After lunch—which, unsurprisingly, turned out to be apples again—I found myself lying on the bed, arms behind my head, staring at the ceiling.
"Apples for breakfast, apples for lunch. If I keep this up, I'll turn into one."
But my mind wasn't on food anymore. It was on magic.
Specifically—elemental magic.
"If Creation Magic is truly what I think it is, then I shouldn't need to create a whole new persona just to wield different elements."
Zephiel hadn't tried this. Maybe he never thought to. But I wasn't bound by his limitations.
Creation Magic, at least from what I understood, was about manifesting what I imagined, shaping energy into form, creating from thought. That meant if I could understand an element well enough, I should, in theory, be able to simulate or generate it.
"Alright…""Let's experiment."
I stood up, careful not to be seen. I held out my palm and focused.
I closed my eyes.
"What is fire?"
It is heat, light, and consumption—an element that devours and dances.
I imagined a small flickering flame, like a candle. I pictured the color: orange and red at the tip, blue at the base. I focused on the temperature, the way it would crackle if it had life. I could almost hear the sound of it in my mind.
Then, I channeled mana from my core, pushing it into the image—infusing the mental construct with magical energy.
"Ignite."
Flick.A small flame hovered above my hand—faint, unstable, wavering like a newborn calf. But it was real.
"Hah… I did it."
It burned for a few seconds, then dissipated into a puff of warmth and smoke.
"Okay… creation magic can definitely simulate or produce elemental magic—if I imagine it precisely."
Now for water. I sat down again, steadying my breath. Water was trickier.
"Water is flow. It has no form, only containment. It can heal… or crush."
This time, I visualized a droplet forming in the air—a perfect sphere, held together by surface tension. I imagined the coolness of it, the clarity, the weight.
"Condense. Flow."
Mana moved again, and I opened my eyes to find a clear drop of water levitating above my fingers. I moved my hand slightly, and it bobbed gently.
"Yes… that's it."
I let it fall into the grass. It splashed like normal water.
This was less fluid—more grounded.
"Earth is resistance. Solidity. Weight."
I picked up a bit of dirt and visualized compacting it into a stone—rough, uneven, heavy.
"Shape. Harden."
A pulse of mana. The dirt shimmered, condensing unnaturally, becoming denser, darker, until a small pebble formed in my palm. I crushed it in my grip—solid.
I then tried sand. This time, I imagined granular particles—tiny fragments of stone. Dry. Coarse. I willed them into existence, imagining a mound of it beside me.
They poured onto the grass, forming a small pile of sand.
"Wind is motion. It's pressure and flow—it doesn't exist without movement."
I focused again. This one was abstract. I pictured a spiraling current, wrapping around my body like a coiling serpent. Not visible, but felt.
"Whirl. Cut."
A whoosh! The leaves around me rustled as a sudden gust pushed outward from my palm—gentle but real.
"Not bad." A few birds scattered.
I could feel how wind magic would require more movement-based visualization—patterns, turbulence, direction.
"Light is illumination. Purity. Exposure."
This one I imagined like a glowing orb—a sun in miniature. I pushed mana into it and visualized rays of warmth spilling across my fingers.
"Shine."
A pale white glow emerged—dim at first, then brighter, casting faint shadows in the morning light. Not enough to blind, but enough to prove I could wield it.
"Light magic… not offensive, but useful."
I dismissed the orb with a thought.
Dark Magic had already been present in my affinity list. But I hadn't tested it myself.
"Darkness isn't just the absence of light. It's suppression. Fear. Silence."
I didn't conjure a shadow—I created a sphere of void, an area where light refused to enter. The apple tree's shadow seemed to stretch, and the temperature near me dropped slightly.
"Dark magic is… intense."
It didn't feel evil. Just heavy. Hungry.
While experimenting, I lost track of time—it was already evening.
Should I return to my room or not?I'm still not satisfied with the results. I want to experiment more.Maybe if I imagine and visualize more clearly, I can use elemental magic more effectively.
But it's time for the alternate persona to take over, isn't it?
Maybe I should ask him.
"Hey, you there?"
"Yes. Is it time already?"
"Yeah, kind of, I suppose. Hey, can you try to get some books on different kinds of magic and their foundations?"
