The next morning—
(Chirp… chirp…)
The faint sound of morning birds came from beyond the window. Sunlight slipped through the thin gap of the curtains… yet my body was bitten by an intense cold, as if I were sleeping in the middle of a snowstorm.
"Alicia… Alicia."
Mother's voice called from outside the door.
She must've realized I hadn't woken up yet. Her footsteps drew closer, and then—
Creak.
The door opened.
Mother let out a small gasp.
"Oh my… Alicia…"
I was still lying down, but from her voice alone I could tell—
something was very wrong.
And she was right.
Frost covered the room. Thin sheets of ice clung to the walls. The floor had completely frozen, like the untouched surface of a winter lake.
(Eh… how did this happen?)
Mother stepped inside while holding her forehead.
"This is strange… I haven't even taught you how to control mana yet. How could I have forgotten…" she muttered helplessly.
She shook my shoulder gently.
"Alicia, wake up. Look at what's happened in your room."
I opened my eyes slowly, still half-asleep.
"Haa… yes, Mom…" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.
Once my vision cleared and caught sight of the room—
"Eh— EHH!?"
I shot upright, my heart jumping out of my chest.
"W-what is this!? Why does my room look like… a freezer!?"
Mother sighed. "Quickly, Alicia. Control your mana. If you don't, the whole house could freeze."
"I—I've never learned how to control mana!" I yelped, panicking.
Mother looked at me with a face somewhere between exhaustion and resignation.
"Sit cross-legged. Feel the mana entering your body. Don't just feel it—control it. Direct it. Gather it into your core."
"O-okay…"
I sat cross-legged on the bed—which now felt like a block of ice—and closed my eyes, trying to sense the mana in the air…
"Uuuh… it's so cold…"
My teeth chattered.
The cold mana entered like winter wind forced into my lungs. It pierced to my bones.
"Alicia. Don't just feel it."
Mother's voice turned firm.
"Control it."
I nodded slightly.
The mana… flowed.
It was like a wild river that refused to stop. All currents circled around me—entering through my skin and bones, then gathering toward the core inside my body.
The room slowly changed.
The biting cold began to fade.
Ice on the floor cracked…
The thin frost on the table melted…
I had no idea how long I stayed focused. A minute? Ten? Longer?
Eventually, I absorbed all the mana spilling out.
I opened my eyes with a steady breath.
Mother smiled gently.
"Good. Now—GO TAKE A BATH! DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS!?"
"Eh? What—"
I glanced at the clock.
"…It's noon!?"
Almost three hours had passed!?
I immediately jumped and ran out of the room before Mother's smile could turn into something much scarier.
After finishing my bath and breakfast, Mother called me to the backyard garden.
She said that since I could already use mana, whether I liked it or not, she had to start teaching me about mana and the core.
The backyard was filled with green grass and the scent of morning soil. Mother sat on the swing suspended from a thick tree branch.
"Mom, I'm here," I said as I walked closer.
She stood from the swing and sat cross-legged on the grass.
I sat in front of her.
"All right, Alicia. First… what is mana?" she asked.
"Mana is the energy that exists in this world," I answered confidently. "The source of a mage's power. Without mana, no magic circle or spell can be used."
Mother nodded, satisfied. "Then, what is the function of the core?"
"The core is… the vessel of mana inside the body. Like a heart, but for mages."
This time, Mother raised her hand.
Bright yellow mana gathered in her palm, swirling like a tiny spark of lightning.
"As you can see, mana's color differs for each person. Mine is yellow—the Lightning attribute."
She gently pointed at me.
"And yours… sky-blue. The Frost attribute."
I was a bit shocked.
(I know Mother is a mage, but I didn't expect her to also have a rare attribute.)
"Now, try gathering mana in your hands," she said. "If you can't control it… the worst-case scenario is that it could explode."
"E-explode!?"
Mother simply smiled softly.
Or… tried to.
I closed my eyes and breathed slowly, trying to gather mana into my hands.
The mana current was strong—like a river overflowing inside me. The moment I tried to focus it into my palms, I realized how wild it truly was. As if it refused to be tamed.
"Stable… please be stable…" I muttered in my mind.
For a moment, the mana obeyed.
But then—
"Ukh…!"
The once-calm mana rampaged again. Its vibrations felt like tearing from the inside. A wave of cold burst outward, stabbing the skin, and within seconds… the green grass around me froze from the leaking mana.
(Cold… painful… it feels like my body is being pelted by shards of ice…)
"—Alicia!?"
Mother's panicked voice rang out. Seeing the ice spreading rapidly, she immediately raised her hand.
"Magic Barrier!"
A shimmering shield formed, protecting her from the deadly chill.
She rushed toward me, her face pale.
"ALICIA! ALICIA, CAN YOU HEAR ME!?" she shouted, her voice trembling.
I couldn't answer. My breath was stolen by the pain ripping through my bones.
Seeing I didn't respond, Mother quickly sat behind me and pressed both her palms to my back.
"Hang on… I'll stabilize it!"
Her mana flowed into my body—warm, gentle, full of care. She tried to soothe the mana raging inside me.
But the moment her mana reached my palms—
"…Eh?"
In an instant, Mother was pulled into my Inner World.
That world… was entirely winter. Freezing winds, endless snow, and a silence that cut deep.
In the middle of that icy landscape…
Two eyes appeared—cold, sharp, overflowing with powerful mana—staring directly at Mother.
"—!?"
She was thrown out of my Inner World the very next second—
and even after returning to reality, her body trembled.
The sensation of fear clung to her bones, as if those eyes still lingered behind her.
Strangely, at that moment, the rampaging mana suddenly calmed.
It flowed gently, glowing bright blue… elegant… unmistakably Frost mana.
Once it completely stabilized, my consciousness faded—
and I collapsed.
Mother caught me and carried me into the house.
Her face was still filled with confusion and a faint trace of fear.
(What was that…? Alicia's Inner World… it's so strange.)
But she had no time to dwell on it.
All that mattered to her was that Alicia was unconscious in her arms.
A few hours later—
I slowly opened my eyes.
My blurry vision caught Mother sitting beside me, her shoulders slightly shaking as if she'd been waiting for a long time.
"A-Alicia… you're awake! Thank goodness…"
She leaned forward immediately.
"Are you hurt anywhere? Tell me. What part hurts? Anything?"
Her face was completely panicked.
I shook my head weakly, trying to calm her.
"I'm fine, Mom. Really. There's nothing to worry about."
I forced a tiny smile—just to reassure her.
Mother finally let out a relieved breath, though fear still lingered in her eyes.
After making sure I could move, I asked,
"Um… did I succeed earlier?"
She stared at me for a moment, then replied in a serious tone,
"You need to train much harder to control your mana. Read the books in the library about mana control. They'll help."
I nodded quietly. "Yes, Mom."
Still feeling a bit weak, I stood up and walked toward our small library.
Behind me, Mother wore an expression of confusion—as if trying to remember something important.
(It feels like… I forgot something… but what?)
I then immersed myself in Mother's books, training mana control from the very basics, page by page.
And so, the days passed—