After dinner, Mevis returned to her teacher's quarters, and Noah headed to the rooftop of the training hall as had become their routine.
It was Friday, and most students had already gone home for the weekend, leaving the rooftop unusually quiet and deserted—a perfect setting for Noah to focus entirely on controlling her Primordial Mode without interruptions.
As usual, she performed a quick sweep to ensure the rooftop was empty, locked the access door behind her, and moved to the center of the open space, the evening air cool against her skin.
With practiced ease, Noah closed her eyes and began channeling the immense Primordial Power within her, allowing it to flow through her magical circuits in the familiar pattern.
However, before she could gather enough energy to fully activate Primordial Mode, she felt something strange—a subtle shift in her internal energy—and immediately aborted the process.
"What's wrong, Noah?" the ancient dragon's voice echoed in her mind, tinged with immediate concern.
Noah frowned, glancing down at her palms as if she could see the magical pathways within. She tried to pinpoint the unfamiliar sensation coursing through her circuits.
"I'm not sure... Something about my magical circuits feels off. Different."
"Off? In what way?" the dragon pressed.
Noah pursed her lips, contemplating how to describe the sensation, before replying, "It's hard to describe. They feel... softer, more malleable somehow."
"Soft? Like they're weakening? Atrophying?" the dragon asked, alarm in her tone.
"That's an old dragon condition," Noah retorted dryly. "I'm seven."
She shook her head, trying to dispel the unease. "It's fine. The feeling isn't that strong—it won't affect my training."
"Alright," the dragon conceded, though she sounded unconvinced. "But if anything feels truly wrong, stop immediately. Your safety is more important than progress."
"Got it."
Taking a deep, centering breath, Noah refocused her mind, pushing aside the strange sensation and gathering her strength once more.
This time, the Primordial Power coursed smoothly through her circuits without resistance. As the powerful energy enveloped her in its familiar glow, she successfully entered Primordial Mode, her small body radiating with controlled, immense power.
Maintaining this heightened state required immense concentration and stamina. Following the ancient dragon's advice from their previous session, Noah focused part of her awareness on controlling her innate dragon magic, consciously preventing it from clashing with the invading Primordial Power—a critical factor in extending her time in this demanding mode.
Lost in the intense focus of her training, Noah didn't notice the passage of time. When her body finally reached its limit, she exited Primordial Mode, stumbling slightly but managing to steady herself against a nearby rail without collapsing—a significant improvement from her previous sessions.
"How long this time?" she asked between panting breaths, sweat beading on her forehead.
The ancient dragon, ever the observer, replied with a teasing lilt, "Guess."
"Thirty minutes?" Noah ventured, expecting incremental progress.
"Nope."
"Thirty-five?" she tried again, slightly more hopeful.
"Still nope."
Noah's brows furrowed in confusion and concern. "Don't tell me it was less than thirty..."
Given the strange sensation in her magical circuits earlier, she worried her performance might have regressed. But the dragon's response surprised her completely.
"Forty-five minutes."
Noah's blue eyes widened in disbelief as the dragon continued, pride evident in her mental tone.
"From ten minutes during our first desperate attempt to thirty minutes last week—it took you three long years to make that progress. But from thirty to forty-five minutes? You managed that in just one week."
The dragon added mischievously, "At this rate, give it a hundred years, and your body will be mine!"
She quickly corrected herself, "Ahem, I mean, you'll be able to maintain Primordial Mode almost indefinitely!"
Noah rolled her eyes at the dragon's poor-timed joke but remained thoughtful, the number 'forty-five' echoing in her mind.
"I can feel it even now... That strange sensation in my magical circuits—it's stronger now that I've stopped."
The dragon's tone shifted to seriousness as she analyzed, "Perhaps it's because you implemented my suggestion from last week—to focus on consciously controlling your innate magic and prevent it from resisting the Primordial Power. That might have freed up more energy, allowing you to sustain the mode longer."
"I did follow your advice," Noah admitted, "but this was my first real attempt at that method. I haven't perfected the technique yet, so the progress seems... unnaturally fast."
