?The very next morning, before the sun had fully risen, Zaek summoned Aelira to the garden.

  ?They met beneath one of the estate’s oldest oaks. Its sprawling branches formed a canopy against the pale dawn sky, and the grass was wet with morning dew.

  ?“Isn’t it... too early...?” Aelira mumbled, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Usually, her lessons began well after breakfast.

  ?“Nope,” Zaek replied, stretching his arms until his joints popped. “Best time to train is right after you wake up. The mind is empty.”

  ?Lassandra stepped forward, wringing her hands nervously. “Master Zaek, Lady Aelira is still healing from yesterday. Wouldn’t it be better to delay the lesson?”

  ?“No need. We won’t be doing anything physical today.”

  ?“...?” Aelira gave him a questioning look. If it isn’t physical training... what is it?

  ?The only training she had ever known was swinging a sword until her arms went numb.

  ?“So, let’s get started,” Zaek said. He turned to Lassandra. “You might get bored waiting around. Feel free to leave.”

  ?“Thank you, but I must refuse,” Lassandra said firmly, crossing her arms.

  ?Zaek studied the maid for a moment, shrugged, and turned back to Aelira.

  ?“Alright, little fella. Before we start—did you ever take magic lessons?”

  ?“Yes... I did. But I still can’t use it. Is that a problem?” Aelira asked, waking up a little more.

  ?“It would be better if you could,” Zaek admitted with a chuckle. “First things first—you need to learn about yourself. You can’t sail a ship if you don’t know how it floats.”

  ?Ship? Sail? Aelira frowned, trying to make sense of his metaphors.

  ?“Well, for a start, you’re thin. Scrawny, even. Forcing physical training on you right now wouldn’t make sense until your body grows stronger.”

  ?Aelira sulked. She knew she was small, but hearing it out loud stung. I can handle a sword! My body isn’t the problem!

  ?Zaek sat cross-legged on the wet grass, patting the spot beside him. Aelira followed suit, sitting awkwardly.

  ?“So, we’ll start with magic. But first, you need to awaken your mana. Focus inward until you feel it, then try to move it.”

  ?“My... inside?”

  ?Zaek nodded. “Close your eyes and relax. Search for the pulse.”

  ?Aelira shut her eyes tight. She breathed in the cool morning air and turned her attention inward, diving into the darkness of her own mind.

  ?She searched.

  ?And searched.

  ?“Were you able to sense anything?” Zaek asked after a while. “Something like a pulse? A heartbeat?”

  ?Aelira searched deeper.

  ?There was no pulse. But she found something.

  ?It wasn’t rhythmic. It wasn’t moving.

  ?It was constant. Stable. Heavy.

  ?Like a vast, still ocean of sand sitting deep within her chest.

  ?“It’s not like a pulse...” she murmured, eyes still closed. “It’s... heavy.”

  ?“Not like a pulse?” Zaek raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never heard of that. People’s mana always has a rhythm. It flows. So? Can you move it?”

  ?“Move it?”

  ?“Yes. Try to spread it through your body. Mana should respond to your will naturally.”

  ?Aelira mentally pushed against the strange presence.

  ?It didn’t budge.

  ?It sat there—ancient, heavy, and utterly indifferent to her commands. It felt... separate. Like it wasn't mana at all, but something else.

  ?“...”

  ?Aelira opened her eyes, shoulders slumping. “I can’t.”

  ?Zaek grunted. “Don’t be sad. Most people can’t manage it on their first try. That’s normal.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  ?Though feeling it on the first try is definitely not normal, he thought, eyeing her curiously.

  ?“Keep practicing until you succeed. That’s your first lesson.” He rose to his feet, dusting off his pants. “Don’t worry about time. Just keep trying until you grasp it.”

  ?If she fails, we’ll have to push her limits physically, Zaek mused. Everyone has mana. If you can’t feel it, sometimes you have to force the body to scream until it wakes up.

  ?Aelira nodded, ashamed. This is about talent... Some people sense it in days. Others take years.

  ?“Master Zaek, are you really leaving just like this?” Lassandra asked, confused.

  ?“I can’t help her awaken. That’s a door she has to open herself.” With a casual wave, Zaek strolled away toward the stables.

  ?Left alone, Aelira shut her eyes again. She dove back into the darkness.

  ?She found the strange presence again.

  ?I don’t understand. This isn’t like a pulse at all... It feels like... liquid? No, more like sand? Or maybe... a void?

  ?She pushed it. Pulled it. Nothing.

  ?How am I supposed to move this?

  ?She lost herself in the sensation of the heavy stillness.

  ?“Lady Aelira?”

  ?A soft voice broke her concentration.

  ?“It’s breakfast time.”

  ?Aelira snapped her eyes open. “Already?!”

  ?“Yes...” Lassandra blinked, caught off guard by the girl’s shock.

  ?“Can you bring it here?”

  ?“Of course. I’ll be right back.” Lassandra hurried off.

  ?Aelira stared at the grass. I can’t believe it’s already breakfast... It felt like only a second passed.

  ?She closed her eyes again. She dove back in.

  ?“Lady Aelira?”

  ?“Lassy?” Aelira blinked again.

  ?“Yes, I brought your breakfast.”

  ?“But... you just left.”

  ?“...?” Lassandra tilted her head. “My Lady, I’ve been gone for twenty minutes.”

  ?“Never mind.” Aelira smiled weakly. “I guess time passes fast when you’re meditating.”

