The café on Milden Way wasn't particularly exceptional. The tea was lukewarm more often than not, the seating uneven, and the server—bless her heart—always managed to forget at least one item. But Lira Thorne came for the corner window.
It was quiet, private, and overlooked one of the busiest intersections in Orlar.
From this single table, Lira had observed over two hundred interactions in the last week alone. Market stalls, military processions, street performers, and everyday folk meandering through their lives, unknowingly showcasing their affinities—or lack thereof.
She sipped her slightly bitter chamomile and watched a young man juggle three spinning canisters with what could only be described as theatrical confidence. Power pulx? Perhaps. Or just practice.
She opened a small leather-bound journal and scribbled:
"Power pulx: though the core power pulx is well known and most common within peoples use. I believe that there are still possibilities for advancements."
"Oh!" Lira said in surprise, noticing the clock on the wall. "I'm going to be late." She stood up and made for the exit. "Put the chamomile on my tab, ok John!"
The burly man gave her a wave, and Lira walked out of the café. Her classes at Dungeon City College would be starting soon. She looked to her right to find an urchin boy in a small alleyway chanting. She paused, listening in.
"Fire, be mine, bring yourself from the depths of both destruction and life," the boy whispered. Nothing happened.
That's all wrong, Lira thought to herself. She walked over to the boy and snatched the sheet of paper he was using for fuel. At least he's not trying to make it from thin air. An idea took place in her mind, but she put it to the side for now.
"Fire, be mine, bring yourself from the laws of destruction and life," Lira said. A small flame burst to life on the edge of the paper. She handed it to the boy, and he accepted. "Don't get the middle section wrong, you're lucky you didn't burn yourself."
The boy nodded his head, then ran off. Lira immediately wrote down her thought:
"Urchin tried using the fire pulx from the core power pulx. Though he was right in using a sheet of paper to start the flame. His chant was insufficient. Though this gave me the thought of attempting the fire pulx without anything to use for fuel.
My colleagues may think me a fool. But I believe that such an act is possible.Science had recently discovered there are flammable gasses in the air, i.e. methane and hydrogen, though in minute amounts.
So my theory? I believe that with the combination of ryu pulx—another subsection of the core power pulx—and the fire pulx, one could extract those gasses from the air, then use that as fuel. Though most likely a foolish thought, "The Personification of Talent" had done so. Though not public knowledge, he had used fire pulx without any clear fuel source, science to this day has no explanation, but I believe this could be it."
Lira paused when she bumped into someone. She fell back, dropping her notes. She scrambled, trying to gather them before the wind claimed them.
"Lira?" a voice said with surprise.
She looked up, "Oh, Professor Caid. What brings you to this part of town?"
"I was looking for you," the professor said. "Class started over an hour ago."
"An hour ago?" Lira questioned, "It starts in five minutes."
"Have you been at that café?" the professor asked.
Lira gasped, "how did you know!?" She asked with surprise.
Had he followed her patterns? Did she exude the scent of the shop? Her mind raced to think of every possible way he could have known.
"That clock is an hour off," the professor said, "how many times have I told you to use the school's library? It's free for all students, and it has snacks and beverages available for everyone."
Lira shrugged. True, she could use the library. But the place was too quiet, too mundane. She needed people, needed interactions. The more and more she had them, the more she saw how similar the pulx system was to people.
She couldn't find that in the library.
"Well, get to class," the professor said, "I assume you've made progress on the crafter theory? The Plurimus won't be here forever."
Lira nodded, then speedily walked back to DCC.
The rest of her day followed a rhythm.
She wandered through the university archives, revisiting notes about Crafters, otherwise known as Plurimus. She would be tested soon, and despite avoiding the school as much as possible. She needed its resources.
And so she turned her attention to the personal account of the Plurimus. The Plurimus was a man named Lock. She had only seen him once, and he looked like the opposite of a scholar. He was a large, beefy man with thick muscles and a somewhat crude personality.
A blush formed on her cheeks when she thought of the man's muscular frame. "Perhaps getting another account from him would be in my best interest," Lira said with a floozy grin.
