The Dome, host to the grand assemblies of the Guild, was not built by conventional means, as Jerius could tell at first glance. The ground and the walls were immaculately weaved together like silk, except the materials were ancient trees, white marbles and reinforced clay bricks. Thousands of illuminating orbs hung over large marble slabs that function as seats.

A thick woven carpet stretched in all directions, except the rounded centre where it bubbled with pure white water.

Yesterday in the strategy room, it had been selected as the place of choice to trap the Shadow Wraith. It was an enclosed space using which the mages could trap the wraith in, had a vast interior within which the mages could make evasive maneuvers since magical defences are not too useful.

Its ground was also layered with a rare erudite material called Alumat ore, which, so long it was not exposed to the air, would remain impermeable and opaque to all corporeal and incorporeal beings. This meant the wraith would not be able to escape by burrowing underground.

Rumours had it that the Dome was built as a mark of victory over a hidden site that imprisoned a terrifying creature the founder once fought and sealed underneath called T'tar, said to be a nefarious creature from a realm more sinister than the Underbelly, the realm of the demons.

Six mages from assorted orders came to assist under Mirayoung's instruction and guidance, led by a sharp-featured man called Caqur. Having known about the wraith situation, the Cabal, true rulers of the Guild, had recommended Caqur as the best architect of the inscriptions and sigils to turn the Dome into a wraith trap.

A reserved man who preferred his tools to people, Caqur spoke little when he arrived with the other mages. He took instructions from Mirayoung, who advised on the glyphs and sigils to be marked on the walls and mat. As the rest led by Caqur started the preparatory work, one of the six, a muscled mage-blacksmith, had on hand a folded belt of nine daggers that he promptly handed over to Mirayoung. "Lady Aeroda, Master Iras thought it was appropriate to loan you. It will help your cause."

"The Daggers of Anasr. I didn't think Master Iras was able to unseal them in time," Mirayoung said, almost with a gasp. "Thank you, Iza."

Iza bowed slightly and joined Caqur and the rest in the preparation.

Jerius glanced at the grey folded belt. When he got close, he could vaguely make out the scented oil over the belt. Sensing his curiosity by the doe-eyed look he gave the belt, Mirayoung unfurled the belt cloth, revealing the daggers. "Master Anasr was a mage-blacksmith whose father was killed by a Shadow Wraith during a routine assignment outside the Guild. Determined to avenge him, Anasr forged the first dagger."

She pulled one out, revealing the tiny bell hanging off the hilt and the short wavy body of seven curves that glinted with different shades of ebony black, grey and brown. "Made from a part of a meteorite stone and tempered in the Furnace of Samadhi Fire, the dagger can sense and inflict harm on supernatural creatures like a wraith incredibly well. But he failed the first time, almost losing his life in that encounter if not for the Amulet of Pand he wore."

The Amulet of Pand, as Jerius remembered, is a rare single-use artifact that gives anyone a second chance at life by trading in one of the senses. And the Samadhi Fire was reputed to be the purgatory fire, the only other fire that could oppose Empyrean Flame.

"He was revived but he lost sight in one eye," Mirayoung said. "He returned to the Guild, forging two more daggers. Then he went to the road between Mondeus Village and the Guild, where the wraith would haunt. He failed again. The wraith this time escaped while he was afflicted with severe injuries."

"He went alone? Why not go with some help?" Jerius asked.

"He was as honourable as he was skilled with smithwork and enchantments," Mirayoung said. "He would not want anyone else to risk their lives in the stead of his vengeance. With three daggers, it was not sufficient. He returned and using the remaining of the meteorite stone, he forged the last six." She returned the first into the sleeve and pulled out one of the last six, which was shorter than the rest, having only five curves. "There wasn't enough of the stone to forge the final one, but it was sharp all the same. It was this that killed the wraith."

Jerius mused. "How do one person use nine daggers? With his mind?"

"You'll see," Mirayoung said, smiling and elaborating no more. Instead, she continued, "Take this." She passed him one half of a palm-sized opaque black paper. "Infuse your raw arcane into it so it recognises you as a holder."

"What's that?" Jerius asked but he took it.

"Remember we talked briefly about the Karlel Paper yesterday," Mirayoung said. "I hold one half and you the other. The two halves constantly seek to reconnect, which lets both holders know each other's location. It also has an innate ability to sense danger to the holder's life, and will vibrate to inform the other holder."

Jerius took and examined the paper in his hand. "It's similar to the pebbles I have enchanted to reconnect with Zenvix, except this is a lot more advanced. But yes, we can use it to anticipate whom the wraith is going to target between us. "

"You're Lyvia's only disciple," Mirayoung said, divulging the reason for the Karlel Paper. "I can't let harm fall to you."

"I insist on partaking in this," Jerius said. "If I can make a difference to help seal rather than outright killing it to foil Aderis's plan, then I want to be here putting my life on the line."

Caqur and the other mages had set down several large plates within which were semi-solid inkstones that looked like lacquered soot, mixed with plant glues to create resilient but temporary inks for the warding of the place. Using their minds, each commanded three paint brushes that circled within and absorbed the inks from the plates then scattered over the columns to begin precise engravings.

"The finesse needed," muttered Jerius.

"More than just finesse," Mirayoung said, pointing at the one Caqur drew on the floor, having peeled off the carpet, beside the inkstone. It had two Arcane Gems. As Caqur sat cross-legged, concentrating with great intensity, the one drawn on the white stone floor emanated power even as it was half-completed.

