Spell Weaver [Book 2 Complete]

Alex watched Sam fidget at the bottom of the mansion steps. The early afternoon sun was warming the entire group as they lounged on the front steps, there to support Sam however they could. Returning from the hospital the day before, Alex felt happy to be back at his house.

Still ridiculous to think that this is my house.

The temperature was still in the low forties, putting most of them in sweatshirts or coats.

Sam's nervous energy had been palpable, and he'd frequently gone between excited, nervous, and guilty since deciding to reach out to his mom. After all, from his perspective, he hadn't seen his parents in around two years.

Valtherion shifted on Alex's shoulders, his now forearm-thick body doing better when stretched across both of his shoulders rather than wrapped around one. The mana wyrm had continued to grow since their return home, and Alex was certain that he was getting close to his Race Advancement. Luckily, in the last week, his companion had seemed to stop growing and was curling up and napping much more than normal. Despite his increased size, Alex loved that his bond still wanted to wrap around his shoulders like a scaly scarf, often even going as far as to use his [Create Lesser Illusion] skill to appear as a scarf. His head rested near Alex's chin, watching Sam with apparent concern.

A sharp flick to his ear broke Alex’s train of thought. He abruptly ended his [Parallel Mind] skill and stopped his mana-shaping practice.

“Your aura’s leaking again,” Sarah said. “It’s still getting messy when you split your focus like that.”

Alex grimaced, immediately pulling his mana back within his body. He’d been working on containing it better, but using his newest skill made it difficult to maintain the same tight control he’d developed during his time in the Epic Rift.

“How bad was it this time?”

Sarah smiled, “Not as bad as yesterday. You’re getting better at pulling it back in quickly.”

“Hey, getting better, though?” Mark chuckled from his spot a few steps higher than where Alex sat.

“Yeah, yeah. We’ve all shown some progress, don’t forget how you were getting tired just from a few laps around the back yard.”

“Hey, cardio isn’t for me. I’m happy to lift weights and tank the hits. I still don’t get why you’re making me run.”

“Oh, you don’t even know the half of what the Celestial Sect would have put you through.”

Sarah snickered in response to their banter.

Alex wanted to check the time on his phone, only to realize that he’d left it inside. Before he could move, Edwin appeared at his side, phone in hand.

“Thanks,” Alex said. He accepted the device from the butler. Edwin’s [Intuitive Understanding] trait caught him off guard at small moments over the last week. It was helpful, without a doubt, but occasionally, the accuracy and timing unsettled Alex. He thought back to the System window that Edwin had shared with him the night they returned.