A gentle chiming noise broke Gio’s focus. He rubbed at his temples as if he could somehow massage out the headache with his fingertips. The scrying plane on the far wall of his room was blinking with a soft white light, the telltale sign of someone trying to come over.

There’s probably some healing spell that would actually get rid of this headache, right? I wonder what that would look like. You could probably do it with nature mana and a light mana transformation, maybe- What am I even thinking about right now? No distractions!

Gio got out of his chair, stretched for a moment, and then delicately navigated the piles of research materials littering his once-tidy room.

“Watch out for the inkwell,” said Xerxes.

The older student was perched over an ancient-looking parchment scroll and was treating it with some sort of clear serum in a fancy eye-dropper. Xerxes had been a regular fixture for the past two weeks. Gio had devoted a considerable amount of time and academic resources to make his room into a bit of a slap-dash lab for spellforms. Or, spellform- being that he was singularly focused on trying to break into the mirror world.

Gio nearly fell over at the sound of his voice, having to stop on a dime to avoid knocking over an unfortunately positioned crystal ampule of lamp-black ink. The roughly made glass vial was almost an utter failure in every aspect, but it was hellishly indelible. If Gio had knocked it over, he probably wouldn’t have been able to get it out of the carpet for the rest of his time at the academy.

“Thanks. I’ll get the door, It’s probably Jean.” Gio replied.

“Oh, It’s Rika. Accept.” said Gio.

The glass surface faded into inky darkness, and Chandrika became visible a few paces away from the frame. Gio furrowed his brow, contemplating how mundane it had become to use the scrying plane network.

It really is an incredible monument of magic. After I get my domain figured out, I really need to start asking Baphelus about the Manse. It feels like everything in my life right now has been postponed…

“Hey there, stranger. I figured I should come and do a wellness check since I haven't seen you in a few- Whoa, that’s a lot of paper.” Chandrika quipped.

“If you think this is a lot of paper, you wouldn’t believe your eyes if you saw the Scriptorium. Hello, Miss Chakraverti,” said Xerxes, not looking away from his project.

“Hey Xerx. What are you two up to?” Chandrika asked.

The soft chime in the background interrupted Gio before he could respond to her.

“Whoever it is, accept!” Gio shouted at the scrying mirror.

“Xerxes is working on some scriptorium projects while I brainstorm. Do you mind if I talk it out? I don’t want to bore you to tears if you’re not interested.” Gio said.

Jean walked out of the Manse, setting a few paper bags on a rare bald spot of one of the tables.

“Oh, shoot! Sorry Rika, I didn’t know you were coming, I’d have grabbed you something.” Jean said.

“No worries, I just came from dinner with the girls. Sapphire is super excited for next week. Let me get comfy, but sure- tell me about whatever this is” said Chandrika, motioning emphatically to a diagram of a bunch of different versions of the spell Gio was working on.

“Alright. So… we’ve got what should have been the hardest part of the spell down. Plane-shifting spells are usually difficult because you need to form some sort of connection with another plane. I’m cheating that part because I’ve got this handsome devil.” Gio said, pointing to the mirror.

Rio waved from the mirror, looking up briefly from the book he was reading.

“Right, but how does having a reflection let you bypass that part? Don’t plane-shifting spells require some sort of… physical focus? At least for the first time you cast it, right?” Chandrika asked.

“Usually, yes. But the point of using those items in a spell that channels an alternate plane is just to provide resonance between our plane of existence and that one. In this case, I already have that. I don’t need to magically link myself to another plane because Rio is already there. We’ve been practicing a bit with Baphelus, and we can officially send mana to each other… kinda.” Gio explained.

“Kinda? I think you should probably have a bit more confidence than “kinda” when you’re talking about potentially crossing dimensions,” Jean said.

“Well, we currently can only do it when we’re touching a mirror… and it takes some time. Altogether, it’s not particularly useful, but it is exactly what I need for this part of the spell. My real issue right now is with this part right here.” Gio said, pointing to a big empty circle on the chart.

“I see… so what are we looking at?” Jean asked.

“This is the part of the spell where the translocation takes place… or where that part of the spell would be… if I had one.” Gio explained.

“And, unfortunately, it’s a bit of a circular issue.” Xerxes chimed in, having completed the task he was working on.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Circular? How so?” Chandrika asked.

“Well, it’s a cart before the horse situation. In many similar spells, this position would be occupied with a translocation circuit that consists of several amplification paths… and a reasonably powerful major sigil, usually a spatial type.” Xerxes explained.

“And we’re going into the dungeon because you don’t have a major sigil. Got it.” Chandrika said.

