Syl

Chapter 117: Safety Override

The next day was a continuation of the same, a relentless cycle of almost succeeding, only to be plunged back into the depths of failure. I turned to Trixie, hoping for a glimmer of advice, but her response was a genuine, regrettable denial.

"I certainly hope I don't have to overcome this each and every time..." I said with a hint of anxiety.

"Thankfully, it stays broken once you've overcome the mental block," Trixie replied.

"That's a relief... I think I'd give up if you said otherwise." I admitted, my voice tinged with gratitude.

"Is there a skill or trait for this?" I asked, hoping there was perhaps a purchasable solution.

After a pause to think, Trixie replied, "No... But it's very good training for [Mana Manipulation]. Also, once you've achieved it, I believe it might open up some skills for you in the future."

"That's a shame... I've had things I wanted to do in the past, but until I got the right skill or trait, it seemed utterly impossible. Like I was blocked on a reality level."

"Think of it like agreeing to terms and conditions. Or a safety waiver."

"What?" I asked, puzzled.

I also tried ordering my [Sub-Cores] to attempt it, but they ignored the order. Whatever this was, I had to overcome it myself, and I just hoped once I had broken through, it would apply to them as well.

It was late afternoon when it finally happened. An invisible barrier in my mind shattered, and far outside of my so-called "mana aura," I formed the basic spell construct for [Water Orb]. There was an immediate flare of dread, and I wondered if I was about to be punished, but then it entirely faded away.

I let the spell cast, and it fired off into the distance. Then I immediately attempted it again, and like Trixie had said, there was no resistance at all. I ordered my [Sub-Cores] to cast, and they followed through. I couldn't help but cheer. I was extremely worried that they wouldn't be able to after they blatantly ignored my earlier order, which I didn't think was even possible.

"Excellent! Well done, Syl. I knew you could do it." Trixie said with a bright and cheery smile as she petted my head. "Now, I can explain the risks and consequences without potentially scaring you off entirely or reinforcing the block."

"Right," I replied, eagerly nodding.

"Okay, construct another [Water Orb]," Trixie requested, and I did so.

"The first risk is an obvious one; someone else can seize your spell," Trixie said and held out her hand toward my spell. It shimmered slightly, and I felt it ripped from my control. A feeling of raw and pure violation washed over me, and then the spell was aimed at and hit me.

"That is the weakest threat; only amateurs will do something like this, as most casters are usually heavily resistant or immune to their own affinities." Trixie explained, then chuckled before adding, "And if they aren't, they are idiots. Of course, if you have allies, they might turn your spell against them, which could be tragic..."

I nodded in agreement, remembering how Dewi had ensured he was fireproof. Since I mostly acted alone, the idea of my spells being turned against allies didn't seem that likely, and I was mostly immune to all of them as far as I knew.

"Cast something a little bigger for the next demonstration, please. Preferably something, not water."

I cast [Fireball] this time, holding it in the air. Trixie reached out and seized the spell. Again, I felt violated, and the spell exploded as the construct dangerously unraveled. I felt something inside of me burn away.

"The second risk is someone disrupting your spell and causing you a backlash, which will burn your mana. Against lesser foes, you can overcome this, and there's an entire skill for this, which I'll give you afterward." Trixie explained.

"So that was the... Burning feeling?" I asked.

"Yes. You have so much mana that you probably barely felt it, but for lessers, it can be deadly, especially if the enemy caster is highly proficient." Trixie answered, "I probably burnt away double the mana in that spell, but I've heard masters burn away up to five times the mana."

"That's a horrifying thought. And that's not even including the spell going haywire."

"Yes, depending on the type of spell or the mana types involved, it could be especially deadly when it breaks apart. Advanced spells in particular..." Trixie gave a little shudder; I could only imagine what an advanced spell breaking apart would do.

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"Right. Another [Water Orb] for the final demonstration." She requested, and I complied. She seized the spell but held it, saying, "Right now, this spell is fully mine to control, but you are the designated fuel source."

It didn't take long for her words to sink in, and my mind flickered through the potential ramifications of what she said. "Oh no..."

"Yes. This is the biggest risk, especially if you aren't strong enough to regain control. In theory, I could drain you dry right now." Trixie said, and I watched her morph the spell form from [Water Orb] into [Torrent].

My mind reeled in disgust and outrage; it was like she had somehow violated my soul. I struggled to even comprehend how sinister and wrong this felt, and suddenly, all the prior warnings made sense.

"Sorry. An old friend of mine once described this as watching your child get mutilated right in front of your eyes." Trixie said with a grimace and finally cast the spell. The feeling lessened drastically, but now I could feel the connection to my mana, and there was no way to stop it.

"In theory, I could just leave this until you drained, although remarkably, you seem to be almost keeping up," Trixie said, unable to hide her surprise in her voice.

"I could increase it too." I pointed out, allowing vines to grow out and borrowing [Solar Rejuvenation].

