Irwin's Journey 446: Motivation

"Hurry, we are going to be late!"

"Stop running, class isn't starting in another few minutes."

Rorin rolled his eyes as he ran after his two friends. "Could you two calm down? We don't even know if what the others said is true! They might just be tricking us into returning to class."

Siela made a strange hop mid-run, turning in the air to glare at him before returning on her feet, still heading the way she had before. The spin had been smooth and practiced, which it was, as she loved doing it every time she felt the need.

"Rorin, everyone has been talking about last week!"

Yes, and my father always told me not to believe things just because everyone says them, Rorin said, but he kept his lips closed as he followed the other two.

"Rorin isn't wrong, sis," Teregal said as he looked at his sister.

Their light-blue, metallic skin and dark-blue, almost black metallic hair were the only things that showed they were siblings. Beyond that, Teregal had wide, happy eyes and a constant grin as if he was planning something. Which he usually was. His sister, on the other hand, had a slim face, with eyes that seemed perpetually on the cusp of closing. She was also the most beautiful Oxarite Rorin had ever seen. Both were built slim and would likely grow into rather average-sized, sleek adults if their parents were any indication.

The two siblings sprinted forward, dashed around the corner, and as Rorin followed them, he saw a group of others waiting in the classroom. The door was still closed, but just seeing over fifty people there made his eyes widen.

"I guess more than just us believed it," Siela said, as she spun and glared at him again.

"Looks like it," Rorin said.

He noticed Gegging and Dourin, the only other two Oxarites among the first years, standing near the edge of the group. Leaning closely together, they seemed to be having a whispered conversation, though Rorin knew it was more likely that they were close to sleeping. The two cousins, looking older than their twelve years suggested, had the tendency to explore the city instead of going to bed on time.

Being the only five Oxarites of their age, they had rather awkwardly banded together, even if Rorin didn't like the two cousins all that much. They had the tendency to cause trouble and blame it on others, which he had yet to find out if it was their initial intention or just because they needed a scapegoat.

"So, you three actually showed up," Gegging grunted, as his eyes flitted open. 

"Well, you two made it sound like we would be fools not to," Rorin said.

"You would have been," Dourin said, his voice as raw and tired as his cousin's.

Before they could continue, the door was shoved open, and Rorin felt slightly awed as he saw the towering copery and golden Oxarite stand within. He almost filled the entire door, his spikey hair just long enough to cause the tips to bend, and his eyes like molten metal. 

"Alright, kids, get to your spots," he said, smiling as he stepped aside.

"Kids?" Siela whispered, slightly annoyed.

"Get used to it," Dourin said. "He went from students to kids half through last class and never switched back."

They followed the others into the classroom only to find that the first rows were filling up faster than they had ever seen before. Gegging and Douring led them to the end of the fourth row, something which Rorin wouldn't have believed if he hadn't been there. The two never sat anywhere but the back row.

"I hope he-" Gegging began as he sat down, only for Dourin to elbow him into silence. 

"Hush, let them see for themselves."

Rorin held back from rolling his eyes. They had already heard rumors about last week's class. Something about an instrument nobody had seen or heard before.

"Alright, everyone! Calm down, class is starting!"

The loud voice booming through the classroom silenced it instantly, partially due to shock from the loudness, partially because many of the students were looking excitedly at the person in front of the class.

The Tutor was glancing around, tapping his chin.

"Now, I see we have a lot more of you attending, so let me quickly go over a few things. I am Tutor Irwin, or Cardsmith Irwin. You can use whichever you prefer. When I speak, you are quiet, but at any point, you may raise a hand to ask a question. Now. Did anyone forget to bring their instrument?"

There was no reaction, though Rorin saw a few Viridians shake their head. Seeing their pliable leaves flip-flop around still made him feel awkward. 

"Good. Then let's begin. Did anyone who was here last week have any questions?"

Four hands shot into the air, all belonging to people in the front row.

"Alright, left to right, you start."

Rorin looked at a small Ignitzian who was nervously swiping through her fiery hair. She answered with a slight stutter, likely from being put in the spot.

"Tu… Tutor, you said that it is possible to reforge a card together and that multiple smiths can create the resonance needed for one to reforge a card. My friends and I tried, but we just couldn't manage to harmonize the resonance of our cards. Is there more to it?"

Rorin heard a grunt of approval from Siela.

