Evan sat in his tent, Theron's words replaying in his mind. "This camp isn't safe." The idea of leaving Cedric behind gnawed at him. Cedric was clever, always ready with a joke or a quick observation, but when it came to magic, he never aspired to strength. His creations—small tools, simple objects—were always about practicality, not power.
Evan frowned. Cedric's approach might have kept him safe so far, but the camp was changing. If chaos was truly coming, Cedric's magic wouldn't be enough. Yet Evan had no idea how to help.
"He's never fought," Evan muttered to himself. "But maybe his magic doesn't need to be about fighting. If I can understand it better, maybe I can figure out how to help him push it further."
The next morning, Evan found Cedric sitting near the mission board, casually flicking a small, shimmering coin back and forth between his fingers—a projection, no doubt. Cedric seemed oblivious to Evan's presence as he summoned another object: a short, translucent rod. The projection flickered faintly before vanishing a moment later.
Evan watched silently. Cedric's core was focused on creating physical objects, but they always seemed fleeting, insubstantial. Evan activated Simulate, trying to map out the process as Cedric conjured a new object—a pair of tiny pincers. But Evan's understanding faltered. He couldn't grasp the logic behind the magic. The flickering tools didn't follow any pattern he recognized.
"I don't understand his core," Evan admitted to himself, frustration bubbling up. "If I don't understand it, I can't help him."
Determined to find answers, Evan made his way to the library. The vast, dimly lit space smelled of old parchment and ink, its shelves towering above him. Books on every magical discipline lined the walls, each one a potential key to understanding Cedric's magic.
Evan scanned the titles, searching for anything that could shed light on projection magic. His gaze settled on three promising tomes:
Foundations of Spectral Projection
Advanced Techniques in Conjuration
The Mechanics of Magical Constructs
He knew the cost of unlocking each book: 15 contribution coins per volume. Evan's hand brushed over the pouch at his side, feeling the satisfying weight of his earnings. He had 413 coins saved—more than most novices. But this investment felt necessary.
Without hesitation, he unlocked all three books, paying 45 coins. As the librarian handed him the unlocked tomes, Evan felt the lighter weight of his coin pouch. "368 left," he muttered, making a mental note.
Evan carried the books to a quiet corner of the library, spreading them out on the table. The diagrams and dense text were daunting at first, but he activated Simulate to begin scanning the pages, imprinting the knowledge directly into his mental space.
The first book, Foundations of Spectral Projection, detailed the basics of creating stable, short-lived constructs. It emphasized clarity of intent and simplicity of form, noting that overcomplication often led to instability.
The second, Advanced Techniques in Conjuration, delved into layering constructs with secondary properties—sharpness, flexibility, or durability. One chapter stood out to Evan: the idea of persistent projections—objects that could remain active longer by anchoring them to specific runic patterns.
The third book, The Mechanics of Magical Constructs, was the most detailed, breaking down the relationship between the caster's coreand the physical properties of their projections. It explained how understanding the resonance between magic and material properties could drastically improve the strength and utility of constructs.
Evan took notes feverishly, scribbling on loose sheets of paper as he cross-referenced concepts from one book to another. Ideas began to take shape in his mind:
- Cedric's constructs lacked persistence because they weren't anchored properly.
- He could enhance their durability by incorporating runic structures into their creation.
- Efficiency was the key—Cedric was likely wasting energy on unnecessary details instead of focusing on core functionality.
By the time the sun set, Evan had finished scanning the books into his core. But that was only the first step. He returned the tomes to the library, ensuring he avoided late fees, and retreated to his tent with a stack of notes.
He spent the rest of the night immersed in study, replaying the scanned contents of the books within his mental space. Simulate allowed him to map out theoretical constructs, layering them with runic patterns and adjusting energy flows to test different configurations.
Page after page of his notebook filled with diagrams, annotations, and potential applications for Cedric's magic. Evan's core pulsed steadily as he tested combinations in his mind, his thoughts racing with possibilities.
As dawn broke, Evan sat back, exhaustion etched into his features. In his mental space, a new magical construct floated near Flame Spark: a conjuration spell, meticulously designed using the knowledge he had gathered. It was a framework of runes representing the concepts he had studied—projection, anchoring, durability—but when Evan tried to activate it, nothing happened.
No projection. No flicker of magic. Just silence.
Evan exhaled deeply, rubbing his temples. "Of course," he muttered. "I've only built the foundation. I attributed the runes to the concepts, but the structure lacks subproducts. Without them, it's just a blueprint."
It became clear what he needed to do next. If he wanted to replicate Cedric's magic—or even understand it—he had to compare his theoretical spell to the real thing. Specifically, he needed to observe Cedric while he cast magic, identify the subproducts incorporated by his core, and create a engine capable of generating those subproducts.
Evan activated Simulate, replaying the mental images he had captured of Cedric practicing the previous day. Every conjured object, every shimmer of magic—Evan scrutinized it all, deconstructing the layers of Cedric's spellwork. As he analyzed the projections, certain runic patterns emerged, glowing faintly as his core highlighted them.
"These aren't just runes," Evan realized. "They're subproducts embedded in his constructs. They're what give them functionality."
He carefully documented the ones he identified, naming them based on their apparent purpose:
- Projection Core – The foundational subproduct that stabilizes the shape of the construct.
- Ethereal Binding – Maintains the cohesion of the projection, preventing it from dissipating.
- Material Resonance – Imparts physical properties like weight, hardness, or flexibility to the projection.
- Durability Spark – Extends the lifespan of the conjured object by regulating energy flow.
- Energy Efflux – Ensures efficient energy distribution throughout the projection, reducing waste.
Each subproduct carried a unique signature, distinct from the raw runes Evan had designed. They were the life of the spell, the core elements that brought it from concept to reality.
Evan began constructing a new engine in his mental space, instructing his core to analyze and integrate the extracted subproducts. Unlike the Ember Engine, which had taken weeks of relentless refinement, this process was surprisingly straightforward. Cedric's core, while versatile, was unrefined, lacking the complexities that came with prolonged magical development.