Relishing the warmth of the bath water flowing through her nerves, her calm thoughts were dragged back to her previous concerns. What was the next path she should take? She has been obsessed with thaumaturgy for most of her life, even though she knew well that she could not even flow mana to alter the fabric of reality on a small scale.

She did not seem to have an excuse to find a new hobby that made sense to her. So, she tried to reflect on herself back to academy days to remember whatever things she thought she was very good at, while immersing part of her face in the water. This was in her thought: She showed some proficiency in math. Maybe she could major in applied mathematics, or architecture. But as clever as she was, she could not even stand the sight of dancing numbers for hours that could penetrate the defences of her round glasses.

What about science? The intricacies of biology, physics, and chemistry had always held a certain allure. There was a fondness in her to delve into the anatomy of living things, especially humans who have "magic genes"—a term that she made herself. She might find something about how magic works in its entirety in a biological setting. She could work with physics to study how the structure of reality could be changed by magic. But it was chemistry that had always been her strongest subject, and the idea of becoming an alchemist—a profession not so far removed from that of a wizard—sparked her imagination.

She then thought of Social Sciences. History! She loved history. Especially the history of thaumaturgy. She always sneaked into her mother's private library to read books about numerous variations of mystic arts. One of the good times she had was when her mother read her a magic encyclopaedia as her bedtime story. Strange choice of fairytale topic indeed, but who could ever blame a little girl with a sincere fondness?

Interesting, she thought. Alicia nodded to herself in the water. She could become a philosopher, or an archaeologist looking for ancient magical artefacts. Maybe it could help her learn the unsolved mysteries of magical practices or a way to gain magical powers. Good idea! Alicia nodded a second time. It turned out that enjoying the warmth of her bath made it easier for her to clear her distracted mind, rather than being exposed to direct summer beam in school uniform.

After concluding there were many great opportunities for her in the future, a sense of optimism bloomed within her once more. However, she still had to choose only one among them. But that was for another day. The day of the academy was over, and Alicia wanted to enjoy her luxurious, rewarding time for now.

The time had reached ten at night. After making sure all the doors and windows were securely locked, Alicia went back upstairs to her room. She jumped onto the bed, felt the softness of the mattress, and began to squirm in it, feeling every comfort it had to offer. Alicia then took out a small, sleek device that illuminated with a radiant green hue. As she held it up to her face, a cross materialised before her very eyes, the Realmplay logo seemingly hovering in the air. Cross-shaped particles danced about in a flurry, until the radiant light projection transformed, displaying row upon row of captivating games that she had come to possess. She chose her favourite title and poised her two best friends to play along, but she did not seem to see either one of their avatars on the right side of the screen—the indication that they were in the game as well. She called out her two friends with her telecomm, but it seemed they were absent.

"Hmm…," Alicia was a little confused, as both of them should have been active by now. Maybe they were working on something else or spending time with their family. A lovely family they have, she mused. She lay her head supine, looking up at the dim ceiling, barely illuminated by the faint, bluish aura that filtered in through the curtains. The light seemed to exist within its own, otherworldly realm, and yet the girl appeared to take no notice of its presence, her thoughts already wandering off to some other distant place.

"Guess I just head straight to bed, don't I?" mumbled Alicia as her eyes roamed over the expanse of her room. An inspiration sparked when her sight was fixated to the book cabinet near her working desk.

"Aye, the rituals," pondered Alicia, pausing to contemplate for a moment. "But shouldn't I put an end to them now that I'm off to Uni?" Her mind seemed to weigh the pros and cons of what so-called "rituals", before finally coming to a decision. "Just this one, then. Once more. Shouldnae do any harm, should it?"

