As the second stage began, Elder Merakia sat on a sturdy branch, reading a book as she watched Elysha stand still nearby, communicating with Micah in her mind.

“Micah, how do we—?”

‘Shh, don’t speak with your mouth, speak with your mind’s voice. Do you want that old witch to hear our plans?’

Elysha tilted her head. ‘Like this?’

‘That’s right! Now our conversation will be more private. The next step is to figure out how in the world we can tag that woman.’

She looked up at her guardian, who seemed to be busy with a newspaper she was reading while sitting on a branch.

‘I have to do the same with her as I did with the tree, right?’

‘Seems like it, though Micah suspects that she wouldn’t make it that easy.’

‘Why?’

‘Because knowing her, Micah playing some game up her sleeve…’

Elysha’s gaze flickered to Elder Merakia, who remained comfortably seated on the branch, yawned, and turned to the next page of her newspaper.

‘Ahh, Micah was thinking about getting creative and setting up some cool traps to tag her when she least expects it. And if that failed, we could plan to trick her by trying to make her run around in circles like an idiot, ehehe.’

It was as if Elysha could practically picture what he was imagining. ‘Do you think we could do that?’

‘If by the chance that your theonum beam fails, then yes.’

She nodded to herself, but as she raised her staff, hesitation crept in. She glanced back at her guardian, who was still sitting on the branch, turning another page of her newspaper, as if she had carried herself so casually.

…

She pinched the hem of her dress, her fingers trembling slightly.

Something about it felt… uncomfortable to her.

She didn’t want to hit her guardian with a theonum beam, even if it was just part of the learning experience. Elder Merakia had acted as her guardian, guiding her, encouraging her to believe in herself.

Could she really target her like that?

‘Like I have said earlier, you must trust yourself—and me,’ said a voice in her memory. ‘I won’t be mad. If you manage to land a hit, it just means you’re improving. And if you don’t, then it simply means we keep practicing. No matter what happens, I will not be disappointed in you.’

Elysha exhaled softly. She pressed the palm of her hand against the pendant resting on her chest. ‘Okay,’ she whispered inwardly. ‘Let’s try, then.’

‘That’s the spirit!’ Micah cheered, his excitement crackling like static in her head. ‘Let’s go!’

The little girl turned to face her target, her fingers tightening around the staff. The soft blue-green glow formed at its tip, wavering like candlelight before condensing into a thin beam.

*pssh*

The energy shot forward—aimed directly at Elder Merakia.

At the last moment, without even lifting her gaze from the newspaper, Elder Merakia nonchalantly tilted her head to the side. The beam sailed past her and struck a distant tree with a faint crackle.

“—!”

Elysha’s breath caught.

Elder Merakia turned the page of her newspaper. “Good aim. A bit slow, though,” she nodded in approval. “You will have to be faster than that if you want to land a tag on me.”

Her heart raced. ‘She dodged it without even looking…’

‘Micah knew that she would play unfair with you,’ he huffed back.

Elysha’s eyebrows drew together as she raised her staff again. This time she did not hesitate. Summoning more energy, she formed a small sphere of theonum at the tip. Without another word, she shot again.

*pssh*

The beam tore through the air straight at Elder Merakia—but once again, the old woman casually tilted her head, not even glancing up from her newspaper, and let it pass harmlessly.

Elysha gritted her teeth and fired again.

*pssh*

And again.

*pssh*

And again.

Each time, Elder Merakia dodged effortlessly. The paper rustled as she turned another page, not even sparing Elysha a single glance as if nothing had happened.

‘Hey, stop it, Elysha! Stop!’

She froze, lowering her staff. ‘Stop? Why?’

‘We can’t keep going like this—it’s draining my theonum,’ he groaned in complaint. ‘Micah only has so much energy to share before I get tired out!’

Elysha blinked. ‘I’m sorry…’ she lowered her staff. ‘I was so focused on hitting her that I forgot about you.’

Micah sighed in relief. ‘We need a different plan,’ he insisted. ‘A smarter approach! Throwing beams at her won’t work if she just keeps dodging them like she has a third eye or something. Let’s think more creatively!”

‘Like what?’

‘Like let’s say getting her butt off of that branch!’

Elysha tilted her head to look at the sturdy branch holding Elder Merakia. ‘Get her… butt off?’

‘Exactly. Micah doesn’t like how she’s sitting so high and mighty over us,’ he growled. ‘Hey—can you climb trees?’

‘Climb trees?’

Following his train of thought, she gazed up at the branch and then ran over to the trunk of the tree.

