I have slightly more energy today
I feel a little less like I got hit by a truck today. I’m currently spending time catching up on some much needed leisure reading. I haven’t read Harry Potter in a while. But first, I think it’s time I introduced the rest of my spirits, and explained more about how the Celestial Spirit side of my magic works.
I’ve mentioned previously that Celestial Spirit magic is similar to requip magic in that it draws from a different dimensional plane. However, it’s a little more complicated. You see, each constellation, and even some individual stars, has a Spirit, and each of those spirits has a key. Some constellations have more than one of the same Spirit. Those are the more common spirits, and are attached to silver keys. They are generally the least powerful, and less useful in battle, but they each are very special and useful in their own ways. Crux, the Southern Cross, is one of these. As are Lyra, the Lyre, and Horologium, the Clock.
Some constellations only have one or two spirits, but they have multiple keys, and the spirits divide their time between their key holders. These are attached to jeweled silver keys. Much more rare, and generally powerful. These are generally better suited for combat, and take more power to summon, as well. Aquila the Eagle, and Orion the Huntsman both belong to this group. Many of these, particularly those who are animals like Aquila, can shift between shapes. Draco the Dragon is the most powerful of them, and he is on par with the Zodiac spirits.
I’ve already mentioned the Zodiacs. They are basically the leaders of the spirits, at least they have been for a long time. Leo is their leader. The Zodiacs only have one key, a golden key. Lucy and I are the only mages since ancient times to be able to summon more than two of these at once. Summoning them takes an extraordinary amount of power, which is why so many celestial spirit mages tend to stay in the background while their spirits fight. It’s also why most mages underestimate us.
The only spirits that take more power to summon than the Zodiacs are the platinum keys. These keys do not belong to constellations, but to individual stars. Generally either the brightest stars in the sky, or stars at the heart of another spirit, particularly the Zodiacs. They are very wary of humans, and it takes a great deal to gain their trust. Unless they deem you worthy, they’re impossible to summon at all. If you try to summon one without enough energy, unlike the others, you can’t stop. It will kill you. Luckily, after the first summoning, these spirits will use the their own power to fight. All the mage has to do is call. But they should only be used in the gravest of situations. We don’t know how many of these there are, because most of them have been missing for centuries, and some for over a thousand years. I’ve only found one so far: Regulus. The Heart of the Lion. When summoned together, Regulus and Leo are incredibly powerful. From what Regulus has said, he will be the easiest to convince and summon. Which is ominous, because he took a massive amount of power. I passed out the first time. Admittedly, I was mid-battle trying to stop someone else from stealing his key, but still.
There is one more Spirit. He doesn’t actually have a key. The Celestial Spirit King rules all the spirits. Only a mage capable of summoning three Zodiac spirits at once can summon him, and to do so they must sacrifice a golden key that they have a close bond with. Lucy had to do it with Aquarius, her oldest friend, a long time ago. The key eventually reappeared in the world, but it nearly broke Lucy. Luckily, the king is a friend to us both. He’s very kind, actually.
Now, about the individual spirits.
Antlia- the air pump. She doesn’t actually look like a pump. She looks like a person. Has wind magic. Can be good at dealing with bad weather. Very shy.
Apus- the bird of paradise. Like several others, he’s good for passing messages. Great at causing distractions. He does fly, but he can’t really carry anything. Very full of himself.
Ara- the altar. Very intelligent and empathetic. Good for undercover work. Her main skill is actually puzzle solving.
Auriga- the chariot. One of the most useful silver keys. Auriga is perfect for very fast land transport. If you have an injured party member, or you need to lead someone on a chase, or a quick getaway, Auriga is very helpful. He’s also very respectful.
Bootes- the herdsman. Great with animals. There’s been a fair few monster attacks where I’ve used him to get animals out of the way, and he’s gotten them to actually help in some missions, like with bandits.
Caelum- the chisel. Caelum is basically a glorified weapon to most. He can switch between a sword form and cannon form. He’s actually quite good at helping to build things when given the chance though.
Camelopardalis- the giraffe. I call her Cami at her request. She can actually change her height as needed. Good for reaching high places if there’s not enough space for a different spirit to fly. Very boisterous.
Canes Venatici- the hunting dogs. As their name suggests, they’re very good hunters and trackers and very fast.
Canis Minor- the little dog. Also called Nikora as a species. Does not look like a dog. Most celestial spirit mages keep them basically as pets. Very loyal and sweet. Lucy’s is named Plue. Mine is Nala (no, it wasn’t a lion king reference. I named her before the lion king, or even Disney, was a concept).
