Leone PoV
I frowned as I stared at the complex structure of runes before me, shining crimson inside the Sanctum.
Standing in front of me was Mom, her head tilted slightly as she watched me attempt to decipher the mass of runes she had assembled in the air, with Aunt Igna, Aunt Theresa, and Mother watching from the side, each one curious to see if I could manage to understand the spell - one of Mom's own creation.
My fingers flew around as I reconstructed parts of her Ritual Circle, trying to locate the basics of the spell so that I could get a grasp for what it was meant to do - in specifics, as just staring at the spell let me understand how devastating its power was.
Some of the runes I had never seen before, their origin unknown, and I could only groan as I realized that each part that I had designated as its individual parts all had those runes, further shrouding it in complexity.
Before I could be overwhelmed by the frustration, I pushed all of the parts besides one away, deciding to focus all my efforts on just this individual piece before moving on; if I learnt what this part did, perhaps I could draw conclusions on the other parts?
The string of runes floating in front of me were so heavily intertwined and combined with different runes that just deciphering one was a miracle.
I could almost feel each grain of sand inside Mom's hourglass draining away, my time shortening at a rapid pace as I worked as quickly as I could, barely managing to determine the use for this small part of the Ritual Circle.
"Time. So?"
All of the runes in front of me vanished - even the ones that I had formed with my own mana - leaving the Sanctum illuminated by the rising sun instead of crimson light.
I sighed, feeling slightly dejected as I said "I... know that it is some form of offensive spell. The part that I managed to... well, sort of understand was that the spell had to deal with 'pulling' something upwards, but..."
As I trailed off I shrugged, not knowing anything else besides that.
What could she be 'pulling' upwards?
ƥandasnovel.com Was it another part of the spell - like a directional segment of her spell, telling it what to do?
Or was it pulling on some outside force?
Sighing again, I glanced up at Mom and the others, only to frown as I saw that they were all grinning at me.
"What? I failed, didn't I?"
Confusion flooded my mind as I saw their grins widen, before Mother couldn't help it anymore, letting out a snicker as she stepped forwards.
Pulling me into a hug, Mother stroked my hair as she said "Leone, oh Leone... Sometimes you're far to smart - and far to critical - for your own good~! Did you truly think your Mom would have you decipher one of her strongest spells in an hour? When you have barely begun to explore the intricacies of the arcane? The fact that you managed to even determine that small part of the spell is amazing~!"
Mom joined us as well, but Aunt Igna was the one to speak, the Dragon letting out a hearty laugh before rasping "None of your siblings ever managed to decipher a piece of that spell until they were at least two decades old. Monica was the fastest at twenty, while Dante managed a few months after he turned twenty. So for you to do so at... what age are you? Seven and a half? Eight?"
I just shrugged, not entirely sure myself as I hadn't placed much care on that number in years, but Mother gave us the answer quickly.
"Eight and a few months; over a decade before Monica and Dante... Good job Leone~! If it makes you feel better, I've barely managed to decipher a third of the spell myself... Many sleepless nights spent trying to figure out that spell of hers, yet I'm not that close..."
Mom grinned as she ruffled Mother's hair, before doing the same to me as she said "Then keep at it. I'm sure you've learned quite a bit trying to figure it out, haven't you?"
"I have, but still! Why won't you just tell me what it does?! I AM your wife, after all!"
Mother glared at Mom, who just grinned some more before glancing back at Aunt Igna, who chortled in amusement.
I glared at Mother, snapping "That's rich coming from you, Mother dearest. I do believe you've hung three separate magics over my head in the last few days, as well as dozens of research papers? Why have I been denied access to them?"
Before she could respond, Aunt Theresa sighed as she stepped forwards, her gnarled wooden 'flesh' bathed in sunlight as she positioned herself beneath it, saying "Please, rein it in? We have only so much time. Leone, before you begin exploring new avenues of magic, you need to bolster your understanding of the fundamentals to near perfection. Lorelei, you as well. That spell isn't as complicated as you think it is. The structure is comprised of basic runes, and basic runes only. Now, let's get back on track, hmm?"
Mother and I froze, staring at the green eyed Aunt Theresa in shock before looking towards Mom, who just smirked at us.
""Wha..?""
"I was hoping you'd figure that out on your own, but... yes, that spell is made from only basic runes. Entire spells have been broken down to their fundamentals and transformed from Ritual Circles to individual runes."
"117 runes, in total. It started as 234, but we managed to simplify a few more things."
Now we glanced at Aunt Igna, who's smirk was identical to Mom's as she stood up, her long, scaled tail thumping against the floor, highlighting just how amused she was.
"You..! You said you didn't know anything about it! You lied to me?!"
Mom glared at Aunt Igna, who's shoulders trembled as she held in a laugh.
"You were cute begging for it, but... it's up to you to learn it, Lorelei. Just like it was up to me to learn it as well~! Though, I certainly wouldn't mind letting a few hints slip..."
I sighed as I watched Aunt Igna caress Mother's cheek, the Dragon's forked tongue flicking out over her lips.
"No. No, not again. You took me for a fool the first time, Igna! Not again!"
She just shrugged before turning towards me, saying "Leone, like Theresa said, focus some more on your fundamentals. What we've always advised - sixty percent on the fundamentals..."
"Thirty on your current spells, ten on new things... I know."
"Make sure to remember it. Advancing too quickly through different levels of magic might seem like it's a good idea, but after a while it's just flashy with no substance. I've watched as a peasant who utilized nothing but simple Earth Magic defended himself against the sharp, piercing hurricane that a Noblewoman sent his way with ease, his rock never breaking under her onslaught of flashy magics."
Nodding, I shifted my focus onto Aunt Theresa, as Mother was currently bickering with Mom over how she had been mislead and didn't appreciate it - we all knew she was just frustrated and didn't mean it, and I could tell Mom was going to use this for her own gain - as she would now be my tutor for the foreseeable future.
"Come, let me show you a few things, alright? The same things I've shown all the Saints and Saintess', and the same things I've shown all you children. Learn what you can from it, Leone. Learn what you can from magic long since forgotten..."
Aunt Igna waved goodbye to us as I followed Aunt Theresa over to her tree, the wooden Elf settling down on her roots and sighing, before extending her hand out and beginning to show me something I would never forget.
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