As the school day progressed, Jon, Rael and Christy found their teachers to be understanding, attentive to their needs and more than willing to stop everything and address their questions if they were unsure about anything.  All in all The Aslander School seemed an ideal educational facility. 

     Mr. Stopheles, having a number of new arrivals in his class, spent much of that day focusing on the basic principles of magic use in the virtual world. 

     "Who can tell me what magic is?" asked Mr. Stopheles of his class.  But everyone in the class seemed to not understand the question.  And no one volunteered an answer for fear of embarrassing themselves. 

     "Alright," said Mr. Stopheles.  "Let's rephrase the question.  Who can tell me what they think magic is?"

     A feline looking girl with brownish gray fur and long pointed elfish ears raised her hand. 

     "Yes, Meryl?" asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "Is it a power that comes from the gods?" asked Meryl. 

     "Well, that's one theory," said Mr. Stopheles as he wrote "Power from the gods" on the blackboard.  Then he turned back to the class and asked, "Anyone else?"

     A brownish colored equine lad raised his hand. 

     "Kai," said Mr. Stopheles, calling on the equine. 

     "Power through faith to make the impossible possible?" said Kai, in an uncertain tone. 

     Mr. Stopheles nodded approvingly and wrote Kai's answer on the blackboard.  Then he looked over the class expectantly for another answer. 

     Belinda raised her hand next, and Mr. Stopheles called on her. 

     "The ability to effect things through love and other strong emotions," said Belinda. 

     A green lizard-like girl raised her hand next. 

     "Yes, Shakira?" asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "Power of the mind to control material things," said Shakira. 

     "All very good answers," said Mr. Stopheles. 

     Then he looked at Christy expectantly, as if he was waiting for her answer.  But she felt very shy and was afraid to be called upon, thinking that everyone else in the class was surely better prepared than she.

     After all, her fellow students all seemed to come from places where magic was common.  She came from a place where magic wasn't even believed to exist.  All Christy knew of magic was what she had read in a few obscure archaic books.  Any answer she could give would surely reveal her ignorance and cause her embarrassment. 

     Christy lowered her head and tried to make as much of herself invisible behind her desk as possible, hoping to reduce her chances of being called upon.  But this was just the kind of thing Mr. Stopheles looked for to tell him which students were in need of individual guidance.  So it had the opposite effect. 

     "Christy," said Mr. Stopheles, causing her heart to race from the shock.  "What do you think magic is?"

     Put on the spot, Christy felt the worst thing she could do was say nothing.  So she just blurted out the first thing that came into her head. 

     "A science," she said, quickly lowering her head again as if to avoid the laughter that issued from the students all around her.

     But the laughter quickly subsided as Mr. Stopheles drew a circle around all the other answers that had been given, made an equals mark and wrote beside it in big letters "The Science Of Magic."

     "A very good answer, Christy," said Mr. Stopheles, turning back to the class.  "That is exactly what magic is, a science."

     The equine raised his hand again. 

     "Yes, Kai," asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "Isn't magic opposite and apposed to science?" asked Kai.  "Isn't science what we use magic to overcome?"

     "Well, that is a common school of thought," said Mr. Stopheles.  "Usually held by those who can't use magic."

     Then the teacher looked at Christy again and said, "Christy, is there much magic in your real life world?"

     "No, sir," said Christy.  "Hardly any at all."

     "But would you say your people, on the whole, believe in magic?" asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "Yes, sir," said Christy.  "In Sunday school they taught me about people from history who did magical things like turning water into wine and rising from the dead.  My elders insist that these things happened and are true.  So they must believe in magic."

     "Do you doubt that such magical things are possible in your world?" asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "No, sir," said Christy.  "But I think my elders do."

     "I see," said Mr. Stopheles, in an analytical tone.  "So, your elders want to believe in this magic from history.  But they can not use it because they believe in something else.  Is that not right?"

     "That's what I think," said Christy, meekly, as if it was not the place of a little girl such as herself to even venture an opinion on such things. 

     "And what do they call what they really believe in?" asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "Science," said Christy with trepidation, as if fearful of more laughter, but none came.  The class, which had seemed so unruly when she arrived, now seemed quite serious and focused on the discussion. 

     "Do you feel that this science your people believe in makes magic impossible for them?" asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "Sort of," said Christy, still feeling uneasy about speaking thoughts that her real world father would have severely punished her for expressing. 

     "But somehow you have grasped something that almost everyone else on your planet has missed," said Mr. Stopheles.  "You understand that magic and science are the same thing."

