The library was near silent, the only sound the occasional flipping of pages turning or the soft creak of old wood beneath shifting weight of the students moving around. Kai sat in one of the corners, buried behind an uneven tower of thick, leather-bound books that looked like they hadn't been touched in…well awhile. Several books lay open in front of him, their scribbling texts scrawled in fading ink. Flipping between pages while his other hand scribbled occasional notes into his notebook.
A look of mild frustration painted his face.
He exhaled and muttered under his breath, "Nothing. Nothing useful again."
He had already exhausted the grimoires he in his apart and books filled with rituals, incantations, and potion components sourced from the Vampire Diaries universe. But most of the ingredients mentioned were native to that plane and things like vervain-root-infused moonstone, werewolf venom mixed with dandelion ash, or the crushed bones of a Bennett witch. Ok that one was kind of weird and here? They were all useless.
'Even if I could find similar ingredients, the magic they were intended to regulate are entirely different.' Back in the TVD world, magic was drawn from sacrifice, emotion, and channeling ancestral spirits or even celestial events.
But here in The Magician's universe, it was all wellsprings, discipline, and structured flow. It was like trying to patch a leak in a dam using a sponge meant for wine glasses.
"What I need," he muttered, eyes narrowing over the spine of an aged tome, "is something that bridges the gap properly. Some kind of binding or stabilizing agent that works harmoniously to the components that needs to be binded…"
He turned the page slowly in a dark green book titled 'Woven Currents: Flow Theorems', and his eyes caught something.
"Runic Binding Magic: An ancient school of magic capable of fusing foreign magical signatures to an object or a host using arcane latticework."
His brow lifted slightly. That was new.
Kai leaned in, scanning the text line by line. "The runes form a lattice structure that when applied correctly acts as a containment frame. The lattice doesn't restrict the flow entirely, but instead regulates and channels it back through the object or wielder in manageable waves…"
He paused, thinking. That sounded promising. But…
"…the primary contradiction," he read aloud in a quiet murmur, "comes from incompatible origin magics. If the foreign magic possesses metaphysical polarity opposite the host's which in this case being the wellspring magic, the binding will destabilize, potentially resulting in magical leakage, psychic backlash, or arcane corrosion of the runic structure."
Kai groaned. "Of course it does…"
He reached for another book underneath, this one was covered in dust and stitched with thread that looked like animal skin. It was titled 'Animae Codex: Symbiotic and Parasitic Magical Entities.' His eyes skimmed the contents before one illustration stopped him: a leech-like creature, vaguely translucent, with glowing veins snaking through its slug-like body.
The title above it read: 'Aetherphage – A magically attuned parasitic organism capable of feeding on surplus magic and converting it into inert energy.'
Kai blinked. "Huh."
He read more: 'The Aetherphage, when bonded with a host or magical field, passively consumes unstable energy. If introduced into a chaotic magic stream, it will act as a stabilizing node. Dangerous in large numbers, but manageable in solitary deployment.'
Kai stared at the image a moment longer before he exhaled a laugh. "Finally, this looks like it could work."
He leaned back in his chair, holding the book open above his face. "And here I was thinking I'd never find anything remotely helpful."
Then, smirking slightly, he muttered sarcastically, "Now I just have to find a magical leech and convince it not to eat magic from my cute little minions".
He closed the book with a sharp thud and rested his head against the back of the chair. His eyes drifted toward the ceiling.
"I probably need someone who actually knows about magical creatures and where to actually get this particular one…" he said aloud. "Which means…"
A groan escaped him as the inevitable realization landed.
"I'm gonna have to talk to a sponsor."
He slumped in the chair dramatically, arms hanging limp, sighing as if the mere idea physically hurt him. Then, in a slow, begrudging movement, he sat up, running a hand down his face.
"Who else…" he muttered, scanning through the possibilities in his mind.
And then it hit him.
He facepalmed, letting out a tired but amused exhale. "Of course."
A name and a face had snapped into his head someone who just might have the knowledge he needed, or at least point him in the right direction.
Kai stood up swiftly, tucking the Aetherphage book under his arm.
As he walked out of the library, the thought struck him again.
'I wonder how far Julia's gotten with that spell I gave her...'.
———
Kai strolled toward the cottage belonging to the Physical Kids with his books, his steps unhurried but his mind still occupied by the research he'd just done in the library and how to meet up with the professor who'd help him.
As he neared the cottage, a familiar figure appeared with a small bag slung over her shoulder. Margo spotted him first, her eyes immediately locking on the book in his hand.
"Well, well. Doing a little light reading to impress the sponsors?" she teased, arching a brow.
Kai smirked. "Just a little research. Nothing says fun like ending up with bugs."
"Ewwww," she said, scrunching her nose. She stepped closer into his personal space, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Well, stay away from those. Bugs are gross." Her voice dipped a little lower, her tone playful. "Although, for some reason… I am feeling butterflies inside of me."
Kai glanced at her, cocking an eyebrow and smirked a little. "If you want, I can help you feel something a whole lot more intense than butterflies."
Margo giggled, then turned and sauntered toward the door, her hips swaying with exaggerated flair. Kai shook his head with a lopsided grin and followed her inside.
Inside, they were met with the scent of baked goods and a sight both unexpected and oddly on-brand Eliot, wearing a plush bathrobe, meticulously decorating cupcakes on the counter.
Margo walked in and gasped. "Ohh, you baked?"
Kai. "it looks yummy."
Eliot inhaled dramatically. "You can both have one if you think you can afford it."
Margo scoffed. "Please, I have the metabolism of a Jamaican sprinter."
Kai folded his arms. "I'm going to need something stronger than cupcakes to get to me."
Margo leaned closer to the counter. "Ohh, do tell." Then she straightened and said, "And I need my strength." She opened her handbag with a grin and pulled out a brown paper wrapped bottle with a red sticker on it. "So I can properly wrap this bottle of double-charmed sake."
Kai tilted his head. "Now this… this is definitely stronger stuff."
Eliot glanced up with mock offense. "Really, dude?"
Kai shrugged. "I'm just saying."
Margo smirked. "Mmhmm. You can only get it from a very particular monk on Okinawa." She held the bottle up. "But I'm sure Genji is gonna love your little cakes."
Eliot chuckled wryly as Margo grabbed a cupcake and walked off while eating it. "This is war, bitch," he muttered after her with a mischievous grin. Then he turned to Kai. "Wanna help crush the bitch?"
Kai sighed and waved the book. "I'd love to, but I'm on a tight schedule."
Eliot raised an eyebrow. "On what?"
Kai had already started walking out. "Research," he called over his shoulder.
——————
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