Spell Weaver [Book 2 Complete]

“Okay,” Mark said as he dropped his pack on the floor of the foyer and held his hands up in the air. “As our own celebration for completing our final Rift of the Teams Event, I do hereby declare that a night out is in proper order!”

Alex scoffed but Sam was the first to speak up as he walked past Alex to the stairs. “I can come this time, right? You said I could!”

“Yes, you can come.”

“Alex asked Jasper specifically last time we were there. He said they’ve got plenty of food and nonalcoholic stuff for you,” Mark said.

"Yes!" He dragged out the last syllable before turning to dart up the stairs.

Alex checked the time quickly on his pocket watch before calling after him, "We won't leave until around seven, Sam. If you need to grab something to eat, just ask Gabby."

They could all hear a muffled, "Okay," before his bedroom door closed.

"A night out could be fun," Olivia said as she bumped into Alex playfully as she took off her outdoor boots next to the door.

Alex nodded with a smile, though internally he wondered at the amount of stress he might be feeling if it weren't for [Parallel Mind]. At least with the skill, he was able to be practicing and thinking through magical problems while doing mundane tasks.

Hanging out with friends isn't a mundane task or waste of time.

He chastised himself as they gathered their bags, and all began to ascend the stairs to take showers and unwind for a few hours before going out.

"I'll text Sarah and see if she wants to meet us there," Mark said, phone already in hand.

"Sounds good."

Alex and Olivia turned left at the top of the stairs while Mark turned right to head to his room. They went to his room to wash away the sweat and dirt from their most recent Rift. After they entered the room, Olivia slid under his arm and got close to his face.

"Stop being distracted," she said playfully.

Alex felt the heat rise to his cheeks. "Half of my mental stats is still more than I ever had before the integration. You have my full and undivided att— wait… that doesn't technically work here. Does it? It kind of is divided."

Olivia laughed prettily before creating some space. "I just wanted your attention for a second. I've got something for you."

"Oh?"

“Mhm. Wait here,” Olivia said.

He felt his pulse pick up as he could guess where something like this was going.

But his expectations were dashed as, instead of heading to the bathroom, she walked out of the bedroom and down the hall.

Alex stood alone in his bedroom, glancing left and right uncertainly. He scratched the back of his head, bewildered.

Is this where someone jumps out and says I've been punked?

A few minutes went by before he heard the rush of bare feet across the carpet in the hall, and Olivia reappeared in the doorway. Raising an eyebrow at her, he raised both hands. "What are you doing?" he asked, glancing at the object in her hands.

“Well, I know it’s a bit lame… and I swear you better not laugh,” Olivia said as she fidgeted with the small black object.

"Okay, no laughing," he said and gestured with an 'x' over his heart. It was clear that the black object in her hands was a gift of some kind, and Alex's stat-enhanced brain immediately jumped into thought, thinking about what it could be.

A manual, maybe? I gave her one. Maybe she feels the need to pay me back with one of her own? What would I even need to learn, though? Maybe it's a skill token? I just need to keep studying, not get more skills. Eh, the black box is too thin anyway—the skill token from the AG came in a case much thicker than that.

In the few seconds that it took Olivia to work up her courage and close the last few steps between them, Alex's mind had run through a hundred scenarios of what she wanted to give to him.

She held out her hands and presented it to him.

Looking down, Alex saw a picture of them together. He realized Mark must have taken it before they entered a Rift.

He studied the stylized photo and wondered whether she or Mark had edited it. Their pose was striking. Olivia stood close to him and her hand was on his chest as she gazed past his shoulder at an angle toward the looming Rift.

The image made it look like he was dramatically positioned between her and the Rift, and appeared perfectly calm and composed. And, even though there had been many people around them in that moment, the edited black-and-white photo showed just the two of them alone in the forest clearing, with the grey-shaded Rift casting ominous shadows around them, though they both stood in the light.

"Liv... I—I love it. This is awesome," he said.

"Really?" she asked.

Normally so confident and forward, Alex found it adorable how she seemed less comfortable than he was with the thought of romantic gestures. It made his own embarrassment at his earlier thoughts die down a bit.

"Really," he said while giving her a kiss. "Where do you think it should go?" He stepped away and walked to the table next to his side of the bed to set it up, angled toward the bed and doorway.

"Perfect."

"It's an awesome picture. Thanks for doing that, it'll be a good memory to have." His smile grew and felt more genuine as he looked down at the black and white photo. "It's funny, my mind immediately went to all kinds of Awakened things that it could be."

She gave a snort. "And then all you ended up getting was a picture."

"No—well, yes. But I like it a lot. My head's been a little too full of the adventuring life, Rifts, quests, and skills lately."

"Well, good. I'm glad you like it. Do you... like it enough to let me take the first shower?" she asked sweetly while giving him a hug.

He laughed again. "Yeah, go for it. I'm going to check on Gabby and Edwin while I wait, so take your time."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

She gave him a peck on the cheek before moving to the bathroom. He looked at the photo one more time with a smile before walking downstairs to the staff rooms.

An hour later, Alex found himself seated at the chair behind his desk. He felt clean and for some reason was feeling quite optimistic about how the last few days of Rift delving had gone.

He smiled to himself and let out a deep breath before leaning forward.

Where to start, where to start?

He pulled up his Status Screen and glanced over things. He felt some frustration that he hadn’t made much progress in his over all level in the last four weeks, but he knew that he’d made some great gains in his skill levels and understanding how to use them better.

Not only that, but Sarah’s made some decent progress, and Mark has really made a good leap.

Looking at his blue status screen, Alex pushed the thoughts aside.