Elysha focused on her breath, submerging herself into the realm of her subconscious.

With her eyes closed, she clasped where her heart lies and began to meditate, ‘My soul identity…’

Fragments of images, voices, sounds, and sensations from her surroundings flowed into her consciousness. She pictured the essence that is her being—the appearance of her own self in connection with her theonum core.

A strange sense of calm washed over her as she tried to regulate the theonum energy coursing through her body while focusing her attention on visualizing her core. As she concentrated, Elysha couldn’t help but remember the incident that had occurred yesterday.

‘No, I don’t want that to happen again,’ she thought to herself. Her hands began to sweat, and as the seconds passed, her breathing became shallow and erratic, deviating from the deep and steady rhythm she had been trying to maintain.

She clutched the cloth tighter to her chest. ‘But if I can’t do this, I won’t be able to make Elder Mera proud of me. I want to do this.’

As Elysha continued to concentrate, moving further and closer to her theonum core, a sudden jolt pierced her head.

“Eek—!”

Her eyes snapped open in surprise, and she stumbled to the solid ground as her body shook like a tremor. She grabbed her temples with her hands and buried her face in her knees as she winced in pain.

“Ow, not again!” Elysha exclaimed, “Why? Why now?”

Instinctively seeking stability amidst the intense throbbing, she mustered the strength to stand, dragged herself over and grabbed hold of one of the stone pillars that surrounded the place. She leaned heavily against it, her heart racing as her entire body shook, as if her head was wrapped in a suffocating aura.

“It hurts, it hurts so much. Why is it so hard for me to use magic?” Elysha cried in frustration. “I want to use magic so badly, but why can’t I connect with my own theonum core?”

As abruptly as it had begun, the shaking and pain ceased to a stop, allowing her to release from her tight grip on the pillar. Lowering herself to the cold, unyielding stone floor, she pressed one hand to the ground and the other to her temple, feeling disoriented and weakened by the throbbing.

She looked up, her eyes fixed on the ever-changing clouds. She saw a flock of birds flying over the treetops and the sun peeking through the clouds.

Elysha drew her eyebrows together and the words escaped her lips, “I must try again, just one more time. If I want to make Elder Mera proud of me, I must do it. If I can’t, then I… can’t.”

Gritting her teeth, she rose up to her feet and steadied herself. She walked back to the stone pedestal and sat down. Then, with her hands across her chest, she began to concentrate on her mind, feeling her very soul echo within her.

~ ❈❇❈ ~

Meanwhile, sitting on a sturdy branch, Micah’s eyes remained fixed on Elysha. He watched as his ears drooped slightly downwards and his tail curled around him.

His face was etched with concern as he watched her struggle to overcome the challenge before her. Frustration simmered within him, bubbling up in whispered words, “Ugh, darn you, old witch, why did you have to do this to me? If anything happens to your pupil, you can’t pinned the blame on me!”

As he saw her stumble to the floor, Micah remembered his confrontation with Elder Merakia earlier that morning.

“Mm, Micah thanks you again for the pancakes,” he grinned, pulling the flat cake apart with his mouth.

Elder Merakia crossed her arms and smiled. “Of course, by now you have come by every morning for a taste of my cooking.”

“It’s part of Micah’s routine,” he said as he chewed a piece in his mouth, then looked around the room from the windowsill. He swallowed and asked, “Where’s that girl you’ve picked up a few days ago?” Then he gasped, “Don’t tell me you did something to her?”

“Oh please, the little one has been feeling fine this morning,” she scoffed. “In fact, she has already had her breakfast and gone back to her room.”

“She’s eaten already?”

“She has, indeed.”

“Aw, I could’ve have seen her if I’d been here sooner,” he remarked with a low wag of his tail.

“More importantly, I have a request for you on my behalf,” Elder Merakia said, picking up the dirty plates and cups on a tray.

“Huh? What request?”

“Today’s weather has been pleasant thus far, and since you seemed interested in meeting this little girl, I would like for you to help her adapt to the Forest of Iröstos.”

“Eeehhhh? You want me to babysit this girl for you?” he exclaimed. “Why can’t you do it yourself?”

“It is as simple as watching her do her homework and bringing her back to my place before noon,” she explained, placing the tray in the sink. “My schedule has been busy this week and I had to take a day off yesterday to care for the girl.”

‘She really has become your new pupil…’ Micah said in his thoughts.

“Not only that, I would like you to do one more thing for me in the next few hours,” she added.

