Chapter 23:
The name of a new world
By the first day of the day cycle, Ephini had returned to Elnor. She was surprised to see Gilly constantly hanging around with Zenora. This new development brought a smile to her face—after all, Zenora never had anyone she truly called a friend.
Gilly looked toward the door and spotted Ephini walking in. As always, Ephini wore her bright, infectious smile. When she approached the table, she noticed Gilly flipping through an intriguing book—one that introduced the fundamentals of magic and swordsmanship.
After a few moments of skimming the pages, Ephini asked, “Would you like to learn magic?”
Gilly's eyes widened. The question hit her like a jolt. She was more than happy—she was overwhelmed. Her eyes welled up with tears. At last, someone would explain things to her.
Without warning, she jumped up and hugged Ephini tightly.
“Okay, okay!” Ephini laughed, gently patting her back. “I know you’re excited to learn, but I need to rest first. We’ll start tomorrow.”
Zenora, watching from a corner, chuckled softly. Her master getting all "gummy-gummy" with someone? Now that was a sight.
Ephini’s gaze shifted toward Zenora. “Have you mastered the spell?”
Zenora nodded in response, still smiling.
“Oh, by the way—Zin is back. He was looking for you at the training grounds.”
Gilly blinked in surprise, then stood quickly and hurried off.
Zin stood beneath the shed at the training grounds with Pom and Penre beside him. Gilly approached quietly. For some reason, she felt like sneaking up on Zin—perhaps Zenora’s mischievous streak was rubbing off on her.
Zin sat with his back to her, seemingly unaware. Pom and Penre noticed her attempt to sneak, but neither said a word.
When she was just a few steps behind—
Zin turned his head with a knowing smile. “Nice try, but you’re too loud and obvious.”
Gilly jumped back, startled. Pom and Penre burst into laughter. She wouldn’t understand until she became a proper adventurer, they thought.
After their chat with Pom and Penre, Zin finally gave Gilly his attention. He tossed her a wooden sword—the one she liked most.
“Let’s train a bit, shall we?”
Though surprised, Gilly caught the sword without hesitation.
“Remember what Pom and Penre showed you. That’s your foundation. We’ll spar now. But if you do anything outside those basics, I’ll reprimand you with a strike—random and painful.”
He took one hand behind his back, the other holding his sword forward.
“Now, let’s begin.”
Gilly lunged forward several times, attacking with all she had. Each time she faltered, she was met with a swift, unpredictable strike. Arm. Leg. Shoulder. Hip.
After thirty grueling minutes, she collapsed to the ground, breathless.
Zin stood over her. “You still don’t get it. You must monitor your breath as you move. If you breathe too erratically, your enemy can predict you.”
Gilly tilted her head, confused.
Zin sighed. “Let me show you.”
He dashed forward. A gust of wind followed him, blowing her hair wildly as he stopped just short of her. She hadn’t even seen him move.
“As you can see,” he said calmly, “the time it took you to breathe once was more than enough for me to land a strike. Understand now?”
Gilly nodded slowly. Movements—measured in breaths. Skilled warriors could squeeze ten precise movements into a single breath.
She resumed her attacks. This time, the strikes came less often. She was improving.
By evening, Gilly lay flat on the ground, exhausted. Zin had shown no mercy. As he walked away, he simply muttered, “Same time tomorrow.”
Flat on her back, staring at the sky, an idea sparked in her mind. People breathed without thinking—but what if she made her breathing steady and calculated throughout the day?
She gave it a try. At first, it felt strange. For days it was awkward, unnatural. But she practiced—and trained with Zin—steadily. After a week, she decided it was time to see Ephini for magic training.
She entered the library.
It was... empty. Unusually so. The grand, wooden halls normally echoed with whispers and footsteps. Now, silence.
She wandered the aisles—still no one. Not even Zenora.
Just as she turned to leave, a bright light flickered at the edge of her vision. Curiosity stirred. She followed it.
After weaving through several shelves, she arrived at an unfamiliar area filled with strange tools and instruments. To someone from Genesis, it would resemble a science lab. But here in Elnor, this was clearly a magical workspace.
There stood Ephini and Zenora.
Zenora didn’t look well. Her hair was standing as if struck by lightning, and sparks of electricity buzzed around her body.
She turned to Gilly with teary eyes.
“If you try that again, I’ll roast you over a fire,” Ephini warned, arms crossed.
Zenora squeaked and dashed behind Gilly like a scared kitten.
“Let me guess,” Gilly said, sighing. “You tried one of your pranks and failed.”
She walked up to Ephini, but something felt... strange. Ephini’s breathing—it was perfectly steady.
Ephini glanced at Gilly, confused, tilting her head. Gilly did the same. Something was off.
Then, Ephini took a calm breath and began to explain.
“Breathing keeps blood flowing steadily,” she said. “And mana travels with blood. Our mana circuits are mapped directly onto our veins and arteries. When the blood flows, mana flows. But most people breathe chaotically, especially when moving.”
She stepped closer. “That’s why when your breathing becomes consistent... mana feels warmer. Like what you're feeling now.”
Gilly’s eyes widened. She had been feeling warmer. Day after day since she started practicing controlled breathing. That subtle warmth. That gentle tingling—just like during the test.
More shocking—Ephini had sensed it.
Ephini gestured toward a chair. “Sit.”
By the time Gilly sat down, Zenora was already being chased by one of Ephini’s other disciples. She had done something again.
“Keep it down, you two!” Ephini shouted, her voice echoing through the library.
She placed one hand gently on Gilly’s head, the other on her back.
“What I’m about to do is important,” she said. “There are usually two mana clusters—some call them hearts. One in the head, one in the chest. But it varies. Demons have three. One... inconveniently located.”
Gilly’s face flushed red. That was definitely a weird place for anything important.
Ephini continued. “Some rare people—heroes, we call them—have two additional mana clusters. In their stomach.”
Things started to make sense. At last, Gilly could see the shape of the world and its deeper rules.
“Mana flow is difficult to grasp,” Ephini said. “I will pour my mana into your cluster. Just close your eyes... and follow the feeling with your mind.”
Ephini's skin began to glow with a faint golden hue. Calmly, purposefully, her mana began to seep into Gilly.
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