"Aren't you a marvel." Snapping her head, she looked at the instructor and her father who were standing in a far corner of the room.
"How long have you been here?" She asked politely, wondering when they came in (and slightly worried over how vulnerable she was during the cultivation process).
"Not long" Her father assured her.
"To think you managed to become a trainee in a short few hours when it takes most people a few days, the strength of your soul must be astonishing. Although maybe luck is on your side." The instructor wondered aloud.
"What do you mean Master Merkad?" She asked him.
"Well you failed to turn the page onto the warnings section, had you visualised wind blowing the plant you had grown, your inner world would have crumbled when your body tried to absorb wind energy. Had you tried to create a sun to flourish your plant, you may have burned inside out. You are so very lucky, that not a stray thought of another element crossed your mind, since you are unaware of the consequences of doing so it is not unlikely to happen." He said ominously, completely out of tune with his wide smile on his face. Worry surged in her, afraid she had made a mistake.
"Have I made a mistake sir?" She questioned him.
"Had you made one, you would already be aware. Your inner world is not at a level to contain anything except your element." He informed her, which sparked interest within her. Did that mean the stronger she got she could create things outside her element?
"How did you know I created a plant instead of just some water or poisonous mist?" Katrina asked him, hoping all her questions weren't becoming annoying.
"All those of master level can sense magical energy around them, even those they have no affinity for. The slight amount of flora magic in this room is gravitating towards you. What plant did you create may I ask?" He explained to her, while posing a question.
"Knollgrass, sir." She answered simply.
"Oh ingenious, a combination of all your elements, just like I said. That will surely kick start your magical journey. May I suggest you spend some time collecting and surrounding yourself with the plant, in order to strengthen your perception of it." He proposed to her, at his statement worry flashed over her father's face.
"I'm not sure that is wise." Her father spoke out.
"The poison will have little to no effect on her due to her affinity with poison, especially since her inner world has now grown the plant. Actually, you should harvest and collect as many poisonous plants and items you come across to inspire your cultivation. Although, you should be more careful with them since you will be less immune."
"Duly noted, Master Merkad. May I ask when I can move on to a different construct?" Katrina said, ignoring the prideful part of her which screamed at her for pestering the man for questions.
"Hmm, I'd say when you have grown a small grove of them, that should stabilise your inner world enough to begin creating other constructs. Ideally, your next construct should be a small body of water which covers the knollgrass. It does allow you to begin absorbing water energy but I doubt you can cast any meaningful spells with it." He informed her, seemingly quite happy to give her advice about how to strengthen herself. Before she could thank him, he spoke again.
"And since the stronger your inner world becomes, the more it will seem like a real world, the plants may die without being covered by water. Although, that is nothing for you to worry about now." He added.
"Thank you sir, I was wonder-" Before she could ask another question her father cut her off.
"Thank you for your valuable time teaching my daughter but she has to go get prepared for the upcoming celebration now." Sending a glare to her father who only chuckled in response, she took her cue to leave. Before she left the room, she watched them engaged in conversation as her father handed the man a book.
'I guess they were in the library for a different reason than me. And I wonder why they seem so friendly with each other? They must have met before.' Discarding the useless thoughts, she made her way to her room to change her clothing. Since as a princess, it would be unbecoming to wear the same dress for two different events.
As she entered her room, she took note of one of the plants laying on her window sill. Knowing she still had time before she had to get ready, Katrina wanted to try and cast a spell. On her window sill, a blue tulip, gifted to her by a rich merchant's son, lay in a clear vase.
It was a sign of interest in her kingdom, one she had been given hundreds of times before. Courtesy demanded she take it gracefully and if she wanted to she was to reciprocate the gesture, she should initiate correspondence via letter. Though, she was not interested in him anyway.
However, this was a great chance to try and see if she could cast magic on the now dying plant. Placing both her hands over the tulip, Katrina felt the magic stir in her veins with her intent. Slowly, she felt the energy seep out her fingers and coil around the flower before it seeped inside, with a smile she watched as the petals started to regain their colour however afterwards dark purple splotches began appearing on the petals before it completely decayed into ashes.
[Spell created: Flora's bane
Description: An encouraging touch of flora magic, paired with unsightly poison magic capable of completely destroying any type of non-magical flora.
Spell Grade: D
Spell Uniqueness: C]
Well... she didn't like tulips anyway.