The Universe Rings (Rings of Fate and Time)

Chapter Three

Dirt crunched under Halo's boots, nearby grass rustled in the breeze. Walking to the town had proved quite peaceful over the past few months, the occasional company of Di or Or bringing quiet comfort; a dog and cat weren't bad companions.

Halo slipped her satchel off her shoulder as she pushed open the library door. With her routine, she should be able to finish learning the basic light spell by the time Kenneth visits again—Technically she could practice until she could light a large room and she might one day, but this wasn't that time.

Halo found 'The Book of Simple Spells' she had been using. She opened it to page ninety-one and read over the instructions again—afterward, she would practice.

The book wasn't necessarily interesting, but it provided detailed instructions and valuable information. She read over a block of tips.

'Steady fingers and hands keep the ball of light stable.'

'Staying calm and thinking happy thoughts improves the lastingness of the glow.'

'Imagining the light growing brighter can better increase the shine.'

Halo placed the book on the wood floor beside her, upside down to keep it open. Breathing in deeply, she clasped her hands together—imagining a ball of light—and carefully, she opened her palms. Glowing dimly, a marble-sized orb consisting of pure light sparked, white and yellow streaks shining on her pale hands. It looked as if she held a star.

As a Venenarius, magic was learned by acquiring knowledge of spells and then practicing; though some spells required more insight to learn. Halo had found even 'easy' spells could be quite hard to learn, especially when she didn't know what she was doing. The magical abilities of Venenarius were still somewhat of a mystery to her—a new curiosity she would definitely research about.

Halo chewed on her lower lip as she spread her hands farther apart, imagining the sphere of light growing brighter. She mustered her happiest thoughts: talking with her friends, picking flowers, baking with Kenaly, playing with Jade, being close to Kenneth—

The tiny star sparked and quickly slipped away, dissipating instantly.

Halo's eyebrows lowered, pushing her hair behind her ears. Well, she had no issue thinking positively, but she had merely forgotten to focus on the spell as her mind strayed. How was she supposed to hold the spell stable and think of happy memories at the same time?

She loosened the stiffness forming in her muscles as she sat on the floor, smiling faintly to herself. She would just have to try again...

~

Halo's legs crossed as she pulled her notebook out of her bag. The leather cover warmed her fingers as she pulled the strap off and flipped it open.

"It's so pretty," Hazzie marveled from beside Halo, shifting on the log they sat on. Oak trees stood proudly, surrounding Halo and the Finnigan twins.

"Oh, thank you," Halo replied, grinning. She slipped a pencil out of her bag before tossing it to the ground at her feet. "It's a bit old..." she added to herself. Aur had been cleaning out a small closet a couple of months back, and he had given the notebook to Halo after finding it in a box.

"It's kinda...vintage," Hazzie said thoughtfully. She turned to Drew, who quietly pulled bark off of a stick. "Did you see?" she asked, a long ash-brown braid flipping behind her back.

Drew's brown eyes glanced at Halo's notebook. "Cool," she muttered, lips twitching into a faint smile. Her tan hands brushed at her skirt, crumbs of bark falling to the ground.