In the Library of Lockheart Palace, Lilly wandered between towering bookshelves, a book tucked under her arm. She swung her arms in wide arcs as she strolled, each step long and carefree, a bright smile lighting her face.
No one understands me! Lilly thought in a soft, treble voice that wrapped around her words like a lullaby.
Everyone treats me like a baby who can't do anything!
Her smile sharpened with pride. I am great, and I know my magic will one day be among the best in the world! They just don't know it yet.
Reaching the window, she placed the book she had taken from the shelves atop the small stack she'd gathered on the sill. Then, with no small effort, she gathered all ten books into her arms. Struggling forward, she made her way toward the corner where she had built a fort out of "useless" books, ones not about magic.
Setting the stack down, she straightened with a groan, rubbing her back.
Gosh, why are just ten books so heavy? Tsk, such a bother… She shook her head, but her smile returned. But! Now… the books I worked so hard to bring here will help me build my knowledge! Ha! You should be grateful!
She chuckled and knelt at the entrance of her book-fort, pushing the new stack inside before crawling in herself. Leaning against the wall, she stretched her legs and pulled out the first magic book: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Theory on Magic.
Fufufu… be grateful, books, that you will be used for such a great act of learning by me! she declared, a blush warming her cheeks.
Reading on, Lilly couldn't help but blush as her eyes traced each line, understanding more and more of the intermediate theorem.
"Ah, yes! Let's see… beginning chapter!" With a bright smile, and her eyes glimmering with excitement as she began to read.
Elemental fusion falls into three ranks: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced , determined by how many of the six base elements , water, earth, fire, wind, light, and dark , are woven together.
Lilly's head remained glued to the book, unbothered and unaware of the world outside. She didn't even notice Luna peeking into the book fort she'd made, waving a hand in front of her. Luna's confused chuckle went completely unheard.
Beginner spells made of one or two fusions, simple enough for novices to grasp. Intermediate spells require three to five, demanding skill, focus, and practice. Advanced spells weave six or more , works of power and peril, mastered only after years of study, often yielding strange and unpredictable results.
Lilly took a deep breath, satisfied with what she'd read. The wide smile on her face and the faint blush could only mean one thing , satisfaction. Pure satisfaction.
"Yes! Finally, I'm done with beginner magic! Now I can dive deep into deeper waters!"
Finally, she would be able to prove Dad wrong , and wipe that smug look off Aria's face, the one she always wore when chuckling at Lilly's expense. Gosh, how mad Aria would be to see her effort and progress!
Lilly set the book in her lap and rested her hands. Only then did she notice Luna, sitting just outside the fort with a bright smile, still peeking in at her.
Lilly's gaze locked on Luna, her mind went blank. Luna only waved, that same gentle, loving smile lighting her face, the one Lilly had seen countless times, yet never without a flutter in her chest.
In a moment of realization, Lilly's face turned beat red, and she quickly hid behind her book, with her hands trembling, timidly stammering, she asked "W-W-What are y-you doing h-here?"
In response Luna stayed silent.
D-Did she go away? Lilly thought inwardly as she slowly lowered the book from her eyes, revealing what was in front of her , the ever-smiling Luna, the one who loved her deeply. She chuckled softly, reaching out to pat Lilly's head.
"Study as much as you can and prove them wrong!" she said warmly with a smile on her face before standing up and walking away.
Lilly slowly set her book down to her left and crawled toward the entrance of her book fort. Peeking out, she scanned the room for Luna , but she was gone.
Recalling Luna's words, Lilly couldn't help but smile at the depth of her kindness. Quietly, she crawled back to her spot and picked up the book once more, opening it where she'd left off.
Hm! Luna's the only one in this house who believes in me!
A smile lingered on her face as she added softly,
Once I become one of the strongest mages, I'll treat you to luxury so you won't ever need to lift a finger, Hm!
With that, she buried her face back into the pages, reading with fierce focus for hours on end.