Umi offered the chance for Mortimer and him to train inside of a phantasmagoria of Umi's creation, this one had amazing scenery, and looked much like the downtown Kyoto, but built with several more implausible features like mountains and several more towers full of unknown dangers

"I think this will be an interesting setting for a little training and now thanks to the time perception, we can spend about a week in here"

... But this is your mind right? Don't you control everything in here Mrtimer asked as he looked around at the strange world before him. Somehow none of it seemed real and at the same time it was more vivid than anything he had experienced. What's more, since you made everything in here, doesn't that mean I could just wander around your subconcious and figure out what makes you tick, Mortimer asked as he suddenly began floating upside down while walking towards Umi.

"No this is a different part of my mind, or sort of one thats created through my imagination, the physics here are the same as the real worlds, so we can train as much as we want, and by train, i mean study :P"

Umi turned the corner, and with this space as a playground, he could experiment freely, he had already downloaded all the spells he wanted to learn how to use, and even had some for Mortimer. He started work on learning the sealing magic he would need for the new mage, while he also started to get back into the attack magic he lost.

"This one looks practical... ill start the ritual immediately.."

Mortimer followed Umi. Searching for something useful. And there it was. Something which was actually worthwhile. A cure spell. the most basic of healing spells but learning it would help Mortimer greatly. And so it was Mortimer began reading the book, memorizing the spell and learning how to cast it. That would put him over the top. Then everything would work out... or so he hoped.

"Cura's basic, you wont even need practice time with it, if you get the rejection magic just right, for now i'll stick to working on my bounded fields and transformation magic."

Deciding against learning his water magic, Umi focused on his barriers and illusions, two types of magic that would not require the activation of his Ocean Spirit Form and his eventual madness. He took out a certain spell and looked over it.

"Hm.. its not really my thing, but alright ill try it.."

Putting the book down Mortimer looked up at Umi. "I can't DO rejection magic. The very fact that I'm a shadow mage prevents me from rejecting anything. By my very definition I take in what others reject so how could I not be the biggest hypocrite in the world by learning a magic which allows me to selectively reject causality?"

"You must not understand rejection magic then, the principle behind all my skills, illusions, healing, buffing and barriers is rejection magic, and even that, naturally is the will to not only except events but understand you disapprove of their results, and need the power to repulse them. It's pretty basic if you have a strong enough will."

Umi continued reading about a spell that he thought would be useful and wrote it down and would practice later as it was pretty basic, but this spell would require some finesse.

"A Bounded Field Spell, that can block out..... something. Sounds interesting no? Morti-kun come try it with me."

Coming closer Mortimer looked over Umi's shoulder. For some reason he had begun floating again and seemed to be laying on his side in midair. Skiming the book Umi was reading, Mortimer couldn't believe what he saw. The circle inscribed there was the one he had made in the library when he first met Umi. It was his first real attempt at magic working. Mortimer had progressed since then and had a better idea of what it was meant to do but held his toungue. Umi would know what he was thinking. But aside from the circles effect, Mortimer had to wonder How Umi had managed to pick up on the circle after all this time.

"It's one of my things, i wrote up the circle a few months ago, but never got around to it. Ju-gu-Ryu Form 1. Anti-Spirit Team Barrier, Test One GO!~

Umi began the test on his newly named ability, the entire name i fact, had been thought up right that second, and the style from which he derived it from, the Ju-Gu-Ryu (Ten Rocks Style) was just Ryu-gu-jo backwards, but when he pulled the technique off, it held up rather nicely.

"Test One is stable.. someone hit it with something"

Wrapping shadow around his arm Mortimer managed to enlarge his hand several times, making it seem like a black sledgehammer, before bringing it down as hard as he could on Umi's barrier. Mortimers shadow stuff was by definition a spiritual substance. The irony of shadow was that despite its power, when solidified like this it was at once a material, spiritual and elemental technique and so could theoretically be blocked by a barrier for any of the three. Pushing harder, Mortimer wanted to see too if his shadow stuff would break first or if Umi's barrier would.

"The benefits of Rejection Magic sir, so long as i will it, my barrier will reject your shadow punches. Now i got to do diagnostics on the barrier..."

With his Archive Interface, Umi combined it with his ESP in order to displays the magic properties of the barrier out in a 3D graphical format.

"Rejection Emissons... stable.... Spirit wave interference... minimal....Bound Field rate stable at about 65%... Spiritual Balance within negative space... 1% Approx. ....Bounded Field monitored at a constant level of 180 MGJ.

Umi brought down the field and began planning on certain modifications of it that would require many complex rituals.

