As Sierra led me toward the room where I would be staying, my mind wandered with a mix of excitement and gratitude. It felt surreal to have made a friend my age and to be welcomed into the Hartley estate. Sierra had proven herself to be kind and genuine, dispelling my earlier apprehensions.

I can’t help but remember when I asked her to be my friend. We were leaving the back garden. She smiled in a playful manner and accepted my request. I was somewhat awkward and embarrassed about it during the whole ordeal but everything worked out fine in the end.

Lost in my thoughts, I was brought back to the present as we entered the room. Winston, the butler, was already inside, conducting a final inspection. He greeted us politely before excusing himself to attend to his other duties. Sierra thanked him and watched as he gracefully left the room, leaving us alone.

With a playful smile, Sierra gestured for me to inspect the room. I glanced around, taking in the cozy space. There was a comfortable single bed against one wall, accompanied by a table and chair.

A wardrobe stood on the opposite side, offering storage space for my belongings. Curiosity got the better of me, and I entered a door next to the wardrobe, which led to a full bathroom, surpassing anything I had experienced before.

Returning to the room, I found Sierra sitting on the bed, engrossed in something on her phone. I approached her, curious about what had captured her attention.

"What are you reading?" I asked, genuine interest in my voice.

Sierra shifted her focus from the phone to me, her face showing slight frustration. "I'm trying to learn an intermediate spell, but I can't quite get the hang of it."

I couldn't hide my surprise. According to the headmaster, those around my age were expected to have mastered only a handful of basic spells. Yet here was Sierra, delving into an intermediate spell. It was a testament to her skill and dedication. I gathered my thoughts before responding.

"What is the name of the spell?" I asked, curious to learn more.

Sierra spoke with a playful smile tugging at her lips. "I'm learning the nature elemental spell called 'Verdant Bind.' It's a spell that causes dense thorny vines to erupt from the ground, swiftly encircling and constricting the target."

I couldn't help but be impressed by her ambition. The complexity of the spell made it clear that Sierra was among the top students at the school, a testament to her innate talent.

"Wow, that sounds amazing," I replied, genuinely fascinated. "I'm sure with your dedication, you'll master it soon enough."

Sierra's smile widened, appreciating the support. "Thanks, Alex. I appreciate your encouragement. Maybe you can teach me a thing or two about spells as well. We can learn from each other."

I chuckled, enjoying the light-hearted moment. "That sounds like a great idea. However, I must confess that I don't even know how to cast a spell."

Sierra appeared dumbfounded by my confession. "But why did my grandfather take you in as his disciple if you don't even know how to cast a spell?"

Finding her reaction amusing, I chuckled and explained, "Well, I never had access to spellbooks or anyone to guide me in learning magic. It's all new to me."

She somehow came to a conclusion about me that I think will lead to a misunderstanding and said,” I didn’t know you were this badly treated till now. Don’t worry now with big sister here, everything will be alright.”

I saw where this was headed but I was having some fun after a long time so I didn’t correct her misunderstanding for now.

Redirecting the conversation, I spoke. "By the way, what time is it?"

Sierra checked her phone and replied, "It's around five in the evening, about two hours until sunset."

“Um, Can you help me learn the spellbooks the headmaster gave me?”

“Okay, sure, let’s go to the back garden.”

As she got up we headed for the back garden.

Along the way toward the back garden, our conversation shifted, and Sierra asked about my elemental awakening. I did not know what awaken meant but I guessed that at the age of 12 kids awakened their elements. Not wanting to reveal the truth about possessing all the elements and the ability to unseal them, I decided to conceal the extent of my powers.

"For now, I'm focusing on practicing the water element," I said, trying to sound convincing. "I also have two more elements, but the headmaster advised me not to reveal them to anyone."

Sierra seemed intrigued yet accepting. "That's unusual, but if it's what my grandfather advised, he must have his reasons. It's remarkable that you've awakened three elements. Only a few awaken three elements every decade.”

With that, our conversation continued, and we enjoyed a lighthearted chat as we approached the garden.

