Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst

"Well, the truth is that practitioners of the Zazen discipline go at their own pace, and their methods are hardly used in the arcane order. However, that doesn't mean they're not useful. For example, despite their magical artifacts seeming to combine the disadvantages of the other two systems, they have unique benefits.

The Zazen discipline artifacts require very rare materials and are difficult to make. Additionally, they can't be mass-produced. But in exchange for all that, they have a unique advantage called the spirit of the artifact, which is a kind of pseudo-artificial spirit that controls the artifact, allowing it to operate almost independently of the user.

As for their alchemy, it's quite interesting because they produce pills that can last for centuries or millennia without being damaged or losing their effects if stored well. This is unlike potions, which only last a few decades, or at most some centuries, if they are of high enough quality and stored in special containers."

Sigrún's calm explanation filled Erik with doubts, prompting him to ask.

"So why don't the Arcane Order use them more if they're so good?"

"Well, that's for several reasons, but mainly because the cost isn't worth it. First, the materials needed to make artifacts with those pseudo-artificial spirits are very rare and terribly expensive. Although their functionality is excellent, you can achieve a similar effect with runes for less than a third of the price.

The same goes for their pills, as maintaining their stability and longevity wastes a lot of raw materials, often tripling the cost compared to a potion with similar effects. Moreover, the effects of potions are almost instantaneous, whereas pills take time to take effect."

"Master, there's something I don't understand. Do spirits really exist?"

Sigrún didn't respond to his question. Instead, she elegantly extended her hand, causing a vivid blue flame to appear beside her. It took the shape of a beautiful bird in cobalt and turquoise tones, with a graceful and elegant body.

Seeing the magical phenomenon, Erik was utterly stunned by the beautiful bird that seemed straight out of a fairy tale. Sigrún, noticing his reaction, looked at him with a mischievous smile before saying in a cheerful and melodious voice.

 "Yes, they exist and even make contracts with humans from time to time."

Erik stared speechless at his master and the bird, with thousands of thoughts racing through his mind. In the end, only one word escaped his lips.

"Wow..."

"Hehehe, don't be so amazed. You're just beginning your journey, and in the future, you'll see more and more incredible things."

"This world is crazy..."

"Hehehe, since it's a good moment, I'd like to introduce you to my first disciple, Ignis."

Amused by her disciple's expression, Sigrún touched the flame bird and spoke to it familiarly, prompting the bird, Ignis, to stare intently at Erik for a long time while he returned the gaze.

After a while, the curious staring contest between a bird and a boy ended when the bird elegantly bowed like a noble, showing respect. Then the bird spoke with an incredibly beautiful yet elegant and dignified female voice that seemed to contain countless mysteries.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, disciple Erik. I am Ignis Caelestis, and I am pleased that you have joined paths with my contractor."

"You can talk?!!!"

Erik jumped in surprise, his eyes wide as he looked at Ignis, while Sigrún watched the bird with no less astonishment. After all, Ignis was one of the most powerful and noble fire spirits, making her quite arrogant, to the point of refusing to speak to anyone other than Sigrún, her contractor. Who, incidentally, had obtained the contract purely by chance in an ancient ruin.

"Of course, disciple Erik. I am the spirit of mystical fire, revered for eons in this universe."

"You are truly amazing, spirit Ignis Caelestis. Do you know how I can make a contract with a spirit as cool as you?" Lost in the moment's excitement, Erik looked at Ignis with bright eyes as he asked eagerly.

"Fufufu, you can just call me Ignis, disciple Erik. But making a contract with a spirit like me is not easy. Even this girl," Ignis pointed with her left wing at Sigrún, who couldn't believe what was happening, "had to work quite hard to achieve it. I only accepted because we share the same affinities, and she made me laugh, fufufu."

Likewise, the attendees in the room watched in shock as the bird spoke casually with the human boy, who looked at it as if he were in front of a great celebrity. A scene that was practically turning their worldview upside down.