     "I think my people don't know as much about science as they think they do," said Christy.  "I don't believe it's possible to turn water into wine or rise from the dead unless there's a scientific way to do it.  And since I've been taught to believe it's possible to do those things, I have to believe that magic is a part of science that my people haven't learned to understand yet."

     The lizard girl raised her hand. 

     "Yes, Shakira?" asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "Isn't magic about having faith in something?" asked Shakira.  "And doesn't science counter faith."

     "Faith can be helpful in working magic," Mr. Stopheles explained.  "It can make it possible for you to do something magical without actually understanding how you've done it.  But faith by itself can never make magic work for you reliably or consistently.  Relying on faith is pretty much the same thing as relying on luck.  And, considering the life and death situations you'll be facing in the virtual world, you don't want to be relying on luck."

     The feline elf raised her hand next. 

     "Yes, Meryl," asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "Is there a scientific way of entreating the gods for help?" she asked. 

     "Magic doesn't really come from deities," Mr. Stopheles explained.  "There are various sources of power you can access.  But these are usually natural forces that surround us constantly.  If you know how to tap into them they will lend you their strength.

     "The reason why the worshipping of deities sometimes aids in the use of magic is that the deities created by various religions often represent the natural forces from which magic emanates.  It is far easier for some to tap into a natural source of energy if they create a personality for it and build a statue of that personality to pray to.  But there again you end up achieving magical results without a true understanding of how you've done it."

     "Are you saying all religions are false?" asked Meryl. 

     "Do you believe strongly in your religion, Meryl?" asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "Yes, sir, I do," said Meryl. 

     "Then you would be greatly offended if I told you your religion was false, wouldn't you?" asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "Yes, sir, I suppose I would," said Meryl.  "I don't know what I would be without my religion."

     "Tell me, Meryl," said Mr. Stopheles.  "Do you believe that your religion is the one true religion?"

     "Of course I do," said Meryl.  "What's the point of having a religion if you don't believe that?"

     "Shakira, do you feel the same way about your religion?" asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "Yes, sir," said Shakira.  "Absolutely, sir."

     "What about you, Kai?" asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "My religion is important to my family," said Kai.  "I believe in it out of respect for them.  They would be very upset if I believed something else.  So I guess I have to believe it's the one true religion."

     "Belinda, what are your feelings?" asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "Forgive me, sir," said Belinda, sweetly.  "I'm an angel.  I'm sort of my own religion.  It would be very hard not to believe in myself."

     "Christy, is your religion the one true religion?" asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     Christy looked about her, considering what everyone else had said, and finally she said in a downcast tone, "No sir, I guess it's not."

     "And why do you say that?" asked Mr. Stopheles, with intense interest. 

     "Well, sir," she answered.  "I never thought about it before, but suddenly it seems that the universe must be filled with fine religions.  And mine is just the one I know best.  What right have I to assume that my religion is anymore true than anyone else's?"

     "My goodness," said Mr. Stopheles, in an impressed tone.  "You have such an enlightened attitude for one so young.  But still, how would you feel if Meryl was to come over to you and tell you that your religion was completely false and you'd be damned to Hell forever if you didn't convert to her religion?"

     "I think I'd feel very sorry for Meryl," said Christy.  "Because then I'd know her religion was false."

     "Why?" asked Meryl.  "Don't you believe in Hell?"

     "I don't know if I do or not," said Christy.  "But I feel certain that, if there is a place where our souls will be punished for bad things we did in life, we won't be sent there because of what religion we belonged to.  I mean, we all come from different places with different religions.  If there was only one religion in the universe that would get us into Heaven, how could any of us be sure we had the right one?  And what if none of us had the right one?  What if we were all wrong?  There wouldn't be very many people in Heaven, would there?"

     "That is precisely the problem," said Mr. Stopheles to the class "It is my misfortune to have to inform you that you are all wrong.  As long as every religion claims to be the one true religion, there can be no one true religion - no one completely flawless set of ideals.  Any religion that begins with the premise of being the one true religion builds its foundation on a fundamental flaw.  And beyond that it doesn't matter how much truth is used in the structure of the religion.  So long as you limit your vision to a flawed set of ideals you will never see the complete picture."

     "Are you telling us to chuck our religions in the trash can?" asked Shakira, defensively. 

     "Not at all," said Mr. Stopheles.  "I'm just saying that the understanding of how to use magic will not come to you until you are willing to look beyond your idols and religious symbols to understand what truly lies behind them that makes them work or not work in producing magical results.  They do not function because of faith.  They function because they aid you in triggering a scientific chain of events."