The Tutor nodded slowly. "There is. First of all, at your current rank, it will be very hard to harmonize with others who don't have very similar cards. We will be practicing this in a short while, but if you do wish to attempt it on your own, make sure to pick people with cards of the same type. Also, not just fire with fire, but make sure that if your fire deals with control, the same is true for the other people. Using a control fire with summoning or some other form of it will make it harder. Does that answer your question?"

The Ignitzian nodded, and Rorin hummed appreciatively. Except for the Headteacher, who only taught them a few times so far, none of the other teachers ever asked if the question was answered. They just explained and moved on.

I wonder if Tutor Irwin learned this from The Headteacher, he thought.

"You."

"Tutor, are you going to use your instrument and play a song again?"

The Tutor grinned, and Rorin almost felt the sudden heavy silence from a part of the class. 

I guess that's why most came here, he guessed.

"I'll play a few songs at the end."

Excitement rippled through the class, while one of the two remaining hands dropped. 

"Same question?"

The Viridian nodded. 

"Alright, last question. Ask."

"Uh, Tutor, sir… You said that- Well, that we won't always have to work together? But how does that work? Don't we need our hands to play and forge? We don't all have rippleflutes."

"That's something you will learn later," the Tutor said. "There are some requirements for it that you don't have yet, and might not for a long time. Now, we are going to start with something besides instruments. Singing. Who can tell me the difference between singing and instrument-style cardsmithing?"

Hand rose, and although Rorin knew the answer, he didn't offer to answer. Instead, he waited to see how the class would continue.

"Yes?" the Tutor said, pointing towards someone in the second row.

"Song is more limited, but you can easily do it while reforging," a dark-leafed Viridian piped, sounding very certain of himself. "Instruments allow more nuance, but…" The Viridian waggled his hands. "We don't have enough hands."

"Good, but you are missing something. Someone else?"

Rorin almost raised his hand, but stopped when he saw only one other remaining in the air. Curious to see what the Ignitzian would answer, he waited.

"Yes?"

"Tutor, sir, my mother always says… well, that there's not really a difference? They are the same, used to resonate our cards so we can guide the card we reforge in whatever path we want?"

Rorin nodded before he could stop. It was exactly what his father had always said, though his father had said that it extended to all cardsmithing types.

"Very good," the Tutor said. "The only thing a cardsmith does, especially early on, is create a resonance with their own cards, and they need a medium to follow. The medium will allow them to create the pattern needed to allow the card to either continue along its desired path, or bend it into a direction the cardsmiths want."

Rorin blinked, and before he could stop himself, he raised his hand. He barely noticed he wasn't the only one when the Tutor stared at him. 

"Yes?"

Rorin swallowed as he sensed the pressure emanating from the Tuor. It was as if he were looking at a dormant volcano waiting to erupt. It took him a moment to gather himself, though his voice still came out like a squeak.

"I thought we shouldn't try to change the card's resonance in any way?"

"You should not," the Tutor said. "Not until you are able to guarantee you can reforge a card from quartz to amethyst at close to perfection. But after you reach it, you will be able to change it. Small changes initially, and more later. Most will need to follow predetermined changes, those found by others, but some of you might eventually be able to find your own paths."

"Paths?" Rorin asked, slightly confused.

"Long ago, someone told me the following story," the Tutor said, glancing around the room. "Imagine that a card is like a creature that is inside a forrest. The paths of others have created paths around it, and it follows one. Its first desire is to walk along the path it is on to go through the winding forrest and reach as far as it can go. However, all around it, there are other paths, some nearly as large, others tiny, and some barely perceivable. Not all of those have an end, but with the proper pushing, a card can be put onto one of those paths. Each path again branches, though with each push, there is the risk of a path reaching a dead end."

There was a round of excited whispers from the Viridians, while Rorin frowned. 

Did he learn from a Viridian smith?

"Do you understand?"

"I think so," Rorin said, before shaking his head. "Tutor, why hasn't anyone explained this to us?"

The Tutor looked back, and Rorin thought he saw a flicker of worry in his eyes.

"Well, that's a hard question to answer. Tell me, what are you told?"

"That we should always follow the card's resonance and only use our own to force it forward," Rorin said. "That doing anything else will ruin the card. We are told that any mistake will cause the card to destabilize?"

The Tutor frowned, his eyes glazing over as he rubbed his chin again.

"Well, there's truth in this when you start," he said. "Because you lack the control and timing to reforge even the simplest of quartz cards. However, I think it is important for you all to learn what the eventual goal is."