Upon reaching the garden, we strolled towards the benches and table nestled to the side. Taking a seat across from each other, I reached into my storage ring, eager to show Sierra the spellbooks I had received.

As Sierra's eyes widened in surprise, a familiar feeling washed over me, reminiscent of successfully pulling off a prank during my childhood.

"Is that a storage ring on your finger?" Sierra asked, her curiosity piqued.

I nodded, a fond smile forming on my lips. "Yes, it was given to me by Old Man Johnson. He was like a grandfatherly figure to me. A bit eccentric, but I always enjoyed his company."

Sierra looked intrigued. "I don't know this Old Man Johnson, but if he entrusted you with his storage ring, it must mean he had a lot of faith in you."

Reminiscing, I chuckled softly. "Yeah, I suppose so. He had a way of blending moral values with whimsical tales that seemed nonsensical at the time. But now, I think there was some truth hidden within those stories."

Sierra nodded, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Well, maybe one day you can share those stories with me. But for now, let's focus on your first spell."

I nodded, eager to embark on this new journey. "Before we begin, can I ask how long it usually takes to learn your first spell?"

Sierra pondered for a moment before responding, "On average, most kids take around half a month to a month to learn their first spell."

Impressed, I couldn't help but express my admiration. "That's incredible! It must require a lot of dedication and hard work."

A proud smile graced Sierra's face as she replied, "Indeed, it does. But I managed to learn my first spell in just four days."

I was impressed by her talent again. It lit up a competitive spirit within me. I wanted to surpass her and learn my first spell in three days.

Suddenly feeling motivated, I opened the book for the spell Aqua Blast. As I read through what was written on it, I came to the conclusion that I had to make the mana move from my hands and control it to flow above it and think of it turning into a blast of water.

Standing up and facing a tree, I followed the instructions. But most of the mana dissipated into the atmosphere while a little amount of mana was converted into water and traveled a little distance before falling on the grass.

Sierra stood up astonished and came over to me saying, “How did you do it? How did you do magic after only reading a few pages?”

I was somewhat embarrassed by my earlier display and seeing her looking at me with shock stabilized my emotions somewhat for some reason.

Replying I said, “It was pretty easy, just get mana above your hand and think of making a blast of water.”

“How can it be so simple? Firstly, when did you learn to manipulate mana when you can’t cast a basic spell? Why didn’t this question not occur to me when you used the storage ring?”

Pausing she unleashed the barrage of questions she was trying to push forward all at once,

“How did your mana turn into water so easily? When did you know how to communicate with the elements? And why did you make a small string of water instead of a water blast?”

I couldn't help but feel impressed by her talent once again. It ignited a competitive spirit within me. I wanted to surpass her and learn my first spell in just three days.

Feeling a surge of motivation, I opened the spellbook for "Aqua Blast." As I carefully read through the instructions, I came to the conclusion that I simply needed to channel mana from my hands and visualize it transforming into a powerful blast of water.

Standing up and facing a nearby tree, I followed the steps outlined in the book. However, much of the mana dissipated into the atmosphere, with only a small amount transforming into water that traveled a short distance before gently falling onto the grass.

Sierra stood up, her eyes wide with astonishment, and hurried over to me. "How did you do that? How did you perform magic after only reading a few pages?"

Feeling somewhat embarrassed by my earlier display, I looked at her with a mix of determination and curiosity. "It seemed pretty straightforward. I just focused on gathering mana above my hand and visualized it as a blast of water."

Sierra's expression shifted from shock to a flurry of questions. "How is it possible? When did you learn to manipulate mana when you couldn't even cast a basic spell? Why didn't I think of these questions earlier when you used the storage ring?"

She paused for a moment, then unleashed a barrage of inquiries all at once. "How did your mana transform into water so effortlessly? When did you acquire the ability to communicate with the elements? And why did you create a small stream of water instead of a powerful water blast?"

I took a moment to collect my thoughts, realizing that my abilities had raised more questions than answers.