     Mr. Stopheles picked up a large schoolbook from his desk. 

     "Christy, pretend this is the textbook from your religion," Mr. Stopheles instructed, as he set the book before her. 

     Christy looked down at the book and was shocked to see that it was not the same book she had just seen the teacher pick up from his desk. 

     "But, Mr. Stopheles," Christy exclaimed.  "This is the text book from my religion.  My father's religion, anyway.  That is, my real world father."

     "You have a very powerful imagination, my dear," said Mr. Stopheles.  "You have just accidentally performed transformation magic.  You will have to be careful about what you imagine in the virtual world.  Still, no harm done.  Having the actual book here will only aid the lesson.  So, tell me, Christy, is this book a magical item?  Can you hold it in front of you and evoke magical results from it?"

     "The book itself?" Christy clarified. 

     "Yes," said Mr. Stopheles.  "Is it invested with some magical properties?"

     "Well, my people certainly think it is," said Christy. 

     "But what do you think?" asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "I don't believe there's anymore magic in this book than in any of my other books," said Christy.  "It's just ink on paper, printed by a machine.  The magic would be in the ideas it contains.  Not the book itself."

     "There's good sense in what you say, Christy," said Mr. Stopheles.  "But in this case you're mistaken.  The book itself is a talisman that can be used to evoke magical results.  Can anyone tell me why?"

     Belinda eagerly raised her hand and waved at the teacher. 

     "Belinda," said Mr. Stopheles. 

     "It's because lots of people believe in it," said Belinda. 

     "Very good," said Mr. Stopheles.  "And what happens when lots of people believe in a single thing?"

     "It alters the pattern of world belief," said Belinda. 

     "Ah, so you know what world belief is," said Mr. Stopheles in a pleased tone.  "Perhaps you would explain it to the class."

     "May I use the blackboard?" asked Belinda. 

     "Certainly," said Mr. Stopheles. 

     Belinda went up to the blackboard and drew a big circle in white chalk. 

     "This is an empty world," Belinda explained, augmenting her illustration with various colored chalks as she spoke.  "There's no one in it.  So there's no belief there.  If I visit this world my belief will be the only one there.  So whatever I believe will become the reality of this world.  Let's say I believe that this world should be covered with beautiful white flowers. 

     "But it's kinda lonely for me living among the flowers all by myself.  So I invite Christy to come live there with me.  Now there are two minds in this world - two different beliefs.  Christy and I agree on how most things should be, except that she thinks there should be red flowers to match her pretty fur.  This changes the pattern of world belief, and red flowers begin to be born. 

     "Then Shakira comes to live with us.  Now there are three minds in the world.  And Shakira thinks there should be green flowers.  So green flowers start to be born in the world. 

     "Then one day the three of us go away, leaving the flowers on their own.  They no longer have our powerful minds telling them what they should be.  They only have a very vague memory of 3 goddesses they once loved and emulated who were white, red and green.  But it is no longer our will that keeps them those colors.  The flowers now control reality with their own beliefs, and no one flower's belief is any stronger than any other's. 

     "But one day this one flower looks at the sky and thinks how nice it would be if he was blue.  He remembers the legend of the goddesses who had only to believe to make things happen.  But as hard as he tries to believe he can't turn himself blue, because the rest of the world only believes in white, red and green.  And no matter how hard he tries to believe something different, he can't stop the beliefs of all those other flowers from affecting him. 

     "Then one day Mr. Stopheles visits this world.  And Mr. Stopheles is a wise magician who knows how to overcome world belief.  He teaches the flower the secret of controlling its personal reality amidst the influence of all those other minds, and the flower becomes blue. 

     "The other flowers nearby see the blue flower and are convinced to believe that it is possible to be blue.  And in the next generation a few blue flowers are born.  And all the flowers that see them have their belief in reality changed.  Until, a few generations later, everyone believes in a flower's power to be blue.  And what was once thought to only be possible through magic has become the natural way of things."

     Belinda bowed to the class and returned to her seat amidst the applause of her teacher and her fellow students. 

     "Mr. Stopheles," asked Christy.  "Are we the flowers that you will teach to be blue?  And when we go home, will our worlds be changed because of what you tought us?"

     "A teacher can not help but hope for great things for his students," said Mr. Stopheles, seeming emotionally effected by the question.  "And I have no doubt that I now stand amidst future shapers of cosmic destiny.  Still, you need not regard it as a responsibility to take on world altering endeavors out of gratitude for my teaching you magic.  I am merely providing you with skills.  And it will be up to you to decide what you should do with them.  Now, maybe we should get back to the subject at hand before I get all bleary eyed and sentimental."

