Project Seraphina [LitRPG, Magitech, GL]
2.49 Seraphina’s Experimentation

Planet Earth, Year 1 A.I. (June 2023 C.E., 10 weeks after System Integration.)

It’s early in the morning. Early enough that I have only the full moon above and the embers of our campfire to provide me with light as I scroll through my sketchbook and think about glyphs and new ways to combine them. It’s not too bad, all things considered. I have my [Ethersight] if I truly need it, but honestly, the moon is so bright that I can easily make out all the glyphs and descriptions as easily as though it were daytime.

I’m still a bit uncertain what to take from last night’s dream. A dream about my old self training with Madison. And how we mentioned Skill ranks and evolutions, and how the power of 「The Anomaly」, at least according to my past self, is the power to ‘shape my own evolution’.

I experienced Skill evolution once already, back when we were fighting the Molochian. My [Basic Glyph Manipulation] turned into [Basic Glyph Manifestation] when I was generating my [Etheric Armor]. And while I was initially peeved at losing so many hard-earned ranks, the evolved version is so much more flexible that it more than makes up for the small numerical loss. Now, rather than needing to sketch out glyphs and try to build spells from scratch every time, I can focus on the effect and let the glyphs work themselves out, Manifested by my will alone. A substantial boost in both effectiveness and casting time.

There are substantial limitations on the seemingly vast flexibility available to me. First, my maximum [Ether] is nothing special. At the time she was awakened, the old Seraphina had a maximum of 25,000 points to work with. I have just over two thousand. Second, there are limits to how many glyphs I can Manifest at once, though the Skill has increased that from four to six. Third, I need to actually know the glyphs and their function, although I don’t have to actively invoke them in the forefront of my consciousness. Hence the reason I’m out here, spending my morning watch shift going over my notes from my time with Dr. Reynolds.

And finally— perhaps most importantly— I am limited to effects that I can actually construct with those glyphs. Just as Madison said to the old me, healing magic is well outside the realm of what I can imitate through [Glyphcasting]. And I still know next to nothing about how glyphs interact with biological processes, beyond the obvious deleterious effects that fire, ice, and lightning have upon a body. So much research and development to do, so little time.

For now, however, I want to try some Skill evolution for myself. And I know just which two Skills might be compatible. [Ethersight] and [Bullet Time] are both sensory-based Skills, empowering my eyes to see more and my brain to process this visual information more quickly. It seems to be a natural evolution to fuse the two Skills together. And, if my hunch is correct, I’ll need to use the Skills together to do so.

I activate both my [Ethersight] and [Bullet Time] and immediately get a wave of nausea and dizziness. My eyes feel like they’re going to pop from the immense strain placed on them, and I’m certainly glad breakfast is still a few hours away, for I think I might have lost my breakfast and dinner otherwise. Not the worst bout of nausea I’ve ever experienced, courtesy of a terrible stomach bug when I was eleven, but still one that’ll make my life’s lowlight reel.

And my head hurts like hell. It’s like I’m trying to do too many things at once. Rather like the pain I felt when I tried to Manifest five glyphs at once while practicing back at guild headquarters. Ow! I grit my teeth but dare not make a noise beyond quiet seething and champing and heavy breathing, lest I accidentally rouse Chloe from her slumber.

A few seconds later, my vision starts to come into some semblance of focus, though not nearly as sharp as it should be. And sweat is pooling down the sides of my eyes. I wipe them off to see not the expected sweat, but rather trickles of blood. Ugh, Chloe is going to murder me if she finds out that this experiment is causing me to literally bleed out of my eye sockets.

But it is paying dividends. I can start making out little wisps of blue floating in the air all around me like little clouds in a microcosm of the sky high above. And unlike before, they’re moving more slowly. Much more slowly.

For a fraction of a second, I think I see a tiny glyph somewhere in the cloud of Ether around me. Which is really, really strange. Something about the System itself? Or is it just my anomalous eyes that are seeing something the System doesn’t want me to know about? It’s too small to make out, but it does suggest something about how the System and Ether are interconnected. And at a far, far more fundamental level than I think anyone realizes. I dare not assume what that connection is, mostly because I fear my wildest guesses may be right.

Bit by bit, the rest of the world comes into focus— better focus than before, at that. The pain in my eyes subsides, my brain and optic nerves adjusting to the accelerated flow of information. The bleeding in my eyesockets stops completely. I take a long guzzle of water to help calm myself down, the [Water] glyph once again proving invaluable in ensuring we don’t lack the most vital of resources.

And sure enough, my pain and resourcefulness are rewarded with the System notification I seek.

[Would you like to merge [Ethersight] and [Bullet Time] into [Mechanist’s Eye]?]

This time, I want to make damn sure I know exactly what I’m getting into before I make the merger.

