‒‒‒‒

In that instant, I close my eyes.

"Haaaaaa…"

I breathe in slow and deep, feeling the air’s warmth in my lungs.

Think.

Think back on the seven years I’ve been in this world.

What have I actually learned?

What skills do I even have?

What options am I working with?

Hermes... I need your wisdom to survive…!

"Wisdom...?"

The answer hits me like a sudden lightning bolt.

Blessing of Insight!

My innate blessing!

If I can learn more about magic, then I'll be able to fight these goblins!

I need to learn magic‒‒‒‒

But,

What kind of magic?

I haven't learned any magic in these seven years...

Mana suppression is all I know.

And that’s not going to take these goblins down.

Think!

Come on, brain, work! I need a brilliant plan!

...Wait, what? My mind decides now is a good time to replay a memory of Mother's breasts? Seriously?!

My face flushes a delightful shade of pink. "Mother's breasts, of all things?!" I hiss, my tail twitching in annoyance.

Okay, fine. They were a pretty good pair... and honestly, I kinda loved them. But still, what does that have to do with... magic?

"Wait..."

I remember now; Mother had inverted nipples just like mine.

She told me she used a spell to make them that way.

That's right...

Visualization magic!

When Kitsuna taught me mana suppression, she called it a visualization technique.

I've been using visualization magic this whole time!

...!

Something inside me clicks—like a lock finally giving way—and a knowledge I never knew to exist suddenly takes root.

Suddenly, it all makes sense.

It’s like my thoughts are zapped with a surge of understanding, finally showing me what visualization magic really is.

It's about using my mind, seeing what I want to happen, like watching a movie inside my skull. And then pushing my mana, shaping it with that image to make it real. The clearer the picture in my head, the better I can control the mana, the more exact I can be. It's not just seeing, it's... more than that.

I need to feel it, hear it, even smell the change I'm making, like I'm already there. All my senses get involved, turning what's just an idea into something real, something solid.

I'm remembering Kitsuna's lessons on hiding my mana.

She had me imagine it as a still pond—calm, quiet, hidden from sight. I actually had to feel that calmness in my mind, and then boom, my mana would get quiet too, almost like it wasn’t even there. That's visualization magic—and it's crazy—I've been doing it all this time without even knowing it.

This whole 'wires' thing...it's like a more specific way to use visualization, I guess? It's not quite the 'click' I thought it would be, though. It makes sense now, but... that doesn’t make it any easier. If anything, it's even more complicated!

Then, it hits me. It's not just in my head, but here, a humming, a thrumming, a power so intense it’s almost unbearable! These wires aren't just an idea, they're real—pulsing with light and power, a complex network coursing through my core.

Heat rises, a delicious burn, a wild possibility rushing through me. This is it, this is the power!

Before I can even think, I’m pushing the visualization, feeling it, and crimson flames erupt in the shape of a lotus flower. And a name—

"Crimson Lotus!" ...Explodes from my lips.

A strange feeling washes over me, like I’ve finally exhaled after holding my breath for way too long—for just a moment, I feel a wild surge of power before magic lets loose.

Crimson Lotus unleashes, a blast of crimson flames surging towards six goblins, slamming into them with enough force to send them flying through the forest.

Crude weapons and surrounding plants burst into flames, a wave of fire washes over, sending the small, wiry creatures scattering in a panic.

They’re launched into a mess, their green skin scorched and smoking, their yellow eyes wide with terror.

The small girl watches this fiery display from her spot pressed against a tree, her eyes widening almost imperceptibly while her expression stays the same as she carefully observes the chaos around her.

I’m panting, exhausted, and my small body shakes from the force I just unleashed.

Yet▬▬

...I’m grinning! My grin feels impossibly wide.

My tail whips rapidly back and forth, all joyous motion, and my ears perk up, twitching with pure excitement.

This is awesome!

I did it... I really did it!

...Magic... I have magic!

My little legs feel like they want to jump, they want to run, they want to do it all again!

...I look at the goblins, smoking and messed up.

They don't look so scary anymore.

...Then I look at her.

Her expression hasn’t changed one bit, but… her eyes might be a bit wider?

…!

I did it! I saved her!

A happy giggle escapes me, a sound that bounces off the trees.

I want to spill all the details!

I want to tell her about the visualization magic, how it all clicked so suddenly, and about the incredible feeling of Crimson Lotus bursting out of me!

...But she’s probably not as excited about this as I am.

Still, the power is running through me, that feeling of victory… it’s addicting!