A true magician thrives on boundless creativity and relentless curiosity. So, does someone really have to stand motionless, gathering energy like some ancient ritual, for a full hour? Exactly, this is the challenge.
It's not the stance that matters, but the seamless fusion of magic: shaping clouds and then channelling merged power to keep them alive. Paulo nearly missed it. Now, every lesson she's ever learned is about to ignite into action.
Let me think. I saw it before on television. The process of how clouds form.....
The lingering clouds Yumi conjured earlier still swirl overhead—a testament to her control over rising vapor and spiralling air currents. To sustain that upward flow, you've got to heat the base just right while rapidly cooling the top, tricky, but doable.
She pulled it off, though it cost her half her mana. Still, once set in motion, the system could hold strong for over an hour. As the storm roared to life, Paulo stepped into Yumi's fortress, a grin spreading across his face, impressed, satisfied.
In the shadows of the structure, Yumi sat hunched, fingers tight around the horse's reins. She spotted Paulo, gave a quiet nod.
"The fortress vanishes in sixty minutes," she said. "You can cut the magic any time before then. Kalajav's safe. Don't stress."
But then, something shifted. A flicker. A pull in the air. Yumi stiffened. Her eyes snapped wide. Without a word, she bolted outside. The moment she left, the fortress collapsed behind her like a breath let go too soon.
Hey, aren't you going to continue controlling it? The horse will get buried alive.
"Arara!" Paulo exclaims, swiftly stepping forward and darting outside.
Yumi gazes upward, eyes wide with revelation, shouting into the wind, "So that's it, the swirling vortex is pulling the clouds high into the sky!"
Above her, the heavens swell with towering clouds, expanding rapidly, born from her very well.
I think I did a pretty good job.
Paulo once stumbled upon a random show that broke down the science of massive tornadoes, she barely remembers the details, but something about it stuck. Relying purely on gut instinct, she dove in, and somehow, it worked. Better than expected.
"Pauli. You're through." Yumi stepped forward, voice firm but approving.
Wait, what? The hour wasn't up yet.
The sudden call threw Paulo off, her focus wobbling for a split second before she reeled it back in.
"But… it hasn't even been sixty minutes!" she stammered, eyes wide with confusion.
"No need to wait," Yumi replied coolly. "You've already proven enough. But here's the real test, can you undo it?"
Paulo didn't hesitate. She dropped the temperature at the storm's base, spiked the heat at its peak, then channelled a powerful downdraft. With a final surge of wind magic, she ripped the clouds apart, scattering them like dust in the wind.
By the time the last swirl vanished, both student and teacher were drenched, soaked to the bone, standing in the aftermath of raw power tamed.
"Boom, you've made it. Right here, right now, you're a Holy-ranked Mage." Yumi's voice cuts through the chill, magic flaring to wrap them both in warmth.
Before Paulo stands a vision, a stunning girl drenched, droplets sliding from her bangs, yet glowing with a smile almost too rare to believe. And for the first time ever, Paulo, the girl who once had nothing to show for her life, has actually done something worth celebrating. A ripple of unfamiliar emotion stirs deep in her gut, electric and real.
I know this feeling. It's a sense of fulfilment.
In this electrifying moment, Paulo finally feels it, the undeniable spark of a new beginning, her very first step into this unfamiliar world. Two days later, Yumi, unchanged in every way since she arrived two years ago, zips up her bag and takes her place before the towering gates.
Time may have passed, but her parents remain just as they were when Yumi first came home. One thing's different, though, Paulo. While everything else stayed frozen, she's the only one who's shot up, standing taller, ready to rise even higher.
"Yumi, you're always welcome here, don't even think about leaving! I've still got so many meals I want to cook for you," Satsuki pleaded, heart in her voice.
"Exactly. Just because your tutoring's done doesn't mean your place with us has to end. You've given us so much this past year. The whole village would open their doors to you, you belong here." Daiki chimed in, stepping forward.
My parents are trying to keep Yumi.
Somewhere down the line, Yumi and my parents forged a real bond. She's got afternoons wide open, free as the wind, so if she actually scheduled something daily, she could rack up connections like clockwork. Not like some overburdened protagonist grinding endlessly just to see a stat bump.
"No, thank you for your concern, but this moment has shown me where I fall short. I'm setting off around the world to sharpen my magic, to become truly unmatched." Yumi said, bowing deeply to Paulo's parents.
Turns out, her student overtaking her in rank hit harder than expected. She'd once confessed to Paulo how deeply it unsettled her, students surpassing their master.
"I see, well… how do I put this? Our apologies. It seems our daughter may have shaken your confidence." Daiki replied gently.
Daiki, what the heck are you saying.
"No, this event has made me learned not to be too full of myself. I'm actually grateful for this. It's okay to be proud of yourself if you can use saint ranked water magic. I understand that even if you don't rely on that, if you base it on creativity, then you can come up with even stronger magic." Paulo explained which caused Yumi to smile bitterly while stroking her students head.
"Paulo. Even though I tried my best, I am unable to teach you at my current level." She had explained farther but Paulo shook her head.
She searches her mantle with her hand and pulls out something tied with a ribbon and said, "congrats on your graduation. Because I didn't have time to prepare, take this and bear with it."
"This is...? My family's protection amulet. My family is the demon family of Yoshida. If you meet up with a hostile demon, you can present this with my name and probably communicate better..... probably." Yumi says with care as paulo puts the amulet up to her own chest.
Paulo doesn't know when her tears started flowing. She really gave her a lot. Knowledge, experience, technique.... If Paulo didn't meet up with her, she might still be studying inefficiently with my hand holding onto the magic textbook.
And most importantly, she brought Paulo out. To the outside world. Merely that. Yumi brought her out. This event carries an important meaning. She only came to this village for two years. Yumi, who didn't know how to communicate well with others.
As a person from a demon race, she couldn't have been treated well by the villagers. It wasn't Daiki or Satsuki, but Yumi who brought her out to the world. This important meaning. She only brought Paulo outside of the village.
However, the thought of just taking a step outside the gate was definitely a shadow within her heart and Yumi cured it. Just passing through the village. Paulo's heart has been released and freed from the darkness.
She didn't have the intention to make her student become a better person but it is undeniable that she dispelled Paulo's heart's shadow.
She took another step outside the gates yesterday when we got drenched. There is only the ground. The normal ground. Paulo was not shivering. she can finally walk outside. She did something no one else had done.
Not even her parents or siblings did it in my past life. She did it. Taking on the responsibility to give Paulo courage without any rebuke. She did not do it consciously. Paulo understood that.
She did it for herself.
I know that. But I still respect her. I respect the small girl. I swear it in my heart to respect her until her figure disappears.
Paulo gripped the staff and amulet Yumi had entrusted to her, tangible symbols of a deeper legacy. Every lesson, every secret, every hard-won insight from two intense years of training now surged through her, fuelling her next move.