‘Wait, wait, hey! Micah didn’t say to climb right now!’ he rang over her head.

However, Elysha was already pressing her hands against the rough bark. She tried to pull herself up, only to feel her arms wobble and her feet slip. After several futile attempts, she blew out a frustrated breath, stepping back from the trunk. ‘No,’ she admitted quietly, looking at her messy hands. ‘I can’t climb it.’

*chuckles*

‘What the…? Did Micah just hear something?’

Elysha glanced up, cheeks warming as she caught sight of Elder Merakia’s newspaper still raised.

‘Did that old witch just laugh at us?’ he burst out in indignation.

‘I don’t know…’

‘Ugh, we need another plan.’

‘Then, what should we do?’

‘Micah can come up with hundreds of ideas!’ he huffed. ‘But Micah can’t actually do them, because that would mean I’d have to get out of your head and help you find openings to tag her. The problem is that you are the one in the driver’s seat, which means that Micah can talk the talk, but not walk the walk. After all, you can’t use your core, can you?’

There was silence between them.

Then, quietly, Elysha shook her head and answered, ‘No, I can’t…’

‘Then that puts us at a disadvantage already,’ he admitted. ‘But! On the bright side, you are using Micah’s theonum core! And Micah has some really cool abilities that could catch her off guard!’

‘Like what?’

‘Micah’s element is air! So let’s make a massive gust of wind—like a vortex—that will push her away!’

‘But how do we do it?’

‘It’s simple! Similar to shooting a theonum beam—but imagine it expanding in all directions, swirling and gathering speed. Imagine the air obeying your will! Let it grow until it’s a strong gust!’

‘Okay,’ she nodded her head and raised her staff in her hand again. She closed her eyes and focused. Theonum pulsed through her staff, its blue-green glow shifting and spreading outward.

She recalled the vague memories of seeing Micah using theonum in her dream. Seeing the wind—a focused storm of air, swirling around and growing in strength.

The grass rustled.

‘Yes, that’s it!’ Micah’s voice encouraged. ‘Now push it outward!’

*whoosh*

A sudden gust of wind erupted from the ground and swirled upward. Tree branches shook and leaves whipped through the air.

And yet—

Elder Merakia did not move.

She didn’t flinch or even acknowledge the gust, her eyes drifting across the newspaper’s pages. It was as if not even the strongest storm could tear the paper from her grasp.

Elysha felt her heart sink as the wind whipped her hair around her face.

Micah’s mental shout exploded in her mind, ‘WHAAAAAT?!’

She winced at the sharp noise in her mind. ‘Micah?’

‘Does her butt weigh as much as a house?!’ he ranted, practically pouting. ‘Micah’s getting mad!’

Elysha grimaced, pressing a hand to her forehead to dull the sharp ringing in her skull. ‘Micah… please keep it down… my head is hurting…’

She swallowed, glancing at Elder Merakia again. The old woman still looked unbothered, flipping leisurely to the next page.

Micah let out a rough sigh. ‘Micah needs a short rest—this gust drained a lot of energy, and trust me, Micah will be useless if I don’t recharge soon. As for you, you need to think of a new plan too, Elysha.’

She lowered her gaze. ‘I’m trying to. I’m trying to think of ideas, Micah…’

‘Well, try harder! Micah will give you some time. In the meantime, Micah will be back after a few minutes.’

And just like that, his voice fell silent, leaving Elysha in a sudden hush.

Stolen novel; please report.

‘... Are you gone?’

The lingering swirl of wind around her dissipated, the last leaves falling back to the ground. After hearing no response, she pressed her lips together, her staff feeling heavier in her grip.

Elysha closed her eyes and thought. ‘What to do…’

A small pang of frustration tugged at the little girl. A part of her—a big part—wanted to impress Elder Merakia. She wanted—no, needed—to prove that she was learning. To show that she had grown since the beginning of this stage and that her efforts weren’t for nothing.

But how?

Nothing she had tried so far had even come close to working.

‘What ideas can I think of… I need to think…’

Her mind raced with visual examples of how she could possibly tag her guardian and pass the second stage, but she struggled to find a confident approach.

Her eyes drifted open slowly, traveling up the tree trunk to the branch where Elder Merakia remained unmovable. A part of herself still wrestled with the idea of attacking someone who had been her guardian and caretaker. But no matter her hesitations, she had to pass this stage.

Then, in her mind, Elysha called out again, ‘Micah… if you’re right, then how will I ever tag Elder Mera?’

‘That’s the big question, isn’t it?’ Micah replied, sounding unimpressed. ‘Because right now, she’s just sitting up there all high and mighty, waiting for us to fail again.’

