[07: 16: 13: 52]
...
"Alright… focus, Cassy," he muttered, exhaling sharply. With a thought, his Soulkeep materialized before him—a familiar three-panel layout glowing dimly in the ruined room. His gaze immediately locked onto the middle page. There, a five-pointed star was drawn, and at each of its points, a diamond-shaped slot waited. Except… only one was unlocked. The other four were chained down, faintly greyed out.
No idea what this section is meant to be… It does say attunement slot… is it an affinity-type thing?
His eyes flicked across the rest of the grimoire, scanning his available cards.
…
[Current Cards]
[RUN CARDS]
Lightning Bolt (Destruction)
Expedite (Destruction)
Heal (Creation)
Rock Golem (Creation)
[DECK CARDS]
A Knight's Squire [Profession]
[INSTANT CARDS]
Exile
Silence
Angel's Embrace
[ATTUNEMENT CARDS]
1x Creation
1x Destruction
…
I have a lot of varieties of cards, from direct damage to heals. This categorization of Creation and Destruction is confusing; do they signify a philosophy?
Haaa… Man, so many questions about why there isn't a beginner's guide for this… I guess the more cards I get, the clearer the picture will be.
Cassian cracked his knuckles, his mind racing as he formulated a plan.
"Time to test how this works."
With a sharp inhale, he grabbed the [Lightning Bolt] card and slid it into one of the Run Card slots. A soft glow pulsed through the Soulkeep as the card vanished—embedded in the book. A grin spread across his face, but his excitement soured almost instantly.
"Huh? Why is it greyed out?" he almost screamed, frowning as he focused hard, willing the card to activate.
Nothing.
He spoke the card name aloud, trying to trigger it like a spell command.
"Lightning Bolt!"
Still nothing. His brow furrowed as he repeated the command in a more insistent tone. The Soulkeep remained silent and unresponsive—a low groan escaped from his lips.
"What in the hell am I doing wrong here…" he muttered, scratching the back of his head. Determined, he grabbed [Expedite]—another Destruction-based Run Card—and placed it into another slot. Same result. Greyed out. His frustration mounting, Cassian's voice turned low.
"Okay… why aren't they working? Let's try something different."
Reaching for [Heal], a Creation-based Run Card, I carefully slotted it into a third slot. Nothing dramatic happened—no sparks, no audible rejection—just the same soft glow as before, and yet the card stayed greyed out.
Cassian sighed, half-expecting a dramatic reaction. Maybe a shock or some resistance? He had assumed that since most of his Soulkeep was filled with Destruction-based cards, a Creation spell might react differently. But nothing changed. He bit his lip and leaned back, staring at the interface as his thoughts churned.
"Alright. If slotting them works but they don't activate… Maybe I'm missing a piece?"
His fingers hovered over the Run Slots, and instinctively, he willed the [Heal] card to come back out. A moment later, the glowing card appeared in his palm.
"Huh."
Repeating the process, he slotted it back into the book.
One-second delay… maybe two?
Cassian narrowed his eyes, repeating the process a few more times until he was sure. "So, I can equip and unequip them freely, but there's a delay."
It wasn't instantaneous, but it was fast enough. A small smirk tugged at his lips. "At least I won't be stuck with a bad card in the middle of a fight if I really want to change the cards…"
Feeling a bit more confident, he slotted the rest of his Run Cards into the Soulkeep, filling up the remaining slots.
...
[Run Card Slots - 4/5 Filled]
Lightning Bolt (Destruction) - Greyed Out
Expedite (Destruction) - Greyed Out
Heal (Creation) - Greyed Out
Rock Golem (Creation) - Greyed Out
...
He tapped his fingers against his knee, contemplating aloud, "So… do I need all five filled before they work? Or am I just missing something else?"
His gaze flickered to the middle page of his Soulkeep again. The Attunement Slots. Specifically, the one unlocked slot sitting there, waiting. And then, it hit him. His eyes widened as realization struck.
Wait a second…
He leaned forward, gripping his chin. "Are these Attunement Cards… like Land Cards in Magic: The Gathering?"
His heartbeat quickened at the thought.
If so, that would explain some things... we have 5 colors there - Red, Blue, Green, White, and Black, and here I had 5 colors on the spinning wheel, though I don't have all 5 types of color cards, but here the colors were - White, Black, Red, Blue, and colorless, I think.