“Yep. but… unlike domains, a major sigil isn’t specifically required for a plane-shifting spell. There are plenty that use other strategies. It’s just that I am having a hard time figuring out how to do it without the crutch of a major sigil. There are probably spellwrights who could whip up some sort of genius array that safely transports a person across dimensions using three strokes of ink, but that isn’t me. Not yet, anyways.” Gio said, defeated.

“That sounds a lot like Hart’s Casino.” Jean said.

Xerxes whipped his head towards Jean, with wide eyes and a troubled expression.

“That’s… er…” Xerxes started.

“What does a casino have to do with anything? Xerxes, what’s got you so shaken?” Gio asked.

Straightening his face and readjusting his collar, Xerxes looked intensely into Gio’s eyes.

“It’s not a viable solution. I thought about it before, and I avoided bringing it up because It’s a pointless distraction and a waste of time.” Xerxes said.

“Okay, sure, but what is it?” Gio insisted.

“It’s a deathtrap.” Jean said.

Gio nearly stumbled back.

“What? I’m confused. Are we talking about a casino, like… a place where you go to gamble? What does that have to do with teleporting, and why is it dangerous?” Gio asked, dumbfounded.

“Well… to put a long story short, Hart’s Casino was a grift. An immensely talented conman who went by the eponym “A. Hart” started distributing a singular spell across the world. The spell was a marvel, being fabulously inexpensive to print, and highly effective. At this point, Mr. Hart wasn’t known as a conman. Instead, he was known as a spatial prodigy” Xerxes said.

“And that spell was some sort of teleporting spell?” Gio asked, on the edge of his seat.

“Yes. A.Hart somehow managed to construct a fabulous casino in a pocket dimension, wedged in an interstitial space between the astral plane and the dream plane. It was once an expansive palace of debauchery, lights, music, and excess. In recent times, it’s become a hideout for nightmares that leak in from the dream plane, all manner of bandits and outlaws, and of course the odd ghost.” Xerxes finished.

“It’s so widespread that my dad trains his law enforcement specifically on how to track entrances and exits.

“Okay… that’s interesting, but why bring this up?” Gio asked.

“Well, that’s the whole thing. The spell was so cheap to make that basically anybody could get their hands on it. The core of the grift is that the casino is like… one big spell, and it doesn’t have a way of generating its own mana like a permanent enchantment. The teleportation spell basically leeches mana from the outside world when it’s cast, which then refuels a bit of the casino. The guy who made it ran off with a ton of money and magic, basically leaving a ton of people destitute. Nowadays, the only people that come and go from the casino are people who need a way to disappear.” Finished Jean.

“It sounds… like an interesting take on a teleportation spell. I would be interested to get my hands on a copy.” Gio said.

“Unwise. The spell comes in two parts, the first of which is only a way to teleport to the casino. There’s no way back once you’re there… a one way ticket is hardly what you’re aiming for.” Xerxes said.

“So… how do people come back?” Gio asked.

“If what i’ve heard is true, there used to be some sort of printing system that would automatically print you out a returning spell or something, but those stopped working… for the most part.” Jean said.

“Interesting. Very interesting.” Gio said.

“Gio…” Xerxes warned.

“What? I didn’t say anything! I don’t even know where I’d get a copy of the spell.” Gio said, feigning innocence.

“Well, whatever the case, I hope the rest of your preparations are going well? We only have one week left until the dive!” Chandrika said excitedly.

“Yes. I’d be heartbroken if I have to go without having this spell completed, but I am otherwise completely ready for the delve.” Gio replied.

“Why is this spell so important to you anyways?” Jean asked.

“Well, I shouldn’t say too much yet… but I have some interesting ideas. Basically, so long as I can find a way to get to the reflection, I think I will be fully confident in my ability to make a domain spell.” Gio replied,.

“Well… good luck. Whatever happens, I’ll see you next week.” Jean replied.

“Yeah. see you soon!” Gio replied.

At that point, Chandirka and Jean headed out, having both clearly had enough of Xerxes and Gio’s animated discourse on Spell-crafting.

Xerxes turned to Gio.

“You’re going to go try to get your hands on that spell tonight.” Xerxes said. There was no hint of uncertainty nor disbelief in his voice, but it still froze Gio in his place.

“How did you know?” Gio asked.

“The same reason that I didn’t bring it up in the first place. You’re getting desperate. Well, I’ll leave you to it. Just… be careful, Gio.” Xerxes said, gathering his things and leaving.

Gio was left alone with his thoughts… and his reflection.

“Jean said deathtrap.” Gio signed.

“Yeah, but so are dungeons!" Rio shot back.

“So… you are thinking what I’m thinking.” Gio guessed.

“Of course. Quick little diversion, then we make the one spell that might make or break this whole gambit. What could go wrong?” Rio signed.