Realizing how Lily didn't truly understand the proper way to visualize an element, Arlen paused for a moment. Instead of continuing blindly, he decided it would be better to first understand her foundation—how she even learned magic in the first place.
"Where did you learn magic?" Arlen asked, crossing his arms as he looked down at her.
Lily blinked at the sudden question, then straightened slightly, almost as if proud of her answer.
"I taught myself with books from the village library," she said. "And sometimes when mages pass through the town, I ask them to teach me."
There was no hesitation in her voice—only quiet confidence.
Arlen froze.
"What… by yourself?" he asked, his tone shifting from casual to confused. "What about tutors? Your family?"
Lily shook her head.
"Well, we couldn't afford tutors," she said simply. "And my dad wasn't really a mage or anything."
She said it like it was normal. Like it didn't matter.
But to Arlen, it did matter.
He had grown up surrounded by magic—structured lessons, private tutors, ancient books, and a family that treated magic as both legacy and duty. The idea of someone teaching themselves magic… from scraps… from random passing mages…
It didn't make sense.
Not because it was impossible.
But because it should have been.
For a brief moment, Arlen tried to imagine what that must have been like—fumbling through incomplete knowledge, making mistakes without guidance, not even knowing if what you were doing was correct.
He couldn't.
And because he couldn't understand it, he quietly decided to stop thinking about it.
"…Okay," he said, brushing the thought aside. "Then I'll just teach you properly from here."
Lily's eyes lit up instantly.
"Sure!" she said, quickly sitting down, legs folded, posture straight—like a student ready for a lesson.
Arlen took a breath, organizing his thoughts.
"Alright," he began. "I'm going to teach you the most basic way to learn elements. It's simple in theory… but difficult to actually do."
Lily nodded eagerly.
"Got it!"
Arlen raised a hand.
"Before that, though—questions."
His tone sharpened slightly, becoming more serious.
"First question. I know you can use all four elements… but how did you learn to use them?"
Lily paused.
She frowned slightly, thinking.
"Well… I first gather my mana," she began slowly. "Then I turn it into an element… and then I release it."
Arlen nodded.
"That's… normal," he said. "That's what most mages do."
He stepped closer, his gaze narrowing slightly.
"But here's the real question—why do you think you're able to visualize and turn mana into those four elements?"
Lily blinked.
This time, she didn't answer immediately.
Her expression turned serious, brows furrowing as she actually tried to think about it.
"…I don't know," she admitted after a while. "I just picture it in my head… and then the mana I stored binds with the element."
Her answer was vague.
Too vague.
Arlen sighed, placing a hand on his hip.
"Well… we all start somewhere, I guess."
He took a step back, then pointed at her.
"Listen closely. I'm only saying this once."
Lily straightened instinctively.
"The reason you're able to visualize elements," Arlen said, "is because you're familiar with them."
Lily tilted her head slightly.
"Familiar…?"
"Yes," Arlen continued. "Think about it."
He raised his hand, gesturing lightly as he spoke.
"A breeze blowing against your face. You don't see it—but you feel it. The way it brushes against your skin, the way it carries scent, the way it moves."
He shifted slightly.
"A flame. You've seen fire before, right? The way it dances, the heat it gives off, the way it consumes."
Another step.
"Mud. Heavy. Sticky. It clings to your shoes, slows your movement."
His voice grew more firm.
"These are your references. These are the keys to recreating an element."
Lily's eyes widened slightly.
Arlen leaned forward just a bit.
"Lily, look at me."
She did.
"You need to understand what an element is. Not just what it looks like—but what it does. How it behaves. What it can become."
His voice slowed, emphasizing each word.
"Only then can you visualize it properly."
He pointed toward her chest.
"Then—you shape your mana based on that understanding."
His hand dropped.
"And finally… you recreate it."
Lily didn't interrupt.
She just listened.
"You have to control the element itself," Arlen said. "So stop just manipulating your mana like it's some shapeless thing."
There was a brief silence after he finished.
Lily lowered her gaze slightly, thinking.
As Arlen's words echoed in her mind, something began to click.
