Velessa peeled the heavy tome off her face, groaning as she rubbed her forehead.
"Do all your lessons start with blunt force trauma?"
Caldreya flashed her a wicked grin. "Only the fun ones."
The rift shimmered, casting a strange glow across the room. Without hesitation, Caldreya reached into it and pulled out a small, decorated box.
"Magic isn't about memorization," she said, her tone turning solemn.
"It's mimicry. Intuition. Madness... and will. You don't learn spells-you birth them."
She tapped her temple with one finger. "Imagination is the real requirement for a mage."
"Of course," she added, "you'll also need talent to guide mana from the air and an affinity to shape it."
She coughed.
"Both of which are quite hard to come by."
Then, with a smirk tugging at her lips, she added, "Peter is a prime example of an impressive lack of imagination."
Velessa tilted her head.
"Peter can use magic?"
Caldreya raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Oh, he can use magic, alright. But it's more like watching a bear try to juggle knives."
She chuckled, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a more serious tone.
"But you? You have the potential for grace. Precision. You don't need to crush your enemies with sheer force-you'll carve your path with something far more dangerous, far more beautiful: control."
Her eyes glinted with excitement. "And that, my dear Velessa, is how special you are."
Coughing, she lost her train of thought once more.
"Ahem, start doing the task I gave you."
She opened the decorated box and pulled out a small muffin, taking a slow bite as she settled into her chair.
"I'll stay here and watch you," she said, her voice light and playful.
Velessa sighed, her gaze already drifting to the tome in her hands. She flipped through the pages, the weight of the task settling in.
"First, think about what you'll need," Caldreya continued, her tone casual as she savored another bite of muffin.
"Then, find a spell to serve as your foundation."
Velessa's fingers traced the pages, her mind racing as she tried to figure out what spell to begin with. Magic was supposed to be an art, but right now it felt more like a maze.
Caldreya leaned back in her chair, nibbling on her muffin, watching her closely with an amused glint in her eyes.
"Remember, it's not about memorizing. It's about feeling it, understanding it. Magic responds to what you want, not what you know."
She said between bites, her voice calm and casual.
Velessa frowned, clearly frustrated as she stopped on a page filled with complex symbols. "This doesn't make any sense," she muttered.
"Of course it doesn't," Caldreya said, her tone teasing.
"You've only just started. But that's the fun of it, isn't it?"
Velessa grumbled under her breath and turned another page, her eyes narrowing as she found something that seemed promising.
"Okay, so… First, I think I'll need something to defend myself with."
She mumbled, eyes flicking to Caldreya for confirmation.
Caldreya smiled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Good choice. Start simple. Start with a shield, maybe."
Velessa nodded and began tracing her fingers across the symbols, focusing hard on what she wanted to create.
"What do you associate with shields and defense?"
"Uh, circles?"
Caldreya's smile widened, clearly entertained by Velessa's uncertainty.
"Circles, yes. But think deeper. What about the way they wrap around you? The way they protect, contain, and block?"
She paused, letting her words sink in. "It's about more than just the shape. It's about the force behind it-the will to shield yourself from harm."
She stood up and casually grabbed a book from a nearby shelf, then let it fall to the floor with a soft thud.
"The mana is our instrument to control the world."
She continued, her voice steady and commanding.
"We will it into following our demands. In this way, we force our will onto the world, overriding the laws that govern it."
Velessa watched, her gaze flickering between the book and Caldreya. It was a simple action, but it had the weight of something profound. She made it sound like magic was just a tool for bending reality.
Caldreya smiled at her, catching the look in Velessa's eyes.
"Yes, magic bends reality itself, but first it must be shaped. That's where your imagination comes in. Now, let's see if you've grasped it."
She sat on her chair again, taking another muffin from the box. Moaning in delight of the taste.
Velessa hesitated for a moment, her fingers tracing the symbols on the page. The idea of bending reality, of using her will to shape the world itself, felt both exhilarating and terrifying. She took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind of doubt.
Caldreya's voice broke her concentration, soft but sharp.
"Don't overthink it. Let your instinct guide you. Magic isn't about controlling every detail, it's about the flow. Now, focus."
Velessa nodded and closed her eyes, imagining the shield forming in front of her. She pictured it not as a simple barrier but as something that would mirror her intent. A force that would reject anything that threatened her, not just an object, but an extension of her very will. A part of her.
Her hand hovered over the page, fingers trembling slightly as she traced the symbols. She felt her skin slowly absorb the particles surrounding her.
A magic circle flickered to life in her hand, its lines twisting and intersecting, some connecting, others disappearing into nothingness.
A second started appearing, but then suddenly both broke. Velessa gasped for breath, her hands clutching at her throat as if the very air had been stolen from her. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to breathe, her chest tightening with each painful gasp.
Caldreya sighed.
"This is what you get for failing every time." Caldreya's gaze softened.
"The pain is a hundred times worse for us archmages. This is what we get for going against the natural, twisting it to suit our demands."
She walked over and gently pressed a hand to Velessa's back, her touch surprisingly cooling. The pressure on Velessa lifting up almost entirely.
"Magic takes time. And it takes control. The more you push, the harder it gets. But if you're going to keep fighting it… this is what happens."
"This is the curse of magic. Of course the madness that goes together with it is way worse, fufufu~." She laughed.
Velessa coughed, her chest still tight but her breathing slowly returning to normal. She wiped her face with her sleeve, frustrated and humiliated.
"I'm not going to stop," she said through clenched teeth.
Caldreya rested her head against her hand.
"Something like this wouldn't stop a dragon."
She met Velessa's eyes.
"Right?'