Pitch leaned in next to Alisaie, fixing her student with a focused gaze. “You have the image. Hold onto it, and let the rest of the spell flow on its own. Build it up like water filling a glass.”

Alisaie screwed her eyes shut in concentration as a twisting ribbon of aether began to spiral down her outstretched arm, black as ink and tinged with red sparks. It floated out towards the diamond resting on a cushion in the center of the room – on loan from her brother’s collection, now he’d shifted focus to somanoutics – and began to curl and twine around itself, forming a steadily-growing pillar.

“Keep at it,” said Pitch. “It’s liable to get a little unruly at the end, but if you stay focused on the image you should have this.”

As the mass of darkness grew taller, its shape grew more defined, pulling inwards on itself until it finally coalesced into a figure. Atop the cushion stood a near-perfect reproduction of Alisaie, rendered in monochrome black with two points of vermillion light in its eyes.

Alisaie opened her own eyes, still gasping from the exertion, and took in the shadow across from her. “Finally!” she shouted, pumping her fist in excitement as she flopped backwards into her chair. “Oh, that’s… rather terrifying now I see it.”

Pitch clapped her hands and gave an approving nod. “Looks good! About as steady as our early attempts.”

“Well, I certainly wasn’t about to let myself get the better of me,” replied Alisaie. “Ugh, but I feel like I’ve run ten malms. How can you two just… flick your wrist and do it?”

“…Practice, I suppose?” said Pitch as she slowly circled around the shadow, inspecting its faintly shimmering surface. “Maybe there’s some trick we’re not consciously aware of. Like I said, this spell was half theory and half intuition.”

“So I’ll just have to keep trying it. Lovely.” Alisaie took a moment to sink deeper into the chair cushions. “…Now, how do I make it move?”

“Ah. That’s… a biiit harder to explain. I’d say it’s a lot like taking control of our body from Wynne, but–”

“But seeing as I haven’t the faintest idea what that’s like, this is another thing I’ll have to learn by trial and error?”

“Unless our soul crystal suddenly decides it’s willing to speak to you, I’m afraid so.” Pitch sat down on the floor next to Alisaie’s chair. “I guess try… visualizing where ‘you’ are inside your head, and sort of… pushing yourself towards it? Or pulling?” She flicked an ear in irritation. “Sorry. It’s hard to explain this to people who aren’t… you know. Two. I could wake Wynne up and see if she has any insights?”

“Let her sleep. I’m sure I can puzzle this out.” Alisaie shut her eyes again and focused. For several minutes, nothing happened aside from an occasional twitch of her fingers… but then the shadow blinked, and slowly began to turn its head side to side. “I think – Yes, I’ve got something! It’s a bit fuzzy, but–”

As Alisaie made to sit up in her chair, her shadow mimicked her movements, leaning forwards and staggering off the cushion. Pitch sprang up and rushed forward to steady it, but as soon as her hand made contact, she pierced clean through it like a stone parting the surface of a lake. A moment later, it exploded in a burst of red light, scattering furniture and sending her flying backwards into Alisaie.

The two of them slowly untangled themselves and stood up to survey the damage.

“…Huh. It never did that for us.”

“You know, I think I’d rather go back to chasing down X’rhun.”