Chapter 64: Chapter 62: You and Kai

Gottlieb sits at his desk, his hands folded as he thinks about what the plan is here, as he stares at the darkened world below, a copy of a book open on a secondary monitor, covering the topic of magical imprinting theory — How people’s beliefs, feelings — their natural magics of the body, which they passively release into the world just like they would warmth and carbon-dioxide — and so on during their lives imprint trace essences of themselves onto objects and places. In essence, this is how many great artifacts are said to have been created, such as swords wielded by heroes with powerful spiritual energy and wild emotions or the ancient grimoires of old witches, said to have taken on a life of their own.

 

In essence, this quirk of the system, this mechanic, is the same fundamental principle that allows the station its unusual powers, transferring over to Kai and himself as well.

 

His vision scans the camera feed.

 

Everything seems quiet enough. Then again, it’s not like there is anything much to see down below in the full, total darkness that covers the world. Only the occasional, tiniest pinpricks of orange sometimes reach his vision for a brief second as the station passes over a city of considerable size or things of such a nature that manage to self-illuminate through copious use of lantern-light, fire, and, as seen in the photographic imagery of a few places, magical lighting systems that he’s begun to read about through the library’s digital tome scans but hasn’t quite come to fully understand yet.

 

It’s something about crystals — As it always is when it comes to such things.

 

“Pick up anything, Kai?” asks the man.

 

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