Knock, knock.

"Good morning, Princess! Today’s the day you begin your training—such a joyous occasion!" Liora's voice was full of excitement as she stepped into the room.

"Joyous indeed," Sylara added, following right behind her. "The King and Queen are waiting for you in the conservatory for breakfast."

They found me already up and fully dressed, twirling in front of the mirror.

"I must say, my doting parents did an excellent job," I said to myself, spinning around one more time before striking a pose.

"Good morning!" But before I could say anything else...

Liora gasped, clasping her hands over her chest.

"Oh no! It seems we’re no longer needed!"

Sylara, not missing a beat, joined in on her theatrics.

"Whatever shall we do? Our little princess is a genius who can dress herself now! We’re utterly useless!" She placed the back of her hand on her forehead, playing the part of a distressed damsel.

I crossed my arms, tapping one foot impatiently. "Are you two done?" I sighed, shaking my head.

Still, I couldn’t help but giggle as I wrapped my arms around them.

"Who else is going to carry me around? I need you two."

They both sprang back to life. "You’re right, Princess!" they chimed in unison.

"Thing 1 and Thing 2," I muttered under my breath with an amused grin.

As we entered the garden, I inhaled deeply, letting in the sweet scents of fruit and flowers.

"I love being out here,"

The morning sun filtered through the glass ceiling of the conservatory, casting a warm glow over the arranged breakfast table.

"Good morning, Your Majesties," Liora said cheerfully as she gently set me down.

They offered a graceful bow, "Enjoy your breakfast, Princess!" before taking their leave.

"Good morning, Mama, Papa... and Aunty Azalea?" I did not expect her to be here so early.

"Good morning, little princess! Happy to see me?" Aunt Azalea greeted with a playful smile, taking a sip from her teacup.

"Good morning, little one," my father said, standing up to pull out a chair for me between him and my mother.

"So, what would you like to eat?" Mother asked as she leaned over, planting a soft kiss on my head.

"I’d love some eggs, rye bread, berry jam, and...two thin slices of boar meat."

"Oh, and a few slices of the fruit we grow in the garden," I added quickly.

"Someone's a healthy eater; you will need much energy for today, Aunty Azalea added.

With a clap of my father’s hands, the butler quickly brought my plate.

I will never understand how they prepare it so quickly, but it's always delicious.

"Once you’re done, we will start your training. How about we use the gazebo here in the garden for our classroom?" Aunty Azalea said, taking another sip of tea. "I figured you’d enjoy being outside in the fresh air."

After finishing breakfast and washing up, Aunty called me over.

"She snapped her fingers, and the most adorable school uniform appeared, complete with a lab coat.

"Your father told me how excited you are to learn magic, but you were a bit disappointed you couldn’t attend with the other students because of your status. So, I wanted you to feel included. I even added a storage bag for all your books. Now, hurry along and get changed.

Excitement buzzed through me. We quickly headed back to my room to put on the uniform: a pleated gray skirt that stopped just below my knees, long white socks that meet right at the skirt hem, black shoes with a slight heel with buckle on top, a white button-up top with the mage tower sigil embroider on the pocket, and a blue jacket to match, also adorned with the mage tower sigil, along with five stars under it, which I assumed was my rank. Finally, I strapped on the brown suede storage bag and took a quick look in the mirror.

"Let's get going! I'm excited to get started, and I know Aunty is too," as I left my room with a skip in my step.

"Aren’t you just the cutest?" Aunty Azalea cooed, poking my cheek before picking me up.

"Alright, hold on," she said, and I closed my eyes, knowing what was coming.

"You can open them now," she chimed. We had teleported to the gazebo.

"First, let me teach you how to use your storage bag," the headmistress said. "Inside, there are three books: one for beginner magic, one for advanced magic, and one for taking notes. Just reach in and think of the book you want."

I reached inside, and when I pulled my hand out, I was holding the advanced magic book.

"Well, someone’s in a rush, aren’t we?" she teased. "How about we start with beginner magic today?"

