I had a lead, but a lead was not an answer. That crystal was the thing I needed, just the thing, and if I could get it right, and make it work like I wanted it to... Well the possibilities were nearly endless weren't they?

Before I could go forward with that plan though I had a number of problems. These crystals were formed by huge quantities of magic in tiny spaces, but how huge? How small a space? How did I get them to do what I wanted, or form where I wanted? Did I even have enough magic to make it happen on my own?

Time would answer questions, time and research. My days fell into my downstairs lab, trying to get my answers bit by bit, refusing to leave my questions unanswered. I had my lead, and I was going to chase it down until I found what I needed, what I needed to truly bring this world to the next level.

Successes were... slow. The first thing I needed to do was recreate even that small example I'd seen. This proved difficult, as I guessed it might. Magic it turned out did want to be shoved into a space that small.

I leaned over my workspace, pushing bit by bit against an imaginary point, trying to shove my light spell into it. This was proving both not only difficult but dangerous. So much energy in one location wasn't something to be scoffed at. I was even running some calculations to see just how dangerous some of this would be.

My first attempt at making a light crystal had me blinking until I could see again. One trip to a local healer to fix the dark spot in my vision later and I was back at it, this time with more shielding. A few attempts in and I decided that glass wouldn't be enough, no, this would all need to be done in an iron box.

Again and again I tried, and again and again I failed. There was something I was missing, the small cube about a centimeter across I was trying to make just wouldn't form, no matter what I tried. Was I going for an area too large? That seemed a bit ludicrous, but perhaps it was true. Maybe it was something to do with the light itself.

Jina had described the creature as projecting dangerous beams of light. What was dangerous though? Dangerous to me? I was pretty sure I'd already managed that, dangerous to Atal? More difficult, but if he'd stood in the light I was making I doubted he'd enjoy it. Was there something there?

It struck me. The light that I was trying to make was just that, generally light. Maybe if I focused on one particular wavelength I'd have better success. It had already been weeks, so a few hours of playing with magic until I could get just one wavelength wasn't too bad. I settled on red, figuring it would have the least energy in it.

That night I slept in my lab, aiming to start first thing in the morning. Having to go through the motions of dealing with Chien and Ida when I was like this would be too much, so I didn't. I cared for them, certainly, but for the moment I wanted this done, and done right.

How long had I been down here I wondered, not thinking too deeply. I'd tried to go back up every day, tried to see my friends at least briefly between spats of work, but it had been pretty short visits before returning. After this I would need to take a break, a longer one, maybe go out into the city for a day and clear my head.

Before that though I extended my hands, using my magic to imagine the perfect spot within the container. Right in the center I formed the cube, and began the process of making a light there. Bit by bit I forced the magic in, more, then more, as much as I could. I kept pushing, kept trying to make the light even brighter.

The box began to radiate heat, but I didn't let that stop me, didn't let my focus waver. Bit by bit I pushed, the magic struggling and rebelling against me, trying to refuse any more. That wouldn't do, so I kept on, more and more as hard as I could.

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A red glow began to shine from the box, not from the light leaking through, but from the heat. I'd reached this point before. Beads of sweat flowed down my face as both the heat and the effort took its toll, yet nothing felt different yet.

Even as I struggled disbelief began to dawn on me. There had to be a limit, a point at which even the laws of physics would rebel. This much energy all in once space, all in one point wasn't supposed to be. Could I make a nuke if I wanted? I'd not really tried, but this much power in one spot wasn't unlike that kind of reaction. Not quite there, but getting close.

In desperation to see this done I mentally grabbed the sides of my box of light magic and began to push, smaller and smaller. It resisted, the energy trying to refuse my efforts, trying to keep itself in a larger space, but I would have none of it.

My power was nearly spent, the mana used to fuel my magic flowing into this construct like water down a drain, faster and faster as I tried to push it to a new limit. With a roar of anger at my failures I heaved all I could into the spell, smashing the little construct of light into as tiny of an area as I could make it.

