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Phoebe's Afterword
Chapter 6: Spilled milk

Chapter 6: Spilled milk

Slowly opening my eyes, a bright light blinded me for a second or two. Making me squint my eyes instinctively.

Waiting for a few instants for them to get accustomed to the brightness, I open them, looking at the ceiling.

I'm definitely not in the hotel room and last I've been in it the top of the carriage was not that large, so I'm unlikely to be in it.

Well, besides not knowing where I am I feel really great, and a bit weird too, but really great. I still feel mana flowing into my veins, I now know the process keeps its effect for at least hours.

Something is a bit strange though. My mana feels different. I don't know how to put it but I'm sure of it.

I would usually keep that kind of thing for the night, just before sleeping, but to an exceptional circumstance an exceptional measure.

Doing the typical routine, I focus on myself. I don't know if I should be surprised but my mana body is gone, there is not even a trace of it.

Switching my attention to my heart, I feel directly the difference compared to yesterday.

Yesterday it was merely infused with mana while now... It's like my heart is less flesh and more mana.

The mana itself too is different. It's easier to manipulate and feel purer, richer than before. It's like comparing beef stock and a demi-glace sauce.

As if someone took the thickness which makes the mana sluggish and let all the advantages behind.

Besides the fact handling it is now easier, nearly effortless inside my body, I don't know anything else though.

Sure I know how to move my mana around but aside from the light spheres and the floating carriage, I still didn't see any magic.

It will come sooner or later I suppose.

Another thing I'm observing is the way my mana work is diametrically different. With the mana body, I would have to manipulate my energy, I would have to do something comparable to move water while it's in a bigger pool of water. Although it got easier with time, I think it is too inefficient and energy-intensive

Anyway, for now I should try to know where I am.

Opening my eyes once again, I look at my sides. No Mom and Dad in sight.

The room is as big as mine but the walls are all blue striped white with a completely open window opposite my bed.

Looking outside, I don't recognize the landscape. The only things there is to see are buildings and big, and I mean really big even from this far, a door in the distance.

This place reminds me of a hospital, don't tell me I am in one ?

I don't know why I am here but whatever happened to me I think it's not without connection with me passing out when this last drop of mana fell on my heart.

Well let's straighten a bit, someone will eventually come. I hope.

As I was laying my back on one of the fluffy pillows, the same weird sensation I had earlier come back,

it gives me the urge to scratch my whole body.

Looking at it to see if I can find the source of the problem, I indeed find it. It surprises me I didn't notice since waking up even.

To put it simply, I kind of grow up. Stopped being a baby. I look like a 4 years old kid now...

What the hell happened to me ?! I know I passed out, but I was expecting something like sleeping a few more hours than usual. Not that !

Wait, did I grow up by the night or did I pass out for years ?!

STOP !

Panicking like that will lead me nowhere but into confusion.

First of all, I have to find someone. Then I will certainly know what happened to me.

Luckily, now that I grow up I don't have to wait idly for someone to come to me. It's a bit sad that my first step will be done in that context but it can't be helped.

Putting my little bare feet on the ground, I stand up. And immediately after, my face meets the pristine tiling work. Ouch.

Maybe trying to walk straight away after getting a new body is a bad idea, maybe.

Crawling back onto the 1-person bed, I adopt a sitting position and wait, for something to happen.

At any moment someone will enter.

Any moment.

Aaaaany moment.

----

But no one entered.

Well, there's nothing to do. Might as well use that time to play with my mana.

Let's see how moving it outside my body is now. This time I will try coating my hand with a pellicule of energy.

Gathering some mana inside my left hand, I will it to stretch through my skin.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

There is barely any resistance, which is good. Maybe the thickness was what made it more difficult in the first place ?

Anyway, now the mana is outside. I just need to coat my hand.

I already a few times in the past so I know how to do it and what results to expect.

Without surprise, the result is a bit different here than usual. The obvious change being that I can actually see my mana.

Yes, I didn't precise it before but mana is transparent. Or at least I think it's normally supposed to be from what I've seen so far.

Even though it's a bit faint I can see it all over my hand. I expected the mana to be sky blue but it's a beautiful light turquoise.

From what I'm seeing it seems only the outline of the coat is colored.

Like I do inside my body, I have greater control even outside. I should test what the coating can do.

Just as I was about to begin my experiments, the doorknob squeaked slightly.

Only when things are getting interesting someone comes huh ?

I hastily will my mana inside my body and wait for the door to open.

A man I have never seen before enters into the room with a big yawn. Quite tall maybe 180 centimeters, neck length black hair, a weird monocle on his right eyes. He is wearing a plain yellow shirt with black pants.