She heaved herself up from the bed, plodding over to the cupboard to retrieve three books. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed them onto the mattress with a dull thud, before collapsing alongside them. The books each had their own distinct characteristics. One was a voluminous tome, with a deep, crimson cover that shone with intricate gold strokes, bearing the title "Grimoire of the Youth: Tips for Activating the Mystical Art of Wizardry in Toddlers". The second, a vibrant green volume, was textured to resemble a log, adorned with fake leaves and inscribed with the words "Oda til heimsins hjartar: Simple Druidism Odes and Prayers Attributed to Ohher, The Green Man". The third and final book was by far the saddest of the trio, with a dull, yellowed cover that was thin and small, and bore the uninspired title "Ninshū no Geijutsu, Common Tongue Edition". Even the most ardent book lover would struggle to find interest in such a pocket-sized publication.

However, Alicia was hesitant to make a snap judgement based on their outward appearance. She mulled over which tome to delve into further, her fingers gravitating towards the thick, red volume. "Wizardry tips?" she muttered to herself, before quickly dismissing the notion. "No, too much memorisation. What's the point of memorising for eight years if it doesnae even work?" A deft flick of her wrist, and the crimson book was cast aside. The textured, wooden cover of the druidic book now crept across her knuckles. As she perused its pages, Alicia could not help but feel a sense of trepidation at the thought of reciting lengthy prayers, fearing it might come off as overly religious. "Perhaps it's just me and my congregation, who barely worship," she pondered aloud. "Ah, it's too late to try this one. My mouth is already tired."

In the end, the beauty chose the beast. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she lifted the book, running her fingers over its plain white cover. "I think it's just you and me again." A strange fondness crept into her whisper. "Perhaps Mama's been touting this mystical art to me so much, I've caught the bug. A wee strange book. But Mama always looked so cool when she practised it!"

The third tome was indeed unique from its companions in that it was primarily composed of illustrations demonstrating various hand movements used in training, accompanied by brief explanations. As a warm-up, Alicia relaxed her hands and began to practice the gestures one by one. When it was time for the real deal, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Her palms were positioned in front of her chest, with only her index and middle fingers extended. The first movement was made.

Next came the second movement; She thrust her hands forward with open palms, careful not to do so too forcefully or swiftly, recalling the bitter memory of injuring her hand during the same maneuver.

The third movement. She interlaced her fingers and formed a tower.

"Hm, still no wind blowing my hair, unlike Mama that one time—ugh, Alicia, focus! Focus! You're not yet a practitioner, of course there will be no gusts of wind blowing against yer forehead!" Alicia chided herself and slapped her cheek in frustration.

But she forced her hand to stop, taking a few long breaths once more.

"Calm down, Alicia. Close yer eyes. Repeat the movements. Dinnae talk too much." Another attempt, the girl executed the previous gesture gently and rigidly. It seemed fate had taken pity on her, for as she completed the final move, a deafening clap of thunder shook the room!

Alicia, her breath hitched, opened her eyes wide. Her hands trembled before eventually grasping the blanket and trying to hide under it.

"Ellie's wrath! What is that? Did it work? After all this time, did it finally work?" She immediately jumped out of bed. Half shocked and scared, she tried to peek out the window. There was a light. And it was quite dazzling. But she could see the object staying still in the sky like it was watching her house.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

What on earth is that? Full moon? Too bright even for a full moon!

Not only glared, the object radiated a bluish light, giving off some kind of plasma energy stream which danced around with a bluish green colour. "The summoning I made? Wait, but I didnae do any summoning spells. No, no, this nae my magic. I was trying to open my mana point. Tis something else!" Alicia backed away slowly, her hand feeling her heart pounding in her chest. Cold sweat fell as her body fell to the floor. Dark inspiration came to her unbidden.

"Dinnae tell me... dinnae tell me it's them! Oh, no, no, no, no! Not when Papa and Leith's gone! Bloody... Clipe!"

And then, a banging on the door downstairs. Her breathing was becoming more rapid. She started rummaging through her bedroom and letting her sweaty hands snake into any drawer she could find.

The banging echoed a second time.

Alicia found the object she was looking for: a small remote with a single button on it. As much as she wanted to press the tempting red cylinder, another thought occurred to her, "What if it's not them? What if it's someone else? I could be arrested for murder!"

