Rume took in a sharp breath. Truth be told, a sudden surge of nervousness struck her all of a sudden. However, she felt like it would be unreasonable to feel like this. There was nothing threatening about this situation at all.

Thus, she steeled herself and shook off that nervousness. She looked at Lein and nodded her head.

Lein of course noticed Rume’s plight. She walked close to her and patted her head with a grin.

“Don’t be nervous now. This is the easy part yet. Now then, let’s sit.”

She sat right by the giant tree’s roots and on the grass. Rume positioned herself in front of Lein, as indicated by the latter. Lein cleared her throat. Meanwhile, Galeila was nearby putting on her clothes.

“Right then. I’ve been thinking the whole night on how to start this…” Lein muttered to herself.

Once again she cleared her throat. Rume found this odd, it seems like she was nervous herself. But she could be wrong. Rume can’t imagine why Lein would be nervous.

“Alright, Rume. First, what do you think magic is?”

Rume thought about it.

“I… I think it’s doing what’s normally impossible.”

“Indeed. With magic, you can light a fire in a single snap of a finger. It brings different kinds of convenience to its users. However, you can’t use — cast magic from nothing.”

Rume tilted her head in fascination. What could that mean?

“To be able to cast magic, you need to have mana.”

Mana. Rume heard that word previously.

“If you don’t have mana, you won’t be able to cast any magic at all.”

Upon hearing that, Rume became worried. What if she doesn’t have that so-called mana? Then she wouldn’t be able use magic that she found so interesting and amazing.

Lein continued.

“Mana you see, is like the firewood that maintains the blaze. No woods, no flames. Basically, mana is the fuel of magic.”

Rume nodded.

“Now then, to unlock the ability to use magic, you need to feel mana itself.”

“Feel…?”

How would she feel it?

“Where do you think you can easily find mana, Rume?”

Rume contemplated. Immediately she recalled the words she heard when they were sightseeing the floating islands. It was about how those islands kept floating in the air.

“... In the air?”

“Oh? Are you asking? Or was that a definitive answer?”

Lein gave Rume a smirk. Rume was a bit confused as to why she asked those.

“Go on. Give me a definite answer. You don’t have to be scared if you’re mistaken.”

Lein was teaching Rume how to properly answer when being asked. The way Rume first answered was in the way of asking and not as though giving an answer. It was also a way to tell Rume that it was fine to make mistakes in their lessons.

Rume heard that Lein said to give a definite answer. Thus, she changed the way she said the answer to her question.

“In the air.”

Lein formed a wide smile.

“Correct! So you remembered. Good. However, the air is not the only place you can find mana.”

Rume remained silent as she waited for the answer. Lein pointed her index finger on Rume’s chest.

“Mana can also be found inside you.”

Rume reflexively looked at herself. She was mystified at learning that. However, she felt nothing special inside her. There was nothing noteworthy or weird that she imagined resembled something like magic or mana.

What if this means she could not use magic? She was terrified of the thought.

“That being said, the one who has yet to cast any magic couldn’t feel the mana inside them.”

Rume immediately looked at Lein with relief.

“You could say that where mana should be is still sealed behind doors. Thus, you feel nothing. So, what you must do is unlock and open that door . That is the first step.”

Rume smiled. Her anxiety was unnecessary after all.

“This place is surrounded by forests, which is an ideal place to feel the mana in the air. Mana you see, also comes with the air from the trees. In other words, there is more mana in forests. That’s also why places that have high mana density have monsters lurking around.”

“Monsters?”

“Yes, exactly that word. Monsters. And dangerous... That aside, you must feel how mana feels in order to unlock that door inside of you. Do you know why?”

Rume shook her head. She had no idea.

“That’s because, how can you reach for it if you don’t even know what that exactly is, or how it feels? Therefore, you must familiarize yourself with it first.”

“How do I do that?”

“Clear your mind, Rume, and feel it.”

Rume doesn’t understand.

