Fabio lay on the living room sofa, while Victor stood beside him.

"Are you sure you want to do this? It will be very painful."

"Yes!"

Fabio spoke with a slightly elevated voice, unable to suppress his growing excitement, going so far as to ignore the questions he was about to ask Victor regarding the method by which he would become a mage.

"Okay... I'll start then."

Victor placed his hands on Fabio's closed eyes, and began infusing mana into him.

"AARGH!"

Within the walls of the living room, a horrifying scream that almost didn't seem human echoed.

Victor held Fabio tightly as he writhed in pain.

"Hold on, it's almost over!"

Fabio, who continued to scream, seemed to have lost awareness of his body... so much that he couldn't hear the euphoria in Victor's voice, whose face was now adorned with an innocent smile, similar to the one Lily used to have.

It felt as if thousands of needles had been thrust into every pore of his eyes.

...

After what seemed like an eternity, Fabio regained consciousness.

The living room was illuminated by daylight.

"Are you awake now?"

Victor, who was sitting beside him, smiled as he saw Fabio getting up.

However, Fabio stared at him intently.

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

"Do you see it, Fabio?"

Running all over Victor's body was an intricate web made of water droplets that sparkled like pearls at the mercy of the sun.

Within the web itself, there were ethereal and shining threads moving back and forth, culminating in his hands and deep within his eyes, where a thick, shining liquid was hidden… which looked like the stars of a miniature firmament.

Upon seeing that liquid, Fabio felt a twinge of fear, even without knowing what it was.

Then, Victor took a handheld mirror and directed it towards Fabio.

"The first step to using magic is being able to see mana."

The mirror reflected Fabio's face, showing how the same star-like liquid twisted within his pupils, trying to penetrate the barrier separating it from his interior.

His body shivered, although his mind whispered that it was something normal.

'Wait... Wasn't I going to ask Victor something?'

Suddenly, a sudden pain invaded his eyes, forcing him to fall to the floor while covering his face with his hands and clenching his jaw in an attempt to endure.

"Fabio, are you okay?!"

Fabio's teeth began to grind as his breathing became rougher and rougher... until it finally calmed down.

"Ah... yes. I'm better now."

"Good..."

Victor, who had approached him worriedly, helped him get up.

"This is the best we can do for now. Being able to see mana will help you against Lilith."

He spoke with a very tired yet determined voice.

"Watch closely."

After Fabio recovered, Victor began mobilizing his mana.

"This is the essence of magic, Fabio!"

His mana shot out of his body, moving in an orderly manner to form a dome of water that surrounded them both.

"This spell will deflect light and make us invisible to both ourselves and our mana, as well as dampen any noise we make inside."

Fabio, who had only seen Victor use his water magic for everyday things, opened his eyes in surprise, not only at the wonder of the spell but also at how beautiful its structure made of mana was.

It was a network of finely interwoven triangles that kept the water afloat, much like the trunk of a tree keeps its leaves firm in its canopy.

Fabio's eyes lit up in pure amazement, feeling that he had rediscovered the fascination he once had for magic.

Victor saw Fabio's happiness and smiled proudly.

"A four-star mage must have a trick or two... Let's go back to your house together. I'll cover you from the outside."

"Yes, let's go!"

With renewed confidence, both marched back to Fabio's house, ready to reclaim their home.