[NINJA - DISCUSSION RP] The Art of Seirei-Mahou

[dyandros]

Walking slowly down one of the many paths of the ninja-controlled lands, Shoichi finally spied what he had been seeking. There, on a nearby hill, was an old temple, seemingly having been abandoned for some time. It was surrounded by an almost-wild grove of cherry trees, their scent filling the air in the gentle breeze, their pink petals slowly drifting to the ground.

"Sakura..." he mused. "A fine time for new beginnings, such as this is.".

A quick but thorough search of the area revealed no squatters, so Shoichi then got down to the business of repairing the temple. He repaired the holes in the rice-paper walls with rolls he had purchased previously and reinforced the structure with logs and branches cut from the overngrown grove outside. Thus, within a few days, the temple was habitable once more.

Yesterday, posters written in both common and Kanji appeared tacked to the inns of every town of the ninja-controlled lands; word of these also reached the lands of the other guilds. All of them read the same thing:

"Beyond the art of the blade, beyond the art of the shadow, there is the art of the Spirit. What is unknown will be made known to those who choose to seek it; find the answer to this mystery in my new home - find me, and ask."

Beneath this, seemingly as a signature, is a symbol of a pointed, stylized ankh, an exotic sigil for one aligned with the ninja.

Perhaps you should investigate this?

[dyandros]

Kneeling upon a brown tatami inside the newly remodeled temple, Shoichi looked out the door at the thin stream of cherry petals blowing on the breeze.

"All things are connected to each other - the petals to the air, the air to the ground - and so all of them, to us." Shoichi paused for a moment, contemplating this fact, observing the slow trails of the petals in the wind.

"Yet, this is only the physical that we speak of. There is another layer of existence, one where all is of the same stuff, where the connections are much more fluid, and much more meaningful. This is the realm of the Spirit. So as goes the physical, so follows the spiritual, and vice-versa - they are forever intertwined." Shoichi rose up from his mat and walked towards the door.

Focusing for a moment, his hand began to shimmer with a silver glow, and with a quick motion he waved it across the open door. Then, as if in a window cut into the air, the petals streaming by were colored silver, trailing streams of silver essence from them as they danced by, and the land behind them appeared in varying shades of grey, black and silver, tendrils of silver snaking everywhere.

"This is the world most do not see. This is the true meaning of how we are all connected, and it is this that is the basis of the art of Seirei-Mahou. To understand these connections, to grasp these tendrils and weave them - in this, where we cannot so easily rework the physical, we can instead rework the spiritual and thus force the physical to follow. We can, therefore, change reality in many useful ways."

As if to underscore that fact, a glowing silver shuriken suddenly appears in Shoichi's hand, trailing small wisps of silver. With the slightest flick of his wrist, it flies directly towards an iron plate on the wall, piercing it cleanly - and silently.

With that, Shoichi sits back down on his tatami, his face serene.

[PFA]

((>_> Sorry 'bout the lack of enthusiasm around here, the Ninja Guild is a bit on the dead side. *attempts to poke in some life*))

PFA stared at her reflection in the kunai in her hand, taking a deep breath. Then, after a brief pause, she hastily whipped around, hurling the kunai through the air. The kunai hit its target with a thok, embedding itself into the center of a wooden target.

"PFA-san!" came a voice, distracting PFA. When she turned to see who had spoken, she saw another ninja, a rolled-up paper in his hand. "I found this at the inn. I thought you might want to take a look."

"What's this?" PFA took the paper curiously, unfurling it to see that it was a poster. The symbol at the bottom reminded her of something she'd seen from another ninja somewhere...

"I think they're talking about Seirei-Mahou," the other ninja mused. "In other words, spirit magic. I think it would be worth it to seek out this sensei and see what they have to say."

"Seirei-Mahou..." PFA pondered the words. "You could be right. Maybe we should ask around the Dojo, see if there's anyone else interested. Then we can seek out the ninja who wrote this."

PFA beckoned the other ninja to follow her as she wandered around the Dojo, looking for the other ninjas. She, at least, was interested to hear about the art of Seirei-Mahou. It was an art she hadn't much practiced; perhaps now was the time to learn it. After all, it would probably benefit her greatly to get in touch with her spirit.

[dyandros]

The wind whipped through the temple, rattling the door in its newly-repaired frame. Shoichi opened his eyes slowly, sensing a new presence approaching from beyond it. Without rising, he bowed slightly as he saw PFA approaching.

