Heavenfall

"The elements of the stone must be in perfect balance. We think the spirits can hold that balance temporarily but, unlike the true stone from the heavens, they cannot keep it together permanently. Thus it fades away shortly." He scratches his chin again, apparently a tic when thinking, "Kyosei has done most of the research. He has just been kind enough to share with those of us on this journey who can make use of it. He has not mentioned trying anything involving the stone and the magic together. I do not know if that means he tried and it did nothing or if he did not attempt it yet."

Kinsen shakes her head. “So how does one does this? I saw you cutting your arm and speaking some Kami to the, then: zoom!”

It was a little hard to explain to those without the gift but, he was a teacher now, so he tried his best, "I suppose the easiest way to describe it would be the the spirits in my blood communicate with the spirits of the elements - coaxing them to work together towards the desired goal. The more difficult the goal the more blood it takes."

"Can all man-things do-do this?" he asked, "Can Nezumi?" He pulled out a knife held it to his arm anyways, before getting an answer.

"Maybe man-thing can make-create weapon with jade-stone that go away-way after hit-strike bad-things."

Jin flinches a little watching the nezumi take the knife towards his arm and speaks quickly, "Not all of our people can do what I can do. I do not know if it is a matter of study or if there is some aptitude or trait required for it. If you do not know of any nezumi with this talent it may be that it is unique to men. The same as I could not study how to track things by scent."

"Spirits in your blood." She squints her eyes, remembering how her father's tribe used their blood to talk with their dead.

"Your ancestors?" Kinsen asks.

A slight shrug, "The tribe I was born into would say certainly not. But maybe those unknown ancestors are more accepting than they were. I do know I could not connect with them until after the removal of my eye." He touches the patch gently, more unconscious in the memory than to signify the obvious, "Maybe the spirits rewarded me for such a hard decision... or maybe the tribe was right and it was cursed all along and only with its removal could I reach them."

"We has name-name magic. Different from man-things." He frowned and then put away the knife. His smile was back, though, wien he looked back to his, at least temporarily, real jade.

"Man-things lucky to have this power. I do not think-believe name-name magic can harness the-the power of jade-stone!"

"That is very interesting. How does this name-name magic work?" He felt a little silly repeating himself, he was pretty certain it was just 'name magic' and the strange speech pattern but he didn't want to be wrong or offend.

"What has the removal of an eye to do with magic?" She shakes her head. "Is that some sort of sacrifice?"

Kinsen looks to the ratling, also curious about the name magic he mentioned.

"Shamans harness the-the power of names," he explained, this time leaving out the repetition for the human. He poked his own chest and continued, "I am Ik'tch'krit! Good-good name, yes-yes. Use willpower to change real-real itself!"

The Nezumi tapped his feet in thought. "Reality itself!"

Jin listens intently while rubbing his chin with his good hand. I suppose, really, the end result is not that much different. Manifesting will upon reality.

"Do you know how names lead to that result? I know tribes believe in the power of true names and knowing the true name of a spirit lets you control it. Would it be something like that?"

So intent with the talk of magic he had almost missed Kinsen's question he looks sheepish for a moment before responding while giving the nezumi time to think, "I do not know if it was linked. The tribe I was born to called what I had an 'evil eye' and believed it to be cursed. Perhaps they were right and removing it lifted some of that curse. Or perhaps they were wrong and the spirits decided to take pity on my suffering."

She nods to Jin, probably understanding as much as him, or less. Curious about the Nezumi's powers, she adds to the question, "So, this means if you know someone's name you can make this person stronger, or control their thoughts?"