A Mathematician On A Park Bench

Niall’s own demonstrations perhaps incited a minor interest, or perhaps only added onto the interest as to who this male was. However, it seemed that Michael found himself to be the proverbial third wheel here, but then again he didn’t really mind that. He had his ill gotten beverage, and the rather useful Metahuman to keep him company, so that was more than enough. Sure Michael could have shown his variant of the energy, but he could tell that Niall was having a much grander time than him within that little showcase. That was when he felt something vibrate in his pocket, which was perhaps that cellphone Andrew had bugged him into getting not so long ago. Reaching into his jeans pockets, Michael looked at it for a moment before pressing lightly on the keys to where the message was something from that nice winged girl about something.

It was probably more under the table work with some of the local filth, but then again he did not have time for something like that; when more juicy secrets were lurking around him. Something about this male was strange, predatory and dangerous almost, and that intrigued him. Depositing the cellular device back within his pocket, Michael looked back up and noted the irish male looking at him for a moment. Something about that made him suddenly self conscious, as perhaps something on his face was worth looking at, or out of place, which prompted him to feel along the left side of his face tentatively. He also spoke of how there were two people that all Ethereal energy stemmed from, one being his father but the other not as obvious as the first. His mind found itself working at full speed, looking over so many things, but finding nothing else.

Something about how that male was looking at him was…unsettling for sure. With a rather lop sided smirk, Michael averted his gaze for a moment.

Row-Echelon was astounded at how this energy functioned. There was literally no pattern to it. It just did what it… wanted? How could energy WANT anything? Was there any kind of energy that flowed with enough vigor that it developed a consciousness of its own? He highly doubted that. Seeing specks of it still floating about the air, Row-Echelon decided to do something.

“Et xal daioom xitarax, en quadrinta set gitaq.” As the incantation flew from his mouth, a circle of mathemagical patterns arranged itself in front of him and set to work. Mathemize was what he liked to call this little spell, and it would unravel any equation it found. If there was something logical within this ethereal energy, it would be found. And then the spell stopped rotating clockwise, began rotating counter clockwise, and contracted into a point of infinite negatives. That had only happened one other time, and that was when he was trying to mathematically analyze a thrice-born five-died substar’s revolutionary cycle. Woah.

“Well, whatever this is, it defies all laws of logic and physics I know of. So I’d have to say it’s basically useless for me to study it. I’m much more well verse in the scientific magicks, rather than these strange and very natural ones. Your power defies explanation by conventional science. Congratulations.” Row-Echelon was a little bit sad about this. Or at least not pleased with the outcomes. How was it that his spell had FAILED? Come one!

"Right well....as I said it's like light. It has dual natures, doesn't act the same way when it's being observed. There was one guy who scientifically rationalized it through a series of tests and equations and stuff, but that was Zell's Dad and he's long gone. I have his journal and all that but there's nothing in it so far that would help. If ya wanted the real answers you'd need the book Zell keeps on him." Niall said, he couldn't help but notice how this little Titan-Ethereal offspring, if that's even what it was, could exist. He found himself slightly envious of Zell...even as Ouroboros he somehow MADE things just work out for him. Zell was always so good with kids, it was adorable but...somehow he managed to MAKE a kid. This was just unreal. How many natural laws did the Ethereal energy intend to piss on and slap?
 
     Niall let his energy fade down, well...as best as a living embodiment of said energy could. He felt a deep seeded irritation, almost like he had fleas or some crap inside his chest. It was just so annoying, all he wanted to do was punch a kitten. Goodness...that's a new one, especially for him. It wasn't this strange energy was it? Oh no, no, no, no. This energy felt TOO familiar, it was dark and mystifying and it had a tempting allure to it. The last time he felt this energy Ouroboros had just leveled a good portion of the Hale Estate. No way was he letting it get him to, especially not from his brat...Kid,...Niall meant to think kid....

While his eyes may have been elsewhere, Michael was still trying to take in any information that he could at the moment, though none of it really seemed to hold much relevance, or rather gave him enough information about this Zell character. His father seemed to have delved into the studies of Ethereal energy, but that was rather vague really. If he couldn’t get any information about this Zell Atterrius from Niall, perhaps one of his father’s could give an answer, or at least say something about it. There had to be information somewhere about this, and Michael was sure that he would be the one to find it. Turning attention back to Niall, Michael mused for a moment, the feel of his energy slightly agitating him. The purity of it was…annoying and that undertone made it all so….unbearable.

However, something about what the geeky male also intrigued Michael, especially that strange type of magic that he used. Something about it was unique, a variety of magic that Michael had not seen before, and one that he for the moment wanted to know more about. It seemed to fit some kind of math theme, or so he caught from the glimpse of that spell he used earlier on the Ethereal that Niall let off. He found himself stroking his chin curiously, one brown lower than the other as he descended into deep thought, perplexed slightly. ”James, not meaning to cut off the…inquiry but I am a little curious about what you can do.” His expression changed into a rather curious one. ”Is it magic, or something else entirely?”

What Row-Echelon would have given for a glance at those old books this Niall person was describing. Only one look at those pages and he would have them memorized, to do with as he pleased. But the boy didn’t seem the type to carry around scholarly texts on him while walking through the park. Giving a sort of disgruntled nod, Row-Echelon turned to the other man, who had surprisingly enough started speaking to him.

