"Daddyyy!" I spread my arms and ran towards my Father as soon as I entered his office. My eldest brother is here as well.
"Good morning, Brother Heli!" I greeted. He smiled at me and ruffled my hair.
"Great morning as well, Ali. You seem to be in a good mood," Dad carried me and let me sit on his lap. It's been three days since I dreamed of that unfamiliar creature asking me for help. Asher hasn't told my family about it yet, but he's already informed Sir Abel.
"Asher has been teaching me magic. Look at this, Dad, Brother Heli!" I spread my right hand and focused, remembering the path the mana was supposed to take. Slowly, it gathered at my palm, ticklish and warm, like static clinging to my skin.
Then… pop!
A small glow appeared, wobbling like jelly. I gasped.
"Woah! D-don't explode, don't explode—"
The mana settled, pulling itself together until a tiny orb hovered above my hand, glowing softly. It felt light, gentle, and surprisingly cute.
I giggled as I turned to my brother and father. The small white orb on my palm floats steadily, and this is my first achievement!
"Great job, Ali." Brother Heli praised, ruffling my hair. I let out a small laugh as I focused on the orb again. Next is… shape changing!
I took a deep breath and stared at the orb. It wobbled as I adjusted my focus—then, as if responding to my will, the light smoothly and slowly shifted, its round form stretching and reshaping itself with ease.
I couldn't help the small, satisfied smile that formed on my lips as the orb changed into a cube.
And I did that again, and the shape changed into a triangle.
"Oooh, Ali's a fast-learned. I'm very sure that the Astra was satisfied to be teaching such an amazing student!" Hmph, his arrogance only raised. Saying it's natural because he's my magic teacher.
I never missed a chance to learn magic every time my class ended, and now I can do various shapes. Asher started teaching me how to make an object float as well… but I'm having a hard time with that.
"Ash did! He praised me many times," he praised me and himself many times…
He never missed a chance to be arrogant actually.
"That's good to hear, Ali." Dad said, pinching my cheek gently.
"Oh! My next stop is Brother Aeli's lab! And then Brother Dae's office!"
As today is my day off from my classes, I can go around the estate freely. And this is not just to laze around… it's because I am sure these people will help me with my magic crisis!
"Then, are you heading to Aeli's lab now, Ali?"
"Yuuup!"
Dad and Bro Heli seem busy right now. I don't want to disturb their work. Hmm, if I want to learn more about how to control my magic, I think Brother Aeli is the right choice. Brother Dae's probably just going to teach me offensive magic right away. He's a menace after all…
Our swordsmanship class is always about him telling stories of his wickedness as I swing my wooden sword.
Since Brother Aeli uses his magic for healing, I'm sure controlling it is much easier for him.
Okay, let's go visit my second brother.
***
THIRD PERSON
"Brother… what do you think could be the cause of the changes of this crystal?" staring at the crystal, Abel crossed his arms. They have been investigating the crystal for a week now, but they haven't found any significant reason for the crystal's changes.
"How would I know? This crystal has never been tangible at all ever since we came into this world. Whenever we try to touch it, our hands… even our body would just pass through it." Asher replied, walking towards the crystal and leaning his hand gently to it.
"It would have been easier if 'she' was here. She's the one who knows everything about Aisha's creation more than anyone," Abel sighed, slightly shaking his head.
"No… more specifically, it would have been better if 'she' is aware." Abel added.
"Enough about that. This thing was once called the Crystal of Life… created by Aisha—who happens to be the one who took care of the sacred seed, which we now call the Essence Tree…" Asher paused. He withdrew his hand back and walked towards the chair nearby.
"If we can study the nature of Aisha's magic, we would be able to pinpoint the residual traces of it… and eventually, it'll lead us to the Essence Tree." Asher added, reaching for a book in front of him. His eyes narrowed as he thought of something.
"That would mean… we'll visit all the places she went to until we go back to the original place where the Essence Tree first grew? And after that, we will still have to track it down until we figure out its current location…?" Abel asked, almost surprised. Asher nodded his head right away.