Elysha bit her lip and thought. Suddenly, she recalled the memory—the demonstration from earlier—the image of Elder Merakia effortlessly conjuring a butterfly with theonum. It had not been like a beam or a gust of wind, but it had been mesmerizing and finely controlled, like a work of art.

“Hmm…”

Micah let out a dramatic yawn inside her head. ‘Hurry up, or Micah really will fall asleep—’

“Ah!”

Elysha’s eyes lit up, and she nearly jumped in place.

‘Woah, wait, what just happened?’ he asked, sounding as if he had jolted. ‘You figured something out?’

‘There’s an idea I want to try,’ Elysha nodded. ‘It’s… inspired by something Elder Mera did before. Maybe it could work.’

‘Then what are we waiting for? Let’s do it!’

Over the next few minutes, they finalized their plan together. Once the details were settled, Elysha braced herself and stepped forward, staff in hand.

Meanwhile, Elder Merakia folded her newspaper and set it aside. She peered down at Elysha with mild curiosity. “Have you given up yet, dear child?”

Elysha shook her head firmly. “No, not yet.”

A small smile curved the old woman’s lips. “Then I would like to see your next attempt in tagging me. You have plenty of time to succeed—impress me.”

Her heart thumped. ‘Don’t let her get into your head,’ she reminded herself. ‘Focus.’

Closing her eyes, she focused on the theonum—the power she had borrowed from Micah—and visualized the plan the two of them had put together. She raised her staff, energy accumulating at the tip. Instead of firing immediately, she let the energy build, forming a small, pulsating ball of light.

‘All right, Micah, let’s give her our best,’ she whispered in her mind.

‘Make it count, Elysha!’

Elder Merakia arched an eyebrow. “Interesting,” she remarked, watching the slow-forming sphere. “And how are you planning to tag me with this technique?”

Elysha ignored the question, concentrating instead on refining the shape and density of the theonum. At first, the orb flickered and sputtered, but with each passing second, the pulsing orb expanded slightly, growing denser with power. Once it felt stable in her hands, she sent it forward—not in a swift strike, but it drifted. Slowly, deliberately, almost as if unsure of its own path.

‘Micah could almost practically feel second-hand embarrassment at how slowly you made that thing move like a snail,’ he groaned.

‘Don’t say that,’ Elysha retorted inwardly, her lips set in a determined line. ‘I’m still learning.’

As the orb of light moved toward Elder Merakia, she gave a low, amused chuckle. “It is a nice effort, slow but steady,” she remarked. “I’m afraid I could just let out a sigh and the orb would blow away by itself—”

Before she could finish, the orb gave a sudden shudder.

*spoosh*

In an instant, the light exploded outward, scattering into countless butterfly-shaped motes of theonum. Each one glowed in soft shades of blue-green, fluttering through the air like fragments of a dream.

Elder Merakia’s eyes lit up with surprise. “What a sight… Very impressive, dear child.” Despite her apparent calm, she leaned forward a fraction, taking in the display of shimmering wings with renewed interest.

Elysha felt her heart jump into her throat. ‘She finally reacted! Tag her!’

The butterflies’ wings flapped as they approached. For a fleeting second, Elysha felt a surge of hope—this time she would land a tag. But then, with a swift, fluid motion, Elder Merakia leaned back and sprang to a higher branch in a single, graceful bound.

‘She moved!’ Micah exclaimed. ‘That old witch finally got off the branch!’

Elysha’s eyes widened. It had worked—they had finally forced her to move. That was progress, wasn’t it? At least they had forced Elder Merakia from her original spot.

But the hope was short-lived.

As the fluttering butterflies approached their maximum range, the theonum connection faltered, and one by one, they dissolved into faint sparks of light, vanishing before they could touch their target.

Still poised on the higher branch, Elder Merakia gazed down and chuckled. “Your control over theonum has grown, Elysha. I’m truly impressed. You managed to catch me off guard.” She nodded in approval, then shrugged lightly. “However, I remain untagged. The distance proved too great for you to maintain the link.”

‘Ah! So unfair!’ Micah fumed inside Elysha’s mind. ‘How in the world are we going to catch her now at this point? It’s like trying to catch a feather in the wind!’

“Do you still want to continue,” Elder Merakia asked, “or would you like to try another time?”

Raising her gaze, Elysha exhaled and locked eyes with her guardian. Elder Merakia’s calm yet amused demeanor reminded her just how far she still had to go.

…

But something in her chest still ached. She had to keep going.