The box I was using to contain this magic glowed bright yellow, nearly white as I slammed the last of my magic into it. Heat enough to burn was pouring off to it and into the room, enough to make my hands hurt and the smell of hair on fire drift to my nose. But as the last of my mana moved there was a tiny 'pop' in my senses, the spell reacting to it as all the magic disappeared at once.

Barely a second passed before my knees buckled. I was out of mana, and my body rebelled, head swimming as I emptied my stomach onto the floor of my lab and passed out. Perhaps I'd pushed just a bit too hard.

I wasn't sure how long I laid there, unconscious, but it had to be hours. When I woke up I had a raging headache, and felt like I'd laid out in the sun asleep for a day, the light burning my skin. That said, I was alive, and even if my head pounded and the idea of standing made me want to puke I thought I'd succeeded.

The iron box was still hot, so after taking a moment to drink a bit of water and rub my temples I carefully floated it away. Even that expenditure of magic was a bit much though, my body still weak after how much I'd done.

Eagerly I looked for my prize, but no crystal sat there. Jina's had been a couple of inches across, and I was aiming for one a bit smaller, but nothing, no crystal, no rock, nothing. I looked in the top of the box, nothing. Again I looked at the table, hoping to find a small little growth, but it wasn't there.

I'd felt something form, something pop in there, where was it? Had the heat destroyed my prize? Had there been some mistake from me? I didn't know.

For almost a minute I sat and cursed, looking at the blank table. Then I had an idea.

Turning out all the lights I turned once more to the little stone table I used, and I began to form a new spell. I pushed out my magic, just pure magic, in a light mist. I didn't want it to do anything, move anything, just be there, touch, feel. I went slowly, so slowly, trying to see if I could find the missing stone.

It was subtle at first, but moments later there was a soft red light. It was the same red my spell had been making, the same ruby tone that I was trying to form. The point was small, so small, and with care I licked the tip of my finger and touched it to that spot.

There, stuck to the tip of my pointer finger was my crystal, and no wonder I'd missed it. It was only the size of a grain of sand. The light it gave off wasn't much, just enough to see, but it was beautiful. It also led me to a new question.

“How the fuck much magic did that monster have!?” I screamed into the darkness, careful not to lose my prize.

I had to wait a bit to recharge fully, but as I did I built around the little grain a diamond. I'd used these several times already for my experiments and I didn't want to lose this. A small laugh escaped my lips as I realized that making what was considered one of the premium stones back on Earth was now child's play to me in comparison to making one grain of material that could move around magic.

For a long time I sat there with my new little toy, feeding it wisps of mana and radiating in the soft glow it gave me in return. All things had to come to an end though, and a small bell eventually began to chime, a message from Chien that I was needed upstairs.

Putting my new plaything down I headed up the little staircase and out into the main workshop. As I popped out my assistant looked at me with blinking eyes, seemingly alarmed.

“Uh, boss, you okay? You look like shit,” he observed wisely. “Ugh, you also smell like shit.”

“Long day. What did you need?” I asked him shortly; though admittedly I did need a bath.

“There's these two women here, refuse to leave until they speak to you,” he told me. “Though if you go out smelling like that I'm sure they will.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Said they're looking for a copper-smith, hoped you might know the guy.”

“Fine fine, I'll go see them.”

I quickly marched through the house. It was a pain to be interrupted when I was working and with a new breakthrough these two needed to go. There was research to be done, and no need for me to be out here talking to random people.

As the door opened I saw the two. Atie was there, a long scar running across her face, healed, but not old. Beside her was Isha, who looked to have grown inches since last we'd met. My aunt and friend from my village was here, but something was off. Their eyes, they looked tired and... sad?

“Elian!” my aunt called as she saw me, rushing forward to wrap her arms around my chest. “You're alright, and here!”

“Hey auntie,” I said with surprise, not having expected them to come to my house.

“And you smell, what in the world?” she asked, looking me over. “Is that vomit?”

“You're not looking so great yourself. Why didn't you get mom to heal that?” I asked, poking her scar.

Instantly I saw her shoulders fall. Turning to Isha she refused to meet my eyes, instead lowering hers and turning her head away. In that moment I felt my heart stop, seeming to rip from my chest.