THE MOMENT
"It sounds like you learned a lot from Aurelio," Dread said. Jenny had been eager to share everything she talked about the day before. The two were walking next to a narrow stream on their way to another quest. It was a cool evening with the sun already dipping below the horizon.
"Yeah, it worked out," Jenny shrugged. "Aury knew some things that the demon queen didn't tell me; and, I got invites for you and Dirge to the derby try-outs! If you want...," she added.
"Really? Thanks!" Dread smiled at her as they continued forward.
"So, he explained the origin of magic...," Jenny said. "Next time we'll go over more of the fundamentals."
"You're an engineer...," Dread said. "...he's not. You said you wanted advice to build your A.I. assistant. You program nanos... do you really need to spend so much time with him learning the origin of magic if you're not going to use it?"
"Uhuh," Jenny nodded. "And, I'll tell you why; there is no 'origin' of magic. It's a natural energy source that occurs in the universe like lightning or fire; the only origin is learning how to utilize it. You could even argue that magic is the most abundant energy source in the multiverse," she said.
"I don't know enough to argue...," Dread shrugged. "But, that doesn't sound right. I know there are Earths that don't have magic."
"Yeah, but most of those Earths still have people," Jenny smirked.
"People that can't use magic...," Dread replied.
"That's the tricky part," Jenny said. "And, the real reason Aury said it's good to learn about it. What do you think of when you hear the word 'magic'?" she asked.
"I dunno. Wizards, wands, spells...," Dread rambled a few answers off the top of her head.
"See? When you think 'magic', you're actually thinking of someone using magic. They tap into that energy source for their spells; but, it's also fair to call the source itself 'magic' too, right?"
"Sure," Dread nodded. "But, I don't see too many sources of magical energy floating around on every Earth...," she added.
"Of course you do...," Jenny grinned and she gestured at her own body head to toe. "...even if the humanoid-shaped outside hides the magic inside."