I glanced once more at Zale, whose challenging gaze burned into me with a mix of curiosity and veiled defiance. It was almost amusing. Inhaling deeply, I allowed an air of uncertainty to creep onto my face. My hands lifted slowly, fingers curling as if reluctant to act.
I summoned a fraction of mana into my palms. The motion was deliberately careful, calculated, yet not without grace. A shimmering orb of water materialized, hovering above my open hand. The room erupted in startled gasps, the collective shock of the nobles palpable.
"A Water Mage!" one noble blurted, voice trembling with disbelief.
"But… that's impossible!" another stammered, their eyes wide with a mixture of awe and fear.
Water Mages were considered legends, anomalies so rare that their existence had faded into myth for most.
