The sunlight streamed through the wide, arched windows of Javir's study, highlighting the organized chaos sprawled across the table: scrolls, random moral support Spirit Crystals, and yet another particularly unlucky lizard in a small glass enclosure.
She'd let a certain pair of magical scientists (scientific mages?) borrow it for the time being.
Melisa sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning over a notebook where she scribbled frantically, muttering under her breath.
Zephyra paced nearby, her sharp features lit by the glow of a Spirit Crystal she held.
"Alright, let's go over this one more time. The original incantation was *Lumi sanguine, vita crescere,* paired with the weird... spiraling spellsign you made. And that created a temporary extension of life by siphoning Essence from… well, everywhere."
"I think that's how it works, yeah," Melisa sighed, twirling her pen between her fingers. "But the problem is the 'temporary' part."
"Well, of course," Zephyra said but Melisa kept going.
"The whole thing just... destabilizes as soon as the Essence disperses," Melisa noted, eyes squinted. "What if we tweak the spellsign to incorporate some sort of binding spellsign? Pretty sure Javir knows a binding spell. M-Maybe it'll, like, force the Essence to anchor itself more firmly?"
Zephyra tilted her head, continuing her pacing.
"A binding sign? That's risky. I think it's more likely that instead of compressing the spell it'll just resurrect the target but strip them of their ability to move, which, well..." Zephyra smirked, "knowing Kimiko, she would probably very much rather die."
Melisa shrugged.
"Hey, that's what the lizard's for, right?"
Zephyra rolled her eyes but didn't argue.
Instead, she asked Melisa to try drawing the spellsign she thought of and practiced it a few times. Melisa was briefly stunned by this simple but effective reminder of how much of an influence talent was in this world's magic.
If you tried to cast a spell, and drew the spellsign, and messed up even a single line, the spell would misfire. Here was Zephyra, though, taking a spellsign Melisa had just shown her, and after a couple of lazy practice-casts in the air, she was ready to cast it.
"Alright, your idea. Let's see if it holds."
Melisa grinned, standing and stretching.
"Okay, lizard buddy. Time to earn your keep." She reached into the enclosure, gently picking up the tiny creature. "Don't worry; you'll be fine... Probably."
Zephyra raised an eyebrow.
"Comforting."
In a few heartbreaking seconds, the world's total lizard population had once again been shrunk by one.
Zephyra then drew the modified spellsign in the air, her fingers quick and steady. It shimmered with a faint red light, its spirals interwoven with a smaller sigil resembling a chain link. Taking a deep breath, she intoned:
"Lumi sanguine, vinculum crescere!"
The sigil flared, the Essence coalescing into a warm glow around the dead lizard. For a moment, it seemed to work; the creature rose back to life and perked up, its movements sharper, its colors brighter.
And then, with an audible *pop*, the spell activated a second effect. The lizard, as Zephyra predicted, became frozen.
Melisa groaned.
"Ugh. Another dud."
Zephyra tapped her chin. She set the Spirit Crystal down and turned to Melisa.
"You know, that Blood Magic affinity of yours is... It's something. Can we talk about that?"
Melisa blinked.
[Huh?]
"What about it?"
Zephyra folded her arms.
"You're not using sacrifices or causing harm, yet you can manipulate life energy with Blood Magic. That's… unheard of. Every other Blood Mage has to draw from pain, death. Why don't you?"
Melisa scratched the back of her neck.
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"I… don't know?"
Internally, she had a theory.
[Maybe it's a succubus thing.] She looked away. [I mean, that's basically what I am. Kinda makes sense that a 'demonic' creature would be particularly good at 'demonic' magic.]
Outwardly, she said:
"Maybe I'm just special."
Zephyra's lips quirked into a faint smile.
"Special is one word for it."
Before Melisa could retort, a familiar voice called from the hallway.
"Melisa! Zephyra! You in here?"
Melisa turned as Isabella sauntered into the room, tails swishing behind her. Kimiko followed close behind, her expression warm but tinged with curiosity. Isabella was balancing a stack of wands precariously in her arms.
"We're here," Melisa said, waving. "What's up?"
Isabella dumped the wands onto the nearest table.
"Just grabbing my stuff. Can you believe I almost left these behind?" She picked up a wand and twirled it dramatically. "What a tragedy that would've been."
"Ah," Kimiko's eyes met Zephyra's, and the two women grinned at each other. "Miss Vortell. Always a pleasure."
"Likewise."
Kimiko's gaze drifted to all the scattered stuff.
"What are you two working on?"
Zephyra answered first, her tone measured.
"We're experimenting with modifications to the resurrection spell Melisa made. Trying to make the effects more... permanent."
