Freon and Nassandra exchanged a glance. "I'll do it," they both said.
"I'm the older brother, so I'll be testing it."
"You're still going on about that? You're more injured, so let me handle it."
"No, it's my spell."
"But I designed the final Magic Circle."
"Nassandra…"
"What?" She returned a sharp gaze.
Freon became speechless. When did his little sister turn so fierce? He must have missed something. Thinking about how much she experienced, his resistance wavered. "…Fine but be careful. Stop the second you feel something wrong. Don't force yourself, okay?"
She was overjoyed. "Of course!"
Drawing a deep breath, Magic Energy circulated through her body like a warmup exercise. She calmed down, took a spare wand, and studied the Magic Circle. When she lifted her wand, a faint glow shined and the same Magic Circle was reconstructed in the air. This was a good sign. Magic Energy slowly flowed from her Core towards the Magic Circle. Once this step was complete, then the spell would activate. It would be a success. Freon observed her nervously using his eyes and Magic Perception. To be honest, there was not much he could do. If a problem occurred, stopping her was not an option, because it may incur a larger backlash. He had to trust Nassandra here. Poof! The Magic Circle exploded in a flash of light.
"Nassandra?!" Freon shouted.
"I'm okay… I'm okay," she repeated while coughing.
"Are you sure? Do you need any water?"
"I created spells before. I'm used to it."
"…"
"I discovered three problems with the Magic Circle. Here, here, and here." She pointed with her finger. "When my Magic Energy entered those runes, it created a large recoil and exploded the spell."
Freon saw the candle which was almost burnt out and shook his head. "It's getting late. We should stop here."
"But I can keep going!"
"There's no need to rush. Tomorrow, okay?"
"…I understand," Nassandra meekly replied, leaving her chair. "You're not going to work on it while I'm gone, are you?"
He smiled awkwardly. "Of course not."
Unfortunately, she saw right through his lies. "Promise."
"Promise."
She grinned. "Good!"
Once she was gone, Freon sighed. "I feel like she's getting more rebellious everyday."
The next day, after making some adjustments to the Magic Circle, they agreed to take turns testing it. Freon picked up his wand and concentrated. A strong aura erupted from him then fell rapidly. Another failure! Just as they felt disappointed, someone knocked on the door and entered. There was only one person brazen enough to act like that. In walked their uncle. He glanced at Freon, Nassandra, and the pile of scribbles in front of them.
"I see you've recovered enough to be making spells. Have you fixed your attitude yet?"
Freon grinded his teeth. He would have considered apologizing had his uncle not said that. Both sides refused to yield a step.
Nassandra who saw this decided to speak up. "Um, uncle… Can you help us? We're creating a spell that can manipulate our Magic Perception, but our progress is slow. Do you have any insights?"
Before Freon could say anything, Protector Avin replied, "I don't mind helping. Let me see what you have." Nassandra handed him the papers, much to Freon's displeasure. "I see. There are some fundamental issues with the Magic Circle."
"Huh? How come we didn't notice before?" she wondered.
He smiled. "I've been an Arcanist for more than eighty years. I have a bit more experience than you. This is what I would change about the spell." Using a brush, he wrote down his suggestions.
"Look at this, brother! He solved something we've been working on in a flash!"
Freon closed his eyes and buried his grudges. It was unproductive here. When he opened his eyes again, his demeanor shifted. "No, you're right. It is amazing." Biting his lip, he continued, "Uncle, can we see your combat system? I'm trying to improve my movement, recovery, and sensory aspects."
"I need some help with my combat system too," Nassandra chimed in.
Protector Avin raised an eyebrow. "I thought your brother disapproved, but I see things have changed. I'm sorry to say this, except I don't have a combat system."
"Huh? You're lying." Freon did not believe it.
"I only heard of the term recently." He shrugged. "Although I have spells for offense and movement, my other aspects are not as developed. And before you ask, my recovery methods are somewhat special. I'm sure you heard of the heavenly phenomenon that happened in Firecast last year. What caused it was my spell called Streams To Rivers. It pulls the World Energy inside water over a vast range into oneself. As you realized, this spell has increased effectiveness during rainy or snowy weather, or when I'm near large bodies of water. Conversely, if I find myself in a desert far from water, this spell may fail entirely. At its maximum strength, it can replenish a large portion of my Blue Depth Core."
Freon's eyes bulged. "Isn't that a huge amount of Magic Energy? You'll practically never run out!"
The man shook his head. "If only that were true. This spell is taxing on the mind and requires time to activate. It cannot be interrupted during that period. In addition, it cannot be used consecutively in the same location."
His thoughts travelled to the Mordrigan Peaks when he fought against the Beast Lords. The reason he could maintain his Magic Energy levels throughout the battle was because of this spell. He could lower its range, which hastened its casting speed, in exchange for a weaker recovery effect. What played in his favor that night was the heavy snowstorm. The abundant snow strengthened his recovery spell. Not to mention, most of the spells he used were Gaseous Fog, further reducing his Magic Energy consumption. Ultimately, his Magic Energy levels grew over the course of the battle!
"My other recovery spell is called Preserved Body Root. It preserves the body in the state when I cast the spell. To put it simply, any damage you receive is delayed until the spell ends. You can still die, of course. It is not omnipotent, but it does give you time to breathe. This is what I used to save you both in the Mordrigan Peaks."
"I thought you said your recovery methods were underdeveloped. They seem fine to me."
"They're a poor match for my other spells. I wouldn't call that a proper combat system."
"Since you know so many spells, can you show us their Magic Circles? We can use them to create our own spells!" Nassandra requested with gleaming eyes.
This made him pause. Despite her honesty, it was a very personal question to ask. It would reveal his methods, including all his strengths and weaknesses. Should someone malicious discover it, they could use it to plot against him. That was why most of the Engelsheft Families kept a small portion of their runes and spells behind closed doors. Knowledge was power after all! Although he did not believe Nassandra or Freon had any bad intentions, there was always an inherent risk involved. Even as a Blue Depth Core Arcanist, he had his reservations.
Perhaps she realized she overstepped her bounds, since she lowered her head slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to ask that."
"Here's what we can do. Continue working on your spells and I'll come to review them once a day. How does that sound?"
"That works for us," Freon said. He then added after an awkward moment. "…We appreciate it. Thank you."
"As long as you understand." Protector Avin waved his hand and turned towards the door. "Try not to overdo it. You aren't fully healed yet. Until tomorrow."
Nassandra exhaled deeply. Like her brother, she was still unsure how best to approach their uncle. His presence alone was terrifying! But that was not important right now. She tightened her fists and stiffly spun around to face Freon. "Um…" she muttered.
"What is it?" Freon asked. He noticed how anxious she was and frowned inwardly.
She fidgeted. "Promise you won't get mad at me."
"Why? Did you do something?"
"…"
He felt exasperated. This seemed like a continuation of their conversation four days ago. "I won't get mad. Tell me what happened."
"I think I… might have awakened the Arcellius Family's Bloodline Ability."
"What?!"