“Ugh, not another request,” he whined as his body flattened like the pancakes he had just eaten.

“Micah, I wanted you to try and help Elysha connect with her theonum core and discover her soul identity.”

“Huh? Really? You want me to do that for you?”

“The girl has an inexplicable problem with connecting to her theonum core,” she said. “A case not even the Institution of Totheniui has ever recorded in our history.”

“Is it that bad?”

“You are a creative and intelligent child. I know that with your high level of imagination you might be able to find a way to help her get in touch with her inner soul.”

“Uh, Micah is baffled that you would trust me with this task,” he said with an ego-stroking grin.

“However, if in any scenario you see Elysha suffering any signs of mental pain during this process, you are to stop her immediately and end the session of theonum concentration.”

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He nodded, “Understood, ma’am.”

“Good, thank you,” she said, turning away as if to leave. “I will leave you to it and help the girl prepare for her outdoor assignment.”

“Aw, anything for more food for Micah to eat,” he grinned.

Elder Merakia smiled and then left the dining area.

Micah leapt out of the window and onto the grass. He stretched his limbs and let out a big yawn, then repeated to himself, “Hm, Elysha, so that’s her name then.”

He couldn’t help but smile mischievously and say, “Ehehe, that old witch is giving Micah too much benefit of the doubt. As long as I can get the job done, I can play all sorts of tricks on the new kid in the forest. Now, what games shall I play with her?”

The memory ended there, and blinking his eyes back to the present, Micah watched as Elysha stood up again and tried once more to concentrate on her theonum core without any sign of stopping. He knew he had to interrupt, as Elder Merakia had instructed—until he saw the unwavering determination on Elysha’s face.

“Gee, it’s not even that hard to connect to your theonum core,” he said, lowering his chin to rest on his paws. “She’s really is trying hard to connect to hers, and she seems to be in pretty rough shape. Is it really as painful as the witch says?”

His thoughts conflicted at the possibility of things going badly and having to take action to stop her progress. He could only hope with all his might for her well-being and a positive outcome.

“Elysha, please be all right…” he said, wagging his tail rapidly.

~ ❈❇❈ ~

As she delved into her subconscious, a burning question arose in Elysha’s mind: What did it really mean to be “at one with oneself,” as Elder Merakia had mentioned?

‘With myself…’ the concept eluded her as she pondered, blurred with uncertainty. She clenched her hand, despite her desire to connect with her soul identity and learn more about her past, the memories before her meeting Elder Merakia remained out of reach.

‘My past, what is my past?’ she thought to herself, her hands shaking as she clasped them tightly to her heavy chest. Her breathing was uneven as she spoke, “I want to know who I am so I can become a mage like Elder Mera.”

The words of her guardian echoed in her mind, “What you possess is your identity. Who you are is the manifestation of your own self, your conscious values, your will that makes you who you are today.”

‘But Elder Mera, what if I don’t know who I am, what my conscious values are, what my will is that makes me who I am?’ Elysha replied in her thoughts. ‘I cannot understand myself at all.’

Then suddenly, Elysha winced as another sharp pain shot through her head.

“Ae-ek—!”

She clenched her temples again, maintaining her concentration through unyielding stubbornness.

“I don’t want to give up. I want to make Elder Mera proud and happy of me,” she groaned, gritting her teeth. “Even if it hurts too much… I can always find another way.”

With each attempt to tap into her inner self, Elysha was met with a searing pain that pierced her head like a blunt dagger, stabbing again and again.

“Aaah—!” she cried. “Ahh! Ouch—!”

Gritting her teeth, Elysha refused to give in to the tears and pressed on, still determined to connect with her theonum core.

However, no matter how close she could get, her efforts only seemed to torment her more. Elysha gasped, her body shaking as the throbbing in her head reached an unbearable peak. Desperately, she tried to fight the growing pain, but her resolve only lasted so long.

Her breathing became ragged, and she gripped at her chest so hard to steady her pounding heart. Finally, her resolve faltered, her concentration shattering like fragile glass.

She cried out, “Why? Why can’t I do it? What’s wrong with me?”

Elysha’s body trembled as she collapsed to the cold stone floor, her energy completely drained. A faint glimmer of tears gathered in her eyes, but she bit her lip, refusing to let them spill. Her fingers gripped the edge of the pedestal as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded. She pressed her forehead against its cool surface.

“It’s too much… Why can’t I do this?” she muttered, throaty and heavy.

