《The last dream》


 Prologue

    Hello, my name is Emily, and I''m 16 years old.


    There''s only one thing I can say about myself with confidence¡ªI hate myself. I''m worthless, useless, and have never brought any value to anyone''s life. I''ve never made anyone happy, only caused trouble and pain. Whenever I made friends, they left me in less than a week. I''m not special at anything, nor am I fun to talk to. I''m nothing.


    Even my birth wasn''t a happy event. I was born into a rich and a large family with six older sisters. Everyone had hoped I would be a boy. My father and sisters all wanted a son, and I wasn''t what they expected. Worse yet, my mother died shortly after giving birth to me. Her death became another reason why everyone hated me.


    My sisters lived happy lives while I was blamed for my mother''s death. They pitied no one but themselves. Whenever I begged for food, they would sneer, "Disgusting. You should suffer more to understand what your mother went through when you killed her." I heard those words so many times they were burned into my mind.


    They never sent me to an orphanage, knowing I might have a better life there. No, they wanted me to suffer. My father hit me constantly. He never showed me an ounce of love. And from a young age, until I was five, they will just leave me alone locked in a room for multiple days with no food or water, and they put in the room cameras just to see me suffering in front of them, and after I lose the ability to even walk cause of hunger, they would just take me out of the room and give me disgusting food, then after some days, they would just do the same thing, I can''t describe these people anymore, the word "monsters" is not enough to describe them.


    I tried to escape countless times but failed. Every time, I was punished in ways I can''t even describe. But finally, after months of trying, I succeeded. I was six when I ran away from that hell. I had nowhere to belong, but I survived by doing whatever odd jobs I could find like being a maid for some creeps. Eventually, I managed to enroll in primary school as an orphan. But even there, I was bullied every day. It started small, but it grew worse as the years went by.


    My grades? Average, at best. I graduated from middle school without much to show. Now, I''m in high school. But nothing has changed. My life remains the same¡ªtorment after torment.


    I''m currently attending a public high school.


    Today began like every other day. I woke up at 5 am in my tiny, filthy room. I went to my morning job, hoping to cover the rent for the cheapest room I could find. After finishing around 7 a.m., I headed to school, where I was greeted by the same group of people¡ªnot to say hello, but to make me clean their shoes after deliberately dirtying them. I have no strength to resist, so I do as they ask. I''m used to far worse.


    In class, even the teachers bully me. Strangely enough, it''s helped my grades. They mock me, but then they add a few points to my scores out of guilt, I assume. Humans are odd like that¡ªthey hurt you, then feel bad, only to hurt you again. Disgusting creatures.


    After school, my classmates make me their personal dog, walking me home. Then I go to my evening jobs, working until 3 a.m., before collapsing into bed. On holidays, I work 16-hour shifts. This has been my life for the last five years.


    Sometimes I wonder why I still hold on to hope. I want to give up, but something deep inside tells me something good is coming. Yet that feeling has been with me for years, and nothing ever changes. Still, it keeps me from giving up entirely.


    Today was no different. I woke up, worked, went to school, and endured the same humiliations¡ªcleaning shoes, being spit on, and forced to eat chewed-up food. It''s revolting, but even disgusting food is better than no food at all.


    After school, Sarah, the worst of the bullies, ordered me to follow her to her house, crawling like a dog on my hands and knees. It wasn''t rare for her to humiliate me like this, but this time, all the people who usually bullied me were with her. I knew something worse than usual was about to happen.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.As we walked, Sarah turned down a secluded, one-way street where no one usually passed by. My stomach dropped, and I knew I was about to face something far more brutal than the torment endured at school. The moment we were out of sight, one of the bullies kicked me hard in the face, and Sarah immediately began recording it on her phone. Pain surged through me as I was beaten, kicked, and punched mercilessly.


    After what felt like hours of abuse¡ªphysical, mental, and even sexual¡ªthey finally left, all except for Sarah. She stood over me, her eyes dark with cruelty, and said:


    "You have hope, don''t you? You think you can graduate high school, get a good job, and live happily ever after, right?" She laughed maniacally.


    "Sorry, but I''m here to destroy that hope. I want to see the despair in your eyes," she continued, her voice dripping with malice.


    Then she showed me a knife. I was too weak to move, too broken to even want to escape. All I wanted was for the pain and humiliation to end. Slowly, she came closer and began cutting one of my fingers¡ªagonizingly slow. I screamed with all my might as she laughed, clearly enjoying my suffering. One by one, she cut off each of my fingers, savoring every moment.


    "You still have hope, don''t you?" she asked again, but I couldn''t speak. I tried to answer her, but my voice failed me. It was as if I was trapped in my own body, unable to respond.


    "Since you''re not answering, I''ll cut your tongue" she said, her voice filled with cold amusement. And with that, she sliced through my tongue. Oddly, I didn''t even feel the pain anymore.


    "Now, I can finally say you''ve lost hope. You''ve given up" she said. And she was right. I had given up. I felt the tears welling up, but even my body had stopped responding to my emotions. I was empty.


    Sarah stood up, staring at me with that same twisted smile. "Well, I guess I''m done here. See you later¡ªif you''re still alive" she said, her eyes glinting with dark satisfaction as she turned to walk away.


