Beyond the Veil [Complete Short Story]

Chapter 6

Tha rdinirr ull Vaair Merais air dha ira ull nerais du ufal naisasd fusderr du dha Sfaisaid Raern dhsuirh dha ira ull naissusr, ed whaish fuaild dhairr neirr fhirrraiserrirr dselryasra dha Sfaisaid Prela waidhuid dha ira ull erdser fsushasdaiul.

"The study of Veil Magic is the use of magic to open direct portals to the Spirit Realm through the use of mirrors, at which point they may physically transverse the Spirit Plane without the use of astral projection," Evelyn read aloud as she translated. She was excited but focused as she worked on the passages, as Edwin sat beside her.

"How did you learn to translate it?" he exclaimed excitedly as she paused between paragraphs.

"Cameron helped me," she explained and Edwin's face blanched.

"Cameron, the Templar?" he asked.

"Yes; I didn't actually show him the text, nor did I mention you," she assured him. Edwin breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you." Evelyn looked up at him, almost perplexed.

"You think that I would turn you over to the Templars like that? To betray you?" she asked, aghast.

"No, but... I think you don't think very clearly when that specific Templar is involved," Edwin accused and Evelyn blushed, despite her efforts not to. "Aha! See there?" he teased.

"Shut up," Evelyn muttered, turning away to hide her burning cheeks. Edwin just laughed.

"Don't worry, I'll keep your secret, too," he assured her in kind. "Oh!" he exclaimed as he moved to leave, "consider the scroll a gift. Maybe you can learn something new from it." He beamed and took his exit from the secret room.

——-

By the next Lunar Cycle, Evelyn was taking on her responsibilities as a Mage by preparing to teach an apprentice level class on Ice Magic. In the late nights, she retired to the secret room and began to practice the teachings of Veil Magic. It was a complex set of incantations and hand motions. It also used very focused Mana, something that she still found difficult to do without guidance.

She kept her practice a secret from everyone, including Edwin and Cameron. While she trusted them, she didn't want them implicated if she were ever caught. Edwin had taken back the document, but not before Evelyn had transcribed herself a copy in secret. Edwin had only been curious about the contents, as far as Evelyn knew.

Originally, Evelyn had only been interested in learning a new language, however, now she desired to learn new spells. The words of the demon still echoed in her mind, and she knew that she needed to become stronger in order to prevail against him someday. She never told Edwin or Cameron about what the demon had said to her, and she probably never would. This was a battle raging inside of her, something she would have to overcome of her own strength.

Tu idairaina Vaair Merais, dha ira ull e naissus air ainfasedaiya er aid safresar dha laan llus erdser fsushasdaiul. Id erruwr dha iras e naisasd fusder du dha Sfaisaid Raern.

"To utilize Veil Magic, the use of a mirror is imperative as it replaces the need for astral projection. It allows the user a direct portal to the Spirit Realm," Evelyn murmured, reading from her translations aloud to herself. She rarely studied quietly. She put the text down and began to position a mirror she had found in one of the storerooms. It was dusty and covered in cobwebs, which Evelyn began to remove with her sleeves. The mirror itself was of perfectly-formed glass, with an ornate gold trim.

"Alright, so I stand in front of the mirror and..." she muttered as she began to focus her Mana, concentrated on he mirror. She had been practicing this many times with small looking glasses, and succeeded once in forming a window into the Spirit Realm. She had been so excited by this achievement that she wanted to try on a proper full-length mirror — something she would be able to directly pass through and not just look through. She began to chant the required Ancient Ventiri incantation: