"Stop!"
I couldn't take it anymore and shouted. The visions before my eyes suddenly disappeared and everything returned to normal. We were still in the private room.
"Poisonous!" Nicola's voice came from the side. I looked over and saw that she had also collapsed on the floor, struggling to get up.
"I got dragged into this again..." Two hands suddenly landed on the table. Cyra's sleepy eyes slowly peered up from below.
"Even though we saw it once already, why do we have to suffer through this again? And it was even worse this time!"
"Reed, your spell went overboard. It's anti-human!" I sat in the chair for a long time before catching my breath and unleashing fierce criticism.
"And it affects everything around with no escape. There's no way to dodge it at all!"
"I agree! Too gross." Nicola was greatly disturbed mentally. Covering her mouth, she almost threw up.
"Protest denied. You are not humans anymore." Reed answered seriously.
"Besides, the weakness of this spell is obvious. It has no effect if you close your eyes. You didn't need to endure it for so long."
"Oh yeah! Why did I keep my eyes open?" Cyra knocked her forehead.
"How could I forget when this was the second time?"
"I think there was an irresistible attraction pulling my eyes toward the center at the beginning..." I recalled carefully. If it was just words or an image on a screen, the allure wouldn't be so great. But when the whole vision is filled, the sensation is completely different, like an exponential upgrade.
"Then the experiment to increase attraction can be declared successful." Reed nodded, seeming very satisfied. We had been her guinea pigs this whole time???
"The version Cyra and Elara saw a week ago had no allure effect. It just transformed images into rays of light using the light element. So closing their eyes was easy. Later I integrated psychology, visual imaging, color aesthetics and other fields to improve the patterns for maximum deterrence in a very short time."
She then explained the principles behind this spell in great detail. As expected of a top student, extensive reading made her formidable.
"Unfortunately, repeated exposure still causes gradual immunity, like me. I saw the same things as you just now."
"Even the caster is affected by this spell?" I asked dubiously, suddenly feeling uneasy and abandoning thoughts of learning this.
"In other words, you have to see those images every time you cast it?"
"Correct!" Reed affirmed decisively.
"From initially inventing this spell until now, I've probably seen it hundreds of times already. I'm completely immune to it. The effects are similar to temporary blindness from a regular flash spell at most."
"Hundreds of times!" Cyra shrieked and immediately threw up her hands to surrender.
"I'm not learning this anymore. Making me watch those images hundreds of times is murder!"
"Hundreds of times was just my count from initially developing this spell. You would probably only need a few dozen views of the finished product."
Reed thought about it and tried to comfort Cyra.
"Even dozens of times could kill me!"
Cyra firmly rejected the good intentions. Indeed, seeing those images even once was enough. Let alone dozens of times. Learning a spell like this was purely masochistic.
"Is that so?"
Seeing us all decline, Reed muttered under her breath, slightly disappointed.
"What a pity..."
"Wait! You said the word 'experiment' earlier. What do you mean by 'too bad the experiment failed'?"
Nicola was sitting close by and overheard the slip. She immediately jumped up from her chair.
"Could teaching us magic also be part of an experiment?"
I shuddered and chased after the question as well.
"No, you heard wrong!"
Reed answered calmly, not seeming nervous or guilty at all.
"Do I look like the kind of person who would experiment on classmates without permission?"
"Yes!" The three of us, me, Nicola and Cyra, shouted in unison.
"Unfounded accusations, not credible. Looks like you're confusing me for some delinquent character that experiments without consent."
Reed turned her head away, unwilling to look at us.
"I've still got a bad feeling about this..."
Nicola said uneasily. Although there was no evidence whatsoever, just speculation, she decided to err on the side of caution.
"Anyway, I won't participate in your experiments. I don't even know any magic. And I have classes with Feliciana I need to attend. I don't have the time..."
"No way!"
Hearing that she wanted to renege, Reed became anxious immediately. She stood up in opposition.
"We already agreed! You must go to the library every day to assist my research!"
"But you can't force me, right?"
Seeing the sudden hardline attitude, Nicola grew even more worried about inhumane torture during experiments. She desperately wanted to worm her way out.
"You can't do anything if I don't go!"
"You're going back on your word!"
Reed was very unhappy with Nicola's shifty behaviour. Anger started showing on her face.
"We had an agreement. I would teach you my original spell 'Five Light Ten Color' in exchange for your participation in experiments. You can't just break your promise like this!"
"But you said yourself this spell could be taught unconditionally. And I don't even want to learn it anyway, so the deal doesn't stand!"
Nicola refused to compromise at all according to "reason". She was determined not to fulfill her former promise.
"Even though you have six wings now and are stronger than me, don't think I have no way to deal with you..."
Seeing her shamelessness, Reed became very calm instead. She plopped back down in her chair and slowly said.
"If you insist on going back on your word...I'll just throw 'Five Light Ten Color' into your all rooms every day and see how long you can take it!"
"You're practically a demon!"
I was shocked to hear this because she clearly said "you all" earlier. That undoubtedly included me, maybe even Cyra couldn't escape. She was going to punish everyone!
Reed had planned things out already, dragging others down to pressure Nicola into obeying.
"That's where you went wrong!"
Thinking of this, I didn't hesitate to criticize Nicola.
"You already agreed earlier. How could you go back on it like this? And even dragging me and Cyra down too, totally immoral!"
If it were something else, I might not care about Reed's collective punishment. But this time Nicola was clearly in the wrong. I saw it all myself, so of course I wouldn't cover for her.
The main point was having to enjoy "Five Light Ten Color" with her every day. That was unacceptable.
"Hey, how could you be so disloyal!"
Nicola struggled to rally us to resist, but Cyra heartlessly shot her down.
"This is your moral failing. Don't drag me into it. I don't want to suffer with you!"
She then took on an air of righteousness and promised Reed.
"If Nicola dares to skip the library any day, Feliciana and I will personally escort her there!"
"Right! I'll strictly supervise her keeping her word!"
I covered Nicola's mouth so she couldn't voice any more protests.
Thus the "Nicola Experiment" project was settled.
Below the Restaurant
"Ah, that was so refreshing!"
Cyra yawned and patted her round belly.
"Being full and then coming outside to this light element-rich environment feels just heavenly! The only downside is maybe feeling a little stuffed..."
"Well obviously!"
I said with some amusement.
"Angels don't eat much to begin with since they normally don't need food. Yet you took portions from the rest of us. No wonder you're stuffed!"
"I hadn't eaten in a whole month! So I indulged a bit..."
Cyra gave a foolish grin to defend herself.
"Thank you for visiting, please come again!"
Just then the server's loud farewell sounded in our ears. Nicola waved for us to see her, indicating she had already paid.
"One meal cost hundreds of silvers, and you sold me out."
As soon as we left the restaurant, Nicola started complaining to me.
"Since when did you become so stingy? Think about those two inflatable dolls in your bag. This much could afford several meals!"
I chuckled coldly and mocked without restraint.
"Uh...aren't you worried about me being captured and tortured by Reed? Who knows what kind of crazy mad scientist she is!"
Nicola asked innocently, still dissatisfied that I didn't speak up for her earlier.
"This is a magical world! What scientist? Besides, Reed already told us the content of the experiments. Believe her, she won't trick you."
I rolled my eyes, somewhat helpless to say. It looked like Nicola's preconceptions about Reed needed some adjusting.
"She's not the aloof girl you imagine, nor is she that crazy. She was a living, breathing human like us once too, even if she's an angel now. She just doesn't express emotions well."