The academy announced a simple practice test.
It was not an important exam, only a basic magic control exercise. Students were asked to show even the smallest amount of energy they could manage.
Most laughed confidently.
Mira stood silently in her place.
When her turn came, whispers began again.
"She can't do anything," someone said.
Mira stepped forward calmly. Her heart was steady.
She remembered the spirit's words.
Control, not power.
She raised her hand slightly — just a little.
Inside her body, the immense power responded instantly. But this time, she did not let it escape.
She compressed it.
Lowered it.
Reduced it to almost nothing.
A faint shimmer appeared in the air — barely visible.
The instructor blinked.
"…Did you see that?" he asked.
The light disappeared immediately.
"It was probably nothing," another teacher said.
Mira stepped back quietly.
No applause followed.
No laughter either.
But inside her chest, something warm spread.
She had done it.
For the first time, Mira had used her power — not to destroy, but to control.
It was a small victory.
One no one else noticed.
But for Mira, it meant everything.