"So you can also just call me Erik, Ignis, and it's really a shame it's so complicated to have a contract. It would be awesome to have a spirit; you don't know this, but I have two wolves named Kaiser and Tiberius, and they are gigantic. Can you imagine how cool we'd look entering as a group, shooting lightning and fire everywhere? We'd be the absolute sensation wherever we went, hahaha."

Erik commented amusingly, not caring in the slightest about his image. After all, he had lived long enough not to worry about something so silly. In his books, it was infinitely better to live life cheerfully and go with the flow, like talking to an incredibly cool blue phoenix made of flames. After all, maturing is for fruits.

Meanwhile, Sigrún and the attendees smacked their foreheads in exasperation upon hearing Erik's words. It was the first time they had seen someone want a spirit for such a childish reason as making a grand entrance. Some even thought Erik had offended the spirit and would be punished, but Ignis's words left everyone stunned.

"You're right, it would be very cool, as you say."

"See! We’d have the best entrance of all time."

"Fufufu, you've convinced me, Erik. I'll talk to some of my acquaintances to see if anyone is interested in making a contract with you."

"Hahaha, thanks, Ignis; you're the best! If you want anything from me, just ask. Although I can't do much right now, I'm good at working with leather and cooking, and I can also make good tools."

Erik unbuckled his belt to then pull out the sheaths for his machetes, which he then showed to Ignis while speaking.

"Just look at these beauties. I made these sheaths from the leather of a giant deer I found, and the machetes are steel coated in copper, and that was on a deserted island without tools. Now I can make better things. If you like them, I can make something for you as a thank you."

Ignis observed the sheaths with interest, then nodded a couple of times before saying so to Erik.

"Mmmm, they are very well-made. I would like you to make me a leather bag with bird motifs. Can you do that?"

"Of course! I even have black leather from a giant bison, so tell me how big you want it, and I'll start working right away."

While Ignis and Erik enjoyed themselves like small children, the attendees looked at each other, doubting their own lives. Never in their long lives had they heard of a spirit helping someone secure a contract, let alone liking leather items.

But the worst part was that, although Erik's machete sheaths were nice and well-made, they were nothing extraordinary. The leather was from a very weak magical animal, and it wasn't even an artifact, so no matter how they looked at them, they couldn't understand what the honorable ancestral spirit saw in them.

On the contrary, in Sigrún's mind, a hypothesis was forming about what was happening. Erik was undoubtedly a child of the Myst and probably the only one among humans, so Ignis should be interested in that, and the bag was just an excuse to talk to her young disciple.

After Erik finished noting down all of Ignis's specifications for her bag in a notebook, he gave her a big smile and spoke in a cheerful tone, like a young craftsman who had gotten his first customer.

"Then, give me about 15 days, Ignis. I'll make sure to create an amazing bag."

"I'll meet with you in 15 days, Erik, and I'll bring good news by then," Ignis replied elegantly, though it was evident from the lightness in her voice that she was also quite happy.

"Hahaha, seriously, thank you. If you want anything else, don't hesitate to ask."

"Mmmm, then I'll take you up on that offer and ask you to give me a little mana." After hesitating a bit, Ignis commented casually, which confused Erik a little.

"Mana?"

"Yes, spirits like to consume mana. That's one of the reasons we make contracts."

"Mmm, will anything happen to my master's contract if I do that?"

"Not at all; I just want to taste your mana."

"Then that's fine, although if you like, I can give you the mix of mana and Myst that I give to my wolves. They like it quite a bit."

"Then give me that too."

After saying that, Ignis approached Erik with an elegant step, causing the young man with starry hair to ask, upon seeing Ignis's body made of flames.

"Okay, but won't I get burned if I touch you?"

"Not at all; I have perfect control of my fire."

As she spoke, Ignis extended her wing, causing blue fire to appear out of nowhere in the air, taking the shapes of different animals. These animals started walking around the place, and some even began nibbling on paper, which showed no sign of being burned.

For his part, Erik watched Ignis's impressive ability with great interest, deeply understanding the difference between a spirit and a magical animal. After all, no magical animal on the island had been able to do anything as crazy as what the blue phoenix was doing.

"Then I'll give it a try."