After wiping the blood from her arm, the large puncture wound left by the needle was still visible on Senior Lilith's skin, though it had stopped bleeding. The mark remained, raw and ugly, as if it had been torn open deliberately.
"Lilith!" A sharp voice called out, breaking the stillness. Senior Tracy's tone was full of impatience. "Afternoon tea!"
Lilith let out a sigh, clearly resigned. "Alright, alright, Senior Tracy. I'll get your afternoon tea."
The moment she gave in, something strange happened; the needle hole on her arm began to close, the raw edges pulling together effortlessly until not even a scar remained. It was as if the wound had never existed.
Lyra watched the scene with growing suspicion. She couldn't shake the feeling that Lilith had torn the wound open herself, perhaps for dramatic effect. After all, while the Bloodthirsty Needle wasn't small, it shouldn't have left a mark like that after a simple injection. The way her body healed so seamlessly was unnatural, even for a witch. This kind of control over one's healing abilities was beyond anything he had ever seen.
"This is my first time using the Bloodthirsty Needle," Lilith explained, seemingly noticing his curiosity. "After injecting a bit of vampire blood, I gained this ability. Right now, I can only heal small wounds, ones about the size of a coin."
She flexed her arm casually as if her sudden display of power was nothing. "The Bloodthirsty Needle allows me to analyze and fuse blood, transforming my body in positive ways. At least, that's what I've discovered so far. But I'm still limited by my own magic power. It'll take time before I can try a second fusion."
Lyra felt a chill run down his spine despite the calm explanation. The implications of such an ability were astounding. The little witches who stood nearby exchanged wide-eyed glances, each one silently wishing for such a talent. Even Lyra and Sylph, usually composed, couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. After all, they still didn't know what their own talents would manifest into.
Lilith smiled, clearly pleased with their reactions. "Pretty incredible, isn't it?"
The little witches nodded eagerly, captivated by her power.
"Would you like to have something like this too?" she asked, a knowing glint in her eye.
The witches nodded again, even faster this time.
"Well," Lilith said, her voice softening with false generosity, "when I finish developing my first witch magic, you'll get your chance. All you have to do is sign a contract with me. That way, you can enhance your own strength through blood fusion. It doesn't even require much magic, just a little bit of mana."
Her words hung in the air like a lure, and Lyra could feel a dangerous energy radiating from her. There was something about her offer that felt... wrong. The witches, however, were too entranced to notice.
Every witch there had read the "Little Witch Book." They knew what witch magic was. It wasn't a part of the traditional schools of magic. Witch magic was something unique, magic that a witch developed by harnessing and manifesting her innate abilities. The core of witch magic was the witch herself.
Some witches had created book magic, others developed contract magic, and still others mastered fireworks magic. At first, these special powers were exclusive to the witches who created them, impossible for others to learn. That changed when the Contract Witch came along and developed contract magic. Now, witches could share their special magic through a binding agreement, while also drawing on the magical power of the contractor for their own benefit.
This was how witches increased their strength, by sharing their magic through contracts and, in turn, collecting magic power from their partners. Although the magic abilities gained through contracts weren't as powerful as when cast by the original witch, they were still incredibly useful.
Lilith, it seemed, had reached a point where she was running low on magic power. She was eager to promote her witch magic, to find others who would sign her contracts and supply her with strength. And, judging by the awed expressions on the faces of the little witches, her sales pitch was working perfectly.
Lyra found himself intrigued by the ability to control healing. The potential of such a power was immense, if refined, it could save countless lives. The fact that a witch could use another's witch magic with only a minor weakening; retaining 70 to 80 percent of its strength; only made it more appealing. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of abilities his card book might develop. There was so much potential, but at the moment, it felt just out of reach.
Lilith, having finished her persuasive pitch, turned back to her explanation. "In reality, the way a talent manifests often gives clues to its core abilities. Take my Bloodthirsty Needle, for example. It looks like a syringe and has the ability to draw blood."
She gestured toward Vasida, who had been quietly eating throughout the discussion. "Vasida's talent manifests in her stomach, so her power is likely related to digestion or energy conversion. After she materialized her stomach, she started losing magic energy rapidly, and when her magic depleted, she became weak and, well, hungry."
Vasida blushed slightly as Lilith continued. "But as she eats, her magic power gradually replenishes itself. So I suspect her ability is connected to how she processes food and turns it into magic energy. She'll need to experiment to fully understand it."
Lilith's voice grew more thoughtful. "You can also reflect on your own life. Sometimes, unusual aspects of your daily experiences can point to the nature of your talent's manifestation."
Lyra exchanged a look with Sylph, both lost in thought as they combed through memories from their childhoods, searching for anything that could be a clue to their talents.
After a moment, Sylph hesitantly raised her hand. "Does it count if I'm really good at growing things? Everything I plant thrives, never dying, but I've always assumed it's because of my heritage. My mother is a green witch, skilled in plant magic, and my father is a wood elf. I thought it was just in my blood."
Her brow furrowed slightly as she added, "The manifestation of my talent is a seed box, but it only contains a single bellflower seed."
Lilith's eyes lit up. "That's a strong indication that your talent is tied to plants!" she exclaimed. "You should try planting that bellflower seed. It could unlock more of your abilities."
Sylph's face brightened with newfound determination. "I'll give it a try!"
While Sylph seemed energized by the idea, Lyra was more conflicted. Her mind raced with memories, but nothing seemed to fit. There were too many unusual things about me, she thought. Does being sent away from the Earth count? Does traveling through time? What about my planetary memory or my unusually sharp recollection of details?
All of these things felt like anomalies, yet none of them seemed connected to her Card Book. She had played with tarot cards and regular playing cards in her previous life and had read countless novels about cards, but none of that brought her any closer to understanding her talent. Frustration gnawed at her, leaving her feeling lost.
While Lyra's mind was elsewhere, Vasida finally finished eating, patting her stomach with a satisfied sigh. "I think I really do get hungrier than I used to," she said with a wry smile. "Luckily, the Witch Academy has plenty of food, or I might've starved to death."
"Don't be too sure about that," came a voice from across the table. "According to the guide, after the matriculation dinner, the academy stops providing three meals a day. They only offer ingredients after that."
The speaker was Cheryl, a tall first-year witch who sat diagonally from Lyra. She was hard to miss, her height was striking, especially when compared to Vasida, who was petite and looked much younger than the others. Cheryl's long arms and legs made her appear closer in age to the fifth-year students.
Vasida, remembering Cheryl from earlier because of the contrast in their heights, turned to her with wide eyes. "Wait, what? The academy won't provide meals anymore?"
Cheryl shrugged nonchalantly. "Not exactly. They don't offer prepared or cooked food, but they give you all the raw ingredients you need."
The news caused a ripple of murmurs among the witches, some of whom had already been flipping through their "New Student Guides" as the conversation unfolded. Those who hadn't started reading yet now looked to Cheryl in concern, realizing that the comfort of regular meals would soon be replaced by the necessity of cooking for themselves.