“I want to continue.”

~ ❈❇❈ ~

The two of them spent another round working their way around, trying to tag Elder Merakia. Since the butterfly strategy had failed, another flurry of attempts followed—and this time with her on the ground and on the move. But time and again, Elder Merakia would either evade, shift her footing at the last moment, deftly flick an arm to deflect their efforts.

With each failed attempt, Elysha’s arms grew tired, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She felt the sweat trickle down her temples. Meanwhile, Elder Merakia maintained the same serene half-smile, barely exerting herself—moving just enough to avoid the little girl’s reach.

At last, Elysha paused and lowered her trembling staff. She pressed her lips together, frustration threatening to boil over. Before she could speak, Elder Merakia broke the silence.

“Your handling of theonum is getting better,” she said in a calm tone. “Remember, don’t let setbacks discourage you from improving.”

Elysha swallowed hard and nodded. She wanted to believe those words—needed to believe them—but every failure gnawed at her resolve. Even though they had tried everything, and even though Elder Merakia had effortlessly countered every attempt, she still steeled herself with a slow, steady breath.

‘I can’t give up. I won’t.’

Another failed attempt later, she and Micah paused to strategize.

‘None of our ideas are working,’ Micah grumbled, sounding more bored than angry. ‘She’s too good at this. One step ahead every time. It’s not even like she’s trying to let us tag her or whatever, Micah doesn’t know anymore… Maybe we should call it a day? Unless—’

‘Unless I have another idea?’ Elysha finished.

‘What, you still have something in mind after all of this?’ he asked. ‘Micah’s surprised you haven’t given up.’

Elysha bit her lip and looked away, her mind racing. ‘... Let me think about it first.’

‘HUH? So you actually don’t have an idea yet?’

‘I haven’t given up!’ she insisted. ‘I’m just going to keep her distracted while I think of a new way. And if I still can’t do it… then I’ll stop.’

Micah’s mental yawn reverberated through her. ‘Fine, fine. Though Micah needs to recharge my theonum potency—again. I won’t say much for a while. Micah needs to sleep so I can replenish and increase the amount Micah can reserve.’

‘Take a break, Micah.’

His presence faded, leaving Elysha alone before Elder Merakia. The stillness of the moment settled around them, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the breeze.

She thought about why none of her attacks had worked so far. Direct attacks had failed. Tricks had failed. Every idea she and Micah had come up with had failed.

‘She’s always one step ahead… always moving just enough to dodge without herself getting tired like me,’ Elysha thought.

Elder Merakia cocked her head slightly. “You seem deep in thought, dear child.”

She felt her heart skip—not in nervousness this time, but in something else.

An idea was forming—a new idea.

‘Micah can sense that you’re stirring up an idea,’ a groggy voice murmured in her mind, half-asleep.

‘I thought you were resting.’

‘Micah can still see what you’re doing.’

Elysha’s lips curled. ‘What if… what if we tried something new? Something different?’

‘Huh? Something different? Something new? Like… what?’

‘You’ll see.’

~ ❈❇❈ ~

As the stage progressed, Elysha paid more attention to Elder Merakia’s movements. She imbued her staff with theonum and tried to swing at her in an attempt to land a tag, but each time, Elder Merakia easily evaded the strike. Their exchange became a game of cat and mouse—with Elysha Elysha struggling to keep up with her guardian's agility, shifting and weaving just enough to stay out of range.

These actions didn’t escape her guardian’s notice. “I can see what you are doing,” Elder Merakia mused calmly. “You are planning something, aren’t you?”

Elysha didn’t reply. She simply pressed her lips together and fired a few more theonum beams at her.

Elder Merakia dodged easily as she continued to move. Elysha followed, her gaze flickering to the ground where she spotted a small stone.

*thump*

Her foot purposefully collided with it, sending herself stumbling forward. The abrupt loss of balance caused her latest attack to veer off course, the theonum beam dissipating into the air before it could reach its target.

She hit the ground, hands up just in time to shield her face. A dull, stinging pain throbbed at her brow, and she let out a soft cry. Her fingers trembled against the mark already swelling beneath her hairline.

“Elysha!” Elder Merakia’s voice rang out. Concern flickered in her eyes as she moved toward her pupil. “Are you hurt? Let me—”

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Elysha pushed herself onto one elbow, lifting her staff with trembling arms. With all the energy she had left, she unleashed a concentrated theonum beam directly at her guardian.

*pssh*

Elder Merakia’s instincts kicked in, her body reacting on pure reflex. She pivoted, narrowly dodging the beam at the last possible moment.