"Can you read the language of this world, though?"
"Oh… right. Zephiel hadn't started learning at this point, had he?"
"But if my memory serves right, then Zephiel started his education around 20 days after receiving his blessing—at least, that's what he told me."
"Alright. I'll look into it when I go on my job."
"Hey, can you create another persona while I go?"
another one?
"Yes. Looks like you forgot something while making me."
"Like what?"
"Shadow Crafter."
"Oh. I have no idea what it does, truth be told. Do you?"
"I guess I have some information. It's sort of an upgraded version of my Spy job."
"So what does it do?"
"It has a set of skills useful for spies or assassins—like summoning minions to gather and sort information, creating weapons and armor from shadows, hiding within someone else's shadow, and stuff like that."
"Sounds useful. So I should make one that helps with that?"
"I guess you should."
"Alright then. Here goes—Ego Architect Interface.Job: Shadow Crafter."
"As for magical affinities, it should be Dark Magic, right?"
"Yes. And add Invisibility too. Nothing more—for teleportation, it can use shadows."
"Oh, don't forget Enhanced Senses."
"Alright. Done. Right?"
"Yes."
"Wait, don't you think you're forgetting something?"
"Like what?"
"Giving us names."
"Don't you guys already have names?"
"No, we don't, you moron."
"Hey! But didn't you just create the new one?"
"I did… wait, you're right. I'm only hearing your voice. Why is that? Hello? Anybody there?"
"...What do you need me to do? Who do I need to kill?"
"...Woah, that scared me."
"Me too, man. He's got a scary-ass voice."
"Seriously."
After some time, I explained the details to both of my personas and finally went to sleep.I had told them not to leave my body or wander to weird places—just stay on this bed.
The next morning, I groggily opened my eyes, only to feel a dull ache running through my tiny limbs.
"…Ow."Why is my body hurting so much?
I rubbed my eyes and sat up slowly. Every joint felt stiff, my muscles sore as if I'd done intense training or climbed a mountain in this tiny three-year-old body.
"Hey… you two there?"
"Yes."
"Of course. Good morning… well, not so good for you, huh?"
"Why is my body hurting like this?"
"Excuse me, but… are you not forgetting something?"
"You're literally a three-year-old," one of them said with a half-amused tone."Children at that age need lots of sleep. When they wake up, they're energetic—but they tire quickly and need naps for proper growth, you know?"
"…Ah. Right. I was experimenting on magic all day yesterday.""Then you two went out gathering information using my body at night…"
"You didn't exactly give your body any rest. No wonder it's crying."
"Maybe I should rest today," I muttered, massaging my arms."But then again… what can I even do in this tiny body?"
"Why not try creating something that can help with that?"
"Like what?"
"A spell. Something that removes fatigue and refreshes your stamina. Maybe even heals minor damage. A sort of recovery spell."
"Huh. That could work… A spell to remove exhaustion and stress, energize the body, and maybe heal small wounds too?"
"Exactly. Something based on light or healing magic. They're kind of the same branch."
"Alright. Let's try that then. Time to create a new spell."
I sat cross-legged on the bed, palms resting on my knees. My breathing slowed. Creation Magic responded best when I was calm and focused—like a paintbrush waiting for its artist.
Spell Concept:▸ Remove fatigue▸ Relieve muscular stress▸ Heal minor injuries▸ Infuse light energy to refresh and energize
First, I tried to define the effect:What does a tired body feel like?It's heavy. Your limbs ache. Breathing becomes sluggish. The warmth of energy fades and is replaced with cold stiffness.
So I closed my eyes and visualized my body like a glass vessel—cracked in places, cloudy from within, and leaking light.
Now I imagined a gentle light pouring in from above—like warm golden mist flowing into the cracks, slowly sealing them, filling the vessel until it shimmered with soft vitality.
I focused on breathing in that light.Inhale: warmth filling my chest.Exhale: tension leaving my arms and legs.
Then I added structure.
"Light, enter the shell of my body.Seal the tiny cracks of exhaustion.Breathe life into tired bones.Mend the unseen wounds."
I held my hands together as if cradling something delicate. My Creation Magic glowed faintly in my chest—it knew I was crafting something new.