The third banging was so loud that Alicia could feel it in her bones, and she could take no more.

"Clipe, Clipe, Clipe!" The girl had to grab her hair. The telecomm suddenly lost its signal. Her breathing was already laboured and her eyes began to tear up. Eventually, she had no choice. She had to strengthen a new resolve.

"I have to find out. Divine Mercy, why do I have to find out? Why can't they just leave me alone?" she muttered. "Be strong, Alicia. Be strong. If it's them, I can just press the button. But if I'm too late... Bloody Hades, Alicia, stop thinking... things!"

Alicia hurried downstairs in her pyjamas with her legs trembling beneath her. She clutched the mini remote in her no-less-shaking hand, ready to defend herself if needed, as the dim lighting of her darkened house washed over her.

She was in front of the door. Her key turned in the lock with a soft click, and as the door creaked open, the two shadows loomed in the darkness beyond! They growled and snarled, and Alicia's heart galloped with terror.

With a screeching of shock, Alicia tumbled backwards, buttocks striking the floor with a thud. The shadowy figures echoed her scream, but not as shrill. Alicia knew whose voices those belonged to.

"N-Nadine? G-Gilmore? That ye? Answer in three seconds or I press the bloody button!" Alicia urged while brandishing her tiny peculiar remote with forced, lethal intent. "One, two—"

"Oi, oi, no! Whatever that is, don't press it! It's us!" Nadine exclaimed.

"So it's you! What's wrong with you both!" Alicia snapped. "Ye made me almost hit the button! Ye ken what in the world happens if I accidentally hit the button?"

Gilmore squeaked nervously. "Roasted alive?"

"Ye bloody right were roasted alive! Divine Mercy, you two! Quit sneaking about like a ghost! I told you many times my house is installed with the Mus Insidias spell—every wizard house has it! Yer hormones will be disrupted if ye dinnae have permission to enter our family's property!"

"We forget, hen, sorry! Got you now, dinnae be so mad aboot it!"

"Got me, ye said? Ye'll find the follow-up spell more dangerous on my slippery hand than when enchanted! Almost slipped my finger to manually set the Urere spell with the device Papa gave me! Roasted to Hades, pals, roasted!"

"Aye, aye, aye, aye! We got you! My belly got you!" Nadine exclaimed while holding her stirred belly, her breath panting, mind swirling.

"Och, clipe! Sorry!" Alicia immediately stood up and took Nadine's hand. She gestured for Gilmore to enter as well so the effects of the magic that messed with their guts could be undone.

"We're sorry, very, very sorry!" Nadine pleaded with Alicia after she was no longer gasping for air. "We didn't mean to scare you, hen, not this time!"

Alicia was still trying to catch her messy-rhythm breath, her left hand placed on her chest. She stared at them for a moment with a sullen face, before closing her eyes and releasing a sigh. "What are you doing here at this hour, anyway?"

"Well actually, we wanted tae take ye to Café Dandelion-Eight in the middle of town. Ye ken, having good craic, enjoying braw evening breeze," Gilmore replied.

What did "braw evening breeze" even mean? Alicia regarded Gilmore with a countenance that conveyed, "Pardon? Come again?" upon hearing his final utterance. She then attempted to rouse her mind by shaking her head, having been lulled into a drowse by Gilmore's pretentious yet miserably failed poetic words.

"Ye're off yer head. Asking me to have the craic late at night? You know Papa won't allow me."

"But your papa isn't home, right?" said Nadine.

"How did you know?"

"Because one; ye opened the door, and then ye squealed, and then ye talked to us. Yer papa didnae even come to answer the stramash," Gilmore said while pointing an index finger. "Two," Gilmore stuck out his middle finger, "I saw Baron Trinketshore's engine carriage went to the border, means he's out of town. That's simple logic, Alicia."

"Yes, we did want you to have fun at the café," Nadine added. "That was before we saw that weird, shining bonkers." While pointing at "the moon" behind the window, she continued, "We continued to follow the object until it stopped right in the middle of the old cemetery to the west of town. It was strange because when Gilmore came to pick me up, he saw nothing there."

