Chapter 55 - Attunement

The final marking began forming on Lily's Mana Core. She held her breath in anticipation as the vacant spot began to carve out the arcane mark of the Waning Crescent Moon.

Instinctually, she knew something would happen when it was completed, and the anticipation and excitement were palpable. It took all of her effort to maintain her focus and ensure she finished the last step with flying colors.

The moment of transformation was a sight to behold. The eight marks, including the previously transparent New Moon marking, began to glow and then, they began to rotate, a mesmerizing dance of arcane symbols.

The display seemed impossible as the markings looked engraved, and her Core was not spinning, but despite that, they were rotating along the circumference and rapidly gaining in speed. Clearly, rotating along a fixed axis was not enough for them as they began spiraling around the sphere, a blur of arcane marks flashing across her vision.

Undoubtedly, something about her Mana Core was being fundamentally changed, but she still held on to one request.

Please don't change the color! I love the silvery moon! She pleaded.

A dull pain filled her being, and then, fragments of a second later, the ache was soothed. Before she could ponder what had happened, the rotating arcane symbols of the lunar cycle suddenly began expanding outwards.

By this point, they had been rotating and spinning so fast that they had utterly obscured her Mana Core, but now that they were expanding, the Core was once again revealed. Lily breathed a happy sigh of relief when she noticed the same pale silvery glow; although perhaps with a few extra sparkles.

Meanwhile, the ring of lunar symbols continued to expand, taking up the entire area of her small, inner, mental world. They halted and evened out, parallel to where the ground might have been before rising to the sky but with her Core still at the center.

Is it done? Lily wondered right as the symbols suddenly exploded.

The eight arcane symbols, glowing brighter than a sun, burst into fragments of stardust scattered throughout the area. Lily had wondered if something had gone wrong, but the pleasant feeling growing in her chest allayed such fears.

Staring at the results, she noticed that her mental landscape had been altered. Previously, it was pitch black, like an endless void of nothingness, except for her Mana Core at the center.

Now, the void was gone, and instead, it looked reminiscent of a dark nebula with a few winking stars and glows around the edges. Right in the center was her brightly shining Core.

Success? Lily wondered again, half expecting something else to explode or another magical eruption.

Lily finally breathed out a sigh of relief and opened her eyes. Her relief was short-lived as she realized how much brighter the world looked, and it was possibly moments before sunrise.

Yet despite being out almost the entire night, she felt strangely lacking in fatigue. Arakil had often mentioned that he meditated instead of sleeping, and Lily wondered if that was why.

I guess I'll try to take a nap before the day officially starts…

Sighing, she began to get up, although when she looked down, she let out a startled cry.

"Eep !" Lily shrieked in surprise.

Lily had started the ritual by donning her Nebula Veil. She often found its subdued colors and ethereal and immaterial quality very comforting. Now, though, it looked like she had somehow ripped the night sky itself and draped it over her shoulders.

"Is this... because of my affinity?" Lily whispered as she gingerly touched the magical fabric. When she did, the stars contained within seemed to swirl and disperse from the point, like ripples going through a lake.

Lily gasped in awe, "Pretty …"

She wished she could spend hours staring at the magical creation, but time was ticking, and she needed to return to her room before someone spotted her!

She pulled the Nebula Veil up slightly to obscure her features and hastily retreated to her room with her supplies in tow. Lily felt luck must have been on her side as she returned to her room without any issues. She burst into a happy giggle once she closed her door behind her again.

"Arakil, I did it!" Lily said proudly, retrieving the book. "I wish you could have seen it; it was so beautiful. The ring of moons began spinning and expanding throughout my mental landscape!"

[Very peculiar… That wasn't recorded in the grimoire I read through. Perhaps it was left out as an oversight or a surprise for a successful attunement? Have there been any noticeable changes?]

Lily grinned, "I'm not sure, but I loved it. My Nebula Veil looks so much more real now. Like I'm actually wearing the night sky."

[Good. Such a notable change is definitely an indicator of success. You should carefully check out your other spells when you have the time. Remember to go slowly; it will take time for you to adjust to the changes.]

"I will. Don't worry," Lily reassured him.

To prove her point, she began casting the Starlight spell. It was her simplest spell and one she was highly familiar with; she could no doubt control it.

The Mana seemed to flow with far greater ease than she was used to, and before she had even finished muttering the last of the chant, a bright cluster of tiny stars formed in the palm of her hand.

"Eep !" Lily cried out as she was momentarily blinded, instinctively clenching her hand to block out the bright lights.

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In Lily's mind, a powered-up version of the spell would have been either more or bigger stars. The actual outcome, however, was the same tiny stars, except at a much more blindingly bright intensity, and thanks to Lily's eyes being in a state of adapted night vision, the result had blinded her.

Lily winced hard and began rubbing her eyes with her free hand while peering at the bright stars clutched within the other. She was immensely grateful that the spell only produced light; if it had also had heat, she would have probably burnt her entire palm by clutching the magical stars.

