Wanda lost.

I walked Alice home about an hour later and returned to the library.

Time to study.

Now I know what you're asking.

Why not go to the room and look for Wanda?

Because the computer is looking for her already. Earlier in the day, I already set up the whole process and left it to the A.I. before leaving to find Quentin.

When the computer makes contact it will automatically reach out to me and connect the call through my glasses.

In the meantime however, I think it's time for me to study up on this world's magic.

Sure, I have had three other clones come here and study it up but their data is in the ship, which is .... somewhere. In this clone body, I only brought along the bare necessities to avoid tripping up any higher civilizational security measures.

After all, even though they're called Old Gods, they're just people. Higher level sure, but still killable.

As the books depicted, the new gods are just magicians operating at a higher level and the old gods are the same, except they are at a level that is unimaginable.

This is actually the theory I intend to use to see if I can grow a god on my own by condensing enough magic energy once I get access to the Wellspring of magic in Fillory.

And as a civilization of higher beings, thought entities, one and all, I wouldn't be surprised if they has countermeasures for my kind.

And from how they had a full celebration planned out for the 1293 step quest, they definitely had a couple of those at least. Just like the category five civilization in Gantz.

The old gods are probably category 11 civilization by that metric, going above even my level of multiversal power.

That's why it is crucial for me to become a higher being too before I get to their realm and consume them all.

For now, let's study magic.

The magic of the Magicians world was an interesting one too.

Unlike Marvel's magic, which I was using as a crutch till now, where magical energy could directly be used to change the world, basically granting low tier reality warping abilities to sorcerers, the magic in Magicians was... Tedious was the word to describe it.

Casting here was like constructing a Rube Goldberg machine out of thin air.

Every spell required complex calculations. Circumstances, a catch all term for factors that could affect casting and magic needed to be factored in. Meta math they called it.

I call it bullshit physics.

Now with finger tutting!

And if that wasn't enough, they came in several different flavours.

Internal and external circumstances. Primary, secondary and tertiary ones.

They could range from things like how you are feeling to how hot and dry your surroundings are. Even the nearest body of water and the fucking phase of the moon needs to accounted for. I pity the idiots who use magic in Fillory, with it's two moons. That is if they even learn magic in the first place, what with no guidance or schooling.

The magicians in Fillory truly have my respect for figuring this shit out themselves.

In essence it was the conceptual equivalent of a scientist saying, 'If a phenomenon can be achieved in a lab, then it can occur in nature too, no matter how bizarre the phenomenon may seem. It needs only for the circumstances for the phenomenon's conception to occur naturally.

Which is why, I guess, they are called circumstances.

So say if someone wanted to cast a water ball, it wasn't as simple as conjuring up water and then shooting it out.

Oh no no!

That would have been too easy!

The sadistic creators of this world wouldn't allow it.

To cast a simple water ball, you need to create the circumstance wherein the air would naturally turn to water, i.e., increase the humidity and pressure in the area by manipulating the entire atmosphere subtly and then naturally create a circumstance where it's path is isolated from all forces not relating to it's path, i.e., negate gravity and air drag and mementum and create a fucking gravity well tunnel that leads the water ball to the target.

Like if you wanted to drink water, you didn't just pick up the glass and drink it, but instead, put your mouth against the table and then flipped it so that the water fell into your mouth when the glass toppled over.

A completely ass backwards way of casting magic.

Of course, this whole thing only applies to magicians who rely on the Wellspring for power.

Other entities, vampires, lamia, fairies, even gods cannjust do whatever they want. It's why John, as a demigod, was able to cast a force push by thought alone in the show.

It's almost a miracle that humans have survived this long with having to do magic like this.

I sighed as I finished scanning the last book in the syllabus and slammed it shut.

Marvel magic is so much better. Even nen is easier to use than this.

But, as they say, when in Rome....

Just then, my glasses beeped with a notification.

Wanda had been contacted.

Immediately, I was stark awake and alert.

I jumped off my seat and dashed out of the library , back to my dorm.

"Wanda? Wanda! Can you hear me? Do you copy?"

"I couldn't copy for shit if ..." She panted, casting a barrier spell, "I tried."

"If you can joke, you are fine."

"Do I look fine?" She asked.

"Uh no?" I guessed, "But just enter the portal. It'll lead you to-"

"The portal is a dozen meters that way and thi-".

Something slammed against her shields.

"This cow-dragon thing doesn't look open to negotiation!" She cried out.

"First those flying sword bathrobe knights and now this thing. Hold on-" A magic portal opened up besides her, and she jumped through to another world.

"Wait are you in a xianx-"

The signal cut off.

I sighed.

Waiting it is.

The computer immediately, recalibrated and the connection came back on.

This time there was no voice. Just visuals.

But I coukd just about make out her lips. She was in a world without oxygen?

She looked up and I saw a huge, flat landmass sat upon the back of an elephant.

Water dripped down from the landmass and I could see the faint outlines of a- Wait as second is that the.. Hogfather?

Before I could check, or open another poetal beside her she jumped through another wormhole and appeared in a savannah.

"Finally!" She gasped, taking deep gulps of air, "That was terrifying!" She shivered.

"Where are you now?" I checked her location, intending to open a portal to her, when a spear grazed past her shoulder.

"Shit!" She cried out, "No rest here either!"

She put up a hasty shield spell.

"Wanda, honey, stay right where you are, I'll come and get you in a minute." I assured her.

"No. You need to focus on the mission. Of you come here and the portal malfunctions you will get stuck here." She said, touching the earpiece lovingly, kissing it, "I'll come to you."

"Without alerting the old gods?" I scoffed.

"I will use the antiverse. You said it was a blind spot, right?"

"You are exhausted, Wanda. Just stay where you are-"

Another spear slammed into her shields and she faltered.

Then, her shields shattered, as another spear zipped past her, destroying the already worn earpiece and the signal was cut off.

Shit!

The computer closed in on her position and I grabbed a healing serum, jumping into the portal.

I appeared in the savannah, between Wanda and her attackers, a troupe of leonine bipeds in dirty khakhi pants.

Without hesitation I pulled out my pistol and activated the particle beam on my watch, mowing them down like animals, but not before they threw another one of their spears at her.

My heart froze for a moment as I sent out my forcefield to cover her some twenty meters away, but it was too late.

She was already swaying from exhaustion and couldn't move so much as an inch, much less dodge. Now I could only hope the spear wouldn't hit someplace critical.

But against all odds, the spear missed her entirely as she fell backwards. Straight into her magic portal.

I ran towards her, trying to open a portal between her and her own portal, but the spatial features were too unsteady to do it.

Helpless, I extend a hand towards her, an eldritch whip zipping out from it as I leapt at her.

She extended her hand towards me too, if weakly.

Thankfully, my whip caught by the arm across the portal, and I slid to a stop, pulling her in, when-

Zwoop!

The portal closed as she lost consciousness and couldn't maintain it any longer, snapping my eldritch whips in two.

"Damnit!" I cried out in frustration, as I fell to my knees.

And just like that, Wanda was lost.

_______________________

DISCLAIMER: Wanda is NOT DEAD!

That's why mc isn't broken up and is just frustrated.

Hence the 'Damnit!' instead of 'NOoooo!'

She will reappear later. Also, neither mc nor Wanda are in their true bodies. They are both using clones. So even if she dies here, she will wake up in the ship. Same is not true for mc but he will actually lose a part of his soul if that happens so he's got stakes.

Anyways, don't be disheartened.

The extra chapter for 600 powerstones as promised!

Regular chapter coming soon.

Then, Pat-reon ones.

Thanks for reading.

See ya!