When Rion came to, the first thing he saw was Lie leaning over him.
"A-are you okay?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
Rion sat up, rubbing his head. "Yeah… I think it worked?"
Lie let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God."
Rion got to his feet and reached for his wand, which hung from his belt. He held it firmly, a spark of determination in his eyes. "Now all I have to do is learn a spell..."
"I can teach you one if you'd like," Lie offered.
"Really!? In that case, please do!"
---
The two moved a bit farther out into the open field before beginning.
"The easiest thing to learn is how to blast magic from your wand, like I just did," Lie explained.
"I see. So how do I pull it off?"
"For beginners, it's best to start with a chant—it's a way of calling upon your innate magic. The chant goes like this: "Oh magic, I ask that you grant me the purest form of yourself."
She continued, "After that, in most cases, your request will be granted. From there, it's just a matter of visualizing your magic flowing through you and gathering at the tip of your wand you'll know what I mean when you get there."
"I see," Rion said, nodding. He glanced at his wand, then placed a hand over his chest. "Alright, let's give it a shot!"
"Want me to repeat the chant?"
"Yeah, just to be sure."
Lie recited it again, and Rion repeated after her a few times before attempting it himself for real.
"Oh magic, I ask that you grant me the purest form of yourself!" The moment he spoke, something sparked in his chest—but it faded just as quickly.
"That was…" Rion muttered.
"Not bad!" Lie encouraged. "Try again. It might take a while. Also, closing your eyes might help, depending on the person, personally I close my eyes."
"Alright, I'll give it a shot."
For the next 45 minutes, Rion kept trying, alternating between keeping his eyes open and closed—though he couldn't really tell if it made a difference. Each attempt brought him a little closer, the magic flowing further each time. Then, after another 15 minutes, he finally managed to channel it to the tip of his wand. Just as he tried to form it into a ball, however, it dissolved.
"Ah, damn it," Rion muttered in frustration.
Lie, who had been sitting under a tree watching him, stood up and stretched then made her way over to Rion. "I'm going to grab us some lunch. I'll be right back."
Rion, practically out of breath from the effort, nodded. "Sounds good."
He tossed her a bronze coin, which she tried to refuse, but he simply ignored her protests until she gave in and left. After catching his breath, Rion got right back to it. He repeated the chant, visualized the flow, and pushed himself past his headache.
"Come on… let this be the one."
Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly and focused his gaze on the tip of his wand.
"Oh magic… I ask that you grant me the purest form… OF YOURSELF!"
He guided the flow of energy with precision—it pulsed through his chest, surged down his arm, then channeled through the wand until— Rion saw it.
A faint glow, swirling at the very tip of his stick.
(And thus Rion's journey continues…)