She paused, clearing her throat, then looked at the man's thoughts on pulx.
"Pulx are not just bursts or flares of energy here and there," the Plurimus said. "They are forms, lines of power, threads in a loom. They have personality, strengths, and will. If you question this, ask yourself—why is it that it takes so long to train oneself to use a pulx without a chant? Why do we need a chant in the first place? In my opinion, this is because the pulx decides its master."
"Ridiculous," she whispered aloud. "And yet..."
She paused, flipping to a prior journal where she'd recorded a similar account from a Crafter who spoke of entering a "mind state" to access universal structures.
"Universal structures," Lire wrote. "When a Plurimus enters what they call the mind. They apparently undergo a strenuous process to gather pulx from some sort of river. They grab lines of different pulx, and draw glyphs in their mind. That glyph is then added to the desired item.
Apparently, there are only six different colors, signifying the six core pulx's aside from the crafter pulx. The glyphs are what give the core pulx a guide to one of its subsections. Example being the separation pulx from the core breaker pulx."
Lira smacked into a pillar, falling back and dropping her notes.
"Ow," she said, rubbing her reddened nose.
As she gathered her notes, one sentence stood out. It was from her earlier notes.
"According to the Plurimus," the notes said, "time passes differently in what they call "the mind." Apparently, they are capable of spending what seems to them as hours in "the mind" while a mere instant passes in reality. Truly fascinating.
Regardless, if "the mind" is indeed the basis as to universal structure, credit to the Plurimus' words would increase significantly. Though I believe this is too large a task for me to handle for the moment."
Lira put the note sheet in her journal, reminding herself to get back to the subject later. "Plurimus are rare," she grumbled, "and I know the school went to great lengths to get Lock to come here. But couldn't he have come after my project was finished?"
Lira made her way to the library. The cafeteria would likely be closed, but the snack stands would be open until midnight. When she made it to the door she was confronted by a colleague. Lira tilted her head in confusion, trying to remember his name.
"Hey Lira!" the man said with an uneven tone. "I was thinking, do you have anything on the core breaker pulx?"
Lira's eyes lit up. The core breaker pulx wasn't a current project, but she had gathered pre-information.
"The breaker pulx is by far one of the most useful yet dangerous pulx out there." Lira said with a grin, excitement bubbling inside her.
The man smiled, "yeah, but what about the space pulx," the man said. "If there is a hiccup in the chant, the item being affection could cause an interference with the surrounding area. Would that mean the space pulx is more dangerous?"
"Only in a relative sense." Lira answered. "Getting the chant wrong could be catastrophic for any pulx. But the breaker pulx is the most commonly used of all pulxes, aside from the core power pulx. But the violent outcome negatively affects every aspect involved to a much higher degree."
"I see, but what of the core pure pulx?" the man asked.
"Well, that's more of a…" Lira trailed off. "Are you trying to cheat on the next test?"
"What, no." the man said. "I'm gathering information."
"Then you should gather that from your own research," Lira argued. "Simply copying other researchers' findings doesn't make you a scholar."
The man frowned, "well then," the man continued. "Do you think we could research this together? You know, we have different perspectives and working in a team has proven to be more efficient."
Lira folded her arms, thinking for a moment. "While that is true, I prefer to work alone. Working together can produce results quicker, but working alone can produce results that working together cannot. We work together plenty in class, we should think of every possibility."
"I suppose…" the man said, his voice trailing with a touch of resignation.
Ahhh, Lira thought, I see. She looked him up and down, and began circling him, inspecting his frame. He wasn't exactly built. Though as a scholar, Lira didn't expect anything different.
"Also," she added lightly, "you're not really my type."
His mouth parted, clearly taken aback. She walked around him and made her way into the library, only to find the Plurimas walking down an aisle.
She immediately brought out her journal, and waited a moment. She then came at him right when he turned the corner. He stopped himself suddenly, trying not to bump into her. But they collided nonetheless.
"Waoh," He said, grabbing her arm to stop her from falling backwards. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"
"Hm, sorry," she said, letting him help her up.
Despite his gentle grip, she felt a power behind it. My, she thought.