"[b]...Did you take into account that we're inside of your head? And that it'll probably act differently on a physical plane?[b]"

"Thats the point you idiot, if i can get it stable here, it'll be easy to factor in the minor calculations that magical world supplies us. I gave this place physics as best as i could, so it should make very little difference in the long run."

Umi set everything back up and continued with a second test.

"Test Two.... Launch"

"And smashing again". Mortimer smashed his hammer fist into the wall again. "Readings for test two?"

"Nope, seems stable, so now i will begin with the 3rd test... Evocatio Spiritualis..."

Using a special magic he learned a few days ago, he used one of the pinnacles of basic magic, the Spirit of Minor Telekinesis, to come forth. It appeared from a summoning circle, a simple yellow man, like Pac-Man without the mouth with large wiry arms and two small wings, it flew towards the barrier and was repelled by the rejection magic.

"Alright, this spell seems good, how about you? Anything i can help you with?"

"Yes as a matter of fact.

First,You mentioned rejection magic as a key feature in almost all of your techniques, barriers, illusions etc.

For me rejection means taking away something you don't want. FIltering or destroying a particular element out of an equation. However you seem to have a different understanding of it than I do. So what exactly is it?

Second, why have you chosen to trap a winged kuribo in your barrier? And what does it do?"

(I plan on learning the spell, im just waiting for my event points to use all of them at once..)

"Well... see this is The Spirit of Telekinesis, i sort of picked up some summoning magic from the possessions. This one can move things over large distances without me directing it, and i used it to test the Anti-Spirit barrier."

Umi released both the spirit and the barrier, and gathered up his strength to begin the next lesson he would learn. Now that he was able to fight off the insanity in his mind (another story for another time) he could learn Attack Magic, which he would begin doing after helping Mortimer.

"Rejection Magic is powered through the force of ones will, the ability to say no, to deny an event, to deflect the toxic powers that afflict you, that control and hurt you. It's saying "Sure you may have hit me, but im still going to fight" or "Even though you try to break through my heart is immovable and unwilling to be taken control of" do you get what im saying?"

Mortimer hadn't realized that Umi had learned summoning magic. He would have like to learn that but he already had his shadows (he needed to upgrade those some time).


Mortimer was not as surprised by Umi's explanation of rejection magic but he was severly disheartened by it. Rejection magic had been as he thought, only put into better words than he could express.

"I am afraid that rejection magic is indeed out of my reach then." He said with a heavy sigh. "Because of my very being as a shadow mage I cannot outright reject anything. That was why I was researching cure magic which only expedited cellular growth and recovery from injuries. I know that rejection is an important thing for you. You need it to keep the parts of your being that are harmful away. I have to accept everything. I can destroy nothing, only alter it, or bring out a different form. I know that what I am saying may sound like a bunch of philosophical bull-%*@!, but the truth is that if I do reject things, then I will lose my abilities. I honestly believe that."

Behind Mortimer appeared what looked like a chalkboard (really a magical figment) with many different colored chalks, diagrams and equations. The left side of the board seemed to contain a multitude of colors and equations while the right side was dominated by a squiggle of black chalk on the green board.

"Most people believe that shadows are just areas where photons are largely blocked from entering by another object. I think you know differently. Shadow and dark magic is unlike the other kinds of elemental magic." He said gesturing at the artfully arranged colors, each representing a different elemental magic, with a spot of black chalk slightly seperated from the rest

"Most other elements can be manipulated on scientific principals. In lightning magic it is transforming magical energy into electrical energy, in water magic it is largely manipulation of water molecules, fire magic is causing ignition with magic, light magic is manipulation of phtons and so on and so forth. In addition to each of these scientific bases, they each have a spiritual base. Water naturally heals, though true water does not neccessarily do this, magic water can because of the symbolism and spiritual nature behind it. It is the same concept as a person who absorbs lightning magic who gets faster, they become swift "as" lightning, but don't become it. Darkness on the other hand has no scientific basis, it is purely spiritual and symbolic in nature."

Mortimer gestured to the black side of the board. "Darkness as it relates to magical terms is everything which the other elements don't take. It does not heal like water, cause stability like earth, consume like fire or any of the other verbs and adjectives which apply to the concepts of elements. Darkness contains that which all other emotions does not take. And even when those adjectives are not connected to their elements, darkness still takes them in anyway. I know it sounds emo, but according to powerful shadow mages, darkness is the stuff from which all things came. The proverbial womb of creation, and the guardian of all which the light refuses to touch.

