The relentless hunts by wizards didn't break the spirit of the witches. Instead, these hunts sparked a new kind of inspiration among the witches. Observing the magical items wizards crafted through alchemy, the witches began to develop 'alchemical magic' of their own.
This discovery marked a significant turning point. Witches, once defenseless against wizardry's technical prowess, began to 'arm themselves' with their own alchemically-enhanced magical tools. They no longer relied solely on raw talent or intuition; now they wielded artifacts of power.
The rise of alchemical magic also ushered in an era of transformation for the 'magic wand'. What had once been a simple wooden stick, used by young witches to steady their unstable magic, became something far more sophisticated. Wands evolved, becoming tools that could accompany witches throughout their entire lives. New and enhanced versions began to appear: 'melee wands', reinforced with spiked blades for close combat; 'amplification wands', adorned with magical gems to amplify the caster's spells.
Though magic wands had grown in complexity, every wand still began its life as a humble wooden stick, linking each new creation back to the wand's origins.
After reading '"The Magic Wand"' in her book, Lyra found herself deeply moved. The stories within the pages lingered in her mind, filling her with a sense of awe. 'The creation of the magic wand had been an accident', its journey to prominence long and fraught with difficulty. Yet, despite the challenges, it had become the tool that helped witches take control of their powers; a beautiful triumph born from hardship.
It was the witches themselves who had shaped this evolution. Each generation contributed to the wand's development, 'selflessly sharing their discoveries' with others. Unlike the church, the mages, and other powerful figures, witches didn't hoard knowledge to maintain their status or exploit the weak. Instead, they elevated each other, ensuring that every witch had the chance to survive and thrive.
Lyra felt a deep sense of gratitude and pride. 'To be a part of the witch community meant being part of something resilient and powerful'. It was a legacy of unity, of witches lifting one another up.
The sound of the castle clock striking interrupted her thoughts—'"Ding! Ding! Ding!"'
Lyra's eyes widened in surprise. '"Six o'clock already?"' She glanced out the window at the soft light of the early evening. Only then did she realize how long she'd been absorbed in her reading. Her eyes stung from the strain, and she rubbed them, feeling the weight of exhaustion.
'"Oh no!"' she gasped suddenly, snapping back to the present. Hurriedly, she checked the magic column on her character card.
'[Magic: 989/989 Mana]'
Her heart sank. Her mana was 'overflowing'!
When she'd stopped making cards the night before, she had 356 mana left. Then, early that morning, the daily income from her card business had added another 613 mana. Based on her natural recovery rate, she should have regained '89 mana' by this time. That meant, by now, she should have a total of '1058 mana' but her character card only showed 989.
Lyra's eyes widened in dismay as she did the math. 'She'd lost 69 mana' that could have been naturally restored!
'"No, no, no!"' she groaned, her heart sinking. Wasting mana like this was unbearable. Quickly, she charged '207 mana' into the purple gem of her Book of Cards, creating some vacant space for more to accumulate. She couldn't afford to let this happen again.
'"I have to monitor this more carefully tonight,"' she told herself firmly. She could still recover more mana over the next 18 hours, and she wasn't about to lose it.
Even if she couldn't use all of it for spellcasting, she could at least store the extra mana in her card book to create more cards tomorrow. 'Not a drop of mana should go to waste'!
Still feeling the sting of her carelessness, Lyra dragged herself out of her room that morning, her steps heavy with regret.
Of course, it wasn't just the wasted mana that had left her feeling drained, she had stayed up all night reading, too.
As she walked through the castle halls, she ran into 'Vasida', who immediately noticed her state.
'"Lyra, are you alright?"' Vasida asked with concern. She eyed Lyra's dark circles, which were so pronounced that they rivaled those of her zombie companion. Lyra's energy was nowhere to be found, her usual spark was replaced by an exhausted, dejected aura.
Lyra sighed deeply. '"Don't even ask,"' she muttered, slumping her shoulders. '"I got so caught up reading last night that I completely forgot to charge my magic into the card book. I ended up wasting 69 mana! I can't believe it!"'
To Lyra, this was a disaster worse than anything else 'mana loss was unforgivable'.
