled to break free but another attack by Aaron, another powerful punch to the stomach made his struggle in vain. The impact was enough to force him to drop the sword which Margaret quickly grabbed and tossed away summoning more runes where it landed intending to destroy the blade. "So this is how it ends..." said the weakened demon. "Still conscious huh? Aaron must have pulled his punches." "You mock me? I suppose you have to have your fun before you end me." "...despite everything, I can't bring myself to kill you. I guess, I'm being a foolish girl, but I want to remain hopeful that you can change." The demon just laughed. "Then there is hope yet. I will not let my kind fall and be stepped by humans as long as I draw breath." "I see. If you won't change, then I must always stop you." Margaret's words would be interrupted by a sudden spear piercing the demon's head. Aaron and Margaret looked back in the direction it was thrown from. There stood a very familiar looking woman. The two immediately first thought of Rin, but there was something different about her. "I've been waiting years for that." said the woman as she approached her weapon and began to pull it out. "This bastard sent a group of his demons to attack a human town. Then proceeded to lead them to my village. He wanted to take the survivors and convince them to join his cause." She finished pulling out the spear and swung it away before beginning to wrap it. "I'm lucky to be alive. When I found out what really happened I tried to look for him. Especially since he took someone precious to me. Since you got to him before I could..." "Oh, I get it. Since we got to him first then that means we encountered your twin sister as well." She looked down and away. "So you did meet her.....I won't hold a grudge against you, she was manipulated by that bastard after all." "Hey now, Rin's alive and well." said Aaron Surprised, she looked toward the two. "You didn't...?" "Once Margaret figured out her trick, it was easy to catch her. Poor girl was so scared when we did that I took pity on her." said Aaron. The woman quickly grabbed onto Aaron. "Please, you need to take me to her!" "Whoa, easy there. We were just about to head back to her." said Aaron. "And while we do so, maybe you won't mind telling a little about yourself and how you even found this place." said Margaret The group began to walk out of the castle. "You're from Centurion, right?" asked the woman. "I am, why do you ask?" said Aaron "It was one of your people that helped me find this place. He's been helping me find information about these guys for years. He tipped me off that someone filed a report matching what I've been looking for. Then there was a request for additional support in this place." "Considering how fast you arrived, it must have been Lucas that did the request as a precautionary measure. Little faith in me..." said Aaron "But it worked out in the end, right?" said Margaret "Not exactly how I would put it." The group eventually exited the castle where they met up with Vanessa. "Rin? You were told to stay behind." Said Vanessa "I'm not Rin, I'm actually Lin, her sister." "But we were told you were dead." "Understandably so. The last thing I told my sister was to run away while I held off our pursuers. Not surprised she thought I was dead. I would have been had it not been for what can be described as a twist of fate." "There's more to it. Apparently someone told her about this little mission of ours. Thinking it was a higher up." said Aaron "Who told you about this?” asked Vanessa. "His name was William, ma'am." "Name does ring a bell." said Aaron "He's part of the black ops division. I definitely have some questions to ask him..." said Vanessa "He only told me things pertaining about this demon. Nothing else." said Lin. ".... Margaret, just take us back, I'll deal with this later." "Right-o." said Margaret opening the portal to take the group back.

