The name instantly drew her attention, not because it sounded edgy, but because a certain spell appeared in her mind when she read it.
She read the text describing the spell.
[The spell allows the caster to create a vortex of fire to teleport a certain distance, which is extremely rare for a Rank 1 Spell. Usually, teleportation is only possible when reaching Rank 2, but there are always exceptions. The uniqueness doesn't come for free, the spell demands a high level of mastery over the Fire Pathway and a special constitution—usually only achieved by the pureblood.]
I see...
Lilith had created [Soul Flash] after observing Valeric's energy manipulation and specifically his movement spells, precisely the small explosions and the teleportation spell that he had cast.
She had paid special attention to his teleportation spell, finding it odd that he was able to cast it several times despite its uniqueness.
It turned out, to be a Rank 1 Spell. It wasn't very demanding on his reserves.
With that thought in mind, she put her hand on the page and injected some of her heavenly essence.
Immediately, a complex crimson diagram appeared in her mind.
It was circular in shape and had countless intricate lines that, when together, looked like a grand maze.
This was the first diagram that she had ever seen, but she was sure that it was far more complex than the average spell of Rank 1.
The bloke that wrote the book wasn't kidding...
Recalling how she created an inferior version of the spell mid-fight, she marveled at her own ability. But, that was only a moment of desperation, and her mind worked overtime in. Now, she has to put far more effort lest she get her ass beaten up in the next fight.
After observing the diagram for a while, Lilith put the book aside and stood up.
She closed her eyes, and her perception was focused entirely on her inner self.
Inside her body, a myriad of navy blue pathways stretched through it. Some were small, some were large, thicker, thinner, softer, harder... With countless other bright orbs that shimmered like stars.
It looked like an entire universe was within her body.
From deep within her being, her soul stirred.
Navy blue heavenly essence flowed through her pathways, following a certain pattern.
She had modified the spell drastically to fit her body, and so, she had to refine it much more.
Lilith remembered the pattern that she had envisioned in her mind, and she followed her instincts, willing her heavenly essence to flow where she pleased.
The energy passed, taking on a certain rhythm and weight to it. Whenever it reached a critical pathway or orb, Lilith's body flinched.
And like that, ten minutes or so passed.
And then...
Boom!
Lilith's body blurred and flickered, and suddenly, it disappeared like a phantom. She hit the wall hard, and the stone cracked. She fell back on her but.
"Ugh! Shit!"
She held her nose, a small trickle of blood dripping from it. She had fucked up the spell.
[Oh my, that must've hurt the wall...]
She heard the smug remark of her brother in her mind, and a vein bulged on her forehead.
"Haha! So funny, now shut up and let me work."
She stood up again and closed her eyes in concentration.
Multiple minutes passed, and then...
Boom!
Lilith hit the wall again, harder.
She grit her teeth and stood up again, ignoring Noah's laugh with frustration.
She tried the spell again.
Boom!
And again.
Boom!
And again and again...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Like that, an hour passed with the same action. Lilith fails, she hits the wall, and she tries again.
No matter what she tried, she couldn't piece together the last thing that completed the spell.
She had thought that she would take an hour or so to perfect [Soul Flash] then she would move on to learn a new spell. But reality had to hit some sense into her.
She lay on her back, frustrated with a nosebleed. What was she missing?
[Lily, you're extremely talented at making spells, but that's that. You're only talented.]
Lilith frowned, confusion written on her face.
[What do you mean by that?]
Noah responded calmly:
[Your talent is dependent on your instincts as a Nightmare Elf, not your skills. You learn and create spells through instinct.]
After pausing, he continued:
[That has its advantages and drawbacks. You can create spells fast and with your own uniqueness, but that's largely randomized and dependent on chance. Which is why you have a problem now, you don't know what's wrong with the spell that you created.]
She thought about his words, and she sighed in defeat, knowing that they struck true.
[And what should I do to fix it?]
After a short stretch of silence, her brother asked:
[Have you ever heard of encryption?]
She raised an eyebrow.
[Of what?]
Noah explained patiently:
[Basically, it's scrambling data using a secret algorithm that can only become coherent when using a private key.]
He paused to let her process his words, then continued:
[For example, you have the phrase 'I ate an apple' that is in a private message sent to a person. Using a secret algorithm, the data of the phrase gets completely scrambled. The recipient of the message who has the private key to the algorithm can use it, reassembling the data and making it coherent again.]
Lilith thought about it for a while, then nodded.
[I guess I understand it now... but what does it have to do with my situation?]
Noah chuckled.
[That's how I create spells myself. To me, I think of the countless pathways as an infinite library with uncountable spells. The spells, however, are all encrypted. And I have to use a certain key to unlock each spell.]
Lilith suddenly stood up, interest flashing through her eyes.
[And how does that work?]
[Manipulate your heavenly essence to throw a simple punch first.]
She didn't understand what he was getting at, but she punched forward nevertheless. It was fast, strong, and firm.
[What now?]
[Lily, focus on the group of pathways that you had used before.]
She did as he told, closed her eyes, and focused on them.
[Let's call this group A1.]
Her eyes narrowed, but she did note his words.
[Lift your arm and outstretch it. Then, pull your fist back to yourself as fast as you can.]
Lilith was even more confused, but she did as he told.
She stretched her arm, then used her heavenly essence and brought back her fist near her jaw with startling speed.
[Now, focus on the group of pathways that you had used. Let's call it B2]
Lilith's eyes widened, and realization dawned on her mind. She did as he asked.
[You mean...]
Hearing that his sister finally understood his intent, he chuckled.
[Yes. Now, use the key A1B2]
With her heart beating fast, she did.
Whoosh!
An extremely fast punch was thrown, and it left a blur that was visible only after it already landed.