Aqua gestured for Aurora to approach a table, which she quickly cleared of everything with a snap of her fingers. "Lay down, and grit your teeth."
Aurora nodded and obeyed as she cautiously approached before lying on her back. "I hope you know what you are doing."
"Of course I do." The red-haired girl's smile was warm and reassuring. Without a word, she relaxed and let Aqua do what she had intended.
Step.Step.Step
She approached behind Aurora and leaned above her, "You are very pretty."
Aurora's ears twitched at the sudden compliment, yet she had accepted it with grace.
"Thank you…"
"Now let's get to fixing." Aqua stepped to the side and placed her hand on Aurora's chest, which made her yelp in surprise and her face turn bright red.
Aurora squirmed, and then a massive surge of power passed through her; her body felt as if it were being electrocuted.
She thrashed and attempted to scramble to escape. Yet she was held down by Aqua's magic. "Breathe, Aurora."
Her chest moved up and down as she struggled to catch a breath; her squirms lessened, yet it was clear to Aqua that Aurora was in immense pain.
"It will get a bit worse. Sorry." Aqua followed the flow of mana, and her suspicion was confirmed. A large knot existed within Aurora.
Such a sloppy job they had done. She clicked her tongue as she pushed more power into Aurora.
"Aghhh!" Her mouth fumed as she screamed.
Aqua quickly placed one hand on her forehead and held her down tightly. While she had felt bad about the pain Aurora had felt, it was not the time to give up. If she were to unravel the 'Seal' that was more akin to a knot, she would need to endure pain.
Those who thought themselves superior in the ways of the arcane always fancied themselves infallible. Yet, it was due to their incompetence alone that Aurora was left scarred and unable to use magic.
"Just like that woman…" She frowned as Aurora's screams merely passed through her ears. "Poor girl…"
Her hand slid to her forehead, and a pale blue glow enveloped Aurora, who seemed to calm down in an instant, yet she needed her to feel pain. The pain was an indicator, and if that indicator was erased, even Aqua would not have known where to direct her power.
The elven girl's eyes closed as she inhaled deeply. The scenery changed, and she found herself floating in the void of the mind.
Around her, the countless ley lines that sprawled inside Aurora stretched before her. They pulsed with power and flowed much like normal, yet when they hit the 'Seal,' the power stopped.
The constant flashes of blue light shimmered in the darkness; they were Aqua's own power that flowed through Aurora. She approached the faulty seal and inspected it closely.
It was reminiscent of tying tubes together so tightly that no liquid could pass through them without rupturing.
And in the center of those tubes was the magical cap, which acted as a seal.
"So that's it…" Aqua clicked her tongue as she hovered her hand right above the knot.
"Those elders really messed up. I can tell they were in a hurry. Fear truly makes even the wise men fools."
The mindscape shuddered as Aurora thrashed in pain despite the placated state.
"Aurora, endure a bit more." Aqua's brow furrowed as the tubes slowly untangled.
However, just as she was about to untangle them, the seal clamped down like a lobster and its claw.
"Nasty little thing…" Aqua shook her head, yet each touch made Aurora scream out in pain.
Aqua pulled back her hand as she felt Aurora's cry. While she was capable of completely removing the seal, it would have caused so much pain that she had worried it would irrevocably scar her body, mind and soul.
"If they tried to help her, then they couldn't have done a worse job." Aqua forced herself not to facepalm as she slowly weaved her own power around the veins and attempted to untangle them.
However, each movement caused Aurora to cry out in unimaginable pain. "Perhaps we should do this in stages. I do not want her to feel this much pain." She grumbled to herself as she changed her goal.
Instead of untangling the veins, she made two cuts, then she slowly weaved a new construct where the power would flow. While it would not be anywhere close to her true potential, it would be enough to cast a decent number of powerful spells.
"Good." The very moment that the connection was made, the mana flowed like a serene river. The seal attempted to expand and suppress the flow, yet it was prevented by a barrier of fire.
No, you will not. The flame gained a black hue as the seal was consumed just enough to let the bypass remain untouched.
Aqua nodded in satisfaction as she crossed her arms, the scenery collapsed, and was replaced by the room and barely conscious Aurora on the table.
Her eyes were dead, and a trail of drool hung from the corner of her lips. Her body quivered, and soft moans of pain escaped her throat.
Aqua approached the table and gently put Aurora in her arms, "I am sorry, Aurora. You deserve to get some rest."
In the blink of an eye, Aqua and Aurora found themselves in a luxurious bedroom, it was filled to the brim with various ornaments and mystical items. This room is always so gaudy.
A ray of sun passed through the window, and the bed was large enough to fit four people.
Aqua slowly approached the bed and placed Aurora on the top, then she took a step back and examined the girl who was barely clinging to her waking mind with all her power.
"So resilient, despite such pain you endured." She pointed her finger toward Aurora, and tendrils of water rushed out toward her and quickly cleaned her face.
