The moment Curiosity decred her status as a teacher, a subtle wave rolled across the ’s mana.

  A ? Curiosity is a teacher? This is a school? Also, why did the ’s mana suddenly behave weirdly… The little spirit’s mana was rippling full of fusion. She had so many questions that she didn’t even know where to begin.

  Sensiudent’s overflowing wohe alleged teacher hummed in amusement. “Eager to learn, are we? Unfortunately, while I’d love to expin what I just did, it’d be hard for me to do so without teag you some other things first. For the time being, let’s just say that I used magiake this area more suitable for learning.”

  More suitable…? In what way? How was that any different from not expining anything at all? The little spirit swirled in dissatisfa at the teacher’s chartan-like expnation.

  Curiosity giggled, “Don’t worry, you’ll uand ter. For now, why don’t you find a spot behind one of those desks so we get started.”

  Chara, pelled by her thirst for knowledge, did as she was told and obediently floated behind her assigned seat.

  “ht—before we begin, I’d like to crify a few things,” said the greater spirit, her mana rippling momentarily.

  “Firstly, I know you only asked me to teach you about [Magic]. However, this spirit doesn’t have any inpetent students! Therefore, I’ll also be teag you about general knowledge, aesthetics, exploration, and bat.

  “So, until you master all of these subjects, you don’t get to graduate from being my student!” decred Curiosity in a tone of finality.

  Aesthetics…? Chara was so baffled that she even sidered whether ‘aesthetics’ was a misinterpretation. She couldn’t see what it had anything to do with magior why the greater spirit insisted on including it in her lessons. Was she training to bee a fashionista?

  “Yes, aesthetics. Uanding symbolism is foundational for the utilization and uanding of magic. I’ll expin it fully at aime,” eborated the swirling teacher without diving into too much detail. “Before we begin, I o ask you some questions so I gauge your knowledge about magic. Is that alright?”

  Answer your question? How I answer your question If I ’t even speak…? Chara mpooned inwardly. However, seds ter, she intuitively felt the limitation over her speech rex slightly.

  “A—Ah…”

  Upon firming her little student’s flustered voice, the greater spirit promptly posed her first question. “Using your own words, answer me this. What is mana?”

  Baby, not expeg such a simple yet profound questiht from the start, scrambled to form her thoughts.

  “Ah. Umm, mana is… magic power?” she guessed, after thinking for a few seds and ing out bnk.

  “Uhm, correct…! But also insuffit,” Curiosity aowledged aed at the same time. “Mana is possibility. Magic is just an expression of that possibility,” she eborated full of enthusiasm, drawing out the listener’s i and leaving them wanting to know more.

  Possibility? But mana clearly exists! How something that exists iy be the same as something that could exist—but doesn’t? Chara’s mana rippled with inprehension. In her vieossibility” ceased to be a possibility the moment it became real, leavio wonder, how could mana—which was clearly real—possibly be both?

  Sensing the little spirit’s budding curiosity, the swirling teacher swirled in approval.

  “Alright! question: Where does mana e from?”

  Chara looked around with uainty. To be ho, she had never even thought about it. Everywhere she looked, there was mana. It was so abundant that she had started treating it like the oxygen in the air, or the water in the o—a fact of life.

  But then she g herself. She was also made of mana, only different. Uhe surrounding mana, which was suffused with distinct impressions and color, hers was iridest and pure. Never mixing with aernal mana, it tinuously swirls in and out of her form in an endless vortex, as if guided by some unseen force.

  Suddenly, as if this invisible force was no longer enough, a small puff of mana wisped off the top of her form and separated from her body, soon blending into the rest of the colors.

  Did my mana just overflow…!?

  The little spirit watched ily as this occurrence repeated several more times, yet not once did she detey external mana seeping into her body, despite the ongoing swirling.

  Could it be that my body tinuously gees mana, causing it to overflow and fill the enviro?

  A faint voi her mind suggested that this clusion tradicted the w of servation of energy, but she ig.

  “From within,” answered Chara, finally responding to the teacher’s question.

  “Correct. Very observant,” praised the greater spirit. She had observed everything. Seeiudent bee curious about a topid immediately seek out the answers filled her with deep satisfa.

  Having been praised, the little spirit swished happily without realizing it.

  “Then, do you know why spirits are always swirling?” asked Curiosity.

  Chara spent the hirty seds staring at herself fruitlessly until her mana started expanding and trag in frustration. All the while exging sorrowful gnces betweeeacher and herself.

  Curiosity wao ugh so badly but held it io her student’s temper. If possible, she would prefer to spend the rest of her lesson teag and not coaxing.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll expin ter,” pcated the swirling teacher.

  After carefully assessiudent’s answers, the greater spirit believed that she had a pretty solid grasp of Baby’s expertise—which, as it happened, was close to nil. Thus, she opted against further questioning.

  Curiosity took scious trol of her mana, separated a small amount from her body, and guided it across the room to one of the mottled bck ets. Upon making tact, its glittering intensified, and the et door opened.

  Ihe et was a void. A darkness so tangible, that it spilled out of the et in an ominous bck cloud, drinking the oning light.

  Indifferent, the detached curiosity mana familiarly maneuvered into the darkness. Seds ter, it floated back out, levitating a sinister-looking bck rock. After pg the ro top of the et, it shut the drabbed the rock again, aated it to the teacher’s desk.

  Having procured something ominous, she was about to tinue her lesson when she realized that her little student had been shocked silly.

  Upaining her wits, Baby immediately began swirliionally and cm for answers. As, most of her queries were either pletely nonsensical, or required too much background knowledge to be answered in a cise manner, fated to be ignored.

  Once she settled down, Curiosity began speaking, “Now that that’s out of the way, it’s time to move on to the first subject of today’s lesson, [Casting]!”

  maury