Day 3
Wynne pointed out we should be keeping notes on this project. (And scribbling in the margins of our grimoire doesn’t count.) I don’t know how many other people could possibly benefit from this spell, but she’s probably right that it’ll help us keep track of things.
Anyway! What we’re working on is a spell to create a remotely-controlled arcane construct. More specifically, a copy of our body that I can use to act independently of Wynne without needing to switch places. Based on what research we managed, it seems like a lot of dark knights were able to do something like this? (Does that mean they were like us?) Our crystal doesn’t want to share any tips, but I figured it can’t be that different from summoning a carbuncle, so we started tinkering with that spell.
Progress has been slow so far. Right now, we’re trying to adapt it to draw from our own “inner darkness” instead of a gemstone (whatever “inner darkness” means. Actually, is that talking about me?), but all we’ve accomplished is making a really exhausting spell that doesn’t summon anything at all. But Wynne thinks she knows where the problem is, and I’ve got ideas for how we’ll modify it once we have it working. Here’s hoping!
Day 7
We managed a successful summoning! It didn’t really look like anything and dispersed after a few moments, but we know the central concept is sound! Now we just need to refine it some more. Which means another week with our nose buried in books. I wish I could just have this thing working already so I could do anything else while Wynne is reading…
(Wait, will this even work the way I want? If we’re manually controlling the construct and our own body at the same time, I think they’ll both still need the same amount of brainpower. But… somehow, it doesn’t feel like that’ll be an issue? I’ll go with my gut on this one. We still don’t really get how this whole “us” thing works.)
Day 22
We redesigned the spell’s root circle and got the construct to be about three times as stable! Still not nearly enough for general use, but it’s getting there! It’s… starting to look less and less like arcanima, though, and neither of us entirely remember the thought process behind it. Either we’re stumbling into some really high-level stuff by complete accident, or we’re unconsciously pulling something from the soul crystal after all.
Wynne is telling me lack of sleep might also have something to do with it. I know, I know, just let me have fifteen more minutes to tinker on this, I think I’m almos–
[The text breaks off mid-word into a series of irregular scribbles which run over the edge of the page. The phrase “GO TO BED” is visible in the margins.]
Day 40
Progress on shaping the living shadow is going well! It’s still kind of a big fuzzy mass, but it’s got recognizable limbs now. It doesn’t seem to like holding something as thin as a tail yet, so that’s another problem. Alphinaud says he might have a couple books we haven’t already skimmed, so hopefully there’s something useful in there.
Day 56
Had to break off for a few days to deal with Scion business and completely forgot what we were doing with this auxiliary circle. Thank goodness we were keeping notes! If this actually works the way we want, the shadow should be able to more-or-less stabilize itself even without our input, which should make summoning it a lot less demanding.
Day 58
WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS
Day 59
Figured it out. We mis-scribed a line and then when we were trying to figure out what was wrong we copied the broken version. At least the circle worked once we put it in properly!
Day 92
It’s starting to look like we’ll be called away again before too long. I know this is what we signed up for, but it’s still a shame. We’re so close to figuring out these last couple issues! It almost works already! I think if I push a little more, I might be able to at least figure out why the link keeps jittering and jolting me out of control. (I’ll get enough sleep, Wynne. I can feel you raising your hand back there.) Even if it’s not fully working, I want to fix at least one thing so we don’t have to come back to all of this at once.
Day 93
It was all secretly one issue upstream in the root circle! Wynne’s a genius! It’s in the really weird part that we sort of designed in a trance, so we’re still not sure how to correct it without breaking everything else in the process. But I have a hunch, and if it’s right, we might even be able to simplify this whole thing down enough to fit on half a page. We could hide it up our sleeve and not even need to carry a whole grimoire!
Day 95
It works. I’m writing this entry through our shadow. Its senses aren’t very sharp yet and it’s a little clumsy, but for the most part controlling it feels just like our own body. If all goes well, it might even get a proper field test in [scratched out] a couple days! (Probably shouldn’t say where if we ever want to publish this.)
I got to hug Wynne today. Physically, in person, where everyone could see it. We had a conversation and the others could hear both sides. I went around the Rising Stones and talked to people as myself, without having to drag Wynne along. I think… Well. I know what the happiest day of my life was. And the second happiest. But this has got to be third.
This is going to be an ongoing project. There’s still a lot to improve about the link, and ideally I’ll be able to make it look like me and not just this weird colorless simulacrum of me. But for now? I think I’m just going to curl up next to Wynne and take a nap.
