Lyria settled in with us as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Mira served her something to drink, and the two women naturally began chatting.
They talked about things whose details I didn’t fully understand.
Travel.
People whose names I’d never heard.
Places I didn’t know.
Every now and then, Kael joined in to tell an anecdote.
Sometimes, Mira and Lyria made fun of him.
I simply listened.
There was something strangely pleasant about watching them talk.
They seemed to share a history I didn’t know yet.
A history that had probably begun long before I was born.
After a while, Lyria turned to me.
“All right.”
She set down her cup.
“I suppose we should have a serious talk.”
She looked at me.
“Before we begin your training, there’s something I’d rather tell you.”
“What?”
“I’m not human.”
I blinked.
Mira and Kael didn’t react.
Apparently, they already knew she was going to tell me.
Lyria continued as naturally as ever:
“I’m from the Great Demon Continent.”
My attention immediately shifted to her.
The famous continent.
I’d heard about it several times since I was born, but I never would have imagined meeting someone who came from there.
“You’re a demon?”
“Yes.”
She made no attempt to hide anything.
“What race are you?”
Lyria smiled faintly.
“I’m a Nelys.”
I repeated the name silently.
I didn’t know that race.
And yet, she looked completely human.
She seemed to notice.
“We have a human appearance.”
She placed a hand against her face.
“No particular animal features.”
“Then why are you a demon?”
She thought for a few seconds.
“Because that’s how my people are classified.”
The answer was simple.
Then she added:
“We also have an extremely long life expectancy.”
“How long?”
Lyria smiled.
“I’m a hundred and seven years old.”
I fell silent.
I looked at her.
Then Mira.
Then Kael.
Then Lyria again.
A hundred and seven years old.
And yet she looked like a woman in her twenties.
“You’re a hundred and seven?”
“Yes.”
“But you’re young.”
“For my race, yes.”
She let out a soft laugh.
“You’ll understand later.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what she meant.
But that information had made this woman far more mysterious in my eyes.
Then I remembered something.
“How do you know my parents?”
Lyria exchanged a look with Mira.
Mira smiled at her.
Lyria answered simply:
“I was part of their adventurer party.”
I immediately turned toward my parents.
Kael calmly continued drinking.
Mira, meanwhile, seemed perfectly at ease.
I’d never heard anything about this.
My parents had never told me they’d been adventurers.
I wanted to ask questions.
Lots of questions.
But before I could speak, Lyria added:
“We traveled together for quite a while.”
She didn’t elaborate.
Neither did Kael.
Mira merely smiled.
I quickly realized there were certain things they didn’t want to tell me yet.
So I didn’t press them.
For now.
After that first conversation, Lyria began taking a more serious interest in my training.
Mira explained exactly what I’d studied.
She told her about the books I’d found in the attic.
About the five types of magic I’d learned.
And, most importantly, about my ability to use magic without an incantation.
Lyria listened carefully.
Then she turned to me.
“Can you show me?”
I stood up.
I held out my hand.
A small flame appeared above my palm.
No incantation.
Lyria watched the flame carefully before asking me:
“Water.”
I made a small sphere of water appear.
“Earth.”
A small amount of dirt rose from the floor.
“Wind.”
A current of air gently passed through the room.
“Healing.”
A white light appeared around my hand.
Lyria remained silent.
She looked at my hands.
Then my parents.
Then my hands again.
“Five forms of magic.”
She thought for a moment.
“And no incantation.”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
“You learned all that in one year?”
“Yes.”
Lyria crouched down in front of me.
“Then I understand better why Kael and Mira asked me to come.”
She gently placed a hand on my shoulder.
“You have a lot of talent.”
I smiled faintly.
Then she added:
“But you also have a lot of bad habits.”
My smile disappeared.
“Bad habits?”
“Yes.”
She looked at my hands.
“You can produce the results you want. But that doesn’t mean you truly understand the fundamentals.”
I fell silent.
“You taught yourself, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good.”
She smiled.
“But it’s also the problem.”
She stood up.
“A book can explain how to cast a spell.”
She picked up one of the books lying on the table.
“But it can’t watch your movements.”
She picked up another.
“It can’t sense your mana.”
Then she closed the book.
“And it certainly can’t stop you from developing bad habits.”
I looked at my hands.
She was right.
I’d managed on my own for a year.
I’d experimented until I got the results I wanted.
But I’d never had anyone tell me whether the way I was doing things was correct.
Lyria smiled.
“I’m not going to ask you to forget everything you’ve learned.”
I looked up.
“Really?”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“Some of the things you’ve discovered are extremely interesting.”
Her expression grew more serious.
“But if you want to keep improving, you’ll have to rebuild some of your fundamentals.”
I thought for a few seconds.
Then I nodded.
“Okay.”
Lyria smiled.
“Good.”
She looked at Mira and Kael.
“We’ll start tomorrow.”
Kael nodded.
“Thank you.”
Mira smiled in turn.
“I’m glad you agreed.”
Lyria answered her with a warm smile.
“How could I refuse?”
Then she looked at Ewen.
“After all, I should see whether the son of my old companions can become a true mage.”
I looked up.
A true mage...
For the first time since discovering the attic, I felt like someone was finally going to help me understand what I was really doing.
And without knowing it yet, my true training in magic was about to begin.