"I'm okay…" Lily informed Arakil. "I didn't expect the Starlight spell to be so bright… It caught me totally by surprise."

Eventually, after much repeated blinking and eye rubbing, Lily regained enough sight to carefully peer at what she had produced. Eight tiny stars were in her palm, each with blazing, white light. With them clustered together, it was like staring directly at the sun for too long, and she kept having to clench her eyes or close her hand.

Despite her screw-up, she was happy to see that the number had increased and then began attempting to reduce their number by utilizing her Mana manipulation practice. Once again, to her surprise, it seemed as if the Mana was jumping to her command, and almost effortlessly, she started winking out the stars one by one.

"So cool!" Lily joyfully exclaimed.

She left one final star, which she rose to her ceiling to illuminate her room before finally returning to hear what Arakil had to say.

[I did warn you. Remember the story about the fire mage and his candle?]

Lily pouted, "I know… But I knew it was just a light spell, so nothing too bad could have happened."

[Eye damage is no joke. Who knows what you could have done to your retina? We're lucky you didn't try Moonlight, or worse, Sunlight in this condition.]

"I wouldn't be that dumb…" Lily mumbled in defense. "But I'll be extra careful. Do you have any tips or advice beyond going slow?"

[Yes, I do, in fact. Spend extra time just letting your Mana flow or be on the verge of casting a spell without letting it go off. You should also practice proper Mana portioning. This would also be a good time to fall back on your unsuccessful somatic version of the spells.]

"Really? The finger wiggles?" Lily asked in disbelief as she stared at her ten digits.

[Yes… You were unsuccessful with them previously, but now that you have Astral attunement, it should be able to bridge the gap between partial success and failure. Similar to how Rose controls fire if you recall?]

Lily nodded, "Okay... although I don't think I can match her conviction. I mean she really believes it listens to her demands."

[It's quite alright. I expect you to gain confidence as you produce results. Once we fix my eye, I'll also be better positioned to advise you on your gestures.]

"Yes, we need to start fixing you up," Lily quickly agreed. "First the eye, then the shrinking so I can carry you around. What's the point of you being able to see if you're stuck in my room?"

[Yes, that would definitely be convenient. I could also see some of the monsters this world spawns and hopefully give some guidance on your spells]

While she wanted to stay up and see more of the changes her magic had undergone, she reluctantly knew she needed a quick nap or risk troubles throughout the day. She offered Arakil Mana, but he again reminded her to wait until her Core and attunement had settled.

That also means I must wait longer to drink my Mana potion! Lily realized with a groan as she tried desperately to fall asleep for her nap.

***

Lily almost overslept from her nap and was only awoken thanks to her stomach making its demands. Despite not using too much Mana, it seemed her body was still craving more food. Lily hoped all the extra eating wouldn't end up with her getting fat.

When the cafeteria worker commented that Lily was "shooting up like weeds" and was kind enough to give her an extra portion, she realized that perhaps her growth spurt was to blame for her constant hunger.

Lily was immensely grateful that she would have some normalcy in her life, even if she couldn't measure up to a true Lagia like her mom. Even if Lily's body was fully healed, anything gained from monster killing went straight to her Mana Core. She couldn't grow in strength and speed like others of her kind.

It's fine… I decided I wanted to be a mage! I'm better with books and writing anyway; I don't need bows or daggers!

While eating and lost in her thoughts, some of the boys she had been hanging out with for the monster hunts came to her table. While she wasn't exactly a social butterfly, she could still engage in small talk and pleasantries.

"Some of us want to go closer to the forest. Do you want to come with us?" One of the boys asked.

"Yeah, we heard some gremlins were sneaking out of the forest," another added. "I got a new practice sword, and I want to put my training to the test!"

"Gremlins have a nasty bite. Are you sure?" Lily asked the group cautiously.

"Don't worry, we'll protect you!" One of the boys said confidently.

"I got bit by one before; it wasn't too bad," another added. "Just some ointment and I was good as new!"

"Not everyone's skin is as tough as yours, Ken!" One of the boys pointed out.

"Then just make sure you don't get bit. Otherwise, you'll need to go see the frog!" Ken teased.

"Shhh, don't call her that!" One of the boys warned.

"Yeah, she hates me enough already," Lily said with a frown.

"Sorry, sorry," Ken chuckled. "So, are you in? We were planning on going tomorrow after classes."

Lily thought about it and eventually nodded. Even in the worst case, she could use one of her glyphs to defend herself. She also desperately wanted to continue growing her Mana Core.

"Count me in!" Lily said excitedly.

Ken grinned, "Awesome! You're much more fun now that you're not sick anymore."

"And now we'll actually have a fair judge this time," one of the boys snickered.

"That slime had two cores, so it counted as two kills!" Another cried.

"That's a load of crap, and you know it, there's no such thing as a slime with two cores!" Another protested

Lily giggled and shook her head at the silliness of the boys and their competition. Either way, she would get some easy growth towards her Mana Core.

Now I just have to hope Miss Camilla doesn't mind me taking tomorrow afternoon off.