Learning the Sanctuary spell…

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

Typically, this Libram resides in the library as reference material, strictly no loans allowed. And y’know… the Librarian’s a grumpy stickler for rules. So, you can imagine Anna’s surprise when an Arcane Familiar delivered this directly to her doorstep!

“Umm… before we start…” Anna says hesitantly, her hand pressed gently against her cheek. “I have a question!”

She smiles at me – a nervous, stalling smile. I can’t blame her; I’d feel the same in her place.

“How did you manage to borrow this overnight? Mister Librarian would never let anyone walk out with a Libram of any kind…”

“If you really wanna know…” I reply with a playful grin, adding a conspiratorial wink. “It was a special request – I bribed him earlier this afternoon!”

“Bribed!?” Anna exclaims, her eyes widening with horror, her hand flying to her mouth as if she’s just uttered a terrible word. “Umm… how?”

“Oh, nothing outrageous!” I say lightly. “Just a plate of candied apples from the dining hall. Sent it to his room in exchange for a premium library card… so to speak.”

“Oh my…” Anna murmurs, her expression caught somewhere between shock and amusement. “I didn’t know that was possible at all. He’s always so… strict.”

“You know how it is, Anna…” I add with a warm smile, shrugging my shoulders. “You get more with a kind word and a bribe than just a kind word. That, and uh…”

I scratch the back of my head, a little sheepish now. Just a bit.

“…Lady Iris might’ve given me the go-ahead and instructed him to help. That old Orc can’t say no to her! Heh, guess that’s the ‘kind word’ at play, huh?”

“Mom’s word does carry quite a bit of… authority,” Anna says playfully. “Bless her.”

“Right then, shall we?” I ask, gesturing towards the Libram of the First Saint. “Sanctuary awaits! Remember how I said I had a brilliant idea to help you learn new spells?”

“Using Divine Blessing to empower me, like Mom did?”

“Yeah! Like her, I can’t wrap my head around a Paladin’s Libram. But my magic, just like hers… shall grant you the clarity of mind needed to decipher its words!”

“Umm… you think it’ll work? Sanctuary is a far more advanced spell than Heal…”

“To be honest?” I answer, shrugging again. “No clue. But that’s why we’re here, aren’t we?”

“Okay! Let’s do our best together, Arisa!” Anna declares, steeling herself with a deep breath as she flips open the Libram of the First Saint with a soft rustle of pages. “Saint Alyssa Alcadeias… Saint Alyssa…”

Her voice trembles as she reads the sacred verses aloud, her eyes tracing each line written in Enochian. And that’s my cue! With a gentle wave of my hand, I bestow my Divine Blessing upon her, infusing her mind with clarity and sharpening her focus. My magic shimmers in her eyes with subtle hues of white and blue… and slowly but surely… she presses on… one page at a time.

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

Her breath takes on a silvery glow as she speaks, shimmering faintly with Mana. Her Mana. Beneath her feet, a radiant circle of silver light begins to materialise. Runes – silver like the moon, their symbols akin to those inscribed on the Libram of the First Saint – etch themselves into the ground, forming the spell’s foundation.

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

This is Sanctuary – a Paladin spell that conjures a protective circle. Within its bounds, allies are shielded from physical harm. Blades, arrows, and fists strike against its energy and dissipate like lightning into a lightning rod. Only those deemed allies by the Paladin’s will are safe within their Sanctuary. Everyone else? Well, tough luck.

The light of Anna’s Sanctuary edges closer to my feet, its shape stretching across the floor. As it spreads… its brilliance dims as it strains to maintain its form.

“Blessed by Rinnah, she…”

“Concentrate, Anna…” I murmur gently. “You got this.”

“Arisa, I…”

“Don’t stop. Keep going.”

“I…”

Her voice falters, but her body doesn’t. Eyes fixed ahead… she rises from her chair, trembling slightly. The circle of light from her Sanctuary holds steady beneath us. And in its glow, I feel… safe.

“You did it!” I say, grinning from ear to ear, relief flooding through me. “Holy fucking Rinnah… that was incredible!”

“Oh my! I did!” Anna exclaims, looking down at the glowing circle of Sanctuary beneath our feet. “That wasn’t too hard after all. I…”

“Anna!”

