A few years after the maid incident...
It's night in the Divine Plane, and the Arch's house is in chaos as a now-7-year-old Michael runs around in pajamas, shirtless, carrying a blushing girl with white, silky hair that reaches her shoulders.
A dozen or so maids rushed after Michael; the girl he carried looked to be his age. The maids called out, "Young master, put young mistress Mariel down."
Michael turned a corner, a cheeky grin on his face. The maids turned the corner too, only to see that the hall that way was empty, as if Michael had vanished.
Truth be told, Michael was on the roof of the mansion as the girl sat beside him.
"You still don't explain to me how to use magic, Michael," the girl pouted, arms crossed.
"It's said the stronger your soul, the earlier you can control your mana; there is no known shortcut that is safe," Michael said, scratching his head sheepishly.
"But you've been doing it from at least 2 years old. I saw you remember, and I was appraised by the Kingdom's Divinus, and she said I have a once-in-a-multi-eon Divine-rank soul, and you were determined to have a Diamond-rank soul," Mariel retorted.
"Excuse me, once-in-a-multi-eon prodigy, but it's not my fault you can't access mana manipulation, much less magic," Michael chuckled sarcastically.
"Are you making fun of my mana core not forming yet? Let it be known: the higher your soul rank, the more likely your mana core initial formation will take longer, but the starting quality will be better than ordinary angels," Mariel huffed out, punching Michael as a sonic boom sounded.
"A sonic punch with the force of a 5-ton truck from baseline angels; it really is absurd, the physique of other species compared to humans, especially angels," Michael thought while outwardly pretending to wince from the pain.
"Mar Mar, don't worry. I believe you will become even greater at magic than I," Michael said, his gaze on the stars, somewhat distant.
"Well, even if I don't, I will always have you to protect me, don't I?" Mariel said, her gaze on him with an indescribable emotion in her eyes.
"Tell you what, I have an idea for a magic element never yet created. I can give you my full data on it and will stop practicing that specific magic for as long as we live," Michael said.
Mariel's eyes lit up as she spoke gleefully, "Really, what is it?"
Michael smiled as he conjured mists of mana that gathered above his palm.
At first, nothing happened.
Then a tiny green spark appeared within the mist.
Mariel leaned forward.
The spark pulsed once.
Twice.
Then, from its center, a tiny translucent flower slowly emerged.
Mariel's eyes widened.
"What... is that?"
"An element," Michael answered.
"That's a flower."
"It's both."
Michael gently closed his fingers, causing the flower to dissolve into particles of green mana.
"Every elemental system we know is based on manipulating something that already exists. Fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, ice... even the rarer elements follow the same principle."
He opened his palm again.
A single seed appeared.
"But I've been thinking about something different."
The seed floated above his hand.
"Instead of controlling an existing substance, what if an element controlled the potential within something?"
Mariel tilted her head.
"Potential?"
Michael nodded.
"Everything has a beginning. A seed has the potential to become a tree. A spark has the potential to become a flame. A small crack in a wall has the potential to become a collapse. Even magic has potential."
The seed in his palm began to glow.
"This is Bloom Magic."
The seed suddenly sprouted.
A green stem emerged.
Then leaves.
Then branches.
Within seconds, a small tree had grown from Michael's hand.
Mariel stared at it in amazement.
"You made that?"
"No."
Michael shook his head.
"I didn't create the tree."
He tapped one of its leaves.
"I accelerated what was already inside the seed."
Mariel's eyes sparkled.
"So Bloom Magic makes things grow?"
"That's the simplest explanation."
Michael flicked his finger.
The tree suddenly exploded into dozens of flowers.
"But that's not what makes it special."
He pointed toward one of the flowers.
"Bloom isn't limited to physical growth."
A tiny flame appeared above his finger.
Mariel watched as the flame slowly expanded.
One inch.
Two inches.
Then it became a small fire.
"That's..."
"Potential."
The flame suddenly expanded into a blazing sphere before Michael immediately extinguished it.
"A spark can become a fire. A fire can become an inferno. An inferno can become something even greater. Bloom Magic forces that progression forward."
Mariel's expression became serious.
"So... if someone has a small amount of power..."
"You can make it stronger."
Michael nodded.
"Exactly."
He looked toward the distant horizon.
"But there's a catch."
Mariel waited.
"Bloom Magic cannot create potential where none exists."
