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The air carried a faint, enchanting fragrance that beckoned like a vernal whisper. Violetta knelt and plucked a small white flower.
“Mmm... this scent. So delicate. It feels like spring.”
“PLANT IDENTIFICATION: GALANTHUS NIVALIS. COMMON NAME: SNOWDROP. BLOOMS IN EARLY SPRING, OFTEN PIERCING THROUGH SNOW RESIDUE. CONTAINS GALANTAMINE—AN ALKALOID UTILIZED IN TREATING NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS. CONSUMPTION IN RAW FORM: NOT RECOMMENDED. SYMPTOMS: NAUSEA, DIZZINESS; IN EXTREME CASES, MOTOR DYSFUNCTION. DECORATIVE VALUE: HIGH. SYMBOLIZES HOPE, REBIRTH, AND RESILIENCE.”
“ADVISORY: OBSERVATION WITHOUT PHYSICAL CONTACT IS THE SAFEST FORM OF INTERACTION.”
Violetta gave the Sphere a dry look and grumbled, “Buzzkill.”
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She wandered slowly through the woods, the white blossom tucked against her chest, offering its sweet perfume. Violetta concentrated her energy in her hand, attempting to manifest a sphere of water, but the element refused to obey.
“What am I doing wrong? I’m following the manual exactly, but nothing’s happening...”
To test herself, she manifested a metallic blade that hovered before her face. She snatched the hilt and squeezed. Her gaze flickered from her empty palm to the one gripping the cold iron. Something was disconnected.
“HYPOTHESIS: METHODOLOGICAL ERROR. SUBJECT IS ATTEMPTING TO MANIFEST FLUID ANALOGOUSLY TO PHYSICAL OBJECT MATERIALIZATION.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“OBJECT MATERIALIZATION UTILIZES INTERNAL ENERGY CONVERTED INTO PHYSICAL MASS. THIS PROCESS IS REGULATED BY THE INTERNAL AI, WHICH CONVERTS NEURAL IMAGES INTO MATTER.”
“Internal AI? What?”
“ALL ASCARI POSSESS HYPER-COMPLEX PHYSIOLOGY. TO SUPPORT THE BIOLOGICAL BRAIN, A ‘SYNTHETIC CEREBRUM’ IS EMPLOYED. IT MANAGES COMPLEX COMPUTATIONS, MOTOR STABILIZATION, AND BODY REGULATION.”
Violetta blinked, trying to process the data-dump. “So I’m literally a computer on legs? Fantastic.”
“INACCURATE. CONCEPTUALIZE IT AS DUAL PROCESSING. YOUR PRIMARY CONSCIOUSNESS DICTATES INTENT; THE SECONDARY SYNTHETIC BRAIN MANAGES CALCULATION AND EXECUTION. THINK OF IT AS POSSESSING A THIRD CEREBRAL HEMISPHERE.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Incredible... I mean... wow.”
“ANALYSIS: RECALL THE SENSATION OF THE HEALING MAGIC YOU FIRST EMPLOYED. UTILIZE EXTERNAL MANA FOR THE WATER SPHERE RATHER THAN INTERNAL ENERGY CONVERSION.”
Right... I’ve spent so much time forging physical items that I’ve forgotten how to tap into the world’s flow. Time to try the Sphere’s way.
“Thanks for the tip.”
The Sphere pulsed with a satisfied azure glow and drifted back into position.
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Violetta stopped once the sun could no longer pierce the thick canopy. As was her habit, she secured a perimeter and manifested her shelter. "Version III" was a significant upgrade: a proper door instead of a hatch, and snugly fitted wooden panels lining the interior instead of bare, freezing metal. The iron stove hissed with heat. Wrapping herself in a blanket, Violetta began to read.
“Let’s see...” she whispered, swiping through the pages the Sphere had just decrypted on her VISOR. “Magic in this world is categorized into three types: Offensive, Defensive, and Neutral.”
“STANDARD CLASSIFICATION,” the Sphere added tonelessly. “OFFENSIVE SUBTYPES INCLUDE DIRECT STRIKES, ENERGY DEPLETION, ELEMENTAL DAMAGE, AND ANOMALOUS EFFECTS. DESTRUCTIVE POTENTIAL IS THE DEFINING CRITERION.”
“Defensive... barriers, healing, buffs...” A sudden pang struck her. If only I could have protected Marunya back then...
“DEFENSIVE MAGIC IS SPLIT INTO REACTIVE AND SUPPORTIVE. HYBRID SPELLS EXIST, SUCH AS DAMAGE ABSORPTION WITH KINETIC REDIRECTION.”
“And Neutral... like teleportation or non-divine healing.”
“THE ‘NEUTRAL’ LABEL IS ARTIFICIAL,” the Sphere stated. “USED TO CLASSIFY RARE OR POORLY RESEARCHED PHENOMENA. TELEPORTATION, CHRONO-MANIPULATION, TRANSMUTATION, ILLUSIONS. MOST OF THESE SCHOOLS ARE CONSIDERED LOST OR FORBIDDEN.”
Violetta bit her lip, scrolling to the next page.
“Then there’s the elemental split. Water, Fire, Earth, Air. But there’s also Life magic... used by elves and druids. And Light and Darkness.”
“LIFE MAGIC REGULATES ORGANIC GROWTH AND RESTORATION. LIGHT IS HIGH-LEVEL, REQUIRING ‘BLESSING’ OR UNKNOWN ENERGY SOURCES. DARKNESS OFTEN MANIFESTS SPONTANEOUSLY, LINKED TO PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA, DEATH, OR LOSS OF SELF-CONTROL.”
“WARNING: MANA DEPLETION BEYOND 50% CAUSES NAUSEA AND VERTIGO. EXCEEDING 90% MAY RESULT IN ORGAN FAILURE OR CESSATION OF LIFE FUNCTIONS.”
“Wonderful... so if I cast something too big—boom, I’m a corpse. Just perfect.”
She decided to start small: the "Water Bolt." She was in a forest; fire was too risky, and the rest were still encrypted.
“Sphere, can you project the spell circle?”
“AFFIRMATIVE.” A shimmering blue hologram flared in the air.
Violetta stepped outside and reached toward the projection. She recalled the warmth of her first healing spell. A wave of heat rolled through her arm, gathering in her palm. The hologram ignited, and a sphere of water shot from its center.
“Whoa! It worked!”
“WATER BOLT HOLOGRAM SAVED TO ELEMENTAL ARCHIVE. RECOMMENDATION: FIELD TESTING.”
“I like your style, Sphere.” She extended her hand again, speaking clearly: “Water Bolt!”
A new sphere formed and hissed through the air.
“Now... without the words.”
She focused, pulling the mana into her palm. The sphere formed—less stable this time, wobbling as it flew.
“ANALYSIS: SILENT CASTING SUCCESSFUL AT 68% ACCURACY. DEVIATIONS DETECTED IN FORM, VELOCITY, AND STABILITY. ADDITIONAL PRACTICE REQUIRED.”
“Yeah, I felt that... it’s shaky.” She yawned, her shoulders popping. “Enough for today. We continue tomorrow.”
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