Only if we succeed in our goal. For those that are sent home early — via these glitches with the orb, or from changing their minds — their path may not be altered at all, save by what they come to know here. If their regret was powerful enough to bring them here, but goes unrealized —
（ they may easily decide that charter magic could hold the answers for them, the way orochimaru turned his eye towards immortality.
after a moment, he reaches for a biscuit, which he turns over in his palm once before deciding to sample it. whatever he thinks of it doesn't show on his face — no clear indicators of pleasure or dislike, and then he sets it gingerly on the side of his tea saucer. ）
I understand the desire to ensure your allies have some way to protect themselves, especially those of them that do not come from worlds where these are common abilities. But it is a tremendous responsibility to shoulder.
（ not that she will have any way to know, if something goes awry. but sabriel, for all her pragmatism and the steel in her spine, is a gentle girl. the not-knowing may torture her just as surely as if those abilities were used cruelly before her eyes. ）
They might try to use Charter magic to fulfill it. Or try to use it as a springboard into darker abilities, if the Charter cannot give them what they wish.
[There is no Charter magic to revive the dead, after all, for all that it can bring someone back from the brink. Although if their worlds truly lack magic, that may not be an option.. but that still wouldn't stop them from abusing what she taught them.
And even if none of her students are what Sabriel would consider careless... two of them are soldiers- former, in one case- who she would fully expect to use what she taught if they got into a fight. Would she always agree what cause they used it in pursuit of? Is it even her place to object?]
Both for me and for them. I will keep your words in mind.
It is the country that lies to the south of the Old Kingdom, separated from it by the Wall. Magic really only exists in the northern part of it, but even there... many like to pretend it doesn't exist.
[Well, they'll pretend up until it isn't possible, and then they're just afraid.]
It's... safer than in the Old Kingdom, so father sent me to school there. Wyverley college is a girl's school near the Wall that teaches its students magic.
If anyone can learn Charter Magic, how does one determine candidates for it?
( a world like she describes sounds... odd, as if it doesn't follow the logic of his own. she has painted a story that speaks to danger and her own role in combating it — are its citizens so ignorant, or is it that they've grown accustomed to peace that has allowed them to divorce themselves from the unpleasant things done to ensure it? )
Well, mostly that you got your parents' permission for it. Which meant that most of the students came from families that lived near the Wall- many of them descended from Old Kingdom immigrants. Most of them had already been baptized by their families before they entered the school.
[Sabriel takes another sip of her tea.]
Of course, the school isn't the only source of Charter Mages in Ancelstierre. Aside from the odd independent practitioner, there's also the Crossing Point Scouts- they're soldiers who serve at the Wall, and all of them are Charter mages too, but again- it's not officially acknowledged.
[After all, anything beyond local administration happened far enough south that magic didn't exist. So even if you weren't in denial, it was often simpler to lie to people, rather than try to convince them otherwise.]
No, but it's possible to devise new spells by coming up with new combinations of existing marks... and the number of Charter marks is probably infinite, given that the Charter has no beginning or end.
[He's fishing for information, Sabriel can tell that much. So she casts out a line of her own in return.]
Are those who can use magic- sorry, chakra- common where you come from?
（ wow, hdu smack the nosy infomodder with a newspaper, sabriel. but, he supposes that turnabout is fair play, and so — ）
It depends on what you mean by 'use'. Every human in my world has chakra, it's necessary for life and its exhaustion is fatal, its use is the same as the circulatory or nervous systems. However, being able to mold chakra — that is, use it for ninjutsu — is considerably more rare. It can be passed down by bloodlines, or be the result of a genetic mutation.
I see. How are those who can viewed by those who cannot?
[Is it like in the Old Kingdom, where it's seen as a skill like any other, or was their tension between them? Itachi's concern at her passing on her knowledge suggested that might be the case.]
（ that question is honestly not something he has put a considerable effort towards unpacking in his own world. itachi can count the times he's had significant interaction with civilians on one hand, and it has never occurred to him to view them poorly for what they cannot do. they cannot help their birth any more than he could help being an uchiha. ）
It depends very much on the country of one's birth. In my country, it is considered a shinobi's duty to protect those that cannot protect themselves. Those that cannot perform ninjutsu are not looked down upon, as they often perform services vital to the country's economic strength. A prosperous Hidden Village — that is to say, a centralized shinobi outpost — is reliant on its civilian population for food, supplies, building materials, and the civilians rely on the shinobi in times of war or strife to shield them from their enemies.
