Congratulations! You have gained skill: [Basic Dimensional Magic]!

Basic Dimensional Magic

Type: Active

Effect: Manipulate space. Fold, stretch, or puncture reality in minor ways. Drains mana heavily.

Current Spells: None

Slots: [0/5]

...Okay.

Theodore stared at the notification.

That was... huh. He didn't really know what to think about this skill.

On one hand, dimensional magic sounded incredibly powerful. On the other hand, 'basic' was right there in the name. And what did 'manipulate space' even mean in practical terms? Fold it? Like origami? Stretch it like taffy? Puncture it like poking a hole through paper?

The skill description was frustratingly vague.

Minor ways. What counted as minor? Could he make a room slightly bigger? Create a pocket dimension the size of a shoebox? Teleport three inches to the left? Theodore had no idea what the boundaries were here.

And that 'drains mana heavily' part was concerning. His mana reserves were decent, but if this skill was a mana hog, he might only be able to use it a few times before running dry. That could be dangerous in combat. Really dangerous. Nothing worse than having a powerful ability you couldn't actually use when you needed it.

The slots thing was interesting though. Zero out of five. So he could learn five spells related to dimensional magic? Or create five? The skill didn't specify. This wasn't just a single ability but a whole branch of magic he could develop.

Theodore thought about how Seraphina had teleported them across miles with that [Blink] spell. Was that dimensional magic? Or was that spatial magic? Were they the same thing? They sounded similar but Theodore had a feeling there was a distinction he wasn't grasping yet.

Space was... well, space. The three dimensions everyone moved through every day. Spatial magic probably meant manipulating those dimensions. Making distances shorter or longer, maybe creating spatial distortions.

But dimensional magic... that implied more than just the normal three dimensions, didn't it? Like, actual other dimensions. Parallel spaces. Pocket realities. Or maybe he was overthinking it and they were basically the same thing with different names.

Theodore could see why Seraphina wanted him to crack the rune first. It wasn't just about proving he could follow instructions or had the magical ability to break her puzzle. She wanted to see if he had the patience, the persistence, the problem-solving skills to handle something as complex as dimensional magic. Because if the security on the rune was any indication, this type of magic was going to be complicated as hell. It made sense that she was apparently an expert in dimensional and space and time magic.

That [Temporal Reversion] spell she'd used was definitely time magic. And the [Blink] was either spatial or dimensional, he still wasn't sure which. Maybe both? Could you combine them? What even was the difference in spatial magic and dimensional magic? Were they the same or different?

God, he had so many questions.

What could he actually do with this skill? Right now, nothing. He had no spells, no idea how to even activate it. The knowledge from the rune had given him the skill but not the instruction manual. It was like being handed the keys to a spaceship without being told which button did what.

What couldn't he do? Probably most things, if he was being honest. 'Basic' was a pretty clear limitation. He wasn't going to be creating vast pocket dimensions or teleporting across continents anytime soon. Hell, he'd probably be lucky if he could make a spatial pocket big enough to store a sandwich.

But the potential... Theodore could feel it.

This was one of those skills that started small but could become absolutely terrifying with enough development. Spatial manipulation was one of those powers that broke normal combat rules. Didn't matter how strong someone's armor was if you could just bypass it entirely. Didn't matter how fast someone was if you could fold space to make distance meaningless.

And if dimensional magic really did mean access to other dimensions... that opened up insane possibilities.

Theodore was getting ahead of himself. Way ahead. Right now he had a skill he couldn't use, no teacher to show him how, and only vague ideas about what it might eventually become.

But Seraphina had given this to him for a reason. She wanted him to have this specific ability. Which meant she probably planned to teach him how to use it. That was the whole point of the apprenticeship, wasn't it? Learn from one of the strongest people in the world?

The skill was both incredibly useful and incredibly dangerous, Theodore realized. Useful because spatial/dimensional manipulation could solve so many problems. Dangerous because messing with the fundamental structure of reality seemed like the kind of thing that could go catastrophically wrong if you didn't know what you were doing.

Like, what happened if you tried to fold space and accidentally folded yourself? Or created a dimensional pocket that collapsed with you inside it? Or punctured reality in a way that couldn't be fixed?

Theodore really, really needed a teacher for this.

Which brought him back to Seraphina. She'd said to come back when he'd cracked the rune. Well, he'd done that. Time to find out what came next. Assuming she didn't just slam the door in his face again.

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***

"So you actually did it." Seraphina's voice carried a note of genuine surprise as Theodore sat across from her in the tea room. Same setup as before—her in the chair, him and Freya on the couch, tea steaming on the table between them. Except this time, Theodore wasn't here following a bookmark. He was here because he'd cracked her puzzle. "You're far quicker than I thought you'd be," she continued, studying him with those unsettling eyes. "Most take months to break through those security layers. You managed it far too quickly."

"I had help," Theodore said, thinking of his clones working round the clock on the problem.

"Help?" Seraphina tilted her head. "Interesting. From whom?"

"Myself, mostly."

She smiled at that, though Theodore couldn't tell if she understood what he meant or just found his answer amusing.

