Miss Joane continued her explanation at the front of the class, her calm but firm voice carrying clearly across the field. The lesson had shifted into something more complex—less about casting spells, and more about understanding what magic actually worked on.
Lily sat upright, her full attention locked on the teacher.
Unlike most of her classmates, she wasn't writing anything down. Not because she didn't want to—but because she was afraid that if she looked away for even a second, she would miss something important.
Substances can be broken down… but only if you understand what they are made of…
She repeated the idea over and over in her head, trying to hold onto every word.
Beside her, Kane seemed much less focused.
At first, Lily didn't pay attention to him. But after a while, she felt something faint—a small disturbance brushing against her mana.
It was subtle, almost unnoticeable.
But it was there.
Her eyes shifted slightly to the side.
Kane was looking down, his hands partially hidden beneath the desk. His fingers moved slightly, like he was shaping something invisible.
Lily frowned.
"Kane… what are you doing?" she whispered.
He didn't look up, but a grin spread across his face.
"I'm trying something," he muttered. "Neutral magic… turning it into some kind of liquid."
Lily blinked.
"…Liquid?"
"Yeah. Didn't you hear? If substances can change and split, then neutral magic should be able to change form too."
Lily looked forward again, but her thoughts lingered on what he said.
Neutral magic… into a liquid…
Was that even possible?
Neutral magic didn't really have a form—it was just raw mana.
Trying to force it into something physical felt… strange.
But then again—
Wasn't that exactly what magic was?
Her thoughts spiraled quietly until—
Miss Joane raised her hand.
"That will be enough for today."
Before anyone could react, a powerful gust of wind swept across the field.
"Ah—!"
Students were lifted off their feet, pushed backward as the wind carried them straight into the portal behind them.
Lily stumbled slightly as she was swept along—
And the next moment—
She was back inside the school.
The rest of the day passed without much excitement.
The following classes were quieter, more structured, but far less engaging. Lily still listened, picking up bits of information here and there, but her mind kept drifting back to the earlier lesson.
By lunchtime, she felt tired.
She sat down with Kane and Olivia, setting her tray down in front of her.
"So," Kane said lazily, leaning back, "did you figure out how to split salt yet?"
Lily gave him a flat look.
"No."
Olivia chuckled softly.
Kane smirked. "Guess some genius you are."
Lily kicked his leg under the table.
"Hey—!"
"You weren't even listening," she shot back.
"I was experimenting," he corrected proudly.
"With what? Invisible puddles?"
Olivia laughed this time.
Kane sighed dramatically. "One day, you'll regret mocking me."
"Sure," Lily replied.
Despite the teasing, the atmosphere was light.
Comfortable.
By the time classes ended, Lily felt drained.
She returned to her dorm room, pushing the door open slowly.
Gina was already there, lying on her bed with a book resting on her chest.
"You look dead," Gina muttered.
"You look worse," Lily replied, dropping her bag.
The room fell into silence.
But Lily didn't plan on resting.
After a moment, she sat up again.
She still had six hours before patrol.
Plenty of time.
"I'm heading out," she said.
Gina only hummed in response.
The training grounds were quiet.
Even quieter than before.
The evening air was cool, the light soft as the sun began to set. Scattered marks from earlier practice remained, but most students had already left.
Lily stepped into the open space and sat down.
She pulled out her notebook.
Pages filled with messy notes and incomplete ideas stared back at her.
Her eyes stopped on one.
Water + Salt → Separation
"…Alright."
She stood up slowly.
Start simple.
She raised her hand.
Mana gathered smoothly.
First, water.
A small basin formed in the shallow hole Olivia had made earlier, the surface still and reflective.
Then—
Salt.
A block formed above her palm, rough but stable.
Lily stared at it.
This was where it began.
"Separate it…"
She focused.
Closed her eyes.
Salt is made of different things…
She tried to remember the lesson.
There were names.
She couldn't recall them.
Her brow furrowed.
"…No. That's not it."
Names didn't matter.
