Disclaimer: Kirby belongs to Nintendo and HAL Laboratory.


Vesa, Fecto Elfilis, Zan Partizanne and Elfilin stood outside the courtyard two days later. As the weather outside started to get more chilly, Vesa opted for a warmer garment underneath her apprentice robes. Elfilis was able to maintain themself with their fur and body heat. All the while, Elfilin circled the lightning mage.

"So," Elfilis shrugged, "I suppose we should start with some examples."

Zan simply nodded and placed her hand on her chest.

"All right," Zan told Vesa, "to start us off, take these books and look over the theory."

Zan pulled a few books out of her pocket dimension and handed them to Vesa. The human took note of the bookmarks in each one.

"Spell circles are like magic calculators and regulators," Zan continued, "they'll help channel your magic properly for specific spells, and they help a mage do the precise calculations needed to cast their spell safely and without a rebound."

Vesa didn't hesitate to flip to the bookmarked pages in each book, taking some time to study the text, mostly consisting of diagrams of different spell circles and legends showing the meaning of certain symbols. After a while, Vesa closed the last book.

"Ok, I think I'm ready to get started," Vesa proclaimed.

"We'll see," Zan replied, "I doubt you'll get it on the first try unless you have a photographic memory."

Elfilin floated back a little while Vesa and Zan took a few steps out into the field before facing each other.

"The first step is to imagine the circle in your mind," Zan instructed, "and from the outside in, attempt to make the spell circle from memory. Start with a circle and proceed from there."

"Ok," Vesa nodded.

Vesa handed the books back to Zan before she closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Elfilin fidgeted nervously while his older sibling observed quietly. Vesa took steady deep breaths as she began to picture a circle in her mind. Several minutes passed and a light particle started drawing a circle in front of her. By the time she finished drawing the circle, Vesa opened her eyes.

"That's a good start," Zan praised, "now you just need to finish the inner circle."

Vesa nodded and concentrated again. As she imagined what she could include in her inner circle, she thought of the elements she mastered so far. Holding up her hand, her mana reserves allowed her to draw the inner circle she had in mind, though it took a few minutes. As soon as she finished, she took a moment to recall the water symbol in her head. After a moment, she went on to draw a stylized water droplet inside the inner circle. She paused for a moment after that, allowing Zan Partizanne to analyze the spell circle.

"It looks good," Zan commented, "now you need to do the calculations and write them out for the circle's outer layer."

Vesa nodded as she thought of the symbols she studied, taking moments to recall each one in her head. As minutes passed, she barely managed to bring a few symbols into the spell circle. Elfilis placed a finger on their lower jaw. Vesa sighed as the spell circle began to stagnate. Zan Partizanne backed away a little. It wasn't long before a soft crackling sound echoed as a crack grew right down the center of the spell circle which forked off slightly in a few directions. It started to wobble slightly before a small harmless explosion shattered the spell circle, its magic escaping back into the atmosphere. Vesa flinched at the sound similar to that of a small firecracker.

"Oh dear," Elfilin drooped his ears.

"Not unexpected," Elfilis commented, "it takes most mages at least four hours of study to memorize a spell for short time use. For longer term use, you normally need to study a spell circle for at least a few days. The more experienced a mage gets, the easier it gets to master it. It may be even far easier if you manage to pick up a photographic memory, or better yet, your magical control becomes so excellent that you don't need a circle to cast one."

Vesa simply nodded at Elfilis while Zan handed the books back to her.

"Still," Zan told her, "you did good for a first time. Some styles of magic require spell circles that are more advanced like mine, due to how unpredictable lightning can get. While yours has 20 different symbols, mine has 70 for even my basic spells."

"I'll look into this further," Vesa nodded, "thank you, Zan."

"No problem," Zan smiled, "try to memorize a couple of them and we can try this again in a few days."

"Ok," Vesa waved her hand, "see you later!"

Zan turned to make her way back into the tower. The human simply sat on the ground while Elfilin perched on top of her head. She opened one of the books and flipped to one of the bookmarked pages. She took note of additional examples of some of the more complex spell circles, plastered with warning signs written on sticky notes. There were circles with three layers, four layers, overlapping circles like venn diagrams, circles which resembled pentagrams, six pointed stars, nine pointed stars and even circles which had the script written on a square tucked inside.

While Vesa continued to study the books she'd been given, Elfilin perked his head up when he spotted Adeleine from afar. He blinked twice as he noticed a much smaller girl with fairy wings floating next to the young artist. This smaller girl's short pink hair had a red ribbon on top. She wore a long sleeved red dress with a white frilly collar and her blue eyes sparkled as she smiled. The curious small chinchilla hopped off of Vesa's head and sped forward, catching Elfilis's attention.

No doubt, Fecto Elfilis immediately recognized the small humanoid creature as a fairy, one of the many races the Ancients handed down items to or power in hopes they would assist in the fight against Dark Matter. They remembered the fairies helped with the creation of the Love Love Stick among other few projects which were a collaborative effort.

Elfilin stopped just inches from Adeleine and waved his paw at her.

"Oh!" Adeleine blurted, "hi, Elfilin!"

"Hey, Adeleine," Elfilin chirped, pointing at the fairy, "is that a friend of yours?"

The fairy blushed as she made a brief glance at the small chinchilla.

"Y-Yeah," the fairy nodded sheepishly, "my name's Ribbon."

Elfilin did a happy back flip.

"Nice to meet you," Elfilin smiled, "I'm Elfilin, Kirby's new friend!"

Ribbon gasped in awe upon hearing the familiar name.

"So how's Kirby?" she clamored.

"Well," Elfilin placed his paw behind his head, "he's probably napping away somewhere."