"Yes, Aunty."

"Headmistress, while class is in session, she giggles."

"Yes Headmistress"

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

I imagined putting the advanced book back on a shelf, and it vanished from my hand. When I reached inside again, I pulled out the beginner book.

"You are a fast learner!" she said, impressed. "Alright, take a seat." She gestured to a small desk with a wooden chair with plush pillowtop cushions that felt incredibly comfortable when I sat down. I noticed a cool breeze around me; it was mana, but it felt like it was being pulled to me without even trying.

"The chair is enchanted," she explained. "It helps with comfort while increasing mana absorption. Most students your age can’t feel the difference, but because you control it so well, you can."

"Alright, open your book to page five, and let’s begin." She snapped her fingers, and a wooden fountain pen with a yellow crystal at the tip appeared. "What are the three fundamentals of magic?" she asked, writing the question in the air with the pen.

"That’s amazing," I said, wide-eyed.

She giggled, using her tail to tickle my nose. "Alright, I’ll make a deal with you. If you can cast three different spells today, I’ll give you one of these pens. How does that sound?"

"Deal!" I said, and we shook hands.

"Alright, let’s start with the basics. What are the three fundamentals of magic?"

"Imagination, visualization, and creativity," as she wrote them in glowing script.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the notebook. I opened it, and a fountain pen appeared. I smiled, ready to take notes.

"Imagination is key to visualizing the spell you want to cast," she explained. "For example, if you want to create a fireball, you first let your mana flow into your hand and envision the flames. Once it's clear in your mind, you shape it. But with imagination, you aren't limited to just a simple fireball—you could conjure a wall of flames or even a pillar of fire. Do you understand?"

“Yes, headmistress”

"Good. When you release your mana, it interacts with the environment to bring your visualization to life."

I tapped the pen against my cheek, deep in thought.

"So, mana seeks out the element itself to create what is visualized?" I asked,

That is correct; you are a quick learner indeed.

"Is it possible that mana interacts at a molecular level?" I thought to myself.

Creativity plays a fundamental part; who says that you can only cast each element one at a time?

I raised my hand,

Yes, Ms. Luna,

"So, if I wanted to make a pillar of fire move, I could create a vortex of air, then add fire, making a movable pillar of fire?" I asked.

"That's correct—and quite destructive," she replied, trying to hide a sinister smile creeping onto her face. "What made you think of something like that?"

Before I tried to think of a answer,

How about you try to cast something right now? I'm sure you grasp the fundamentals, she said as she tried to contain her excitement.

A huge grin spread across my face as an idea clicked.

“Did you just come up with something else destructive, little genius? I know that face too well. You thought of something, haven't you, headmistress pointed out.

“Yes, headmistress, is it ok that I give it a try?”

We left the gazebo and moved to the open field behind the garden.

"Alright, little princess, show me what you’ve got."

I held out my hand and visualized flames appearing in my palm. In an instant, a small flame appeared.

"That’s it! You’ve already done your first spell!" she cheered with excitement.

I wanted to take it further. I focused, shaping it. I imagine it absorbing oxygen from the air and energy from the sun’s rays. Since mana was the fuel, I didn’t need an external source. Before I knew it, the flame turned into a white fireball.

“Amazing,” I whispered as I watched the white flame rotate in my hand twice the size of my palm.

"Headmistress, I did it! Look!"

"Yes, you did, little one," she said, approaching me. Then she paused, sniffing the air.

"Wait, what’s that burning smell?"

"Headmistress! Your clothes!" I exclaimed, noticing the scorched edges of her jacket.

“Oh my...” she stepped back, examining the damage. “It seems your spell penetrated my defenses.”

I quickly closed my palm, making the flame vanish, and ran over to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I’m fine," she assured me with a mischievous smile. "We are going to have so much fun together."

To be able to do that much damage without even coming into direct contact—how hot was that flame of yours? I wonder.