"I was just wondering if I could interview you again before you leave?" Lira asked.
"Uh, sorry, but I actually came here to escape my guard," Lock said. "That and the other scholars."
She raised an eyebrow, "you came to a library to escape scholars?"
The man paused, then grinned, "suppose you have a point. Nevertheless I'd like to avoid any more interviews."
"Oh, well sorry for bothering you." Lira said, bowing for a little too long, standing straight with an obvious disappointment on her face, and turned to leave.
After a few moments, "hold on," Lock said.
Hook, line, and sinker, Lira thought with a smile. She turned with "surprise" and asked, "Yes?"
"I suppose a few questions wouldn't hurt," Lock said.
Lira beamed, then gestured to have him follow her. They sat down at a corner table, where Lira brought them tea and a few muffins. Lock immediately grabbed a muffin, which looked miniature in his colossal hands, and shoved the whole thing in his mouth.
Lira wrote something down when he did so.
"What chu writing?" Lock asked, his mouth half-full.
"Does your size have anything to do with you being a Plurimas?" Lira asked.
She had no intention of asking about the crafter pulx, that wasn't one of her projects. She often tried to preoccupy herself with two points of interest. For now, that is the core power pulx as well as affinities.
Lock grimaced slightly when she called him a Plurimas, "did I say something wrong?" Lira asked.
"Technically no," Lock said, swallowing his treat. "But if you don't mind, I'd rather you call me a crafter. Plurimas seems too technical a term. Crafter makes more sense for me."
Lira wrote something down.
"Now, back to my earlier question if you don't mind?" Lira asked.
"Oh, yes," Lock said, reaching for another muffin. "Yes, my size does have an effect on my affinity, it does for everyone."
"Realy?" Lira confirmed. "So then, based on that, what affinities do I appear to have?"
Lock looked at her up and down. She was fairly slime and was shorter than average. She considered her curves about average, though the attention they drew suggested otherwise.
"You have an affinity for the Core power pulx, specifically water," Lock said. "Though almost everyone does, you seem to have a strong affinity for the core perceive pulx. Which is great considering your profession. You don't have anything on the core pure, breaker, crafter, or time pulx. Though I'm getting the sense you could use the space pulx with a few years of training."
Lira's eyes widened, "you can tell all that just from my frame?"
"Sumwhat, but not really, I can see your colors. Though that's mostly due to my condition," Lock said. "There are plenty of guys with my build that can't use the crafter pulx to save their life. One's frame does have something to do with it. But someone's soul comes into play as well."
"Their soul?" Lira asked, "and what do you mean by colors? Oh, and can you give me a brief breakdown of how different frames can affect affinity outcome?!"
Lock took a swig of his tea—no delicate sipping, just a single, decisive gulp.
"Well, someone with a small frame tends to be more connected with destructive powers." Lock said. "Things like the breaker pulx and certain parts of the pure and power pulx. Larger people tend to have less destructive powers. Crafting for example, creates rather than destroys.
Though, again, someone's frame has only a piece of what decides someone's affinities. It depends on personality, how easy one can connect with others. How easy or difficult it is for someone to control their emotions. Even trauma can have a play. So it really is just troubleshooting."
"Are you saying people can be born with affinities then lose them afterwards?" Lira asked.
"No," Lock clarified, "I believe I said it before our meeting, but different pulx have different personalities, wills, and beliefs. If one accepts you, it stays with you. You can get the attention of other types of pulx you couldn't earlier in your life. But once you bond with a pulx, that's that. Though I don't know the process of getting the attention of each one.
Being a crafter and entering the mind is a unique experience. I can understand what a pulx is, after so many interactions I've had with their purest form. That being the lines of power. But I can't get to know them personally until I've bonded one.
Like I said before, it's hard to pinpoint exactly how a pulx chooses its master, but I do not think a pulx is simple energy that acts out erratically. Aside from the pure pulx. The only person to have ever mastered that pulx was the late king Halcome.
Then again, historians could have exaggerated the fact that he mastered it. Even when I draw a precise glyph with the pure pulx, and I or anyone else uses the item, it can still reach out to chaos.
