In Nolan's Hearthstone tavern, during the Purple-robed One's class.
"This is the rune in the spiritual school that most directly affects human senses: the manipulation of 'touch.'"
The magically controlled chalk behind the Purple-robed One rapidly wrote a mass of complex runes across the blackboard.
"Ciri, you have already mastered part of the runes for illusions and the mind. Now combine the two and create an illusion that can make me feel something real through 'touch.'"
The Purple-robed One stopped the chalk and assigned Ciri a temporary exercise.
"Ciri?"
Seeing no response from Ciri, the Purple-robed One called her name again.
"Sorry... I've been feeling uneasy lately, Mentor." Ciri immediately came back to herself as pale violet runes continuously appeared around her.
"Any woman about to become a mother would feel uneasy. That is normal." The Purple-robed One did not pursue Ciri's distraction. Instead, she looked at Ciri with such gentleness that it made Ciri uncomfortable. "If your mother could see you, she would surely be very pleased."
"Mother..."
Ciri recalled what had happened when she had visited her mother's grave. She glanced at her left arm, where runes had briefly appeared before, as though it had all been an illusion.
"Concentrate." Seeing fluctuations in the illusion Ciri had created, the Purple-robed One immediately reminded her.
A large number of pale violet runes condensed into a miniature black dragon on the desk before Ciri.
The black dragon flapped its wings and flew a circle around the classroom.
"Now inject spiritual runes into this illusion so that people can touch it and feel pain from it."
What the Purple-robed One was teaching Ciri was one of the few methods illusion Spellcasters used in battle. The Purple-robed One could easily crush a weak Spellcaster mentally.
Pain was always the most useful weapon.