For the first attempt, I poured my intent through my hands and whispered:
"Vital Spark."
A flicker of golden energy sparked between my palms… and fizzled out like a dying ember.
"…Tch. Too unstable."
"Maybe you're pushing too much at once," one persona chimed in. "Try focusing on just the fatigue first."
"Right."
This time, I only imagined relieving the heaviness in my muscles. A warm wind brushing over skin, lifting the tension gently like a mother comforting a sleeping child.
I tried again.
"Lesser Vital Spark."
This time, the light pulsed gently and spread across my arms in thin streams—like warm milk trickling through invisible veins.
And it worked.
My shoulders relaxed. The pressure behind my eyes faded. My breathing deepened. My legs didn't feel like logs anymore.
"…Whoa."
It didn't fully heal everything, but the fog in my body lifted. I felt… awake. Energized. Like I had just woken from a peaceful nap.
"Nice. You got the core working."
"Yeah… So, if I refine this, I can make higher levels later. Maybe even a healing branch of my own."
"You'll need to categorize and name these effects too. Minor, moderate, major—like tiers. It'll help when designing combat spells or support magic."
"Got it."
I sighed, slumping back onto the bed.
"I'll probably get scratched, bruised, or fall down more often than I'd like. Hmm…"
That got me thinking.
"What if I don't have to cast that spell every single time I get hurt or tired? That's just… annoying."
"You're thinking of making it passive?" one of my personas chimed in."Yeah. Like an auto-repair system?"
"Exactly. Like a small regeneration field running in the background. Something that activates automatically—but also something I can shut off if needed."
"Makes sense. Passive skills like that exist in some systems. But this will take more visualization work."
"I'm used to that now."
I sat up again and placed my palm on my chest.
Time to restructure the spell.
I mentally deconstructed Lesser Vital Spark.Right now, it worked like a one-time cast—gather magic, shape effect, execute.
But I needed to embed it directly into my body.
So I imagined the spell not as a burst of light… but a thin, glowing thread—golden in color—woven into the nerves and tissues of my body.
A healing circuit.
"Rather than casting it… I'll install it."
Step 2: Defining Triggers and Control
"Alright. It should stay dormant most of the time… But once my body registers damage or fatigue, it should activate automatically."
I imagined a second layer:
A soft glowing rune forming inside my chest—its symbol shaped like a curved sun with a spark in its center.
Connected to my nervous system and mana flow like a subtle sensor.
When pain, stress, or energy drops are detected, it gently pulses to repair the body.
It doesn't overdo it—just enough to heal scratches, small bruises, and restore a touch of stamina.
Then I added control.
"It should respond to my thoughts. A simple command—'Sleep' to shut it down, 'Awaken' to activate it manually."
I visualized the rune turning dim when I said sleep, and glowing warm when I said awaken.
I channeled mana and whispered under my breath:
"Vital Spark – Passive Circuit."
Golden threads spread across my limbs like glowing vines, vanishing just beneath the skin.
It didn't hurt. It was… gentle. Like soaking in warm sunlight. I could feel the faint pulse from the rune, syncing with my heartbeat.
Then I tested it.
I tapped my finger lightly on the wooden bedframe—ouch, a small splinter jabbed my fingertip.
I waited.
…Then felt a gentle warmth rush to the spot. The pain faded. The splinter was pushed out, and the tiny red dot vanished within seconds.
It worked.
Now I thought, "Sleep."
The rune dimmed.I tapped again—this time, it stayed painful. No healing.
Then: "Awaken."
The rune lit up once more. Warmth returned. Pain gone.
"…Perfect."
"I think I just made my first passive buff spell."
"Feels like a mini version of regeneration magic," my spy persona commented."Smart to start small. Especially in that soft body of yours."
"Soft?" I frowned.
"You are a squishy toddler, boss. Facts."
"…Fine. But at least I'm a regenerating one now."
I smiled as I laid back on the bed. It wasn't combat magic, but it was definitely a life-saver. Literally.
Tomorrow, I'd try more. Maybe something for defense… like skin-hardening? Hmm.
But for now, I let Vital Spark Circuit keep pulsing quietly through my body… and finally gave myself permission to nap like a real three-year-old.