[Finalage]

The idea is interesting to say the least. I haven't had much time to read things recently, been too busy writing things. I have been trying to remedy that situation however...I am reading a few stories. Mainly, a new story that, ironically, was started because of my own. See here: James Ray Edward's: Springfield, Ph.D.: A Different Paradigm

While I am happy they began writing this based upon my own story, it makes me feverish to try and improve my style. My story has seen me improve quite a bit, from rustiness to true and solid improvement. It gives a bad first impression, but improves throughout. Makes me worry a bit, mainly those who just read the first chapter and lose interest. worry me most.


Chapter Fourty Eight is out, and personally, this chapter gave me plenty of unrest and problems. Not because of the story itself, but life kept getting in the way. Here's a section of it:

Spoiler for Chapter 48 slice:

"It's how you look at the blasted situation, that's all. You can look at this whole damn world we are living in as nothing but a farce, sure, but then, what's giving you oxygen right now? Shouldn't you have suffocated long ago? What about that guy I know you were looking at yesterday in the square while I was running errands...ahh, I see a blush, get that damn blood off your face..."

Indeed, Yue had gained a flush to her cheeks at the mention that she had been looking around and observing the people in town yesterday while she had been with Negi collecting supplies, and, in a perfectly innocent manner, she had been watching some people who qualified as attractive in her eyes. It was only natural...however; leave it up to the professor to make even the natural embarrassing, and a platform to launch a point off of.

"My point is Ayase, real is a very subjective word here, and to answer your question, yes, I care whether or not Fate and his albino ass blows up this "imaginary" world, very much. One reason being the simple fact that we are currently in it. Besides, where the hell am I gonna put this big lummox if he does?"

Negi's hand came out to slap the shoulder blade he was using as a steering wheel, piloting Vir through the skies, more for his exercise than anything else, although he was looking for some signs of the governor canceling his ball this week, Negi wanted to catch him in the act of running away with his tail between his legs...just so he could pull him, whimpering all the way, back.

He'd swoop in so fast with fire roaring from a dragon's maw, he'd roast the bug alive before he even knew what the hell hit him upside the head. Of course, Negi was growing increasingly impatient as his promised week of time slowly, ever so slowly, withered away. Why was it when the kid wanted to hurry up and get something done that time loved to drag its dirty arse along the carpet?

Talk about rubbing it in. He had left Yue in a rant about her findings on the magical world's composition, most of which he had already guessed or hazarded at reading somewhere, to focus on what, this? How far away the end of the week seemed? Yue was blithering to Nodoka without a care in the world, sitting quite firmly between two of Vir's spines, while Nodoka held on for dear life unto her own assigned spines.

Maybe it was because the girl was in rant mode, or perhaps because she had been practicing with that broom a helluva lot. Alma was next to him, looking out from her assigned shoulder blade. Maybe it was just him, but lately she seemed more distant than usual. Almost as if she were reflecting on something.

Hair flying back in the wind, indeed, she was reflecting on things, year's worth of memories flashing by in instants, her hands could scarcely grasp them before they were ripped away. Questions, numbering in the millions, contrasted them...they lumbered about with such a sluggish pace that, for all she cared, they were stock still...

"Master."
"Ahh. You confuse me, you do."

"You are my property, rightfully so, as I purchased you fairly from your previous owner ten years ago."
"...Yes Master."

In a dark room, a man beckons, atop his chair, what he considers his "throne" he calls her to him. His eyes scrutinize her, in every detail, before he gives a verdict. His mouth quirks. His property is a mystery he has yet to solve, indeed.

"In these ten years, you do not appear to have aged. You are the same bud, having yet to blossom into a woman. This intrigues me to no end...yet, I can experiment with you no longer. You are to be sold to Karest. You should do well to fetch a good price...yet, while you are still mine...get a mat out."

"...Yes Master."

Years, they come and go, and yet, their grasp fails to hold fast upon her. Slippery, more than even the purest of eels, she slithers away. Immortal, it seems. Fire springing from her hands for the fires she has denied, illusion woven out of the fabrics her mother refused to school her in making. Negi interrupted her thoughts with a harsh laugh, his whole entire being, small as it was, moving along with it.

