After that, Yeana fell silent.
It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but a heavy one. The kind that meant something had just clicked into place in the mind of an intelligent person.
I watched her as she slowly paced around the cabin, her hands clasped behind her back, her footsteps soft against the wooden floor.
The faint light of dawn was beginning to filter through the small window, illuminating her figure in an almost spectral way.
Her pale skin reflected the light like marble, while her straight, slightly messy gray hair fell freely over her shoulders. Her white eyes weren't focused on anything in particular, but I knew she was thinking intensely.
Suddenly, she stopped.
"Perhaps…" she murmured. "I have a theory."
I raised my gaze toward her from the table where I sat. My hands rested one over the other, brown skin marked by tiny, almost imperceptible traces of the constant work I'd done with earth and metal. My dark curls were tied back carelessly, with a few loose strands framing my face.
"A theory?" I asked.
Yeana slowly turned toward me.
"That sensation you described," she said, "is similar to what every magic user feels when they use their magic."
It felt as though someone had struck me with those words.
"That's… how it feels for everyone?" I asked incredulously.
She nodded calmly.
"Natural. Fluid. As though the world responds without resistance."
My mind raced.
"But…" I began. "When I used wind and fire, it didn't feel like that. Everything was… methodical. Systematic. Like following specific steps."
As I spoke, I realized I'd never questioned it before.
I had simply assumed that was how magic worked. That it had to be controlled, studied, and limited.
Yeana raised one finger, signaling that she wasn't finished.
"That's because," she continued, "you can use all four elements."
I tensed slightly.
"Your base ability is healing," she went on, "but that doesn't mean every element manifests itself in the same way within you. Of the four… there may be one that you have a natural affinity for."
She looked directly at me.
"And from what I've observed, that element is earth."
Something inside me seemed to settle into place.
Like a piece that had been loose for a long time had finally found where it belonged.
Earth.
Stability. Matter. Permanence.
I remembered the sensation of metal taking shape between my fingers without effort. The ease with which I could picture a form and see it come into existence.
There was no struggle.
No fear.
"That…" I murmured. "That would explain a lot."
Yeana took another step toward me before doing something unexpected.
"Ana," she said, "I need to ask you something."
Her tone was serious, but not intrusive.
If anything… she sounded genuinely curious.
"How does healing work in your world?"
I blinked.
The question caught me off guard. Not because it was difficult, but because answering it meant explaining an entire world in simple words.
"Well…" I began, searching for the right words. "In my world, magic doesn't exist."
Yeana tilted her head slightly, listening intently.
"Wind, fire, energy… all of that is produced industrially. Through machines. Humans can't generate any of those things on their own."
I paused before adding,
"We aren't like werewolves or magical races. We don't have organs or affinities that produce elemental energy."
Yeana thought for a few seconds.
"So…" she said. "Something similar to gnomes. But without magic."
I smiled faintly.
"Yes. Exactly."
I was surprised by how quickly she understood.
If I'd tried explaining that to someone else, they probably would have stared at me as if I were speaking another language.
But Yeana didn't stop there.
"Then…" she asked, "where does healing come from?"
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling for a moment.
"Everything is scientific," I answered. "If we're talking about medicine, it's produced industrially. Minerals, chemical elements…"
"Elements?" she interrupted.
"Yes. In my world, there's something called the periodic table," I explained. "It's a classification of most of the minerals and types of matter that exist. Many of them are used to create medicine."
I gestured with one hand.
"Plants are also used, along with things that come from animals. Everything is studied, tested, and analyzed."
I sighed.
"It's… very extensive. Explaining it properly would take years."
I shrugged.
"I think that's the simplest way I can put it."
To my relief, Yeana didn't look confused.
Quite the opposite.
Her white eyes gleamed with a faint spark of understanding.
"That explains everything," she finally said.
She moved closer, and I could see her expression more clearly: focused, fascinated.
Even out here, far from the capital and far from her usual position, she still carried an unmistakable natural authority.
"Even though you can use all four elements," she continued, "unlike werewolves, who can only use one, you also possess a primary affinity."
She paused deliberately.
"And that affinity is earth."
As she spoke, she activated that translucent artifact once again.
The tablet appeared from the ring on her finger, floating in front of her.
She began recording data with precision—symbols and diagrams I couldn't understand, but which clearly had something to do with me.
I watched my own faint reflection on the artifact's surface: brown skin contrasting against the light, attentive brown eyes, and an expression caught somewhere between exhaustion and excitement.
"Ana," she suddenly said, looking up, "if this is correct, then tomorrow morning we'll go outside."
"Outside?" I asked.
She nodded.
"We'll take advantage of the fact that this cabin is located on a farm. This is an ideal region for plant growth. I want to find out whether your earth magic can do more than create metals… whether it can also plant, nourish, or accelerate the growth of plants."
A wave of excitement rushed through me.
"We're practically at the ideal end of the continent for that," she added. "If there's anywhere this can work, it's here."
I remained silent for a few seconds.
Then I smiled.
"That means…" I said, "I have three elements."
I raised my gaze toward her.
"And out of those three… I can control one almost perfectly."
Yeana closed the tablet and stored it away.
"Exactly."
Outside, the sun was slowly beginning to rise over the fertile land surrounding us.
And for the first time since I had left the palace, I didn't feel lost.
I felt like I was finally beginning to understand who I really was.