A smirk lingered as she slowly straightened her stance. “How cunning…” she murmured. “You’ve surprised me again, but I will not fall for that next time.”

Her gaze flickered over Elysha’s shoulder, and a subtle shift came over her expression.

Abruptly, Elder Merakia tilted her head upward, attention caught by a small orb of light floating in the air above them. It hovered there, steadily growing in size. She took a cautious step back, eyes narrowing with recognition.

“Since when did you conjure a light orb of this magnitude?” she asked, her voice threaded with genuine surprise.

Elysha, nursing the ache in her forehead but unwilling to let the moment pass, drew in a breath. “Back when you weren’t looking,” she managed, “dodging my attacks while reading a book.”

A faint laugh escaped her lips. “So that’s the reason you kept firing earlier. You had me focusing on one thing while you prepared another. I like your resourcefulness. You have me proud by your creative and smart thinking, dear child.”

As the orb above them expanded, Elysha noticed her guardian’s continued stillness. The giant sphere ballooned outward, pulsing with theonum. Yet Elder Merakia made no move to evade. Elysha’s brows furrowed.

“Why aren’t you moving?” she called out, and pointed her staff at the steadily growing sphere. “Aren’t you worried about… that?”

Elder Merakia merely winked, folding her arms across her chest. “I’m waiting.”

“For what?”

“I’m waiting for your orb of light to finish growing… for that moment when it expands and finally explodes.”

“Why?”

“When one becomes a skilled mage, dear child, one must develop an eye of intuition—an ability to see beyond the immediate shape of magic, to sense the potential within it. I felt the fluctuations in your theonum. That was the first clue. And, well…” She spread her hands, still unruffled. “I know your creativity. I recognized the potential in what you were creating. Even still, this strategy is not enough to trick me.”

“Not enough?”

Elder Merakia shook her head. “Not enough, I am afraid. But you have impressed me, I will give you that.”

In the next heartbeat, the giant orb of light erupted with a brilliant flash, releasing a torrent of white butterflies that flooded the air. Their wings shimmered in the daylight, painting arcs of luminescence as they spiraled downward.

Elysha staggered back in awe at the display before her lips parted. Her pulse raced with anticipation. ‘Go…!’

The swarm descended upon Elder Merakia, a flurry of wings moving like a cohesive cloud. For a moment, it looked as though the elder was caught in the current of fluttering shapes. Elysha’s heart soared.

‘Perhaps this time—!’

Elder Merakia’s hand rose, magic swirling around her in a sudden, forceful sweep. Theonum energy pulsed outward like a wave, swallowing the entire swarm of butterflies. In an instant, they vanished—like morning dew under the harsh sun. Not a single trace of them remained, as if they had never existed.

The entire process lasted just a few seconds before it stopped.

Silence settled, save for the faint echo of dispersing magic. Elysha tried to steady her breathing, the rush of adrenaline quickly ebbing away. She looked to see if there was any hint of surprise on Elder Merakia’s face, but there was none. The seasoned mage stood there, not even out of breath.

‘Of course she can do that…’ Elysha realized, her shoulders dropping in resignation.

Elder Merakia turned her gaze upon her pupil, lips curving into a satisfied smile. “It’s over, dear child.” She lowered her arm with ease, as though that burst of magic had cost her nothing.

Elysha exhaled, still reeling from the sudden disappearance of her butterflies. She blinked a few times in disbelief, her eyes were wide in surprise—no, she shouldn’t be surprised. Elder Merakia wasn’t breaking a sweat. After all, she was a great mage, and her prowess was evident in this display.

She then offered a small, genuine smile of admiration. “That was amazing,” she breathed.

“Thank you, dear child. I certainly am,” Elder Merakia responded, a pleased glint in her eyes.

A note of seriousness crept into her tone as she continued, “You’re quick with your hands and you’ve displayed impressive determination. However, your technique still needs refining. I can see the improvements in every attempt you make—your strength is growing, little by little.”

Elysha’s cheeks warmed at the praise. She nodded, swallowing the lump of disappointment forming in her throat. “Thank you,” she replied softly.

Elder Merakia glanced at the staff in her trembling hands, then shifted her focus back to the girl’s pale face. “That last butterfly swarm must have drawn heavily on your bond’s theonum core. Would you still like to continue?”

Elysha closed her eyes for a moment, attempting to reconnect with Micah. All she heard was the distant rumble of his snores echoing across their shared link.

Her lips curved in a faint, tired smile.

“No,” she admitted quietly, lowering the staff. “I give up.”