I agree, Jerius allowed himself. In yesterday's discussion, the discussion on trapping the wraith was lengthy and exhausting. To trap the wraith, they would need to seal off the Dome when it entered, but an activated barrier worked both ways. What stopped the wraith from exiting, would prevent it from coming in, in the first place. Eventually, the man called Iras, who taught at the academy, proposed a simple yet elegant solution. They would create a massive one that covered over the entire Dome, but leave a tiny gap in the heart of the sigils. When the wraith arrived at the Dome, they would close the ink gap, completing the trap.

But a simple and yet elegant solution did not make it easy, as demonstrated by the visible exhaustion shown by Caqur and the rest. Even then, they were dedicated, almost completing the ones on the eastern columns. They stopped for ten minutes before continuing.

Mirayoung glanced at the door. "The suppression team is a bit late."

"How many are there?" Jerius said. "Administrator Fermand did say she would assemble a trusted team. How many of them do you trust with your life?"

"A total of six. Each will have one dagger of Anasr. I gave a few suggestions, but she had the final say," Mirayoung said. "That said, I trust Fermand and her selection."

Mirayoung could tell Jerius was uneasy. He was used to fighting with and by people whom he had trusted with his life, and the idea that he had to share the battlefield guarding and be guarded by unfamiliar faces, was foreign to him. He just had to adapt to it, she thought.

"You haven't told me how to use the dagger of Anasr," Jerius said.

"I never repeat," Mirayoung said with a light smile. "Let's wait for the team to come."

"For a long-lived mage, you scarcely have any patience," Jerius said.

"I have patience. I dislike saying the same thing twice," Mirayoung said. "There's a clear difference between them. One is a virtue, and the other is a preference."

Looking around suddenly as if attempting to find the origin of a foul stench, Mirayoung said, "Wait here." She walked over to Caqur, peering over him and the other mages. "That's an anti-pattern. I'm sensing a slight anomaly."

Caqur stopped what he was doing, opening his eyes and glancing upward to the archmagus. "It's a new sealing pattern. It comes off that way because it's incomplete. There's nothing you need to worry about, Lady Aeroda."

"You should consult me first, Caqur," Mirayoung said, squatting to have a better look. "We didn't agree to that."

Caqur turned to the others. "Continue with the work. I'll explain to Lady Aeroda."

Jerius joined her by her side, eyeing the elaborately curlicued scribblings that formed the body of the sigils on the exposed floor. It was a level of sophistication above his understanding. Under Lyvia's tutelage, he had focused more on direct magic‒spells that he could cast‒as they both deemed as more practical to learn before delving into the ever-expanding and complex field of array-building with sigils.

She hovered her finger above the sigils. "This vertical hook and rising curve is an offensive sign in spellcraft. Do you intend to hurt the wraith on contact with the ward?"

"Ah yes," Caqur said. "A little searing pain may deter the wraith from escaping."

"But you weaken the integrity," Mirayoung said. "A wraith is instinctive and knows if it can escape by fighting through pain, it will. Stick to the original design, Caqur."

"Lady White Rose!" Someone called out from the entrance in a loud, frantic voice that drew all their attention. Only the mage-smiths and enchanters continued their spellcrafts, demonstrating a honed level of concentration.

Jerius looked up. He thought he caught a flicker of a shadowy figure skirting across the ceiling, above the dazzling orbs. All the talk about the wraith had messed with his senses, he thought for a second. But he found it hard to dismiss the doubt that had festered in him.

The messenger was a Sen Guard. She ran the distance before Mirayoung could make more than a few steps, saying loud enough for all to hear. "Liralla left the Administrator's Hall last night without a word. And we do not yet know why but Gallyn found her dead body by the lake this morning. Based on the magical residue left over the body, Kas thinks there's a possibility the wraith has evolved."

That word struck Mirayoung cold. Her face changed, as her voice went low. "We'll go with our backup plan. I will send a psychic message to Holz."

A fully prepared and well rested archmagus at the peak of her strength would be sufficient against a Shadow Wraith. The support of a suppression team and Jerius, who held the potential of one because of the Maker Ritual, was assurance. But they had a backup plan to account for an unexpected evolution, where the Shadow Wraith became a Mind Wraith. The scholars who studied the characteristics of the Mind Wraith had put together their research in a codex.

But they lacked details of how a Mind Wraith would fight except that their attacks could bypass mental wards and erode the mind upon contact. Their details about the fighting patterns or abilities of a Mind Wraith were also constrained by the scarce amount of evidence they could piece together from the aftermath of such a wraith's attack. This was further compounded by the rarity of such wraiths, making the fight with a Mind Wraith as one deep in uncharted territory, if it were to happen.

To face the unknown, the plan was to have two archmagi. In the Guild's history, there never was a situation where two archmagi could not solve. The amount of power they hold at their disposal was immense.

The Karlel Paper moved in his closed palm. It was the quickest of the spells he could think of and cast. Jerius formed a claw with his hand, clenching it. A wave of arcane drew Mirayoung towards him. He aimed with the other hand but it was too late. The figure descended with the swiftness of a thunderhead. It was a palpable force of malice and hunger as it grabbed the Sen Guard, who could not react to that speed despite her martial training. It had grown faster than the last Jerius saw and fought.

"He‒" The Sen Guard screamed, struggling like a caged animal then she froze before going limp completely, her face losing the lustre of life. It happened in two seconds. Any spells Mirayoung and Jerius wished to cast died in their throats, for they were too late. The mage-blacksmiths pulled away, horrified at the sight of a semi-translucent creature draped in the likes of tattered clothes. It darted the glowy orbs people called the eyes around, behaving like the manifestation of a malevolent caprice as it decided who should be its next prey.

Then it spun, dropping the corpse. It looked at Mirayoung, having found its prey.

As Mirayoung found herself face to face with the wraith, a revelation struck her that a wraith would always hunt the victims it failed to kill first. With Liralla's death, she was the next victim in line who was still alive.