Class Is In Session

Once a year the Scholar Brig invited an accomplished Scholar to speak to the students. This year they had invited Scholar Trick to speak in the assembly hall. The petite Swallowtail winged fairy barely was able to clear the podium and as a result would nervously pace back and forth on the stage.

She did her best to talk of the training needed to become a Scholar and what focusing Imagination Magic meant. Her lecture was met with varying responses but often the students were disinterested. More than once Iron had to cast a disapproving glare at students who were causing a disturbance.

At the end of her lecture Trick fluttered up a little bit off the ground and in her alto voice asked “any questions?”

The silence in the room felt like a held breath.

After a moment Iron moved forward from his post on the wall and in a projected authoritative voice said “Any student who asks a meaningful question will be excused from one training session this week.”

A hundred hands shot up.

Trick smiled wryly and pointed at the nearest student.

“How come there are no Scholars working on the Jungle but it keeps getting bigger?”

Trick thought for a moment before tilting her head and asking “Are you from Circuit Court?” The student sheepishly nodded. “Nothing to be ashamed of, most fairies just don’t notice the dimensional effects of Imagination exposure unless they live nearby specific phenomena.”

Trick began to outline her point in sparkles she produced from her fingertips.

“To begin to understand the difference between exposure and Building we must first understand the stages of Imagination.”

“Stage one is the actual production of Imagination. Readers naturally emit Imagination, although their internal production produces varying quantities. There have been some studies into what factors influence raw Imagination quantities but it’s worth noting that all of these factors are unable to be controlled by us. Readers also do not have the capability to use the Imagination they produce.“

“Stage two is the collection and processing of Imagination. Due to the immense volume of raw materials that exist in the Create District and the surrounding areas it made the most sense to set up our main processing plant there. Everything else is gathered up by Inspirers in varying Sections.”

“Now after the raw material has been collected, it gets sent through the Imagination Factory. We’ve spent the last 80 years developing the processes for refining Imagination into a form that our bodies can utilize. There are variations to this process, which is why you can find concentrated Imagination in many forms.”

“Stage three is consumption. Most fairy bodies produce small amounts of Imagination naturally but that small amount doesn’t allow us to perform any significant magical acts. So what we do is supplement our natural magic with the specially concentrated Imagination through consuming it. This allows us to become more powerful and produce much larger magical acts, although we all have a limit individually. Working together allows us to perform extraordinary feats, however there is a certain level of training needed to make sure the magic is stable. Which is why we have Scholars.”

“Stage four is using your magic. When we channel Imagination and create magic it is not an exact process. Little bits of Imagination break off when we channel magic, and the bigger the magic the more likely there are bits of Imagination floating around. What our top scientists have found is that the longer an area is exposed to that excess Imagination the more likely it is to develop unintended effects. Exposure is different from extended magical intention - whereas Scholars spend long hours maintaining the internal structure of say, Oratory Castle and Builders do something similar on a smaller scale - an area being exposed to those bits of Imagination is not able to be controlled in its effects.”

Trick paused and looked around the auditorium. Another hand shot up, the student trying to slyly look over at Iron. Trick pointed at the student with their hand up.

“How come raw Imagination floating around doesn’t make areas like the Jungle?”

Trick scrunched her nose up as she thought for a moment. She pointed to the sparkles that still hung in the air.

“There’s a bit of a misconception that Imagination in all its forms is exactly the same but actually each step of the process creates a totally different by-product. Scientifically they all have different names, but the common name is Imagination for everything. So stage one Imagination, the raw materials that is produced by Readers is identified as Confictura Rudimentum. Confictura is a much more gossamer and granular magic both visually and tactility.”

“Stage two Imagination is identified as Partum Conuenerunt. Partum is viscous and opaque. Of course this form of Imagination can be presented in many forms but one thing that is the same across all ways to consume it, is that its base form has a jelly-like texture.”

“There’s been some debate among scientists if Imagination changes forms when it is being processed by our bodies. The majority agreement seems to be that because it is being stored inside of your body for use there is no atomic change to the Imagination.”

“Stage four Imagination is identified as Ut Opinor Sic Creo. Because Imagination can do just about anything when it is channeled properly we do not identify this form of Imagination based on any corporeal attributes. However the byproduct of Ut Opinor is Somniat In Aere which is the breakaway bits of Imagination I talked about earlier. Scientists are able to identify this form of Imagination by its gaseous properties. Oftentimes Somniat does get absorbed into the effects it creates so it becomes difficult to isolate this particular form of Imagination.”

“So to answer your question - Confictura Rudimentum is just not the same phenomenon as Somniat In Aere. We have studied the effects. Exposure to Confictura just will not do what exposure to Somniat will. It’s like asking why raw flour and a fresh loaf of bread don’t taste the same.”

A soft chuckle swept over the auditorium. When it died down, another hand shot up into the air. Trick nodded at the student.

“Why can’t I just use…Con-fic-tura to do magic?”

Trick nodded solemnly. “Confictura is unprocessed and difficult to consume. If we use my flour metaphor from earlier, consuming it raw is extremely dangerous and challenging. There is a possibility the flour dust can form lumps in your nose and throat if inhaled, potentially blocking your airways. If you eat it slightly moistened beforehand you run the risk of becoming ill via bacteria. And you gain very little nutritional value from raw flour due to the limited quantities you are able to consume.”

“This is the same with Confictura. Because it is in a dust-like form it is extremely difficult to consume. It is not recommended to inhale it when you can see large patches of it as the density of the Confictura may cause health issues. If you manage to collect Imagination in a handcrafted version of an ImagiSnare it is likely you will not collect a substantial amount.”

Trick hovered on the stage, almost imperceptibly rubbing her pinky and thumb together. She knew what question came next.

A hand shot up and the student didn’t even wait for her to call on them before they shouted “Is there a way to process Confictura yourself?!”

Trick sighed and then hardened her gaze. “Do not. Under any circumstance. Try to process raw Imagination yourself.”

A ripple went through the auditorium.

“I mean it. Incorrect Partum Conuenerunt processing can and has created Chimera. An extremely dangerous and volatile magic that is uncontrollable by any fairy.”

A gasp rose up from the students.

“We don’t know anything about the properties of Chimera and in addition to being impossible to wield it is also very illegal.” Trick stopped for a moment to bring her voice down from the high pitched octave it was wavering at. Inhale. “We barely know anything about Imagination. We can identify its forms but so little is known about its properties, extended exposure, and even outcomes of use.”

There was silence for a moment and Trick hovered down so her feet rested on solid ground. She cleaned up her presentational magic that was still hanging in the air and made her way back to the podium where her notes were waiting for her. She cleared her throat before saying “I will take one last question.” She tried to hide the tremor in her voice.

This time there wasn’t even a hand but a facetious voice rang out from the back of the auditorium with “Is it possible to consume too much Imagination?”

It was almost impossible to hide Trick’s eyeroll. “No. Every fairy has a limit of Imagination they can consume and anything that is over that limit is just expelled through natural means.”

The young students all started giggling. Iron straightened up and loudly said “Settle down.” The volume of the giggling reduced but it trickled through the air. “Alright students, that's enough. Why don’t we give Scholar Trick a big round of applause for her time.”