Chapter 88 The Orb

Aleshia began refining and adding more to the orb by using Lucia's scraps of leftover mana that she couldn't use to reinforce the river that protected Dahdin. Each time she gave more scraps to the orb, it became slightly easier to control. Aleshia kept experimenting with the orb, transforming the inside into a complex network of strands with incredible uniqueness held within. When Lucia inquired about her progress, the orb had already grown to the size of a human head.

"Aleshia, are you finished with your experiments?" the witch hat asked, the strain in its voice palpable. "Not quite yet. Let me add a few more finishing touches to the orb." Lucia was worried about Dahdin as the mist was inching ever closer to his prone body. However, she allowed Aleshia to continue experimenting with her orb for as long as was needed. She felt that if the orb couldn't perform at its peak, it would be harder for her to trust its capabilities.

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As Lucia finished her thought, Aleshia announced her completion, to Lucia's relief. "Done, use this orb here." She propped it above her head so Lucia could see. "I guarantee you won't find anything lacking." she proudly proclaimed

With that enthusiastic guarantee, Lucia looked down at the magic orb Aleshia had been experimenting with and was surprised at how much energy it contained. She began meticulously siphoning out the mana and instantly noticed the elements held within. "This is quite impressive," Lucia said, complimenting Aleshia's work. Aleshia grinned at her praise.

Lucia evenly spread out the energy among the sigils. As she did this, her thoughts drifted to experimenting with the newly-fashioned orb. While the mana in the orb dwindled, Lucia began surrounding the orb with sigils, placing some directly upon it.

The sigils were placed on the faintly incorporeal orb, resting smoothly on its surface. As they settled, a bright twinkle of light shimmered across the orb, creating an endless feedback loop of winking lights from one sigil to another. Even after letting the orb settle, the sigils on the orb continued to twinkle. Lucia was surprised by this unexpected reaction. Peering closer at the orb, she noticed that the runes seemed to have created an energy loop that appeared to be refining the energy within.

Awed by its ingenuity, Lucia asked Aleshia a question about it. "Aleshia, how did you make this orb?" "Oh, I just used some tricks I learned," Aleshia said secretively.