Fabio approached the door and opened it, letting in a smiling Sophie.

"Lily told me to come and help."

Sophie walked over to the mirror and greeted the girl inside.

"Pleasure to meet you, Nolva."

"Same."

Then she turned to Fabio and spoke with excitement in her voice.

"Fabio, look what I've found!"

Sophie showed him her right hand, on which rested two small spirits.

The first was a small water dolphin, gently moving its tail, producing blue waves in Sophie's colorless mana.

The other was a tiny fairy, whose body was covered with the same flowers they had seen in the garden. Its petals fell onto Sophie's arm, dissolving into emerald mana.

The spirits floated next to Fabio, and he observed them.

Then the spirits touched the surface of the mirror.

Suddenly, they began to scream in agony, slowly melting into a grotesque ball of pure mana that fell onto Fabio's head, bathing him in a thick, viscous liquid.

Sophie stood still, silently watching the process.

"Try to feel the mana."

At Nolva's reminder, Fabio kept his eyes open, even as the liquid slid over his cornea.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Hours passed, until finally the liquid completely disappeared.

The spirits were nowhere to be seen.

"Alright, you can go to dinner now."

Nolva bid them farewell, and they both left the room.

When they arrived at the dining room, they found Lily, her parents, and Derick.

The six of them sat down together.

Dinner was harmonious, filled with cheerful voices crowding the table.

Outside, the servants waited calmly in the darkness.

Lily observed the mansion through all her friends.

There was no one who wanted to interrupt their happy moment.

Her life and that of her friends were perfect.

...

When Fabio returned to his room, he saw the boy in the black and white suit again, this time holding new sets of clothes.

The boy accompanied him to the bathroom, once again passing through the mansion's side entrance, which Fabio instinctively couldn't take his eyes off of...

Fabio showered with the boy's help, returned to his room in his new pajamas, and lay down on the bed.

Unable to think, he closed his eyes and welcomed the night.

...

Throughout the following month, Fabio would repeat the same routine every day.

In the morning, he would meet with Lily and Sophie, acting as if he were still in his desert village, living with his two best friends.

They would play different games, and sometimes Lily's father would join them, being the most vocal of the four, just like an echo of the old Victor.

Afterwards, Fabio would follow Sophie to the mansion's inner courtyard, where they would meet with different spirits.

Those same spirits would accompany them in the afternoon to Fabio's room. Nolva would melt them onto him, in an attempt to make his body sensitive to mana.

And finally, during the night, he would sleep devoid of any thought, covered in dreamless darkness.

...

As the first week of winter approached, Fabio felt the mana for the first time.