“What do you mean?” Vierna asked. Her sudden confidence shattered. It was bad enough being born Faintborn, now even her affinity was a stroke of bad luck? She wondered how much misfortune a person could be dealt in one life.
Albrecht said, “If your element had been lightning, fire, or even earth, that amount of mana could have injured or at least staggered an opponent.”
“Wind spells also don’t have much direct impact with that amount of mana,” he continued, “but water? Just look at the dummy. All you did was soak it. That wouldn’t help you much on a battlefield.”
“But… can’t I just make the water slice things or something?” Vierna asked quickly. “I remember seeing a water mage form a blade from it. If I train, if I—”
“You’re a Faintborn, Vierna,” Albrecht cut in. “Water blades take a lot of water, condensed so tightly it builds cutting pressure, and that means high mana cost. Every element has its own advantage, but for water, real damage comes from volume, and volume needs mana.”
He folded his arms. “That’s why your low mana is such an unfortunate match for your affinity.”
“Then… what should I do?” Vierna asked. She was clearly holding back tears. Being denied magic again, especially by the best mentor in Einhartturm stung. It stung so much she almost felt like stabbing her own heart just to make the feeling stop.
“Vierna, if I were you, I would stop trying,” Albrecht said, his tone dark and final.
Her eyes went blank. This was exactly what she feared, being denied. If even Albrecht had given up on her, then what hope did she have? What training, what books, what modifications, what part of her body, what part of her soul would she have to sell just to be able to able to wield magic?
It was as if something inside her split.
Her own mind divided into two voices, one hers, the other a shadow curling around her thoughts, trying to choke the air out of her.
Thoughts churned inside Vierna’s mind, her own and the shadow’s twisting together in a chaotic dance. She stared at the floor, forcing herself to breathe, to focus on endure it.
But it felt useless. If even Albrecht—the best mentor in Einhartturm—said she should give up, then wasn’t the best course of action simply to obey? Yet giving up meant returning to life as a guinea pig, something she had been glad to escape.
She tried to bargain with herself, insisting it was still a form of service. But deep down she knew: if her life was to be spent that way, it would never be enough to fill the hole inside her—the hollow that kept echoing the same word: that she was of only limited use. To be granted trust and fail to uphold it hurt more than never being trusted at all.
As she tried to steady herself, looking around the room trying to find anything that probably would calm her down, she saw her friend, Lina.
Her eyes were wide open, black starry pupils fixed with unshakable certainty. It was as if Albrecht’s words had never reached her ears. The look, unflinching snapped Vierna back to reality, she still believed her, believe that Vierna could make it out of this.
The intensity of her gaze pierced through the twisted dance of Vierna’s thoughts, giving her the calm she needed to begin gathering the scattered pieces of her mind.
Didn’t I know from the start? My condition has always been the wall I have to overcome, she thought. I told Lina to stay in the facility for me, that I would help her get her revenge. And now, just because Albrecht told me to give up, I did just that?
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
If mere words are enough to deter my will and my love for magic, and at the same time keep me from fulfilling my promise to Lina, then it isn’t enough that I should simply stop trying. It would be better for me to just kill myself.
I shouldn’t give up on myself. This isn’t me. Even when I had nothing, I still helped them by delivering supplies. Nothing has changed. My challenge is still the same—it’s me. Somehow I forgot. Somehow I became weak here, and letting something like this affect me was a mistake. I need to snap out of it.
As her confidence finally rallied under this new banner, she turned to face Albrecht.
"Albrecht, I appreciate your suggestion,” Vierna said. "But I’m not giving up because of my condition. I can still learn magic. If not from you, then from someone else."
"Good," he replied. "Your will is admirable, and will is the muscle of the spirit. Your magic will be stronger if you find your confidence."
Vierna didn’t know how to react, was this a test? Or just a coincidence? But the fact that Albrecht didn’t tried to discourage her again was enough for her at this moment.
“And Vierna, I’ll admit, the test you both just took was only a warm-up. Lina, stand next to her. This next part is crucial, so I want you both ready.”
In a way, it made Vierna glad to hear it from Albrecht. It meant that everything so far had only been a test of endurance. She was glad she hadn’t let her condition dictate her fate, and it had already paid off. And this next part? Who knew? maybe it would spark the epiphany she needed to overcome her elemental disadvantage.
Lina stepped into place while Albrecht positioned himself beside his soaked, half-burned training dummy.
He smiled,
Suddenly a red magic circles flared at both arms as he thrust them forward, conjuring blazing fireballs that streaked toward both girls. The flames were vicious, searing the air, and in that instant it felt like a murder attempt.
Lina reacted instantly, a red magic circle blazing before her as she hurled a molten red and yellow orb that crashed into the incoming fireball in a burst of sparks.
At the same time, Vierna poured every drop of mana into her fingertips, anything she could summon to stop the oncoming spell. Her mind and spirit locked together in the single instinct to survive. A white-blue magic circle bloomed before her arm, and something tore free, smashing into the second fireball. Steam erupted in a violent hiss as frozen fragments clattered to the ground.
As the threat was intercepted, both girls panted, the urge to protest rising in their throats, but the sheer shock of what had just happened smothered the words. What kind of mentor hurled fireballs out of nowhere?
"The most reliable way to know your true affinity," Albrecht said calmly, "is in a moment of surprise, when your body and spirit react on instinct, casting the element that resonates most with you."
"For Lina, the result matches your tests and records. You are fire through and through."
"But for you, Vierna…."
"It was still water, wasn’t it?" Vierna asked, glancing at the puddle.
Despite the puddle, she tried to recall the sensation. Her gaze dropped to her fingers, where wisps of pale vapor still curled upwards. She remembered the bite of cold when the spell left her hand, but she wasn’t sure. It had all happened like a flash of light, brief and gone in an instant.
"No, Vierna. It was ice," Halwen said.
Vierna frowned. Ice wasn’t rare, just a common blend of wind and water anyone could learn. With her low mana, was this change even worth noting?
"I don’t understand," she said. "It’s just another water-based element, right?"
"Wrong, Vierna," Albrecht replied. "Now, stand there and shoot at the dummy. What you did before. You remember it, don’t you?"
"But my man—"
Vierna shut her mouth. She didn’t have much mana left, but it didn’t matter. Reason had nothing to do with it anymore, she would do whatever was asked of her.
She stood, closed her eyes, and tried to recall the feeling. The deep cold, the clear crystal of ice, the way it felt against her skin in winter, even the memory of the moon’s cold gaze.
When she opened her eyes, she released an icicle.
It wasn’t big, but it was enough. The shard struck the dummy and pierced through its body.
"See what I mean?" Albrecht said. "A simple, low-mana icicle can still pierce an enemy and cause injury. Water? All it will do is soak them."
“However, Vierna, do not be relieved just yet. The fact that a single icicle to intercept my spell drained your mana means you still have a long way to go. And this one you fired at the dummy? Far too small. Prepare yourself, you are not out of the woods yet.”
Can we sue Albrecht for the murder attempt?
