Cones of quicksand twisted, pulling Dallion in every direction. As he had found out, having the spark allowed him to cut through magic the same way he’d cut through void matter. Sadly, it also became quite clear that he wouldn’t be able to manage that for long. Casting spells, it seemed, was very different from what the perceptions back on Earth. For one thing, there was nothing like “mana” involved. Magic just allowed a person, or entity, to perform the manipulation of reality for as little effort as waving a hand. Given enough time, that would become exhausting, but it was a lot easier than waving about a sword and infusing it with spark. If it wasn’t for Dallion’s high body trait, the situation would be a lot more desperate.

A piece of advice, dear boy. Maybe try interrupting a spell before it’s cast? Nil criticized. I would have thought you’d still remember that.

“I’m trying,” Dallion hissed.

The vixenair had already healed itself several times, all the time casting spells with footprints. To make things more annoying, one of the first spells it had done after the mass lightning bolt attack was to multiply to cast spells faster. A whole pack of vixen would run about the various parts of the mirror maze, creating symbols each time a paw touched a surface. The process was considerably slower than what a mage could achieve with fingers, although it produced patterns faster than Dallion could interrupt them. It didn’t help that the only way he knew how to disrupt a spell was to kill off a duplicate of the vixenair, causing its respective footprints to fade out.

This would have been a lot easier if I could spell, Dallion thought, while a magic projection dashed along the mirror maze in an attempt to catch up to the guardian.

“You’re on just one hit,” he said, adding as much slowness and weight in his voice as his music skills would allow. “Surrender, and we can avoid this.”

Really? Nil sighed. That’s far from your usual approach.

Dallion didn’t reply, mainly because it was obvious. Ever since he’d received the empathy trait, he had managed to combine it with his music skills to avoid conflict as much as possible. Recent events had changed that somewhat. Negotiating with creatures had become a lot more cumbersome, and it showed.

“I just want to clear the artifact,” Dallion continued. “Won’t that set everyone here free?”

The guardian’s ear flicked. It was a barely noticeable action, just enough to show that it was interested, though not enough to surrender or offer a draw. There was a time when Dallion would have felt upset about that. Now, he took advantage of the distraction to press on with his attacks. Dashing along walls, the projection leapt through another mirror along the maze.

Noticing Dallion approach, the vixenair spun around, its feet leaving symbols around it in rapid succession. A sphere or energy emerged around the creature mere fractions of a second before the projection could reach it. The projection’s fist hit the magic barrier, dealing no damage whatsoever.

Aware that he wouldn’t be able to do anything with his current approach, Dallion moved away from the mirror, causing his magic projection to vanish. That wasn’t the only thing that had. With the guardian’s shift to defensive spells, the influx of quicksand cones decreased enough for Dallion to rush to the mirror from where to get a direct view of his enemy.

A ranged attack marker emerged on the surface of the magic bubble.

Got you! Dallion did a point attack infused with spark.

REALM DAMAGED!

Overall completion 54%

Realm damage? Dallion asked.

What did you expect? Nil grunted. Devastating a realm comes with a price. And a magic artifact is made of magic.

Parts of the maze shattered, corridors and reflections twisting like in a kaleidoscope. The bubble around the vixenair popped, unable to take on the force of the attack. Moments later, so did the guardian itself.

TERMINAL STRIKE

Damage dealt is increased by 1000%

AETHERIZER level 1 has been cleared!

Continue to fulfill the AETHERIZER’s destiny.

Rectangles appeared and vanished in rapid succession, announcing the defeat of the guardian. For several seconds Dallion just stood there. The euphoria of success failed to materialize.

The mirror blocking the corridor disappeared, revealing a second section that continued for another hundred feet before being blocked by another mirror. The logic was obvious: each level incorporated the last, increasing the challenge difficulty.

Not going to proceed? Nil asked. It was your idea to go through with the leveling up.

“It was. I just remembered leveling up being a lot more fun.”

The reason wasn’t that he had achieved victory through an overpowered skill. It was the effect the skill had on the realm—like using a sledgehammer to remove a fly on a porcelain cup. Without a doubt, the fly was gone not, but so was half of the realm.

With a quiet sigh, Dallion placed his hand on the nearest mirror, then proceeded to mend the realm with his magic projection. The principle of realm repair, thankfully, was the same as with standard items.

Unable to take advantage of his combat splitting, Dallion needed hours to get the realm back in order. The mending maze was firm, thankfully, but changed with each new piece he moved. On one occasion, he’d continued to fix things for twenty minutes before having it all ruined by fitting another piece in its place. There was a lot of grumbling and a bit of vocal swearing, but ultimately, the desired rectangle appeared.

Realm section fully mended!

The AETHERIZER is now flawless.

“Was the item flawless when I entered?” Dallion asked. Thinking back, he couldn’t be sure. He hadn’t seen any rectangle. Then again, that hadn’t been high on his priority.