Ribbon giggled.

"So typical of him," the fairy mused.

"Well, come on!" Adeleine gestured, "the tower's not far from here."

Adeleine continued to walk down the path with Elfilin and Ribbon following close behind. Once they reached the gate to the courtyard, Vesa tilted her head up.

"Adeleine?" Vesa paused.

Ribbon made a brief glance at Elfilis and fidgeted nervously. Vesa closed the book and stood up.

"Oh, right," Adeleine clarified, "Vesa, this is Ribbon. Ribbon, this is Vesa and Fecto Elfilis."

Ribbon floated over to Vesa and Elfilis and waved hello.

"Nice to meet you," Vesa said, "what brings you here?"

Ribbon locked eyes onto Elfilis.

"I heard there's a printing press shop in Hyness's tower," Ribbon explained, "is it open?"

Elfilis blinked slowly.

"It's not much of a shop," Elfilis answered, "but you are free to use it if you wish."

"Thanks!" Ribbon smiled.

Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances.

"Well," Vesa told Ribbon, "we might as well show you where it is."

"This way," Elfilis instructed.

Vesa, Elfilin, Ribbon and Adeleine followed Elfilis back into the tower. Crossing the foyer, they ventured through the hallway until they set foot into the printing press room. Vesa locked eyes onto Hyness as he was in the middle of operating the printing press. The wizard paused and glanced over his shoulder.

"Oh!" Hyness exclaimed, "greetings! It has been some time since I've spoken to a fairy. How are things going back on Ripple Star?"

Ribbon circled the printing press before she nodded at Hyness.

"It's been doing well," Ribbon answered, "even better since Kirby defeated Dark Matter and saved the planet."

"Oh yes," Hyness replied, "I heard of that. I'm glad that was resolved finally. However, I can't say I'm too cheerful despite it being over, too much was lost before it happened for me to feel joyful."

Ribbon sighed softly before she flew over to a shelf holding books which were copied using the printing press, ranging from various magic tomes, copied from just paper and onto a proper cover. Her eyes wandered until she noticed a thin book. The fairy pulled it off the shelf and examined the title "The Elfin Seraph in the Dew Garden".

"Huh," Ribbon commented, "I wonder if this is a newly written story."

Vesa blinked twice before she approached Ribbon.

"A-Actually," Vesa corrected, "that's a bedtime story from my childhood long ago. I recorded it as soon as I moved here."

Ribbon took a moment to flip through the pages before her face brightened.

"I actually like this one!" Ribbon chirped, "maybe I can share it with my friends when I get back to Ripple Star!"

Vesa smiled and clasped her hands in front of her.

"How much is it?" Ribbon clamored.

Vesa placed a finger on her chin as she thought for a moment.

"What currency does Ripple Star use?" Vesa asked Hyness.

"Small gems, last I checked," Hyness answered, "gemstones are rather easy to make with magic, but the currency is given a magical 'stamp' that never goes away. And since fairies in general are almost all pure of heart, counterfeiting isn't even an issue at all, even if there are steps in place to prevent it regardless."

"Then I guess this book is worth 10 gemstones," Vesa shrugged.

Ribbon nodded before reaching into her pocket dimension, pulling out the amount of gemstones.

"Here you go, then."

Hyness accepted Ribbon's payment.

"I appreciate it," Hyness replied, "even if we'll make plenty through other means."

"No worries!" Ribbon nodded, clutching her new book in her arms.

Ribbon and Adeleine left the printing press room.

"Take care!" Vesa waved her hand.

"See you later!" Adeleine called over.

Vesa shifted her gaze back to her partner as they were fiddling with the printing press. She simply waited for a moment until Elfilis paused and glanced behind their shoulder.

"Hey," Vesa asked, "you want to head over to the library?"

"If that's what you wish," Elfilis nodded.

Elfilis and Vesa left the printing press room and made their way to the library with Elfilin following close behind. While the human and her partner sat down on the couch, the small chinchilla perched on top of the balustrade of the second floor. Vesa flipped to a bookmarked page and went back to studying spell circles while leaning closer to Elfilis. The ultimate life-form purred softly and nuzzled into her face. Vesa giggled softly before she cupped their face in her hand, running her thumb along their jaw. They closed their eyes as their feelers twitched gently.

Setting the books aside, Vesa leaned in and brushed her nose along their snout, noticing as their tail swayed from side to side. Elfilis placed their hand behind her head. She leaned in to give them a soft kiss. Their purrs intensified as they gently wrapped their arms around her, holding her close. Vesa perched her arms over their shoulders while keeping her lips locked onto theirs. Elfilis brushed their tongue along the insides of her mouth. Moaning softly, Vesa returned the gesture.

Once they broke off the kiss, Elfilis gave Vesa a gentle lick on the forehead. She smiled before picking up one of the books. She perched on their lap, nestling in their arms while she went back to studying spell circles.

Elfilin stretched his limbs, tail swaying side to side before he floated over to a nearby bookshelf. While he browsed for a book to read, his eyes laid upon a strange looking moth half his size perching on the side of the shelf.

"Hmm?"

The small chinchilla carefully examined the moth, taking note of its silver body, black eyes, white fuzzy antenna, a white neck mane and a pair of colorful wings in a strange pattern of white, teal, yellow and light blue. Elfilin examined a book title and with all his strength, he pulled the book off the shelf. He let out a disappointed sigh as the moth flew off the shelf and out of the library.

Still, the small chinchilla shrugged. Maybe he can wait to see if the moth came back so he can introduce it to Kirby later. With the book in his arms, Elfilin flew down to the first floor and sat in a lounge chair. Placing the book onto the chair's arm and opening it, the small chinchilla started reading.


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