Cetus- the whale. Needs water to be summoned. I’ve used Cetus to stop a tsunami before. Very intelligent. A little overpowered for a normal water fight though.
Chamaeleon- the chameleon. Master of disguise, very good at sneaking and getting me into places.
Circinus- the compass. Not that compass. The kind that makes a circle. Circinus is a good puzzle-solver, and is very good at math. He’s kind of a downer sometimes, but we love him anyway.
Columba- the dove. A peacemaker. Columba can calm heightened emotions to a certain point and make it easier to come to a resolution. Also delivers messages, especially over long distances.
Coma Berenice’s- Berenice’s hair. I still don’t understand this legend. This one is meant to be summoned with another, generally female, to increase agility and speed.
Corona Australis- the southern crown. Summoned with a southern constellation to increase strength and endurance.
Corona Borealis- the northern crown. Does the same, but with northern constellations.
Corvus- the crow. Messenger, but is also good for distractions and quick getaways, because his special ability is to cause instant darkness for his opponent in a certain area.
Crater- the cup. Crater can actually brew potions, of which there are many, with many uses. He produces them in a tenth of the normal brewing time.
Crux- the southern cross. He’s the keeper of the library in the Celestial Spirit world. He’s the go-to for research and questions and analysis of data.
Cygnus- the swan. Cygnus actually is a fighter, though his endurance is lacking. He’s fast and graceful though.
Delphinus- the dolphin. Great for a water fight, very fast and strong. And a total sweetheart.
Dorado- the swordfish. Works well with Delphinus. Unlike Delphinus, he can fight out of the water, but he still has to be near water, or on a boat.
Equuleus- the little horse. He’s adorable. He can’t really carry people, but he can carry equipment. He’s a little clumsy, but he’s got great stamina.
Eridanus- the river. One of the strongest silver keys, he has incredible control over water. But he can’t control salt water. Only fresh water.
Fornax- the furnace. Some control over fire. Very good in cold climates.
Grus- the crane. His balance is extraordinary. He’s a fighter, and a protegee of Libra.
Horologium- the clock. Not just for telling time. In times of extreme danger, Horologium can place the endangered person inside himself and protect them. He’s nearly invincible, but he can’t actually fight.
Hydrus- the water snake. Very sneaky and fast. When summoned with Hydra, it makes Hydra much stronger. Has poison.
Indus- the Indian. He showed up much later in my life than some of them. It was not a fun time in Earth’s history. He’s a good fighter, and very in-tune with nature. He can communicate with it and even manipulate it, plants and animals alike. But he’s very sad.
Lacerta- the lizard. Sneaky little bugger. Can regrow limbs to a point. Can shift between humanoid and lizard forms.
Leo Minor- the little lion. We call him Luke. He’s. Well. In my first life, Loke and I were kind of together. We’re not anymore, though we’re still best friends, but. Um. Let’s just say Luke was born as half-Spirit and decided to become a full spirit later.
Lepus- the rabbit. Very quick. A little jittery. Good messenger, good at making and undoing traps, ironically enough.
Lynx- the lynx. A fighter. Very fast. Very strong.
Lyra- the harp. She’s a musician, obviously. She’s good at finding just the right song for a situation. She’s actually quite smart, too.
Mensa- the table. Intelligent. Good planner. Good at strategy. Literally is a table though.
Microscopium- the microscope. Good at noticing the small details that I might miss. Very smart. Often assists Crux in analysis.
Musca- the fly. A great spy. That’s literally his main job.
Norma- the surveyor’s level. Is a builder. Humanoid. Works with several other spirits to repair and build just about anything.
Octans- the octant. Navigation expert. Works with Pyxis to plot a course to just about anywhere.
Pavo- the peacock. Actually a fighter. Uses his feathers as projectiles.
Pictor- the easel. Similar magic to Reedus. Works with Norma to build things. Pictor paints the parts needed into life.
Pyxis- the ship’s compass. Works with Octans, and literally looks like a penguin with a compass on his head.
Reticulum- the net. Actually like a telescope eyepiece. Good at seeing very far distances. Helpful in long range battles.
Sagitta- the arrow. Similar use to Caelum on his own, but when used with Sagittarius, the strength of both is increased.
Sculptor- the sculptor. Also works with Norma and Pictor to build and repair.
Scutum- the shield. Very helpful, especially when I need to fight and defend someone else at the same time.
Serpens- the serpent. Similar to Hydrus. Strengthens the magic of Ophiuchus the snake charmer.
Sextans- the sextant. Works with Octans and Pyxis. Very good at knowing exact location.
Telescopium- the telescope. Stronger with Reticulum. Can also work with Reti and Sagitta to aim long distance.