The silver light of her Sanctuary vanishes as blood trickles from her lips, vivid against her pale skin. She falls to her knees… but I catch her just in the nick of time.

“Arisa…”

“It’s my fault, Anna…” I whisper, pressing a hand glowing white and blue against her chest, the restorative light of my Heal flowing into her to restore her vitality. “I’m sorry.”

“For what…?”

Her voice is faint, her breaths shallow, and her gaze heavy with exhaustion. Yet, somehow… she still manages to smile at me.

Good grief. I gotta say… that smile stirs something deep within, bringing back memories of Arcadia… memories of the sacrifice she made for me in the previous timeline. And I… really should focus on the present.

“My Divine Blessing ran out too quickly, that’s what,” I say with a deep frown. “If I poured in more Mana to strengthen it… you wouldn’t have…”

“Even the most powerful spells have their limits…” Anna murmurs with a small smile as she places a hand on my arm, her strength slowly returning. “But we did it! Together…”

“Yeah! And you were amazing,” I reply, managing a smile despite the lump in my throat. “Now that you’ve learned Sanctuary, the next cast will be easier. You feel it, don’t you?”

Her eyes light up, the exhaustion giving way to determination. “I do, Arisa! The Libram of the First Saint… Sanctuary… I understand it all now. I do!”

I nod. The first cast is always the hardest – it’s like flexing a muscle for the first time. Now that she’s done it… the spell is etched into her memory, each subsequent cast easier than the last. And with enough practice, Rinnah willing… it’ll become second nature.

“We’ve still got time for a few more tries tonight,” I say, glancing out the window at the star-speckled sky. “But you’ll need some rest – a little break, if you will.”

“But Arisa… I don’t need a break!” Anna protests, clutching her chest. “I can keep going, I…”

“Anna…”

A fit of coughing had cut off her words. No blood this time… just breathlessness. Thank Rinnah, it’s merely that. Another quick Heal steadies her, but I give her a very stern look.

“Alright, umm… maybe just a short break…” Anna concedes, her voice meek. “Sorry.”

“It’s all good. Anyway, while we’re resting… I’ve got something special to show ya!” I announce, reaching into my blazer. “Ta-da!”

“Oh! Umm… what’s that?”

“It’s a little something straight outta my world – a smartphone!” I exclaim enthusiastically, beaming from ear to ear as I hold it up triumphantly. “There are many like it… but this one’s mine.”

“Smartphone? What does it do?”

I press and hold the power button… and soon enough, the screen lights up, drawing a startled gasp from Anna. The battery’s still holding at 75% – a minor miracle in a world devoid of phone chargers. It helps that I’ve kept it powered down since I woke up in this new timeline; it ran much lower in the last one. Not that it makes much difference – there’s no signal across all of Nisha… no way to call home. Believe me, I’ve tried. Oh well.

“Oh my! Such vivid colours…” Anna muses out loud, her eyes wide with wonder. “I’ve never seen anything like this…”

“Heh, that’s just the beginning!” I declare with a grin, swiping the screen to open my smartphone’s music player. A few quick taps later, a gentle, melodic tune fills the room. “Well? What do ya think?”

“Music!?” Anna exclaims, her expression one of pure awe. “It’s… it’s beautiful!”

“And that’s not all it can do!” I add, grinning mischievously as I switch to the camera app. “C’mon, let’s take a selfie!”

“Sel… fie…?”

“Yup. Smile!”

“Huh!?”

In a flash, our faces appear on the screen – Anna looking awestruck… and me grinning like a fool. We look… pretty silly, actually. Heh!

“Oh my!” Anna exclaims as she examines this image of us. “That’s… us?”

“Yup, a digital photograph with no shattered lightbulbs involved!” I say with a laugh, thinking of the clunky cameras in Nisha. “Pretty neat, huh?”

“Yes, that’s amazing! Your world’s technology is incredible! But umm… I look a bit silly in this photograph…”

“Let’s take another one, then!”

“You can do that!?”

“Yup!” I exclaim, holding up my smartphone again and angling it just right for another selfie. “Alright, this time for real. Big smiles!”

“Okay!”

As we pose again… I can’t help but feel a bittersweet pang in my chest. Moments like this – simple, joyful, and fleeting – remind me why it’s good to be back. They really do. We’ll get back to Sanctuary practice soon enough, but for now… I’d like to have just a few more minutes of this… together.