He was curious about mathemagic? Well alright then. “How to quantify what is ‘magic’ and what is the result of some other natural force is quite difficult, although I understand that most humans would consider my abilities magical, due to a lack of mutation involved in their production. My magic functions through the use of mathematics. Throughout the whole universe runs a string of algebra, calculus, and too many other mathematical disciplines to count. If one can stretch and ease those into the shapes he desires, effects can be created. My magic does that, if you want a shortened explanation. A longer explanation would require more time than you have on this Earth.”

Row-Echelon hoped that answered this man’s question, most people never really asked him about the roots of his mathemagical powers. Perhaps this person was interested in attaining some new knowledge?

Niall listened to Mr.Orwell for a moment and he suddenly felt his jaw drop. Wait a second. If it took more time than they had on earth...then Mr.Orwell must have had the time to learn the original concept right? He looked to Orwell., Okay, he wasn't human...and Niall always sat in the back of Zell's head, screaming aboiut how the guy had to be an alien. Was he right though? Oh snap, if he was right then he didn't have to feel bad for all those years of making fun of him about the "being from another planet" comments!

      "Well, I'm not a math genius...but if it takes more time than we have on earth to explain it..that means it tookk more time then there is on earth to develop and understand the concept right? So you need to be really old... Ah god...my head hurts..." Niall said a he placed his hands on his temples and began rubbing his head. He then took a deep breath and exhaled, obviously in extreme pain. "Also...we've got more timwe on earth than you think..." Niall said, and that's all he would say on that matter.

So he used some kind of math magic? Did that make him a methemagician or something like that? It was now that Michael cursed his disinterest in math beyond simple arithmetic and minor equations, forsaking it for matters of a more magical variety. So his interest was piqued even more, though what snapped Michael from that was a simple phrase; more time than he had on this earth. Either he did not quite understand how his body worked, or perhaps he was saying that he could literally talk until the earth itself no longer existed. ”Or perhaps it’s something that comes naturally to him.” Similar to how Ethereal energy was natural to him, which could mean that he was some kind of….math being? Niall of course made note that they both had more time than the average human, or even some that called themselves immortals.

At this point Row-Echelon saw no possible advantage in disguising his identity. “To say the least, my age is not quantifiable by your current number system. Not due to the time it has taken, more due to its very nature. And no, I’m not human. To put it in simpler terms, I’m a mathematical construct given life through the use of magic. Mathemagical in nature. The ability comes naturally to me, yes, but others can learn it as well. Depending on their intelligence of course, this isn’t any of that ‘the power was inside of you all along’ kind of thing that human magic seems to rely on.”

Turning to the darker haired man, Row-Echelon gave him a nod. “Quite perceptive. My skills in mathemagic ARE natural, although it took a few Xlfgts to fully master them. Nothing too draining. Although I do have quite some time left. Really, I’d have to be forcibly torn to pieces and stomped on until no traces of mathemagic energy were left to permanently cease existing, or at least in this state of consciousness. Though I have a feeling you’re more than capable of doing such, and I would appreciate it very much if you didn’t do so.”

He did want to learn about some of their spells though, perhaps that would be a learning experience. “So, how exactly do you go about CASTING your spells? I mean, I use formulae then slide the combination through the post-existing non-binary otherthing, but I’m interested in how others accomplish magical effects.”

"Here...I don't know." Niall said as if he had given up. Instead he took the book, removed the bookmark photo. Turning the photo around, on the back he had made little notes of to where certain information was. Page 77 was the page where it describe the several concepts of how ethereal energy is manifested. Long, boring and taking logic far greater than Niall had, it spun off in theories of both the Occult and the intelligent. Niall was unsure as to how the Math-man would react to it. Then again, perhaps being made of math only allowed him to understand better.

        Once again, while it was likely a fascinating read with a mix of both magical and logical theory, it was totally and undoubtedly inconclusive. Niall remembered when Arianna had finished this book. The first one she found enlightening...the second one...you would have thought Niall addicted her to crack. She ended up curing the long deceased father of Zell for making it such a cliff-hanger. If Niall remembered correctly it was "Exciting to read, highly educational, more of a diary filled with action really. Yet he still somehow seems to foreshadow the events to come. If he were still alive I'd have killed him for leaving his research journal off where he did. Especially with these seven blank pages, Really now, who does that?" She even made the joke of selling it as an action novel of the "Supernatural" variety in bookstores. Niall has yet to decide if she was joking or not...

       "I know it's nothing conclusive, but that's all I know. Our magic functions in this world just like the other magic's mostly. Apparently it changes depending on circumstance though." Niall said. HE looked to Michael with a little shrug. "Any ideas?" He obviously couldn't see that the lack of true answers tended to drive people crazy, or upset them. That's our Irish idiot for ya though...

So in short they could not figure out his age using the normal parameters of which people gauged age in the first place. So that meant he was impossibly old, or the bastard was playing semantics with them, though Michael could have cared less at this point. A question was then directed towards how they performed their magic, and that had him really thinking. While he was sure that he did it like any mage would perform magic, Michael was not exactly sure about that. Niall seemed to have some idea on that subject though, explain that it acted like most magic’s, well mostly anyway and that meant that what he thought was rather valid. ”How I go about casting spells? Well its simple really, just the molding of energy to get a desired effect. For example..” In an instant one would take note of a light purple mist rising off of Michael, the places where it rose altering greatly. Clothing changing, and even his own features it seemed. Within a matter of seconds he had changed into the perfect image of Niall. ”I can become anyone, no matter the age, height, weight or gender.” He spoke with a perfect replication of Niall’s accent, and flashed a large goofy grin.