Micah, who had been watching her from the branch, jumped down and approached her cautiously, his gaze solemn but concerned.

“Elysha, please stop,” he asked, his voice soft and serious. “You’re pushing too hard.”

“I can’t!” Elysha cried, pressing her hand tightly to her temple, blurring her vision and forcing herself to stand, clutching the stone pedestal, “I don’t want to let this pain stop me from trying!”

“Elysha, try to relax. Don’t force your—”

“Relax what?! How can I?!” she retorted, removing her hand from her throbbing head and revealing the tears pooling in her eyes.

“This... this terrible headache! Why won’t it stop?!” she screamed, venting her frustration by stamping her foot against the unforgiving floor. “The pain hurts so much! It was like this yesterday too! I feel awful! How can Elder Mera deal with this?”

Micah’s eyes trembled, his ears flattened against his head as he watched Elysha teeter on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Then she put her hands to her eyes and sobbed, “I have to learn. If I don’t… then I can never do it. I’ll never make Elder Mera proud of me.”

“Do you… really think Elder Merakia would want this?” Micah asked, questioning her words. “For you to hurt yourself like this?”

Elysha did not respond. She squeezed her eyes shut, her shoulders shaking as she tried to suppress the overwhelming feeling of pain and frustration that was welling up inside of her.

“Then that means I failed, right?” she muttered. “I failed the trial, and I failed myself, too.”

Micah stared at Elysha’s gray-golden eyes as she broke down into tears.

“Elysha, listen to me,” he said. “Failing this trial doesn’t mean you’ve failed yourself. It doesn’t mean you’ve failed anyone, not even me.”

“But it does!” she cried, her voice cracking. “I… I want to be a mage like Elder Mera so bad, and if I can’t do it, then—!”

“You have plenty of time to become a mage, Elysha, and not only that, you have already shown Micah that you are worthy.”

“Worthy?”

“That’s right,” he said firmly with a nod. “Not because of what you can or cannot do, but because of who you are. Don’t you see? You’re trying so hard to connect with your core that you’re ignoring the connection you already have—with your spirit, your will, and your determination to keep going.”

Elysha shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. “But you don’t understand! I can’t feel my theonum core! It’s like… there’s a wall I can’t break through. And it hurts so much to even try…”

Micah took a deep breath and, without a word, leapt into the air, landing a few meters away. The ground beneath him rumbled as his body began to shift. In seconds, he had transformed into his larger beast form, his golden mark visible on his forehead.

“Micah—?” Elysha exclaimed, stunned by his sudden transformation as he jumped back and surrounding her figure with his massive, comforting presence.

The warmth of his body wrapped and enveloped her. His fur was luxuriously fluffy, softer than silk but considerably denser. For Elysha, it somehow eased the constant discomfort that coursed through her, as if it were absorbing some of her burden. She clung to his body with her small hands, her eyes lowered as she found solace in his protective embrace.

“There, there... don’t worry, Micah’s here for you,” he comforted her, his voice soft and soothing. “Everything’s going to be okay. Just take slow breaths and try to relax.”

A wave of emotion rose in Elysha’s throat. “I’m sorry, Micah… It’s just my head, I can’t…”

She tried to steady herself, to cling to his larger form, to close her eyes and bury her face in the depths of his fur, as she did with the pillow on her bed.

*sniff*

Micah felt her trembling frame and the sniffles she let out. “I can feel your pain, Elysha,” he said softly, his yellow-green eyes focused on her. “I know it feels like it’s too much, like it’s never going to get better. But I promise you, it will. You’ve already done so much, and I’m so proud of you for holding on.”

Elysha’s hands gripped his fur tightly, her face buried deep in it. “I don’t feel like I’ve done anything,” she whispered, her voice subdued. “I’m scared that I’ll keep doing the same over and over again and fail… it’s as if I’m not strong enough.”

“That’s not true, Micah is here for you, and you’re doing everything you can at your level,” he said. “Your path has just begun, and you will improve and reach your goal as you grow older. So take a deep breath and let it out, okay?”

Elysha inhaled and exhaled deeply as she slowly regained her composure, one breath at a time. The incessant pain in her head began to subside, the heavy body of panic and fear receding to make way for calm.

“Thank you, Micah…” she murmured quietly, closing her eyes.

“You’re welcome, ehehe,” Micah replied, turning his gaze upward to the expanse of sky above. They settled into a moment of companionable silence, each lost in their own thoughts, finding peace in the woods.