Trixie was startled for a moment, then watched with a strange look of admiration. "Well, aren't you just full of surprises?" She chuckled and finally let the spell end.

"So those are all the risks?" I asked, feeling the relief of my spell no longer held hostage.

"Technically, there's one more, but I'm nowhere near good enough to do it. It's sort of an advanced version of what I just did. Theoretically, one could seize your spell and transform it into an entirely different spell with an entirely different affinity far beyond your capabilities. It could instantly drain and kill you."

I stared at Trixie in horror, "What?"

"Oh yes. It's quite scary. The consequences for casting a spell you shouldn't be able to is severe. Imagine I took your little first-level water spell and modified it on the fly into an eighth-level nature spell?"

"I-I didn't even know that was possible..." I stammered, struggling to even comprehend how someone would do something like that. It made all my spell modifications look like child's play.

"Like I said, far beyond what I'm capable of. If you run into someone like that, they could kill you a million other ways, so I'd hardly worry about them manipulating your spell; that would just be them showing off." Trixie pointed out. I was immediately reminded of Simon the Lich and how he casually killed me with the wave of his hand.

"What's stopping you from manipulating a spell within my mana aura?" I asked. "Or manipulating it once it's actually cast?"

"It's just how the world works," Trixie answered before pausing to ponder. "To give you an analogy, let's say your spell was a recipe on a piece of parchment. Your mana aura is your house, and I can't steal your recipe from within your house or mess with it. But if you leave your recipe on the street, I can do whatever I want with it."

I paused to consider her words; they sort of made sense. "Right... But then what about when it's cast?"

Trixie sighed, perhaps disappointed I didn't appreciate her analogy. "Well, your recipe was for a cake. You've baked your cake, and now I can't mess with the recipe. I could blow up your cake or stomp on it, but once it's baked, I can't mess with it internally anymore."

"That... Kinda makes sense. Okay..."

"Look, I never said I was the master of analogies, but I thought it might help?" Trixie puffed out her cheeks, looking a little sulky.

"Right. Sorry, Trixie. Thanks for trying." I said, giving an apologetic bow of my head. "So, I suppose the more important question is, how do I stop this?"

"Well, you have a few options. Let's start with the simplest: cast your spell fast enough that it can't be manipulated." Trixie said, nearly instantly casting a [Water Orb] before me that splashed against me. "That requires practice. I think a few skills might help, but nothing beats good old practice."

I nodded along, "Makes sense."

"The second method, and my favorite, is hiding your spell. If they can't see it, they can't seize it." Trixie said, another ball of water forming before casually being launched at me. This time, I couldn't see her spell workings; the water just appeared from nowhere.

"Unfortunately, you aren't compatible with my method, so you might need to discover your own."

"Is it an affinity requirement?" I questioned.

"Yes."

My mood immediately plummeted, and I sank my face deep into my palms and let out a frustrated groan. Trixie seemed surprised by my sudden outburst.

"Bad experience with affinities or something?" She questioned.

"It feels like whenever I want a trait or skill, I'm blocked by a missing affinity..." I moaned.

"Yeah... Well, look on the bright side; not many can gain a new one by eating a slime?" Trixie replied with a shrug.

"Yeah. You're right. Still disappointing, though."

Trixie cleared her throat loudly. "Anyway. While you can't use my method, you can still hide your spells. Form them behind an opponent, above or below them, and so forth. Just try not to form them too close; if they are within someone else's aura, they are easier to detect."

"You say that, but I can't detect yours at all, and I'm pretty sure you've made them within mine." I pointed out.

"Easier, not guaranteed," Trixie replied with a cheeky smile. "There's a decent chance once you've used it a bit, your class might give you a solution. You mentioned [Sneak Attack], so I assume it's some sort of roguey-spellcaster isn't it?"

"Yes. It's a hybrid class, from what I've been told."

"Good. There's even a chance you've met some prerequisite just by breaking through the restriction. Look forward to your next level up." Trixie said with a wink.

I tried casting a few times; if I pulled in all my cores to help and avoided empowering, I could cast excessively fast. Even Trixie was greatly impressed by that spellcasting speed. I knew [Magic Efficiency] also reduced spellcasting time, but I couldn't exactly focus on training that skill in particular unless I spent some skill points to directly upgrade it. I questioned Trixie about it, but she said I should just cast lots of spells outside of my aura, which would be a risk bonus.

I was practicing with [Icicle], determined to get my [Ice Magic] to five while working towards my modified version. Trixie agreed with my approach to add [Frost Grasp] and [Chill] to it, although she pointed out that spell modifications weren't exactly her thing.

"As fun as it is to watch you trying to turn this island into a glacier, I'm going to bed. Tomorrow, I'll show you a new skill, and we can practice defending your spells for when stealth or haste fails you."

"I can't wait!" I said with a beaming smile, "Thanks again, Trixie."