Michael raised one finger.
"If there's no seed, there is no tree."
A second finger.
"If there is no spark, there is no flame."
A third.
"And if something has no potential for a certain development, Bloom Magic can't simply invent it."
Mariel nodded slowly.
"So the magic isn't creation."
"Correct."
Michael smiled.
"It's development."
The green mana around him began moving again.
A tiny ball of flame appeared.
Michael surrounded it with his mana.
The flame grew.
Then grew again.
And again.
But instead of allowing it to explode, Michael compressed it back into a tiny spark.
Mariel's eyes widened.
"You can control how far it blooms."
"Now you're getting it."
Michael smiled.
"The real strength of Bloom Magic isn't making something bigger."
He pointed toward the tiny spark.
"It's deciding what it becomes."
The spark suddenly split into several different colors.
One became a normal flame.
Another became a blue flame.
Another transformed into lightning.
Another condensed into a tiny crystal.
Mariel stared.
"How?"
"Different developmental paths."
Michael waved his hand, dispersing the phenomena.
"Everything has branches. Bloom Magic lets the caster force something down one of those branches."
Mariel looked fascinated.
"So if I used it on myself..."
Michael's expression immediately became serious.
"Don't."
Mariel blinked.
"Why?"
"Because living beings are much more complicated."
He lowered his hand.
"Blooming a plant is easy. Blooming a flame is manageable. Blooming your own body could accelerate growth, adaptation, regeneration, even evolution."
Mariel's eyes widened.
"That sounds amazing."
"It is."
Michael looked directly at her.
"And that's exactly why it's dangerous."
He continued.
"If you force your body to develop faster than your soul can handle, your mana pathways could mutate. Your organs could develop incorrectly. Your mana core could become unstable."
Mariel became quiet.
Michael smiled softly.
"But..."
He placed a finger against her forehead.
"I wouldn't give you something I thought you couldn't master."
A tiny green light entered her forehead.
Mariel's eyes widened as an enormous amount of information flooded into her mind.
Diagrams.
Mana formulas.
Theoretical applications.
Limitations.
Developmental pathways.
The principles behind Bloom Magic.
She staggered backward.
"Michael!"
He caught her before she fell.
"Sorry."
"You said full data!"
"I gave you full data."
"You could've warned me!"
"You would've complained that I was treating you like a child."
Mariel puffed out her cheeks.
"I am not a child."
Michael looked at her.
"You're seven."
"So are you!"
"Exactly."
Mariel crossed her arms.
Michael laughed.
Then his expression softened.
"Mar Mar."
"Hm?"
"Don't rush."
He looked toward the stars.
"Your soul is extraordinary. Your body is extraordinary. Your potential is probably greater than anything I've ever seen."
He paused.
"But potential isn't power."
Mariel looked at him.
"It's only what you could become."
Michael held out his hand.
A tiny green sprout appeared between them.
"And that's what Bloom Magic is."
The sprout slowly opened into a flower.
"Not forcing yourself to become stronger."
The flower bloomed completely.
"But learning how to become what you were always capable of becoming."
Mariel stared at the flower for several seconds.
Then she smiled.
"Teach me."
Michael smiled back.
"That's what I've been waiting to hear."
And beneath the endless stars of the Divine Plane, the first practitioner of a magic that had never existed before began her first lesson.
Michael silently taught Mariel about Bloom magic all night, down to its foundation, and as it was time for Mariel to head out, she turned as Michael teleported them to the mansion garden.
Hiding her face, she spoke, "Can you promise me something?"
Michael, literally having body magic, wasn't stupid; he knew Mariel liked him. He just didn't know how to reflect those feelings, as magic doesn't really have emotion, depending on the case.
"What's up?"
"Promise me you will never forget or leave me alone?"
"I promise in my name and soul"
"Okay, I might start coming over less and less cause training and stuff. Also, thanks for giving me knowledge on something so valuable"
Mariel looked happy as she turned around, tears in her eyes as she hugged him.
Michael hugged her back as he spoke warmly, "Bloom magic was always meant for you".
Mariel smiled as she went off with the waiting servant at the garden's gate.
Michael smiled as he couldn't help looking up, heart aching as he spoke, "To be the reason for your mother's death, yet still having so much love, Mary, you will become greater than all Angels".
The silver and golden plant flowers around swayed lightly, and a streak of light barely visible crossed the divine sky.