The library buzzes with a quiet energy that feels almost alive. My shadow clones flit across the room like synchronized dancers, organizing tomes, copying intricate diagrams, and drafting preliminary versions of spells I've only imagined in theory.
I sit cross-legged at my makeshift desk, quill in hand, the glow of candlelight bouncing off the parchment as I sketch out new spells. Thanks to my recently acquired Magical Development Talent, the ideas flow effortlessly. Basic spells that once took hours to conceptualize now form fully in minutes, and their execution is almost perfect on the first attempt.
Levitatio Minor — a simple levitation charm, now refined to be faster and smoother.
Lumen Arcana — a light spell with controllable intensity and range.
Protego Minor — a shield spell that can deflect basic jinxes and curses, designed to scale as the caster's magic grows.
I scribble down notes rapidly, testing minor adjustments in real-time with small gestures of my wand. Each success feels electric, the thrill of creation charging through me like pure magic.
Meanwhile, my shadow clones are hard at work. One is testing the first iteration of a complex multi-layered defensive spell, another is combining elemental wards with basic protections, and yet another is experimenting with blending protective enchantments into moving objects — potential golem defenses, I think to myself.
I glance up at the crows perched nearby. One tilts its head curiously, and I can't help but smile. You'll help too, won't you?
The clone assigned to defensive research calls out, "I've successfully stabilized the first layer of a barrier that can absorb kinetic and magical attacks simultaneously. Ready for testing."
I nod. "Excellent. Layer two, integrate elemental resistance and magical feedback loops. Make it adaptive."
I step back as the clones and my crows begin a symphony of magic. The defensive wards shimmer into existence, overlapping and pulsing as if the castle itself is approving of their construction. Sparks of blue, green, and faint black light dance across the room, illuminating the shelves of books and the scattered parchments.
I watch it all unfold, a small smile tugging at my lips. Even with all this power, I feel…alive. Creative. Invincible.
This is just the beginning, I think, glancing at the half-completed spells scattered across the desk. If I keep going, there won't be a single magical defense in existence I can't master or invent.
And as I jot down the next spell's framework, I can already hear Rowena's footsteps approaching, soft and rhythmic, the subtle spark of curiosity in her gaze making my chest tighten in ways my shadow clones and crows could never replicate.