  ?“Ahh, is that so? Forgive me if I startled you.”

  ?“You did nothing wrong, Lassy.”

  ?“Still, I should have realized it earlier.”

  ?“Lassy, you always overthink things.”

  ?“Maybe I do,” Lassandra laughed softly.

  ?From a distance, Zaek watched them, leaning against a wooden fence. A nostalgic smile touched his lips.

  ?Nice to be young...

  ?But his smile faded as he frowned.

  ?Losing track of time already? And no sense of a pulse? Just what is going on inside that kid?

  ?He turned to leave, muttering about checking the horses, when movement caught his eye.

  ?Lysric was sprinting across the garden.

  ?“...Lysric,” Aelira murmured.

  ?“Lady Aelira, please don’t let him distract you,” Lassandra whispered.

  ?Aelira ignored him, turning back to her plate.

  ?Lysric skidded to a stop, kicking up dirt. He grinned wide.

  ?“Yo, Radish! I heard the Hero agreed to teach you!”

  ?“It’s Aelira,” she corrected calmly, taking a bite of toast. “And what about it?”

  ?“I can see you already failed on your first day! Sitting around eating?”

  ?“...It’s my very first time.”

  ?“Hmph! Doesn’t matter. I’m sure he’ll realize soon enough how useless a radish you are.”

  ?Aelira said nothing. She chewed slowly.

  ?“Don’t worry, I have more important things to do,” Lysric scoffed, puffing out his chest. “You just got lucky that day. You’ll fail today for sure.”

  ?He waved dismissively and walked off. “Bye~”

  ?Lassandra sighed.

  ?“Why is he always like this? Sometimes I think he... has some problems,” Aelira muttered with a flat face.

  ?“Lady Aelira! You shouldn’t say that aloud!”

  ?“...Sorry.”

  ?“It’s alright.” They shared a small, secret smile.

  ?Once again, Aelira closed her eyes.

  ?Lassandra watched her charge struggle. She chewed her lip. There must be something I can do! I don’t know magic, but... wait! The library!

  ?Without a word, she hurried off toward the mansion.

  ?Aelira sat alone, frowning in concentration.

  ?It’s impossible... This thing won’t move. I can shift it a little, maybe, but it won’t expand. It won’t flow.

  ?As her frustration deepened, the strange presence dimmed. Its heavy light faded.

  ?“Huh...?”

  ?Surprised, she felt it brighten again, pulsing faintly in response to her confusion.

  ?Is it... reacting to my emotions?

  ?Just then, Lassandra’s voice broke through.

  ?“Lady Aelira!”

  ?Aelira opened her eyes. Rain was pattering against her face. Lassandra stood there, soaking wet, clutching a stack of books to her chest.

  ?“I brought some books on magic theory!” she gasped. “Maybe they’ll help! Shall we look together?”

  ?Only then did Aelira realize it was pouring.

  ?“It’s raining...” she muttered.

  ?“I think... we should move inside. The library, maybe.”

  ?Lassandra nodded eagerly.

  ?Above them, from a balcony, Zaek watched.

  ?That maid is more attached to her than I thought... Not a bad thing, I suppose.

  ?Inside the library, Lassandra dried Aelira off with a towel. They spread the books on a large wooden table.

  ?“Here, Lady Aelira—this one explains the basics of magic.”

  ?“I see...” Aelira murmured, scanning the pages.

  ?Most books described mana as a pulse. A rhythm. A flow like water in a river.

  ?But what she felt inside was nothing like that. It was solid. Ancient.

  ?“Maybe yours is... different?” Lassandra suggested hesitantly.

  ?“I don’t think so,” Aelira replied.

  ?Then, her eyes caught a line in an old text.

  ?‘Mana is believed to circulate from the Core, located near the stomach.’

  ?“...Around the stomach?” she whispered.

  ?“Yes, it’s mentioned in other books too. Is something wrong?”

  ?Aelira paused.

  ?Maybe the problem wasn’t WHAT I felt. Maybe it was WHERE I searched.

  ?Where was she focusing earlier? Her heart? Her mind? The void?

  ?No... I wasn’t focusing anywhere real. I was just... drifting in that heavy sand.

  ?Her silver eyes lit up.

  ?“Lady Aelira!” Lassandra gasped, seeing the sudden determination on her face.

  ?Aelira immediately sat down on the floor. She closed her eyes.

  ?Forget the heavy sand. Forget the void.

  ?Focus closer. The stomach. The body.

  ?She searched the physical sensation.

  ?And then—she felt it.

  ?Not the heavy, ancient stillness she had found before.

  ?This was different.

  ?It was rhythmic. It was warm.

  ?Here!

  ?The moment her consciousness brushed against the true source of her mana, it answered.

  ?Not heavy. Not dead. But alive—pulsing, steady, waiting to burst into life like a dam breaking.

  ?Thump.

  ?Across the mansion, a tremor rippled through the air, as if the house itself shivered at her awakening.

  ?In the next instant, the rush was too much.

  ?Aelira slumped forward, consciousness fading.

  ?“LADY AELIRA!” Lassandra screamed, dropping the book.

  ?Before Aelira hit the floor, a rough hand caught her mid-fall.

  ?Zaek stood there, holding her small frame carefully. A proud, crooked smile played on his lips.

  ?“Don’t worry, she’s fine,” he said warmly to the terrified maid. “Her body just isn’t used to the rush of mana yet.”

  ?He lifted her gently into his arms.

  ?“Still... not bad. Not bad at all.”