Clarrisa beams "all of them? I guess I'm not special, I guess I wasn't anyway but, I do very simple 'spells' but I perform mine in Latin. I only really know the simplest ones like..." "[i]Vi[/i], which means force... It allows simple and short pushes and pulls." "There's [i]Statera[/i] which means balance, I use that to keep me on my feet in the worst of times..." "And there is one other [i]praevalidum[/i] which allows a small barrier for about 2-5 second at the most" "That's all I really know of that. I use it with this little beauty quite often" She pulls out her little black box. "I made it myself about two months ago and I've improved its applications since then."

"Utterly intriguing" John peered closely at the box. "Is it truly mechanical or does it use Spacial Compression? Oh, I and I would learn several other spells as well. Not difficult but nevertheless useful. I find I use [i]sos[/i] quite a lot when dealing with other mages but [i]chur ar ceal[/i] works wonderfully if used on complex spells" "[i]You wanna take her on as a student? Don't make me laugh[/i]" "Of course not. She has promise and that's exactly why she should stay away from this magic. It's dangerous and requires a great deal of suffering and sacrifice. So much blood..." John drifted off into space but snapped back to reality quickly. "I'm sorry, personal preference. But I'm serious. Stay away from this power. It'll make you into a god but soon you'll find yourself rivaling a devil" His voice became hard as stone and his eyes were cold.

"Understood" she said sarcastically "anyway the box uses materials I store in my ship, at the press of a button it turns them into a weapon, so far I have managed to configure a Scythe, a Bladed Whip, and Jet Propelled Gauntlet and mot can be maneuvered into a shape that can fit most firearms to provide grips, stocks, sights and much more. She's my pride and joy" Her ghost looks up at the man"so why is this power SO physically dangerous?"

"Well, dangerous is perhaps strongly worded. Taxing is more accurate. Remember that each spell you cast is turning your will to reality. You impose a force or state upon something not controlled by you. It's the fuel of this process that makes it so dangerous. It uses a wielder's 'life force'. It's also been called 'mana', 'soul', and 'heart'. The more you use, the less time you have. Because I'm a Guardian, the tax is significantly reduced. But as you can see..." He opened his robes to reveal a series of vicious scars that appear to be from a variety of sources. Stab wounds, burns, slashes, void burns, freeze scars, and many others could be seen. "...the more powerful the spell, the more life you lose. Even a Guardian's infinite youth is no match. I have aged much over the years. Much more than I would have without magic" He closed his robes once more and secured them. He turned to look at them with a gaze full of regret and pain. "The costs are far greater on those around you. Everyone that I have ever cared about has perished. Sometimes from my own hand. I've lost over a dozen fireteams throughout the years. Each time I barely avoid death only because someone takes my place" He was silent for a second before speaking again. "When you push your will to reality so many times, you can do it without even thinking. No matter what you truly want. Your nightmares come to life just as much as dreams"

"My condolences for your losses." She scratches the back of her head and looks down "on the bright side... That hasn't happened to me yet..." She nonchalantly reloads her hand cannon "I guess I thank you for your assistance. I need to be on my way to find out who that is... I hope we can meet again in the future, as you seem like quite an interesting conversationalist"

"I don't think I'm that interesting. I'm just a crazy old man." He sheathed his sword and stretched. "Ahhhhh. That man that was following you should be more or less taken care of. For the time being. The spell I used is an obliteration type, only designed to destroy what it's cast on." He pulled out a small PDA and pressed a few buttons. A few seconds later a ship boomed into the atmosphere. It was an older version of the Iron Banner ship, called [i]The Birth of History[/i]. "The spell will continue to eat away at whatever fuels his powers for three days. So you should have him off your tail for a while. Make no mistake. He's not dead. Much as I wish it" John exited the building and walked into the heavy mist that descended on the Cosmodrome. The wind now howling a quiet tune. "I hope to meet you again before the reaper comes to claim me. May the Light go with you" With that he disappeared into the mist, again a legend and a villain.