She was right to be cautious. Progressing fifteen minutes in one week, when her last major improvement had taken years of grueling practice, was unprecedented and defied all their previous understanding of her limits.
"Coincidence, then?" the dragon suggested.
"Maybe," Noah replied, though she sounded uncertain.
The dragon hummed thoughtfully. "Either way, the method seems to be effective, whether by your skill or some other factor."
Noah nodded, though a thread of caution remained woven through her thoughts. "I'll keep practicing this control. Even if this was a fluke, I can't afford to get complacent."
The dragon chuckled, a warm sound in Noah's mind. "You really are relentless, little one. Always pushing forward, never settling for less."
"I have to be," Noah replied simply, her gaze determined.
The dragon paused before tentatively suggesting, "If this method works, but you still struggle with fine control over your innate magic, why not seek some... external assistance?"
"External assistance? Like what?" Noah asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
The dragon's voice grew mysterious, as if unveiling a great secret. "I remembered something while pondering how to help you achieve more precise control. There's a rare herb called Blue Jade Ganoderma. It's renowned for enhancing a mage's ability to manipulate their magic with incredible precision."
"Blue Jade Ganoderma?" Noah thought for a moment, mentally scanning through her extensive readings, before shaking her head. "I've never read about it in any of my textbooks or herbology scrolls."
"That's not surprising," the dragon replied. "Even in my time, it was exceptionally rare. After thousands of years, it's likely become even scarcer, perhaps known only in forgotten texts."
Noah sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "So, you're telling me about something that might not even exist anymore? That isn't very helpful."
"Not necessarily," the dragon countered. "Why not check the academy's ancient archives or the restricted section of the library? You might find a clue there."
"Alright," Noah agreed, her determination returning.
With renewed purpose, Noah headed to the academy's vast library. She greeted the elderly librarian, who was familiar with her frequent late-night visits, and made her way directly to the restricted section on magical flora and ancient herbs.
Settling into a secluded alcove by a large arched window, she began meticulously leafing through heavy, leather-bound tombs, searching for any mention of Blue Jade Ganoderma.
Hours passed, and the sky outside grew dark, the stars beginning to twinkle into view. Finally, in a crumbling text titled Flora of the Primordial Era, she found a brief description:
"Blue Jade Ganoderma, a rare herb from the ancient Dragon Era, known for its ability to soothe volatile magical circuits and enhance the precision of magic manipulation.
However, wild Blue Jade Ganoderma is now considered extinct, with no specimens found in over eight centuries."
Noah's heart sank as she read those final words. "So it really is gone... Truly extinct."
"Keep reading, kid," the dragon urged, unwilling to give up hope so easily. "Check the next page. Sometimes these old texts have addendums."
Turning the brittle page with careful fingers, Noah's eyes suddenly lit up with renewed hope as she read on:
"Addendum: Due to its incredible benefits for mages, the Dragon Clan's royal herbalists began attempting to cultivate Blue Jade Ganoderma from ancient spores over 1,300 years ago.
After countless failed efforts, the herbalists of the Silver Dragon Clan finally succeeded in reviving a strain genetically identical to that from ancient times. However, the herb requires specific conditions and takes at least 50 years to reach maturity.
Records indicate that the first successful cultivation began approximately 30 years ago under Queen Rossweise's patronage."
"Fifty years to mature... but it's only been 30 years since they started the successful cultivation," Noah calculated aloud, her hope dimming again.
The dragon sighed in frustration. "So we would need to wait another 20 years for the first harvest? That's... not ideal given our current timeline."
"By the time it's ready, your parents will probably have raised an entire football team of your siblings," the dragon joked, though this time the humor felt strained, the reality of the long wait settling heavily between them.
Noah closed the ancient book with a soft thud, exhaling deeply. "It's fine. I'll figure it out on my own. I always have."
The dragon couldn't help but admire Noah's resilience. With her incredible talent and unwavering determination, she would likely master Primordial Mode completely without any external help eventually.
But the unspoken truth hung between them—time wasn't on their side. The looming dangers represented by Shadow and the Ultimate Fear left little room for prolonged, gradual training. They needed breakthroughs, and they needed them now.