Spell Weaver [Book 2 Complete]

The front door of the large mansion swung open to reveal Edwin. The white-haired and mustachioed butler watched the weary group as they climbed the stairs. Alex walked in first, and despite the tiredness that had settled over him in the car home, he felt excited at the prospect of pushing forward.

“Alright, I think I’ve got it!” He spun around, nearly colliding with Mark.

Mark steadied Alex with a hand on his shoulder. “Woah there, buddy. Got what, exactly?”

Sarah stepped in with a hesitant look of concern. “Alex, why did you want to wait until we got home to discuss whatever your ideas are? It freaks me out that you’re asking Sam to be present for whatever it is.”

“Well I… it’s about the… hang on.” He paused, collecting his thoughts. “Sorry, my thoughts are still going at full speed, but I think my mind is tired.”

“Probably from running that skill all night every day this week,” Sam said.

“Yeah, just…” Alex trailed off. “Look, I’ve got two theories that I want to run by you all. It’s important.”

Mark and Sarah exchanged glances before Mark spoke up. “Maybe you should get some sleep first, dude. We can talk about this in the morning.”

Alex nodded, surprising them all. “You’re right. I should sleep. But can we just discuss the ideas real quick? I promise, no actual attempts or magic tonight. I just want to explain my thoughts while they’re fresh.”

The group shared another look before agreeing. They all followed Alex to the office, and the familiar, calming space was a welcome change from the hectic environment earlier in the day.

Val swooped in through the open doorway and settled onto his cat tree. He curled his wing close to his body, though, even in a tight coil, Valtherion barely fit onto the small wooden ledge that was meant for cats. Even though there was no trace of the wound or a scar from the injury, thanks to Sam’s healing, he still began to lick the area repeatedly, as if cleaning it himself.

Sarah perched on a stool near the table and pulled her cardigan closer around her shoulders and chest. Mark leaned against the bookshelf, preferring to stand, while Sam sat cross-legged on the floor between them.

Alex took a deep breath and did his best to center himself. He focused his thoughts and forced his mind to organize itself. “Okay, I’ve got two theories that I’ve been working through, but the second one is probably the most realistic to pursue right now.”

“Alright,” Sarah said in a cautious tone. “Let’s hear them.”

Alex nodded, his excitement tempered somewhat by his fatigue. “The first theory is about combining runes with rituals. I think I could use runes to replace the reagents that I’ve been using with rituals. It could make them way more convenient to use, and if the concept works, there are so many different directions that I could take the concept.”

Mark raised an eyebrow. “That… actually sounds pretty overpowered. But I’m guessing there’s a catch?”

“Yeah,” Alex admitted. “We should probably wait for the workshop to finish out back first. The potential for, uh, unexpected results is sort of high. I have no idea how they interact, and if I do something wrong or there needs to be tweaking to the ritual circle I’m using, there could be some sort of backlash.”

“Like, explosions?” Sam asked.

Alex chuckled. “I don’t think anything that dramatic, Sam. But definitely not something I want to try in the house. Remind me to tell you later about that one time I turned my apartment into a shooting range for my wand.” He shook his head. “That’s why it’s just a theory for now.”

Sarah nodded, relieved. “Okay, that makes sense. What’s the second theory?”

“I think I’ve figured out how to use the Heavenly Eye to scan a ritual in a better way than the last time.”

The room fell silent for a moment before everyone reacted at once. Sarah and Mark spoke up at the same time, Mark straightening from his leaning position against the wall. Sam leaned forward and was shaking his head at Alex.

“Alex,” Sarah began. She spoke hesitantly, as if not wanting to start an argument. “Are you sure that’s wise? After what happened last time…”

“Dude, come on! Why? There are so many other ways you could get stronger.”

“I know,” Alex said quickly. “But hear me out here. I think I understand what went wrong last time, and I’ve got a new approach. It involves using [Parallel Mind] to split my consciousness and approach it gradually. Plus, I think I can combine it with [Ritual Insight] in a way that would lessen the load on my mental energy and maybe even be more powerful.”

Mark frowned. “That sounds pretty complicated. And like a lot of ‘I think’s and an ‘if’ is thrown in there.”

“It is,” Alex said through a laugh. “But I think it’s my best shot at getting a substantial jump in power. I’m not focused on gaining levels. That would mean I have to go into higher-level Rifts, likely without you guys. I don’t want to do that- I want us to do that together, and once you all catch up, we can keep going up as one. But this, this is a way to expand my power base for where I’m at.”

“This is just you being frustrated with losing to Rylan?” Sarah said, though it came out as a question.

Alex shrugged. “That definitely didn’t help, but I’ve been sitting on both ideas for a week or more. As far as I can tell, the theory is sound. I’m trying to do this right by talking with you guys about it and having Sam here this time. I’ve been playing so passive and not taking any risks, but I really just feel like that’s not the world we’re living in anymore.”

Sam leaned forward, and his voice was eager. “I think it sounds like it could work. I’ll definitely feel better if I’m here, and I’m getting better at healing, right? With my new passive, I can probably stay calm and keep my trait going the whole time.”

Sarah shot Sam a look, then turned back to Alex. "Okay, walk us through it. Slowly. And remember, we're not doing anything tonight."

Alex smiled, grateful for their willingness to listen. "Of course. Okay, so last time I tried to use the Heavenly Eye on a ritual, I pushed too hard and too fast. When I tried, I felt like there was a mental wall there, and I pushed against it. That’s what caused the strain.”

Sarah nodded grimly.

“But now,” Alex continued, “I have [Parallel Mind]. I can split my consciousness and approach it gradually. It should significantly reduce the strain if my Willpower is reduced, and I can be a lot more aware of what’s happening since I’ve done it once before.”

“And how does your [Ritual Insight] play into this?” Mark asked.

“That’s the key,” Alex said, clapping his hands together for emphasis. “Remember the wind ritual I grabbed you for last week, Sam? When I tried to use the skill slowly?” Sam nodded, and he continued. “Well, I figured something out about the skill. Usually, I use it instantly, and it dumps all the information in my brain at once. But, with the wind ritual, I tried using it slowly, and it lasted for about two minutes.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“Why’s the longer time important?”

“Because I think it changes everything. See, [Ritual Insight] gives me hints on how to improve the ritual. The Heavenly Eye, on the other hand, scans the ritual exactly. I can see minor discrepancies and really 'know' the ritual better. Here, look at the description.”