The Turor looked around the class and Rorin relaxed as the powerful presence moved away. 

"Last week, I explained a bit about how music and singing-style smithing practically works, before showing a few examples. Perhaps I should demonstrate what the eventual goal should be…"

A bustle went through the class, mostly cries of anticipation.

"Alright, let me show you what you can aim for," the Tutor said as he walked to one of the nearby anvils. 

He crouched, grabbed the anvil, and lifted it up before placing it in front of the class. 

He made it seem effortless, Rorin thought, recalling how his father used to move his anvil - grunting and with two arms, like moving a house.

His mind froze as, with a flash, a long instrument appeared in The Tutor's hands. 

"Now, let me show you what the instrument I will be using looks like," the Tutor said, raising his hand. "Those who were here last week saw this, but it can't hurt to explain it quickly. One of my cards allows me to summon a soulstring guitar."

As he spoke, six brilliant, glowing strings appeared along the neck of the metallic instrument. He gently touched them, causing a soft, almost howling sound to echo through the classroom.

"Now, you will all need to gain many things before you can play your instrument while reforging. Some might never manage, but if you can, this is what you can do."

Rorin leaned forward as the instrument vanished and the Tutor seemed to pull a card from thin air. He placed it on the anvil, and a moment later, a hammer replaced the instrument.

How many cards does he have?

"Card reforging starts with sensing the card, sensing the soulforce and the resonance," the Tutor said calmly as he put a finger on the card. "Let me increase this card's resonance so you can all hear it."

"What?" Siela whispered in shock.

Nobody answered as a soft sound began echoing from the front of the class. It was a simple song, like two children humming something nonsensical. There was a slow rhythm and a constant low melody, both entwining to create something… oddly pleasing.

"Other smithing styles will visualize or sense things," the Tutor said, his voice low and controlled. "These can range from heat to diagrams. Music and singing alone use sound, and although this adds a few limitations, it also adds something none of the others have. The ability to add emotion…"

Rorin held his breath as The Tutor struck the card so well timed it seemed the clank was meant to join the song. The familiar image of a shimmering card appeared above the anvil, showing a few blotches and dozens of tiny pinpricks. The image behind it was that of a cooking pan, rough in shape with a long handle.

Bad cards, way too many holes, Rorin thought, recalling what his father had said. 

"Ignore the visual aspects of the card," the Tutor said. "Sense the soulforce if you can, or allow the song to guide what you feel."

With a deep breath, he began humming along with the simple song, seemingly adding to it. The deep, incredibly melodic sound seemed like it should cause the long desk before Rorin to resonate. It didn't, but before he could wonder about that, a gentle howling sound, like the wind rushing through the metal edge of his window, joined the song.

A second strike, and the simple song had evolved, growing within moments from two childlike hums into a song that sounded like it belonged in one of the bars his father enjoyed going to.

Rorin felt his mind drawn into the song, and it took all of his effort to remain in the here and now. He knew instinctively that what he was hearing was something he had to remember, and he tried as hard as he could to sense the small fluctuations in the song, the way it began building towards something. Changing and morphing from a simple song to one that is not as simple.

"Beautiful…"

Time flowed by, and at a certain point, Rorin lost his fight, his mind flowing along with the song. A distant, faint… something… began pushing against his mind. He had no idea what it was, but he felt his own two cards, one metal and one body improvement, start to resonate. 

It shocked him like nothing had before, and he almost tried to stop it. Then he felt himself connect to what was happening, to the song, to the resonance, and he hesitated before allowing his two cards to resonate. 

The song continued until the two initial hummed melodies had changed, increasing in complexity, and were joined by a simple rhythm. With a final, slightly highpitched crescendo, the music stopped, though Rorin felt his cards resonate for a few moments langer.

"That was… incredible," Siela whispered.

Rorin looked at her, noticing she was gently rubbing her left hand and the three cards in it.

"Alright," the Tutor said, looking at them while picking up the card and holding it up for them to see the purple border. "This card is still a hundred percent, meaning it is as perfect now as it was before, just evolved into the next step."

"Now, I want you to think about what you felt… did you notice when I forced the song away from its desired path?"

Rorin blinked. That hadn't been the desired path? But the initial melody had sounded so right… so complete. He was stunned when Siela raised her hand. She was the only one, but didn't seem at all uncertain. 

"Yes?" the Tutor asked.

