Blade Over Magic

QnA Session

’... She’s 19?’ Xander was genuinely stunned as Mia’s words subverted more than a few assumptions he had made about her, and judging by the wide-eyed looks of the others, they were the same.

However, when he thought about it...

’It... makes a strange amount of sense.’ He was both perplexed and understanding.

"... When you say you are 19, do you mean the age of your physical body is 19, but you true age is actually very old?" Aubrey asked carefully, but Mia shook her head.

"No. 19. Granted, I’ve handled matters involving accelerated time more than a few times, so perhaps my soul is older. But at my core, I’m 19." Mia clarified, and everyone was silent for a bit again.

"Huh. I think I get it now." Xander mumbled to himself, and everyone looked at him.

"Get what?" Falael raised a brow.

"Mia’s logic," He clarified. "If she actually is 19 yet is this strong, then the word ’prodigy’ is a gross understatement." He glanced at her. "When she said that your own perceived weakness is your own fault, she wasn’t being mean. That’s a factual statement to her." Falael opened and closed their mouth, and Xander looked at Mia directly, his gaze turning weirdly... understanding.

"You’re so aloof and cold, not because you’re actually cold, but because you advanced so quickly and interacted with actual ancient creatures so much that you hardly met with your peers much. You’re not cold, just... socially awkward." He rubbed his chin. "And the reason you’re pushing us to get stronger so fast is due to a mix of frustration and impatience. We have the minimum level of talent required to reach something similar to your level, but our rate of progression is too slow in your eyes, leading you to do what you did." There was a brief silence, then Aubrey said slowly.

"... That sounds absurd. You think she did all of that just because she wants us to reach her level? So that, what? She can have something to entertain her?" Aubrey frowned, but Xander shook his head. He was talking like Mia wasn’t there because the girl made it clear a while ago that she wasn’t particularly interested in their conversations, even if she was the topic.

"Not that, I suppose you can say its..." His tone turned thoughtful. "Lonliness. The kind you get when you exist so far ahead of the curve that no one can really look after you anymore." Weirdly enough, it reminded Xander of himself, and how he had pushed the ant to evolve just so it could become the proper sparring partner, even at the risk of his friends, just so he could rekindle his passion for swordsmanship.

Before then, he felt a profound loneliness as no one could quite match up to him in his craft, especially since he never stopped getting better. He glanced at Mia who didn’t agree nor disagree, but the look in his eyes said he understood. Not in a patronizing way, but in that simple manner where someone pretty much knows exactly what another person is going through.

Mia, didn’t really react, to the surprise of no one... but that was wrong.

Because what they were looking at was an illusion which showed Mia being as unperturbed as ever. In reality, she was staring at Xander with slightly wide eyes. Even if it was only slight, for someone who rarely ever had an expression, it was like a neon sign in the dead of night.

All sorts of complicated emotions ran through her head in an instant, and she briefly touched her chest where her heart was, brows knitting together in confusion and... relief? Maybe?

However, the fluctuation was gone as soon as it ended. She regained her composure quickly and dispelled the illusion, then she said.

"Be that as it may, I suppose you guys have reached the minimum level required to be informed on certain matters." The sudden words caused everyone to perk up.

"Wait, huh?" Curtis was confused, Aubrey looked thoughtful, Falael seemed complicated, and Xander was very interested.

Mia explained.

"Simply put, your strength has risen a great deal, and you’ve been exposed to more high level concepts. So I’m basically saying you can ask questions on things you didn’t know of before so I can enlighten you. Granted, some things are still above your comprehension, so I’ll choose not to answer if you ask such a question." Everyone fell silent at that. Then Curtis spoke first.

"Um... Where do Hell Gates connect to. I mean, i know they connect to Hell, but can that be more... specified?" He asked carefully, not sure if the answer was considered ’above their comprehension’. But considering what they’ve been through recently, it wasn’t an odd question either.

Mia just nodded.

"Hell Gates indeed connect to Hell. As for Hell itself, it’s an Extra-Dimensional realm whose inhabitants like to invade other worlds of universes to conquer them and expand. They do this a lot, though, I can’t go into specifics." Hearing this, the group was startled.

"That sounds... very high level." Aubrey adjusted her glasses.

"It is. But you don’t need to worry about coming into contact with anything related to the true Hell. Not at the moment, anyway." Sensing the end to that question, Falael spoke next.

"What happens after death?" It was an... interesting question, and Xander guessed that it was a result of all the deaths that happened from the battles Landor fought, but considering that he was a transmigrator, Xander was actually curious. However...

"That is above your comprehension. Also there is no singular answer." Falael’s ears drooped in disappointment, but they just nodded. Xander also clicked his tongue internally, but he wasn’t too disheartened. After all, Mia’s response indicated that she did know, she just couldn’t tell them yet. Perhaps eventually, he would know the truth of his Transmigration from her.

Aubrey asked next.

"Why exactly is ’Information’ so heavy?" This question was obviously directed at her own abilities, and everyone was interested in the answer. Aubrey had told them about the phrase she learned pertaining to information and its weight, so that was also something interesting.

Mia fell silent for a moment, then she explained.

"Everything in existence has ’weight’. Physical objects are physically heavy. Spiritual objects are spiritually heavy, and so on. Depending on the layer of reality a concept, law, idea, or ’state’ something is in, it has a certain level of ’weight’ in that context." She looked up.

"In the case of information, it is so ’heavy’ because information does not come from a singular source. Nor does it encompass only one layer of reality or exist in a single facet of time of space, or a singular dimension. Everything produces information regardless. Everything that has existed produces information. Everything that exists produces information. Everything that will exist produces information. It comes in different forms, but it still happens.

If all of that existed within normal reality, it would collapse under its own weight, which is why the Information River exists, and that is where all information goes." Aubrey’s eyes shone, and she quickly asked.

"But if that’s the case, a single River seems insufficient to contain all of that. No? Even if it is seemingly infinite." At that, Mia glanced at her.

"I won’t elaborate much on that. All I will say is that rivers always go to larger bodies of water. Interpret that how you will." Aubrey fell silent, her mind no doubt digesting the very rich knowledge she’d just received.

It was finally Xander’s turn to ask something, and he wasn’t really considering anything profound, he just wanted to know the answer to something that perplexed him.

So he spoke.

"How... exactly is Tatonia still here? Like existing." That earned him strange glances from the other tree, but he elaborated.

"Well, I wasn’t conscious, but I did almost see... whatever that thing that emerged from the Hell Gate was, and I sort of got the feeling that it could destroy the world or so. And, well, if that was something that just emerged from a newly formed Hell Gate, I can only imagine what sort of abominations emerge from the fully formed Hell Gates on other parts of the continent. And I get that Archmages and their equivalents are what fight the things that emerge from there... but I seriously doubt any world should be able to withstand the results of such battles. Because as far as I can tell, battles on that level go beyond simple physical alterations and start affecting reality itself. I don’t know about you, but the fact that Tatonia hasn’t crumbled under the power of its own inhabitants is a bit wild to me." Xander rambled a bit, which was a bit surreal for the others.

While Xander wasn’t quite taciturn like Mary, he was definitely someone who thought more than he spoke. So seeing him ramble like this was a bit surprising and endearing. He seemed almost excited.

Mia stared at him for a few seconds, then she said slowly.

"The response to that question has three layers. But I can only tell you the first at present." Hearing this, Xander just shrugged.

"Sure." Mia nodded, then she began her explanation.