Moments from the past resurfaced—times when her spells had worked perfectly, and times when they had failed for no clear reason.
The difference…
Was her understanding.
"…I see," she murmured.
Arlen exhaled slightly.
"Good. Just remember—this sounds easy, but it's not."
He crossed his arms again.
"Most mages get stuck. Once they get used to a certain element, they struggle to understand new ones."
He paused.
"So don't get discouraged if—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Because Lily wasn't looking at him anymore.
"…Lily?" he said, slightly annoyed.
He was about to raise his voice—
Then he saw it.
A faint glow.
Right in her hand.
Arlen froze.
"…What?"
The light was weak. Barely visible. Almost transparent.
But it was there.
A small, trembling glow resting in her palm.
"I did it!" Lily suddenly shouted, her face lighting up with excitement.
Arlen stared at her, completely stunned.
"Y-you… what?" he stammered. "How did you do that?"
Lily blinked at his reaction.
"Huh? Oh… it wasn't that big of a deal," she said casually.
Arlen's eye twitched.
"Not… a big deal…?"
"Well, what you said just made things clearer," Lily continued. "I understood why I could use the other elements before, so I just applied the same idea to light."
She looked at her hand.
"I know light is bright… and pure… so I imagined that, and then recreated it based on what I remembered."
She said it so casually.
So effortlessly.
Like she had just learned how to tie a knot.
Arlen, however, stood there in silence.
His mind was in chaos.
What…?
She just… did it?
Immediately?
His thoughts spiraled.
It took me a month.
A whole month to properly recreate the four basic elements.
And that was considered fast.
That was considered genius.
His gaze slowly returned to Lily.
Then what is she?
"…Y-yes," Arlen said, forcing himself to respond. "I understand."
His voice sounded slightly strained.
"But… you should change your impression of light first."
Lily tilted her head.
"Hm? Why?"
"Because it's… incorrect," Arlen said.
At least, partially, he added in his mind.
Lily looked confused.
"What do you mean? Doesn't light glow?"
Arlen didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he raised his hand.
"First of all—don't just think of light as something that 'glows.' That's… a very shallow understanding."
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Secondly… light is a particle."
A small point of light appeared on his palm.
Unlike Lily's, this one was stable.
Solid.
Clear.
It didn't flicker—it existed.
Lily leaned forward slightly.
"…A particle?"
Arlen nodded.
"Yes. Something with form. Something you can define."
He hesitated for a brief moment.
There was more he could say.
Much more.
Light wasn't just a particle—it was also a wave. It behaved in complex ways that most mages didn't even begin to understand.
But—
That knowledge wasn't something he was supposed to share so freely.
It was part of his family's teachings.
A secret.
Arlen closed his mouth.
"…That's enough for now," he said instead.
Lily didn't seem to notice his hesitation.
She was already focused on her own hand again.
"A particle…" she muttered softly.
The faint glow flickered once more.
Then shifted.
Changed.
Her expression became more concentrated as she tried to reshape her understanding.
Instead of something vague and glowing—
She began imagining something smaller.
Sharper.
Defined.
The light in her hand condensed slightly.
Arlen watched in silence.
She's adjusting already…?
Lily moved her fingers slightly, experimenting.
The light stretched.
Then split.
Then reformed.
A small smile appeared on her face.
Without thinking much, she flicked her hand forward.
A tiny streak of light shot outward, zipping through the air before fading.
Then she tried again.
And again.
Each time, the light became slightly more stable.
Slightly more controlled.
Arlen stood there, completely speechless.
He had planned to spend days teaching her the basics.
Days explaining theory.
Days correcting mistakes.
But instead—
She was already experimenting on her own.
"…What kind of monster did I end up teaching…?" he muttered under his breath.
Lily, completely unaware of his internal crisis, continued playing with her newly formed light.
Small sparks danced between her fingers.
Faint streaks shot into the air.
Each attempt, imperfect—but improving.
Looking at her.
Arlen felt something unfamiliar.
Not pride.
Not confidence.
But pressure.
A person his age was improving faster than him at his own specialty
It gave him a indescribable sense of rivalry
He thought in his mind he thought I won't lose to her, never!