The world was vast, much bigger than the pages of any novel could contain. Being stumped by something unfamiliar was like realizing you hadn't memorized every single article on Wikipedia – a daunting task, to say the least. Sooo, I figured I'd pick up a few things along the way. After all, I wasn't about to let a stupid ritual dictate my fate, especially one that seemed to involve, well, not-so-subtle hints at self-termination.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, I trailed behind Marie through the labyrinthine hallways of the manor. Playing shadow puppets with my fingers.

A silent dance. A foxtrot of curiosity. A jitterbug of apprehension.

Stripped of fear, anxiety, and worry, I found myself feeling less human by the minute. Living without these emotions was a foreign concept, one I couldn't quite wrap my head around. It was twisted in an inexplicable way, like describing a color nobody's seen, or worse, trying to explain why pineapple doesn't belong on pizza.

I focused my attention back on Marie.

"What was it that my father wished to talk about?" I inquired.

"I'm not entirely certain, Milady..." Marie hesitated.

"Oh, but I sense a 'but' lurking," I quipped.

Marie shot me a knowing smile. Of course, she knew. Her skills in connecting dots were sharper than a chef's knife. It was like she had a PhD in eavesdropping and a minor in intuitive deduction.

"Well, I noticed a carriage outside, maids whispering about robed figures with the Phantasm orchid Insignia. Then there was the arrival of this commoner named Alicia earlier today. So..."

"Northern Mage Tower?" I interjected, making a well-educated guess. Our county had recently seen two mages with attunement levels above five, and news like that spread quickly. It was no surprise that mage towers would be interested in sponsoring and teaching us before academia. However, the primary reason behind it was a royal decree. Highly attuned mages had a higher risk of losing control of their mana in the fledgling mage stage, so teaching them control early on could prevent any unfortunate accidents.

We arrived at the central courtyard, where my father had summoned me. I noticed him engaged in conversation with two women in black mage robes adorned with a carved symbol of a black and blue flower – unmistakably the insignia of Phantasm orchid, the Northern Mage Tower.

Beside them stood two figures in less conspicuous attire, a red-haired man missing an arm, and a timid girl with fiery red hair who seemed determined to keep her gaze fixed on her shoes, as if trying to minimize her presence. Alicia.

Upon noticing my arrival, Father smiled and warmly invited me to join them. “Ah, she is finally here. Come, Eli, we were just talking about you.” Both mages turned their attention towards me.

Father dismissed Marie, but ehh, it was Marie. From the corner of my eyes, I saw her expertly vanish behind a pillar – the kind of skill that made me question if she had awakened a skill or something. Clearly, gossip was her elixir, and she had a knack for staying invisible while savoring it.

The mages acknowledged my greeting with polite smiles. The first mage spoke, "Lady Elidranthia, a pleasure to meet you. I am Magistra Seraphina from the Northern Mage Tower, and this is my colleague Magistra Callista."

Seraphina boasted long raven-black hair and piercing blue eyes, elegantly draped in a midnight blue dress. On the other hand, Callista sported chestnut short brown hair and similar eyes, clad in a knight's attire of leather pants and a white shirt. She emitted a tomboyish vibe and grinned, nodding my way.

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I nodded back with all the grace I could muster, "The pleasure is mine, Magistra Seraphina, Magistra Callista."

Courtesy. Courtesy. Courtesy. I wished I could ace this social game like a seasoned diplomat. After all, I wasn't exactly the poster child for social butterflies, and my responses often required a minimum of three thinking sessions before hitting the vocal cords.

Still, I couldn't shake the internal frown, because I knew exactly who Seraphina was from the novel. She was one of the heads of the Northern Mage Tower, a powerhouse of a mage. For someone of her stature to grace our humble estate with her presence was akin to having a celebrity show up at a backyard barbecue – unexpected and perplexing. I had no idea why she was even here, but it certainly wasn't for the hors d'oeuvres.

