Velessa met her gaze without flinching. Her throat still burned, her fingers trembled, but her voice was steady.
"Right," she said.
Caldreya grinned, pleased.
"Good. I'd hate to waste muffins on a quitter."
She reached into the box again, took another bite, and gestured lazily at the tome. "Now, do it again. And this time, stop choking on your own spell."
"Do you eat your food this way too? Fufufu~."
Velessa gave her a flat look, rubbing her throat. "Only when I want to die dramatically."
Caldreya snorted, half-choking on laughter and muffin. She coughed, waved a hand, and took a deep breath.
"Marvelous. We're off to a tragic, hilarious start."
She wheezed. "Now try again, and don't think too hard. Magic flows, it doesn't crunch numbers."
Velessa rolled her eyes but turned back to the tome, determination flickering in her violet-gold eyes.
And so their lesson continued. Hour after hour, from early morning to late evening, Velessa repeated the process-copying symbols, consuming mana, building magic circles, and promptly choking on the backlash. Her frustrations mounted like a stormcloud, yet each failure brought her closer to succeeding.
Velessa gazed at Caldreya, who had slumped into the chair, already departed into the land of dreams. Her gentle snores-soft at first-soon grew into a symphony that echoed through the quiet room, entirely unfitting for someone who'd just been yapping about magical discipline.
Velessa's face twitched. Sweat clung to her skin, her expression scrunched in silent outrage as she stared at the sleeping witch.
Velessa's eye twitched. A thin wisp of fire slipped from between her lips, flickering for an instant before vanishing into the air.
She exhaled through her nose, sharp and slow, then turned back to the tome. Her fingers hovered over the page again, eyes determined.
Her palm opened.
One by one, five magic circles bloomed into being above her hand-elegant, intricate, each one spinning at a different rhythm. A sixth shimmered faintly into existence, its lines still forming.
She had chosen six governing laws to bind her spell together:
To exist,
To be part of this world,
To absorb,
To return,
To protect,
And to obey.
Each principle wove itself into its own circle, their threads overlapping, harmonizing, resisting. It wasn't perfect, but it was hers. A spell born of sheer will.
All she had to do now was stabilize the spell-anchor its shape, give it purpose, and then summon it fully into existence.
The circles hummed. Threads of violet and gold light danced between them, weaving through the air like strands of silk. They resisted her command, wobbling at the edges, testing her.
Velessa gritted her teeth and extended both hands, pouring more of her will into it. The mana around her stirred, wild and stubborn, responding to her focus.
"Obey!" she whispered.
The sixth circle flared, locking the others into alignment.
A barrier, black as the void between stars, surged around her. It rose like a tide, surrounding her in a sphere of living shadow. Faint sigils pulsed along its surface, flickering like embers in the dark. It swallowed her , blocking everything beyond her sight, sound, and even mana.
Velessa stood in the heart of the storm.
Her shoulders sagged as she exhaled, her breath shaky and uneven. Sweat trailed down her temple, but her lips curved upward.
She had done it.
The barrier hummed, an eerie, rhythmic pulse, as if it were alive—pushing and pulling with the ebb and flow of some ancient force. Velessa remained within it, her body trembling slightly with the strain of the spell. Each breath she took felt heavy, laden with the power of the magic she had summoned.
She stood, caught in the weight of the spell, but for the first time in what felt like forever, she felt a sense of accomplishment, of triumph. The dark sphere that surrounded her was no longer just a defense. It was proof of her growth, of her potential.
Then suddenly, for a fleeting moment, everything around her seemed to pause, as if the world itself was cut in half.
Then, a familiar voice broke the silence.
"Well, well... Look at you."
In an instant, the barrier broke in two.
In the blink of an eye, Caldreya stood before Velessa, her finger extended toward her in a playful gesture.
"You truly are a one-in-a-world talent."
She said, her voice dripping with both admiration and something darker beneath the surface.
Velessa blinked, her chest still heaving from the exertion, but her eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
"I told you I wouldn't stop," she replied, barely being conscious.
Caldreya's smile widened, as though Velessa's success had both surprised and delighted her.
"Hmm. So it seems." She tilted her head.
"But remember, power is never as simple as it seems. It will break you just as easily as it builds you."
Her eyes glimmered, and a flicker of something dangerous danced in her gaze.
"Arrogance is a deadly poison to every genius."
Her brows furrowed.
"Power is a seductive thing. It whispers promises of control, but it always demands a price. Every choice you make will pull you further into its grasp."
Her smile stretched wider, but her eyes remained cold, blank, as if staring through Velessa rather than at her.
"Until eventually, it leaves nothing remaining from what you once were."
The room fell heavy with her words, the silence suffocating. Velessa's throat tightened, her heart pounding in her chest. But before she could respond, a sudden, sharp chime echoed through the room, slicing through the tension.
The clock struck eleven.
Caldreya blinked, her smile faltering for just a second before it returned.
"Oh my," she said with surprise, glancing at the clock, "when did eleven pm arrive?"
"It seems we've reached the end of your lesson for today. And I must say…"
She paused, her eyes glinting with joy. "You did better than I expected."
She walked towards the door, slowly opening it and looking around the corridor.
"It appears that Peter isn't the type of man that fulfills their promises."
Her voice was laced with a quiet amusement.
"I'm going to bed. After all, every lady needs her beauty sleep."
She pointed towards Velessa.
"Even you."
The creaking of the stairs could be heard as she vanished into the night.
Velessa was still sitting on the couch. Thinking about everything that happened today.
Suddenly a stomach growled.
"I am hungry..."