We also have 5 stats: Red is Destruction, White is Creation… no idea what other colors represent which stats, and if the attunement cards are like the land cards in the sense that they allow for the generation of that color mana, then I've been trying to cast cards without any mana.
A laugh—equal parts incredulous and relieved—burst from him. His eyes darted to his Attunement Cards. Without hesitation, he grabbed the[Destruction Attunement Card] and slotted it into the unlocked diamond-shaped slot in the center page. With a soft shudder, the chains shattered, and a wave of heat pulsed through his body. The entire Soulkeep pulsed in response—a deep crimson glow spread across its pages. Almost immediately, the previously greyed-out [Lightning Bolt] card flickered and returned to full color.
Whoa!… a matching theme for my grimoire… or is it called Soulkeep? Still really cool, and it seems I was right.
"Alright… let's see if this works." Clenching his fist and focusing intently, he spoke. "[Lightning Bolt]"
A spark ignited in his palm. His eyes widened as a crackling bolt of red lightning surged into being, electricity dancing wildly around his fingertips; then a warm sensation coursed through his body, flowing from his chest straight into his palm. Then—
BOOM!
A blinding red light flashed. A searing bolt of energy exploded from his fingertips, ripping through the air with a loud bang. The impact sent a shockwave rattling through the walls as electricity arced in jagged patterns, leaving behind blackened scorch marks.
"Holy shit," he whispered, awed and slightly terrified.
My first real spell! Holy smokes, that was awesome—the tingling sensation of casting the spell, the sheer power in my hands.
A notification popped up.
[DING! ⍙⟟⏁⊑ ⏃ LAUGHS—OH, HOW FUN IT IS TO WATCH A MORTAL DISCOVER THE RULES]
Cassian shook his head with a wry smile and murmured, "Yeah, yeah… I know you're watching. But this is my moment; let me stay in it for now…"
Hmmm? Smoke… Where?
Then he noticed the far end of the room: a large smoking hole had blown through the wall, the surface splintered in a web-like pattern. Flames licked at the edges, faint embers smoldering in the cracks.
Cassian's stomach dropped. "Shit! Shit, shit, shit—"
He scrambled to his feet, frantically grabbing nearby cushions and slamming them against the flames, smothering the embers before they could spread.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
He pounded at the fire, his arms burning from the effort. After some arduous efforts, the flames finally died out, leaving behind only the smoking remnants of the wall. Cassian stood there, panting, hands on his knees as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, still grinning like an idiot.
[DING! ⍙⟟⏁⊑ ⏃ Always funny to see you Hoomans jump in joy after using the cards for the 1st time]
Ignoring the floating text, he turned his attention back to his Soulkeep, scanning over his remaining spells. His gaze landed on [Heal]. He furrowed his brows.
"Alright, let's try healing magic now," he said, a note of cautious optimism in his tone.
His excitement dimmed slightly, but instead of frustration, he felt something click into place in his mind. He had already figured out the problem.
Wait… I must be missing something. Heal is a Creation attunement spell, and I still have Destruction attunement slotted.
Carefully, Cassian sat down, controlling his breathing. His heart was still racing from the adrenaline, but this time he forced himself to go slower.
Okay, I gotta be careful not to accidentally absorb my only creation attunement card… that would be bad.
Closing his eyes, he focused on his Soulkeep, willing the [Destruction Attunement card] to unbind from its slot. A faint glow surrounded the card—then, with a soft pulse, it slid out from the Attunement slot, reappearing in his hands. He saw the slot become greyed, and Cassian was about to panic when he noticed there were no chains on the slot and the greyness was slowly fading away as he let out a slow breath, placing the [Destruction Attunement card] safely back in the Soulkeep with just a thought.
Man, that was scary… I thought I really fucked up… fuuu, fortunately, it seems there is a cooldown mechanic on swapping attunement cards like other slots; only the time seems much longer than the Run cards.
But what is awesome is the storage of cards with just a thought… wait, do I have an inventory?… let me ask.
"System, do I have an inventory?"