Rising his eyes from the paper he was looking at, he looks at my direction.

He blinks a few times before dropping the document he was holding and running outside the room.

"She's awake ! The little girl is awake !" I heard him screaming in the distance.

Only a few minutes later and the bed I'm laying on is now surrounded by a few persons, all wearing clothes similar to the man who entered first.

Without asking for my feelings they touch me all over my body. Putting tools into my ears and light into my eyes.

One of them, a brown short-haired woman, look at me with her monocle while shutting her other eye.

"Truly fascinating, how can this little girl still be alive when she doesn't have a magistein." She said looking all over me.

Magistein ? She must be talking about the mana body.

People can't live without it ? I'm pretty sure there was nothing of the sort on Earth and we were just fine.

"Did someone called the parents ? After all this time they will be overjoyed by the news. It's quite the timing for her to wake after 3 years to the day." One of the men on the side said before sending someone to carry the message of my recovery.

3 years… you say ? I just lost 3 years of my life in a bed ?!

I really am a fool. I promised myself to stop doing this kind of thing, especially when I don't know the consequences, and here I am waking up in a bed after a 3-year long coma. The idiot me who just lost 3 years of her life because she wanted to try something.

Sure the result is amazing but if that is the cost I don't think it worth it.

Mom and Dad must have been terrified.

There is no use crying on spilled milk but this time. This time It's too much.

Until I get a magic teacher or something like that I will refrain from these kinds of game-changing experiments.

A short woman, in the same clothes as everyone else, rushed into the room. "The parents have been notified, they are on their way."

"Good, let's finish checking her before they come. The little girl must be afraid by all these old men around her." The short-haired woman said with a smirk as she looks at her colleagues.

Sorry but the scary one here is you, doc.

"Well besides the absence of magistein, there is nothing wrong here. It's quite the opposite in fact. It's the first time in my career I've seen such a healthy body and it's even more true when we take into account how young she is." A chubby old man says with one hand on my wrist, undoubtedly checking my pulse.

Now that I think about it I wonder how should I act from now on ? Because even with this body I'm supposed to be 6-7 months mentally speaking. Maybe I should just stop, it's quite a pain.

"Her hearth is a bit strange though, not ill but strange. Was a full magein check-up done in the past ? The monocles are handy but not enough when it comes to more specific issues." The short-hair haired woman who is surely the superior here asked the men.

Magein ? I guess it's a term related to magic hearing how it sounds.

"Well, we checked her file and the only thing that was done are physical check-ups only, one every 4 months. None of those reveled anything strange with her body besides how healthy it is." One of the men said lowering his voice.

"What ? So you have a child in a coma for years and physical tests revealing nothing but no one got the idea to try that ?! Is this a hospital or what ? How can it be there's not a single decent doctor here ?!" She said so angry steam could nearly be seen on her head.

"B-but…" The same man, stammering.

"There is no 'b-but' who stands here ! If nobody here can do something this simple you should just all return to school. You are lucky she woke up without anything wrong ! I expect you to properly check her after the parents visit !" She angrily said.

"T-that will be done." The men answered, lowering their eyes.

"I hope so ! Now everyone, out. I will stay here to welcome the family." She glared at them.

Phewww, I wouldn't want to be them.

Everyone leaving one by one, there is only the woman and me in the room. She sits on the bed before clearing her throat.

"Sorry for the scene.. erm-" She takes a look at the document in her hand. "-Sivia. I hope we didn't scare you, I'm Claudia your doctor for now. Your parent will soon be here to see you. You want to wait for mommy and daddy with me ?" She said to me with a gentle smile and a soft voice. What a turn of character.

I nod slowly.

"Ohh you can understand what I'm saying, you such a clever girl ! Perhaps you even remember what happened before sleeping ? Do you? You can tell me." She followed, keeping her smile.

As I was about to answer, the door suddenly opens wide as a figure rush at me to embrace me as if their lives depended on it.

"Silvia my little girl ! You are awake ! If you knew how I missed you !" My mom said her, keeping me firmly against her, sobbing. I can feel her tears dropping on my head.

I don't say anything, too ashamed to have her, them, go through this because of my stupid actions. The hell with trying to keep appearances, if I want to keep looking at myself in the mirror the least I should do is apologize.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry… you must have been so scared !" Mom said, sobbing even more.

Don't apologize, you did nothing wrong. How could you have known how foolish your daughter is.

Looking behind her shoulder I can see dad leaning against the wall, looking at us. Sweeping his eyes.

Resolved, for the first time, I speak. "No Mom, don't be… I am sorry."

My head against her chest, I can't help but look down.

I'm sorry.