Author's Preface
Chapter 19 - Entry Logs
I scoured my entire room the night before, searching every square inch. It wasn't anywhere under the furniture.
By midnight, I finally gave up and collapsed onto my bed.
Ugh... fine, there's still tomorrow, I thought, trying to keep a sliver of hope alive. I just hope Lyra didn't burn it or rip it to shreds... Please, don't let her have ruined it.
I closed my eyes and let sleep pull me under.
***
"Lyra!"
Early the next morning, I banged on her door three times. A moment later, the door swung open, revealing a thoroughly groggy Lyra. She stood there blinking slowly, wearing an oversized, faded tank top and pink panties, her messy sky-blue hair sticking out in every direction.
"What? It's early in the morning.." she rubbed her eyes. "What do you want, huh?"
I stared straight into her eyes. "Where is it?!"
"Oh, you mean your stupid notebook?" she asked, rubbing her other eye.
"Yes!" I shouted down the hallway, my patience already threadbare. "Where did you hide it?!"
She stared at me blankly for a second, then slammed the door right in my face. The heavy wood struck the bridge of my nose, making me recoil and clutch my face in pain.
"Ow! You little...!"
Two hours later, I was sitting at the dining table, trying to decipher the torn pages of Source of Power . Mom had already fed me a slice of warm wheat bread, and judging by the morning sunlight filtering in, it was around seven. Finally, Lyra came clattering down the stairs, now dressed in her usual blue shirt, brown trousers, and leather boots.
"LYRA!" I called out from the dining area.
"What?!" she grumbled, stomping over toward the table.
"My journal. Where did you hide it?!"
"Fine, fine." She slid into the seat across from me and crossed her arms. "I'll tell you... if you teach me magic."
I raised an eyebrow, completely caught off guard. "What?"
That was unexpected. Was she actually interested in magic?
"Why?" I asked, tilting my head and lowering my book. "I-I thought you hated reading."
"I do!" Lyra snapped, huffing. "But I still wanna learn it, y'know?"
"...Why?" I pressed, squinting at her suspicious expression.
"Ugh!" Lyra rolled her eyes, puffing out her cheeks. "Because I want to be the strongest! Stronger than Papa and stronger than Saul!" She thrust her fist high into the air. "That's why, you wuss! So if you agree to teach me, I'll tell you where your paper is."
"...Why do you wanna be the—"
"Stop asking questions!"
"Learning magic means a lot of reading, Lyra. Are you really sure you actually want to do this?"
"Yes! Are you gonna teach me or what?!"
I groaned, massaging my temples. "Fine. Just... tell me where it is."
"Okay, okay, follow me."
She gestured for me to head upstairs, and I followed her back to my bedroom. She stopped in front of the tall wooden bookshelf against the left wall and pointed straight up at the top ledge.
My jaw dropped slightly. I hadn't even thought to look up there.
"O-okay..." I turned to her. "Now, could you get it down?"
"What? Get it yourself. You're the one who wants it."
"You're the one who put it up there! Don't be an unreasonable moron , Lyra. I can't even reach the second shelf!" I crossed my arms.
"What did you call me?!"
"Just get it!"
"Fine! Shut up!"
With zero effort, Lyra leaped into the air. In a fluid motion, her fingers swept across the top shelf, snagging the notebook before she landed lightly on her feet. I was genuinely impressed by how smooth her jump was for an eight-year-old.
She turned and shoved the notebook into my chest. I took it in silence, clutching it tightly to my ribs.
"Now, get out of my room," I said, backing toward my desk. "I still got entries to log."
Lyra raised an eyebrow, her eyes narrowing. "What? You promised you'd teach me magic!"
"Well, I did," I replied, pulling out my chair. "But we never agreed on when I'd teach you. Right now, I'm pretty busy."
Lyra growled, her face turning red. "You little trickster—"
"Lyra," Dad's deep voice boomed from the doorway, making us both jump.
Dad stood in the frame holding a woven basket of laundry. "Your friends are outside. They came over to see if you wanted to play."
"Rghh!" Lyra shot me a lethal side-eye, turning on her heel to follow Dad out. She grabbed the door handle and slammed it shut behind her.
BAM!
The second I was alone in the room, my legs gave out, and I sank back into my chair with a heavy gasp of relief. The entire time I had been provoking her, my heart was hammering against my ribs. I had been terrified she was going to beat me up again. I was just so irritated about my journal that I couldn't hold my tongue.
Thank goodness Dad walked in when he did.
I opened my notebook, "Now... where was I?"
My mind flashed back to yesterday. I hummed. "I appear to have exhausted nearly all of my available mana. The moment I regained consciousness, I experienced a severe migraine and temporary dizziness."
I wrote it in the grey journal. I leaned back as I placed the blunt side of the pencil, tapping it on my chin.
---
Mana Training Log #120
I appear to have exhausted nearly all of my available mana. The moment I regained consciousness, I experienced a severe migraine and temporary dizziness.
---
I flipped back to the Hypotheses section of the journal, taking a short glance over it.
---
Hypothesis 4: Complete mana drain (total available depletion resulting in unconsciousness) may act as the necessary trigger for core expansion, whereas mild fatigue only refines the efficiency. Result:
---
Nodding as I turned to a fresh page, writing another entry log.
---
Mana Training Log #121
(Blank)
---
I took a deep breath.
"Time for the real test."
I hovered my hand over the surface of the wooden table.
Verdant Touch.
I felt my Mana Core release another measured stream of energy, sending it through my Mana Veins and toward my palm as the familiar green glow appeared.
1..2..9..10..15..20..29..31..
I experienced the lightheadedness once more since I instantly ceased my mana pumping. I sighed and shook my hand slightly. I proceeded to my diary.
---
Mana Training Log #121
It seems like it was the same. Still around 32-seconds. Hypothesis 4 is wrong at first glance, but it was too early to form any conclusion
---
In true scientific research and data collection, a conclusion never forms after a singular test. To build a reliable conclusion, a researcher, such as myself, must run multiple tests specifically searching for consistencies. So it would be foolish to abandon Hypothesis #4 so quickly.
I stretched my back, leaning on my chair. The moment my mana core completely topped itself off, I was going to run Hypothesis 4 again.
My gaze drifted toward the bedroom door.
"Though... before I do anything else, I should definitely lock that first," I muttered to myself.
I scrambled off my chair, walked over, and clicked the brass latch firmly into place. I wasn't about to risk Lyra waltzing in mid-experiment to draw another dog face on me... or worse, snagging my journal again while I was out cold.
Once I felt that familiar warmth settle back into the center of my chest, meaning my mana reserve was fully replenished, it was go time. I dragged every pillow I could find off the bed, stacking and arranging them across the floorboards in a neat little crash pad. I pushed my wooden chair right up against the open window, climbed up, and planted my feet securely.
Reaching my arm out into the crisp morning air, I aimed my palm toward the distant, rolling horizon. I grabbed the windowsill tightly with my left hand, took a slow, steadying breath, and focused every drop of energy in my body right into my palm.
Water Bullet!
A swirling sphere of water over my skin for a fraction of a second before blasting out into the open sky.
Before I could even watch where the droplet splashed, my eyelids became suddenly so heavy, and my limp body collapsed backward off the chair, just landing squarely on the mountain of soft pillows below.
[End]