[[Mechanist’s Eye]: A budding [Mechanist] needs a sharp eye for detail. Whether in the workshop or on the field of battle, she knows that the smallest, most seemingly-insignificant detail can be the difference between a rousing success and a catastrophic failure. When this Skill is active, she can see with greatly enhanced vision, including the ability to see the flow of Ether, whether ambient or internal. Her brain likewise speeds up, giving her those extra split-seconds to analyze and process the information she discerns. Increases [Agility] by (20 + Rank)% against all attacks as a passive effect, a consequence of her ability to analyze and intuit [Ether] flow mechanisms. Cost to activate: 20 [Ether] per second. ([Ether] cost decreases and detail seen increases with Skill rank)]

In short, I’m getting both Skills in one, at a slightly higher [Ether] cost to maintain. I’m losing some of the [Agility] increase against projectile attacks in exchange for a broader boost to the same on all attacks. And most importantly, I’m freeing up a General Skill slot that I desperately need. Okay, maybe not immediately. I don’t have a cavalcade of free Skills barreling down my front gate waiting to be claimed on a moment’s notice. But I also don’t have any Skills I’m super excited to give up on.

I’m sure as hells not going to give up my [Basic Glyph Manifestation] or [Intermediate Ether Manipulation] skills, and [Glyphcasting] is at the core of my current martial competency. That leaves only [Etheric Armor] as a viable option. Yes, I can probably cast it ad hoc as a Manifested [Glyphcast] as I did before, but the added benefits that come with having the spell as a specific Skill are worth it. Especially given that neither Chloe nor I are a dedicated frontline fighter. Lindsey does a passable job for now, but I can’t assume that she’ll be with us forever.

When the time comes, I’ll feel better if I have some more skills that can keep us— especially Chloe— alive and safe. She’s a pure healer and support in battle, with very, very limited offensive capabilities. A [Fireball] per hour, to be exact.

“What have you been doing this morning?” Chloe asks, the devil herself slipping her arms around my waist from behind. A kiss to the back of my neck follows.

“Uh–”

“And don’t try to weasel out of this by playing dumb and saying that you aren’t doing anything that I should know about. You missed a spot of blood right here by your neck.”

I open my mouth to interject, but she cuts me off.

“Were you testing something dangerous again?”

“Skill merger. And I didn’t expect it to be dangerous until my eyes started bleeding out on me.”

“And you didn’t stop because?”

“By the time I had realized that I was actually bleeding and not just sweating as I’d thought, the pain was starting to subside rather than intensify. And before long, I had gained the Skill I sought and didn’t have any reason to keep at it anymore.”

Chloe sighs, tracing her finger along my back before taking the seat next to me. “Goddesses help me, Seraphina Mortensen. I love you, but you and your reckless antics are going to…”

“I know. But these reckless antics are–”

“I know, Sera. I know I can’t stop you from doing your little experiments. And I’m trying to make peace with it. But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt, seeing someone I love hurt herself like that.”

“Chloe, I–”

She sighs and wraps her arm around my waist, resting her head on my shoulders. And I don’t know how she does it, but her hair just continues to smell amazing. Or maybe it’s not just her hair. Maybe it’s just that Chloe herself smells good. Considering that her class gives her the knowledge and ability to manipulate biology that I lack, maybe… Or maybe she has a [Smell Really Damn Good] Skill.

With no one else awake— except maybe Lindsey half asleep and still awake through Ranger training shenanigans— I ask her.

“Uh, Chloe, do you have a special Skill that allows you to smell good?”

“S– Sera? Why would you–” She blushes.

“Because you always smell so wonderful, even when we’re out here in the middle of the sticks, camping, with no such thing as a warm bath or vibrant, fragrant perfumes or shampoos or whatever other modern tools and products people use to smell good.”

“I dunno. Do you have a [Pretty] skill? Or maybe [Attractive]?” Her voice grows low and sultry, hardly more than a whisper. “Maybe a [Hot] or [Sexy] one as well?”

Now I’m the one blushing. “Nope. Just this.” I activate [Mechanist’s Eye]. I can see every bit of Chloe left uncovered. Every pore, every wrinkle, the way her muscles move, the way her skin of her cheeks moves as she inhales and exhales. Everything that might be considered an ‘imperfection’ by modern fashionistas, who expect women to look like smooth, porcelain dolls.

And maybe Chloe doesn’t meet that unattainable standard. But to my eyes, she is perfect. Perfect for me. And if somehow I manage to be perfect for her, well, then, I guess we’re perfect for each other, which is all we can really ask for.

“Your eyes are… Stellar. Not just in the sense of being beautiful, which they are. They’re twinkling like stars in the night sky. Or maybe like light refracting in a diamond?”

“My eyes are like gemstones?” I ask.

She turns on her own [Ethersight] and gazes into my eyes. Our lips are drawn to one another like moths to a raging inferno, and for a split second, they touch. Just long enough to send my mind wild with the possibilities. Hers as well, I have to assume.

“Yeah. Like gemstones or a kaleidoscope or… What are those devices that jewelers use?”

“A loupe?”

“Yeah. I think that’s the best description yet. Just the way light keeps shining inside your eyes and making all those mesmerizing patterns that I want to get lost in all day.”

“Thanks, Chloe.” I blush again. “I–”

I hesitate for a moment, though I can’t help with my struggles to say what she and I are both thinking. She looks at me with expectant eyes and a warm smile, and when her hand finds its way onto and then into my own, my hesitation vanishes.

“I love you, Chloe.”

She gives me a gentle kiss. “And I you, Seraphina.”