Chapter 67: Mirror Sphere
The Gardens and Training Fields were locked up with tourists and festivalgoers, with hardly space for a first-circle spell, much less something as dramatic as a fifth. At Thron’s recommendation, I slipped through the passages to the Arena, high in the mountains overlooking the Divine Throne.
As the platform rose, I closed my eyes, lost in the memories of the duel. I was no longer the same girl from a few weeks ago, but the horrors of the duel were ingrained in my mind. The War Hero’s merciless promise from the banquet rang in my ears, and I clasped my hands together, grateful I had evaded participating in the tournament.
When at last the magical lift reached the arena floor, I looked around, blinking in the morning sun. The stands, which had been filled with tens of thousands of people, were now abandoned. A lonely breeze wound its way through the stone aisles, curling over the inner walls and ruffling my hair.
Tentatively, I opened the Eyes of Fate, releasing a pent-up breath when everything worked normally, and no vision appeared. Perhaps Thron was wrong, and it was a one-time thing.
The Arena had significantly fewer spells active at this time. The barrier and recall system was down, leaving only the reinforced stone walls and floor. Even without the extra protection, I estimated they would only fail against something as strong as Ronin’s meteor, but even that might not fully compromise the runes.
Taking a deep breath, I ran through the Mirror Sphere spell one more time, carefully reviewing the chant and runes in my mind. I fully intended to use the chant, as there were simply too many individual runes for me to memorize without seeing the actual spell. It was slower and less mana efficient, but I’d set aside the next few days to practice, meaning neither of those were limiting factors.
I seized my mana, humming with pleasure as an immense tide of power surged into me, filling my soul. After enjoying the overwhelming sensations for a moment, I raised my hands and began to chant, speaking slowly and enunciating the words. Within seconds, the first magic circle appeared beneath my feet, rotating slowly as dozens of runes materialized within. My voice never faltered as the minutes passed, slowly constructing the next several circles. The strain on my soul increased, and my gathered mana slowly seeped away, drawn into the spell by the intonation of my voice. By the time the fifth magic circle blinked into existence, I was exhausted. My arms trembled and sweat beaded on my brow, but I persisted, squeezing mana from every corner of my being.
At long last, after ten minutes of continuous casting, the final magic circle was complete. By this point, the magic circles lined up from the ground to above my head, like a stack of pancakes with me in the center. As the final words of the chant left my mouth, I held my breath, waiting to see if the spell succeeded. The magic circles trembled for a moment, then flashed a brilliant white and faded.
No sooner had they vanished than a translucent silver sphere sprang into being, wrapping me up like a bubble. The interior surface of the sphere was slightly beyond arm’s reach, and it moved with me, staying centered on my chest. Through the Eyes of Fate, I could find no irregularities, but I lacked the means to test it out. Thron had stayed back to watch over the library, and I was incapable of using attack spells.