Six days remained before the end of the month.
Shulim began working on light magic.
At first, she had assumed light magic would be the easiest of all. Daytime was full of sunlight, and at night there were always lamps.
She had been wrong.
The experience she had gained from the four natural elements turned out to be almost useless for light magic. The gap between light and the natural elements was far greater than she had expected. It almost felt like the difference between practicing fire magic and then suddenly trying to learn water magic all over again.
Shulim kept practicing, determined to master it as quickly as possible.
One day passed.
Then two.
By the third day, impatience had finally begun to creep in.
She could feel it. She was close. If she just kept going like this, she knew she would soon be able to cast the first-circle light spell, Illuminate.
But...
She was running out of time.
As Shulim stood there wrestling with that frustration, Lilia came up behind her. She seemed to sense what was troubling her. Leaning down slightly, she asked in a soft voice,
"What’s wrong, Shulim? Is something bothering you?"
Seeing it was Lilia, Shulim thought for a moment, then admitted what had been weighing on her mind.
"I feel like I’m always just one step away from casting Illuminate, but for some reason I never quite get there."
Lilia smiled gently when she heard that.
"So that’s what it is."
Then she said, "Here. Hold out your hand."
Shulim looked at her in confusion, but did as she was told.
Lilia raised her own right hand as well. Her lips moved as she softly recited an incantation, and a gentle glow bloomed from her palm.
Then she took Shulim’s little hand in her glowing one.
Soft white light slipped through the gaps between their fingers. As Shulim watched it, a strange feeling rose inside her.
"Shulim, do you feel it? Light is gentle. Light is quiet. Reach for it with a heart that knows patience, and I think... it will answer you."
At some point, Lilia stepped away.
But her words stayed with Shulim, echoing over and over in her mind.
Night fell.
In the dark stillness of her room...
"[ᛏᛃᚪᛖᛚᛜᛏᚠᚪᛡᛃᛋקיᛚᚺᛜᛖᚾהᛤ]"
A soft white light rose from Shulim’s fingertip and pushed back the darkness in the room.
...
Three days remained before the end of the month.
Shulim had mastered the first-circle light spell, Illuminate.
On the second night after mastering light magic, she blocked the moonlight coming through the window with a bedsheet, then sealed up the light leaking in through the gap under the door.
In an instant, the entire room sank into pitch-black darkness.
At first, Shulim lost her sense of direction.
Then she lost her sense of space.
After that, it felt as though the whole world had drifted away from her, and the oldest loneliness in existence wrapped itself around her completely.
Shulim curled up tightly, doing everything she could to keep her violently shaken emotions under control. She fought the urge to rip the sheet off the window and let the light back in.
She stayed like that, curled into herself.
Slowly, her eyes closed, and the turmoil inside her gradually settled too.
She had no idea how much time passed.
Then the darkness around her seemed to grow even deeper.
Something had come close.
And within that darkness, which should have been empty forever, she no longer felt alone.
Two days remained before the end of the month.
Night again. The same sealed room.
At last, Shulim understood what it was that had gathered around her.
They were dark particles.
"[ᛖᚲᛃᛏכᛤᛜᛚᛄᚪᛡᛏᛗᚠᚺᛜᛖᛄᚠᚳ]"
The familiar sensation of mana being consumed ran through her, and the darkness around her suddenly deepened. A veil of shadow, thin and soft as gauze, settled over her body like a blanket.
The first-circle dark spell, Shadow Veil.
Mastered.
...
One day remained before the end of the month.
And Shulim finally ran into her biggest problem yet.
"How am I even supposed to learn void magic...?"
With the other elemental branches, she had at least been able to use the environment to her advantage.
Void magic offered no such shortcut.
Compared to the other elements, each with its own clear nature, void had only one defining trait.
It had none.
Even though void particles were the most widespread of all, they were so widespread that people naturally overlooked them.
Like air.
Unless someone deliberately reminded you of it, you barely noticed the air around you at all.
And it was precisely because void had no obvious quality, no real character, no clean word to pin to it, that it had been given the name void in the first place.
Mm...
If there really was one thing best suited for observing void particles, then it could only be...
Thinking of something, Shulim lowered her head almost without realizing it.
...
The month came to an end.
And with it came the day of Shulim’s promise with Semirys.
"Semirys, I’m here."
"Oh ho. I thought you might not show up at all. But look at you, no running away. Very brave."
At the forest lake, Semirys floated lazily above the water as she teased her.
"Hmph. I was never going to run. You’re the one who should get ready to accept defeat, Semirys."
Semirys’s teasing did not move her in the slightest. Shulim fired back without even changing expression.
"Oh..."
Semirys looked at her in surprise.
"You feel different from a month ago..."
"Of course. I’ve grown more than ever before. I’m basically a mature adult now."
"Heh..."
Semirys clutched her stomach, barely holding back her laughter, while muttering under her breath at top speed,
"Pff. A mature adult? You grew a tiny bit and now you’re full of yourself. If anything, that just proves you’re still a little baby."
"Did you say something, Semirys?"
"Ahem. Nothing at all."
"Fine then. Since you didn’t run away, it’s time to honor the pact. Shulim, show me what all your hard work has brought you."
The wings behind Semirys shone with faint light as she made the declaration grandly.
At the same time, though, a sly smile curled at her lips.
As if mastering all seven branches of magic in one month were possible. This bet was unwinnable for you from the very beginning, Shulim. I can see right through that bluff of yours.
"Gladly. I’ll show you exactly what this month was worth."
Shulim set her stance and raised her voice.
For a moment, the whole forest seemed to grow tense.
"First spell."
Shulim thrust out her right hand.
"First-circle fire spell, Ignite."
"[ᛓᚠᛟᚾᚲתᛖᛜᚢᚪᛖᛡᛞᚠᛟᛃᛜᚣᚲ]"
As the incantation left her lips, a small flame sprang to life at her fingertip.
"Well, Semirys?"
"Uh..."
Semirys’s smile stiffened a little.
"F-fine. I’ll count that first one."
Inside, she hurried to reassure herself.
It was only one spell. Anyone could manage one spell in a month if they worked at it. No big deal. Nothing to worry about.
The next one, though?
Surely the next one would be where she failed.
That confidence returned to Semirys at once, and the smile came back to her face.
"Next is the second."
Here it comes. Let me see you crash and burn now, Shulim.
"[ᛣᛏᚠᚷᛜᛣᛃᛗᛡᛁᚾᛗᛚᚪᛜᛈᛒᚱᚪ]"
"Water Stream."
A clear ribbon of water shot from Shulim’s finger.
...Wait, she cast it?
Semirys’s eyes widened, and the smile on her face froze solid.
For the first time, she started to panic a little.
So this kid is actually dual-affinity? And hold on, you really did learn two branches in a single month. You actually worked insanely hard for this.
"Well, Semirys?"
"Uh... f-fine. I’ll count the second one too. But don’t get smug yet. The real test starts now. Don’t assume you’ll be able to cast a third spell too. Honestly, you’d be better off surrendering now. I promise I won’t laugh at you..."
"Rock Shot."
Whoosh.
Before Semirys could even finish, a stone shot past her ear and fell straight into the lake.
A splash rang out, and ripples spread across the water.