It had worked well for years, but that was because we'd only had supe members, and every resident contributed some magic toward the Sanctuary's upkeep.
While Touya had been the first human to move here, he had some magic in his blood, so it hadn't caused any issues. Channeling his magic into the Sanctuary had even allowed him to 'turn off' his powers, which helped him greatly.
But then came Bellamy, Dustin, Liam, and Diego. Four humans who had no magic to speak of.
The careful balance I'd maintained for years was thrown into disarray, and the only way I could balance it out was to pour more and more of my own magic in. But of course, that was a temporary fix because I wasn't strong enough to make up the difference while also performing my other duties.
I'd done everything I could to make up the difference. I'd cut down on the number of exits so I'd have more magic to spare, I'd stopped looking for supes to rescue—those spells took both time and power I couldn't spare—and I'd even stopped using the little spells I'd spread around just for fun. Spells that made the stars twinkle a little brighter, or caused breezes that spread the scent of flowers everywhere.
Nolan's arrival had been a big, glaring sign from Fate saying 'here's the solution to all your problems,' and it was only my past with him that had kept me from fixing the Sanctuary then and there.
I'd hesitated long enough, though. I couldn't let our past hold me back from doing what was best for my family any longer.
I closed my office door after Nolan, then led him to a wall cabinet that stood beside the door to my private quarters.
"When I first built this pocket dimension, I started with two rooms. This office, and my bedroom in there," I said, waving toward the closed door. "Metaphysically, this is the center of the pocket dimension. If these two rooms ever collapse..."
"The whole dimension will be destroyed," Nolan murmured in understanding.
I nodded, then opened the cabinet to reveal a bare wall.
"Uh..."
I bit back a smile at his confusion, then waved my palm over the wall, revealing a spell circle.
"Ah. It's the center, huh?" Nolan asked, and I nodded. While the Sanctuary was built by many, many spells weaved together, this was the spell that connected them all. This spell could channel magic to whichever spell needed it, and it kept the place running. Whenever a new supe joined the Sanctuary, I added their magic to the dimension through this spell. Nolan was the only one I hadn't done this for.
"Usually, it only takes about fifteen minutes to link a new supe to the spell," I explained as I turned to him, meeting his green eyes head-on. I hadn't done that a lot, I realized. This man always raised such a jumbled mix of feelings in me. I had no idea if I'd ever make sense of them, but for now, I pushed them to the back of my mind. "But there are a lot of broken or malfunctioning spells right now, and if you don't mind, I was hoping we could fix them while we connect you."
"I don't mind at all. It will be better to do it all at once anyway, right?"
I nodded, and he smiled, then rubbed his palms together. "Tell me what to do."
I placed my right palm on one side of the spell, and directed him to place his left on the other side. Then I took his other hand in mine, completing the circle.
"Oh wow. This is beautiful work, Zephyr," Nolan murmured, and I closed my eyes so I could see the spell as well.
I'd never figured out quite how to explain what I saw to someone who wasn't a sorcerer. Nolan could only see this because dragons were in a league of their own, but no one else in my family could.
The simplest way I could explain it was to compare it to one of Haruto's spiderwebs. The spells were all intricately woven together, thin threads of silk with a blue glow. Each spell had a different purpose that only I knew. Or maybe...
"Can you tell what each spell is for?" I asked, and Nolan hummed.
"I'm getting impressions, but nothing concrete. I can feel things like growth, balance, maintenance, beauty, and the like."
So that was still all mine. It probably shouldn't make me so happy.
Shaking my head, I directed Nolan to channel his magic into the right spells, and one by one the spells glowed red, then blue, then red, then blue again. They kept changing colors, pulsing like a vein, and I watched as they strengthened.
This was the right thing to do. For this place, for these people, for myself, even. Nolan's magic was exactly what we needed to bring the Sanctuary back to its former glory.
I wasn't sure how long it took to fix all the spells and link Nolan to the pocket dimension's core—he couldn't change the spells or add new ones, but he could now repair or make them stronger if needed—but by the time we were finished, a thin sheen of sweat coated my brows, though Nolan looked strong as ever. Damn dragons and their practically bottomless magic.
The last thing we needed to do was lock everything in place, and when that happened, everything around us glowed red, then blue as the spells settled into place.
"Does it feel different to you?" Nolan asked, nodding toward the spell that was still visible on the wall.
"It does. It's more settled, like it used to be. Stronger too," I admitted reluctantly, and he smiled.
