The first rays of sun stretched across the clearing as Elowyn moved, her boots silent on the damp grass.
"Energy manipulation." Her gaze swept over Anneliese, unyielding as ever. "Magic is the art of harnessing energy—whether drawn from within or taken from outside. To wield it, one must first understand its source. Personal energy comes from the self. Outward energy comes from the world around us—objects, places, even living things. Only when you know the source can you focus, draw from it, and bend it to your will."
Her voice was steady, a calm tide against the storm still stirring in Anneliese.
"Be it insourced or outsourced," Elowyn went on, "you must learn to shape it and direct it wherever you choose. This is the foundation of control."
Anneliese clenched her fists, letting the familiar heat rise and fall beneath her skin as she tried to grasp Elowyn's words. "Like a kind of conversion?" she asked. "Turning any form of energy into magic through manipulation?"