Understanding did.
She tried again.
What is salt?
White.
Powder.
Crystals.
Her mind formed the image clearly.
Then she tried to split it.
Two parts… different parts…
But—
They looked the same.
Her concentration faltered.
The magic reacted instantly.
The salt split—
Into two identical chunks.
Lily's eyes snapped open.
"…That's not right."
She frowned.
"Again."
She reformed it.
Focused harder.
They're different. They have to be.
She forced the idea.
But her mind refused to change the image.
White.
Only white.
The salt split again.
Identical.
Her grip tightened slightly.
"…Why?"
She tried again.
And again.
Each attempt ended the same way.
Failure.
Her breathing grew uneven.
"It shouldn't be this hard…"
Frustration built slowly, pressing down on her.
She paced slightly.
"The teacher made it look easy…"
That was the worst part.
It should be simple.
But she couldn't even begin.
She stopped walking.
Looked at the salt.
What am I missing?
Not control.
Not mana.
Something else.
Something fundamental.
She tried one last time.
Slower.
Careful.
She examined it in her mind.
Forced herself to see something different.
But there was nothing.
Just white.
Endless white.
The magic hesitated—
Then split again.
Identical.
Lily froze.
Then clenched her fist.
The salt shattered into dust.
"…This is pointless."
Her voice came out sharper than she intended.
She turned away, running a hand through her hair.
Her chest felt tight.
Not because she failed—
But because she didn't understand why.
"I hate this…"
She muttered.
It wasn't the failure.
It was being stuck.
Pushing forward and getting nowhere.
Knowing the answer existed—
But being unable to reach it.
She exhaled slowly.
"…Fine."
If she couldn't do it—
Then she couldn't.
Not yet.
"I'll come back to it."
Reluctantly, she flipped the page.
Her eyes landed on another idea.
Dark Magic – Space Manipulation (Hugo)
Something changed in her expression.
The frustration didn't disappear—
It sharpened.
Focused.
"…This one I can do."
She said it quietly.
Not a guess.
A decision.
I won't fail this one.
She raised her hand.
Dark mana gathered—heavier, denser.
The air dimmed slightly.
She focused on the puppet.
Move it.
Nothing happened.
She frowned.
Tried again.
Still nothing.
A flicker of irritation surfaced.
Why isn't it working?
Then she paused.
Replayed the memory.
Hugo didn't move the object…
"…Then what did he move?"
Her eyes widened slightly.
"The space…"
She shifted her focus.
Not the puppet—
The area around it.
She formed a shape.
A box.
Rough at first.
Unstable.
She refined it slowly.
Carefully.
"…Hold…"
The box stabilized.
"Now…"
She moved her hand.
The box shifted—
And the puppet moved with it.
Lily froze.
"It worked…"
She didn't stop.
She couldn't.
She moved it again.
Further.
Lifted it.
"I'm not moving it…"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"I'm moving the space."
Her heart raced.
"This is it."
Her focus sharpened.
Don't lose it.
The magic strained her mind.
But she pushed through.
I finally got it… I'm not losing this.
She moved it faster.
Slower.
Higher.
Controlled.
"This is mine…"
Not arrogance.
Certainty.
Finally—
She released the spell.
The space snapped back.
The puppet fell.
Lily staggered slightly.
"…That's exhausting…"
But she was smiling.
Because this time—
She didn't fail.
That contrast stayed with her.
As she packed up, her thoughts returned to the salt.
Then to this.
"…So that's the difference."
One—
She didn't understand.
The other—
She forced herself to.
She tightened her grip on her notebook.
"I just need to figure it out…"
She looked at the darkening sky.
"…and next time…"
Her voice was quiet.
But firm.
"I won't fail that one either."
After dinner, she went to the library, searching for books about substances and their properties.
She didn't fully understand them yet—
But she could feel it.
This was the missing piece.
Later, after a shower, she lay in bed.
Her body heavy.
Her mind light.
A small smile formed.
School… was actually really fun.