"Welcome to this temple, my new home!" Shoichi smiled warmly, nodding. "You have, I presume, come to hear of my art?" He rose to his feet, walked over to the center of the temple and beckoned PFA to approach.

"There is much that can be done with this art, as you will soon come to know. First, however, we must see how attuned you are to the realm of the Spirit. Before you can alter, you must grasp, and before you can grasp, you must see - and if you can see, I will know."

With that, Shoichi peered at PFA, his eyes glimmering with a faint silver light.

[dyandros]

Sitting down crosslegged on the floor, Shoichi pondered for a moment and continued speaking.

"Seirei-Mahou is not magic in the sense that mages use; it is, essentially, an art of craftsmanship. In sensing the Realm of the spirit directly, you shift your perceptions from the physical to the spiritual. Once you do this, you can manipulate the spiritual essence of the world - and its connections - to reshape it."

"This is meaningful for two reasons: firstly, in altering the spiritual pattern of something you likewise alter its physical pattern. This is because the physical and spiritual are inextricably intertwined - what affects one, affects the other. Observe!"

Shoichi pulled one of his kama knives from behind him, bared his right arm, and with a quick motion cut a wide slash across it, his face betraying no emotion nor pain in the process. Replacing his kama knife behind him, he focused for a moment, opened his left hand and pressed it against the wound. A silver glow enveloped both his hand and his arm as snake-like glowing silver tendrils dove into and around the injury, flaring for a moment and then vanishing completely. When he then removed his hand, the slash was gone.

"Healing - and the repair of objects - is perhaps the easiest thing to do with Seirei-Mahou. If you understand how a spiritual pattern is supposed to be aligned you can restore that alignment by adding more essence to the site of harm and willing it to be as you wish it to be. The problem, of course, is that you must understand how the pattern is supposed to be... complex harm requires complex knowledge. I have had to learn much of anatomy to be effective in my capacity as a healer; in contrast, I know very little about how devices are supposed to function and cannot do much with them."

"Beyond healing, there is also the matter of reinforcement or augmentation - making more out of what is. There is no simple way to describe what you can do in this regard, but it involves making the spiritual pattern of what you work with denser. It is, for example, possible to harden cloth to, say, the strength of steel. This has proved very useful to me more than once." Shoichi pointed to his robes and smiled knowingly. "In theory, it would even be possible to change cloth *into* steel, but the force of will required to dramatically rearrange the spiritual pattern of a material would be extremely taxing, to say the least. It is not something I have ever attempted to do."

"There is, however, an even more potent use of this art. While repair and augmentation are extremely useful, it is also possible to craft entirely new objects as well. There is no limit to what can be made, provided you have the strength of will, sufficient understanding of what you wish to make and sufficient essence nearby - I normally condense the spiritual essence of the air around me." With that, several silver tendrils snaked out of Shoichi's left hand, entwining upon themselves until they coalesced into a five-foot spear, complete with ornamental sash and a large, flat bladed head. He spun it above his head for a moment, and then lowered it. It then vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. "As to gathering essence, this can be done even more creatively...". Shoichi picked up a branch from the woodpile outside. Focusing for a moment, the branch quickly became wrapped in silver tendrils, reshaping into a glowing silver - but still visibly wooden - katana.

Shoichi released the katana, and it almost immediately returned to its former shape as a branch, hitting the floor with a dull thud. "As you can see, such transformations are typically temporary, as they work against the natural state of the object in question. Augmentations generally last longer, and healing, thankfully, is permanent, as you are simply restoring things to as they originally were."

"You should be aware that weapons crafted with this art attack on the plane of the spiritual before the physical. As such, no matter what they are crafted from, they will be exceptionally keen and frequently able to harm that which would be resistant to assault. Armor plating, for example, protects no better than its thickness in spiritual essence would ever allow - it may as well be made of butter." Shoichi chuckled, pointing at the neat hole in the iron plate on the wall, although the star within it had vanished. "Also, another reason why I prefer to craft weapons from the air around me is that in having no substantial physical component, they strike silently. Should I choose to craft a melee weapon, they will parry as well as steel, for it is the spiritual pattern of the opposing weapon that it blocks, and its physical form will be likewise stopped."

Shoichi paused for a moment. "There are some other uses of the art, but they involve a much deeper understanding of the Spirit Realm. I must not speak of these things... yet."

Peering out the door for a moment, he listened to the breeze.

