I stare at Lola accusingly, waiting for an explanation even though I can't say anything longer than six letters. I could try for "what" and leave it there, but I'm not sure she would quite get it. How the heck is she so powerful?

Setting aside my young owner's absurd ability, I almost had an epilepsy attack in the auditorium. However many hundreds of people were crowded into that too-large room, their words were combining and overlapping in an insane combination of ridiculous color. I barely managed to catch the name of Lola's new friend, and I'm quite sure I've never seen anything like Xephyx. With the shell, the claws, and an overall appearance sincerely reminiscent of a pill bug, it took me a moment to realize that it was even talking.

Until she'd started talking about Zannets and whatnot, I'd never really thought about the chances that there would be other living books. Thinking about it more logically, I suppose it should have been obvious by the way Isaac reacted, along with that person who picked me up all the way back in the library. Both that first human and Chris had mentioned something called the Compendium, and I'm honestly quite curious to learn what that is. Based on the way Isaac talked about it, it doesn't sound especially friendly, but any information I can get about anything has the potential to be useful.

Interestingly, when Lola cast the fireball through me, the process of using the spell forced me to weave her mana into the required spell, and I could see how the fireball was essentially just a condensed form of mana creating friction against itself. While clearly effective, I can think of several more efficient methods of using the incredible amount of mana at my - I mean, Lola's - disposal. I can't really work on the ideas floating around my mind, but what I can do is create the theories and hopefully turn them into a reality.

After Lola had channeled that incredible mana through me and cast the fireball (if something of that size could still be called a fireball), I'd gained a significant amount of information about how magic really works. As I'd thought, mana was free-form manipulatable energy, which meant that once Lola pumped me full of it, I could do pretty much whatever I could comprehend using it.

The very first concept I'm interested in is a simple one - if I invent a spell, can I acquire it without the use or consumption of spell points? They seem difficult to get, and if there's a more efficient way to get spells, I'd much rather use it.

Concentrating from my location on the small end table, I carefully employ my own meager source of mana and begin to configure it into a clear shape. What I'm imagining is a laser, something that can penetrate tougher objects while maintaining precision and power. What I definitely don't want is a spell like the fireball, which while effective, consumes massive mana and is relatively inaccurate, not to mention having a high chance of damaging allies and nearby constructions. In a city, it'd be borderline disastrous, to say nothing of the potential casualties inflicted.

Creating a small column of energy in my mind, I adjust the mental picture and focus the mana in a tight orbit around it, increasing the closeness of the circle and compressing it into a level of friction much higher than the fireball. After that, it's not especially difficult to create a dense field ensuring its limits, while leaving the end open. Hopefully, once fired, the laser would create its own funnel of superheated air, dealing extra damage after the initial impact.

I finish my mental picture of the construct and smile inwardly. I'm confident in the power of logic and science, so I'm fairly certain it would work in reality as well as it would in theory.

(Magic Laser created! One extra level allocated for unique spell creation.)

After the notification alerts me to the universe's acknowledgment of my genius, the construct in my mind adjusts itself slightly, cleaning up its own edges and shrinking further until even my perfectionist mind is satisfied with it. It's an interesting thing, realizing that the universe itself not only ascertains my spells as a functioning concept but improves on them itself. It's only a moment later that I notice that I haven't lost any mana, and if I could grin, I would. If there's no limit on what spells I can make, who's to say I just can't keep making more until my overall level increases? I believe that this might be called an 'exploit', one I intend to make full use of.

Naturally, the moment I decide to create as many spells as I can think of, my mind completely blanks. Rather than frustrated as I expected I would be, I'm curious instead. Ever since my origin, I've had nothing except conceptual methods of mana usage running through my head full stop, and now seems to be a rather inopportune moment for me to forget them.

...And now I'm irritated. Of course, the universe wouldn't allow me to create an endless array of spells, why would it? It's been anything except helpful this whole time. It naturally makes sense that there would be some kind of limit set in place to disallow the optimal method of increasing one's level, but I'm annoyed regardless. Just once I would appreciate some assistance in improving my abilities without the ill-thought rules of how the world should work holding me back.

(System exception created - Entity "Codex" infinite spell creation permitted.)

...

WHHHHAAAAAAT?!?

What is that supposed to mean? You haven't given me anything helpful in the entirety of my life and you go ahead and make me an exception to the system? Are you even going to explain any of this? And why a book? You couldn't have given me hands? If you're going to make an exception, give me unlimited spell points! Give me so much mana I could fireball a mountain out of existence!

(Limited permissions and communication available - potential improvements acquisition with increasing power.)

I pause in my thought process for a moment. The universe has never spoken to me directly this much, and it does seem to genuinely be attempting to help me now. I'm still more than a little dubious after that disastrous first day, but there are worse things that could be occurring. For example, the universe could be directly working against me, or manipulating my very future to its own designs.

Very well, universe. I'll stop yelling at you, and you'll talk to me at least a little more often. As it currently stands, you're the only one who I can fully relate my ideas to, and now that I think about it, you even try to help me out by improving on the spells and directly modifying them for near-instinctual use.

(Acknowledged.)

The ordinarily monotone voice sounds a little strained now, and I can tell that this must take some effort on its part.

I'm distracted by Lola picking me up and flicking me open, squealing in excitement as she sees the new spell. "Codex, when did you learn this?"

I really wish I could smile.

In the meantime, I decide to open up my status and check on what I've got going for now.

Codex: Lvl 3

Health: 66

Agility: 2

Strength: 0

Intelligence: 75

Intuition: 34

Spells: Fireball (3), Ice Shot (1), Fire Breath (1), Freeze Floor (1), Acid Stream (1), Mana Manipulation (2), Audithesia (2), Phrase Vision (1), Erase Aura (1), Mana Laser (2)

Mutations: Magic Eye (1)

Perks: Knowledge is Power, Bibliophile (1)

Titles: Spell Progenitor

I... don't recall receiving that last one. I'm aware of the implications, however. The universe had to bend the system in order to let me invent spells to my heart's content and to do that, it added a title. Spell Progenitor, huh?

I can feel my ideas flooding back to me, specifically one that I've been thinking through ever since I saw Isaac's teleport booth. From what I could see of the booth, its requirements of operation required knowledge of how to operate those levers and knobs along with considerable amounts of mana.

Instead of disassembling a person and potentially risking the loss of limbs or even memories, I've decided that it would be more effective to create an alternate method. Two given places in space are quite clearly disconnected on a three-dimensional plane, but what if you included the theoretical inclusion of alternate or even artificial dimensions?

I've got a lot of math to do.