I know it's confusing, but do you understand why I can't reject anything? Seriously, when was the last time you saw me out right say no to something in the context of making a choice?"

Mortimer knew he probably shouldn't have done that. He had just divulged his biggest secrets. He couldn't outright refuse anything.

Umi slapped Mortimer across the face, such pessimism would be counter-intuitive to what Umi was trying to teach him.

"Photons? Lightning? is that was you think magic is? Magic is not science, it is not definite, it in not stalwort and unchanging. You have the power to do the impossible, to become the phenomenal, to view the awesome. Audacia Paula Morti-kun. If you stand for if's and but's you wont be able to pull of Cura, but if you just try to do it, the spirits will take over from there, that's all there really is to it.."

Umi opened up the textbooks for Water and Ice Magic and began reading, summing up the ideas while watch Mortimer sulk, he would show him what it meant to be a mage.

(And you control shadow's... not darkness. NOT the same thing..)

(Darkness is the quintesential whole of all that is rejected, shadow is a more specific thing, representing what is rejected by an individual/object)

"Say's the man who takes detailed readings on his barriers strength using mathematics", Mortimer said standing up and rubbing his bruised, throbbing an swelling cheek.

"It is said that highly advanced magic is nearly indistinguishable from science. And isn't that what we're dealing with here? I may approach my magic from the standpoint of a scientist, or even a philosopher, but the alternative is to use magic as a CHILD would! Watch!" He cried angrily. Mortimer was more than a little miffed at Umi by this point.

With that Mortimer compressed his magic in his hands forming a black sphere. "This is shadow, and from a childs perspective it's nothing but what it appears to be. The next step for a child then is what's inside of the shadow. And to a child there is only fear and monsters in darkness"

Tossing the ball up, a hoard of monsters wriped its way out of the tiny sphere. Some looked like bears, others like snakes,others strange hybridizations of creatures unknown to man, but they were all monsters. Monsters which hid inside of a childs closet or under their bed. Who creeped behind them on a dark night and dissaeared when a flashlight was shown. These were bed time monsters based on fear.

"Using a child's view, there is only fear in shadow. Darkness is only meant to hide what they fear. But to me, darkness is everything. And shadow is what a person rejects in them self."

Waving his hand the monsters morphed into smoke and outlines of their former selves, before congealing back into Mortimers hand as a ball of shadow. "It is only by embracing every aspect of myself, accepting that which I do not wish as a part of me that I have the mastery over shadow that I do. I can't just "leave it to the spirits" because to them shadow is what it seems to a child. It is only by my enforcement of shadows identity that I can control it. What do you say to that?"

"Now do the Cura spell!"

Umi was intently focused on reading about his attack spels, but paid enough attention to Mortimer to hear his rant. He knew he would get it, all he needed to do was try it.

"Do IT!"

"TUI GRATIA JOVIS GRATIA SIT" Mortimer shouted, his magical energy and frustration being forced out through his voice. It wasn't directionalized but merely flew out in every direction his voice traveled. Mortimer didn't know what would happen given this blast of magic but he began feeling a strange tingiling in his cheek. He wasn't sure what would happen or if it was good or bad but he looked over at Umi to guage the effects.

"Close, but just direct it at a wound this time. You are right, science and magic are connected at high levels, but with Training spells, you need a child's touch to use it."

He started to practice with his Water Magic, still made out of water, he was able to conjure it naturally. The amount of water was rather large, but not nearly focused enough to use it as a spell.

Mortimer calmed down and began practicing cura again. This time focusing on his cheek as he did so. He really hated this simplistc idea but he had to live with it until he could come up with a better idea.

Looking over at Umi he say the mage trying to form water out of thin air.

"If you don't mind my suggestion, perhaps the answer isn't in transforming your magic into water. Try thinking about it scientifically. If you made this place as close as you could to real world specifications you could try alchemy? The air we breath is about 70% nitrogen and 30% oxygen. Water being H2O, you could manipulate the oxygen in the atmosphere to condense, then use alchemy to split the nitrogen into hydrogen atoms without causing a nuclear explosion... Of course you could always just tell the spirits to do it for you." The last bit he said with a twinge of a snarky tone. Mortimer was mostly calmed down but still a little frustrated at using a childs method of spellcasting.

Satisfied with the cura spell he moved on this time looking at something more suited to the nature of darkness. Curses.

"Thats a freaking nuclear reaction waiting to happen, all i need is a little magic and i can get this.And you right, spirits are what i need."

He focused a little more magic into the spell and more water than before, it was much easier to do than before. The spirits had not let him down.

"Now that i got the basics, lets go with Sagitta Magica."