Edna sat cross-legged on the ground, her posture almost bouncing with excitement.
The faint candlelight caught the spark in her eyes as she cradled the small black stone in her palms.
"Now what am I supposed to do?" she asked, leaning forward like a child waiting for the rules of a game.
Azel exhaled slowly, not because he was tired, but because her enthusiasm was infectious in the most distracting way.
"Push some mana into the stone," he said.
She nodded firmly.
A moment later, the stone fractured in her hands with a sharp crack. Tiny shards dissolved into silver dust, swirling briefly before vanishing into the air.
"A burst of mana will come out of the stone and flow into your body," Azel continued, his tone slipping into the patient cadence of a teacher.
And sure enough, it did.
A surge of cool energy rushed into Edna's chest, spreading outward through her veins like a sudden winter river melting into spring.