Vasida tried to comfort her. '"Oh, don't worry about it too much, Lyra. You can recover your mana in no time! Besides, your cards are so popular. You'll earn back that mana before you even realize it."'
Despite her friend's reassuring words, Lyra still felt the sting of the loss. But deep down, she knew Vasida was right. 'Mana could be regained, and cards could always be made' all she needed to do was focus and manage her resources better next time.
With that thought, she resolved to keep a closer eye on her mana from now on. 'There would be no more careless mistakes.'
Vasida smiled as she tried to lift Lyra's spirits. "Come on, think of something happy. Maybe today we'll finally learn how to make wands! Soon we'll be casting magic like pros!"
Lyra nodded, though her expression still held a hint of regret over her wasted mana. "We 'have' to learn wand-making today," she said determinedly as they walked. "Most wands are just branches or sticks infected by magic, after all."
Just then, Sylph, who had just joined them from the yard, chimed in curiously, "Lyra, how do you know that?"
Lyra's face brightened at the chance to share her newfound knowledge. "It's from the book ''Magic Wand''!" Her eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "I'm telling you, it's an amazing read! You 'have' to check it out yourself!"
Vasida raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Did you stay up all night reading that book?"
Lyra scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Yeah, I didn't mean to, but I got so into it that I lost track of time. If the castle bell hadn't rung, I wouldn't have even realized how late it was. I guess that's why I forgot to transfer my magic power…" She trailed off, her heart sinking again at the thought of her lost 69 mana.
Sylph's curiosity grew. "What's so special about this book? Why did it keep you up all night? Is it really just about wand-making?"
Lyra's excitement returned full force. "This book is more than that! It's a historical storybook about the origins and evolution of wands. It's packed with stories about witches who developed the first magic wands and how they shared their knowledge to help each other survive. It's not just informative, it's really moving!"
As they continued their walk to the castle garden, where the first-year witches had planned to gather branches for their wands, more of their classmates joined them. The little witches surrounded Lyra, hanging on her every word as she passionately shared stories from ''The Magic Wand''.
By the time they reached the top of the hill, Lyra had given a full overview of the book, though she admitted, "What I've told you is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many more details in the book. You 'have' to read it yourselves! I promise you won't be disappointed. The stories of the elder witches and their struggles are so touching."
The other witches nodded in agreement, clearly intrigued. Some of them even said they'd add blank pages to their Witch Books so they could copy Lyra's recommendations.
Lyra, seeing how excited they all were, beamed with satisfaction. '"Let's get started! It's time to find the perfect branches for our wands!"'
Vasida, still thinking practically, asked, "Since wands are made by infecting fresh branches, does that mean we don't need to gather a bunch of different ones? Can we just pick one that feels right for us?"
"Exactly!" Lyra replied confidently. "Yesterday, I asked a few of the older students about it, but they were all pretty tight-lipped: probably following the dean's orders. Now we know what they wouldn't tell us!"
Amy grinned, adding, "I bet some of the seniors got tricked into picking the wrong branches. They probably ended up making terrible wands and had to start over."
Lyra chuckled at the thought. "I wouldn't be surprised. The wand-making lesson is on Friday, right before the weekend; probably so we'll have extra time to redo our wands if we mess up! Let's make sure we don't give them the satisfaction."
The group laughed, their spirits lifted by their shared secret.
"Shh! A senior's coming!" someone whispered, and they all fell silent for a moment, sharing conspiratorial grins.
As the senior passed, the little witches snuck off toward the castle garden, their mission clear.
The garden, bathed in the soft morning light, was quiet, perfect for their plan. It was small but densely filled with a variety of plants and trees. Each of the witches wandered around, inspecting the trees until they found one that resonated with them. They would snap off a branch, trim it, and wave it around, feeling for the right balance.
Lyra was particular in her search. After a while, she found what she was looking for: a 'green sandalwood branch'. It was about the length of her forearm, with just the right weight. The branch had a faint scent of sandalwood, which she found soothing. As she held it, she felt a connection, this was the one.
Smiling to herself, she knew this branch would make the perfect wand. '"This is it,"' she thought with satisfaction.