Yup, another time skip. I’m actually kind of sorry for this one. You missed out on all of my super fun bonding with my parents and… no, that was pretty much it.

Hey! Give me some slack, there’s not much you can do when you’re only 1-5 years old. I continued to read all of the books and even ventured outside a bit. I. Love. The. City. It’s great. Unlike a certain large, English-speaking country, everyone seems really nice. I learned why later, but everyone just treats the rest of the elves like a distant family member or something. It just creates this wonderful sense of belonging that I haven’t felt since I lost my classmates.

Basically, the reason that elves treat each other so nicely is because there aren’t a lot of them. I mean, they are by no means an endangered species or something, but they just don’t have that large of a population compared to humans. Because of this, elves treat themselves as one, large family.

Elves are a long-living race, which means that they know the importance of trustworthy allies that will live as long as them. Make friends not enemies, essentially. A long time ago, this idea led to elves creating a silent but still meaningful agreement to not fight amongst themselves, causing the status quo.

I’ll leave the rest of the exposition for a bit later. Right now, we have to focus on the important stuff. Learning magic!

It’s finally time. After four, grueling (not really, they were really nice) years of waiting, I’m actually going to be learning magic. I know, I’m excited too. I could barely fall asleep last night just thinking about it, but eventually, I just passed out. Luckily, I didn’t have one of my usual nightmares that night, so it only makes this morning all the better.

I currently have my silver hair tied up in a ponytail to allow for ease of movement. Since I’m only five years old, I’m only just over 100 centimeters tall. Oh, I have violet-colored eyes. I don’t know which side of the family I got my eyes from, but my hair seems to be a mix between mom and dad.

The name Luna just seems all the more fitting now, doesn’t it?

Looking at my face causes me to remember that one anime trope where all elves are beautiful. Since I’ve gone around the city, I know for a fact that this isn’t true. There are plenty of relatively normal-looking elves. However, I haven’t yet found one ugly elf. I’m not sure one even exists.

If I’m looking at myself from an honest, objective point of view, I would say that I’m pretty cute. Okay, yes, I’m adorable. My eyes sparkle with barely contained curiosity and my expressions are super lively.

None of that is a facade anymore. Once I became old enough to properly talk, I began to stop faking my emotions; there was no need. I truly loved my parents, and I was old enough for my actions to make sense.

Sure, I must have seemed like some sort of genius. And in a sense, I was. I mean, I’ve been holding off on my otherworldly knowledge due to the possible dangers, but I’ve still shown a bit of my intellect and studiousness. I’ve already read each book in the house at least twice, and I can write perfectly (in both Common and Elvish, but my parents don’t know about me speaking Common).

Damnit, I went on another tangent. Well, I’m sure you don’t mind. I feel like my mental state is stabilizing, but I still have good and bad days. But everyone has those, right? I mean, I’m sure that everyone has days when they’re so terrified that they can’t leave their room. Or days when they’re 90% sure they are about to die, and just wait for it to happen, only for them to live. Oh yeah, and I’m sure that everyone has some days when they cry tears of happiness realizing that their loved ones are still alive. That’s just normal.

Ah, anyway, I adjust my ponytail before jogging outside to our backyard. Of course, I make sure to grab some snacks and drinks. I have no idea how hard magic training will be, so I’m coming prepared.

The snacks consisted mostly of fruits and some bread, and for drinks, I had grabbed our apple juice. It’s not actually called that, but I don’t remember its real name. Apple juice is a better name. The fact that I forget its real name just goes to prove that. It’s a pretty sweet drink and tastes almost like apple juice, which is why it’s a great refresher after a workout.

Well, a presumed workout. I had guessed that using magic would be taxing, but I’m kind of just running off of my assumptions here. Well, less so assumptions and more like theories.

When I opened the back door and walked through the smithy, where my dad was currently working on some spear or sword, I saw my mom waiting in the backyard with a tank top on and a book in hand.

I’ve seen her read the book a few times, but she hasn’t let me take a look at it yet. However, just from the small glimpses of its pages, I can tell that it contains spells. Of course, this makes sense, given the fact that she’s about to teach me magic.

“Ah, Luna, there you are. Took you long enough,” my mom said as she looked up from the book. She placed an intricate metal bookmark between the pages before setting it down on the table.

“I had to grab snacks,” I explained, holding up a basket and the pitcher of apple juice.

