『Meilia: Well, to start, you need to know that there are eight types of magic. First, there are the four essential elements most common in nature: water, earth, fire, and air, represented by the colors blue, green, red, and light blue. Then, there are the three complementary types, which are less common: lightning, light, and darkness, represented by yellow, white, and black. And finally, the strangest and rarest of all: chaos magic, represented by the color magenta. 』
Neizan listened attentively to the young girl as she explained what she knew.
『Meilia: A person's compatibility with magic is genetically determined, so it can't be changed. In my case, I'm compatible with water magic. My second affinity is with earth, though I also know and can use some basic techniques of fire and air. Watch. 』
Meilia extended her arm toward a glass of water, and from one of her fingers, drops began to fall, filling the glass.
『Neizan: Now I get it.』
The girl pointed at the plant with her finger, and a small flame sprouted from it, beginning to burn the plant. Then, she used the water from the glass, which floated through the air until it reached the plant, instantly extinguishing the fire.
『Meilia: This is the last thing I can show you. With fire magic, you can raise the temperature both inside and outside your body, allowing you to create fire or even melt solid objects. On the other hand, with air magic, you can control gravity and wind within a certain range.』
『Neizan: Wow! I must admit that was impressive. You're really skilled. 』
『Meilia: Mph. Of course, I am. 』
『Neizan: Now I understand where you got that wooden stick you hit me with in the room. Good thing you didn't think of creating a sword to stab me. 』
『Meilia: If I could have, I would have. 』
『Neizan: Wow, so I only survived by luck... I'll keep that in mind. 』
『Meilia: I can only use basic magic from the elements I showed you, except for water magic, which is the most advanced I've developed so far. 』
『Neizan: How can I know how compatible I am with magic? 』
『Meilia: By doing tests. There are also people with the ability to sense your compatibility, but they are very rare since it requires a lot of skill. 』
『Neizan: What kind of tests can I try? 』
『Meilia: With just a glass of water and some soil, you can give it a go. 』
『Neizan: Okay, but you still haven't mentioned what the other magics do. 』
『Meilia: With lightning magic, you can increase the electrical charge in your body and transmit it to your surroundings through a conductor, like silver. Something more advanced would be absorbing the electricity from what you touch. With light magic, you can control the reflection of light where it hits, allowing you to create visible images or concentrate a large amount of light in a specific point. Additionally, you can generate light by making your body a source of it. As for darkness magic, you can hide what is visible by creating blind spots where light cannot pass through. And finally, there is chaos magic. This is the rarest and most dangerous of all, as it can surpass and nullify the other magical principles, whether in terms of physical or perceptual laws. With it, you can modify space, time, and matter, generating anomalies in its surroundings to the point of collapsing the world of the abstract. 』
『Neizan: I wonder if anyone would be able to learn that. 』
Neizan crossed his arms, looking at Meilia with a mix of curiosity and amazement.
『Meilia: It's almost impossible to even try. Only a witch or a god could use it. 』
Meilia raised an eyebrow, as if the answer was obvious, and glanced toward the window.
『Neizan: Wait, did you say witches? 』
Neizan leaned forward, clearly intrigued, with a spark of interest lighting up in his eyes.
『Meilia: Yes. 』
She responded without emotion, adjusting her hair as if the topic was completely normal to her.
『Neizan: I feel like I should be more interested in that subject. 』
Neizan flashed a half-smile, as if he had just stumbled upon a new mystery worth exploring.
『Meilia: The deal was to teach you what I know about magic in exchange for you staying here a few days, but I'm not going to turn into your teacher just because your curiosity demands it. 』
Meilia glanced at him sideways, arms crossed, making it clear she wasn't about to change her mind easily.
『Neizan: Alright... 』
He sighed, running a hand through his hair in resignation.
『Neizan: So, how can I use magic? 』
He asked seriously, trying to steer the conversation in another direction.
『Meilia: It's not something that happens overnight. It takes several attempts just to discover what your compatibility with magic is. 』
Meilia spoke patiently, as if explaining something obvious, while adjusting herself in her seat.
『Meilia: You need to start by trying what I've already taught you. That way, you'll know which of the four main elements of magic you're most compatible with. 』
『Neizan: Then I'll start trying right away. 』
Determined, Neizan stood up, resolved.
Neizan spent the entire day trying to imitate what Meilia did so effortlessly. He watched every movement, every gesture, attempting to copy them to the letter, but without success.
Sweat began to bead on his forehead, but still, there was no reaction that suggested he had manifested any magic at all.
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A month ago, before everything happened.
『Arthur: Neizan, I need you to come with me to the city of Abedul for a while. 』
『Neizan: Why do you want me to do that? 』
『Arthur: I need you to keep an eye on someone while I take care of my business. Where we're going is an area full of suburbs, and I need you there in case anything goes wrong. 』
『Neizan: And what do we tell Lina? 』
『Arthur: She'll be fine staying here. I know she doesn't like being alone, but you've been training her to defend herself, haven't you? 』
『Neizan: Yeah, though I'm not entirely sure. How many days will you need me there? 』
『Arthur: At most, a week. Let's talk to Lina now so she knows.』
『Neizan: Alright, I'll let you talk to her first. 』
That day, they convinced Lina to stay home alone for a few days while they went to the city for some business arrangements.
During those days, Neizan saw Meilia lost while he was keeping an eye on someone else, who turned out to be one of the kidnappers planning to take her.
The man, named Toni, was one of the leaders of an organization that kidnapped people for ransom. Besides being dangerous, Toni had several contacts, including a man with whom Arthur was doing business under close surveillance.