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Demonic ambitions part 8

Aaron leaned near a wall. HQ didn't detect unusual activity, Margaret couldn't locate them, Rin refused to talk and now Lady Steele was coming over. He knew she was the no nonsense type. Great for soldiers, perhaps not so much when she would probably be the only human interaction and could potentially scare Rin even more. He then felt a tug. "Hm? Got tired of talking to her?" said Aaron as he looked at Rin. "She told me quite a story. I assume as she's the daughter of a demon and a human it would be natural for her to defend the humans. But.... you're a full blooded demon, right? If I'm going to be stuck here with you, I could at least try to understand your reasoning." said Rin. "Feeling a little more talkative, huh? Ya probably want to know why I'm siding with the humans. It's rather simple really. I've met plenty of good humans and to be honest, there ain't that much difference between our kinds. What happened to ya was unfortunate, there are some bastards out there. But if ya ask me what yer doing ain't much different from the ones that attacked you. I just think that as someone that experienced that pain ya wouldn't make someone suffer that pain as well. That's what I think anyway. Course, yer going to say how I'm wrong." "I won't." responded Rin "I said I would try to understand your reasoning and I will do just that." The minutes passed. The two wouldn't have much of a conversation despite their attempts. Eventually, there was a knock on the door. Aaron headed toward it and opened it. He was greeted by two figures, a man and a woman. The man was of average build with blonde hair and a pair of glasses. He wore a robe variant of the Centurion uniform. The woman was also of average build, her black hair tied into a bun, her uniform a variant designed for higher ranked members. "Lucas O'Neal and Lady Steele" said Aaron as he saluted them. Lucas adjusted his glasses. "Quite an interesting situation you've gotten into." Lady Steele entered visually displeased with the mess Aaron has. "Tell me everything you know." "From the intel that I could gather, there's a group of demons that don't take kindly to humans. Think they're better than them. I've managed to intercept and eliminate one of their officers. Another of them then tried getting revenge but I managed to capture her. She's actually right here." Aaron pointed toward Rin. Vanessa looked over toward her and raised an eyebrow. "No restraints?" Asked Vanessa "Had a hunch that she wouldn't be trouble. She didn't even think her revenge right." Said Aaron "That's the kind of thinking that will get you killed." Vanessa approached Rin. Rin found herself rather intimidated by this woman. She had a hard time trying to hide her fear. "At ease, I have no intention to harm you." Said Vanessa. Rin began to calm herself down but she still felt somewhat intimidated. "She's also the defector I mentioned in my report. Been trying to have her tell us everything that could help us, but she's still...well....a bit undecided." Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "Undecided?" "If I heard you right, what you said was rather than mention that you've captured one of them in your report, you instead write that she defected." Said Lucas. "Which brings me to my next question. Why are you protecting her, Wolfe?" "What makes ya think I'm protecting her?" "Your report said she was a defector even though you captured her. Your combat capabilities aside, you trust her enough to roam loose to not stab you in the back or try to escape you. In short, you're not treating like a prisoner at all." "Tch. Just trust me will ya?" Lucas shrugged. "I'm not the one risking his life not following protocol." Lucas took a quick glance at Rin. "You know, I swear I've seen her somewhere before." "Eh?" Rin stared back rather confused. "Heh heh, now that I think about it. She kinda does look like one of those characters from your girl comics. Maybe you saw someone dressed like that in one of your conventions." Said Aaron. "I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't call them girl comics." "Oh my bad. But ya probably have one of them statues that look like her." "They're called figmas, you uncultured brute." "That's enough, both of you!" Yelled Vanessa. The two immediately ceased their actions. "We need to start figuring out our next move." Though Rin didn't know what they were talking about, she didn't bother trying to make sense of it. Instead, she was focusing on the words Margaret and Aaron told her. After so many years harboring her hatred for humans, it wasn't until recently that she really reconsidered her actions. She approached the others, her mind made up. "Do you have a map?" Rin asked. "Yer actually going to help us, Rin?" Asked Aaron. Rin nodded. "It's as you told me. They're just doing the same thing as the humans that hurt me. The thought of being an accomplice to inflicting that same pain to others...even to other humans...is something I don't think I could live with. And....there has to be a reason why I've been told that the relationship between our species has been improving." Not a moment after, a portal opened which Margaret stepped out of. "Oh, I see your little friends have arrived." Said Margaret. "Wolfe, do you know her?" Asked Vanessa. "Oh, how rude of me. My name is MAAAAAAAAAR-" Margaret's introduction was cut short by Aaron covering her mouth. "Her name is Margaret Vermillion. She's the informant I mentioned before." "I see..." Vanessa said before turning toward Rin. "Are you sure about this? Once you tell us that information there's no going back." "I'm sure. If you have a map, I could tell you where they are." Vanessa took out a tablet and wrote a command into it forming a holographic map of the area they were in. "If we're here, then that city was here, if I'm right it should be this place here." Said Rin finally pointing to a spot in the map. What appeared to be a large abandoned castle. "I see. Big enough to hold a small army, close enough to target some of the human areas nearby and it's unlikely there would be anyone snooping around since they would just assume it to be some old castle provided they continue to remain low." Said Vanessa as she carefully studied the map before putting away the holographic map. "We'll need to secure transportation." "Oh, that won't be necessary." Said Margaret. "Now that I know where it is, I can just create a few portals and take you there in a few minutes." "Portals? I didn't think such magic was even possible." Said Vanessa "Ah well. It's quite complicated for something so simple. I pretty much have to create a small pocket dimension to be able to link the entrance and exit together. And I can only get it a certain distance, I have to create multiple dimensions for longer distances and then there's the amount of mana I have to use for them." "If what you say is true, you must be quite an accomplished mage to pull that kind of magic off." "I've had plenty of years to practice. Now then, shall we?" "Rin." said Aaron "I appreciate finally helping us out, but I'm going to have to ask ya to stay behind." "Eh? W-why? I made it clear I want to help!" said Rin "Well, I gotta be honest with ya. It ain't safe for ya. Outside of those illusions of yers, you ain't much of a fighter. These guys probably know what ya can do, so it won't work on them. Plus, when they see ya with us, they're going to figure out yer betrayal. Going to make it harder for us to beat them while defending ya at the same time." explained Aaron. "I understand." Said Rin as she nodded "If it's all right, I'll keep her company." Said Lucas. "You all know I'm better at treating wounds than causing them. Just make it back in one piece and I'll use my healing magic. Although, I get the feeling the lady here knows a few healing spells of her own." He looked toward Rin. "I understand if you decline, I AM a human." "It's fine." replied Rin. "I've told you what I knew. At this point, I feel like I have to trust you anyway." "Very well. Aaron, we'll keep your place just as you left it." Said Lucas. "Keep us informed if anything happens." said Vanessa. Margaret proceeded to create the portal the three would use.

