⌈Last time I said that you need to manifest and have better control of the elements in order to cast a full cosmic spell. A cosmos spell applies all of its subset elements, meaning that when you cast one, every elemental effect tied to it comes into play.⌋
Virgil paused.
⌈You do not need to master them completely, but having basic control will be enough for now. So I will be teaching you about light, space, time and gravity. But first I will teach you about stellar energy spells. They are essentially light spells at their core, the only real difference is that they carry heat as well.⌋
Virgil waved his hand and the magic circles spread across the table broke apart and disappeared.
A white magic circle appeared in their place, a single letter sitting in its center. (Ŀ).
I could already guess it was a light spell.
⌈This is a first circle light spell. Its rune of origin is called Lux, which means light in Latin.⌋ Virgil explained.
From what I had gathered so far, magic in this world seemed to be rooted entirely in Latin. The constellation names, the runes of origin that formed the foundation of spells, all of it was in Latin. It was not hard to guess the incantations would follow the same pattern.
It made a strange kind of sense for a medieval era. The spoken language was English, but the language of magic was Latin. A little odd, but I was not going to question it.
⌈This is a normal light spell. Under normal circumstances I would need mana to cast it, but with stellar spells you use stellar energy instead, as you have probably already worked out. And with that change, it shifts from a normal spell into a stellar-light spell.⌋
Virgil focused on the magic circle and it changed from white to... white.
"It didn't change anything—"
⌈Look closely.⌋
I leaned in and looked at it properly this time. The letter in the center had changed. It was still an (Ŀ) but it looked slightly different, and the color had shifted to a faint white-silver. If Virgil hadn't told me to look again I probably never would have caught it.
⌈That is a stellar magic circle, created by infusing stellar energy into it.⌋ Virgil tapped the left side of the table and a regular light spell appeared beside it.
He gestured toward both. ⌈Place one hand over each circle. I want you to see the difference. Or rather, feel it.⌋
I hesitated for a moment but did as he said.
My left hand over the normal light spell felt like nothing at all. I had half expected my hand to be vaporised or something but it was completely fine.
Then I put my right hand over the stellar magic circle.
Heat.
Actual heat rising from the circle. Not enough to burn, but warm enough to feel it clearly.
"So that is the difference." I said slowly. "Since stellar energy comes from the stars and carries heat, its spells will naturally be warmer than a regular light spell."
This was something I genuinely had not expected. Magic was turning out to be far more interesting than I had given it credit for.
Ideas were already forming in my head. Could that heat from the circle be used even before the spell was fully cast? Could it affect things just by existing?
Or more importantly, was it hot enough to roast potatoes?
Nobody could judge me for that. Potatoes were the greatest food ever created and I was already drooling just thinking about it.
I raised my hand. "Is the heat from a magic circle actually enough to cause harm?"
⌈Yes, but only at higher circles. The first circle is more or less just warm.⌋ Then Virgil hit his open palm with the side of his fist as something came to him. ⌈Speaking of heat, the very first spell I am going to teach you is one that uses it.⌋
"Heat? Wouldn't it be better to just cast a fire spell?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
⌈Kid, did you really forget what heat does at high enough temperatures?⌋ Virgil clicked his tongue. ⌈The first spell I am going to teach you is called Heatwave.⌋
⌈As the name says, it releases a wave of heat across your surroundings in a full 360 degree radius, raising the temperature around you to whatever degree you choose depending on how much stellar energy you put into it. The range sits at about twenty meters, which is short for a first circle spell, so it is meant for close range. You should only use it when your opponent is right next to you or has no room to escape.⌋
Well. That was genuinely useful.
Being able to raise the temperature around me to whatever I wanted opened up both offense and defense. If I needed to keep someone from getting close, a Heatwave could do that. It would not hold forever since stellar energy had its limits, but at higher circles the heat would likely be intense enough to melt metal and flesh both.
What a spell. I smiled quietly.
⌈Now, your job is to memorize how the magic circle looks in your head. Every single line, rune and design. And while you do that, you will also need to be able to recite the incantation.⌋
"This is going to take forever." I rubbed my temples, already feeling the headache coming. "Well, anything for power I suppose. What is the incantation?"
Virgil's expression turned serious and he spoke in that deep voice of his.
⌈It goes as follows:
"I am the son of the stars, the heat that comes and melts everything. I am not the flame of the Sun, but the warmth of the stars. Therefore I shall melt, until there is nothing left to be melted."
⌋
Virgil finished and I just sat there.
Not because it sounded corny. I had fully expected something dull and forgettable, but this was something else entirely. It sounded like a poem. Like something written by someone who actually meant every word of it. It made my heart skip without warning.
Virgil caught my expression and smiled proudly. ⌈Surprised by the incantation of this deity? Expect nothing less than divine.⌋
"I hate to admit it, but that actually sounded really good. I will give you that."
⌈And that is not even close to the best I have.⌋ His smile widened and then he clapped his hands once. ⌈Now stop gawking and get to work.⌋
I shook my head with a quiet chuckle and got started.
Virgil had set up a blackboard and chalk so I could draw the magic circle from memory without looking at the original. A solid idea in theory. In practice, every time I tried to sneak a look at the table, a small bolt of lightning found the back of my head.
It was painful and annoying and I resented every single one.
It was hard. Really hard at first. Every time I tried to draw the circle there was always something wrong. A rune missing here, a miscount of shapes there, a line drawn in the wrong direction entirely.
And whenever I tried to cast it and the image in my head was off even slightly, the spell would collapse and I had to start all over again from nothing. It was exhausting.
⌈We have time, kid. You are not leaving this place until it is nearly morning in your world.⌋ Virgil said from his chair, already half asleep. ⌈I am resting, but I am watching.⌋
That is going to be months in here. I thought, frowning.
I kept drawing.
I drew and drew and drew until my fingers went numb. I drew until the lines of the circle stopped feeling like something I was thinking about and started feeling like something I already knew, like the back of my own hand.
"Five runes to the left, three to the right behind the triangle..." I muttered as my hand moved across the board.
And then at some point, without it feeling like a dramatic moment at all, a perfectly drawn magic circle was sitting right in front of me.
My fingers were white and trembling.
"Finally..."
Now came the harder part. I had to build it in my mind and hold it there, every detail, while reciting the incantation at the same time.
⌈Done memorizing?⌋ Virgil opened one eye.
I nodded.
⌈Good. Now let us see you cast it.⌋