（ the question about his family is not unexpected — he was aware that by speaking as he did he may open that avenue, so his answer is already prepared and delivered calmly, ）
My family has produced many notable shinobi, going back to the founding of our village.
I see. So everyone who can mold chakra is expected to be a shinobi?
[It would explain part of his reaction to finding out about the situation with Aureliah. If he had grown up with the expectation that being born with power included an expectation to service... Well, her objections might have seemed strange.]
It depends very much on whether or not we are presently at war, or whether we are replenishing our ranks after a conflict to ensure we do not appear weak before the other nations. When those conditions are in place, there is an expectation of service regardless of one's wishes. When we are in an established peacetime, there is more flexibility. However, everyone who can mold chakra is expected to attend the academy to learn the fundamental basics, otherwise they are potentially a danger to themselves and others if they do not have control.
（ truthfully, he can envision no other life but that. ）
I see. So a reserve in times of peace, and conscripted when there's war.
[Understandable, even if it seems... grim, from Sabriel's perspective. She might have to be Abhorsen, but that's because there's no one else who can be. Being conscripted into an army because of your abilities isn't quite the same thing.]
Although making sure everyone has some degree of basic control seems reasonable.
Some are a kekkei genkai — a bloodline limit. Those cannot be learned by those outside the clan.
( except in particular cases, such as ao's byakugan, stolen from a main house hyūga in the third war. but he has no desire to imply the possibility of such transfer in her mind when the sharingan has always been so highly sought itself. it is less out of mistrust for sabriel specifically and more that he would prefer to jealously guard that secret against anyone seeking to learn it — after all, danzō's covetous nature towards the mangekyō is what lead shisui to his death. )
Others are techniques that could be learned with instruction. The flame barrier I used for the wards was created by one of my clan's forebears. One would not be able to use it to its full effectiveness without a fire-aligned chakra nature and considerable chakra resources of one's own, but that is its only restriction.
I see. Something like the powers of the Great Charter bloodlines, then while others are simply advanced skills kept within the family.
[Basic, easily learned skills would be the first to pass into general knowledge- but advanced magic, something known only to a few, was easier to keep secret.]
Have divisions between clans faded, since the introduction of the academy?
（ he makes a soft, thoughtful mm as he too reaches to top off his cup, steadying the pot deftly as he pours. ）
Some have. Others rifts have deepened. There is no perfect solution that suits every situation and meets every need, and there is considerable arrogance among the older clans that prevents them from seeing the reality of the present day clearly. Many live in the past — remembering old glory or feuds.
（ like his father. there's no trace of bitterness in how he says it — he's far too accomplished a liar for that. ）
However, the academy has done much to equalize the playing field between those of powerful bloodlines and those who come from very little, with no vast cache of knowledge and techniques to pass down.
（ sakumo hatake was famed as the white fang of konoha, but he was not born from a great clan, nor possessed of a kekkei genkai. yet, he was feared for a reason, and his son was easily the most skilled shinobi of his generation. talent can come from anywhere, and he has never agreed with the arrogance of the clans. ）
And I'm sure that the fact that there are exceptional individuals of no particular background offends the pride of those clans- unless they try to adopt those individuals, or marry them into their clans?
[It certainly wasn't unheard of for Ancelstierrian families of noble heritage to marry their sons and daughters to men and women with no family name but recently acquired wealth. Especially of those old families have little wealth of their own.]
Or do they still try to keep themselves separate and above the rest? Although if they're able to live in the past... I take it that means that at least there isn't a war?
[Because indulging in nostalgia while there was a war on sounded outright suicidal.]
（ he turns one hand palm-up in a benign shrug. she isn't wrong. shisui's own mother was an example of someone of prodigious skill brought into the clan to produce an uchiha heir. ）
There hasn't been a fullscale war since I was a child. However, border skirmishes and clandestine attacks are not uncommon.
