Magic turns out to get complicated super quick. At first it was relatively simply. Patterns with 5-7 curves or corners before repeating that I was somewhat used to. In Dixy, more efficient versions of previously known spells were even recorded, making me capable of heating or cooling things at an incredible level. To the point where I could freeze water or cook food.

As one might find, it also came with the problem of cooking or freezing my hand. To stop that, one has to weave a counter-acting spell inside the hand, making it much more complicated and mana-intensive to get these more efficient patterns to not hurt me. Suddenly it was double the amount of curves, they had to repeat at different intervals, I couldn’t practice for as long and it was all a big heap of trouble. But eventually I did it.

“What’s this?” I look at the long drawing that breaks halfway across the page and continues on the next line.

“The pattern that allows for the basic of healing magic.” Dixy replied.

I was flabbergasted. I started counting. 15 corners and 22 curves in the pattern. To make this from memory was going to be a real pain in the ass. Having a bad premonition, I flipped the book over to the later chapters and spied patterns more than three times longer. Nope. Not happening.

“Anything the matter, Yos?” Dixy asks with a tint of concern in her voice.

“This… This seems to difficult. I don’t think I can do it.” Memorization has never been my strong suit. I repeatedly received D’s in history class. And this was way harder than remembering than the year of declaration of independence.

“Aww, don’t be like that. I am sure if you just stick to it, you will get the hang of it in no time!” The kind words don’t fall on fertile ground. I know my own limitations.

From then on, magic became a smaller part of my daily routine. I didn’t mind all that much. Though Dixy doesn’t like talking about much else than magic and words, their applications and meanings, she was still an infinitely better conversation partner than earlier. It even occurred to me that I should conquer another dungeon to upgrade her, but then, I actually succeeded, despite only trying for an hour or so a day.

A small wound I had cut in myself for testing purposes closed up before my eyes. In small pulses of rapid healing, it took only a minute or so for the cut to close up with the help of healing magic.

“I… I did it?”

“Congratulations! See, I knew you could do it!” Dixy complemented me upon my success. She doesn’t appear to be able to see things, but I guess she is taking my word for it.

I felt great and weird at the same time… Strange, I was sure this was beyond me. And I succeeded in only… Actually I have no idea how much time has passed. Maybe it was longer than I thought.

“Dixy, do you know how long it has been since we started learning magic?”

“Ah, no I don’t have a great sense of time” the book replied. “But it has at least been much longer than how long you spent learning to read.” Well, guess I will find out sooner or later.

With renewed spirit I cast myself over learning magic again, this time with many more hours a day dedicated to it. I also learnt some of the limitations.

When I became adept at the healing spell, I tried cutting off a finger, expecting it to grow back, but that is not what happened. Rather, the wound merely closed itself. I was terrified that day, wondering if I had crippled myself permanently, but thankfully, the finger was suddenly back the next day thanks to my gift. It then occurred to me, why I was bothering with learning healing magic at all, but I guess it will still be useful if I need to function properly without taking the rest of the day off.

Or heal someone else.

I shuddered a little. Other people. Past relations popped up in my head and I shake my head to rid myself of their presence. I have Dixy to keep me company. That is plenty.

Healing magic also had faults described that my gift takes care of. It can’t make anything, so it will no cure hunger or thirst. A person fully healed can still die from blood lost to the wound, so the first priority should be to close wounds. Actually, healing magic will use resources from the body, so it should be accompanied by lots of food and ample rest.

These caveats make me think of medicine from the old world. To me, it has always been almost like magic. Magic pills that make you well, but you can’t mix with alcohol, or magic liquids injected into you that stop you from getting sick in the first place. I wonder if that means there is some logic to how this works that I just don’t understand. It also made me think of how there is no “cure illness” spell, though there seems to be one to cure poison. Do illnesses just not exist in this world?

It was these spells I had come into the habit of practicing when I met a road as many times before, preparing myself to travel perpendicular to it, to avoid civilization. But something catches my eye.

A small figure is lying not far from the road. It sobs a little, stops, tries to pull itself up with a groan, before falling down again. It was curious, but I was just about to ignore it, before it started sobbing again.

It tingled. Like I couldn’t ignore it. I went over to it, and while I was doing so it stopped. It became apparent to me what that figure was. The horse-mane like making a flat Mohawk over an otherwise bald head, and two, long cylinders for ears, it was a young, female Silvestri.

She was quiet now. Did she pass out? I open Dixy.

“Dixy… Should we help?” I ask her.