Two weeks had passed since the incident.

  Quill was drowning in books in the lounge on the second floor. There were piles of half-opened books and scrolls sitting everywhere, most of which were textbooks written on general anatomy and sculpting. He referred to them every now and again.

  He was laying the foundations of the Scripts for his first White construct. A blackboard’s worth of Scripts were right in front of him, floating in a senseless mass and shimmering every time he erased a Script in favor of another.

  It was hard work making a Complex Spell.

  For the past week, Quill had been refreshing his memory on general animal and human anatomy. It’d been so long since he used the knowledge that made him all of the Bonewyrms and Fleshgiants, and that same knowledge would be needed again now to create his first White Construct. All forms of mana constructs needed this foundational skill.

  A Construct is a type of creature that embodies a certain Aspect of mana. There are many types and subtypes of Constructs that embody the same idea: forming mana in a way as to give life to them. It's hardly as easy as it sounds, as most successful Constructs come from the Orange mages, with the Green and Orange Aspect making it easier to give life or create vessels.

  Quill continued with the canvas of Scripts right in front of him, muttering under his breath.

  He’d already known that White Scripting was much more complex than Black, but he couldn't have guessed that the Scripts would be twice the length of what he initially planned out. The fact that he also needed to apply lesser known Scripts symbols, constantly referring to the books on how to write them was a nuisance in and of itself.

  Still, he’d remind himself that it was a gift in disguise. His Iron Core wouldn't even be able to handle this heavy of a spell right now if it weren't for the innate flexibility of White Scripting.

  Quill stretched his fingers.

  After a few more hours of editing and revising the Scripts, he was more or less satisfied with the foundational canvas. All he had to do now was to activate the Scripts with a command and see whether or not it would blow up again.

  It was humiliating when it happened the other day. He’d rushed the Scripting process and wound up having to explain to Haref why his bedroom had caught fire. The Scripts absorbed too much mana from him, and he passed out from Mana Fatigue. It was a shame for him to admit that it was all thanks to Rhena and Yereth that the entire second floor didn't break.

  Quill stared at the Scripts one final time before he heaved a breath. There were no problems now, at least as far as he saw it. He raised his hand before pressing it against the flat of the Scripts midair, and with a tug, the Scripts then shimmered to life.

  There was a pull inside his chest as the Scripts started absorbing his mana, pooling the resource from his Core and out through his palm. Before long, a small orb manifested in the air, created from White mana itself. It was a strange solid but liquid, a white marble that shifted like oil.

  This was called the Mana Heart. It was going to be the lifeline of the creature, connecting to Quill's Core to bridge and create a Mana Link between him and the Construct.

  A Mana Link had many uses in the field of Golemancy, but one of its most important features was mana supply. The Mana Link actively feeds the Construct with mana from the mage’s Core, and without it, Constructs can't move or act. Along with that, it also functioned as a way to direct commands to the Construct.

  When the Mana Link was established, the next set of Scripts activated. The Mana Heart trembled in the air before the Scripts ramped up the amounts of mana they were taking, absorbing them from Quill's palm, before White clumps of solid mana materialized around the Mana Heart. At first it was the chest, then the arms and legs, then the head.

  It was like a clay figure.

  Right in front of Quill was a sculpture that resembled a mannequin. It had no node nor mouth, having no features on its head aside from a single slit that functioned as an ‘eye socket’. He took a step forward before brushing his fingers over the figure.

  It was warm, almost hot to the touch and barely bearable to the skin. The entire body was squishy and soft like clay, made for movement and dexterity without destroying the integrity of the form. Quill had wanted to take from his White Ball’s example and create armor that covered the figure, but he first needed the foundations to work to do so.

  And it worked like a charm. Quill's skill in carpentry and woodcarving from his past human life came in handy, making the entire figure look good from an aesthetic standpoint while also maintaining stability and balance.

  The Scripts shimmered one final time. Quill stared at the figure’s eye. When it finally burned with White mana, a lingering white fire emanating from the eyesocket, Quill finally eased a sigh of relief.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  The Marble Puppet was finally done.

  Quill immediately recorded the spell to his Register, pushing a hint of mana to the ring on his finger. He hadn't really thought much of a name as he had with his Simple Spells, so he chose the first thing that came to mind.

  His eyes then drifted to the Extensions of the Complex Spell. Every Complex Spell had Extensions, being spells in their own right, with each section of the Scripts dedicated to the activation of each of these Extensions, making up the foundation of any Complex Spell.

