Learning the Sanctuary spell…

The Libram of the First Saint beckons to Anna once more. Resting on her desk, its white cover and golden runes gleam with the promise of knowledge and wisdom to a worthy Paladin.

Typically, you’d only be able to access this Libram in the library. No loaning allowed! Or from Lady Iris’ personal collection, at her pleasure. So, it was a bit of a surprise for Anna to see an Arcane Familiar so far from the library, delivering the Libram directly to her doorstep.

“Umm… before we start…”

With her hand pressed gently against her cheek, Anna smiles earnestly at me. She’s stalling for time… but I don’t blame her. I’d be a little nervous, too.

“How did you convince Mister Librarian to let you borrow a Libram overnight? He never lets anyone take his beloved librams past the library’s doors…”

“If you really gotta know…” I answer with a playful grin and a wink. “I bribed him.”

“Bribed!?” Anna exclaims with a start, covering her mouth like it’s dirty from saying such a bad, naughty word. “Umm… how?”

“Nothing too fancy. Just a plate of candied apples from the dining hall. Had it sent to his room in exchange for a premium library card!”

“Oh my…”

“Y’know how it is, Anna!” I add with a warm smile. “You’d get more with a kind word and a bribe, than just a kind word. That, and uh…”

With a sheepish grin, I scratch my head.

“Lady Iris said it was okay! That old Orc can’t say no to her either!”

“Mom’s word does hold a lot of weight in the Order, being the Ecclesiarch…” Anna muses playfully. “Bless her.”

“Right, then. Shall we?” I ask warmly, beckoning to the Libram of the First Saint. “Sanctuary awaits! Oh, wait! Remember me saying that I had a great idea to help you learn new spells!?”

“Umm… I remember that you mentioned something of the sort, albeit vaguely…”

“I was thinking, even if I can’t read a Paladin’s Libram… I can still lend you my strength through my Divine Blessing! It’ll grant you the clarity of mind to decipher the words within! Like Lady Iris did for ya, for Heal!”

“Umm… you think it’ll work? Sanctuary is a very advanced spell, compared to Heal...”

“To be honest...” I answer, shrugging my shoulders. “No idea.”

“Oh. That doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence…”

“But that’s why we’re gonna give it a go, right now!” I exclaim authoritatively. “C’mon!”

“Okay! Let’s do our best together, Arisa!” Anna exclaims enthusiastically, taking a deep breath before turning over the cover of the Libram of the First Saint. "Alyssa Alcadeias… Alyssa…”

She’s reading the holy words out loud, struggling. That’s where I come in! With a gentle wave of my hand in her direction, I bestow my Divine Blessing upon her, granting her that clarity of mind to focus on the verses, one page after another, slowly but surely.

“She is the First Saint, the first Paladin and Healer. The Order of Selene, her legacy eternal…”

Exhaling deeply, Anna presses on. Her breath is hot, infused with Mana. Holy light, silver like the moon, materialises beneath her feet. It forms a circle of light adorned in runes, their shape similar to those emblazoned upon the Libram of the First Saint.

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This is Sanctuary, a Paladin spell that wills forth a circle of light that keeps all within it safe from physical harm. The force of incoming blows is redirected into the circle’s energy, like a lightning rod for arrows, blades, hammers, and fists. Somehow, the light senses the Paladin’s will, protecting only those she trusts as allies. Anyone else is just shit outta luck.

Barely beyond arm’s length, the light of Anna’s Sanctuary slowly spreads across the floor towards me and my feet. As it expands its reach, the potency of the light wanes.

“Blessed by Rinnah, she…”

“Maintain it, Anna…” I whisper softly and gently. “You got this.”

“Arisa, I…”

“Don’t give up. Keep at it!”

“I…”

Slowly, eyes staring dead ahead as if caught in a trance, Anna stands up. The light of her Sanctuary holds, glowing beautifully on the floor. And in this light, I feel… safe.

“You did it…” I say with a big smile, relieved to hell and back. “Good job!”

“Oh my! I did do it!” Anna exclaims, echoing my joy as she looks down towards the radiant circle of silver light beneath our feet. “That wasn’t too hard! I…”

“Anna!”

