NOVEL NEXT Chapter 719: Additional Magic
Annie asked softly, "If I can master this magic… I'll be able to recover?"
Mira nodded. "Yes. That's why you must learn it from me seriously."
Annie glanced at the gentle blue light flowing around her. "And this? What is it?"
"This magic will help you as you learn," Mira explained patiently.
But the truth was not so hopeful.
Annie's demon hand would revert on its own if her magic power ran out. The problem was, in her condition, exhausting her magic was almost the same as stepping one foot into the grave.
That meant she had to master Take Over Magic before her magic gave out, or else she'd never be able to control it.
Even partial Take Over didn't consume much magic, but Annie's reserves were too low.
Her age and her weakened body were limits no magic could change. Even with the buffs that Rhodes provided, she might hold out for two hours at best.
Back then, young Mira had survived only because her talent was exceptional. She had endured maintaining partial Take Over for a full twenty-four hours straight, living in the village for a while and even traveling long distances to reach the guild. Without her strong magic power, she would have collapsed from exhaustion.
Annie didn't have Mira's talent. If this problem wasn't solved within two hours, she would truly die.
Neither Mira nor Rhodes dared to tell her that directly.
If it were someone from the guild, they might rise to the challenge under the pressure of death. But an old woman like Annie… that kind of pressure would only crush her spirit.
Mira's heart was in turmoil, but outwardly she kept her voice calm, carefully explaining the basics of Take Over Magic.
Annie, however, was just an ordinary person. She had no foundation in magic, her memory was poor, and she forgot half of what Mira said within ten minutes. Her progress was like that of a snail climbing a wall, every inch forward, she slid back again.
After another twenty minutes, Annie pressed her forehead, wincing. "Let's stop for a while, Mirajane. My brain really isn't working."
Mira leaned closer, urging her. "Just a little longer. You'll get it soon."
But Annie's shoulders drooped. "Magic this complicated… at my age, it's probably impossible. Why don't we just leave it? At worst, I'll live like this. The village is empty anyway. No one will see."
It was the kind of weary resignation common to the elderly: It doesn't hurt now, so why bother? Even if it hurts later, how many years do I have left?
Mira's tone sharpened with urgency. "No! You must learn it!"
Annie blinked at her doubtfully.
Mira quickly softened her voice again and tried persuasion. "Look, a hand like this isn't flexible. It makes cooking difficult, and it doesn't look nice, all blackened like that. You still take the bus to town sometimes, don't you? What if people saw.."
She tried everything to spark Annie's will to fight.
Annie fell silent. Having such a hand really was troublesome.
But to her, magic was like a book in a foreign tongue, impossible to grasp.
"Is there no other way?" Annie asked at last, her voice almost pleading.
There was.
Rhodes did have a solution.
They could bring her back to the guild, mark her with the Fairy Tail emblem, and then send her to Tenrou Island, where the Tenrou Tree would sustain her.
If they used a Hextech Gate to return quickly, stamped her as a Fairy Tail member, and asked the Cloud dragon for transport, they would certainly have enough time.
Once on Tenrou, she could learn Take Over slowly, at her own pace. If she succeeded, she would one day leave. If not, she could remain there and keep the First Master company.
However, this was only a last resort. People like Annie clearly didn't want their lives to change too much.
Rhodes asked, "Is there a way to Take Over it?"
"It can't be done," Mira said firmly. "If it were a demon, I might be able to Take Over it. But Annie is human. Even if I only Took Over that hand, it would harm her."
Rhodes thought for a moment, then exhaled. "Then let's try another method. If Annie can't learn… then I'll learn."
"You'll learn?" Mira blinked.
"I mean this." Rhodes tapped the magic book left behind by the Second Master.
As expected, for difficult and complicated conditions, they would still need to rely on the wisdom of the Second Generation.
Mira asked, "Is there a solution written inside?"
Rhodes nodded. "When I skimmed through the table of contents, I noticed a section called Additional Magic. One subcategory was something called Separation Addition."
As he spoke, Rhodes was already opening the book, slipping on his enchanted glasses.
He needed to study this carefully. If the material wasn't enough, he would have to sneak back to the guild library for references.
Precht's research into Additional Magic had not been especially deep.
It was one of many magics he had explored in his attempts to save Mavis.
At that time, Mavis had been trapped in a strange state between life and death. Precht suspected that some mysterious force was at work within her, so he specifically researched and experimented with Separation Addition.
When it proved ineffective, he had speculated boldly whether the problem lay in Mavis's body or soul. His idea was to separate her soul, resolve the issue, and then reattach it.
Unfortunately, that didn't succeed either.
But through his reckless theories and careful experiments, he had ultimately created Mavis's current peculiar state, her body alive, yet her soul wandering freely outside it.
Rhodes's task now was not nearly as extreme. He didn't need to separate Annie's soul, only to extract the demon soul she had accidentally Taken Over. Compared to Mavis's case, this should be far simpler.
Still, it was risky for one person alone, so they let Annie rest while Rhodes and Mira studied the magic together.
After half an hour, Rhodes pulled off his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. "This magic…"
Its power was terrifyingly strong.
Used skillfully, it could even strip the magic power from one person and attach it to another. The book classified it as High-Level Additional Magic, far more complex than ordinary types.
Fortunately, Rhodes didn't need all of that. He only had to focus on the "separation" aspect.
It was a relief that his foundation in magical theory was solid. Without it, just reading the terminology would have given him a pounding headache.
And besides, he and Mira had a unique advantage.
Separation Addition was a time-consuming process when the target did not cooperate voluntarily.
Annie herself would cooperate, of course. But the demon soul lurking inside her would not. It would resist, because if Annie's body failed, the soul could seize full control.
But with Mira present, that resistance wouldn't matter. She could suppress it by force while Rhodes drew it out.
It would be like Rhodes in a tug-of-war with the demon soul, while Mira gave it a sharp kick from behind.
Another half hour later, after confirming the details of the casting process and how to coordinate their roles, the two finally returned to Annie's side.