"Got the creeps when I saw that queer flicker of light, tae be honest. But we decided tae head over tae yer house so we can see it together." Gilmore's casually-approached proposal put Alicia in a tizzy.

"You saw a strange object in the sky, right above the cemetery, and instead of rushing to report to the civil guard, you wanted to drag me to it?" asked Alicia, more curious.

"Well, ye're a pure excited when it comes tae magic and but, are ye not? Are ye nae curious to find out what kind of magic it is up close? Sure ye could find a thing or two aboot it."

"And I'm sure it will hit us like a bloody meteor, killing us instantly if we're anywhere near it."

"And I'm pretty sure it willnae hit any of us. Look at that thing, glowing the blue light after all! Is that nae one bonnie lass? She doesnae emit pure hackit red glow, purple glow, or anything. She's an absolute braw magic!"

"And I'm pretty sure the colour of the light doesn't prove anything."

"And I'm pretty sure you cannae prove it's a bloody weapon either—Oh c'mon, pal, it's okay! Dinnae fash yerself, I'll give it laldy tae protect ye. All my heart and soul, o Alicia Crimsonmane! Look, got myself a scout knife," said Gilmore while pulling out his scout knife in a showy sense, like pulling the Sword Excalibur out of its scabbard. An honest and innocent attempt to calm his little friend and persuade her to come with him.

Seeing Alicia and Gilmore arguing like children, Nadine stopped them.

"Alright, that's enough, wee bairns! Tell you what! Alicia, you want to see it or no? Answer it!"

Alicia was faced with a quandary upon hearing the query. On one hand, of course she was dead curious about the floating sphere that radiated such dazzling light. After another glimpse through the window curtains, Alicia concluded that it did give those who beheld it shivers, but it was not as if they were being hunted by a monstrous beast or alike. It was a sense of awe. The energy emanating from that object also flowed a graceful dance, akin to the dancing of ethereal beings. Beautiful scenery to look at. A sight that, instead of scaring people away, drew them closer.

On the other hand, the flying sphere soared in a peculiar position. At the graveyard? Why on earth was that thing hovering in the middle of the grave of bones? It was possible that the sphere was reanimating the dead to feast on the brains of the townspeople!

"What if... what if something bad happens?"

"We'll protect you, hen. Like we always have," replied Nadine again firmly, but also gave off a gentle impression at the same time.

Alicia thought for a moment, then sighed. She finally made up her mind. "Well, looks like this only happens once in a lifetime," said Alicia. "Would be a pity if we missed it for closer inspection. After all, with such bright light, the entire folks would be showing up around the graveyard eventually."

"Fucking yaldy!" Gilmore exclaimed.

"Although I have to tell you this, Liz," Nadine chimed in after Gilmore showed his excitement. "During our way to your home, we couldn't find a single person reacting after that flash of light. In fact, there was no one in the town, felt like a bloody necropolis. I doubt people would even gather there."

"Oh...," Alicia gulped. "You sure about that? It would be very worrying then."

"If you're still fashed, maybe we can just stay at your home until morning, at least until it's gone."

"Argh! Alright! Alright, we're going! But if anything suspicious happens, please, let's just leave. I still love my life." Alicia then turned around and ascended the stairs "Let me change my clothes first, then we can go."

She went to her room and swapped her sleepwear for a white sweater and red plaid peg trousers. She secured a waist bag, capacious enough to accommodate a solitary book and stationery. In addition, she adorned herself with a scarlet cloak adorned with fringed trims along its hemline. This precious garment had been bestowed upon her by her mother on her tenth birthday. Her mother knitted it herself and cast a powerful protective spell, imparted her little princess the sage advice to use it solely in dire situations, for the hood can only activate the spell three times. Alicia felt that this little adventure could be potentially disastrous, so wearing it would not hurt. She fastened the cloak snugly beneath her chin.

Then, she regrouped with her two friends, who were waiting in the living room. "L-let's go, s-shall we ...?" []