(18) Gate

“How many spells do you know?” Nephthys asked, making the conscious effort to stand rather than float.

“A couple…” Tara replied, her hands clasped behind her back, likely to prevent nervous fiddling.

The two stood in the center of a spherical chamber. The walls were starmetal, with blue lines running across their entire surfaces, glowing subtly. The chamber was illuminated by a source-less light, roughly the hue of early morning. It was just enough light to see by, neither overwhelming nor distracting.

This was Nemesis’s training chamber, built near the center of the pyramid. Nephthys had built it near the center mostly to localize her starmetal expenditure, as it was a rare and expensive resource even for her. Its location, in addition to consolidating starmetal, also meant that any weapons or artifacts that needed testing were just a short walk away, as the vault was practically next door.

“Cast one for me, then. It does not matter which,” Nephthys ordered, stepping back.

Tara held out her hand, closed her eyes, and spoke.

“Light,” she said confidently.

Nephthys watched in confusion as Tara’s mana stirred after the command, strangely, as if in response to it rather than her own will. It circulated efficiently, but in a mechanical, almost robotic way, to Nephthys’s senses. After a second of circulation, a small, glowing orb manifested above her outstretched hand.

It emitted a soft blue light, barely noticeable against the training room’s ambient illumination. Tara glanced at it in satisfaction before looking toward Nephthys.

“I made it small and subtle since it was just an example,” she explained.

Nephthys observed her silently for several moments, struggling to process the strangeness of what she had just witnessed.

“Why did you say the name of the spell?” she finally asked.

Tara cocked her head to the side, confused by the question.

“You…asked me to cast a spell…” she replied.

“Yes, cast it. Not name it. Did you just say its name for my benefit, so that I would know what you were casting?” Nephthys asked, sure they were beginning to talk around each other.

“I—how else would I cast the spell?” Tara questioned, obviously becoming frustrated.

In response, five small balls of intensely concentrated fire sprang to life, orbiting around Nephthys’s head in a wide halo. With a mental gesture, they went flying toward the other side of the training hall, where they detonated in explosions that would likely have deafened them both save for the dampening enchantments built into the room.

Tara’s eyes were wide. Her mouth hung agape, staring at the other side of the room, where smoke was quickly being dispersed by the room’s enchantments.

“You did it again! How are you casting without an incantation?!” Tara exclaimed.

“How are you casting with one?” Nephthys replied. “The name of that spell is Bolide. However, as you probably noticed, simply saying the spell’s name did not cast it automatically.”

Tara stared, blinking rapidly. Nephthys inferred that she had asked something outrageous, as she could not find a better way to describe Tara’s current state beyond ‘dumbfounded’.

“Of course it didn’t. You have to communicate your intention to cast the spell to the Words,” she said flatly.

“The Words? What exactly does that mean?” Nephthys asked.

Even ‘dumbfounded’ could not adequately describe the look Tara gave her now.

“The…Words…you know? The Words! The grand design! The thing that shows your levels and class and stuff!” she shouted, hands in the air, nearly hysterical.

Pieces began to click into place in Nephthys’s mind. Suddenly, Tara’s casting and even her unique tattoo magic made more sense.

“I see. That is why your mana did not stir until you spoke the spell. It also explains why your circulation was much more efficient, if ugly, while casting that spell compared to using your lines,” Nephthys said, thinking aloud with her hand on her chin.

Tara stared at her, completely mystified, and likely growing even more frustrated.

“Bolide,” Nephthys said without warning.

She carefully observed her mana flowing in response to her words. The activation and circulation were much faster than she would imagine Tara’s, yet it was still dramatically slower than her own casting. Her mana pathed through her body similarly to how she circulated it, yet this system—these ‘Words’—seemed to circulate at a set rate. Perhaps it was based on the maximum the average caster could handle?

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author’s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

After a couple of seconds, the same halo of fireballs appeared around Nephthys’s body, yet they were…diminished. The fireballs flickered and wavered, their flames far less compressed than her own version. With a wave of her hand, they were sent flying; the resulting explosions were weaker, likely due to the reduced compression.

“I see. The Words automate casting to some degree. Fascinating,” Nephthys mumbled, staring toward the still-flickering flames from her spell.