（ konoha is a prosperous, resource-wealthy nation. is there little wonder the others have rallied against them? out of desperation, jealousy, a desire for revenge? he understands how these feelings can shape a man, and men are the ones who shape nations, for good or ill. one needs only look at how sunagakure was transformed by its jinchūriki leader since the days of the yondaime kazekage, or the changes made underneath the current mizukage, mei. the blood mist village that birthed kisame and zabuza and jūzō has — if not ceased to exist — at least been deeply buried in her attempts at reformation. yet, amegakure, under ōnoki, has hired the akatsuki enough to satiate even kakuzu's lust for money. and so the pendulum sways.
peace can never hold. believing such is an impossible dream. for all that he was a dreamer once, he has been too long in the cold and bloody reality. ）
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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（ they may easily decide that charter magic could hold the answers for them, the way orochimaru turned his eye towards immortality.
after a moment, he reaches for a biscuit, which he turns over in his palm once before deciding to sample it. whatever he thinks of it doesn't show on his face — no clear indicators of pleasure or dislike, and then he sets it gingerly on the side of his tea saucer. ）
I understand the desire to ensure your allies have some way to protect themselves, especially those of them that do not come from worlds where these are common abilities. But it is a tremendous responsibility to shoulder.
（ not that she will have any way to know, if something goes awry. but sabriel, for all her pragmatism and the steel in her spine, is a gentle girl. the not-knowing may torture her just as surely as if those abilities were used cruelly before her eyes. ）
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[There is no Charter magic to revive the dead, after all, for all that it can bring someone back from the brink. Although if their worlds truly lack magic, that may not be an option.. but that still wouldn't stop them from abusing what she taught them.
And even if none of her students are what Sabriel would consider careless... two of them are soldiers- former, in one case- who she would fully expect to use what she taught if they got into a fight. Would she always agree what cause they used it in pursuit of? Is it even her place to object?]
Both for me and for them. I will keep your words in mind.
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（ it is a knife's edge. on one side, people may suffer or die for a lack of magic while they are serving on the ximilia itself. and on the other...
it is as she said. he inclines his head, and breaks another piece off that biscuit to chew it thoughtfully. ）
Tell me more of this... Ancelstierre.
（ that is said with care, the attention to its proper pronunciation evident. ）
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[Well, they'll pretend up until it isn't possible, and then they're just afraid.]
It's... safer than in the Old Kingdom, so father sent me to school there. Wyverley college is a girl's school near the Wall that teaches its students magic.
excuse me dw I was not done
( a world like she describes sounds... odd, as if it doesn't follow the logic of his own. she has painted a story that speaks to danger and her own role in combating it — are its citizens so ignorant, or is it that they've grown accustomed to peace that has allowed them to divorce themselves from the unpleasant things done to ensure it? )
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[Sabriel takes another sip of her tea.]
Of course, the school isn't the only source of Charter Mages in Ancelstierre. Aside from the odd independent practitioner, there's also the Crossing Point Scouts- they're soldiers who serve at the Wall, and all of them are Charter mages too, but again- it's not officially acknowledged.
[After all, anything beyond local administration happened far enough south that magic didn't exist. So even if you weren't in denial, it was often simpler to lie to people, rather than try to convince them otherwise.]
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Can one invent Charter Marks of their own?
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[He's fishing for information, Sabriel can tell that much. So she casts out a line of her own in return.]
Are those who can use magic- sorry, chakra- common where you come from?
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It depends on what you mean by 'use'. Every human in my world has chakra, it's necessary for life and its exhaustion is fatal, its use is the same as the circulatory or nervous systems. However, being able to mold chakra — that is, use it for ninjutsu — is considerably more rare. It can be passed down by bloodlines, or be the result of a genetic mutation.
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[Is it like in the Old Kingdom, where it's seen as a skill like any other, or was their tension between them? Itachi's concern at her passing on her knowledge suggested that might be the case.]
Is it something the rest of your family can use?
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It depends very much on the country of one's birth. In my country, it is considered a shinobi's duty to protect those that cannot protect themselves. Those that cannot perform ninjutsu are not looked down upon, as they often perform services vital to the country's economic strength. A prosperous Hidden Village — that is to say, a centralized shinobi outpost — is reliant on its civilian population for food, supplies, building materials, and the civilians rely on the shinobi in times of war or strife to shield them from their enemies.
（ the question about his family is not unexpected — he was aware that by speaking as he did he may open that avenue, so his answer is already prepared and delivered calmly, ）
My family has produced many notable shinobi, going back to the founding of our village.
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[It would explain part of his reaction to finding out about the situation with Aureliah. If he had grown up with the expectation that being born with power included an expectation to service... Well, her objections might have seemed strange.]
And... what about when there isn't war?
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（ truthfully, he can envision no other life but that. ）
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[Understandable, even if it seems... grim, from Sabriel's perspective. She might have to be Abhorsen, but that's because there's no one else who can be. Being conscripted into an army because of your abilities isn't quite the same thing.]
Although making sure everyone has some degree of basic control seems reasonable.
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( though it feels... odd, to have an outsider describe it thusly. he takes another sip of his tea, and keeps it in his hand as he continues: )
The academy was founded when the village was. Before then, knowledge was passed down primarily through one's clan.
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[And probably guarding their legacies jealously, Sabriel thinks, taking another sip of her tea before topping off her cup.]
Although a single academy allows the basics to be more standardized, particularly if shinobi are expected to act as an army.
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( the hyūga clan's kekkei genkai is easily the best known from konoha, but it is hardly the only one. )
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[Sabriel could imagine it in both cases- both skills that should not be shared, and ones that could not.
Didn't hew own family have both, after all?]
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( except in particular cases, such as ao's byakugan, stolen from a main house hyūga in the third war. but he has no desire to imply the possibility of such transfer in her mind when the sharingan has always been so highly sought itself. it is less out of mistrust for sabriel specifically and more that he would prefer to jealously guard that secret against anyone seeking to learn it — after all, danzō's covetous nature towards the mangekyō is what lead shisui to his death. )
Others are techniques that could be learned with instruction. The flame barrier I used for the wards was created by one of my clan's forebears. One would not be able to use it to its full effectiveness without a fire-aligned chakra nature and considerable chakra resources of one's own, but that is its only restriction.
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[Basic, easily learned skills would be the first to pass into general knowledge- but advanced magic, something known only to a few, was easier to keep secret.]
Have divisions between clans faded, since the introduction of the academy?
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Some have. Others rifts have deepened. There is no perfect solution that suits every situation and meets every need, and there is considerable arrogance among the older clans that prevents them from seeing the reality of the present day clearly. Many live in the past — remembering old glory or feuds.
（ like his father. there's no trace of bitterness in how he says it — he's far too accomplished a liar for that. ）
However, the academy has done much to equalize the playing field between those of powerful bloodlines and those who come from very little, with no vast cache of knowledge and techniques to pass down.
（ sakumo hatake was famed as the white fang of konoha, but he was not born from a great clan, nor possessed of a kekkei genkai. yet, he was feared for a reason, and his son was easily the most skilled shinobi of his generation. talent can come from anywhere, and he has never agreed with the arrogance of the clans. ）
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[It certainly wasn't unheard of for Ancelstierrian families of noble heritage to marry their sons and daughters to men and women with no family name but recently acquired wealth. Especially of those old families have little wealth of their own.]
Or do they still try to keep themselves separate and above the rest? Although if they're able to live in the past... I take it that means that at least there isn't a war?
[Because indulging in nostalgia while there was a war on sounded outright suicidal.]
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There hasn't been a fullscale war since I was a child. However, border skirmishes and clandestine attacks are not uncommon.
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[War and death are nothing to take lightly, but small skirmishes are better than the outright slaughter of open warfare.]
What are they even fighting over? Territory? Wealth?
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（ konoha is a prosperous, resource-wealthy nation. is there little wonder the others have rallied against them? out of desperation, jealousy, a desire for revenge? he understands how these feelings can shape a man, and men are the ones who shape nations, for good or ill. one needs only look at how sunagakure was transformed by its jinchūriki leader since the days of the yondaime kazekage, or the changes made underneath the current mizukage, mei. the blood mist village that birthed kisame and zabuza and jūzō has — if not ceased to exist — at least been deeply buried in her attempts at reformation. yet, amegakure, under ōnoki, has hired the akatsuki enough to satiate even kakuzu's lust for money. and so the pendulum sways.
peace can never hold. believing such is an impossible dream. for all that he was a dreamer once, he has been too long in the cold and bloody reality. ）
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