It was close, but not quite, dear boy. It’s not flawless even now, though.

“The rectangle says it is.”

It might be, but you need to clear the entire item to be certain.

Apparently, that was another quirk of highly magic items. No doubt there would be many more. For the moment, Dallion had other things to worry about, namely the second guardian. There was no telling what it might be, but if the vixenair was an indication, it wasn’t going to be an easy opponent. Making things worse, he’d know quite a bit of Dallion’s skills and abilities. In contrast, Dallion had no idea what he was about to face.

“If spark harms the realm, what about magic?”

Depends on the magic, but usually yes. It’s similar to using normal attacks in a standard sphere item. As long as you don’t go overboard, things are fine, in most cases. That’s why it’s usually a better idea to know some actual spellcraft before venturing.

“I know some.”

You know nothing, dear boy. Or should I say you know as much as you knew about forging when requesting your first hammer? Sure, the number in your realm was different from zero, but how long exactly did it take you to learn to forge a spoon? Just because the skill gem gave you the ability doesn’t mean you know how to cast.

The moment Dallion stepped through the invisible line that had been occupied by the mirror before, the entire corridor behind him shattered and reconstructed with four times the number of mirrors. A new labyrinth was formed—one vastly more complicated than before.

Without wasting a moment, Dallion split into three dozen instances and ran to different mirrors along the corridor. This time, when he sent magic projections within the mirror maze, he found there was more than one enemy. Quite different from the previous guardian, the creatures looked a lot less threatening, almost cuddly.

A platypus? Dallion thought. That wasn’t a creature he expected to find here, although, come to think of it, it fit right in. From what he remembered, the creature back on earth located prey thanks to electrolocation, suggesting that it would be using electric attacks in addition to its other spells. Without getting it into the real corridor, there was no way for Dallion to be certain of its other skills and abilities.

Combat splitting again, Dallion had several of his projections dash towards the creatures, aiming to check out how it would react.

The purple platypuses didn’t even blink. Remaining motionless, till the second Dallion’s projection struck them in the head, causing them to fade away. However, no matter the amount of creatures Dallion would destroy with a series of instances, by the next there were just as many, only located in different parts of the labyrinth.

Nox, do you feel anything strange? Dallion asked after the fourth time.

Magic, the cat hissed. Too much magic. It was clear that he wouldn’t feel at home in such a realm.

“Don’t tell me that I must enter the maze myself to fight it,” Dallion said.

You don’t have to do anything, Nil replied. But then again, neither does the guardian.

“How do you want us to do this?” Dallion asked. “Do I need to pass some trial, or we can go at each other directly?”

That’s a novel approach, the old echo admitted.

What are you? The platypus asked. Its voice was high, almost to the point of comical squeakiness.

“Never seen a human in your realm before?”

You have the seven traits, but you’re not a mage. You’ve come to this world more than once, but you’re not a Moon’s familiar. You’ve got darkness, but you’re not the Star. So, what are you exactly?

“What darkness?” Dallion felt chills throughout his entire body.

It’s there, flickering through you and your familiars.

This got Dallion to calm down a bit. No doubt the platypus was referring to Lux’s flames, possibly Nox as well. There was no denying that they had been affected by the void. In Nox’s case, he remained a crackling, even if different from the common types.

“I’m just an awakened who got lucky,” Dallion replied. “What will it take to reach the next level?”

You’re like a newborn when it comes to magic. There was no mockery in the creature’s voice, nor any other strong emotions. You can’t win.

“And yet, I’m here,” Dallion said, resorting to his music skills. “I prefer to fight with the final guardian, not you. It’ll be a lot easier for everyone.”

Spells only kill if they’re stronger than the target they’re used on. Yet, it takes a mountain of strength to pudge a grain of magic.

“Wow. That’s a deep notion. Any more bits of wisdom you can offer?”

Many, but you won’t listen. You’ve made a series of bad choices and now can only keep going forward using raw power. The wise would stop, the determined—rest, and the cunning would go back only to return later. You’ll do neither of those things.

“You sound a lot like an echo I have.” Dallion drew his harpsisword and tapped the side of the blade in his leg. “Will you come outside, or do I have to charge in to get you?”

Stupid questions like that only make it clear how little you know of magic. Vixenair probably went easy on you because of your traits. You’d never have won in—

REALM DAMAGED!

Overall completion 74%

Eight mirrors in Dallion’s immediate vicinity shattered, sliced by a spark slash. Whole paths in the mirror maze blinked out of existence, taking all their branches with them.

“Who said I’d fight like a mage?” Dallion whispered, splitting into three instances. One remained where he was, while the other two went towards different parts of the corridor. Hardly had he done so when mirror fragments emerged in the empty sections on the walls and floor, slowly filling up, until the section was fully restored.

Fight however you wish, but keep in mind that you’re not the only one who could repair realms, either.

Realm section fully mended!

The AETHERIZER is now flawless.