Chapter 8:

  Rin stopped suddenly and pointed behind her. “But the motorcycle is this way!”

  Moli rushed toward her and said, “Maybe the bike could help you escape the police, but not a group of magic users who are hunting us.”

  “So how are we going to—”

  Rin held her breath as Moli scooped her up in his arms. He looked at her with a mischievous smile, then leapt into the air. They rose briefly, then began to descend again. She clung to him in embarrassment, certain they were going to fall and that Moli was crazy. Then, a giant feathered bird carried them—its broad beak and lion-like legs covered in scales that shimmered in the sunlight like fish skin. Moli slowly placed Rin on the bird’s back.

  “Don’t be afraid… it’s a gentle bird.”

  But she grabbed him again as the bird suddenly sped up. Moli laughed. “Stop! I know you got bored while I was away, but let’s consider the lady now!”

  The bird let out a sharp whistle, almost like a scream. Seconds passed before it calmed down, slowing its speed and stabilizing its flight. Rin sat and clutched its feathers, her hands trembling with awe. She looked at Moli with childish confusion and shouted, “What is happening here?!”

  Moli answered simply from behind her, “Magic.”

  She snapped back, “Yes! I know that!”

  She added, “But can you explain what just happened a moment ago?!”

  At that moment, the bird stopped completely. Rin was surprised. The height didn’t change even though its movement ceased—so much so that the wind around them stopped blowing too. She turned toward Moli and found him sitting calmly, his legs crossed, looking at her.

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  “What do you think of the view now?”

  Only then did Rin notice. The sky was a deep blue like the sea, with fluffy white cotton clouds floating within it. Even the sun hid partially behind a cloud, leaving behind a beautiful painting. A bright smile formed on Rin’s face. She looked at Moli and smiled slyly.

  “Don’t think I forgot about the magic… now explain!”

  Moli muttered as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Damn… she’s smart.”

  He sighed in surrender, then opened his mouth. “Magic is simply your way of influencing the world around you… Magic is a natural power embedded in existence, like money, knowledge, or wisdom.”

  He added coldly, “But unlike the others, magic is limited to only a few people.”

  Moli spread his palm, and pink particles burst forth, gently colliding with each other. “Crystal magic crystallizes into ten forms… Creation, Summoning, and Sorcery… These are the forms I used to escape just now.”

  He danced his fingers through the air and formed a small hat as if it were woven from air particles. He placed it on Rin’s head and said, “Creation—controlling the crystal particles around you to create anything using your imagination. The only condition is that you cannot violate the structure of the universe. So you can’t create life, for example… because that requires more than magic.”

  Then he lightly slapped the bird’s back with his hand. “Summoning. If you kill a creature, you can store its body inside crystal chambers… so you can summon it again whenever you need it.”

  Rin said quietly, “So this bird…”

  He interrupted, nodding. “Yes, I killed it.”

  Rin raised her voice, trying to ignore what he said. “And what about Sorcery? What is it?”

  Moli smiled spontaneously. “I don’t think I can explain it to you.”

  After a brief pause, he added, “But if you want to know what I did today simply, I cast two spells: the Tenth Spell and the Seventh Spell.”

  “This world is built on crystal energy. Crystal particles are everywhere, so all beings are a delicate fabric made of those particles. If you can read that fabric, you can activate the Seventh Spell—The Lock. With it, you can control the crystal energy within them and freeze it if you want.”

  Rin counted on her fingers. “So the Tenth Spell lets you read your opponent’s energy, and the Seventh Spell lets you control it after reading it successfully.”

  Moli clapped with genuine joy. “Well done! You saved me from explaining it in a longer way.”