Data and Magic

William awoke to a world of dull, throbbing pain. Every muscle in his body ached, a deep, pervasive soreness that made even the slightest movement a trial. It felt as though he'd been used as a practice dummy by a particularly enthusiastic ogre, a sensation far more intense than any post-workout soreness he'd ever experienced in his old life. He groaned involuntarily, the sound muffled by the rough fabric of the blanket covering him.

The second sensation that registered was the presence of warmth beside him, a gentle, comforting heat that radiated from a living being. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the dim light of the early morning, and saw Julia sitting beside his bedroll, her back resting against a moss-covered log. Her eyes were closed, her head tilted slightly to the side, but she wasn't asleep. She was watching him, or rather, waiting for him to wake, her posture a mixture of vigilance and exhaustion. Dark circles underlined her eyes, evidence of a sleepless night, and her usually vibrant features were drawn and pale.

As soon as she saw his eyes open, a wave of relief washed over her face, chasing away the shadows of worry. The tension in her shoulders visibly eased, her tightly clasped hands relaxing slightly. A small, involuntary tear traced a path down her cheek, quickly wiped away with the back of her hand, a fleeting glimpse of the emotional toll the night had taken on her. She offered him a weak, but genuine, smile.

"William," she said, her voice hoarse, a mixture of relief and concern. "You're awake. How do you feel?"

William tried to sit up, but a sharp, searing pain shot through his muscles, forcing him back down with a groan. He winced, his hand instinctively reaching out to rub his aching arm, though the pain seemed to emanate from everywhere at once. "Like I've been trampled by a herd of... well, I don't know what kind of large animals you have here, but something big," he managed, his voice raspy and weak. "What happened?"

Julia's smile faded, replaced by a serious, almost apologetic expression. "You fainted last night, William. Late in the night, we heard a noise, a sort of thud, and found you unconscious near the edge of the camp. Edward carried you back. We checked you for injuries, but... there was nothing. No wounds, no broken bones, nothing visible. But you were cold, your skin almost clammy, and there was a faint... bluish tinge to your entire body." She paused, her brow furrowing with concern. "It was the symptoms of mana backlash, but from what we knew, you still weren't able to properly cast a spell yesterday. So we were worried you had overexerted yourself in general and caused some other injuries none of us were aware of. So Edward and I agreed that I would watch over you to see keep track of any changes in your condition, while Edward to keep a lookout to make sure we are safe. While we are not far from the Aver Capital, better to be prepared than sorry."

William's mind, still foggy with exhaustion, struggled to process the information. He remembered the elation of finally casting the Light spell, the thrill of discovery as he experimented with the "data system," the sudden wave of dizziness... and then, nothing. He'd pushed himself too hard, ignored the warning signs, blinded by his own enthusiasm.

"I... I was finally able to cast the spell," he said, his voice a mixture of pride and sheepishness. "The Light spell. It worked. But then... I felt light headed and dizzy after a while, and I noticed the light on the stone flickering a little. I don't have any recollection of what happened after that, so I must have fainted?" He decided to omit the details about the heat maps and bar charts, the "data system" that had so captivated him. He knew, with absolute certainty, that Julia and Edward would have no frame of reference for such concepts. Data analysis, heat maps, bar charts... these were terms from another world, another reality. He needed to find a way to explain his abilities, to understand them himself, before he could even begin to share them with others. He didn't want to be treated like a freak, a madman, or worse, a dangerous anomaly.

Julia's face lit up with genuine joy at the news of his success, her concern momentarily overshadowed by her delight in his accomplishment. "You did it! William, that's wonderful! I knew you could. All that hard work, all that persistence... it paid off." She reached out and gently squeezed his hand, a gesture of warmth and encouragement. "But," she added, her voice turning serious again, "you need to be more careful. Mana backlash is not something to be taken lightly. It's a serious condition, a consequence of pushing your magical limits too far, too fast."