[Vyt: Down, but Not Out]

"Okay, okay... what's the racket around here?"

Vyt stepped out of his room, rather annoyed by the sudden outburst of activity. A usual day in the Ninja Dojo would be dull and unlively, but his cat ears picked up some active discussions. "I can hear some outside teachings being said," he realized.

"Sounds interesting."

The voice of a male stranger left a clear track for Vyt to follow. Without getting his gear, the catboy traced the source of the voice. It eventually led him to a temple, where a man rested. He came just in time to hear what the man had to say about something called Seirei-Mahou.

Vyt quickly picked up the discussion where he spoke of healing as the easiest method of applying the art. His energy-bending skill was quite the opposite of it; healing others with his own skill needed a lot of focus and some of his own stamina. He was rather curious as to how the art can manipulate the spiritual realm to affect the physical world.

The man continued, teaching about the more potent use of the art: craftmanship. The catboy was amazed when he turned a branch into a katana - almost seemingly with magic. It further gave him the idea that his own art was quite different from Seirei-Mahou; he became quite interested on its other uses.

Vyt climbed on the stairs that led to the temple and quietly sat down. He immediately began to focus the energy on his hands, creating a yellow glowing ball of pure energy. "For years, this is the only true art I have learned, and it's only because I was morphed into an animal." He turned towards the man with his ears slightly moving with curiosity. "Does your art have any limitations?"

[dyandros]

Shoichi turned towards Vyt and nodded slowly. "There are. This art is based on turning one's perceptions and focus to the spiritual side of their existence - this requires force of will and the ability to sustain an altered state of perception. Furthermore, all that you do beyond that - grasping, shaping spiritual essence, and more - will tire you, much as carving a wooden block or shaping metal would. With practice your stamina increases, but in all cases one must be mindful of overexerting their being. Healing is generally not difficult but grievous wounds will require more focus, and also more time. My shuriken are easily made and do not wear on me much, but you may notice my kama knives are made of ordinary metal - it is not practical, under normal circumstances, to rely on a persistent melee weapon crafted of spiritual essence."

To make the point clear, Shoichi drew his twin kama knives off his back and held them out. While well made, they clearly seem to be made of steel and show no signs of the silvery auras of his spirit-crafted items.

"As I mentioned earlier, you also need to know how to shape what you want. For me to work my healing I need to understand how the body works - not so much the skill of medicine, but certainly a knowledge of anatomy is necessary. Staunching bleeding and closing skin is not very difficult to do, but setting bones and repairing burst organs is far more difficult. Something as complex as undoing paralysis requires a fine focus that I cannot do reliably.

"Overall, I liken this art to another aspect of our ninjutsu - we rely on many skills, and this is just one more. That it is a highly useful skill is important, but we use many, and must use them all well."

Shoichi taps his chin for a moment. "There are some other uses of this art as well... uses that do not fit into the categories I have thus far spoken of. I do not like to speak of them until the basics have been mastered, for while powerful, they carry large risks. I would like, at this point, to see what you think of all of this thus far."

With that, he sat down once more.

[Vyt: Down, but Not Out]

Vyt was not liking the compromise of using the art of Seirei-Mahou. He had rarely tapped into his spiritual side; the last time he did that was only to consult the soul of his father about "his next form". The catboy was also a fan of melee weapons, and surely the art would not help him much in any way. It almost seemed as if it relied more on the range and focus of the art, not the power and flexibility that his own required.

Still, he only kept those comments to himself when Shoichi asked about his opinions. He would not want to appear as if he was belittling the art, but rather more analytical as to its potential.

"Seirei-Mahou, in my own perception, is the art of tapping into the spiritual realm, bringing out the capabilities of its practitioners that is different, if not fully exceeding, their physical abilities. The art allows them to utilize their ethereal capabilities to affect the material world."

Somehow, Vyt was not happy when he tried to summarize what he knew about the art. He knew there was a lot more to Seirei-Mahou than what he had just learned. "Forgive me if I am not being able to catch up. Years of honing my own art had made me focus on it, and trying to learn another one might be risky. Is there a way for me, a simpleton, to capture the essence of this?"

[dyandros]

"Seirei-Mahou, in my own perception, is the art of tapping into the spiritual realm, bringing out the capabilities of its practitioners that is different, if not fully exceeding, their physical abilities. The art allows them to utilize their ethereal capabilities to affect the material world."

