Ethan had made a few mistakes in his life. Not “wandering into a field of gravity magic when he barely knew how to use a basic barrier spell” level mistakes, but it was hard to judge when comparing to his old life. The important part was, he wasn’t dead. Above him flickered a collection of octagonal magical plates that sparked as an entire building pressed against them. The scribe could feel that he had broken something. As he rested atop a pile of rubble, looking up at his barrier spell defying physics, he gritted his teeth.

  Panic should’ve set in, but it didn’t. Ethan would’ve loved to claim he was calm under pressure. But he simply wasn’t. He felt mana trickling from his soul, feeding the barrier that kept him from death. The first thing he had to do was thank whatever instinct he had that had saved his life. Next, he had to figure out his next move. Shifting too much might bring the building down, but sitting there and waiting for rescue might take too long.

  The guard, after all, had warned him to stay away. Anyone dumb enough to get too close likely deserved what they got.

  The list of spells scribbled on a sheet of parchment in Ethan’s pocket was tempting. Perhaps the answer to his problems was there. Yet to cast any spell in the normal mode, he’d need to slot it into his Affinity Ring, which would deactivate his barrier spell.

  “At least I’m clean,” Ethan grumbled, trying to roll over on his side. The darkness of the collapsed building made it hard to figure out the nearest way out. He had been near the back wall when the building collapsed, and something in his chest felt wrong. Although he couldn’t tell if something had been broken, the pain was undeniable. But the cleaning spell was doing its job, so there was that.

  “Dig under and out. Move the debris from above. Move it from the side.” Ethan winced as the pain cut through his side. He shifted slightly, and so did the rubble below him. “Adapt a spell that can remove the debris? Might be the best option…”

  Right now, Ethan’s barrier spell was locked into his Affinity Ring so that was off-limits. He had his cleaning spell, a mana siphoning spell, and a collection of spells given by Amelia dedicated to interacting with mana. Those were the spells she thought he could use to complete the job given to him by the Anomalous Materials Group. The scribe shifted again, pulling the pen from his soul and allowing the smallest amount of mana to flow into it… He didn’t want to run out and get crushed.

  Ethan snapped his fingers. “Come on, you’re better than this. What got you into this mess? And what’s gonna get you out? The same thing, dummy.”

  Taking a deep breath, Ethan used what little light he had to focus on the list of spells Amelia gave him. He only had one problem with the plan that had formed in his head so he focused. He didn’t have anyone nearby using the X-13 system he could emulate. But why did he need to? It was the only other system he had emulated, and he felt a certain familiarity with it. A few calming breaths later, and he felt it bubbling up in his chest. The familiar prompt appeared, asking if he wanted to emulate the system as a Rank 1, Level 5 mage.

  The scribe accepted, then got to work on memorizing one spell from the list. Ethan was currently under a house because he had messed around with the local mana. He had apparently pulled in too much “down” mana but now he needed “up” mana… Assuming it even worked that way. A few minutes of strained studying later, and the system finally confirmed he could use his new spell. He inspected the description, planning to bypass the Affinity Ring problem with some old-fashioned Barry casting.

  [Filter Mana]

  Emulated Rank 1 Spell (X-13)

  Description:

  Create a sphere that filters mana. Using the additional sigil, you can determine which type of mana enters this sphere.

  Effect:

  Infuse mana into a customizable sphere. Only mana within the 3rd sigil will be allowed in. All other mana will be driven out as long as that mana is not within a living being.

  Ethan didn’t have time to think of the details. He had too much work to do. As described, the spell’s array had a third bit attached to the triangle that he could set for the filter. That only led to the problem of figuring out what “up gravity magic” was in sigils. Oh, and he also had to cast the spell using the technique Barry had shown off. No pressure.

  Even under such dire circumstances, Ethan found the technique difficult. If he focused hard enough, leaning heavily on the directions of his pen, he could imagine something coming close to the sigil he wanted to fill the third slot with. He sketched the outline of the spell with his mind, making improvements before his first and twentieth attempt. The mana in his chest dwindled, falling below the half-way mark and plunging further still. The scribe was covered in a sheen of sweat as he focused.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so motivated in his life.

  Just outside of his soul, in a space he couldn’t really describe, Ethan formed the spell. His eyes snapped open in surprise as the spell came together. More than just creating the spell, he felt the tingle of gathering gravity mana around him. And it wasn’t just generic gravity mana, but the exact type he needed. There must have been a better way to think about it, but the scribe allowed himself a quiet celebration as the “up” gravity mana gathered in a large circle around himself. His barrier flickered as it interacted with the other spell, and there was a clear strain on his soul.