"Hey," Freya interrupted, leaning forward. "Lady Death over there. You promised me a fight last time."

Seraphina didn't even look at her. "I said if you desired a fight, you would have one. I didn't specify when."

"How about now?"

"No."

"Tomorrow?"

"No."

"Next week?"

"Perhaps never."

Freya scowled and turned her attention to Senna, who was standing by the door like a particularly judgmental statue. "What about you, secretary? Want to go a few rounds?"

"It's apprentice," Senna said coldly. "And I don't waste my time on—"

"Scared?"

Senna's eye twitched.

"I get it," Freya continued, examining her nails with exaggerated casualness. "Must be intimidating, facing someone who doesn't need time-stopping tricks to win a fight."

"I don't need—"

"Ladies," Seraphina said mildly, and both women fell silent. She turned back to Theodore. "The skill. Have you attempted to use it yet?"

"No. I wanted to understand it better first."

"Wise. [Basic Dimensional Magic] is not something to experiment with carelessly. One wrong fold in space and you could find yourself turned inside out. Literally."

Theodore felt his stomach clench at that mental image. "That's... possible?"

"Oh yes. I've seen it happen. Quite messy. The screaming goes on for a surprisingly long time too, since you're technically not dead, it's just the space acting in ways you can't comprehend."

"That's disgusting," Freya said, sounding delighted. "Can you teach me that?"

Seraphina finally looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "You want to learn how to turn yourself inside out?"

"No, I want to learn how to turn other people inside out."

Seraphina turned back to Theodore. "Your companion is remarkably bloodthirsty."

"You have no idea," Theodore muttered.

"Hey! I'm right here!"

"I know," Theodore and Senna said simultaneously, then glared at each other for agreeing.

Seraphina took a sip of her tea, seemingly enjoying the chaos. "The skill I've given you is a foundation. Think of it as... a seed. With proper cultivation, it can grow into something far more powerful. Without proper cultivation, it will remain basic and limited."

"And you're offering to be the gardener?" Theodore asked.

"Precisely. Though I should warn you, my teaching methods are... unconventional."

"Unconventional how?"

"You'll see." She set down her teacup with that familiar precise clink. "The question is whether you're ready to begin."

Theodore thought about it. He'd come here knowing he'd probably accept. The power she'd demonstrated, the skill she'd given him, the fact that his grandfather had basically given his blessing—it all pointed to this being the right choice. Even if it was dangerous.

Especially because it was dangerous, actually. The safe path never led anywhere interesting.

"I'm ready," he said.

"Me too!" Freya chimed in. "I'm super ready to learn inside-out magic!"

"You're not my apprentice," Seraphina said.

"I could be! I'm very talented. Tell her, Theo."

"She's very talented at breaking things," Theodore said dryly.

"See? That's basically a recommendation."

Senna snorted. "Master doesn't need another student who can only break things. She needs someone with actual magical ability."

"Oh, I have magical ability." Freya's hair started to spark. "Want me to show you?"

"Please," Senna said, and there was definitely challenge in her voice now. "I'd love to see what passes for—"

"Enough," Seraphina said, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop. Both women went quiet again, though Freya was still glaring and Senna was still smirking.

Seraphina stood, brushing imaginary dust from her black dress. "Your training will focus on three aspects. First, understanding the nature of dimensional space. Second, learning to perceive folds and tears in reality. Third, and most importantly, developing the control necessary to manipulate those folds without killing yourself or everyone around you. You will learn spells and fill out your slots as we progress."

"Sounds reasonable," Theodore said.

"It won't be." She walked around the table, stopping directly in front of him. "I should also mention that my training methods have a rather high failure rate."

"How high?"

"Most of my previous apprentices are dead."

Theodore blinked. "That's... not encouraging."

"It isn't."

"This keeps getting better and better," Theodore muttered.

Freya perked up. "So there's danger? Real danger?"

"Considerable danger," Seraphina confirmed.

"Can I watch?"

"No."

"Can I—"

"No."

"You didn't even let me finish!"

"I didn't need to. The answer is no."

Freya pouted, crossing her arms. "This is discrimination against non-apprentices."

"Yes," Seraphina agreed easily. "It is."

She raised her hand, and Theodore felt the air change. Not like before when she'd grabbed him with telekinesis. This was different. The space around him started to ripple, reality bending in ways that made his eyes water to track.

"Your training starts now," Seraphina said, and waved her hand.

The ripple washed over him like a wave of pure wrongness. Theodore felt his [Arcane Awareness] scream warnings just before the world twisted. Not the lurching sensation of teleportation—this was something else entirely. Like space itself had decided to fold him up and tuck him away somewhere.

He had just enough time to see Freya lunge forward, shouting something he couldn't hear over the roar of collapsing dimensions. Senna moved to intercept her. Seraphina just stood there, watching with that same mild interest she'd shown while destroying monster hordes.

Then reality crumpled like paper, and Theodore was sucked into the fold.

The last thing he heard was Seraphina's voice, somehow crystal clear despite the chaos: "Try not to die."

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