Triangulum- the triangle. Works with the other builders. Allows me to calculate angles instantly when I have to do really reckless things like jumping near, onto, or off of cliffs.
Triangulum Australe- the southern triangle. Does basically the same thing. Stronger in the Southern Hemisphere. They work well together.
Tucana- the toucan. Mimics voices. Can make it seem like a group is bigger than it is. Trickster. Helpful in carrying out an ambush of a dark guild.
Ursa Minor- the little bear. Unique. Stronger with Ursa Major, but not a fighter. Ursa Minor is one of the strongest silver spirits because he can create a bridge. Like a rainbow bridge from one place to another. Allows for instant transport of larger groups.
Volans- the flying fish. Actually flies and swims. Very versatile. Can allow others to breathe underwater.
Vulpecula- the little fox. Incredibly sneaky. She’s great for blending in. Humanoid form. Good tracker and hunter. A massive flirt.
Now for the jeweled silver keys. Bear with me. Not many more to go. I’ve already talked about the Zodiacs, after all. Many of these are strengthened by the stars they contain.
Andromeda- the princess. Only one of her, three keys total. Stronger with Perseus. Her chains can bind a mage’s magic. Contains the Andromeda galaxy and four other galaxies.
Argo- the ship. Is now split into three constellations, but is still one Spirit. Can only be summoned a few times a year. Can travel vast distances in a much shorter time. With effort, it could likely encompass and transport the entire Enterprise.
Aquila- the eagle. A fighter. Switches between humanoid and eagle shape. Has saved many from falling to death. Myself included. Contains the star Altair, of the Summer Triangle, who is a platinum key. Stronger in the summer.
Canis Major- the big dog. Incredibly strong and fast. Would be much stronger if I could find Sirius’ key.
Cassiopeia and Cepheus- the king and queen. They come as a pair. They won’t form a contract unless the key holder possesses both. Cassiopeia uses fortune-telling magic and can see the future. Cepheus uses what she sees to fight.
Centaurus- the centaur. An incredible fighter with both the sword and the bow. Incredibly fast. Contains Alpha Centauri, a platinum key.
Draco- the Dragon. Contains the platinum star Etamin. Can switch between dragon and humanoid form. The strongest of the jeweled keys.
Hercules- the hero. I don’t think he needs an explanation.
Hydra- the serpent. Cut off one head, two more will take its place.
Lupus- the wolf. Also switches forms. Became stronger when the Romans were strong.
Monoceros- the unicorn. Incredibly powerful protection magic.
Orion- the hunter. Fighter, hunter, and tracker. Stronger with the hunting dogs. Contains one confirmed platinum key- Betelgeuse. It also contains unconfirmed platinums Bellatrix and Rigel.
Pegasus- the flying horse. Strengthens Hercules. Incredibly fast.
Perseus- the Medusa killer. Strengthened by Andromeda. A legend. Contains the star Mirphak. Unknown if platinum or not.
Phoenix- the fire bird. Incredibly powerful. Can use fire, and can heal any wound as long as the key holder has enough power.
Piscis Austrinus- the southern fish. Used to be much stronger. A fighter, specializing in aquatic climates. Contains the confirmed platinum star Fomalhaut.
Ursa Major- the great bear. She’s very protective, and very strong.
I won’t discuss the Zodiacs here, as I’ve said. But there are several other platinum keys I haven’t mentioned. We know very little about most of them.
Sirius- Canis Major; Arcturus- Bootes; Alpha Centauri- Centaurus; Vega- Lyra; Rigel (?)- Orion; Procyon- Canis Minor; Betelgeuse- Orion; Altair- Aquila; Fomalhaut- Piscis Austrinus; Deneb- Cygnus; Bellatrix (?)- Orion; Mirphak- Perseus; Dubhe (?)- Ursa Major; Polaris- Ursa Minor; Alphard- Hydra; Alpharatz- Andromeda; Etamin- Draco
All of the Zodiacs have a platinum counterpart except Ophiuchus.
Hamal- Aries; Situla- Aquarius; Tegmen- Cancer; Algieba (?)- Leo; Regulus- Leo; Aldebaran- Taurus; Spica- Virgo; Antares- Scorpio; Castor and Pollux- Gemini; Alshat- Capricorn; Brachium- Libra; Terebellum- Sagittarius; Alrisha- Pisces.
There may be other individual stars we don’t know about yet. There are even spirits for other mythologies. Like the Chinese Zodiac. But we stay away from those because having the two groups interact can be very dangerous.
I’ve been told that Sirius is waiting for me. That’s who I’m looking for now. No sign yet, but hopefully one day soon.
