Zain said he would teach me some basic spells for fire and water magic, and I agreed, hoping that I could somehow become verry strong in only a few hours.
He started by showing me how to create a small flame in my palm. He made it look so easy, as if he was just snapping his fingers. He told me to focus again on the flow of magic in my hand, and to imagine the heat and light of fire.
I tried to do as he said, but nothing happened. I felt the flow of magic, but I couldn't make it ignite. I tried harder, but still nothing. I felt frustrated and annoyed.
"Come on, you can do it. It's not that hard," Zain encouraged me, but I didn't find his words helpful. He was some kind of genius and I was just starting learning magic.
I tried again, and this time I felt a tiny spark in my hand. I was about to celebrate, when the spark exploded in my face, making me scream . Zain quickly extinguished the fire with a wave of his hand, and looked at me with concern.
" Shit, I almost got it." I said before Zain come near me.
"Are you okay?" he asked, checking my face for burns.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," I said, feeling embarrassed. I had failed the simplest spell, and I had almost hurt, I will not give up, I can be verry powerful and beat the chef.
"Maybe we should try something else," Zain suggested. "How about water magic? It's more gentle and soothing than fire."
I nodded, hoping that water magic would be easier for me. Zain showed me how to create a small stream of water from his hand, and how to manipulate its shape and direction. He told me to imagine the coolness and fluidity of water.
I tried to do as he said, but nothing happened. I felt the flow of magic, but I couldn't make it materialize. I tried harder, but still nothing. I felt frustrated and annoyed. I can't be that bad at magic.
"Do your best" Zain said and he started to back up from me.
I tried again, and this time I felt a tiny drop of water in my hand. I was about to celebrate again, when the drop turned into a jet of water that sprayed Zain in the face, making him a mess. I quickly stopped the water with a squeeze of my hand, and looked at him with apology.
"Sorry" I said, he was all soaked and it made me want to laugh, his well-groomed hair was now a disaster.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," he said, wiping his face with his sleeve.
"Maybe we should go back to fire magic," I suggested.
I have a feeling that this time I'm going to succeed and then usually the characters that are isekai in another world are always too strong, so this will be my case too.
"Fine, fine. Just one spell. But don't blame me if something goes wrong," he said, giving in to my request.
This time Zain was at least 10 metres away from me, I got the impression that he didn't trust me and I couldn't understand why.
I did exactly as he showed me earlier and, unlike earlier, the flame appeared directly in the palm of my hand, even though it was a little small. I concentrated a little and the flame became medium.
"Can you see this Zain." I said showing him the large fire in my palm.
But the fire grew and spread, covering the whole room in fire. I heard Zain scream , and I felt too hot in the room.
Is this serious did I just set the room on fire. And there was so much smoke I couldn't see Zain.
"Zain, Zain, where are you?" I shouted, trying to find him with all this smoke.
"I'm here, I'm here, what did you do?" he shouted back, sounding desperate.
"I don't know, I don't know, how do I stop it?" I shouted, feeling helpless.
"Hum... try to reverse the spell, try to dispel the fire," he shouted, sounding annoyed.
I tried to do as he said, but nothing happened. I felt the flow of magic, but I couldn't make it disapear. I tried harder.
" I do it myself." Said Zain.
Zain quickly dispelled the fire with a wave of his hand, and looked at me with horror.
"Maybe we should stop," Zain said, getting closer to me to to extinguish a small flame on the floor with his foot.
"You're not ready for magic. You need more training and guidance. You're not a lost cause, but you're not a prodigy either. You're just... bad."
I nodded, feeling crushed. I really didn't think I was that bad at magic, but this wasn't bad , it was as if I had no talent for it at all.
We left the room, and Zain said he would take me back to my room. He said he would try to help me more in the future.
We reached my room, and Zain gave rassuring look.
"To tell you the truth, you really sucks, but that's all right, I'll bring you some books on magic later today," he said and I only nodded.
He left, and I entered my room. I felt tired and dirty, and I decided to take a shower. I stripped off my clothes, and I went to the bathroom. I felt the water wash away the sweat and dirt from my body, and I felt a little better.
I wrapped a towel around my body, and I dried myself. I put on a fresh dress, and I combed my hair. I looked at myself in the mirror, and I felt a little better. I left the bathroom, and I went to the bed.
I heard a knock on the door, and I went to open it. I saw Mrs. Flinch, . She looked angry and annoyed, and she had a list in her hand.
"Leora, what are still you doing here?" she asked, sounding irritated.
"I'm resting, Mrs. Flinch," I said, can't she see that.
"Resting? You have no time for such luxuries, Leora. You have work to do, and you have chores to finish. You are a maid, not a princess. You have to go to the market. Here is the list of what you need to buy, and here is the money. Don't waste any time, and don't spend any extra. Do you understand?" she said, handing me the list and the money.