Chapter 34 - Complexities

{This doesn't make any sense. How can the workings of a construct change so rapidly by simply adding one dimension?} complained Arya, rereading a paragraph from a book on constructs for what felt like the hundredth time.

{We're not getting anywhere with this. Sure, we have a stable foundation on templates, but constructs are a whole other story. And this book doesn't even cover heptagon constructs. I don't know, we might be wasting our time with this,} added Esla as she read over the notes she had memorized.

{Maybe Argen found something, we should stop by before heading to Cassandra's to ask her about the magical beast.}

{You still want to talk it?} asked Esla, audibly opposed to the idea.

{Are you still upset about the parasite thing? It could've been mistaken, maybe... maybe we can even ask it what you a- I mean who you are.}

An awkward silence ensued, and their pondering came to an end.

{I-I'm sorry Esla, I-I didn't mean it like that.}

{It's okay. For all you know, I might actually be a what and not a who,} replied Esla, before going quiet. In moments like these Arya could feel the link between them become clouded, like Esla had somehow figured a way to sever her connection with him. And every time it happened, he hated himself for it, he hated the fact that she had to feel alone, he knew how it felt, he knew how crippling it was.

Arya put the book away and left his room. He had been cooped up in there ever since breakfast, even forgetting to eat lunch. His plate still stood on the table, cold and hard from all the hours that had passed.

After eating everything on his plate, he put it with the others -it seemed like whoever was on plate duty was taking their time as there was still a pile in the kitchen.

{Where is everybody?} wondered Arya as he walked out through the back door. There he found Gray and Armin talking to each other out on the grass, sweat dripping down both their faces.

"Where is everyone else?" asked Arya.

"Oh, their preparing for our trip. We were invited to go to the Count's house, isn't that amazing?" replied Armin with an excited look on his face.

{Ahh, I sometimes forget that he's still a kid.}

{Pfft, okay old man,} replied Esla.

{Esla! Uhm... about ear-}

{It's okay Arya, really, I'm fine. I just overreacted.}

{...}

"Anyway, I'm heading to Argen's then Cassandra's. I have a few things to pick up."

"We'll come with," said Gray, picking himself off the ground.

"I don't need yo-"

"We wanted to say goodbye to them anyways," interrupted Gray.

"Yeah, it certainly has nothing to do with the fact you got your ass handed to you by a pack of kids last time," added Armin with a sly grin on his face.

"I didn't get my ass handed to me, I gave a few blows too. They just caught me by surprise, that's all," replied Arya as if by instinct. As mature as he was supposed to be, his child's pride couldn't take such a blow undefended.

"Yeah right, we believe you."

***

"Ahh, good to see you still breathing boy. I heard what those little devils did to you, I was scared that I wouldn't be able to use those eyes of yours anymore," said Argen as he welcomed the boys into his house.

"Yeah, I'm glad to see you too," sighed Arya as he walked in.

"So, have you found anything?"

"Have I found anything? I don't know what you think constructs are boy, but they're certainly not a concept you just "find" something on in a matter of days. This research could take me my entire li- no maybe even your entire life to even scratch the surface."

It was as Arya had feared, he would have to rely on the magical beast if he ever wanted to create a heptagon construct.

"Sigh, thank you anyways, Argen. Oh, and the Count invited us to his house, no doubt we'll get a hefty prize for saving his son. Since you did most of the work, you should come as well," said Arya, already walking towards the door with a disappointed look on his face.

"I'm too old to be going on long journeys. And besides, I have much more important things to do here," he said, before closing his eyes.

"Virgon Venu Taro," he whispered, before drawing a hexagon in the air. A trail of blue light followed his gestures, until there was a miniature blue hexagon floating in the air.

"Confractus," he whispered after, and the hexagram broke into six small lines that floated in the air haphazardly.

"What is h-"

"Shh!" Both Armin and Arya understood the amount of focus it required to create constructs, Armin from experience, and Arya from watching Armin fail enough times to know it was difficult.

"Addere," whispered Argen drawing another line next to six from before.

"Libon Neptur Taro," he chanted after, and the seven lines began rotating around his outstretched palm, before forming a heptagon.

"Amaz-" before Armin could finish his sentence the heptagon began radiating a violent blue light.

"Erasum!" shouted Argen, erasing the construct right before it imploded.

"I've tried using as many variations of the heptagon method as possible, but it seems they use completely different words of activation."

{Completely different variables,} thought Arya inwardly.

"Thank you again, Argen. If I find anything, I'll let you know," said Arya, before walking out the door.

On the way to Cassandra's Armin bombarded Arya with a volley of questions.

"What was Argen trying to do? Was that a heptagon construct? Is it really possible to use that? Can you teach me? What are its applications?"

{Sometimes I forget that this guy is a magic nerd,} sighed Arya, before explaining to him what he had seen back in their fight against the magical beast.

"So you're saying that beast combined two spells simultaneously, like double casting?" asked Armin, his eyes wide in shock.

"Is that impressive?" asked Gray, who had kept quiet most of the way since he knew nearly nothing about spell theory.

"Impressive? Combine that with Dual casting and someone could cast four spells at the same time. Sure, with cantrips it might not be as impressive, but imagine casting 4 tier 5 spells at the same time. In the hands of a high order mage, it would be the equivalent of a tier 20 destructive spell, enough to flatten perhaps an entire mountain range..."

Armin mumbled on about the applications of what such a discovery could bring to the world of magic. So much so that even Arya was beginning to get bored of the topic.

"Ahh, we're finally here," announced Arya in an exaggerated manner, trying his best to get his brother to shut up.

{I hope we get answers,} thought Arya as he knocked on the door.