"So, Selena, today’s your first day working with me on this project. Are you ready"

  "Yes, Professor. I’m ready."

  The day after the TA tea night, Enid decided to give Selena a private lesson.

  Because Selena was manabane, the first step, and the most important step, was getting her to sense magic at all.

  Enid began explaining her theory and what she planned to do next.

  She laid out how she believed the Silenced repelled mana.

  Just like many mages were born with a natural talent for sensing certain elements, different mages had different affinities from the moment they were born. What they were good at, and the kind of power they handled best, varied wildly from person to person.

  Take Enid, for example. She was born of nature, so she had a natural closeness to nature magic, especially elemental magic.

  Or Caroline, who showed a strong affinity for the Hexcraft system’s evil power from childhood.

  Selena’s rejection of mana could be seen the same way.

  It was a kind of inborn talent.

  "I remember there’s a high-tier hex in the Hexcraft system," Enid said. "A ninth-circle spell called Anti-Magic Field. It creates a null field that stops mages from drawing mana, which turns the whole area into a dead zone for casting."

  She tapped the chalk thoughtfully. "The problem is, it affects the caster too. It’s so self-defeating that most hex mages don’t even bother studying it."

  Selena nodded. She’d heard of it.

  But these days, it was mostly taught through the academy’s magical engineering and artificing courses, used to build devices that could generate a null field.

  Then Selena asked the obvious question.

  "What does that spell have to do with me"

  Enid answered while drawing a complex magic circle on the floor.

  "My guess is, you were born already using Anti-Magic Field," Enid said. "Unlike hex mages, you don’t need to spend mana to maintain something that large."

  "And because it’s innate, you don’t even know how to turn it off."

  Enid finished the last line of the circle and looked up.

  "All set. Please stand in the center."

  Selena did as she was told and stepped onto the intricate circle.

  As Enid began murmuring a spell, the lines beneath Selena’s feet lit up.

  Then, all at once, Selena felt something slip into her body.

  It felt like a foreign substance forcing its way inside her, and the sensation made her stomach twist with nausea. She fought hard not to throw up everything she’d eaten that morning.

  Pain followed right behind it.

  It was like countless fine needles stabbed deep into her muscles, everywhere at once, each one sharp enough to make her vision blur.

  Then it turned into something worse, like invisible hands kneading and twisting her from the inside.

  The ache came in waves, one after another, relentless.

  Her bones started to throb too, as if they were grinding against each other.

  She could almost hear it in her head, a dull creaking that made her feel like she might fall apart.

  Enid, as if she hadn’t noticed any of it, kept chanting.

  The spell pressed deeper.

  Selena bit down hard on her lower lip.

  Her face went bloodless, sweat poured off her forehead, and her hair stuck to her skin in damp strands.

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  Her body trembled, and she gripped her clothes so tightly her knuckles turned white.

  Even breathing hurt.

  Each inhale felt like a blade digging into her chest, over and over, leaving her shaking and breathless.

  But in her dark eyes, there was something stubborn and unyielding.

  The room around her blurred at the edges, yet the pain stayed painfully clear.

  Still, Selena didn’t even think about quitting.

  A voice deep inside her kept shouting at her to hold on, just a little longer.

  So she endured.

  She stayed on her feet until Enid stopped chanting and the glow of the circle finally faded.

  When the pain released her, Selena collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

  Her hair lay messily across her face, soaked through, and her thoughts scattered into fog.

  Sounds were distant, her surroundings smeared into shapes, and her pale lips trembled as if trying to explain how unbearable it had been.

  Her arms fell limp at her sides.

  Now and then, her fingers twitched on their own.

  Her chest rose and fell violently, and every breath looked like it took the last of her strength.

  She lay there, motionless, as if time had stopped.

  The room was terrifyingly quiet, filled only by her thin, ragged breathing.

  Selena didn’t know how long passed before awareness crawled back.

  She opened her eyes slowly, exhausted and dazed.

  She stared at the ceiling and realized she was in a bed, someone’s bed.

  The memory of that pain was still wrapped around her mind.

  She tried to sit up, but even that small movement felt impossible with how weak her body was.

  Enid was sitting beside the bed.

  When she saw Selena wake, she gently wiped Selena’s face with a damp cloth.

  "You’re finally awake," Enid said. "How do you feel now. Any better"

  Selena nodded faintly.