"Right at the start, after you began humming. Your… soulstrum guitar, it pushed it into another direction. It was a calm, pleasant song, but as soon as that was added, it became more combative."

"Very good!" the Tutor exclaimed, and Rorin could hear his genuine pleasure. "Look at the image!"

Rorin looked at the card, which showed a slightly flattened, simple-looking… club? No, that made no sense. It had been a cooking pan before. Hadn't it?

"Had I followed the card's preferred direction, we would now see a very nice pan, a long-handled one meant for roasting vegetables," the Tutor said. "It would have been a utility summon. However, one path, a rather small, narrow one with many problems, led it in another direction. A direction that required dozens of tiny adjustments, one that means it is now harder to reforge to Topaz, but that changed the simple utility card into a weapon summon. One that will have the ability to get the heat type somewhere along its path."

Rorin stared at the card, trying to recall when the process had felt strained or troublesome. 

It didn't! It felt… smooth.

"Now. Questions?"

An explosion of voices rippled through the classroom, and the Tutor raised his hand, letting out a loud tssk that silenced the students instantly. "Raise your hand, one at a time, please."

Half of the class raised their hands, and Rorin thought the Tutor's smile turned slightly weary. Still, he pointed at someone to the far left.

"Yes?"

"Can we learn this?"

"Well, that is why you are here, isn't it?"

The Viridian who had asked the question shook his head. "Can we do this when we reach the final year?"

"Perhaps," the Tutor said. "Though it will probably take you many years to reach this point."

He pointed at someone else.

"What do we need to do to learn this?"

"Soulforce sensitivity. It is the single most important thing, because if you can't hear or sense the card's resonance, there is nothing you can do," the Tutor said.

Rorin leaned back, stunned. That's what his father had always said. If you couldn't hear it, you couldn't follow it. But the Tutor meant something else, something more. If you couldn't hear it, you couldn't change it.

He barely heard the rest of the questions as he replayed the song as best he could in his mind, recalling how his own cards had resonated along.

They hadn't been allowed to try reforging a card yet, mostly being asked to purify metal. He, however, already knew how to do that as his father had taught him for as long as he could remember. He also had been allowed to try to reforge a card twice. Both times he'd failed, but he recalled each time, and his father's calm explanations of what he'd done wrong. 

His hand rose, and only then did he realise the other questions had been answered. The Tutor had been answering the final one, something about summoned instruments, and he hadn't heard a single thing about it. He quickly let his hand drop, but the Tutor was already looking at him.

"Yes?"

Rorin hesitated, then steeled himself. He probably should have asked something about the instrument, but he had no idea what they had been talking about. Besides, he wanted an answer to his own question.

"How are we supposed to learn this if there are only so few moments for first years to try?" he asked.

The entire classroom turned deadly quiet, and he felt his hands tremble.

"I see someone was still pondering hard about something else," the Tutor said.

For a moment, Rorin thought he would be angry, but then he saw the Tutor smile and nod.

"Well, it's a fair question. The lack of cards will always be the limiting factor for cardsmiths to learn… There is little I can do on my own to change this, but perhaps I can help a little."

Rorin blinked, not sure what was going on as the Tutor looked around the classroom.

"Alright, from now on, every week I will hold a simple test about the previous lessons. It might be theory, it might be more practical… but the person who does best on that test will be allowed to attempt reforging a card from my own supply. Under my guidance."

Rorin felt his heart speed up, and he heard an excited whisper grow around the class.

"Now, we only have a little time left, so for the duration, I want you to practice humming softly and trying to make your cards resonate with the hum. It doesn't matter which pattern you choose."

The rest of the class passed rapidly, and when Rorin finally walked out with his friends, he felt both drained and incredibly excited.

"Did you feel that?" Siela whispered, staring at her brother. "That was soulforce, which was making our cards resonate!"

"Are you crazy?" Teregal replied. "If that were true, it would mean that the Tutor can influence all of us. It has to be a normal reaction."

There was nothing normal about that, Rorin thought as he followed the others towards his next class about metal purifying. He already knew he'd be performing poorly, but he didn't care. All he could think about was practicing his humming and resonating his cards with it. That had to be the test next week, and he wanted to be the first to get a chance to reforge a card, even if he had to lose every minute of sleep from now till then!

--

Days turned into weeks, then into months, as a new normal slowly began to form in the Cindergrove's Cardschool. Every second-day, a large group of children would wait in a certain classroom, anticipating their lesson, and all hoping to be the one to get a personal lesson on cardsmithing from the Tutor. 

