I had been practicing igniting the candle for six months now. A failed journey so far. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get my body to give that rush of blood needed for magic to work. The incantation "Burn over the Burnable" should have been enough to make it happen, but nothing.
Six months later, Thorus returned from his adventure. He came back with a few scraps of gold and the skull of a massive one-eyed beast. Seeing such a colossal head for the first time made me wonder how many different species roamed this world.
Thorus, brimming with pride, decided to take me on a casual hunt in the nearby forest. My mother hesitated but couldn't refuse the excitement radiating from his face. He placed me on his shoulder and we set off in his chariot. It was my first time being in a forest in this world, and honestly, it looked normal. Just like any other forest, really.
Thorus spent the day preparing his arrows, talking endlessly about how he was destined to marry the princess of Calberk. "You don't know how lucky your mother is," he bragged. It turns out Ura village is our home, but Calberk is the kingdom we belong to. While it was useful information, I couldn't shake the thought of how someone like Thorus could have ties to royalty. And the princess wants to marry him? Surely he's exaggerating.
As evening approached, we stumbled upon a Cockatrice. The creature had the body of a two-legged dragon or serpent-like wyvern, with the head of a rooster on one end and a snake's head on the other. Thorus quickly stashed me in the chariot. "Wait here," he said. "I wasn't expecting a dungeon monster to be here." He then took off, bow in hand.
I watched as he shot an arrow at the beast, which retaliated with a blast of fire from its rooster head. The serpent's head lunged to bite Thorus, but he dodged high into the air and shot the rooster's head clean off. However, the snake's head was still alive, thrashing around aimlessly.
Then it turned toward me.
Frozen in fear, I tumbled backward in the chariot. When I scrambled back up, the serpent's head was right in front of my face, glaring at me. A sudden, intense heat surged through my veins, as if my blood was on fire. I grabbed the edge of the chariot, and just as I closed my eyes in terror, I felt an overwhelming force. When I opened my eyes, a massive flame had erupted, engulfing the Cockatrice. The creature was burning to the ground, leaving only bones. Thorus, kneeling nearby, muttered, "These flames won't stop until there's nothing left."
He seemed more worried about the flames than the fact that I had nearly been eaten. But I noticed something peculiar, The metal edge of the chariot, the part I had grabbed, was glowing red-hot. My palm print was seared into it. Was I holding it? Did I just do magic?
We returned home empty-handed, Thorus sobbing to Anne about his failure to bring back Cockatrice meat.
That night, lying in my cradle, I couldn't stop thinking about the magic. It seemed to be triggered by my fight-or-flight response. All the conditions were right, My blood rushed through my body thanks to adrenaline but I hadn't uttered any incantation. Why did it work without the words? Could my magic be different?
Three Years Later
Each year, our wealth seems to grow. The house is expanding, with new rooms and halls. We even have multiple maids now, tending to the household. Last year, our farmland was already impressive, but this year, my mother doubled its size. All of this is thanks to Thorus, who has risen to the rank of an S-tier adventurer. There are only 18 such adventurers in the entire nation.
As for my magic, I'm making great progress. I can now ignite, extinguish, and even shape flames with ease. According to the Book of Incantations, three conditions must be met for magic to work:
Enough Mana Intensely Flowing Blood Correct Incantation
I have plenty of mana now, thanks to three years of dedicated meditation. The blood flow condition is naturally met. After all, I'm alive, and my blood flows at a speed of 3 to 4 mph, which is quite intense.
But here's the interesting part: I don't actually need to use incantations. Remember the purple cloud I mentioned before? It's still floating in my head. This cloud or should i call it aura is unique as it transfers mana from another dimension, the same aura given to me by that mountain-like statue lady. It's also responsible for storing my memories since my current brain can't yet handle the cognitive load of my adult self. I can tell, It's slowly fading as my mind matures, but it has been invaluable in helping me understand aura. No one else can see it, but when I close my eyes and focus, I can clearly see this purple fog.
This fog was the first thing I noticed after my aura and mana were refined, though not completely. If the purple fog is an aura and it's not mine, there must be a way to distinguish it from my own aura. Through relentless practice, I managed to identify this golden fog, My own mana. The golden color represents my mana, and its size reflects my aura.
Now, when I focus, I can feel my aura crawling under my skin, flowing through my blood. When it touches the candle, I can visualize it even with my eyes closed. My aura encloses the candle, and all I have to do is think about burning it. And just like that… It burns. If I want to shape the flames, I simply feed my mana into the flame, giving me full control over it. Extinguishing it is just as easy.
Mastering fire has given me another trick: Controlling the air. By heating the air around my palm, I create hot air, which rises because it's lighter than cold air. As the hot air ascends, it's quickly replaced by cooler air, creating a gust of wind. I can generate anything from large gusts to tiny breezes, which is perfect for extinguishing flames.
With each passing day, my understanding of magic deepens. I can't wait to see what else I can achieve.