Father broke my reverie and gestured towards the other two figures, the commoners, "And here are the citizens of our county. You might know one of them," he said, smiling and motioning to the red-haired girl, "This is Alicia, and her father John." Of course, I knew her. Probably better than anyone else here.

I extended a courteous nod to each of them, "Welcome to our estate."

John offered a warm smile and bowed, "Thank you, Lady Elidranthia. It's a pleasure to be here." Alicia, still avoiding eye contact, mumbled a shy acknowledgment. It was evident she felt out of place, and I couldn't help but empathize with her discomfort. Better yet, relate to it.

Father, ever the diplomat, initiated the conversation, "Eli, we were just deliberating on the prospect of Northern Mage Tower tutoring you prior to your enrollment at the Academia."

"Is it about the royal decree, father?"

Magistra Callistra was the one who responded, her voice deeper than I expected. "Indeed, young lady, you're cognizant of it. Given that both of you have an attunement level above five, it is imperative to instill control before you enter the academia."

"But it seems our young mage here has already received instruction prior to our arrival," Seraphina remarked, casting a glance toward my father. "We arrived swiftly, but it seems another mage tower got here ahead of us."

Father frowned, "I apologize, Miss Seraphina, but I can assure you that no other mage tower has reached out to us. I am confident that Northern Mage Tower is the initial contact."

I followed Seraphina's gaze, which was fixed on my fingers.

Threads of mana. Dark. Pulsating. Constantly being contorted and distorted as I subconsciously manipulated them.

Oh crap.

I quickly dismissed them, as if pretending I wasn't juggling the mana spaghetti in my spare time and flashed her a smile.

***

I had certainly messed up. Ever since I stumbled upon the art of mana manipulation, it was like discovering a new appendage I never knew I needed. It started innocently enough—I'd check my mana levels more frequently than I used to check my Instagram, treating it like a metaphorical limb.

My old world was blissfully ignorant of such magical delights, so I became paranoid that if I stopped the constant mana check-ins, I'd lose this mystical limb. I wasn't ready to bid farewell to my magic, so, even when I wasn't actively focusing on it, I would sneak in some mana workouts. Feel it. Manipulate it.

Soon, it became almost subconscious. I could twirl mana threads around my fingers like a bored office worker spinning a pen. It was a skill that invaded my dreams, turning my sleep session into a mana Cirque du Soleil performance.

Just like right now. I had no idea that I was doing it. It was like my fingers had a mind of their own – or maybe my mana threads had unionized without my knowledge.

"Perhaps you need a moment to prepare?" Callistra suddenly whispered in my ears.

I would have been startled if I had the normal emotional spectrum. Which, eh, I didn't. So, I acted startled.

"Eeeep!"

Callistra burst into laughter. "Sounds like we just found a mini version of you, Sera."

I shot them a deadpan look. If only they knew that my emotional range rivaled that of a teaspoon.

After the big reveal, everyone was shocked. It seemed that manipulating mana threads so soon after the attunement appraisal was rarer than a unicorn sighting. I couldn’t really tell them that I was already aware of my element and had dived headfirst into spellcasting practices.

I decided to drop another well-calculated bomb on them, letting them in on the fact that I could already cast spells. The truth was bound to escape sooner rather than later, so I chose to spill the beans now.

We found ourselves in the training grounds for knights. Some knights were still milling about, while others sat on the sidelines, gazing in my direction with a mix of curiosity and skepticism.

Seraphina had politely requested that I showcase my spells. That's why we were here.

Now, I only knew two spells, [Twilight Veil] and [Fatigue Hex]. But, for obvious reasons, I couldn't properly demonstrate the latter. I mean, who wanted to witness a magical hex-induced bathroom dash?

So, I decided to reveal only [Twilight Veil], because the last thing I needed was my father connecting my spellcasting prowess with Richard's sudden lavatory sprints.