     But Christy was already bleary eyed and sentimental.  Much as she had instantly loved and admired The Fox Fairy King who showered her with the kind of fatherly affection she had always longed for, so did she see in Mr. Stopheles the kindly and devoted mentor her heart had always sought to nurture it.  And all that seemed to matter to her at that moment was giving Mr. Stopheles cause to be proud of her. 

     "So, Christy," said Mr. Stopheles.  "How do you suppose this book functions as a talisman?"

     "The only thing I know how to use this book for is a big paper weight," Christy confessed. 

     "Oh, I see," said Mr. Stopheles.  "You don't believe in it."

     "This is my real world father's religion," said Christy.  "It teaches things I can't accept.  It's been the cause of death and destruction throughout history.  I sense evil when I touch this book."

     "Ah," said Mr. Stopheles.  "So you do sense the magic in the book, but you regard it as evil magic."

     "Mr. Stopheles," said Christy, in a trouble tone.  "In my real world people tell me nothing that does not confuse me.  They tell me this book is the source of man's highest virtue.  They read this book everyday, and then they go out and kill each other.  They show me cartoons of cute furry animals and make me love them.  Then they try to force me to eat them, and they tell me this book makes that alright.  It's my greatest fear that I will grow up to be just like them.  That's why I'm scared of this book.  This book made them the way they are.  If there's magic in this book it has to be evil.  And even if I could use it for a talisman, I wouldn't."

     "I see," said Mr. Stopheles, thoughtfully.  "Are you less fearful of the religion you have taken in place of this one?"

     "My new religion doesn't give me anything to be afraid of," said Christy.  "But the text would be really hard to use as a talisman.  It takes up a whole book shelf."

     "And have you read it from one end to the other?" asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "Oh, no, sir," said Christy.  "I'm only in the middle of volume 2.  It will take me years to read that much."

     "You can read it all in one night if you read it here in the virtual world," said Mr. Stopheles.  "I recommend that you do that.  I'm sure you'll find a copy in our library."

     "Oh," said Christy, enthusiastically.  "That'll save a huge chunk of my life.  Thank you, sir."

     "Now, since this book bothers you so much, let's pass it along to Belinda and have her answer the question," said Mr. Stopheles as he slid the book from Christy's desk onto Belinda's.  "Belinda, how do you think this book could be used as a talisman?"

     "This book is a focal point of world belief on the planet Chikyu, and has been for many centuries," said Belinda.  "Much energy has been concentrated on it.  Some of it positive, but most of it negative.  If one believes in the power of this book, one could unite one's cosmic energy with all those past and present who have also invested their belief in the book.  This would focus a large element of world belief, creating the potential for a minimal amount of magic.  But since most of the energy invested in this book has been negative, that magic could only be used to produce selfish results."

     "You seem to know an awful lot about this book, Belinda," said Mr. Stopheles.  "Perhaps you would like to tell Christy how you know."

     "Oh, must I, sir?" said Belinda, fretfully. 

     "Please," Christy entreated. 

     "Well," Belinda confessed.  "My people sort of inspired this book.  It's a famous shame on our history.  We meant it to help your people be good.  But they turned it to evil.  And over the centuries they've edited it, rewritten it and misinterpreted it for their own selfish purposes.  Until it's become nothing but a way for humans to justify getting their own way.  And for some reason humans are prone to want such bad things."

     "Belinda, what exactly is it that I feel when I touch this book?" asked Christy. 

     "You feel the pull of an evil element in world belief," said Belinda.  "The worst side of human nature.  As you've sensed, the book invites you to participate in human evils and feel no guilt.  Most humans embrace this happily.  But it frightens you because you're not completely human.  You have an animal side that knows how it feels to be oppressed by humanity.  That side of you will die if you ever embrace this book."

     "Oh my," Christy gasped.  "You mean it will kill my fursona?  I won't be able to see myself as a fox anymore?  My father's religion is that bad?"

     "Your father's religion is the justification of human evil," said Belinda.  "And in your heart you've already sensed what that means.  If you embrace this book you will do even worse things than your father has done."

     "You say that like you know who my real world father is," said Christy.  "I don't think it's possible to do anything worse than what he's done."

     "Christy," said Mr. Stopheles.  "Your real world identity is fully documented in your school papers, which I have read.  So I know who your real world father is, and I also know what he did.  But you must understand that what your father did is not the worst thing a human can do.  The full potential of human atrocity remains unknown, and I don't think you want to be the one to demonstrate it."

