Supreme Magus

Chapter 4380: Shared Root (Part 2)

’When I weave the six elemental streams into a powerful spell like Dimensional Ruler, I access the first magic rune of dimensional magic and consume enough world energy to make the rune visible.

’At the same time, however, a complex spell is comprised of dozens of runes that overlap with each other and eclipse the first magic rune. Less powerful spells create less interference with their runes, but also consume less world energy.

’I can see the first magic rune better, but for a much shorter time. This must be why Friya shared her dimensional Grimoire with me. All dimensional spells share the same root, allowing us to observe it for different periods of time and from different angles.

’Only by conjuring many different dimensional spells inside the mana crystal can we collect enough pieces of the puzzle to glimpse the full first magic rune for dimensional magic!’

Faluel used Friya’s most powerful spells to locate the first magic rune and get used to the brief time she had to study it. Then she moved on to tier four spells until she managed to study the rune in a shorter time frame.

She repeated the process for all tiers of dimensional magic until she reached Friya’s tier one dimensional spell, Scope. The first magic rune was almost clear, but disappeared so quickly that it was barely an apparition.

While Faluel Conjured Scope time and time again, Friya had already given up on that and moved forward.

’I’ve already learned everything I can.’ She thought. ’This path has also reached its end, and to reach my destination, I need to find a new one.’

She had hit her head against that kind of wall enough times not to need Tezka’s help to recognize when she crashed into another. Friya focused on the various fragments of the first magic rune she was certain to have identified, engraving them in her memory.

Then she once again turned the white energy within the crystal into a prismatic vortex and used the elemental streams to trace the outer outline of the first dimensional rune.

All the areas from which her other spells departed were empty, and nature abhorred the void.

Before the elemental streams broke down, she connected the broken segments with part guesswork and part intuition. Friya knew she had failed the moment she traced the final line.

The thing in front of her felt wrong and alien, like the portrait of a person she loved that someone had defaced by drawing a beard on it. The white vortex turning turbid gray one second later only confirmed what she already knew.

Friya let go of the energy and started over as soon as the crystal shone with pristine light again.

’That wasn’t the right rune, but it wasn’t entirely wrong either.’ She thought. ’This is like back at the academy, when they taught me how to create new spells. I can feel it when I’m going in the right direction.’

Friya kept the parts of the rune that stirred something positive inside of her and discarded the jarring ones, getting one step closer to the full picture.

By the end of the day, she had filled many blank spaces, but there were just as many left. Faluel looked tired but satisfied as well. Having learned from the previous day, she didn’t try to stand up.

The two women drank tonics like water and lay with their backs on the floor, waiting for their minds to catch up with how tired their bodies were.

"From this point onward, I have no idea how you are doing." Tezka said. "If you need a hint, you need to ask."

"I’m doing fine." Friya panted, giving him a thumbs up.

"I’m pretty sure I’m a few steps behind her, but I’m confident I can do it on my own." Faluel wheezed.

After dinner and a long shower, Faluel knocked on Friya’s door.

"I know we are not supposed to talk about dimensional magic, so we won’t." The Hydra plopped on the nearest chair, struggling to keep her eyes open. "I just want to say something out loud, and I need you to listen.

"You are the only one who can understand me. Everyone else would ask me questions that our deal with Tezka keeps me from answering." She looked at Friya, who nodded for Faluel to continue.

"I know why no one, not even Tezka, ever found the first magic rune for Spirit Magic. Magic crystals hold no Spirit Magic, so the method we are using right now would never work.

"One should apply it to their own core, but there is no way not to collapse from exhaustion when you consume too much mana. You can’t cast Spirit Magic non-stop for hours like we are doing for dimensional magic.

"You would get a glimpse of the first Spirt rune, use Invigoration, rinse and repeat until either it stops working or you faint. To make matters worse, the moment you can see the damn rune is exactly when your focus hits rock bottom.

"If there is another way to see it aside from running out of mana, I can’t see it."

"Me neither." Friya sighed. "Maybe Jormun could have done it. He was an Emerald Dragon and could use Spirit Magic like no one else."

"I guess we’ll never know." Faluel sighed. "Thank you for the Grimoire, Friya. Without it I would have gotten nowhere until I gave up and asked Tezka to help me."

"Don’t mention it." Friya replied. "Now leave me alone, please. I want to spend some time with my husband before I-"

A soft snoring cut her short.

"Again?" She glowered at the sleeping Hydra, but was too tired to do anything else. "Lith, come here please. I need you-"

Friya fell asleep while speaking on her communication amulet, leaving Lith to wonder what he was supposed to do.

***

"Lith Tiamat Verhen, you are going to pay for this!" Friya snarled.

"Why? What did I do wrong?" He shrugged while having breakfast.

"Are you serious?" Faluel was as upset as she was embarrassed. "You put me to sleep in the next room!"

"I couldn’t put you in Friya’s bed." Lith snorted. "One wrong move and you’d have squashed her. Also, that’s Nalrond’s spot."

"We were still too close, you numbnut!" Friya said. "There are no telepathic defenses while we sleep. We shared... our dreams."

"What did you dream about, Auntie Friya?" Aran asked in confusion. "Was it something bad?"

"No, I mean yes!" She glowered at Nalrond, who knew to be involved because Faluel refused to look him in the eyes. "I had the worst nightmare of my life."

"It was just a dream." Leria shrugged. "Stop being a baby."

Friya had many things to say, but there were too many innocent ears listening. The only thing she could do was eat her heart out for breakfast with a side of bacon and plenty of orange juice.

***

It was early afternoon when Friya completed the first magic dimensional rune, Sekar. As soon as she traced the final line, she felt something click inside of her even before the mana crystal turned deep purple and gave her definite proof of her success.