“Put them on the table and then come over here,” she said, sighing at my antics, before pointing at the chair in front of her. For some reason, I thought that I’d be standing when I did magic. I think I can hear the shattering of my preconceptions.

I followed her directions, sitting on the edge of the chair before swinging my legs back and forth in excitement. I had literally waited 5 years for this day, so you can’t blame me.

“Okay, so, as promised, I’m going to be teaching you the most basic magical technique: mana manipulation. This is a skill that practically everyone uses. Warriors use it to strengthen their bodies, enchanters use it when, well, enchanting, and mages use it to cast spells.

“The point is, this is a basic skill that you need to master before starting anything else. Eventually, once you get good enough at this, you’ll be ready to learn actual spells and techniques. But I’ll be the judge of that,” she explained, going into lecture mode. I was about to ask her a question, but she just continued, putting her finger up to silence me.

“So, we are going to be stimulating your mana through a simple spell. It will make your mana visible and thus easier to detect. I will also use some of my mana to help you a little bit,” she finished, answering my question in the process. Damn, she knows me really well by this point. I think she fears we would get off subject if she let me get a word in, and, being honest, she’s probably right.

God-no, gods only know how I like my tangents.

“Okay, repeat after me. Make sure to get the pronunciation correct. Allow my magic be shown, 「Mana Reveal」," she chanted. There was no echoing to her voice or shockwaves formed from her presence, and yet, I could tell that something was happening. It was weird. It felt like right before a cutscene, when the screen is black, and you’re waiting for someone to start talking. That’s not a very good description of it, but it’s what came to mind first.

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As I related video games to this feeling of tension, the something finally happened. First, a weird, complicated circle appeared under my mom. It glowed and twisted, briefly flaring out before retracting back in on itself.

A green haze began to appear around my mom. No, this is what’s called an aura, at least according to my years of gaming and comic reading.

The aura is hanging to her body, similarly to a suit of armor. And yet, unlike armor, this aura seemed alive. It flicked and flowed, never staying still like it wanted to be let free.

“Whoa” was all I could say. I mean, I had seen things like this in anime and tv, but seeing it in person is something entirely different.

“Yeah. Eventually, you’ll get to a point where you can naturally see it,” my mom said, providing my excitement with even more fuel. “Now, can you tell me anything about what you see?”

Ugh, she just had to switch from lecture mode to teacher mode at the end there. She already begins teaching me stuff, so I know what she’s like when she gets like this. She literally won’t take no for an answer. She also doesn’t accept “I don’t know,” either. She forces me to make a guess. It’s almost like she can tell I have a 「Theorize」skill, even though skills don’t exist outside of my system.

“Umm, it seems like you are holding it,” I say, vocalizing my previous observation.

“Yup, good find! You would be correct. I am currently restraining my mana. I’ve gotten to a point in life where I can do it without thinking, but it would naturally look like this,” she said as she stopped controlling her mana.

The aura flared up, expanding and swirling like a tornado. No, that wouldn’t be right. It looked like a flame. As I stared at it longer, I could begin to see wisps of aura, mana, I guess, floating away from the majority. The wisps would then begin to dissipate and disappear.

I tried to grab one of these wisps and bring it back together, but my hand went through it, causing me to get frustrated. It wasn’t like my hand did nothing, but I couldn't actually touch it. I tried again, and my mom began laughing.

“Haha, oh gods you are so cute sometimes,” she said, earning her a pout.

“It’s going away from you,” I said to justify myself.

“Yup, that’s the reason why I normally control it. Your mana naturally dissipates. If you can restrain it like me, you’ll find yourself with more energy,” she explained, giving a thumbs up like some kind of car salesman, “That’s why you are going to be learning how to do it.”

Ah, there it is. The assignment; my homework, so to say. Eh, it will be useful for me too. If I can’t learn how to manipulate my mana at least that much, then I bet that casting spells would be impossible.

“Can I try now?” I asked, trying to stop the conversation from derailing anymore. I was supposed to be learning magic, not just seeing it. My mom realized this as well, seeming a little surprised that I was the one to get us back on track

“Oh sure, do you remember the chant?” she questioned.

“Yup,” I confirmed.

“Okay then, say the chant while imagining what you want to happen. It should be easier now that you’ve seen me do it.”

