A Will-O-Wisp?

Lasair had heard of those in some of the fantasy novels she read. Little balls of levitating fiery light that would lead travelers to their doom. They would enthrall you with their light and lead you into a swamp, haunted forest, or other cliche off-limits place. And the magic screen was asking if she wanted to summon one?

Hell yes.

[SPAWNING [WILL-O-WISP]...]

She watched as the screen dissipated, but the mana that made it up was still left structured. Some dissolved into strands, but the rest seemed to coil up, much like the fire mana had earlier. As if on cue, the mana suddenly brightened, and Lasair felt it calling to the warmth in her still non-existent chest. Unlike the spark from earlier, this mana was in its "code" form, as opposed to just being a strand.

Just how much power does being structured add?

The ball of mana finally brightened enough to form a result, and a small flame flickered in the air. Then it brightened, and formed into a sphere of yellow and orange light. With the speed of someone getting out of bed on a Monday, the wisp began to bob gently up and down. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down...

[EFFECT BLOCKED. YOU CONTROL THIS CREATURE, AND THUS ARE IMMUNE TO ITS AFFECTS.]

Sly little shit, aren't you?

The fact that the wisp had so easily mesmerized her was interesting, but more so was the fact that apparently, she could control it.

Fly in a circle.

The wisp obeyed, continuing to gently rise and fall as it flew lazily around the perimeter of the room. Although she couldn't be entirely brought under its thrall, Lasair was content to watch her first creation wander for an hour or two. As an added bonus, the energy she spent creating the spark earlier had regenerated! Time for more experiments.

[INSPECT]: [ABILITIES]: THE FEATS WITH WHICH THE SYSTEM WILL ASSIST AND GUIDE YOU.

[ABILITIES]: SHAPE SELF, EXPAND, INSPECT, SPAWN

Deciding to start with the two she had already used, Lasair took a look at [INSPECT] and [SPAWN]. [INSPECT] was exactly what it sounded like. The magic screen gives her a description of something, and maybe a tip for how to use it. Useful, and it had already proved itself several times. [SPAWN] seemed to be a bit more complicated. Instead of an action, the ability seemed more like a menu. She could see all of the creatures she had unlocked, which was still just the [WILL-O-WISP], plus access a "blueprint' with which to create more. Pulling said blueprint out into the room, Lasair watch as it formed into an illusory ball of structured mana. She waited for the mana in the room to rush in... and nothing happened.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Looks like the first one was a freebie.

She steeled herself for the exhaustion that would come, and started to pull a strand of mana towards the blueprint. As it neared the shimmering orb, the mana seemed to start moving forward of its own volition. It was sucking into the structured lines and before she knew it, a second wisp was gracing her with its presence. Surprised, she gauged how much energy that had taken her. It definitely hadn't been free, due to needing to hold the strand of mana in place while it fed the blueprint, but she only felt winded! Deciding to have a more thorough experiment, Lasair commanded her second wisp to join the first in its ring around the room, and waited until she felt fully rested. She found that on a full tank of energy, she could create three wisps! Goddamn structured mana was overpowered. With five of the little nightlights orbiting her like moons, she decided to give them a closer look.

[INSPECT]: [WILL-O-WISP]: A SMALL BALL OF MANA-DRIVEN FIRE, WHICH ENTHRALLS ITS VICTIMS WITH LIGHT.]

[OPTIONS: [UPGRADE], [ASSIGN], [PROMOTE].]

Upgrades? Upgrades you say? Yes fucking please.

Upgrading a wisp seemed to just mean letting it feast on more mana, which she was happy to do. Once it had had its fill and started to glow a bit brighter, Lasair had expended about as much energy as it took to create the wisp in the first place. The flame had grown about an inch in diameter, and seemed to burn both brighter and hotter. As she waited for her energy to refill, the wisp also began to overtake its brethren in their race around the room. Seems it had gained a bit of speed as well. Diverting the mana once more, she upgraded the same wisp for a second time. This took about as much energy as was required to spawn two wisps.

So the cost goes up over time. Shame.

Lasair considered it worth the effort though, as her beloved nightlight had doubled from its level one size, and was burning bright enough to dispel the most of the shadows in its corner of the room. After watching it practically zoom past the other wisps, she poured all of her energy into upgrading it one last time. It finished just as she was wearing down, but the inspection of this upgrade was rudely interrupted.

[ABILITY UNLOCKED: LESSER MANA DIRECTION.]

[LESSER MANA DIRECTION]: THE FLOW OF MANA IS EASIER TO BEND TO YOUR WILL.

Sounds very useful. Perhaps even enough for a level five wisp?

After once again waiting until she was full of energy, Lasair began to direct mana to the wisp. The effect of [LESSER MANA DIRECTION] was immediately evident. The mana still resisted her pull, but some of the fight had gone out of it. With her newfound prowess, she was just barely able to fit a fifth level into the wisp. It was now three inches in diameter, bigger than her, and she could feel the heat radiating off it. Its glow far surpassed that of its four lesser brothers, and its speed was no joke either. To her delight, the wisps first action with its new power was to fling sparks at a worm that was crawling across the floor. Like a little shotgun of fireworks, the wisp could throw bits of its own heat at targets!

[LEVEL FIVE [WILL-O-WISP] CREATED. [WILL-O-WISP] IS NOW ELIGIBLE FOR USE BY [PROMOTE]. [PROMOTE] [WILL-O-WISP] TO [LIEUTENANT]?]

That sounds powerful. Why not. Promote.

[PROMOTING...]

Lasair felt as the mana in the room once again poured into the wisp, although by the magic screens hand instead of her own. What surprised her though, was that the mana didn't seem to be growing the wisp. Looking deeper into the mana's flow, she stared at the new section of mana within the wisp. It stared back. And for the first time in this new world, she heard a noise that wasn't just the ambient bugs and nature. She heard a voice.

"Hello?"