Leo stood quietly behind a shelf in the library.
He held an old magic book in his hands.
The pages were worn out, but his eyes were focused.
Lines… circles… flow…
He was trying to understand it.
Not memorize.
Understand.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
A sharp voice broke the silence.
Leo looked up.
A girl with red hair stood in front of him.
Clean uniform. Confident eyes.
It was Rin.
"You can read that?" she asked.
Leo nodded slowly.
"I'm trying to learn…"
Rin stared at the book, then back at him.
"That's a basic spell," she said.
"Even beginners can use it."
Leo hesitated.
"…I can't."
For a second, Rin was silent.
Then—
She laughed.
Not loudly.
But enough.
"You can't even use this?"
Her voice turned cold.
"Then why are you even here?"
Leo tightened his grip on the book.
"I just need to understand it better—"
"You're wasting your time," Rin cut him off.
She raised her hand.
Mana gathered instantly.
Clean. Fast. Perfect.
A small light formed above her palm.
The spell activated smoothly.
No mistakes.
"See?" she said.
"This is how it's done."
Then she looked straight at him.
"People like you…"
"Will never become a mage."
Rin turned and walked away.
Her footsteps faded.
The library became quiet again.
Leo looked back at the book.
His hands were shaking slightly.
Not from fear.
Not from sadness.
"…No," he whispered.
"That's not it."
His eyes moved across the spell again.
Slowly.
Carefully.
"This line… is wrong."
"This flow… is inefficient."
For the first time—
Leo wasn't doubting himself.
He was doubting the magic.
And that…
Changed everything.