Ninya inhaled deeply. After being taught by Lord Antikythera how to sense and weave mana, she could feel the lingering energy in the air just by breathing. She didn't even need to make it a habit in order to start doing it subconsciously, as her body simply yearned for the revitalizing feeling that absorbing mana gave her.

  It was like cracking your knuckles after a hard day's work; the relief she felt whenever mana rushed through her system was next to none, and she couldn't get enough of it. Every time she did it, Ninya could feel something within her grow stronger.

  Lord Antikythera's teachings had also shown her how to turn [Electro Burst] into a projectile spell. Apparently, this was the spell's intended use, but since Lord Antikythera did not have a proper target, he simply showed her the "dormant" version of the spell.

  Now Ninya was testing it. She stood in the same open field where she was usually taught. Her teacher was right next to her, his metallic frame perfectly still in a way that only a machine would be able to pull off. His eyes were glowing brightly like he was in deep focus, waiting for her to start the test with patience.

  Ninya inhaled deeply. The rush of energy cooled her panicking mind, and she set her eyes on the strawman in front of her. Electricity crackled between her fingertips, surging underneath her skin. Clumps of iron began to float around her hand, circling it and following the trajectory of the ionized air.

  She called forth her mana and smmed a wave of it into her hand. The electricity intensified, causing sparks that pped at the ground and burned the grass. Blue light shone over Ninya's sides as she pushed more mana into her spell. Lord Antikythera had said he wanted to know her theoretical limit before she could release the spell fully.

  "Shoot the strawman."

  Ninya screamed as she swept her arm sideways and let go of the spell. A ball of lightning formed two feet in front of her and rushed toward the strawman. It struck in a single blink and exploded into a burst of sparks, briefly illuminating their surroundings in blue light. Large rods of lightning split from the explosion and struck everything nearby. A barrier formed in front of Ninya.

  Now safe, she watched as her spell—HERS—decimated the surrounding area.

  To say that she felt giddy was a severe understatement. She was in the clouds, singing a tune that would make the angels weep at how bad it sounded and shout for joy from how much the sound waves radiated happiness.

  Then her legs gave up on her, and she fell to the ground. Lord Antikythera was there to catch her. He kept his word. Ninya smiled as she was pced on the ground in a sitting position. Lord Antikythera lowered himself and grabbed her hand. It was singed and scorched bck, some parts of her skin had even burst open, and yet she didn't feel anything—not even a bit of pain. A blue wave washed over her skin. He was scanning her, something which he had expined he would do once the test was finished.

  "Fascinating." That word always meant that what Ninya did was good. "You did well," nodded the automaton. He handed her a blue-colored potion. "Drink."

  Ninya gulped the liquid down ravenously. Feeling returned to her hand, and she wanted to scream. She bit her lip and winced. One look at her hand showed that it had regained its pale coloration—and also a bit of blood, which was now seeping out of her wounds.

  Ninya was swept off the ground and carried back to the mansion where Lord Antikythera's friend lived. She had never met the woman before, but according to rumors, she was incredibly beautiful. Some even said that she was so perfect it was like she had been personally handcrafted.

  Lord Antikythera brought Ninya past the stone walls and in front of the house, where they were greeted by a woman with a face rivaled only by Princess Renner. Ninya had only seen the golden princess once at a festival in the capital, but the memory of her lingered, and this woman was just as beautiful.

  "Lord Antikythera." The woman bowed and fixed her gsses. "What is this?"

  "I have already given her a potion—Asuka's prototype, made using swamp flora. It was not enough, but I have learned a lot about its potency. Tend to the girl with more minor methods, and I will give her another potion once the previous one has passed through her system." Lord Antikythera dropped Ninya off and waited for her to stand up on her own.

  "Come with me." The dy opened the door. Ninya stumbled past it. "Follow."

  Ninya nodded and began tailing the lord. Who was this person? She wondered how someone could be connected to Lord Antikythera, but nothing came to mind. It could be that the nd Lord Antikythera came from also had regur humans living in it, but that didn't make sense. She had been told that only one human lived in that pce!

  Wait, is this her? Ninya thought it made sense.

  She was brought into a room built underneath the mansion's only stairwell. A light hanging from the ceiling flickered and brightened everything, revealing a table sitting in the room’s center and shelves on the walls holding jars, packets, pouches, and containers. The contents of all of them were a mystery to Ninya.

  The lord—dy, Ninya corrected herself—the dy took out a packet and ripped it open before grabbing a jar and pcing it on the table. "Your hand."

  Ninya reached out, and the dy grabbed her by the wrist. She was pulled until her wounded hand was directly above the jar's mouth. The dy proceeded to pce rags on top of the table before she grabbed a dle from somewhere and shoved it into the jar. Ninya winced when the cold liquid touched her skin. It seeped into her wounds, causing a burning sensation before cooling down into nothing.

  "What's your name?" Ninya asked as the dy tied something around her hand.

  "Yuri Alpha," answered Yuri.

  "Hi! I'm Ninya." She grinned. "How did you meet Lord Antikythera?"

  "We serve the same person," Yuri Alpha finished dressing her wounds. "That should keep you from feeling pain for a while. It will st until you are given another potion."

  Ninya nodded and followed Yuri Alpha out. "Thank you."

  "You are welcome." Yuri Alpha smiled.

  Lord Antikythera was waiting for her outside, and behind the gates, Ninya spotted her sister. Tsuare visibly looked relieved when she met Ninya's eyes and raised her hand in an encouraging thumbs-up. Ninya returned it.

  Lord Antikythera left once he finished leading Ninya out of the gate, and once he was out of earshot, Ninya grinned at her sister. "Did you see my spell?!"

  Tsuare nodded excitedly, her energy waning briefly once her eyes nded on the bandaged hand of her sister, but it picked back up moments after. "Everyone did! That was so cool!"

  Ninya raised her head. "I know." She grinned. "And I'm gonna start learning more spells from now on too!"

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