     "Mr. Stopheles," asked Christy.  "Are you saying I'm really capable of doing something worse than that?"

     "Well, let me put it this way," said Mr. Stopheles.  "In the year that you now exist, humanity has the power to destroy cities at one blow.  Within the space of your lifetime humanity will encounter power great enough to destroy entire worlds with similar ease.  That being the case it would be foolish of you to dismiss your own potential for evil.  You could use the magic of that book to become a destroyer of worlds."

     "I don't want that kind of magic, Mr. Stopheles," said Christy, emotionally.  "I want magic I can use to help people.  I want to end suffering, not cause it.  I want to be a new color that makes my world more beautiful - a new idea that allows my people to be kind to animals, and to each other.  Is my Omman textbook just as powerful a talisman for bringing out my good potential?"

     "Why don't you ask Belinda?" said Mr. Stopheles

     "The Omman textbook also focuses a large section of world belief," said Belinda.  "It can unite your spiritual energy with animal spirits of the past who believed in it, and those few living animals who still embrace its teachings, creating a magical potential.  You are at this moment experiencing the effect of that magical potential.  You have transcended humanity and gone someplace where only animals and their kindred spirits can go.  And if you continue to grow in the direction that the Omman text leads you, animals will be drawn to bathe in the light of your compassion.  You will become as magical to them as the text itself.  You will be the embodiment of the text and all the truth it contains."

     "That sounds much more like what I want to be," said Christy. 

     "There is a down side, though," said Mr. Stopheles.  "The closer you get to the truth of the Omman religion, the harder it will be for you to live as a human.  You may end up being exiled from your own kind.  And that could get to be a very lonely life."

     "I'd rather be lonely than evil," said Christy. 

     Meryl raised her hand. 

     "Yes, Meryl," asked Mr. Stopheles. 

     "Are all religious texts talisman?" asked Meryl. 

     "Every religious text focuses a segment of world belief and therefore has a magical ambience that surrounds it," said Mr. Stopheles. 

     "How do we know if the magic of a text is pulling us towards good or evil?" asked Shakira. 

     "You don't," said Mr. Stopheles.  "Christy is a unique case.  She'd know the difference between good and evil without any religious guidance at all.  The rest of us usually aren't so intuitive, and certainly not so selfless. 

     "Religious texts are usually successful in drawing our belief because they tell us what we want to hear, even if what we want to hear is not the truth.  A religious text can be a complete fabrication - a work of fiction, but it can still function as a focal point of magic if enough people can be convinced to believe in it."

     "Can that magic be used for anything else besides influencing our personalities?" asked Kai. 

     "Yes, if certain conditions are present," said Mr. Stopheles.  "The most common use of this magic in the material universe is faith healing.  What the faith healer does is unite his or her belief with the world belief channeled by the book.  They then bring the person in need of healing into that circle of world belief that allows the person to believe he is being healed, and thus the person heals himself by changing his perspective of his own reality.  But you need not understand any universal truth to make this happen.  All you need is an understanding of how to manipulate the mentality of others.  Faith healers usually have no other power than this.  The power to heal comes from the one who is healed. 

     "As you will have surmised by now, world belief is always an important factor in the science of magic.  If you were in a world like Christy's where practically no one really believes in such things, you would find it almost impossible to work magic.  But Belinda comes from a world where magic is second nature to everyone.  So even a complete novice could create magical results there. 

     "Outside this building in the virtual world things are much the same.  You have all come here to learn magic.  Thus it's a foregone conclusion that most of you believe in magic.  That's how you, the students of the school, create the atmosphere in which magic is so easily accessible. 

     "What I will be teaching you in the next few weeks are essential methods by which you can take advantage of this special atmosphere.  There are some spells that are so commonly used in the virtual world that all you'll need to know are the words to recite, and the world belief you need to generate the spell will immediately be drawn to you.  Other spells, that are not so commonly used, will require you to focus your own belief in specific ways. 

     "When you want to conjure a rare item, you will need to be able to picture that item in your mind in all its dimensions.  So you will need to be schooled in three-dimensional thought.  And I will also teach you the magic of transformation, which you have just seen Christy demonstrate. 

     "All of this will be easy for you to learn and practice in the virtual world.  And, for any of you who live to complete the course, these things will become second nature to you.  So much so that when you return to your real worlds you will have amassed so much personal belief in your power to use magic that no amount of world belief shall be able to withstand your will.  And thus you shall become the master magicians of your worlds."