GameDev Reincarnated into His Own Creation

Chapter 10.1: Divergence

"Zetahn Feryis Crystallum."

The words carried weight—more than sound, they resonated with purpose. The air around his arm shimmered faintly before condensing into sharp clarity. In an instant, a jagged spear of ice materialized, shooting forward with precision and slamming into the tree's trunk. It embedded itself with a satisfying crack, shards splintering outward like fragile glass.

Vel exhaled in relief but stiffened as a faint glow encircled his arm. He stared, mouth agape, as an intricate magic circle spun around his forearm before vanishing.

"That's...new?" The Ossuary had been dark—chaotic even—and he'd been too frantic to notice anything beyond survival. But here in the morning light, the runes etched into the circle were undeniable: lines intersecting like constellations, their faint glow whispering of ancient knowledge.

He flexed his fingers and checked his other hand for lingering magic, but found only stillness in the clearing.

The mana drain felt subtle—just a slight lightness. His spells worked despite the earlier Affinity chart glitch.

A theory sparked in his mind. If spells needed specific incantations, what would happen if he altered them? Combined elements?

It seemed worth testing.

Vel straightened and steadied himself once more, recalling the structure of Ice Lance while mentally borrowing from Far Sight. He pieced them together carefully, speaking aloud with cautious deliberation:

"Altheris Zetahn Feryis Crystallum."

His voice echoed through the clearing, but no energy shimmered at his fingertips, no ice materialized. Only silence answered.

His brow furrowed with brief disappointment—this wouldn't work so simply.

Vel clenched his fists, frustration prickling at the edge of his mind. He paced a few steps back and forth, the cobblestones beneath his feet uneven but grounding. The failed incantation replayed in his head like an off-key melody, mocking him with its silence.

"Maybe the order's wrong," he murmured to himself, staring at his hands as if they held the answer. His fingers twitched slightly before he steadied them and tried again.

"Crystallum Altheris Zetahn Feryis."

Nothing.

"Feryis Crystallum Altheris Zetahn."

Still nothing.

The clearing remained unimpressed by his attempts, its stillness broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves. Vel exhaled sharply through his nose, shaking his head.

"Of course it's not that simple," he muttered bitterly. He knew better—he designed this system once upon a time, didn't he? If spellcraft were this malleable, any novice could string together words like beads on a necklace and conjure miracles without effort. That wasn't how it worked—not in Aeonalus Primordial.

His gaze returned to the dimming display before him, mirroring his fatigue. If this world had manifested his design in full detail, then understanding those details was crucial.

Vel's fingers lingered above the display as he glared at the three known spells, their names taunting him with their simplicity.

His eyes narrowed at the pulsing blue Ice Lance icon. "Why am I stuck here?" he muttered, selecting the spell reflexively.

The display zoomed in smoothly, showing the incantation—Zetahn Feryis Crystallum—below. Vel frowned. He'd seen this in the Ossuary before, but it hadn't revealed anything then.