"Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!"
Melisa giggled as Lily peppered her face with kisses, the confused woman's brow furrowed even as she showered the girl with affection.
"Not that I mind the cuddles, sweetie, but what's with the sudden need for kisses every morning?" Lily asked, pulling back to look at Melisa.
The young nim just grinned, her cheeks flushed.
"It's a secret! But don't worry, it's for a good cause. Thanks, Lily!"
With that, she hopped off the woman's lap and raced back to her house, eager to put her plan into motion.
"Mom! Dad! Come outside, I have something to show you!"
Margaret and Melistair exchanged a curious glance but followed their daughter out into the garden. Melistair in particular looked eager to see this. Of course he would be, given what had happened the previous night.
Melisa stood before them, a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Okay, watch this!"
She held up a rune, took a deep breath, and spoke the words for Illuminate.
"Illumina, car ei!"
The rune flared to life, casting a brilliant light across the garden.
Margaret and Melistair gasped, their eyes wide with shock.
"Melisa! How... How did you do that?" Margaret asked, her voice trembling.
Melistair shook his head, disbelief etched across his face.
"That's not possible. Nim can't use magic. We don't have any Essence."
But Melisa just grinned, bouncing on her toes with excitement.
"That's what everyone thinks! But it's not true. We can use magic, Dad. We just get our Essence differently."
She held up a rune.
"Nim can't generate Essence, but we absorb Essence from other races through physical affection. That's why we need it so badly, why we get sick without it. Once we have that Essence inside us, we can use it just like anyone else!"
Margaret stared at her daughter, her mind reeling.
"But... But how did you figure this out, Melisa? And why? What made you even think to try?"
Melisa's face grew serious, a determined glint in her eye.
"I want to learn, Mom! I want to learn everything I can about this world, about magic, about... About everything."
She looked up at her parents, her voice ringing with conviction.
"I want to be a hero!"
Melistair raised an eyebrow, a hint of concern in his voice.
"A hero? What do you mean by that, sweetheart?"
Melisa took a deep breath, her fists clenching at her sides.
"I want to learn all aspects of magic, Dad. And I want to learn how to fight, too. I want to become strong, strong enough to protect the people I care about. And..."
This last part wasn't for their ears.
But, it was true all the same.
[AND I WANT TO LIVE MY ISEKAI FANTASY!] She tried to maintain a straight face. [I WANT TO DROWN IN WOMEN, I WANT TO SEDUCE PRINCESSES, I WANT TO HAVE TOUGH BATTLES WITH HOT ENEMIES WITH SEXUAL TENSION, I WANT TO ENTER A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEONE I HATE BUT WHO'S JUST TOO HOT TO TURN AWAY FROM! I WANT TO HAVE SWEET RELATIONSHIPS WITH GIRLS WHOSE SMILES MELT MY INSIDES! Is marriage between women possible in this world? I WANT TO MARRY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THIS WORLD! I...]
She concluded her internal speech with:
[I want to be someone!]
She looked up at her parents, her eyes shining with determination.
"I know it won't be easy. I know I have a lot to learn. But I'm ready to put in the work, to do whatever it takes."
Margaret and Melistair exchanged a long, meaningful look. Then, slowly, they both smiled, pride and love shining in their eyes.
"I... Uh... Haha," Melistair chuckled, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "If that's what you want, then we'll support you every step of the way, I-I guess."
Margaret nodded, pulling Melisa into a tight hug.
"You've already produced a couple of miracles... I believe in you, sweetheart. Whatever you put your mind to, I think you can do it."
Melisa hugged her mother back, her heart swelling with emotion.
[Mom, Dad... Thank you. Thank you for believing in me.]
She pulled back, a fierce grin spreading across her face.
"Alright, then! Let's get started."
"After your morning studies. Go."
"Moooom!"
---
Melisa rummaged through the house, searching for any books or scrolls that might contain new spellsigns for her to learn.
[Come on, come on, there's got to be something more than just those basic ones I found last night!]
But no matter where she looked, she came up empty-handed. It seemed that her family's collection of magical knowledge was severely lacking. Again, for obvious reasons.
[Ugh, figures. Guess I'll have to make do with what I've got for now.]
She glanced down at the runes in her hand, a thoughtful frown on her face.
[Although... I have been relying on these things pretty heavily. Maybe it's time I try casting without them, see if I can do it the old-fashioned way. Got it down last night, but that might have been a fluke.]
She nodded to herself, a determined glint in her eye.
[Yeah, that's it! I need to master spellcasting from scratch, no crutches allowed! How else am I going to become the most powerful, alluring mage in all the land if I keep relying on these... training wheels?]
With renewed purpose, Melisa headed out into the garden, ready to put her skills to the test.
She took a deep breath, focusing on the Essence within her.
[Okay, let's start with something simple. Illuminate. No need to fix what isn't broken.]
She raised her hand.
[I actually have Essence inside me now. So, I just... I pull it out?]
Closing her eyes, she tried to feel her Essence inside her.
Incidentally, having already cast spells using runes made it easier. It was like identifying an itch she hadn't known was there before.
[There. Now, draw it out, make the spellsign in the air, speak the words, let there be light. Simple.]
She went to do it and...
"Tsk, ah!"
She flinched.
A feeling like an electric current went through her right hand.
[... What just happened?] She stared down at her hand. [That hurt.]
Not just that, but even though she hadn't used the Illuminate spell, she felt like she had far less Essence than she would if she had used it.
[Aaaagh, I wish I had another mage here to bounce my ideas off of! I feel like something pretty important just happened, but I can't tell what... Ugh.]
She shook her head.
[Whatever. I'll just have to figure out what on my own. Let's do this.]
And, with that, Melisa's journey to becoming a sorceress began in earnest.