In theory, multi-casting was no different than any other type of spellcraft. The principles were identical: as long as the appropriate symbols were created on an adequate frame connecting them all; the spell was supposed to work no differently than if it had been gone by one person. Having five people cast in unison, though, was as difficult as trying to draw a painting using five hands, none of which knew what the rest was doing.

Suspecting the capabilities of echoes involved, Dallion gambled that they would be able to give proper advice to the owners to achieve the spell. Splitting into instances again, he drew a hundred and ten different symbols, while two instances thrust to his nearest neighbors to ask what the symbols should be.

To his astonishment, in both cases he received the same answer: none.

A four-symbol spell activated, creating a tornado of energy beneath the guardian. Before the creature could react, it was thrust up into the air. From this angle, its weak spot was clearly visible. Dallion knew that within seconds spells would be cast, piercing the aether lion’s chest in the area of his heart. Given the effectiveness of magic projectiles, that would be more than enough to defeat the guardian. The best thing was to stay back and let the others deal with it. However, a voice deep inside him didn’t let him do so. Aware that he didn’t have the knowledge to cast a projectile spell, or the skills to create one, Dallion did the next best thing—have his instances perform a spark infused point attack right at the guardian’s weak spot.

The strings of the harpsisword vibrated as the blade pierced the air, sending a vast amount of force forward like a bullet of air.

Hundreds of symbols formed all over the guardian’s fiery mane, but at this point, it was already too late.

COMBINATION ATTACK

Dealt damage is increased by 200%

FATAL STRIKE

Dealt damage is increased by 500%

Red rectangles emerged, followed by a series of magical attacks from everyone else. Dozens more rectangles stacked up, all dealing vast amounts of damage to the unprotected area of the aether lion.

The health indicated on the white rectangle reached zero, then remained there long after the attacks had ceased.

“Pull back!” Dallion and Raven shouted in near unison, as the massive body of the guardian started its way back to the ground.

How long does it take to die? Dallion thought as he flew up in order to avoid the effects of the slam.

Depends on many things, but might be minutes or even more, Nil replied.

YOU HAVE DEFEATED THE ENTRANCE GUARDIAN

A purple rectangle emerged, taking most of the sky.

YOU ARE ALLOWED TO PROCEED TO GALATEA’S REALM

Already the body of the aether lion had gone back to being a wireframe of magic threads. Glowing in an incandescent light they moved about, creating a new framework. A twenty-foot-high archway formed on the ground. Once complete, it became clear that it led to another realm altogether. Dallion kept staring, unable to see the rest of his group. This was the first time he had seen the strange spiky hills and stringy forests, and yet it seemed familiar, as if he’d been there his entire life.

“Raven,” Dallion shouted. “Phoil? Cheska?”

There was no response.

“Lux, fly over it,” he ordered. “Iksa?”

The firebird took him above the arch to the side that had been invisible to him. To his horror, no one was there. It was as if the rest of the group had vanished. Dallion felt a brief sharp pain in his stomach. Had he lost them? Or had they lost him? When it came to magic, there was too much he didn’t know.

It’s fine, Nil said. Walk in.

“What about the rest?”

You’re still holding yourself back with stupid thoughts. If the arch is a gateway, why do you think it’ll only be active on one side?

Dallion thought about it for a few moments, then split and had one of his instances fly through. The moment it did, reality was forced upon Dallion, cutting off all the instances left in the world behind.

“You took your time,” Cheska shouted, waving at Dallion from the ground. “What happened?”

Gently, Dallion landed on the ground. As he did, the flaming wings diminished, until they became nothing but a thin layer of flame that covered Dallion’s entire body.

“I wanted to check something,” Dallion lied. “So, what now?”

“Now, we start searching,” Raven replied. “That was just the entrance test.”

“And what exactly must we do?”

“That’s what we need to find out. It doesn’t involve anything as crass as fighting. We need to—”

“A riddle,” Dallion interrupted. “We need to solve a riddle.”

“It’s more than a riddle.” Raven frowned. “In order to find the answers, we must first find the questions.”

That was the basic logic for every awakening trial. Dallion remembered Nil using that explanation ages ago.

“You don’t know.” Dallion looked at the black-haired. He wasn’t talking to the boy, though, but the echoes inside. “None of you actually know.”

The children looked at each other. If this had taken place back in the Learning Hall, Dallion would have laughed, maybe even made a sarcastic comment or two. Now, though, he was both pleased and annoyed. Annoyed because the people orchestrating this had proven they weren’t as smart as they thought they were; pleased, because he’d have a chance to find the solution himself and liked the challenge.

“What do you know?” he asked.

“The full trial was to reach the Moon himself,” Raven said. “That was back during the early days of the Academy. The first archmages were chosen by making their way all the way through the realm. The novice’s trial was just to get near…” There was a slight pause. “It’s said that an archway leading back to the real world will be there. If we’re lucky, Galatea might be waiting for us as well.”

That wasn’t much of an explanation. Enroy had said as much before the start of the trial.

“Does anyone know why disciplines were topical when the trial was last conducted?”