  The surrounding rubble shifted, soaking in the “up” mana. It took a while for anything to happen, but eventually the rubble pressing against Ethan’s shield and threatening to crush him began to lift. All of it just floated, including a mostly intact roof that spiraled away to reveal the sky above. The scribe wasted no time extricating himself from the debris. He only had to push a few pieces to the side to begin crawling, and he ignored the pain that radiated through his chest. Before long, he was tumbling out of the window on the side of the building and looking up to ensure there was no wooden beam directly above him. Then he cut his connection to the spell. He watched as all the items fell.

  It took no time at all for the sound of the crashing material to draw the attention of the guard. He came around the corner, holding his visor up with one hand and looking between Ethan and the ruined building. "You just couldn't leave it alone, could you? Mages are all the same. Well, can you stand?”

  Ethan took a deep exploratory breath, finding that a flash of pain radiated from both his back and front, right on his chest. Although breathing was painful, he was certain he could take care of himself, at least long enough to visit a healer. He tried to push himself to his feet, but the guard was swift, coming over and hoisting him up from under his arms like a toddler. "Thanks for that. It might be my own stupid fault that I'm in this situation."

  "Oh, do you think so? Do you think the strange gathering of gravity magic I explicitly warned you about is something you should stay away from? Very interesting."

  "I don't owe anybody for damages, do I?" Ethan dragged his gaze to the building, watching as another section of the wall collapsed inward.

  "No, this entire block has been written off by the house. They're expecting it to spread quite a bit further than this. Evacuations are underway."

  "Well, that might not be necessary, depending on whether what I'm thinking will work."

  The guard let out a sharp, bark-like laugh. “You're planning on trying again, aren't you? Well, hopefully you've learned something between your first and second attempt, otherwise I might be digging you out again. And I’ll warn you… Damage outside of the evacuation zone might not be viewed the same way as within.”

  Ethan had the start of a plan, but he had learned something extremely important. Messing with mana wasn't something he should do unless he actually knew what he was doing. He was a child playing with adult things, and he didn't understand the scope. Gravity magic had two sides, and each side had to be treated carefully. It was nothing like water magic, which he could just absorb and process into his own type of mana. Gravity mana was fickle.

  The guard spoke again, breaking Ethan out of his thoughts. "I can help you to the nearest healer’s church. We're all part of the same academy, so they'll be glad to treat you. And I don't think they're too busy today."

  Ethan weighed the options. He wasn't sure if visiting another house's healer would cause any issues for Gale House, but as he took another deep breath, he realized that maybe the bruised rib he had suspected was instead a broken rib. Whatever the case, he wouldn't take a chance and nodded to the guard.

  "Yeah, if you wouldn't mind. I don't know if you're going to get yelled at for leaving your post or not, so I’ll leave it up to you.”

  The guard apparently had quite a bit of latitude when it came to leaving his post. The area was cordoned off as well as he could manage, and no matter how many warnings he handed out to wayward mages like Ethan, he was often ignored. This was just the first time that intrusion within the quarantine space had resulted in such a dramatic collapse. Just as in Gale House City, Feyhammer had a series of churches. Within those churches were clerics who could heal many injuries. As the scribe bid farewell to the guard at the entrance, he looked up to the massive wooden doors out front.

  It was hard not to laugh.

  From what Ethan understood about these magical healers, he could step inside and be healed within moments. Perhaps there were magical ailments that required more treatment, but he had fallen from a second story and almost been crushed. It was a mundane injury, which should have been trivial for these people. He ascended the stairs and found himself in a large antechamber. Where he had expected to see pews upon pews and an altar at the front of some cavernous interior, he instead found a welcoming waiting room.

  It took absolutely no time at all for Ethan to be healed. Being healed was simple and painless. The attendant came into the room, asked him what he needed, and then returned a few moments later with a man in golden robes. The man didn’t even comment on the extent of the scribe’s injuries. However, the members of the church were quick to point out the donation box as he left. Ethan tossed a single coin in before heading back out onto the street.

  Through all the excitement of the day, Ethan had forgotten his promise to meet Barry back at the square at noon. He worked his way through the city, now finding it much easier to move without injured ribs. It wasn't difficult to spot Barry from afar. The scribe saw him and shook his head as the massive, shirtless man scanned the crowd for his friend.

  "Well, I almost got myself killed. Are you ready to go back to Gale House?" Ethan placed a hand on Barry’s shoulder, ending his search there.

  “Wow. Ripped your new robes already?” Barry hoisted a linen bag of something and smiled. “At least I got my goodies. And you’re not dead.”

  “Yes. I do enjoy not being dead.” Ethan tugged at his robes. He hadn’t noticed how he had ruined them completely. “Ready to head back?”

  “Duh. This place is too busy.”

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