In a flash, Aqua disappeared. She needed to give Aurora some time to recover both her body and mind.
***
Hours passed, and Aurora's eyes fluttered open. She had remembered Aqua setting her on the table; however, after a sudden burst of pain, she fell unconscious. Her eyes wandered over the unfamiliar ceiling as she raised her hand up.
Did that procedure work? She had to ask herself, after all the possibility of using magic was the sole reason she let Aqua experiment on her.
She quickly turned to the side and jumped out of the luxurious bed. The room was rather spacious, yet it was filled with various items that she could not determine the origin not make.
She cracked her neck and stretched her hands up with a soft moan. "I need to check if whatever she did worked!"
Unlikely. She chuckled, nothing that anyone had ever done was enough to let her cast magic, and now the strange woman claimed she could help her. Just on a small chance, it worked; she wanted to test.
She turned her hand toward the Window and followed the instructions of the manual to cast [Ice Lance].
However, instead of an empty feeling, the mana actually gathered and grew colder as it formed a spear of ice, then it launched toward the window.
Shatter
Aurora stared with a deadpan expression, with her hand still in the air. She couldn't believe her eyes at what she had just witnessed; she had just cast her first spell.
She stared at her palm as her lips widened into a grin. "Finally! Thank you, Aqua! Thank you!"
She then looked toward the shattered window, "And sorry about that…" She rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.
"Not a problem, I am glad you are satisfied with the result." She heard Aqua's voice from behind her, which made her turn back and attempt to punch her once again, and just like last time, her fist was caught.
"You really have an interesting reaction to surprises."
"Can you blame me!"
Aurora relaxed. "Still… I can't believe it worked."
"Sadly, it's not fully complete. Your seal that prevented you from using magic still exists. I merely added a bypass to allow you to cast magic. Your true potential is locked."
"I thought you would remove it…" She puffed her cheeks.
"I could, but it caused you so much pain that it could scar your mind, body, and soul. I would not recommend such an action." She smiled as a portal opened behind her.
"I have so many questions… and I want to learn more spells. I am so excited!" She almost jumped out of excitement, despite receiving saddening news that she could not use her full power; it paled in comparison that she could actually use magic at long last.
"And I will answer them, however we can do that later, while eating some sweets. Come." Aqua gestured for her to follow as she stepped through the portal.
Aurora nodded and quickly rushed into the portal. The scenery shifted and they found themselves inside the room Aurora had initially arrived in.
On the table where she had laid before was an elegant tablecloth and an assortment of sweets.
Aqua smiled wryly and pulled out a chair for Aurora. "Please sit."
"Okey…" She quickly obeyed and took a seat opposite of Aqua. She stared at the sweets for a moment before quickly grabbing a piece.
"Aurora, the seal that was on you is… frankly terribly designed. I suspect that you would have to almost die in excruciating pain if you want it to break. It's not something I wish to put your through."
Aurora swallowed her treat and gripped the fabric of her dress. "I see…"
"However, I made a small bypass that will allow you to use magic at least. It's up to you to learn now." Aqua leaned forward, and a small portal opened above the table.
Soon, a large grimoire fell onto the table with a heavy thud.
Aurora stared at it with wide eyes.
"This grimoire is my personal creation. I made sure to inscribe any spell I think could become useful for you. From ice to gravity, I hope it will serve you well."
The realization of what she had been given weighed heavily on Aurora. However, she was not the one to deny a gift after everything that happened. She brought the book to her and rubbed her fingers along it's edges.
"Aqua, thank you. I truly mean it." A small tear rolled down her face.
"Aw, do not cry now, you will make me sad too." Aqua gently wiped away Aurora's tears.
Wait! She gasped. "I forgot about Camilla!" She rose to her feet and slammed her hands on the table. "She must be searching for me!"
Aqua blinked slowly, "Your friend, I suppose?"
"You could say so…" She blushed.
"Don't worry, not much time passed outside this place, but if you are so keen on going, I have one more thing for you."
Aurora tilted her head in confusion.
"No need to look at me like that." The red-haired woman chuckled. With a flick of the wrist, Aurora's body glowed, and a small tattoo appeared on her palm.
"What's this?" She stared at her palm.
"That is a teleportation circle; it will be hard to find me otherwise, but with this, you can teleport here."
She nodded, even if what Aqua was saying was unbelievable, coming from her, it felt heavy as the truth of the universe itself.
"Thanks… How do I activate it?"
"It has two conditions. One… You can channel your mana into it, but I recommend you not do it until you are used to spell casting. And second is… Well, I hope you won't need to find it out."
"I… I see." She stuttered while lifting her head to face Aqua. "Thank you again. However, I think I really need to leave. I hate leaving Camilla alone for so long."
She quickly grabbed her new book and stuffed her mouth with sweets.
"Of course, and do visit me. Your presence is rather enjoyable." Before Aurora could even answer, a portal opened below her, making her fall outside Aqua's home.