"However, brother… there is no doubt that it will take us forever if we carry out this plan—"
"I am aware, of course. That's why… we need to wake Athalia up and ask her to lead us to Azrael. Until then, our only choice of getting a holy crystal is the Essence Tree…" Asher turned to the glowing crystal again.
"If only we can get a chunk of this one here, we won't have to go through all these troubles…" he murmured.
"But the priests do not agree to it, brother. They won't let us unseal Athalia," Abel replied, his voice weary, tinged with resignation.
"Hmm… yeah, maybe I should invade some of their convocations sometimes,"
"What?!"
"What? We don't have much time, you know?" Asher cocked his head, his right brow raised with a serious expression on his face.
"I know that, of course. But, I think Kier is doing his best to convince them. Let's just leave it to him, shall we?" Abel forced a smile.
'I know he's bold enough to actually do that… goodness, when will this brother of mine learn his manners?' Abel thought, massaging his temple in disbelief.
"Ah, then I'll give Kier a time limit."
"Brother—ahh… he's gone." Abel slapped his forehead as he took a deep sigh when his brother suddenly disappeared without even waiting for his response.
'Seriously, he's always so impatient…' he shook his forehead, heading towards the glowing crystal in the middle of the room.
'However, he might be correct. If we can learn Aisha's magic signature, we'll be able to track down the Essence Tree… though it'll probably take more than three years for sure.' Abel thought, once again letting out a sigh.
'This is really difficult…'
***
"Oh, Asher…" Alina murmured. Currently, she is at her library, reading a certain book lent to her by the very person who appeared in front of her right now.
"Reading well?" Asher asked, Alina stayed quiet as she turned her head back to the book.
"What? You read something interesting and now you're ignoring me?" The boy walked towards the chair across her, pulling it and taking a seat. He crossed his arms and legs as he leaned on the chair.
"It's been quite a while since I opened this book. I need to catch up…" Alina answered. She focused on the book in front of her, while the guy across her just stared at the dedicated princess.
"I feel like I've been doing nothing all this time…" Alina spoke. Asher tilted his head and creased his forehead.
"What do you mean?"
"It just felt like… I've been a burden this whole time," Alina continued to read the book as she spoke.
"Burden? Like how?"
"Unable to do anything to protect myself. I'm always the one being saved and protected…" Alina answered, she stared at the book and her vision felt a bit blurry as she zoned out.
"Well, you are of high status… so you must be protected. Plus, you got used to your previous world without magic, it's natural you would struggle here. You're learning well though, so don't worry about it," Asher responded. Trying to lift the princess' mood. Alina rested her head on the table with her cheek on it.
"Thanks, Asher…"
"Why are you feeling down anyway?" The Astra asked.
"Well, I went to Brother Aeli earlier and asked him to teach me how to make things float… but I kept failing. Tsk… it's so annoying," Alina closed her eyes. She's been trying to read the ancient book properly since she arrived at her library, but nothing seems to enter her mind at all.
"You don't need to rush things. Just take one step at a time and you'll perfect it," Asher replied. He leaned forward and gently placed his hand on Alina's head.
"Your mana flow's been stable. You just need to control the mana particles that've been surrounding you,"
"I'm telling you, that's the hardest part. After I create an orb using the mana particles, they'll suddenly explode right away…" Alina sighed.
"Let me see," the princess said, immediately lifting her head as she spread both palms in front of her. Mana particles slowly gathered at her hands, condensing into a small orb. She guided it toward the quill at her side, enveloping it completely. But when she attempted to move the orb again, the quill abruptly snapped in half.
"You're doing it wrong, Your Highness." Asher extended his right hand, and without the slightest strain, an orb of mana formed at his palm. He guided it toward the book in front of Alina, coating it gently. The orb gradually shifted, molding itself to the book's shape as though becoming one with it… until, moments later, the book lifted smoothly into the air.
"What you're doing is just placing the quill inside the mana, not connecting the two. The mana has to anchor itself to the object, and until it does… it won't move no matter how perfectly you shape the orb," Asher explained as he reached for the floating book that approached his direction. He looked at Alina as he held the book.
"Anchor itself…?" The princess tilted her head. She knows exactly what the words mean, but she couldn't imagine how to do it herself.