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Hey, there is something that never added up for me until now. How is machinery/magitech capable of magical powers if they're inorganic and can't produce mana? I recall a while back that non-living things have no soul, which is needed to produce mana.

Obviously the machinery is alive.Ok no.Generally these things have magical artifacts that provide the effects and use mana from the environment as the fuel(With so much organic matter around, there is no issue of a mana shortage). Of course, there's the matter of manipulating said mana which is done by the wielder. While they're made to be easier, you still need to have an idea of manipulating mana to actually receive the magical benefits. And yes, this means that excessive use of said magitech can kill you in the same way as overusing magic with no restIn simpler terms, the wielder manipulates mana through the magitech.

[darkflare-oc]

Now that demons have finally debuted in prominent roles recently, will we finally get to see dark powers get fleshed out and learn why they're so "dark"? Is it different from magic given it's a demon kind of thing in the first place too? Is there gonna be holy powers, too, as a counterpart to dark?

The demons in my setting are a little different than what one might expect. The demon powers behave similar to magic but at the same time is generated more by the demon itself than mana manipulation. That said, their abilities are very similar to dark magic in that it's primary focus is to harm a target in pretty nasty ways, so in a way, the demon abilities aren't completely exclusive to the demons.While I doubt I'll have a light equivalent to the dark demon powers, we have already seen something like that before. Lucine's abilities were more focused on Light magic after all.On a final note, I do want to write up a post describing what the demons are. As I said, they may not be what you expect.

[darkflare-oc]

I've been busy so I haven't had the chance to continue this story. I do have part of the next part written so I haven't forgotten about it.