  The first was the Marble Body. He had given White mana solid form, directing the rigidity, plasticity, and flexibility with Scripts. Marble Heart was his name for the Mana Heart that connected his core to the Puppet.

  The last was the Marble Eye. Quill had modeled it after the real anatomy of a human eye, simplifying many of the complex inner workings with Scripts. The Eye would allow the Construct to visualize and internalize external stimuli, allowing it to interact with the world in any meaningful way.

  Quill held a proud smile.

  He was able to create this all within a span of a few weeks, and even then, he’d outdone himself with how efficient the Scripts were. Even though the Mana Link was taking a steady amount of mana from his body, it was more than what any normal Iron Summoner could do; his Iron manapool was capable of lasting for tens of minutes with one Puppet.

  If there was something he had to nitpick from the spell, then it would be the lack of armor and a working brain. The puppet would topple with one good hammer swing, and the brain was needed for more complex automated commands.

  He noted it down for later. He wanted to get working right away, but he didn't even finish the ‘movement’ scripts of the spell. The Puppet right now was more of a sculpture than anything, unable to move at all. It was only ninety-percent done, and he needed to finish first the remaining percent before he could start improving on the spell.

  But this was a good start.

  Quill deactivated the spell, severing the Mana Link between him and the Puppet before it crumbled and evaporated with a fizzle. The moment he did, Yereth spilled to view from the stairs, giving her a wave before she then smiled and sat beside.

  “Rhena isn't with you?” Quill said.

  “No. She's practicing in the training hall.” Yereth pointed to the door on the other side of the lounge. She then smiled. “She’s right there, and you didn't even notice… both of you are inside your own worlds, huh?”

  Quill jotted down his findings in a book before finishing up with his study, organizing the remaining books back on the bookshelves. “Power doesn’t come free. Safety doesn't come without it.”

  “You’re talking about what happened,” Yereth said. “You asked me before if I wanted to try learning magic, but I don't really think I’m suited as a mage.”

  “Is that so?”

  That was the thing with power. Almost everyone had a Core, and with it comes the capability to grow in power, but not everyone could truly comprehend why it was needed.

  Maybe it was different for Yereth, but she can't deny that magic saved their lives back then. If Quill didn't have his Simple Spells with him, then the golden elf would've ended their escape then, and if only he had been stronger, then Yereth wouldn't have been injured.

  At the end of the day, power allows you to live out your life any way you want. No one below you will mock you or trample you. Quill learned that the hard way, back when he was a human.

  It was only normal then that Yereth didn't have what it takes to become a mage. She said it herself: she didn't have the curiosity of a scholar like Quill, nor did she have the drive to grow stronger in power. Both of those things were foundational to a mage, and both of them were completely absent from Yereth.

  “You're really good at magic, Fenith.” Yereth stared at her hand. “I don't know anything about it, but even I could tell from the way you fought.”

  “Of course I am.” Quill crossed his arms and nodded, as if hearing a common truth. “And you’d be great too. We share the same blood, after all.”

  Yereth only shook her head. “I can't kill anyone else.”

  Quill found his eyes staring at the scar on her leg. The burn had healed well, but the blemish was still a permanent reminder.

  The blood on her hands had long washed away, but maybe it was still haunting her. Unlike him, Yereth was a normal person before everything happened, and despite her poor living conditions, she lived a pretty normal life. That was why the blood was eating at her.

  There’d been a time when Quill was like that, too. He was a simple wood carver back then, living a simple life in a simple village before he discovered magic. Ever since then, he had to kill many people to survive.

  Escaping the eyes of an organization like the Circle wasn't easy, and Quill couldn't even begin to count how many bodies he’d already buried. That was why killing came so easily and so naturally to him. He didn't really care now, but he could faintly remember a time when it also ate at him, but he pushed through that pain because it was a need.

  It was the only reason he was talking and breathing right now.

  “You don't have to do anything,” Quill said. “You can just rely on me.”

  “Is that so?” Yereth tittered with a smile before she started for her room. “I’ll be counting on you then, .”

  Quill watched her go inside before he then sighed and leaned against the cushion behind. Magic was one thing, but social concepts were another. Maybe it was because he’d been living in isolation for centuries as a lich, but mortals were really hard to understand.

  Thanks for reading!