"Yep. Stop thinking of the mana as something separate. Don't build a shell and just simply put the object inside. Touch the object with your mana, and then let it spread along the surface… hmm…" Asher paused as he thought.
"Think of water soaking into cloth. That's exactly how it should be done. Once the mana finally recognizes the object as part of itself, you'll now be able to move the object along with the mana. If you rush that step, nothing will come out of it," he ended as he put back the book in front of Alina.
"Doing it actually requires precise and accurate control of your mana. So… do your best," Asher placed his elbow on the table between them, resting his chin on his palm as he stared at the princess.
"Yeah… it does sound like a difficult thing to do. Brother Aeli told me to coat the object with my mana and then let the object absorb it. That's how he described it… but it seems so hard…" Alina sighed and turned her head to the book in front of her.
"I believe you'll learn it. Just don't skip our magic training," Asher stood up as he yawned.
"Well then, gotta go back to Abel. I suddenly left him…" Asher creased his forehead and thought for a while.
'Hmm, what was the reason why I left the tower again? Nevermind, it's probably not important,' He thought to himself before patting Alina's head and teleporting away.
Alina, who was left alone in her library, took a deep breath.
"A water soaking into cloth… the object absorbing the mana… make the object part of my mana…" she murmured.
"Yeah, it sounds difficult… I should practice…" Alina blinked a couple of times as she remembered something.
"Asher…"
"What? I literally just left," Asher, appearing right away beside her, his hand resting on his hip.
"Have you forgotten something? You know… about my dream two nights ago?" The Astra tilted his head and closed his eyes as he slowly nodded to Alina.
"Yeah, I forgot about it. But well… I'll inform Abel first before we decide to tell you everything—as of now… read your book," Asher tapped the ancient book in front of Alina before he disappeared right away. The lady sighed in disbelief as she shook her head.
"Well… wouldn't hurt to follow his words," Alina mumbled, opening the book.
"Maybe I'll get to know the Astras and the Selene more if I keep reading this," she continued reading the book again, in a chapter where two brothers are conversing about the authority of Lumia.
[ Myzrael hovered above the sea of clouds, his hands held behind his back as he gazed upon the newly born life beneath him. When word of the world's creation reached him, his heart brimmed with exhilaration. Yet that joy swiftly turned to dismay upon learning that the authority over this world had been entrusted to beings newly brought into existence. The disappointment that followed was profound.
He confronted his brother, questioning him about the distribution of authority. Raini answered calmly, "I merely granted this world life, Myzrael. I have no desire to rule it myself. The Primal Luminars were created solely to protect this world. Its people shall not rely upon the divine, but upon themselves."
Myzrael offered no reply.
"Creo is to teach humankind the art of creation. Azrael shall guide the souls unto me. Deo is to bestow prophecy, that mortals may be steered away from perilous paths. Moira is to guard the fate of humankind. And Aisha is to watch over the life I have created—to lead and to teach, to preserve life, and to grant mercy to those who do not deserve death."
Such were Raini's decrees.
Myzrael remained silent, his gaze narrowing as it settled upon the vast earth. Empty, yet teeming with life.
At last, he turned away, voicing his refusal of his brother's decision.
"This world ought to be guided by its creator. Why must you entrust your responsibility to your own children?"
Raini merely smiled, watching as his brother began to walk away.
"You fail to understand, Myzrael. My authority remains unchanged, and my responsibility endures. Yet I choose not to meddle in the lives of this world. Thus, I created the Primal Luminars."
Myzrael continued onward, his expression blank, his silence unbroken. Raini watched as his brother vanished from sight.
"One day," Raini murmured softly, "you will understand, Myzrael…"
But his brother was already too far away to hear him. ]
Alina stared at the last word of the page. Thinking, confused, and curious as she turned to the next page.
'Why was he refusing to give the authority to the Primal Luminars? He didn't even help in creating this world? What? He wants authority as well? How dare he?'
Alina thought as her brows furrowed.
"Your Highness?" She immediately closed the book and hid it in the space under her desk.
"Yes, Themis?
"It is time for your luncheon,"
"Understood, Themis! I'll be there!"
***