Three years passed.

Now I can walk without issue and explore the house at will.

And, if I think about it, I could technically wander the entire kingdom.

Well, not the entire kingdom. It’d be weird to see two toddlers roaming back alleys crawling with pickpockets. Though the idea is intriguing.

What we can do is stay home, studying the Guide to Magic and Combat and The Paradox Scriptures.

"Are you sure this is how it’s done?" I asked, trying to conjure a tiny gust of wind.

Isolde, with her trademark look of concentration, tilted her head and spun the book in her hands—as if viewing it upside down would magically make the magic work.

"Yes, I’m absolutely sure. But… why isn’t it working?"

Good question.

According to the book, magic requires mana.

Mana exists in all living things. It’s an energy inherent to existence itself. But to use it, you have to manipulate the mana inside your own body.

Like spitting.

You need to control your saliva to spit it out. Mana works the same way.

But that’s not enough. You also need focus.

And that’s the problem.

Isolde insists that to create a wind gust, I have to feel the wind inside me, like it’s part of my being, and then expel it.

"Is that really what I’m supposed to do?"

"Yes! Come check it yourself!"

I sat beside her and reread the passage. Technically, she was right. But how the hell do you properly control mana?

You can’t just believe hard enough and expect a wind gust to shoot out.

"Think the Paradox Scriptures have a better explanation?" I asked, turning to drag the massive tome closer.

I flipped through its pages.

And there it was.

"This says something completely different, Issy."

"Issy." A nickname for Isolde.

I started using it after she decided to call me…

"Lucy, are you sure you’re not reading the wrong page?"

"Hmm…" I scratched my head. "Here. Tell me what I’m supposed to do." I handed her the Paradox Scriptures, pointing to the conflicting instructions.

Isolde read silently, then spoke:

"Alright. Focus the energy in your body. Think of an element—then become that element."

As she spoke, I followed her words.

"Now… release!"

A tiny gust of wind shot from my palm. Barely enough to nudge an empty cup.

But it worked.

For the first time, it worked.

Then Isolde read the final line aloud:

"Upon completion, you may have experienced the Syrix."

…

Wait, what?