The Extra who regained his past life memories

I closed my eyes and began thinking about exactly what kind of spell I wanted to create.

The first—and most important—requirement for creating a new spell was imagination.

If you couldn’t clearly picture the spell’s effect—what it did, how it worked, and the result you wanted to achieve—then creating it was impossible.

Even if your mana flowed perfectly...

Even if every movement was flawless...

The spell would still fail.

Because mana alone wasn’t enough.

Your will was just as important.

Without a clear image to guide your mana and the determination to shape it into reality, the spell would collapse before it could even take form.

That was why every spell I had created so far began with a single concept.

Take Devour, for example.

I didn’t understand the fundamental laws behind it.

I wasn’t some legendary scholar who understood how Darkness and Space interacted on the deepest level.

But...

I understood what the skill was supposed to do.

It devoured.

It absorbed.

It consumed energy and transformed it into my own.

That simple understanding, combined with my imagination, had allowed me to shape the spell into reality.

My memories from my previous life had helped as well.

I’d read countless novels featuring abilities similar to Devour, so I already had a vivid image of the effect I wanted to recreate.

The same was true for Space Storage.

Creating it had been much easier because I already understood the concept.

Amy owned a space ring.

I’d watched her use it countless times.

I didn’t need to invent the idea from scratch.

I simply needed to reproduce the same effect using my own Space Affinity instead of relying on a magical artifact.

That realization taught me something important.

Whenever I wanted to create a new spell...

I first had to break the idea apart.

Piece by piece.

How did it work?

What was its core principle?

Which affinity was best suited for it?

Only after answering those questions could I begin shaping the spell itself.

With that thought in mind, I turned my attention to the skill I wanted to create next.

A perception skill.

The first affinity that came to mind was Space.

After all...

If I could perceive space itself...

Then, in theory...

I should be able to perceive everything that existed within it.

My eyes slowly brightened.

If I succeeded...

This skill would perfectly complement everything else I’d already created.

It would allow me to choose safe destinations before teleporting.

It would drastically improve the accuracy of my teleportation attacks.

It would make Devour even more effective by allowing me to sense incoming attacks before they reached me.

And as a swordsman...

Knowing exactly where my opponent stood at every moment would be an overwhelming advantage.

The more I thought about it...

The more convinced I became.

Space wasn’t merely suitable for a perception skill.

It was the perfect foundation.

But then...

Another thought crossed my mind.

I also possessed Darkness Affinity.

Space alone was incredibly unstable.

Although it possessed limitless potential, my control over it was still far too shallow.

Darkness, however, was different.

It was one of my strongest affinities.

Controlling it felt almost instinctive.

So...

What if I combined Darkness with Space?

I slowly organized the idea inside my head.

If I spread darkness throughout the surrounding space...

Perhaps the darkness itself could act as a medium.

Instead of relying entirely on unstable space, I could use darkness to stabilize the spell while allowing Space to perform the actual sensing.

The more I considered the possibility...

The more sense it made.

Darkness would become the foundation.

Space would become the sensory network.

Together...

They could create a perception spell capable of observing the surrounding space itself.

Not only would it solve my current problem...

It would perfectly complement every ability I already possessed.

It would support Devour.

It would allow me to teleport safely.

It would make my teleportation attacks far more precise.

And it would greatly enhance my swordsmanship by giving me complete awareness of my surroundings.

A slow smile spread across my face.

"...I’ve decided."

This was it.

I would create a perception skill by combining Darkness and Space.

With my objective finally clear, I opened my eyes.

Almost immediately, Astrid’s voice reached my ears.

"Gray."

I looked toward her.

She stood with her arms folded, wearing a helpless smile.

"What were you doing?"

"You’ve been standing there without moving for almost fifteen minutes."

"I called your name several times."

"You didn’t even react."

She tilted her head slightly.

"It was like you couldn’t hear anything."

"So I decided to wait until you finished whatever you were thinking about."

I scratched the back of my head sheepishly.

"Ah..."

"Sorry."

"I was thinking about how to create my perception skill."

"I kind of..."

I laughed awkwardly.

"...got lost in my own thoughts."

Astrid chuckled softly.

"Oh..."

"So this is your usual process?"

She looked genuinely curious.

"Would you mind explaining it?"

"I’d like to know how a genius like you thinks."

Then she turned toward Amy.

"Amy."

"Come here for a moment."

Amy stopped practicing her Ice and Lightning control before walking over curiously.

"What is it?"

Astrid smiled.

"Gray is about to explain how he creates his spells."

"You might learn something useful."

She glanced toward Amy.

"Don’t underestimate him just because he’s your younger brother."

"Both of you are exceptionally talented."

"The more you share your ideas with each other..."

"The faster you’ll both grow."

Amy’s eyes immediately lit up.