Though sometimes I feel that a crafter isn't a pulxer but someone that simply forces pulx to obey rather than gaining their trust. Not only that, but I feel a kinship toward my creations, like each line is a piece of my soul."
Lock looked at her, seeming to come out of a daze. So he is a scholar, Lira thought. She wrote down more of what he said.
"This has been most informative," Lira said, "thank you."
Lock smiled, then opened his mouth to speak, but paused. Lira looked up with a raised eyebrow.
"You have very beautiful eyes," he said, his voice softer than before.
Lira blinked, surprised. Sunlight streamed through the window, catching her eyes and giving their light amber color a crystalline hue.
Lock smiled, "I believe that even eye color can give you an affinity."
"How so?"
"Well, did you know that everyone who has amber eyes—that I've seen—has had an affinity to the perceive pulx? I think the core pulx likes beautiful eyes." Lock shook his head. "Sorry, is there anything else you need?"
Lira paused for a moment, digesting the information. "Well, since you asked. Can you show me a pulxed item? Preferably with a pure pulx."
"Um, I'm not supposed to just give out pulxed items whenever I'm asked." Lock said hesitantly.
"I don't plan on selling it," Lira said hurriedly. "As you guessed before, I can't use any subsections of the core pure pulx, and it is one of my next projects. So I would like to experiment with it more."
"I didn't think you would sell it," Lock responded, "you don't seem like the type. But… maybe."
"Maybe?" Lira asked.
Lock grabbed his empty tea cup, then closed his eyes. Lira made sure to document his every action. A heartbeat later however, he opened his eyes. It was less like he closed his eyes, and more like a long blink. Lock set the cup in front of Lira, then sat back.
"What did you do?" Lira asked.
"Swirl the cup," Lock said.
Lira grabbed the empty cup, then swirled it around. Water began slowly leaking into the cup from the bottom. Lira's eyes widened and she gasped as the previously empty cup, filled completely up with water. She squealed in excitement, then stood up and gave Lock a hug.
"Woah!" Lock said, befuddlement in his tone.
"Thank you!" Lira called out.
She stood up with excitement, then grabbed her journal and the now pulxed cup, then ran out the library to get to her quarters. Leaving Lock with a smile on his face.
She made her way to her dorms, closed her door, lit every candle in her study, and began thinking of possibilities as to how her pulxed cup could create water.
"The most obvious answer is the water pulx from the core power pulx," Lira said to herself. "But the pulx can't create water out of nowhere, it's more about controlling water rather than creating it. That's how all the subsections of the core power pulx work."
She could have asked Lock how he did it. But she stood by what she told her colleague. A scholar should gather information from their own research. She opened her journal to a summary of each pulx, looking for the complement pulx that created the water.
"Pure pulx." the notes read. "Transformation, amalgamation, absorption, and chaos. Chaos is the most dangerous to document, as it acts out erratically no matter the skill of control."
Lira brought out a pen: "Note: perhaps the absorption pulx absorbed moisturizer in the air, and the water pulx pulled it together."
"Breaker pulx." the notes read again. "Decay, cleave, dismantle, as well as separation. Recent studies suggest the dismantle pulx is capable of halting an active pulx. Could that have something to do with cutting mana itself?"
"Note: perhaps the separation pulx separated humidity, much like the absorption pulx."
"Space pulx. This pulx only has two subsections; inversion and swap. One swaps inanimate objects, the other swaps living organisms. Limitations: mass, visibility, range. Potential uses in architecture or emergency displacement?"
"Note:" Lira wrote. "could the water have replaced the air in the cup? Is that possible?"
"Lock's notes state that the space pulx was the most difficult to acquire," Lira said to herself, "so much so that he, nor the other Plurimas are "strong enough" to claim them. Strong enough? Do they mean physically, or mentally?"
She shook her head, getting back to examining the cup. She spent several hours on this before she noticed something in the corner of her eye. A book on her desk that read: Destruction-neutralizing pulx.
Yet another project, she chuckled, half delirious. Then looking out to see the sun had set. She looked from the cup, to the book.
"I'll sleep tomorrow," she told the cup. "Tonight, I will answer you."