Shoichi nodded. "This is correct, although what I could show you eventually goes far in excess of that. To me, it is a matter of tapping into a side of us that has always been there since we first came into existence. Also, there are many different ways to use it; once you are adept at perceiving the spiritual Realm, you can train yourself to use it in whatever manner you wish. Where I originally hail from, there are those who focus the art more on healing, some more on enhancement, and others more on conjuration. I myself tend to be more of a generalist, but it is a choice that each of us can make."

"Forgive me if I am not being able to catch up. Years of honing my own art had made me focus on it, and trying to learn another one might be risky. Is there a way for me, a simpleton, to capture the essence of this?"

Shoichi smiled and nodded with a serene expression on his face. "Don't worry. There is no risk to learning to perceive the spiritual. It is like I said - it has always been there. You have always been there. Let me show you how to see it, and we can go from there. All right?"

Kneeling down into a meditative position, Shoichi beckoned Vyt to sit across from him on one of the tatami.

[Vyt: Down, but Not Out]

"Don't worry. There is no risk to learning to perceive the spiritual. It is like I said - it has always been there. You have always been there. Let me show you how to see it, and we can go from there. All right?"

Vyt was surprised. Shoichi would show him how to see the spiritual realm. Until then, Vyt could only proceed to that place whenever he was in grave danger or almost dying. He eventually realized that because of his transmogrification into a catboy, his soul developed two different halves. Whenever Vyt would try to think, the two opposite halves would almost always contradict each other. That had made him hard to concentrate on something.

He started to grow some faith into Shoichi. If he would be able to show him how to tap into the spiritual realm, maybe he could guide him as well.

Vyt sat down on one of the tatami, being mindful that he faced Shoichi from his position.

[dyandros]

Shoichi focused for a moment, eyes closed. "The reason why you see the silvery glow on items crafted with this art is that it forms a bridge directly connecting the physical to the spiritual Realm, as opposed to simply existing side by side, if intertwined, as they normally do. I will form such a bridge over a small area around us, and then shift us through fully - this is one of the advanced techniques that I was speaking of earlier. All you will need to do is enter into a deep trance, emptying your mind of your perceptions of the physical world, and then open yourself once more when I say it is time to do so. Then, in perceiving the spiritual Realm directly, you will attune to it, and will be able to see it on your own thereafter.

Focusing more deeply, Shoichi spreads his arms wide, trailing glowing silvery tendrils as he does so. The tendrils expand, sweeping outward to fill the room, and as they do so the colors of the physical Realm fade, leaving only shades of black, grey, and silver. A moment later, the sounds of the world muffle into a dull murmur, and everything in the room virtually explodes with silvery tendrils, connecting everything to everything, some more tangibly than others.

"Welcome to the spirit Realm. Not the afterlife, not the realm of the dead, but the very living other side of the world we both know. Open your eyes, Vyt, and see!" Shoichi's voice was different now, possessing an unearthly rumble and timbre.

He gazed upon Vyt with brightly glowing silver eyes, his entire body seemingly made of flowing silver essence, his facial features now indistinct.

[Vyt: Down, but Not Out]

Vyt's body grew with intensity while Shoichi proceeded to explain the process of perceiving the spiritual realm. It did not sound quite complicated, but seeing him focus much on bringing both of them to the other side of the world seemed to be difficult. Shoichi confirmed it by saying it was an advanced technique.

Vyt closed his eyes, like what he would do while in meditation. It was the only thing that could keep the two halves of his soul at peace with each other, and hence he could lie in a deep trance for Shoichi to follow.

"Welcome to the spirit Realm. Not the afterlife, not the realm of the dead, but the very living other side of the world we both know. Open your eyes, Vyt, and see!"

Vyt looked at Shoichi and realized he had transformed. His body began to glow like silver, and his face was unrecognizable. The room he was in turned silvery as well, far from where he entered and sat down in.

"Sh-Shoichi... This is unbelievable," he uttered. "I've only seen this for a few instances in my life."

Taking care not to indulge himself in amazement, Vyt returned to his analytical state. "You say this is an advanced technique... Does it bear any benefits for the user?"

After he finished that question, Vyt could feel his heart beat a bit faster. He knew it was his animal side reacting uncontrollably; the side that kept him into the material world.

[dyandros]

You say this is an advanced technique... Does it bear any benefits for the user?""

Shoichi paused for a moment, then knelt back down, nodding. He pointed to himself.

