Chapter 44 - A Promise

“That’s how it feels to you. Remember that conjuring and try looking at this again.” Rhema opened his hand again. The stars that slipped out of his hand this time were much less than before. There were only a few. The few white stars moved fast and drew in colorful stars that were scattered in the air. The stars that were drawn turned white and began to form a constellation. The same shape as before was formed. “Reshith.” When he recited his spell, the same light was created. After floating the two lights side by side, Rhema looked back at Azriel. “This is magic. Can you tell the difference?”

“The first one… drew a constellation only using the stars inside Rhema’s body. But the second time, the stars that came out of Rhema pulled in other stars.”

“That’s accurate. Conjuring makes changes with one’s own mana. In other words, it’s like scooping water with your bare hands. If you don’t focus, it disappears soon like this.” One of the lights that was floating in the air was turned off and disappeared. Azriel saw the stars that formed a constellation scattering and getting absorbed back into Rhema. “By comparison, magic uses one’s own as a tool to use the mana that’s scattered in nature to make changes.”

“Ummm, as a tool… So, is it like scooping water with a bucket? Then it probably can scoop more water than using hands.”

“That’s right. You are smart, Azriel.” As Rhema praised her, Azriel’s cheeks blushed. “Conjuring has a clear limit. You can’t use any skill that requires more mana than the capacity you’re born with. Thus, only magic can make miracles in the true sense of the word.”

“By the way, Rhema, then why do the wizards today use conjuring and call it magic?”

“It’s because magic has vanished.”

“Vanished? Why?”

With an obscure face, Rhema turned his eyes toward the light that was still left. And he talked about something else instead of answering her. “…Conjuring is the base of magic. Azriel, you will also start with conjuring and the tact to control the dragon eye.” 

The pace at which Azriel learned magic was tremendous. It was so easy for her who could see mana. She could use magic as she saw it accurately when other wizards used it with a vague sense. If she arranged the mana inside her the same way after looking at the arranged shape of the stars in a drop of water, a water drop was formed. If she arranged the stars on a wounded skin in the shape when it was intact, the wound was healed. To Azriel, magic was close to playing. It was similar to drawing along a constellation.

Seeing mana became more natural as time went on. When she focused more, she could see the stars more clearly. The mana that she could see before her eyes were as vivid as if she could touch it. It seemed she could use magic if she just reached out her hand and changed the flow or arrangement without using the mana inside her. Would it not be easier to recover the original state by touching the arrangement of the stars on a wound, instead of drawing a constellation from the intact state over a wound? ‘That would be more natural.’ However, Azriel never touched mana. She consciously tried to forget that she could do so. She had no intention to break her promise with Rhema.

***

Azriel opened her eyes. ‘How long did I sleep…?’ She was still in the inn room. It was bright daylight this time and Rhema was not there. She laid still for a while. It was overwhelming to digest all the memories she recalled. The spirit came flying above her and fluttered.

“You want me to eat? I’m not that hungry right now. I’ll eat it in a while.” As she got her memory back, it was easy to read the spirit’s movement. Leaving the spirit alone, which was anxiously floating around, Azriel put her arm over her eyes. ‘As I thought, I already learned magic. It’d be conjuring to be precise.’ Rhema told her that he would kill her if she became a wizard, but she was already one. Was that why he erased her memory? What would happen now that she remembered it all?

After drawing a deep breath, she lifted her body. Opening the eyes that were shut, she ‘saw’ according to the familiar tact. The beautifully spreading stars. She could see mana naturally like breathing. It was not a difficult thing for her whose memory was revived. Azriel held out her hand. She saw the mana floating above her hand. The golden stars were drawing a constellation. Gazing at the constellation that only she could see, she whispered. “Esthera.” Her mana faithfully responded. A light about the size of a coin was created. “…It works.” The spirit came close and circled around the lump of light that was way smaller than it. Azriel pushed the small light toward the spirit like giving a toy. Leaving behind the spirit, which was tapping the light, she left the bed.

Swaying around the room, she observed the stars. Stars in the water cup, the track of the stars that flowed along with the steam from the soup that the spirit made, and the flow of the stars in the air that was stirred by her movement. The world looked completely different. The night sky of her own was spread. She even felt a sense of freedom. Inside it, Azriel unraveled her own stars. As if mesmerized, she kept drawing on constellations. “Esthera. Esthera. Esthera.” The spell continued like a song. The magic that young Azriel learned and memorized, what Rhema called ‘conjuring’ bloomed without ceasing. While doing so, at one point, she felt dizzy with a whistle.