Everyone but Raven looked at each other.

Seriously? You went through all the trouble to find a group to get here and you—

“The trial isn’t in this realm,” Raven suddenly said, his voice a lot sharper than before. “The whole realm isn’t a realm, but a series of interconnected, ever-shifting realms. Realms within realms. In order to reach our goal, we must open the doors that lead to those realms, then venture through them until we get where we must.”

“So, the door was just a hint of what’s to come?”

“Yes. Some of the realms will have harsh environments, others—beings to fight us. The Moon won’t allow anyone to be killed, but failure will not be tolerated. Whoever messes up will be taken out of this realm and returned to the real world at precisely the moment we gathered within the columns.”

“And I suspect we have to figure out which realms to go through and all that?”

“No one said it would be easy.” Raven turned around and started walking. Everyone except Dallion did the same.

I’d really like to know what the echoes are telling them. Dallion crossed his arms.

You’re not thinking of invading the realm of a fellow mage, are you, dear boy?

Maybe that’s what they deserve.

You cannot just take everything you want. Ignoring the fact that it’s impossible for someone of your level, it’s extremely immoral.

I won’t conquer their realms, Nil, just have a chat with the echoes.

If that were the case, why not link your realm to theirs and let the echoes venture into your realm?

Dallion found that he couldn’t give an adequate answer to that question. While he honestly had no intention of invading anyone’s realm, he was dead set against having anyone even venture into his. Maybe the idea was a bit extreme. As annoying as the echoes were, they remained safely sheltered within the minds of children. There had to be another way to get answers. Besides, the echoes were convinced that there was a way to complete the trial. They just hadn’t shared it with Dallion yet.

The next few hours were spent walking around aimlessly. Trying to light up the ground or use spells to have any clues appear proved useless. The challenge had reached a whole different level, and simple tricks would no longer work.

During the walk, Dallion saw the focus of everyone’s spells. Three quarters were of what everyone knew—Dallion included—were the same old basics they were forced to learn in class. Nearly all of them were utterly useless and had extremely limited practical usage. The remaining quarter of spells, though, were those that everyone learned on their own. Cheska was the greatest well of knowledge of all—a fact she liked to display as often as possible. In addition to her barrier and protection spells, she was also the only person capable of opening portals to other realms.

Dallion tried to copy the portal spell, but three of the symbols were unknown to him, and drawing them turned out more complicated than he thought. It wasn’t that he was lacking speed or magic, but rather the technique wasn’t something that could be learned through observation alone.

“Just twist your fingers as you do it,” Cheska said, annoyed at his slow progress. “It’s just like tying a knot!”

“I bet you’ve never tied a knot in your life,” Dallion grumbled. “Why aren’t any of you trying this?”

“Do we look stupid?” Phoil smirked. “I’m not trying that. I actually need my fingers.”

Taking a deep breath, Dallion moved his fingers around, releasing magic as he did. Dozens of threads flowed through the air, creating the equivalent of a ribbon, as his fingers bent and twisted in ways they weren’t supposed to. Cheska could do it in a far more elegant fashion, of course. In contrast, Dallion was doing his best to get his fingers to the spots indicated by the magic markers, just so he could complete the symbol’s sequence.

“Whoever gave you fingers must have used clay,” Cheska rolled her eyes. “It’s not even that difficult.”

“I need a break.” Dallion let the magic on the tip of his fingers fizzle off. It was clear he was getting nowhere. Maybe after a while he’d try again. “Raven, noticed anything familiar?”

“The realm is a lot smaller than it seems,” Iksa said. “The threads seem new and everything moves about as we walk, but I think we’ve been walking in circles.”

Everyone stopped and looked around.

“For how long?” Raven asked.

“I don’t know.” The girl shook her head.

“It could have been hours,” Raven mused.

“But we’ve been walking for hours…” Phoil sounded confused.

“That’s what he means,” Dallion said. “We could have been walking in circles ever since we got here. That would make this realm the size of a room.”

Cheska’s fingers danced in the air. A spell formed, releasing a bird construct similar to an origami made of aether paper. The construct flew on towards the horizon. Everyone watched as it went further and further, disappearing beyond view.

“Looks pretty normal to me.” The girl to Iksa. “Are you sure?”

“I know, I just feel it.”

Dallion looked around. With his level of perception, he would have noticed if any sort of repeating pattern had emerged. The real question was, how much could his senses be trusted when in a place like this?

“Ruby, any illusions in the area?” he asked.

Don’t know, the shardfly replied from his shoulder.

“Guys, I’ll try something.” Dallion summoned his harpsisword. “Cheska, create a few barriers around us.”

A blob of curiosity the size of a watermelon formed within the girl’s torso. Casting with both hands, she surrounded the group with a variety of barriers, waiting to see what he’d do.

At that point, Dallion did what everyone suspected he might: infuse his weapon with spark and perform a line attack. The thread of destruction sliced through Cheska’s barriers, moving towards the distance. Then, moments later, it ripped through the air, creating a tear in reality itself. The effect lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to prove to everyone that they had been walking in a realm ten feet long.