"This is what I look like, spirit-side, as I sometimes refer to it. Here, where the bridge is set, the spirit Realm is loosed to overcome the physical, suffusing it to the point that it is, for all practical purposes, the only Realm. Anything that steps into this room will likewise be affected, and if they are untrained - as most would be - they will be highly disoriented, to say the least. So I suppose it is in and of itself useful for an ambush."

Shoichi tilted his head for a moment, looking at Vyt closely. "Your own form seems unusual. It is as if I see two... of you, flickering back and forth, though silver as I are both. It seems like all is well, just unusual."

Curious, but overall undisturbed, Shoichi continued. "Also, while it is not something I can teach you yet, you can focus your being towards its spirit-side to the point that you can walk out of this room and still remain in the spirit-Realm. This can be useful for many reasons, not the least of which is that there are connections to the various 'afterlife' planes. It is a highly advanced technique, but when here, you can call the dead back to life... if they wish to come."

"A much more practical use of this effect is to remain in your spirit form while in the physical Realm. Think of it as you make yourself into a bridge. Your spirit form is not mortal, and is not affected by mortal concerns. It knows no poison, no disease, no suffocation - nothing like that. It also cannot die, though it can be disrupted... most injuries mean almost nothing, but being torn apart will still disable you. Given time, you will flow back together, but this effect is no reason to take unusually dangerous risks, especially since sooner or later your focus will falter and you will regain your physical form. Also... this form also knows little emotion, and can be disconcerting to use for long periods of time. Some have been known to... forget themselves, so to speak. You will know if this threshold approaches, so it is not usually a problem."

"For now, though, take a minute to fully experience what you sense. Once you fully perceive it, you will be able to sense this Realm at will even when you are not bridged to it. This will be very important. After that, we should talk about what you wish to learn to do first. Depending on how you choose, you may well become more adept at certain things than I am, so assume nothing."

Shoichi returned to his meditation, listening quietly.

[Vyt: Down, but Not Out]

Probably the one thing that Shoichi forgot to tell Vyt earlier was that untrained people would feel quite disoriented. "That probably explained why my other half was being wild when everything changed around me," he realized.

Shoichi quickly noticed the two halves of Vyt's soul, one of them obviously resisting to be at one with the spiritual side. "Your own form seems unusual. It is as if I see two... of you, flickering back and forth, though silver as I are both. It seems like all is well, just unusual," he let out.

Mentally, Vyt was reacting a bit. He had just learned that Shoichi could feel any disturbances towards any other people's conditions, and that he had a keen eye towards them. "I-I am sorry about this. I've already told you that my form is not natural, that a long time ago-" Vyt stopped himself before he could even tell his own story. "I apologize once more. I am here to learn, not to rant."

Shoichi continued to discuss the benefits of being able to bridge one's self with the spiritual realm. What caught Vyt's attention the most was the declaration that the dead could be called back to life. The catboy wanted to ask more questions, but proceeded to keep himself mum for the time being. There could always be a time for answers, he thought.

"For now, though, take a minute to fully experience what you sense. Once you fully perceive it, you will be able to sense this Realm at will even when you are not bridged to it. This will be very important. After that, we should talk about what you wish to learn to do first. Depending on how you choose, you may well become more adept at certain things than I am, so assume nothing."

Even despite his animal side being obnoxious against his will, Vyt strongly endured the disorientation that the sudden change incurred upon him. Eventually the pain became lesser and lesser, gradually putting his own mind at ease.

"Do not be hasty on perceiving things... Learn to make them flow into your mind," he whispered to himself.

Even his animal side was starting to become serene, seemingly being calmed down by the silence of the body and mind.

[dyandros]

Shoichi and Vyt sat, meditating across from each other, the room shimmering with silver light. The many tendrils of spiritual force wound their way from object to object, some pulsing slowly, others still. The most active ones were connected to Shoichi and Vyt themselves. Shoichi opened his eyes once more, and in looking at Vyt, then tendrils connecting them to each other pulsed more strongly.

"There. I believe you are now fully attuned. While you likely will not be able to form a bridge yourself for a while, you will be able to see this Realm as you do now even while not in it. This is the first step. It is time to close the bridge, and begin practicing the particular techniques that you wish to be most familiar with."

Shoichi raised his hands once more, and with a swift motion clapped them together with force. The silver light suffusing the area flared momentarily, and went out. The world returned to its normally-colored state and the tendrils vanished.

"So, Vyt, tell me... what of this art has caught your interest the most?"