Chapter 8: Sparks in the Fog
The first time a class leaves the Academy is supposed to be exciting.
For most students, it's a chance to explore the world they've only read about in textbooks. New spells. Magic wildlife. Dangerous fieldwork under teacher supervision.
For me?
It was an opportunity.
Because hidden pieces don't always wait politely in dungeons or sealed vaults. Some are buried beneath mana storms, old towns, or rotting beneath monster nests.
And one of them?
Happened to be in the direction we were headed today.
---
Location: Verdahl Forest Outskirts, 45 km from Ordanis Academy
Transported by mana rail, our class of forty arrived near midday, buzzing with excitement. Trees the size of buildings surrounded us, their bark infused with mana crystals that glowed faintly even under the sun.
The smell of moss, ozone, and spell-dampening pollen filled the air.
I stepped off the rail car, hands in my coat pockets, Karen (my shovel) disguised as a hiking staff.
Beside me, Professor Velten clapped his hands.
"Alright, whelps! Today's your first exposure to real-world mana fauna. You'll observe, document, and return with two unique samples. Oh, and don't get eaten. That'd be deeply embarrassing."
Laughter.
I didn't laugh.
Because about 300 meters northwest was a collapsed stone shrine.
And beneath that shrine?
Hidden Piece #5: Witch's Memory Root (Seed Form)
Effect: A dormant consciousness sealed in a parasitic root. Bonding allows the user to access "Memory Casting"—the ability to replicate any spell seen once, but at a mental toll. Evolves into a symbiotic spell core. In the game, it was found accidentally by one of the main characters during a time-lost side quest.
Except this time?
I'd get there first.
---
Group Assignment – Riven's Team
Much to my chagrin, they grouped us in threes.
My team:
Seria Caelum, the Celestial Flame, now watching everything with wary grace.
Melo Finn, a healing prodigy who talked like she narrated children's bedtime stories.
"Oh! Isn't this air lovely?" Melo chirped. "So rich with pollen! I hope no one has allergies!"
I raised an eyebrow. "I'm allergic to small talk."
Seria snorted, then immediately looked away like she hadn't.
Interesting.
The three of us wandered deeper into the forest, following a glowing compass spell that pointed toward sample zones.
I steered us northwest.
---
One Hour In – Forest Interior
Birds screeched in high-pitched chords—some mimicking mana frequencies. Seria knelt to scan a set of silver-etched paw prints.
"This isn't right," she muttered. "Mana wolves don't travel this far south."
Melo frowned. "Are they dangerous?"
"They're territorial. Especially if they smell foreign mana."
I pretended to act surprised.
Then the bushes shivered.
Growls.
Four wolves. Coated in metallic fur, eyes glowing with pulsing blue light.
Before either of the girls could react, I stepped behind a tree.
"Wolves?" I muttered. "Great. Let's see what the Echo Gem can do."
---
[Echo Gem: Resonance Level 1 – Burst Mode Ready]
I tapped into the moment Seria had used her phoenix whip the day before. I hadn't cast it, but I'd heard it. Felt its weight. The rhythm of it.
That was all I needed.
Resonance Casting: Flame Whip – Unstable Copy
I whispered the incantation and slammed my hand into the air.
A jagged, flickering lash of fire burst from nothing—unstable, crackling, too volatile to sustain.
But enough to hit.
Snap!
It coiled around one wolf mid-lunge, ripping it backwards into a tree.
The others growled and scattered, but Seria was already moving—graceful, beautiful, and terrifying.
Fire roared from her palms as she danced, hurling precision blasts.
Melo stabilized a ward and reinforced our shields.
By the time I returned to the group, the last wolf had fled.
Seria narrowed her eyes.
"You were gone."
I shrugged. "Had to pee."
She said nothing, but her gaze lingered. A flicker of doubt. Of calculation.
Melo clapped. "That was amazing! Did one of you use a whip spell? It felt… weirdly familiar?"
Seria looked at me again.
I smiled.
"Oh, that? Must've been an echo."
---
Aftermath – The Shrine
While the girls inspected battle wounds and samples, I slipped away for five minutes max.
I descended into the collapsed stone, mana veins glowing faintly in the mossy rock.
There it was—half-buried in soil and roots:
A shriveled wooden core, pulsing slightly like it had a heartbeat.
I knelt.
"Time to meet my next upgrade."
As soon as my fingers touched it—
[Witch's Memory Root – Synchronization Initiated]
Side Effects: Hallucinations. Mild bleeding. Risk of possession.
I bit down on my lip as vines coiled up my arm, anchoring into the same flesh the Parasite Seed had taken over.
Blood dripped. The root pulsed.
Then I heard it—
Laughter.
A woman's voice.
"You're not the first fool to feed me... but you might be the most interesting."
Then silence.
I tucked the core into my coat.
"Five hidden pieces."
And counting.
---
Return to Camp – Evening
Everyone was buzzing about the wolf ambush.
Some had minor injuries. Others were excited from their first real danger.
Seria stayed silent.
Until we crossed paths by the mana lamp near camp.
"You fight differently," she said, low.
"Huh?"
"You don't chant. You don't align spells like a warlock or a knight. But that wolf... it died midair."
I tilted my head. "Maybe it tripped on your ego."
A spark danced behind her eyes. "You're hiding something."
"I'm hiding a lot of things."
And I walked away, leaving her staring into the firelight.