Harry entered Vinícius's house without knocking, as he always did. He found his friend focused in front of the computer, eyes fixed on the screen, typing frantically. When Harry called out, Vinícius jumped.
"Damn it, Harry! You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Sorry," said Harry, laughing. "But hey, what are you looking at?"
Vinícius motioned for him to come closer.
"Check this out. I found out that all the recent attacks happened near sewer areas. They think it's some large animal... but nothing's certain yet. There've already been three serial killings and two missing people. I'm looking for similar cases in other cities too. If it's something bigger, we need to stay alert."
Harry listened silently and then asked:
"And your cultivation, how's it going?"
Vinícius sighed and gave a sideways smile.
"I managed to attract Qi, but I haven't reached the First Level of the Refinement Realm yet. I'm trying..."
Harry sat in the chair next to him, scratching his neck, a bit embarrassed.
"And... how's your budget?"
Vinícius let out a weak laugh.
"I spent almost all my allowance this month. I only have money left for food. It's only the 15th... I'll get paid on the 1st. Why? Need anything else?"
Harry replied:
"We need some melee weapons or protection. I don't want to get shot again or bitten by one of those mutants with nothing but skin to defend me. We can improvise, sure, but something better would be nice."
Vinícius thought for a moment and agreed.
"Defense really is something you can't skip. Once I get my allowance, I'll talk to my dad. Until then, no getting into trouble, okay?"
Harry nodded.
"Let's focus on cultivation. You need to enter the First Qi Realm so I can start teaching you spells. I'm going to train more too."
The next day, Harry stretched, feeling that his wound was almost completely healed. He sighed, sitting cross-legged. He focused on his fireball, raising his hand and summoning a flaming sphere the size of a fist. He moved it from side to side before launching it at an improvised target.
Then he tried the water spell: Water Jet. He pointed his index finger and followed the technique, creating a sphere of water... which immediately fell, soaking his foot.
"Ah, no! Got myself wet... what did I do wrong?"
He tried repeatedly for days, until he finally managed to shoot the water jet. Even though it wasn't as powerful as fire, it was useful for specific situations.
"At least I'll never be thirsty again," he murmured, smiling.
During that week, Vinícius finally reached the First Level of the Qi Refinement Realm. To celebrate, Harry took him to a more isolated area so they could train without interruptions.
Harry introduced the five basic spells and asked Vinícius to choose. Without much thought, he chose Fireball.
"Knew you'd choose that one," said Harry, sighing. "Alright. Pay attention. To create the Fireball, you need to heat the Qi in your Dantian and channel it to your palm. Imagine the heat, the explosion. Then mold it into a sphere and stabilize before throwing. The mind needs to be hot, but the control, cold."
Vinícius took a deep breath, focused, and tried. He visualized the heat, the fire, channeled the Qi... and nothing. Just a weak spark in his palm.
Harry, watching closely, crossed his arms.
"Again, Vinícius. But relax your shoulder... you're too tense. Fire needs strength, but also flow. You're squeezing the Qi like it's toothpaste."
Vinícius laughed, frustrated.
"Okay, Master Zen. And what if I really suck at this? Maybe I'm like... a failed cultivator."
Harry shook his head.
"No one's born knowing. I took time too. I only really learned when I almost set a tree on fire at my uncle's farm."
Vinícius tried again. The Qi flowed more clearly, but the sphere formed was unstable. As soon as it appeared, it burst in a small explosion, singeing his sleeve.
"Damn! Almost burned my shirt!" he exclaimed, stepping back.
Harry laughed loudly, shaking his head.
"Congrats! That was progress. At least you created combustion. Now you just need to mold it. But try not to set your hair on fire... that's valuable."
Vinícius ran his hand through his straight shoulder-length hair, pretending to be outraged.
"Keep dreaming if you think I'll sacrifice this style for some damned fireball."
He sat down, breathing heavily.
"You know, Harry... I thought it'd be like anime. 'I believe! BAM! Magic in hand!' But it's all more subtle. It's control. It's perception. Like... it's like the body's learning a new language."
Harry nodded, looking at the horizon with his arms resting on his knees.
"That's exactly it. Qi doesn't obey just will. It feels you. If your mind's chaotic, it hesitates. If you're at peace, it flows. Cultivating is understanding yourself as much as the world."
Vinícius looked at his own hands.
"So crazy. But I'll get it. And when I fire that stylish fireball, you'll see."
"Just don't blow up the neighborhood, alright?" joked Harry.
"No promises!" replied Vinícius, winking.
And so, between mistakes, successes, jokes, and teachings, the flame of learning began to ignite within Vinícius. It wasn't just about magic. It was the beginning of a transformation.
Vinícius tried several times. In the first three days, all he managed was a weak spark.
"Maybe your affinity with fire is low? Want to try another element?" Harry suggested.
Vinícius thought for a moment. Then he closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were more serious.
"Maybe... show me the water spell. Something tells me that might be my path."