“Close your eyes.”

Rume closed her eyes as instructed.

“Focus everything that your skin feels. Feel the empty space. Feel the air.”

Rume tried to empty her mind and focused everything on sensation. However, no matter what she tried, she felt nothing.

Rume flinched since she realized she might be doing something wrong.

“Be calm. Feel everything. Don’t you feel that force coursing to your skin?”

A wind went by, however, Rume felt nothing special. It was just mere wind. Why couldn’t she feel it? Was something wrong with her?

“If you’re afraid, do not be. Not anyone can achieve this in the first try. So keep trying, clear your mind and concentrate.”

Rume laying her legs on the grass as a gentle wind blew past, stilled her breathing. She tried to darken her mind, leaving nothing. Except for one, desire.

The desire to reach out for this unknown force referred to as mana. She wanted to feel it, hold it, embrace it. With her determination, Rume didn’t know how much time had already passed. Perhaps it has been several minutes. No, perhaps half an hour? 

But time did not matter.

Normally, she wouldn’t be able to do something like this. However, she wanted to learn magic. That was why she was able to endure. Rume felt the warmth of the shining sun. The grass touched her skin. The wind swaying her hair. The silence piercing through her ears.

Her mind cleared and felt light. And yet, even all this time, there was nothing.

Just nothing.

No matter how much concentration she offered. She felt none whatsoever.

“Rume.”

She heard Lein’s voice in the darkness in her sealed eyes. Rume was getting restless since she still achieved nothing.

“Open your eyes, Rume.”

Lein shook both of Rume’s shoulders. Surprised, Rume instantly opened her eyes.

“M-Miss Lein? I… I felt nothing.”

Rume uttered those words with a trembling voice. Rume was terrified she was failing especially when this was still the very start.

“That’s normal. This is your first time after all.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

A small sense of relief came over Rume.

“But still I didn’t expect you to keep at it for an hour.”

“A-An hour?”

Rume was surprised that she was doing it for an hour. She never even realized it. Well, that was because she refused to pay attention to time.

“Yes, and you should at least freshen your mind for a while.”

“... Okay.”

Rume looked around and took in a deep breath. Her eyes met Galeila sitting on the giant tree root. Galeila gave Rume a smile and held out a thumbs up. The little girl returned a smile and nodded.

“By the way, Miss Lein,” Rume turned to Lein. “How easily do you feel the mana?”

“How easily? Hm, fairly easy. When you’re used to it, you can immediately feel it if you want to. And in this place, you can feel it plain as day.”

“Can you see it?”

“Normally not. However…” Lein stole a glance at Galeila surprisingly being quiet at the sidelines. “You can if you have help.”

Seeing that Lein was looking at her, Galeila slightly tilted her head and pointed her own index finger at herself.

“Me? Mm, I can do that.”

“Well, if you want to show her, you can.”

Galeila shrugged her shoulders.

“Very well. However, bear in mind that showing mana through her eyes won’t help her progress.”

“Of course.”

Galeila stood up and walked towards Rume.

“You can make me see mana?” Rume asked.

“Indeed. Being a dragon of nature has its privilege.”

Galeila kneeled before the little girl.

“Do you want to see it with your own eyes, Rume?”

Rume nodded her head.

“...Yes.”

“I see. However, I should say, do not be overwhelmed.”

“Wait!” Lein suddenly exclaimed. “I just realized, this is a bad idea! We’re right next to a world tree. And if a young child like Rume sees that much, it might… harm her…”

Galeila smiled.

“Do you think I’ll let her see it if I knew that would happen to a girl like Rume?”

“Uh, but…”

There was worry clear as day on Lein’s eyes. Rume however, was puzzled about everything. Although, she heard everyone’s words clearly.

“Lein, Rume saw me the first time, and yet she did not tremble before my presence. Her eyes showed no terror. Not only that, she’s not mentally fragile. Have you not realized how much mental stress she had been through?”

