An expression of annoyance flickered across Remicra's draconic features as she demanded an explanation for the conspiratorial whisper exchanged between Cedez and Dave.

As a response Dave launched into a tirade in which he described the unfathomable gall of Steve Chadwick who had pilfered popular films from Earth's culture, turning them into various Shandrian plays.

When Dave's impassioned speech about Steve's cultural crimes finished, Cedez seized the edge of his gray cloak, and pulled him towards the colossal snail that loomed in the park beyond.

"Whaa...?" Dave blinked.

"You're going to work on creating your focus tool in my place," the vixen declared, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Let's go.”

Dave chose not to resist the exceptionally determined Sovereign, sending an apologetic look to Remicra as he was dragged away.

The snail's massive, pearlescent-white shell shimmered in the sunlight, casting ethereal reflections over the surrounding trees.

As they drew near, the snail seemed to sense the presence of the dark foxgirl and her somewhat reluctant companion, its tentacle antennae rotating to greet them.

Cedez's slender fingers rapped lightly against the hole-pitted surface of the shell, the staccato rhythm a secret code of sorts. Within moments, a metallic stairway unfurled itself, spiraling downwards with the elegance of a silver ribbon tossed to the wind. The vixen’s eyes sparkled with excitement, as she waved for Dave to follow her up the iron steps shaped like swirling roots.

Having reached the top, he ducked under a low, circular doorway and entered a very unique apartment. The rooms looked like a series of organic bubbles, rough walls carved from white coral.

The interior was bathed in a soft, ethereal light that came from spherical, crystal lamps and round skylights that dotted the domed ceilings.

As Dave moved through the space, he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of belonging, as if the apartment had been waiting for him all along. The sensation was both comforting and unnerving, and he couldn't quite shake the feeling that he was being watched by numerous unseen eyes.

"Like my place?" Cedez inquired as she observed Dave's reaction.

"It's definitely cozy," Dave conceded, unable to deny the sense of warmth that enveloped him. “If the tiniest bit... unnerving. Is the snail watching us?”

“Nah, you must be feeling my focus tools scattered throughout the place,” she said.

With a flutter of her bushy tail, the foxgirl led Dave to the center of the living room, gesturing for him to sit on a circular carpet adorned with mesmerizing, swirling spirals. Dave obeyed her instructions, folding his legs beneath him in a lotus pose, the softness of the lush white and black carpet cushioning his limbs.

"Rest your hands in front of you and meditate," she instructed. "This room’s focus runes work to harness and concentrate a high degree of magical radia upon the very spot you're occupying. Your goal is to circulate mana through your body and attempt to crystallize the tip of your index fingernail to make a new core."

Dave nodded. Meditation had never been his strong suit. However, he was willing to give it a try, especially if it meant gaining new magical abilities such as the manipulation of gravity.

Closing his eyes, he focused, trying to channel the invisible energy that supposedly flowed around him.

Despite his best efforts at it, absolutely nothing happened.

After a minute, Dave cracked open one eye, casting an uncertain glance toward Cedez.

"Put the damn Banker bracelet back on," she instructed, her tone sprinkled with amusement. "Until you create your own focus, you'll have to rely on that thing for new tasks. Use it to activate your skill and summon Alaster Rim. If the old coot can remember how to make a focus core, he will guide you along."

Dave's fingers fumbled with the black bracelet as he slid it back onto his wrist, feeling a slight tingling sensation as the artifact adjusted to his skin. He closed his eyes once more, focusing and hoping that Alaster's guidance would lead him to success.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"Activate Phantomancy," Dave whispered the command to the bracelet. "Bring Allister Rim forth.”

As if in response to his command, a presence suddenly materialized in Dave’s mind, echoing through him like the sonorous chime of an antique bell, accompanied by what sounded like distant hum of windswept underground tunnels.

"Yes?" the spectral voice asked, speaking without words with the resonant hum of gravity-pushed air.

"I want to create my own focus core, with you as the controlling element. The goal is to have you as a separate entity so I don't have to slot you into my mind,” Dave thought to his phantom companion.

