Aside from Familiar Contract I also choose Gust, from the air school. Most of the magic skills could probably be learned through books. Most, however, aside from elemental. I decide to unlock a single spell in each school, for now. I still don’t know what good, “splash,” would do, so that left me with one choice, and I doubt the stuff of fantasy would have much theoretical knowledge laid around. I confirm the skills, and the, ‘1,’ returns.

“Can you make other shapes?” I ask.

As if reading my mind the Shard splits into two and shrinks in size until they form two curved lenses. Hopefully, this works. I slide them over my eyes like contact lenses.

Immediately, the world shifts into a shimmering red. The, ‘1,’ floated above both my eyes, and my vision was doubled as if I were wearing drunk goggles. Nausea shifts through my stomach as I pull them out. Never again. Now they shift into a bracelet that squeezes around my wrist.

“Will you be able to still use that screen from before?”

“Yes.” Scrolled across the bracelet.

When that was finished I stood up and changed into a clean set of clothes, and then pull the blankets off of the bed to reveal the slumbering, curled-up Clio.

“Am I able to use Familiar Contract on her?” I ask the Shard.

“Yes.”

Clio rolls onto her stomach.

“This might hurt Clio, I’m sorry.”

I dig out my wand from the crumbled-up pile of clothes.

“I, an initiate of Hecate and of Bastet, and one with the knowledge of Hermes bestowed upon humanity through the tablet of emerald, do beseech you, oh companion of mine, to merge together our souls.”

I tap the center of my chest with the wand. A strand of red slips out and a sharp pain pulls at my chest. I hold it up to her chest right above her heart. The red slips into her and she whines in pain. I hold the wand in place into the red vanishes.

Hurts. Hurts. A small, childish voice whimpers in my head.

“Because of the contract you have gained +1 perceptiveness and +1 stamina. The words scroll across the bracelet.

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“By the light of Yahweh...”

Master? Master’s voice. Help. Hurts. She buries her head in the comforter.

I finish the spell with a tap on her head and a tap on her belly. A light glows around her.

Warm. Warm. No pain.

“Clio, can you understand me?”

I always could.

She rolls over onto her stomach and wags her short-cropped tail.

I pat her head. This was a lot weirder than I had thought.

I turn the wand to myself for another couple of rounds of healing in order to ease the last of my pain. After which I sat on the ground clutching my throbbing head. When the throbbing was finally over I dragged the backpack over to the edge of my bed out of the pile by hooking one of the straps over my toes. I pull out the kris and its jeweled encrusted sheathe.

It sings as it slides out of its sheathe. The blade itself is a dark, black metal that caught the light filtering in through the room and reflected it back a deep, undulating violet. Glowing scratch marks wrapped around its base; laid out in such a way that it could have been a language. I set it down and fetch one of the books from the inside of my bag, and flip it open. The marks are similar enough to the ‘letters,’ inside the book. I slide the book into my shelf, followed it through with the other books, and set the scrolls on the empty bottom shelf.

Toy?

Clio walks up to the blade and sniffs the blade laid out on the bedsheet.

“No.” I click my tongue.

Not toy?

“Not toy.”

She goes back to laying down after releasing a disappointed grumble. I pick up the blade again. Scratch marks were scrawled up the middle of the blade and glowed only when I set my eyes on them.

“What does this say?”

“We don’t know.” The Shard responds.

“You don’t? What do you suppose this is, then?”

“An enchanted blade of some sort. A few still exist around our world as well.”

“Do those also have words written on them?”

“Yes. Words are written and infused with magic on an item and grants them the power of the words.”

“Like if I add, ‘give fire,’ a weapon will burn?”

“Yes. But with so few words, it won’t be as powerful as another.”

I still didn’t get it. I slide the knife back into its sheathe, and set it down on the top layer of my bed. I put on a fresh set of clothes before I remember the hood in my backpack. I pull it out of the bag and examine it. Within the red accent lines, scratch marks were sewed into the middle.

“What does this do?”

“What does it say?”

“How could I know that?”

“How could we?”

Should I try to translate it? I sigh and shove it into my dresser. I’d probably need a higher intelligence stat to even attempt something like that. For now, I could make neither heads nor tails out of it I suppose I’ll try to level to increase my intelligence for now.

I pick up the kris from the bed and tuck it under my belt. To hide it I toss on the largest shirt I have. The layers of clothes did nothing, so I figured this would do for now. I take my wand off the shelf and slip it into my pocket, and toss my bag over my back.

“I’m going to go for a bit, okay Clio?”

Leave?

“Yes.”

Can I go with you?

“No, it’s too dangerous.”

I pick the long-legged dog off the bed and carried her into the living room.

“I’m heading out,” I tell my mother, laying on the couch watching television. “Be back in a while.”

“Okay.”

“Take care of Clio for a bit?”

She sighs and stuffs a chip in her mouth. I take that as affirmation and step out into the late morning sun.