Recently, she’d started trying to create her own spells after watching me develop one skill after another.

Instead of relying solely on techniques passed down through generations...

She wanted to create something that belonged entirely to her.

Hearing Astrid’s words, she smiled brightly.

"Oh?"

She folded her arms with obvious interest.

"Then go on."

"Tell us about your genius thought process."

She giggled.

I immediately felt embarrassed.

"It..."

"It’s really nothing special..."

I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly.

"It... it’s really nothing special."

"I simply think about what I want the spell to accomplish first."

"Then I break that idea into smaller parts."

"I ask myself what I need to recreate that effect."

"What element is most suitable?"

"What properties does that element have?"

"And how can I combine those properties to achieve the result I want?"

I paused for a moment before continuing.

"For example..."

"This time I want to create a perception skill."

"So the first question I asked myself was..."

"What do I actually need?"

"The answer was simple."

"I need to know everything happening around me."

"So I chose Space."

"If I can perceive space itself..."

"Then the spell should be able to support almost all of my other abilities."

A faint smile appeared on my face.

"But then I realized another problem."

"My control over Space Affinity still isn’t very good."

"So using Space by itself would make the spell unstable."

"That’s when I thought about adding Darkness."

"I have much better control over Darkness."

"So I can use it to stabilize the spell while allowing Space to perform the sensing."

I continued explaining, becoming more absorbed in my own thoughts.

"After that..."

"I just keep asking myself more questions."

"How should the two affinities interact?"

"How should they spread around me?"

"How should they detect their surroundings?"

"What is the most efficient structure?"

"Once I have a clear image..."

"I start testing every possibility."

"If something works..."

"I keep it."

"If it doesn’t..."

"I figure out why it failed."

"Then I make adjustments and try again."

I laughed awkwardly.

"...That’s really all there is to it."

"It probably isn’t as impressive as you’re making it sound."

I looked at Astrid and Amy.

"So..."

"What do you think?"

For several long moments...

Neither of them spoke.

They simply stared at me.

Their expressions looked as though they were trying to decide whether I was speaking the same language they were.

Finally...

Astrid let out a long, exhausted sigh.

"...Gray."

She rubbed her forehead.

"Are you even speaking human language anymore?"

I blinked.

"Huh?"

"What do you mean?"

She looked at me as though I’d just said something completely unbelievable.

"You say all of that as if it’s perfectly normal."

She began counting on her fingers.

"’I dismantle the spell.’"

"’I analyze what I need.’"

"’I choose the most suitable elements.’"

"’Then I combine them until I achieve the desired effect.’"

She slowly shook her head.

"Do you have any idea how absurd that sounds?"

"Most mages spend their entire lives learning spells created by other people."

"They never even think about creating one of their own."

"But you..."

"You analyze magic as though it’s nothing more than a puzzle waiting to be solved."

Her gaze became strangely complicated.

"With an SS+ talent..."

She murmured quietly, almost to herself.

"...You’re going to become unstoppable one day."

Another sigh escaped her lips.

"...Another monster."

"The Matriarch was already a monster."

"And now..."

She glanced toward Amy before looking back at me.

"Both of her children are walking the same path."

I scratched my cheek awkwardly.

"...Is it really that strange?"

Astrid answered immediately.

"Yes."

"Very strange."

Amy, however, had remained completely silent.

Unlike Astrid, who was simply shocked...

Amy was replaying every word I’d spoken.

Ever since deciding to create her own spells, she’d been struggling to figure out where to begin.

But now...

Everything suddenly seemed much clearer.

"...I see."

She nodded slowly.

"So that’s how you think."

Instead of trying to create an entire spell all at once...

Break the concept apart.

Understand what effect you actually want.

Choose the most suitable element.

Then slowly rebuild the spell piece by piece.

A bright smile spread across her face.

"Hm..."

"That actually makes a lot of sense."

She looked at me warmly.

"Thanks, Gray."

"You helped me more than you realize."

"I think I finally know how to approach the spell I’ve been trying to create."

Before either Astrid or I could respond, Amy suddenly turned around.

"I have to try it before I forget!"

Without another word, she hurried back toward her training area.

Ice and Lightning mana immediately began gathering around her once again.

Normally, she would’ve stayed to chat with me much longer.

But inspiration was precious.

If she let the feeling fade now...

It might never return in quite the same way.

Watching her rush off with such excitement, I couldn’t help but smile.

"...Looks like she got inspired."

Astrid smiled faintly as she watched Amy begin experimenting with her mana.

"It certainly seems that way."

Then she looked back at me.

"And judging by that look in her eyes..."

A small chuckle escaped her lips.

"...I doubt she’ll be stopping anytime soon."

I smiled as well.

Maybe...

Just maybe...

The next person to create an original spell in the Starlight family...

Wouldn’t be me. It would be my sister.

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