Kimiko's smile faltered.
"Is that so?" She stepped closer to Melisa, lowering her voice. "Can we talk?"
Melisa hesitated but nodded, following Kimiko outside to the hall.
Kimiko's expression softened as she placed a hand on Melisa's shoulder.
"I know what you're trying to do, Melisa," Kimiko said gently. "And I'm grateful. Truly. But I need you to promise me something."
Melisa's throat tightened.
"What?"
"Don't lose yourself over this," Kimiko said. "I've had a damn good, very full life. If this is the end for me, I can accept that. I don't want you to hurt yourself or hurt someone else trying to keep me here."
Melisa's chest ached, but she forced a smile.
"I promise I won't do anything reckless."
Kimiko studied her for a moment before nodding.
"Good."
As Kimiko stepped back, Isabella bounded over, her usual energy filling the space.
"Alright, Mom. We've got everything we need, so let's head out. Melisa, maybe you could come with us? We do have drinks~"
"Unfortunately, I'm going to have to decline on her behalf," Zephyra said with a smirk. "We have work to do."
"Shit." Isabella laughed, pulling Melisa into a quick hug. "Fine, I guess. Take care of yourself, alright? And maybe take a break once in a while."
"I'll think about it," Melisa said, grinning.
As they left, Zephyra crossed her arms, watching the door close behind them. "They're right, you know. You're pushing yourself pretty hard."
Melisa waved a hand dismissively.
"I'm fine. Besides, we've got work to do."
Zephyra sighed, shaking her head.
"Fine. But let's make the most of our time. If we're going to find a solution, we'll need every second."
Melisa smirked, already reaching for her notebook.
"Let's get cooking, then."
---
The next few hours were a blur of incantations, spellsigns, and an increasingly diminishing insect population.
Scrolls piled up around them, and parts of the air glowed faintly with residual magic from where both mages had drawn spellsigns. Despite their best efforts, progress was slow.
"Why is this so damn complicated?" Melisa groaned, flopping onto her back. "It's like the universe is allergic to making things easy."
Zephyra chuckled, sitting cross-legged beside her. Her neckline was hanging so low, as Melisa turned to look at her, she could almost see one of her ni-
"One would expect the universe to try to resist the breaking of its rules."
Melisa shook her head.
"Well, I think the universe should accept me as its center and call it a day."
"You're charming, darling, but not that charming."
Melisa rolled her eyes.
"Well, I'd settle for 'close to the center' too, right now."
Zephyra's gaze softened as she looked down at Melisa.
"In my honest, humble opinion, if it is indeed possible to figure this out, then we'll figure it out. We're too stubborn to fail."
Melisa grinned, her spirits lifting slightly.
"Damn right."
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting warm hues across the room, Zephyra stretched and stood.
"That's enough for today. I'm going to go get some rest. You should do the same. We'll pick this up tomorrow."
Melisa sat up, brushing dust off her clothes.
"Fine, fine. Stay for a snack?"
Zephyra laughed.
"Do not tempt me."
Melisa lingered in Javir's study for a moment.
Despite the setbacks, a flicker of hope remained. And as long as there was a chance, she wasn't giving up.
[One step at a time, Mel. You've got this.]
Wanting to get a breath of fresh air, Melisa walked over to the garden.
It was quiet, the air filled with the faint fragrance of blooming flowers. Lanterns swayed gently in the breeze, their soft light casting dancing shadows.
[Hm?]
Melisa found Margaret sitting on the stone bench beneath the willow tree, her gaze lost in the stars above.
Melisa approached silently, her footsteps muted by the grass. Without a word, she slid onto the bench beside her mother, resting her head against Margaret's shoulder. Margaret turned slightly, her hand coming up to gently stroke Melisa's hair. She'd known of course what Melisa and Zephyra were trying to accomplish.
"No results?" Margaret asked.
"No." Melisa sighed. "How do you feel about all this?" Melisa asked, her voice soft, almost hesitant.
Margaret exhaled slowly, her fingers brushing through Melisa's dark locks.
"I think... Loss is a part of life. It hurts, but it's what makes us cherish the moments we have. You can't fight it forever. Obviously, I'd love to not lose my sister. But, be it today or be it in 30 years, it's going to happen one day."
"..."
Melisa wasn't sure what to say to that. So, for a while, they sat in silence.
Melisa sighed, her lips brushing absently against Margaret's collarbone as she nestled closer. The warmth was soothing, grounding her in the moment.
Margaret chuckled.
"If you're going to start with that, Melisa, you should at least go eat dinner first."
Melisa laughed softly, her breath tickling Margaret's skin.
"Deal," she murmured, feeling a little lighter for the first time all day.