Chapter 28
âCopy Spaceâ
After locking up the house,
Ruri picked up her large lunchbox and left with everyone.
Following the fairiesâ instructions,
she opened the small wooden gate leading to the backyard.
The bamboo grove beyond looked ordinary enoughâ
but the moment Ruri stepped inside,
her body began to glow, just like the first time she had come here.
When she glanced over, Phos was glowing too.
âSee? To us, this is another world,â
Nel explained as they all stepped into a space bathed in soft white light.
At the center of the bamboo forest, a bright radiance shimmered.
âHurry up, Ruri,â
Chrysos called.
Taking Phosâs hand, Ruri started walking forward.
When they passed through the light,
a breathtakingly beautiful landscape unfolded before themâ
a place none of them had ever seen before.
âWhere are we?â
Ruri asked in awe.
Fane smiled and answered,
âThis is a copy space of Fairy Stone. We only discovered it recently. When youâre at work, Phos and I come here to play. Thereâs plenty of room to run, and the air is really clean.â
âYou see,â Pure added, breathing deeply with satisfaction,
âthis space copies and recreates places we already know. Itâs good for Phos⌠and of course, for you too, Ruri. The air on Earth isnât great, so this place really helps the body relax.â
Fane nodded.
âAnd itâs perfect for training, Ruri. You can unleash your magic here with full powerâno need to hold back. Itâs also great for practicing offensive spells.â
âI seeâŚâ Ruri murmured thoughtfully.
Until now, sheâd always had to restrain her strength.
Here, though, she could finally let her magic flow freely.
Because she still couldnât perfectly control her magical power, sheâd always been careful during trainingâcasting attack spells in virtual spaces, never sure how strong they actually were.
Now, she could finally test their true force.
Since she didnât know what kind of enemies she might face in the future, she had to be ready for anything.
She needed stamina to withstand her own magicâ
and she wanted to become a truly great magician.
âIâm going to be a fighting old lady!â
Ruri declared in her heart, then turned to Phos with a smile.
âIs this copy space just this scenery?â she asked.
âCan it make other places too?â
Bronn replied,
âItâs shaped by your own memories. As long as you can use magic, you can recreate them. Youâve come a long way in mastering magic, so you should be able to make a copy space of your own.â
âReally? I can do that too?â
Ruriâs eyes sparkled.
âWhat should I makeâŚ? Maybe a place only I knowâsomewhere Phos would loveâŚâ
Then it came to her.
Thatâs it!
âI want to create my own space with magic! How do I do it?â
âDraw a circle in the air with your wand,â Flare instructed.
âFocus on the image you want as you do it.â
Ruri followed her guidance.
She pictured her memories vividly and waved her wandâ
âand thenâŚ
âHuh?â
What appeared before her was not the elegant dreamland she had imagined,
but a jumble of all sorts of things, mixed together in a chaotic scene.
Stillâ
âWow! This is amazing!â she laughed.
Seeing the delighted smiles of the fairies and Phos,
Ruri thought to herself, Well⌠maybe this is just fine the way it is.
And with that thought, she smiled brightly.