  She tried again to sit up, but her arms and legs couldn’t support her weight.

  "Lie back and rest," Enid said. "You’re in my sitting room. Stay here until you recover."

  "That experiment hurts, but it won’t leave any real injuries. You’ll get your strength back soon."

  Selena looked at Enid and spoke in a weak voice.

  "Professor… what was that. That was… unbearably painful."

  Enid rested a hand on Selena’s forehead and answered with a smile, "It was a seventh-circle spell circle that forces mana into a human body. I created it myself. What you felt was elemental mana ramming through every blocked channel in your body."

  "Because mana has never flowed through you since you were little, your reaction was intense. So, how did it feel, letting mana run through you for the first time"

  Selena answered, "…Not exactly a pleasant experience. Do I have to go through that pain every time I need to build up mana"

  Enid laughed softly and said, "Of course not. I’ve already made a small adjustment to your body. When mana moves through you, you’ll still feel some pain at first, but it will fade quickly."

  "Congratulations, you can store mana inside you now, like a normal person."

  Selena was still weak, but Enid could tell she was buzzing with excitement.

  "Is that true… So that means I can finally learn magic—"

  Enid cut her off and said, "Not so fast. You still have a ways to go before you’re a true mage. What we did just now only made your body closer to an ordinary person’s."

  "Next comes the hard part. How do you build up mana while your Anti-Magic Field is still active. How do you cast. Which magic system suits you best."

  Enid’s voice stayed calm, but the warning was blunt. "Those are things you’ll have to study and overcome step by step. I need to be clear with you, the road ahead is going to be long and rough."

  Selena’s excitement cooled, but she still asked with bright hope, "And you’ll figure it out with me. I can still become a mage in the end"

  Enid stroked Selena’s hair again and smiled. "Of course. You’re my TA, and I’m the professor. I’m responsible for you, so don’t worry."

  "If you’re willing to trust me, I won’t let you down."

  As soon as Enid finished speaking, Selena’s eyes suddenly filled with tears.

  It made sense. A girl who’d dreamed of being a mage her whole life had been locked out of magic for reasons she couldn’t explain. No matter how hard she tried, it always felt impossible.

  Then, when she’d finally hit rock bottom, she met Professor Innis.

  She heard, straight from Enid’s mouth, that her dream was still within reach. It would be difficult, but she could become a mage, like her father, like her professor.

  The relief and gratitude hit all at once, shattering the wall she’d built over years of disappointment. The part of her that had already prepared to give up felt pierced by something warm and bright.

  Selena didn’t cry for long.

  Now that she finally had a path, she wanted to learn, not sob.

  Her arms and legs were starting to come back to her, and she felt awkward lying in someone else’s bed. She pulled back the sheet, ready to stand up and walk it off.

  The moment she shifted, a sudden, exposed feeling washed over her.

  Selena looked down and froze.

  She was completely naked, not a scrap of fabric left on her.

  She let out a yelp and instantly ducked under the sheet, her face flaming as she demanded, "W wait, Professor Innis. Why am I like this. Did you take my clothes off"

  Enid replied, "Ah, I forgot to mention it. You were sweating heavily, so I took your clothes off and gave them a quick wash with magic."

  "My sitting room has a bathroom. You can go clean up first. I put your clothes in the cabinet by the bed."

  Watching Selena hide behind the sheet, Enid continued, "I agree it was improper to undress you without asking. But believe me, I didn’t have any bad intentions."

  "And if possible, I’d like you to get used to it sooner rather than later. We’ll be doing more experiments that may require direct skin contact."

  Enid added, almost casually, "Besides, you’re my personal assistant. We’re basically half roommates, aren’t we"

  Selena nodded in understanding, but the red in her cheeks made it obvious she wasn’t ready to treat this like a normal thing. Even if Innis was a woman, it was still mortifying.

  Enid tilted her head and said, "…If you really can’t handle it, and if getting used to it faster would help, do you want me to stay and help you wash. You’re still weak, doing it alone might be difficult."

  "Thank you, Professor Innis, but that won’t be necessary," Selena said quickly.

  Enid scratched her cheek. "Alright, alright. I’ll go back to my office and keep working."

  "You can use my sitting room anytime. No need to clean, the magic devices handle that. I’ll be going now. See you."

  With that, Enid left to get back to work.

  Selena was left alone, sitting on the bed with her face still burning, completely flustered.