The morning bells rang softly across the stone corridors of the church, their gentle rhythm echoing through the empty prayer hall. Lulu wiped the sweat from her brow as she stepped out of the training grounds, her muscles aching from an hour of sword drills. She still wasn't used to how her body no longer aged—how her strength remained constant, unchanging—but she worked tirelessly to keep that strength sharp.
The sun had just begun to rise, casting golden light across the old prayer room where she hid the ancient book. The chamber was quiet, untouched for decades, dust gathering on old banners and forgotten relics. A place no one visited anymore… except her.
Lulu sat on the stone floor, crossed her legs, and gently opened the book to the first page she had learned yesterday.
Her fingers traced the ink.
The spell didn't look like normal magic—its symbols were older, flowing like rivers, bending in ways that seemed to escape the logic of this world.
She took a deep breath and whispered the first verse again.
A faint glow formed around her fingertips… and then flickered out, leaving her hand numb.
"Still not enough," she muttered, rubbing her palm.
The spell demanded something she didn't yet have—a deeper understanding, a way to feel beyond her world, to sense the thin lines between existence. It wasn't just a spell; it was a bridge. A bridge to infinite worlds.
Her eyes drifted to Page Two.
The ink shimmered faintly, as if alive.
She began reading.
---
Hours passed.
Then half the day.
Lulu's head was pounding, her breathing uneven. She felt like she was trying to lift a mountain with her mind.
The text described concepts she barely understood:
—spirit anchors
—perception layers
—world-threads woven across dimensional currents
It was overwhelming, yet fascinating.
At one point, she closed her eyes to rest.
And something strange happened.
She saw a faint glimmer in the darkness behind her eyelids—like a candle flame far away.
She snapped her eyes open.
The prayer room was the same. Still. Cold.
"What… was that?" she whispered, touching her chest.
Was she imagining it? Or was it the first sign that she was beginning to sense things the spell mentioned?
She wasn't sure.
But it gave her hope.
---
By afternoon, she returned to her usual duties. She led the midday prayer, helped the younger priestesses prepare herbal medicines, and soothed the worries of villagers who came seeking blessings. Her life was simple, peaceful… on the surface.
Underneath, that book and its secrets weighed heavily on her mind.
She hurried back to the old chamber as soon as her duties ended.
The sun had dipped low, painting streaks of orange through the small windows. She lit a candle, sat down, and opened the book again, determined not to leave until she made some progress on the next section.
Her lips moved silently as she read:
"To understand another world, one must first see the thread that binds it…"
She tried focusing again—breathing slowly, clearing her mind, letting the magic flow.
For a moment, she felt something.
Something soft, faint, like a distant breeze passing through her thoughts.
But the feeling slipped away too fast.
"No… wait… come back—"
She pushed too hard.
The air cracked.
A shockwave burst through the room, knocking her backward and extinguishing the candle. Lulu hit her back against the old stone wall and gasped as sparks of mana fizzled around her fingertips.
It didn't hurt, but the sudden surge left her trembling.
She lay there for several seconds, staring at the ceiling, her heartbeat loud in her ears.
"I really am terrible at this," she sighed, rubbing her forehead.
Yet… there was something exhilarating about it too.
This spell was unlike anything she had ever seen. Unlike anything anyone had ever taught her.
And it called to her.
---
By nightfall, she finally managed to finish reading the entire first page properly.
Every symbol. Every description. Every rule of the spell's foundation.
But mastery?
Not even close.
In truth, Lulu knew she had barely taken the first step.
Her understanding was still thin, fragile… yet she felt different.
She felt like something inside her had awakened—like the world around her had more layers than she ever imagined.
She closed the book gently, wrapped it in cloth, and placed it inside her robe.
As she blew out the candle, a cold wind passed through the room, blowing some dust from the far wall. Lulu shivered and pulled her cloak tighter.
She whispered a quiet prayer as she stepped out.
"Please let me learn this… even if it takes years."
Her footsteps echoed down the corridor as she left the forgotten room behind. The church was quiet. The world was quiet.
Only the book in her hands seemed alive.
And as she walked up the dim hallway, Lulu didn't notice that a tiny strand of shimmering light—so faint it was nearly invisible—was drifting from her fingertips, trailing behind her like a thread connecting her to something far beyond her world.