She explained, in more detail, the dangers of overexertion. "Your body has a natural capacity for mana, a limit to how much energy it can safely channel. When you exceed that limit, when you try to draw more power than your body can handle, it creates a backlash, a surge of uncontrolled energy that can cause serious harm. Using our previous example, you have a cup that stores a certain amount of mana, and then a funnel which allows you to absorb mana at a certain rate. Combining the two gives a rough idea of how much mana you can use at once, or over time. She picked up a small twig and drew on the ground. "Your ability to store and absorb mana from environment is limited. Say this cup and funnel is you. Whenever the cup is used, the funnel starts to help you recover and absorb mana from the environment. In this scenario, if you absorb it slowly and steadily, that is all well and good. But as soon as your cup runs dry, your body overexerts itself as it tries to overcompensate and absorb as much mana as possible. This is when the mana backlash occurs, your body essentially getting overloaded with mana and you end up in a bad place. This must have been what happened when you tried to sustain the light spell for too long."

She continued, "In mild cases, like yours, it results in exhaustion, dizziness, muscle aches, the symptoms you're experiencing now. But in severe cases... it can cause permanent damage. It can burn out your magical pathways, cripple your ability to use magic, even... even damage your life force. There are stories of powerful mages, driven by ambition or desperation, who pushed themselves too far, who destroyed themselves in the pursuit of ultimate power."

William listened intently, his initial excitement tempered by a growing sense of apprehension. He'd been so focused on exploring his newfound abilities, on pushing the boundaries of what was possible, that he'd completely ignored the potential risks. He'd been reckless, foolish, driven by a blind enthusiasm that had nearly cost him dearly.

"I... I understand," he said, his voice subdued. "I'll be more careful. I promise."

Just then, Edward emerged from the trees, his expression stoic as usual, but with a hint of relief in his eyes. He'd been scouting the surrounding area, ensuring their camp was secure, a routine precaution he performed every morning.

"You're awake," he said, his voice gruff but not unkind. "Good. I overhead the two of you speaking earlier. You managed to cast the Light spell. Impressive. But also foolish. Mana backlash is no joke, William. You could have seriously injured yourself."

He echoed Julia's warnings, emphasizing the importance of respecting one's limits, of pacing oneself, of gradually increasing one's magical capacity over time. He spoke of warriors who had fallen in battle, not from enemy blows, but from their own magical overexertion, their bodies collapsing under the strain of uncontrolled power. He recounted tales of duels between powerful warriors, when one tried to push their magic usage to gain an edge during the battle, but ultimately pushing too far and falling to mana backlash which lead to their downfall.

William listened, his head bowed, feeling a mixture of shame and gratitude. He'd been reckless, yes, but he'd also been incredibly lucky. He'd had a close call, a harsh lesson in the dangers of magic, but he'd survived, thanks to Julia and Edward's care and vigilance. Magic is a double edged sword, used in a controlled manner it would be a powerful weapon, used in a careless and reckless manner it could be the cause of your downfall. As a young Spiderman was once told "with great power comes great responsibility", this famous line really resonating with William at this point.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice sincere. "I got carried away. Being finally able to cast my first spell made me want to test my limits. In my ignorance I continued to use the light spell trying to determine how long it would last. Now that I know the consequences, I won't let it happen again."

However, while readily agreeing with Julia and Edward that he would be careful, he knew that he needed to experiment with the data like magic capabilities he discovered as he cast his first spell. Perhaps he could use the magic to map out his mana usage, thereby having an accurate way to measure and monitor his mana in real time and completely being able to mitigate the risk of mana backlash. Wondering to himself that it would indeed be an interesting hypothesis if it worked, William made a mental note to revisit this once he had some time to himself. At this stage, William still didn't want to tell anyone, not even Julia or Edward about the data type magic. It just seemed so out of place in the world of Aver, a place of sword and magic.

Pushing these thoughts aside for now, William focused on recovering, so they could continue their mission to the Aver Capital.