“Anyway,” I finally said. “I’m sure you noticed this lovely pelt. It’s from one of the Firags we killed. We had it treated and brought it to you as a gift.”

I held it out for her and saw her eyes grow wide with joy as she took a closer look, and just as I had before, ran her hand through it.

“It’s so soft,” She then repeated my exact words. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

“Aaand, if you don’t mind, and I know this sounds weird, we’d like to purchase this table.”

“What? Why?” She asked, confused.

“We are going to do some work on our home tonight, and Cellestra is going to experiment a bit and we’d like her to have a surface to work on, and neither of us felt like going to the city for it. We’ll make sure you get plenty to buy a new one… if it’s no issue.”

“That’s… generous for sure, but at the same time, I can understand, and you seem to not care too much about the money.”

“One perk we get to enjoy.”

She looked at my father who replied with a quick nod, not having to think twice about the offer.

“Well, I suppose shopping for a new table isn’t the worst. We’ll go to the city for a new one tomorrow then.”

“Thanks, mom,” I replied with a warm smile, thankful for her assistance.

“No worries, sweetie. How is it looking anyway? Can we visit sometime soon?”

“There’s still quite a lot of work to do, unfortunately. I hope we can get things sorted quickly and have something great to show in a couple of days. Hope it’s not a problem.”

“Of course not. Take your time. I’ll go make dinner so you can get working on it sooner.”

She ruffled my hair and smiled before taking the pelt inside.

“Shall we do some training?” Cellestra then said, causing Elira’s ears to stand up straight when she heard the words. It left me giggling softly at the sight.

“Yes!” She said excitedly. “But will it be more of the same?”

“Afraid so,” The mentor replied. “I told you, this is probably the most important part. It’s crucial that you understand it fully as anything you cast will draw upon this knowledge, and if there are any faults in it, well, things can go wrong.”

Her words carried more meaning than Elira could know for I’d seen what could happen if things went wrong. Given things went wrong for a different reason, but still. I hoped it wouldn't affect Cellestra’s ability to teach, but I trusted her when she said that this was the most basic of basics and that there was no risk involved.

I watched both of them going at it while I sat with my father, drinking a cup of tea and just enjoying the sight. The spiderlings had created a circle around them and were just all too curious about what was going on in front of them.

“How are you feeling?” He eventually asked.

“Do you want the short or the long version?”

“Whatever you feel like telling.”

“It’s… I’m happy. I’m happy to have you around again. Coming here after going through the dungeon always lifts my mood.”

“But?” He said, clearly reading the emotion in my words.

“But, despite all the happiness I… we have, it feels like there’s an enormous weight on my shoulders. Cellestra and I talk about it from time to time, and I understand there’s very little I can do more than I already am, but I still worry about it.“

He sighed and peered into his half-empty cup of tea.

“I wish I knew how to help you with that, but that goes beyond anything I’ve ever learned when it comes to parenting. All I can say, or ask is that you stay safe, and I know I can’t keep you out of danger, that’s not who you are. I did come to learn that in the little time I’ve got to… re-know you.”

“It’s weird,” I said softly. “This whole concept about dying, then coming to a different world, to meet you again.” I shook my head. “I can’t even put into words what I wanted to say.”

“Just take it easy. Take a deep breath, then try again.”

“Thank you,” I said as I did what he said. “What I wanted to say was about this parenting. I lost you at a young age, and then when I showed up again, I was already an adult. Does that make you feel you missed out on something? I don’t know how to say it.”

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“Of course it does. I haven’t told you before, but your mom cried the night we met you again. She was a mess, partially because of what you just said, and partially because, well, let’s be honest, Elysa did quite a number of us.”

“You mean with her magic and your memories?”

He nodded.

“That was quite the experience. I wouldn’t want to go through that again.”

“I can imagine. I’d feared as much when she first told me about how her curse of sorts worked. Happy to see things go well with mom now, though.”

“Well, she has been fine. It was only at that moment that she had a little breakdown. Other than that, she’s all too proud to have someone like you as her daughter, even if she didn’t get to raise you all the way.”

My gaze returned to Elira, who had her eyes closed, with Cellestra’s hands on her forehead. She was trying to focus long and hard, and eventually, the brunette started smiling.

Something had obviously gone well.

“You know,” I continued, quietly. “I don’t think it comes as a surprise, but I see me in her, and I like to think that you’d have done the same with me, and it just makes me warm inside. In a way, it’s as if I get to see myself grow up, but in a happy way this time.”

“As things should have been. I understand what you mean.”

“But at the same time, I refuse to feel pity for myself. Things happened and cannot be changed. What does matter is that she’s my little sister, and she’s adorable.”

“She is, huh?” My dad replied with a large smirk.

“Most definitely.”

Cellestra and the girl in question were doing the same thing again and again, but it didn’t become boring to look at. They appeared to be making progress from the expressions on their faces, but eventually, it seemed they had had enough as they walked back to us.

Or well, Cellestra walked; Elira ran as always.

“How did it go?” I asked as she came to a halt before me, with Elle skittering up behind her to take her in for a hug.

“Great. I could finally feel something. It feels so odd, though!”

“We’re getting there,” Cellestra clarified. “Slowly, but that was to be expected. She could feel her own mana for just a second. The next step is going to be her holding on to it for longer, before trying to have it go where she wants it to go.”

“What one must do to cast spells,” I said with a grin. “I can’t believe how troublesome it is.”

“Yeah, well, we can’t all get blessed by a goddess, I suppose,” Cellestra replied as dryly as she could, but she was unable to hide her smile. It didn’t take long for it to grow into a giggle when I looked at her.

“Anyway,” She said. “I can use my magic on her for longer now, but it’s still a bother. I cannot keep my spell up for too long, and again, I don’t want to force it either. We’ll just have to go as far as we can every time without pushing things.”

She took a little pause before she seemed to remember something.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to use that sparkstorm spell some more. You at least know what you’re looking for now. Maybe that can help you in recognizing your mana. It’s worth a shot.”

“Sure!” Elira replied excitedly. “Can I do that now? Dad?”

“I don’t see why not. Just be careful.”

“I will!”

With that, she sprinted off a few yards before coming to a halt with Elle and Shayla immediately coming up to observe the upcoming show.

“She’s quite a handful, isn’t she?” My father asked, pouring another cup. He then gestured the teapot towards an empty glass and received a nod from Cellestra.

“It’s nothing,” She affirmed to him. “I enjoy doing this. I’ve sat on this knowledge for years and to have a student… I don’t know, it feels pretty nice. I wonder if Rose felt the same way.”

“I’m gonna go ahead and say it’s very likely. From what I heard, the company you provided her alone was priceless.”

“You’re right. Thank you for reminding me, Kealyna. That makes me happy.”