Did I... did I go back in time?
It was the only explanation. Everything was just too real. She was also unaware of any spell that could create an illusion this realistic. She couldn't even sense her own mana, but could feel the mana when her mom cast the ear-lengthening spell. Compare this to the earlier dream where there was no presence of mana at all.
I guess, I can't discount the existence of someone capable of doing that.
With that said, reverting time might be even harder though.
Oh, wait.
The reason she lost her consciousness in the first place was because of the influx of information earlier wasn't it? She tried to recall and organize the snippets of information that flowed in her mind.
First, everything she already knew:
There was someone fated to slay Diabolos. If that's the case, then he's bound to be as strong as she was. That someone ran away and shirked his duty. And from what she gathered of Hesperus' attitude, he definitely paid him a visit.
Next, everything that came to her mind before passing out:
Foreign mana deep inside her suddenly made its presence known. It was like a spell activated deep inside her body out of nowhere.
But what's the trigger? Could it be because I absorbed Diabolos? No. There was no presence of this mana or spell at all inside me when I assimilated the other two. I'll put a pin on this for now. I also need to check if that mana is still there.
The spell — or could she classify it as a spell formation? — was pretty simple in function, though she wasn't sure of its structure in standardized formulae.
Its only purpose was to give its underlying information to the target. Its implementation was a bit too rough to boot since it overloaded the brain, basically restarting it.
Hm. If I ever need to cast something like that... How would I do it?
Information doesn't fall under any of my aspects so that's out.
Can Standardized Magic do it? Mmm... I'm not sure.
Can mom and her magic do it? She fell deep in thought.
Yeah, probably. It's mom I'm talking about here.
She clapped her cheeks. She got side-tracked in thinking about the spell instead of what she initially set out to do.
"Jibriiil!"
She looked up back at her mom, broken out of her thoughts by her shout. She was pouting at her, her arms on her hips, and with her chest puffed out.
"Yes, mom?"
"You didn't watch my performance!"
Jibril raised both her arms in front of her, "I did."
"I don't believe you!" She crossed her arms and then smirked. "Then, explain to me what I did to clean up."
Seeing her mom's smug face set her off a bit. She was always like this, even back then. She'd do something completely complex, acted as if it was something incredibly simple, and then ask her to explain what she did. Her mom would then tell her if she was right. If her explanation was off by a little bit, her mom would supplement the missing bits. However, if she was completely off the mark, she'd just stick her tongue out and say 'Baby, I guess you need to study more!'. Of course, she usually got things wrong.
If... if this really is the past and not a delusion, then...
Yeah. That's right. So what if I think I'm in the past and I get it wrong? Nothing would change. It's not like I can escape this.
She faked a pout. "I don't know. It's not like I can sense mana yet."
Her mom frowned. "Jibril-baby, what do I always say?"
"Keep thinking. Especially if you're not good at it." This was the mantra her mom practically hammered down into her head until it eventually became second nature. Initially, it was just the first part of the mantra; but after a time where she complained that she wasn't good at thinking, the addendum was coined.
There was little to nothing her mom disliked more than Jibril not taking the time to think. It was especially ironic considering her mom's usual easy-going nature and propensity to act without thinking. Though, maybe it was because of that that she doesn't want her daughter to end up just like her.
"So? What should you do?"
Jibril held back a smile, "Try to answer."
"Great! It's fine to think out loud my baby."
"You didn't use wind since I didn't feel any wind." Her mom nodded.
"Did you use your mana like a tendril to pick them up? No. You would think that would be too straightforward." Her mom's smile grew wider.
"The leaves bunched up together before you threw it out. Did you connect every single leaf with a main leaf using mana and just pulled them together?"
Her mom ooh-ed. "That sounds fun. It'd be good if I do it simultaneously too. Keep going baby! You're somewhat on the mark!"
"Okay, so that's wrong. Somewhat on the mark? Hmmm... Pulled them together... Pulled them to each other? Attraction? So gravity or magnets?" Her mom started bobbing her head up and down.
"So, magnets it is then. Did you magnetize the leaves? No. You would think that's too wasteful. Ah! You only magnetized your mana and let that do the work for you in gathering them together." It sounded simple conceptually, but actually enacting it was a completely different matter.
"Yes! That's right Jibril-baby!" She raised both hands up high in celebration.
"And your reward is!!!" She started doing pirouettes, her dress flaring all the while. "Jibril, drum roll please!"
"Pa rum pa pum pum." Jibril exclaimed softly. There was no use in arguing against her mom when she got like this. Protesting against it would just waste a lot more time compared to just agreeing to whatever she demanded.
"It's!" Her twirls sped up and up, and, at once, she released her momentum, set her feet apart and spread both her arms out wide.
"Money for you to apply for Vier Academy!!! Ta-daaaaa!" Her smile was blinding in its radiant happiness.
"Mom..."
Though her mom had changed the presentation of the birthday surprise by quite a bit, but it was the same thing she offered in the past. Having already experienced it once, the prospect of going back to the academy was not in the slightest bit exciting. Sure, she'd miss out on meeting certain important individuals, but they're nothing compared to her mom so there's really no problem.
"Jibril-baby?" She tilted her head in confusion. "You don't like it?"
"I do." Jibril paused. "Or rather, I did. But now, I don't want to go at all."
"What?! Why?"
"I want to spend more time with you, Mom."
Her mom covered her face with her hands. "JIBRIL MY BABY! I'M NOT USED TO YOU BEING SO HONEST WITH YOUR FEELINGS! I LOVE YOU JIBRIL-BABY! GIVE MOMMY A HUG!" She swooped in, scooped Jibril up, and enveloped her in a hug as she spun around.
"It's also because I want to learn more about your magic instead of Standard Magic."
She immediately let her go and leaped away. Her face completely scandalized. "I should've known you were just using me! Harrumph! Where did I go wrong in raising you that you became an emotional manipulator? Huh? Answer me!"
"I also want to learn the tongue you use in chanting."
Upon seeing her being completely serious, her mother's face fell.
It was always like this. She would teach her things about magic, but then never actually teach her magic. She wouldn't teach her how to use the same kind of magic that she did, she wouldn't teach her the same language she used, she wouldn't teach her the intricacies. The things she taught her were surface-level at best. Just like earlier. She just taught her that it's possible to manipulate mana like that, but not how to do it herself. Even when she specifically asked her mom to teach her something, she would find a way to change the subject or get out of the conversation. Exactly just like right now.
I guess even if I'm in the past, it's still the same. Why did I expect things to change?
"Nevermind that Mom! It's fine if you won't teach me! Don't worry! I'll still stay here with you! I don't need to go to an academy to learn Standard Magic! I already know how!" Jibril panically tried to soothe her mom.
"Mom? Mom! Answer me! It's fine! I swear!" There was still no reply. Fear and panic threatened to swarm her heart.
After minutes of unresponsiveness, her mom finally answered. "Okay. I will."
"Mom! You don't have to force yourself! I'm fine without you teaching me! I can teach myself, no problem!" She exclaimed, and then her voice dropped. "I'll still need you to activate my magic, but it's fine for it to end there."
Her mother's eyes gradually cleared up. Resolution shined in those leaf-tinted orbs.