“Got it,” I said, more for myself than for her. The tension was high. I let out a breath before settling into a stiff stance, “Allow my magic be shown, 「Mana Reveal」.”

As the last word, the spell name, left my mouth, I could feel something happening. Nothing moved; nothing formed, and yet something changed. It felt like the qualities of a part of my body shifted. A part of my body that I was suddenly aware of. This change in my mana brought with it a feeling that I should not have been able to feel. A phantom sensation, if you will.

My line of sight was dyed purple. Wait, purple?!?

“Why is it purple?” I asked, confused. It’s not that I don’t like purple, but Mom’s is green, and there are so many better colors.

“It matches your eyes,” Mom said with a deadpan, and then began cracking up as if she was finding me funny. She can’t be serious… can she? I mean, her eyes are green, but it’s a coincidence, right?

It seemed like she could tell that I didn’t know what to think because she immediately clarified.

“You know how they say that ‘eyes are the window to the soul,’ right? Well, your mana also reflects the nature of the soul. It also relates to your naturally inclined attributes. So for me, green means wind and nature. It’s not 100% accurate, but it’s almost always that way,” she explained.

Oh, so she was telling the truth. That’s so… weird! What kind of person would make the color of your eyes the color of your mana. That seems so, I don’t know, dull? Maybe the word ‘uncreative’ would be better. You hear that, devs? Write a better system next time. Like, seriously. Does that mean that all brown-eyed people are earth attributes? Wait, does that mean that vampires have fire attributes?

In the midst of my silent exasperation, Mom continued, “I’m not quite sure what purple means. If I had to guess, I would say space attribute. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the color, and I didn’t get the chance to ask the owner what attribute they had.”

Oh?! Space attribute. That sounds very protagonist-worthy if you ask me. I can already imagine it. There I am, teleporting around the battlefield, backstabbing literally everyone, and disappearing before anyone can hit me. It’s glorious.

Almost like she can tell what I’m thinking, my mom continues, “Of course, if it is space attribute, that doesn’t mean that you would be able to actually use it. I imagine that teleporting would require a vast amount of mana, and a complex understanding of what ‘space’ is, none of which you currently possess.”

Wow. I feel kind of insulted, you know? She just had to crush my visions of grandeur like that, and then proceed to call me uninformed. I mean, I am, but that doesn’t mean she can say it.

I frown, annoyed, and my mana flares out slightly. I can feel it moving a bit, responding to my emotions. As soon as I take a step back to realize this, my mana is already back to normal. Which is still uncontrolled.

A few seconds later, the spell ends for my mom, and her mana disappears. Oh, mine is going to be gone soon, too. I forgot that I have a time limit. Whoops. This pressure actually motivates me to work, so I start.

I focus my attention on the edge of my mental perception; back to where I remember the ‘change’ from earlier happening. That’s a weird thing to say. You know, magic is weird in general, so I should just stop trying to impose my common sense on it.

After a few minutes, after the spell has ended, I finally find it. I can feel this… pressure, around me. I move my arm, waving it in front of me. Closing my eyes, I focus on the feeling of my mana rather than my sight.

Somehow, I can feel my mana move with my hand. If I focus on it, I can feel the ground around me. If I focus really hard, I can begin to feel the grass. Harder, and I can start to pick apart each blade of grass. Oh no, that’s too much. The amount of information is overwhelming. My head feels like it’s about to crack open. My knees begin to go weak as I-

Suddenly, I can feel my mom holding me up, stopping me from falling. Her nails are digging into my sides, moving my focus away from the grass and onto the pain. I let out a breath after breath in a desperate attempt to regain my calm. I hadn’t even realized that I started to hyperventilate.

My mom picked me up, hugging me close to her. Ah, this is great. Slowly, I calm down and gain control over my breathing. That was close to another “Game Over” right there, haha.

A wet liquid drips onto the top of my head. Huh? Is it starting to rain? The sky looked pretty clear a minute ago. Maybe some clouds rolled in while I was focussing on the grass.

As I look up to tell Mom to move inside to avoid the rain, I see a clear sky.

Instead, Mom’s eyes are clouded in tears, and a distraught look was painted across her face. The tears continued to fall down her face as she opened her mouth repeatedly, before closing it again.

Her hand comes up and wipes off less of her tears than she probably thought. Finally, she looks back at me in the eyes.

“Please, don’t… don’t do that again. I-I can’t lose you…”