Noah sat on the grass with his legs folded like a weird human pretzel, back straight, palms resting gently on his knees, and eyes shut tight like he was trying to channel his inner monk.
He looked like every yoga enthusiast who didn't know what they were doing but still posted it on Instagram with a caption like "finding my center".
He took a slow, dramatic breath in.
And then out.
Then in again.
Because that's what Mira told him to do.
…Okay, she didn't exactly say the breathing part.
She just said, "Try to feel the magic in the air."
Easy for her to say.
She was out here wearing mystical glowing robes and floating bubbles around like a Pokémon gym leader.
Meanwhile, Noah was here in sweatpants that still had a little bit of unicorn milk on them.
"Feel it yet?" Mira's voice rang from a short distance away, her tone playful as always.
"Nope. Not yet," Noah replied, keeping his eyes shut.
He was determined this time. He was going to do it. No more distractions.
He took another deep breath and shut everything else off.
No distractions. No memes. No sudden thoughts about the ethical implications of toilet paper in a medieval society.
Just vibes.
His brain, finally quiet for the first time in what felt like days, let his other senses take the wheel.
He remembered from one of his med lectures that when you block out one sense — like sight — the other senses become more active.
That made sense, right?
So he focused.
He could hear the soft brushing of wind as it flowed past his ears, like invisible fingers combing through the grass.
He heard bugs buzzing in the distance.
He even heard the thudding of Mira's feet gently pressing the ground as she walked further away.
Damn, she walked like a cat. Stealthy as hell.
'Focus, Noah.'
The sun lightly warmed his face, kissing his cheeks like a gentle oven preheating a sad little lasagna.
The breeze touched his skin like whispers. He felt a few strands of hair lift from his forehead.
And then —
"Oh for the love of — GARRICK?!"
He could hear the unmistakable sound of Sir Garrick slurping something. Loudly.
"Is that a drink? Are you seriously drinking right now?! I'm trying to spiritually evolve!" Noah hissed, his eyes still shut but his soul mildly offended.
There was no answer.
Just another loud sluuuuuuurp in the distance. Followed by what sounded like someone chewing with their mouth open. God help him.
But then, amidst all that chaos…
He felt it.
Something strange.
Subtle.
Like little flickers in the air around him. Threads of warmth, like invisible fireflies dancing around his fingers.
His lungs filled, and the air suddenly felt richer. Cooler. Like he was breathing in a slushy breeze of pure energy.
Magic. That had to be it.
His hand tingled, almost tickled. He focused harder, inhaled deeper.
And then —
"Done it yet?"
"AAAAAH!" Noah leapt back like a startled cat, eyes flying open as his fist cocked back on reflex like he was about to deck the next thing in front of him.
Which, unfortunately, was Mira.
She smiled. Not even phased. Like she'd known exactly what he'd do.
"Easy, Rocky," she said, laughing lightly. "You've done it."
Noah blinked, still stuck in half a battle stance. "What?"
"Look at your hand," she said.
He turned his gaze to his right palm… and gasped.
His hand was glowing.
Not like radioactive or flashlight-glowing, but softly — like a dim light bulb that had dreams of being a star.
It shimmered slightly, like a pool reflecting moonlight.
"That… That's magic?" he asked, genuinely shocked.
"Well, yes," Mira replied with a smirk. "The first spark. It's like lighting a candle inside your soul. That glow means your mana has awakened. Congratulations."
Noah stood upright and shook his head. "You scared the soul out of me."
"Consider it my training method."
"You could've just… clapped or something."
"But where's the fun in that?" she said with a cheeky grin, placing her hands behind her back and rocking on her heels.
Noah was still staring at his hand. "So I can do magic now?"
"Technically, yes. But don't go trying to blow anything up just yet." She walked around him slowly. "Your magic's still raw. Unrefined. Like dough before it becomes bread."
"Bread's good."
"Not when it's raw."
"…Touché."
Mira chuckled and plopped down in front of him on the grass like this was just a picnic and not a literal arcane training session. "Now that you've felt the magic, you'll start to feel it more naturally. Eventually, you won't even need to meditate like this. You'll just… breathe it in."
Noah nodded slowly. "It's like a magical vape pen, got it."
"That analogy is horrifying and accurate."
They both laughed.
Even Garrick chuckled from the distance, probably still slurping on something obnoxious. Probably sake.
Noah sat again, this time just enjoying the moment.
His hand was still softly glowing.
There was no system notification. No level-up jingle. Just… the quiet joy of realizing he'd taken the first step into something new.
And Mira — well, she just sat beside him, arms behind her, eyes closed, her silver hair flowing with the breeze like a painting that came to life.
The sun had begun to rise higher into the sky.
"You did good, Hero," she said softly. "Tomorrow, we'll start learning how to shape that energy."
Noah smiled. For once, it wasn't sarcastic or ironic.
It was genuine.
"Cool," he said.
Then paused.
"…Wait, does shaping involve more explosions?"
"Oh, definitely."
"…God help me."