We returned to our set-up under the gazebo, where she continued explaining the finer points of magic. She described how some people used catalysts like wands, staves, swords, and rings embedded with crystals to help channel spells. I recalled that it had taken very little mana for me to activate those crystals during my affinity test.

"Not everyone could perform chant-less magic," she explained. "It requires immense mana control and focus." She stressed that while spells weren’t limited to what was written in books, it was still crucial for me to learn incantations. That way, when someone shouts a incantation, I’ll know exactly what’s being used against me.

At the end of our lesson, she snapped her fingers, making a small box appear in front of me.

"Here, your very own pen. It uses light magic to write, hence the yellow stone."

"Thank you, Aunty!" hugging her tightly.

“Anytime, little Princess,” she replied, patting my head.

"Aunty, can I try one more thing before we go inside?"

"Of course, I would never hinder a child’s curiosity."

Grinning, I skipped back to the open field. "Alright, focus. It’s Avatar time."

I remembered the martial arts lessons my mother had forced me to learn in my previous life. It's time to put them to use. I just needed to guide mana into my legs and feet, visualize separating a chunk of the ground creating a solid shape, and then use air to lift it and launch it forward.

Mana surged into my limbs, flowing naturally like it was an extension of my existence. I stomped onto the ground, launching a solid chunk of earth into the air, twisting my body, and performing a roundhouse kick, the wind swirling around my leg to propel the rock forward. It shot out like a missile, crashing into the trees with a thunderous impact, uprooting several of them in the process.

I turned around, excited to share my accomplishment—only to see Aunty sprawled on the ground in shock.

I sprinted over, panicking. "AUNTY, AUNTY!!"

She groaned, sitting up. "I’m up, I’m up."

We both looked at the destruction I had left behind.

"I think we are done for today," she said with a wry smile. "There’s nothing more I can teach you."

"Am I in trouble?" I asked,

She smiled warmly, her tail flicking playfully against my nose. "Let me handle this, okay?"

"Yes, Aunty," I agreed, following her back toward the castle. Just as we reached the door, we heard another tree collapse behind us.

Velrianna and Azalea Pov

“So, how was her first day of training?” Velrianna asked, her voice brimming with excitement.

“There’s nothing more I can teach her.”

“You mean, nothing? Nothing at all? Are you sure there’s nothing left?” Velrianna curiosity intensified.

“I’m sorry, little V. There's nothing. Look at my jacket.” She gestured as they looked at the scorched marks on her sleeve.

“This... was caused by her flames.

Why would you take a direct hit?” That is dangerous, even for you, she said while inspecting Azalea for any injuries.

“It wasn’t a direct attack,” she corrected, shaking her head.

“She was still holding the flames in her hand. I tried to approach, but the heat alone burned through my defenses.

If I had gotten any closer, I doubt I’d have anything left on,” she giggled.

“Her spell was that powerful?” Velrianna asked, pacing anxiously. “Even hotter than mine.”

"Her flames were white!!" she said, her expression stern, yet the truth shone in her eyes.

“White?” Velrianna stopped in her tracks, eyes wide with shock.

"Exactly. That means it reached temperatures we've never recorded before."

Velrianna was speechless, struggling to find the words. “I still want you to keep training her.”

“But I told you, there’s nothing more I can teach her.”

“Not from books. I’m talking about real combat.” as Velrianna gaze hardened.

“She needs real-life battle experience, She’s strong, but without experience, strength is meaningless.”

"You mean you want to do mock battles? With the princess? Your only daughter? Are you sure?" Azalea asked, her face filled with concern.

Velrianna gently took Azalea hands, looking up with wide pleading eyes.

“She needs this,”

Sighing, “Fine, fine. Don’t give me those eyes.”

“Great!” Velrianna hugged her tightly, nuzzling into her chest.

“You’re just the same as ever,” she said, patting her head affectionately.

"Oh, and… She might have leveled about half a mile of trees behind the garden," she added, wincing as she braced herself for the outburst.

WHAT!!!