"You really believe that? Do you? Then you, my good student, are stupider than even I gave you credit for! What if we all were just some damn characters in a story book, huh? Would you want us to die and have no one care? Honestly, I wouldn't mind, but I'm pretty sure as hell you would. I have a feeling you would hate to discover you were nothing but a figment of someone else's dream."

Conversation moved on, relentlessly. Negi seemed to root himself in the point of them all being nothing but characters following the whim of a particularly cold hearted author, who was probably going to kill them all off before their time even came. His point was further solidified with the belief of many millions of people and articles on such a subject, the belief that we all are nothing but pieces of a board game or a story, moving along the canvas of an author's mind. Each person playing a part, but to the author themselves, only a few are important...

In essence, claiming that a true author creates a world in which all characters are alive, even if the creator does not even focus upon them. That, in every story, where the main characters are Bill and Tracey, with Phil stuck in for drama, there is a Tony and Margret next door, never mentioned, and a Holly who loves to shop on Tuesdays at Midnight, or a Robert in a lonely waiter's position at the local fancy restaurant.

Life, moving on with or without the creator's permission or knowledge, for the author has only created their world for one purpose, but it is used in every way possible. Negi knew that, somewhere in this world, someone was cursing, someone was kissing, another was sleeping, still someone else was taking a shower...but he wasn't aware, and if authors are to be thought down to earth and not Omni-potent, they probably wouldn't know either, unless they focused their scope upon that particular character.

"...but Magi-sensei...we can't be imaginary..."
Negi managed to give a half hearted smile, halfway between placation and pity for Anya. She had her arms around him, for she couldn't grip the spines Vir sported properly. He shook his head. Leave it to her to pick this time to try and analyze what he was saying, getting herself hopelessly confusing in the onslaught of words she wasn't meant to have heard for years to come.

"Why ever not, Anya? Are we special in some way? If you think this world is imaginary, and thus not worth your time, you have to think all those people in here are imaginary too, and not worth your time. Then, you have to think; "Well, what defines real then?" Is it the ability to think for one's self? Is it the ability to desire, to eat, breathe, live? Is being real simply existing? For I'll tell you, all these people out there...they do those things, just as you or I would. So if they aren't real, what's stopping someone from saying we're not real, and not caring what happens to us? Who can argue with them? Who knows the secrets to all of life, who can be one hundred percent sure, hmm?"

He made a grand gesture with his hand at the mention of the people out there, sweeping his hand past the scope of vision trained upon him and into the open skies. His face was completely calm, once more a teacher in his flying classroom, although normally those stay rooted firmly to the ground...at least Yue had fallen silent. Not that he had beaten her in debate, just that he had chosen a better view to defend.

"...Hell, if you were to step into a story book, do you think you'd be shipped from one task to the next like you are in the story? Hopefully not. Your presence might even change the story, and how do you handle that? The world and by extension, life, is nothing but an ever changing story, in which all the possible outcomes have already been determined, it's your job to pick which one becomes yours. An infinite amount of endings, and all of them with your name on it, the scope of it is too large for human minds to perfectly comprehend...and don't any of you start about me being able too."

It was Anya who first spoke, again bringing her insight into the conversation. She wasn't stupid; she would have everyone know that. Maybe a bit dumb compared to them all, especially when she had first come into Negi's care, but she had been working just as hard, if not harder, then they have to catch up...except for Negi. No one seemed to work as hard as he could.

"...So if we're all fake, who are you in the story Magi-sensei?"

At first, he didn't want to answer the question, yet...that only lasted for a split second of his existence. Quite after that, he was eager to formulate a response, weaving a story about himself, his fanciful interpretation of himself perhaps, but one that just might have been spot on.

"Me? I am...the character that...well, I suppose I'm the guy who stands behind the main one. You know the one, the one who either joins the party first or was the main character's friend from the beginning, the guy who is either a mage or a brawler. He's always got really cra- bad luck, but really wants to good too. He turns evil near the end and tries to kill the main character, gets killed, causes the main a whole bunch of anguish, meets him in his dreams as some kinda angel spouting advice and apologies and that's the end of that. In other words, I'm the idiot who, for all his power and strength, for all the good they wanted to do, chose the dark path and got his stupid ass killed."

Negi said no more as he pushed upon Vir's shoulder, prompting everyone aboard to grab onto something as the dragon took a steep dive, the wind sailing through hair and whistling in all ears. Indeed, if this place was fake, what was real? Who cared?