“...That’s…”

“She’ll be able to withstand it. Besides, the mana here is not violent nor terrifying, nor could crush someone. The mana here is different from normal. Here, it is peaceful and friendly to all life. Even if it is any other child, they will be able to go through it without any kind of damage, whether it would be nausea, dizziness, or whatsoever, it will be fine.”

“But you told Rume not to be overwhelmed.”

“I said it so she won’t be too surprised. I didn't mean overwhelmed in a bad way.”

“Are you sure?”

Galeila chuckled in amusement.

“Aren’t you an overprotective big sister?”

Lein furrowed her brows at Galeila’s words.

“Is that how you see it?” Lein asked.

“Perhaps.”

“...Fine then, go for it.”

Galeila turned back to look at Rume.

“Close your eyes.”

The little girl followed her words. Galeila gently pressed her forehead to Rume’s. Somehow, this made Rume smile in delight.

“My eyes are yours, Rume.”

The little girl was a bit startled by Galeila’s choice of words. Did she mean that literally? Or metaphorically? Those thoughts crossed Rume’s mind. However, she immediately dismissed those.

The next moment, Rume felt something warm from her forehead as a gentle light shone between their foreheads. The warmth then spread throughout and moved to her eyes. It was a pleasant kind of sensation. But this was the first time she felt this type of thing. So it was mystical for her.

Rume felt Galeila’s forehead separate from her.

“You may open your eyes.”

Rume slowly opened her eyes. What greeted her was Galeila’s glowing jade eyes. They glimmered and were as beautiful as the stars twinkling in the starry night sky. Meanwhile, Rume saw something at the corner of her eyes.

As she turned her head, she saw an entirely different world. An awed gasp escaped her lips, her eyes widened in astonishment. Her smile broadened in wonder. She stepped back to see more, and more, and more, until the sky was within her view.

A whole beautiful new world beholden by her pure and joyful eyes. Everything was so bright, and yet it did not hurt her eyes in the slightest. Bluish translucent engulfed the world before her, flowing smoothly like a gentle river during a harmonious spring.

The world glimmered of countless glitters which put even the heavens to shame. Everything was surging with the beautiful color of azure. 

Everything she must be seeing was mana.

She never imagined it would be like this. She never thought they would be this beautiful to the point that they could dampen her eyes. The scene was incredibly captivating that she felt like crying. The gentle azure twirled around in the air, with some flowing around the giant tree. The giant tree itself appeared to be immiting mana itself, radiating a sense of majesty.

Mana does exist.

She never doubted its existence to begin with. However, seeing it with her own eyes made her believe even more. She was assured that it exists.

Its beauty was beyond anything that Rume had ever laid eyes on in her entire life. Not even the sunset on an ending day, the sunrise during the morning, nor the moon and the twinkling stars in the heavens could hope to compare.

She spread out her arms amidst the azure beauty, the river of mana went in between her small fingers. However, she felt nothing in their passing. But still, they were there.

Rume felt a pleasant warmth in her heart. It beated fast in excitement. Rume’s eyes began to shine with life. The little girl who once lived in a world of darkness, once again found herself in a world full of light and beauty. A place full of wonder.

She giggled in bliss as she ran around the glade with incredibly energetic steps. She ran amidst the glimmering azure mana, like diving into clear and pure water. How wonderful it truly was.

Meanwhile, Galeila and Lein watched the excited Rume with smiles of amusement. They felt proud for the little girl running around with a bright smile on her face. 

In contrast, Galeila gave a somewhat longing and nostalgic gaze for a short moment. She inhaled sharply, with a faint trace of sorrow in her heart. But immediately shook it off.

“You know, I’m starting to really love seeing Rume happy like that,” Lein muttered with a slight moist on the corner of her eyes.

“... Make sure to teach her with everything you got, Lein.”

“Of course. Every knowledge, skill, talent you taught me, I’ll share it to her.”

“That is great to hear.”