"Very well," the Archmage replied. "Like our Empress already said, we shall attempt to crystallize the tip of the nail on your index finger and to anchor the remnants of my soul in that spot. Focus."

For the next hour, Dave strained every fiber of his being. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he focused on drawing in the magical energy, willing it to manifest in the desired form.

Despite his unwavering dedication to it, the tip of his nail remained stubbornly unchanged. Time and again, he would open his eyes, hoping to see the faintest glimmer of crystallization, only to be met with disappointment. Frustration welled up within him, the pressure of his own expectations weighing heavily on his shoulders.

Cedez, who had been observing Dave's struggle with a mixture of empathy and curiosity, finally broke the silence.

"It's fine," she assured him gently, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder for a moment. "These things take time, and you shouldn't expect to master it in a single attempt. Keep trying, and eventually, you'll get there. It took me a while to get it too."

Dave nodded with a sigh, returning to his task.

. . .

Dave sat cross-legged on the lush rug, his chest rising and falling as he drew deep, deliberate breaths. The pearlescent, white walls, lined with shelves of leather-bound tomes, seemed to close in around him, as if to bear witness to his unrelenting pursuit.

For five arduous days, he had tried to coax the magic within him to no avail. His eyes finally fluttered open as he grew tired of focusing for today. He raised his hand, his fingers trembling slightly, and examined his fingernail for the thousandth time with the weary resignation of a man who had grown accustomed to defeat.

But as the waning light of the day fell on the edge of his nail, something caught his eye: a delicate, barely perceptible shimmer, a speck of steel-gray blue. Dave's heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, he dared not breathe, fearing that even the slightest disturbance might shatter the illusion.

Yet the tiny glimmer remained, and with it, the realization that his efforts had not been in vain.

"Yes!" A wave of euphoria rushed through him and he could not contain the excitement that seized him, his voice echoing through the quiet apartment and announcing to the world, or perhaps just to himself, that he had taken the first step in a long and arduous journey towards greatness.

Propelled by his success he rapidly descended the metal stairwell that led to the garden below.

Dave found Cedez on a garden bench, her lithe figure nestled comfortably amidst the wild tangle of greenery that surrounded her. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing her face like the delicate tendrils of a willow tree, and her bushy tail twitched contentedly as she read a large leather tome.

The sun cast dappled patterns of light and shadow on the dog-eared pages of an old book that she cradled in her lap.

"Cedez!" Dave's voice rang out.

The dark foxgirl looked up from the book she was reading, her ears twitching with curiosity.

"I did it!" he announced, his words tumbling over each other in a rush. "I made my fingernail crystallize!"

"Well done," Cedez's lips curled into a knowing smile. She gestured toward his hand, inviting him to show her the fruits of his labor.

Dave held out his finger to her.

"Looks good. Now... just keep adding mana to it until it's big enough to be a gemstone," Cedez instructed.

As weight of her words settled on Dave's shoulders, he glanced down at the tiny crystalline speck on his fingernail, considering the magnitude of the task ahead.

"Don't worry," Cedez reassured. "It should get easier now that you have the base. Just keep it up! I believe in you! Don’t look so sullen now, you do realize that you’ve done something…”

She made a deep pause as she examined his fingernail more thoroughly.

"Something?" Dave repeated.

"Impossible," she exhaled. "The focus core on your fingernail is a different color from the one in your body. You've made an anchor for Alaster Rim's soul… outside of your body."

"Does that mean…" Dave trailed off.

"You might be able to do gravity magic now," the foxkin grinned. She plucked a tiny dry leaf from the ground and lifted it above her fingers.

"Make the leaf go sideways," she instructed as she let the leaf go.

Dave pointed his index finger at the leaf, focusing his intent on the task at hand.

"Pull," he ordered, whispering the command word in Shadow-tongue as he channeled Alaster's power that now resided in a tiny dot on his fingernail.

The leaf twitched ever so slightly, drifting away from Cedez and towards his finger, as if drawn by an unseen force.

"Gravity," he uttered in awe.

Cedez exploded in a squee, a giddy laugh escaping from her lips.