Those who were picked rarely spoke of what they were taught, but all doubled their effort to get another shot. Prime among them was Rorin Orevein, who was the only one to win the honors of reforging a card twice in over half a year. 

At the same time, teachers kept vanishing for a few days, only to reappear changed. The most visible was Teacher Borekliff, who grew over a head in height and doubled in mass seemingly overnight. Beyond that, the teachers who had been regular guests at the many inns, restaurants, and bars adjacent to the Cardschool level seemed to have vanished. Rumors began to spread that they were practicing something, although little was known for certain. 

What was certain was that the mood in the school was changing, as teachers slowly changed what they taught and how they taught it. This, too, caused a large number of rumors to spread.

Irwin knew of nearly everything that was happening, keeping an eye on things within the school and things beyond through Rinbus. 

"So, you are sure she is still lurking about?" Irwin asked, putting a few more slices of ashpepper steak on his plate.

"She is," Baytim said, poking in his own plate. "Whatever she is doing, she definitely didn't leave. She is here on direct orders of the Empress."

Irwin glanced at Brecka, who was sitting across from him, already finished with her own meal.

"Can't find her," his not-a-sister said, scowling. "Rinbus and I have been searching everywhere, and the last time she was seen was in one of the shadier parts of the merchant district."

Irwin swallowed the spicy steak before wiping his lips on the back of his hand.

"And the others?"

"Rinbus has been keeping an eye on them," Brecka said. "There's another small merchant group that arrived two days ago that is spying for someone, though we don't know who yet. Probably another Grovelord."

Irwin sighed, glancing at Baytim still poking in his food.

"How is the situation in the Empire?"

"War is brewing," the former mercenary leader said. "I'm expecting some news tomorrow, but it probably won't be good."

"No answer from the Empress?"

Baytim shook his head. "Perhaps tomorrow."

Irwin knew that Baytim knew, as well as he did, that it was unlikely. Over the last half year, the man had only left Audumn Estate when either Irwin or Brecka was with him. Being always present, Irwin had slowly learned more about him and come to realise that Baytim was a haunted man. He hid it behind laughter and a boisterous personality, but something was eating at him. At first, he'd thought it was his worry over his mother and family and the war, but it slowly became obvious to him that there was something else going on.

What it was he didn't know, and no gentle prodding had gotten an answer.

"Fine, go and send her another message that The Tutor would like to speak with her," Irwin said.

He'd hoped to prevent getting into direct contact with the Empress, as it might signal his support for one of the factions trying to dominate the current Empire. However, he didn't want a war to happen, and he had to attempt to prevent that if he could.

'Kid, you can't go there yourself.'

'I know,' Irwin said, glancing at the tiny speck hovering beside him. He'd slowly gotten used to Ambraz's new and odd presence, and they had begun exploring the limits of what it allowed them to do. 

"Are you going to practice again?" Brecka asked.

Irwin nodded, his mood improving by leaps and bounds.

"Yes, and I feel we are going to succeed today," he said.

"That's great," Brecka said, her eyes gleaming excitedly.

Irwin couldn't agree more, and after a drink, he got up.

"Tell Rinbus to come find me when he is back," he said, before turning and walking out of the spacious kitchen.

A short while later, he was in the large cellar, a luxury he hadn't known the Audumn estate had when he'd first started living there. It had been empty and used mostly as a wine cellar by the previous owners. Irwin had moved all of those out, and now it was his own private smithing area and the place he practiced the thing he needed to fix first.

Creating the three cards that would finish his current set and his next heartcard. 

For months, he'd been practicing, trying to create one specific cardseed. One that would allow him to create another Dual Soul Fragment, or atleast something as close to it as possible. He knew that the way he was doing it wouldn't help him with any of the other seeds, but that didn't matter. He needed that seed so he could create that card.

"We are close," he muttered, knowing Ambraz would hear him. 

'I hope so, because I'm sick and tired of doing the same thing every evening,' Ambraz responded.

Irwin fully agreed, but he also knew that it was currently his most important step. Because if he could obtain his next heartcard,  he might be able to start regenerating any substantial soulforce within it, and even better, he might be able to move things from and to his soulscape again. Most important of which was Ambraz.

Putting another card on the bruised and battered anvil he'd gotten from the Cardschool, he took a deep breath, focusing on his first soulcard.