Nightmares

Richard’s life seemed to return to normal once he sent Rolf away, the sky a dreary grey. There was no wind within his laboratory, the temperature perfectly constant.

He spread out the incomplete Guardian of Life rune, picking up his pen and slowly filling it with mana. The tip lit up slightly, but at the sight of the unstable lustre he shook his head and continued to increase his output. The light eventually stopped fluctuating, but he stared blankly at the incomplete arrays without starting a stroke for a long time.

An entire morning silently slipped through his fingers. Richard had only drawn two strokes, of which one had nearly been a mistake.

*Thud!* he slammed the pen on the table and walked over to the basin, casting a cooling spell on the water within. His control over the magic was exquisite, chilling it to just under the point where it would completely freeze over. He then poured the ice water over his head. Richard couldn’t help but shiver. He stood there quietly, knowing he could not go on like this.

However,...