[DING! NO, UNLESS A SPATIAL STORAGE DECK CARD OR A SPATIAL STORAGE ARTIFACT IS BOUND TIMEBOUND, DO NOT GET ANY OTHER MEANS OF STORAGE APART FROM THE ABILITY TO STORE CARDS IN YOUR SOULKEEP]
"Oh… wait, what are artifacts? … and how can I get one?"
[DING! INFORMATION LOCKED, BUT THIS KNOWLEDGE PACKET CAN BE BOUGHT FOR 5 DAYS, 6 HOURS, AND 7 MINUTES]
[DING! WOULD YOU LIKE TO PURCHASE?]
"No! Forget anything I asked."
Shaking his head as he noticed the attunement slot was available again, he took out the [Creation Attunement card]. The moment he slotted it into place, a wave of calm washed over him. The Soulkeep's fiery glow faded, shifting into a pure white radiance, soft light pulsating along the pages like a heartbeat. The Destruction-based spells dimmed, and their forms once again greyed out. But in their place—
His Creation cards regained their color. Cassian exhaled, watching the transformation unfold.
The nice white theme for creation… and there is even a light particle effect… Focus, Cassy.
His eyes flicked to [Heal].
Alright, Cassy. Let's test this out and remember I have to focus on the range of healing.
Cassian closed his eyes, focusing on the [Heal] card embedded in the Soulkeep. He didn't rush it this time. He allowed himself to feel the energy within the card, the way it resonated with the attunement inside him. It was instinctual, like flexing a muscle he had just discovered. A gentle warmth spread through his body, different from the intense heat of Destruction. It was… comforting. Like sunlight filtering through trees on a quiet afternoon.
"So the energies also tell a story and to quite an extent dictate the sorcery and incantations…"
"[Heal]"
He felt a warmth enveloping him, but there was not much happening, frowning as he broke out of his focus and looked at the card, and sure enough, it was [25/25].
Huh? That's weird; it didn't work… I did feel connected to the card, but I think I messed up in the activation… Let's read the card properly first.
_________________________________________
HEAL[ 日 ]
_________________________________________
RUN CARD [CREATION INCANTATION]
[UNCOMMON] [25/25]
_________________________________________
❂ Heal the target for [5] Vitality Regen.
❂ "It is the Eldest One will that heals us all"
—Thomar, Eldest One Priest
_________________________________________
Wait? Heal the target for [5] Vitality Regen… Target?… Ohh, do I need to specify a target? How do I do that… possibly by intent?… I should try, but before that, what is [5] Vitality Regen supposed to be? Vitality should be a substat in the Creation star, as I had assumed it was related to health and recovery.
Hmmm… for now, focus, Cassy; cast this spell first.
He once again felt the card and attuned himself to it as he focused and was willing to activate the card on himself.
"[Heal]"
A soft glow enveloped him; his entire body basked in a gentle golden light. It was subtle at first—then a rush of energy surged through his limbs, washing away every bit of exhaustion and tension. His muscles loosened, the lingering ache in his joints faded, and for the first time since waking up in this hellhole—he felt completely refreshed.
The glow slowly faded, leaving behind nothing but the afterglow of warmth on his skin.
Cassian blinked. Then grinned. "That felt amazing." Cassian leaned back into the couch, letting the moment sink in.
Destruction was raw power. Creation was possibly tied with restoration and summons.
He had both at his fingertips. His heart pounded with excitement, the realization making him feel unstoppable. Until—
His brain finally caught up with him.
Wait.
Wait.
WAIT.
His face fell as one crucial thought hit him like a brick wall. He forgot to injure himself before casting [Heal]. Cassian smacked his forehead, groaning.
"Dammit! That was a waste!"
He had no idea how effective the healing was—whether it restored all injuries or just minor wounds, whether it worked on critical injuries or gradual damage.
And he had just blown a cast without testing it properly.
Cassian fell back onto the couch, staring at the ceiling in exasperation.
"Well. That was dumb."
[ DING! ⍙⟟⏁⊑ ⏃ AGREES THAT YOU ARE A DUMB HOOMAN, NOW ⍙⟟⏁⊑ ⏃ TELLS YOU TO CUT YOUR HAND AND THEN TEST HEAL, IT WILL BE FUN… MUWAHHHAAHA]
[DING! ⍙⟟⏁⊑ ⏃ NOW PUNY HOOMAN MORTAL, SHOW ME YOUR RESOLVE]
...