Blood flows from her lips in streaks of crimson as the light of Sanctuary fades away into the floor. She falls to her knees, but I move in quickly and keep her steady.

“Arisa…”

“Divine Blessing ran outta juice,” I whisper, swiftly raising a hand wreathed in white and blue light to Heal her, replenishing her lifeblood. “Fuck! Sorry.”

“For...?”

“Damn spell of mine could last for a bit longer… keep you casting for a bit more…”

“Even the most powerful spell runs out eventually…” Anna rasps with a weary smile as she basks in the restorative light of my Heal. “But we did it! Together…”

“Yeah. You did great!” I add hastily as I do my best to smile. “Now that you’ve gotten first cast outta the way… the second’s gonna be a breeze! You feel it too, don’t ya?”

“I do feel different now. The Libram… Sanctuary… I remember it all. I do!”

Yup, that sounds about right! Casting a spell is like flexing a muscle. The first successful cast is always the hardest. But the more it’s done, the easier it is to do so. Eventually, it becomes second nature.

Now that Anna’s overcome the hardest part of this entire process, it’s all gravy from here on out. Easy street, smooth sailing. Mastery, ho!

“We should have time for a few more casts,” I say, cupping my chin thoughtfully as I momentarily look out the window, looking towards the night sky. “But you’ll need some rest before we can continue, especially after that little exertion!”

“But, umm… I don’t need a break!” Anna whines, hand upon her chest as she looks me in the eye. “I can keep going, I can…”

Before she can finish her sentence, she falls right into the throes of a coughing fit. There is no blood this time, just shortness of breath and loud, hacking coughs – nothing that another Heal of mine can’t soothe away.

“Umm… sorry about that…”

“So, how about that break before we get right back into it? I offer warmly. “Besides, I do have something to show ya, for a job well done…”

“Oh? What do you mean?”

“Behold!” I exclaim as I reach into my blazer, pulling out my smartphone. “Look!”

“Umm… what is that?”

“It’s something straight outta my world – it’s a phone. My phone!” I proclaim enthusiastically. “There are many like it, but this one’s mine.”

“What does it do?”

I hold the power button, and my phone’s screen comes to life in a slightly dazzling flash of light. To think the damn thing still has three-quarters of its battery! Then again, I’ve kept it switched off ever since I got here in the previous timeline. There aren’t any places with a signal to call home, unfortunately. No reception between worlds.

“Oh my… such colours! I’ve never seen anything like it…”

“That’s just the home screen!” I say with a cheeky grin. “Look at this!”

With a swift flick and a thumb tap, I open up my phone’s music player. Two more taps and sombre melodies fill the room in low fidelity, one track of many in a playlist or hours upon hours of work and study from a life so damn long ago.

“Is that music!? Oh my, that’s…”

“Beautiful? Chill?”

“Yes. It’s beautiful!”

“But that’s not all this bad boy can do!” I add with a devilish grin, exiting the music player in favour of my phone’s camera. “C’mon. Let’s take a selfie together!”

“Selfie, you said…?”

“Yup. Smile!”

In a flash of light, Anna and I appear on my phone’s screen. Her face is wide with wonder and surprise while I’m smiling silly.

“Oh my! This photograph of us looks so sharp…”

“Yup, it’s really convenient! Just a single tap on the screen, and voilà!”

“No lightbulbs need to be shattered?”

“Nope! Not a single one!”

“Why, that’s amazing! I can’t believe your world has such cool technology! It’s just a shame I don’t look too good in this photo…”

“Not an issue! C’mon, let’s do another one!”

“Wait, we can!?”

“Of course! I exclaim as I hold up my phone in front of the both of us again to take another selfie. “Okay, ready? Smile!”

I remember now, Anna! I know why I brought my phone up here, to you. We had a moment like this back in the previous timeline, together. You, me, my phone… we didn’t sleep a wink after that! And in my heart of hearts, I just want to relive this moment with you again.

Oh, but we can’t get too distracted now, can we!? We still have to work on your mastery of the Sanctuary spell! But that can wait for a few minutes more, surely…