    But then something caught my eye. A car was speeding down the street, heading straight for her. She didn''t see it coming. In that moment, something inside me stirred. If I couldn''t save myself, maybe I could save someone else¡ªmaybe I could be useful, even just once.


    With every ounce of strength left in my broken body, I sprinted toward her. I pushed her, tried to move her out of the way, but it was too late. The car slammed into both of us. In an instant, everything went black.


    And just like that, we were both gone.


    I died before even getting the chance to be happy, I wish i felt happiness before dying. That was my only and last dream.


    When the car hit me, everything went black. I felt like I was drifting into eternal sleep. But suddenly, I opened my eyes. I was crying, sobbing uncontrollably, though I didn''t know why.


    I stopped crying and looked around. A beautiful woman in her twenties was holding me in her arms. She looked exhausted but happy. I realized I had been reborn. The woman holding me was my new mother. Beside her stood a man, looking worried yet overjoyed. He was my father.


    This is my second chance and, I swear, from this moment on, to live a happy life, I will live for myself not for people, I won''t repeat the mistakes I already did, and I won''t trust any human, all humans are just selfish creatures that use any possible way to get to their goal.

 The new life

    It''s been about three months since my reincarnation. My bones and muscles aren''t strong enough yet for me to walk or even crawl. My name now is Emilia¡ªa rare coincidence, as it''s quite similar to the name I had before.


    In these few months, I''ve come to realize some things. I wasn''t born into the same world as before; this is a completely different one. Or it might be the same world in a different era.


    Either way, it doesn''t matter much since the way of life will be different regardless. I know this because the people around me speak a language that didn''t exist in that world, though it might just be a forgotten language.


    I''ve managed to learn a few words, and the language is incredibly easy. I can now understand what people are saying almost entirely, but I''ve decided to act like a normal child my age. My parents might hate me if they discover I''ve been reincarnated. I won''t repeat the same mistakes; I''ll learn from them.


    As for my family, it''s made up of four members. There''s Charlotte, my mother, who is always cheerful and in a good mood. Even when I do something wrong, she doesn''t get angry¡ªshe just scolds me in a peaceful tone. Then there''s Louis, my father. I rarely see him since he works as a farmer. He leaves early in the morning and comes back late at night, so I''m usually asleep when he''s around. He''s kind whenever we meet, but I don''t know much about him yet. Then there''s Edward, my older brother. He''s three years older than me, clumsy and sweet, always breaking things. He''s a bit jealous of the attention our mother gives me, but he''s still very nice to me. We all live together in a small village in a modest house.


    After about a year, I could finally walk and talk. I think that''s a bit early for my age, but not too far off. I''ve also gained more freedom and discovered a few other things, though nothing too significant.


    One day, as I was deep in thought while looking out the window, I heard my mother call me from the kitchen.


    "Emilia, could you come to the kitchen?"


    Of course, I went. When I got there, I was shocked. I saw something unbelievable. My mother was conjuring water from her hand to use in cooking, and she didn''t seem the least bit surprised. It was as if this was something completely normal for her. Trying to hide my astonishment, I asked her what it was.


    "Mom, what''s that coming out of your hand?"


    "It''s water, obviously. Oh! You mean how I made it appear? Darling, it''s magic."


    I was utterly stunned. Now, I''m certain that this world is different from my previous one. I need to learn how to use magic¡ªit''s probably considered a superpower here.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "So, Mom, how can I use magic?" I asked her.


    "Sorry, my beautiful daughter, but you''re not strong enough yet. Your mana isn''t developed enough. Most people can start using magic around the age of seven, but I''m sure my little genius will be able to do it in less than five years. I promise to teach you when the time comes. Your mom is a great sorceress, after all! But if you don''t want to learn from me, you can wait until you''re ten and go to school for it," she explained.


    "Of course, I''ll learn from you. But, Mom, aren''t you overestimating me a bit?"


    "There''s no harm in being a little proud, my darling, beautiful, humble genius!" she replied.


    Without realizing it, I blushed a little. And from what she said, it didn''t seem like she was lying. It all made sense. I guess I''ll wait until I''m a bit older to learn magic. I think I''ll also start learning how to read and write.


    "Are you blushing?" my mom teased, letting out a light laugh.


    "No, I''m not," I replied, trying to sound serious.


    "Anyway, what I wanted to ask you: would you like to learn how to cook?" she asked.


    "Why would I refuse? I love learning new things, after all," I answered.


    I don''t exactly love or hate cooking since i have never tried it in my previous life, but i love learning new skills, also anything could be useful in the future, so I had no problem with it.


    "Great! I''ll teach you one of my special recipes," she said.


    And so, my mother started teaching me about the ingredients, how to mix them, and the basics of cooking.


    Several years have passed. I''m now three and a half years old in this world. I haven''t done anything extraordinary during these years. I''ve just been learning how to cook with my mother, trying to practice magic (though I always fail), and working on strengthening my physical body to build good stamina by running and playing with my brother. This training may come in handy if I ever get into a magical fight, i still do not have any clue about the magic in this world, i wish it''s like the fantasy stories from my previous world. My relationship with my brother has also become friendlier. He''s always trying to protect me even when I''m not in danger which is pretty funny.


    One day, as I was walking through the garden with my brother, listening to him talk about what he did with his friends and the games they played, I noticed my parents sitting together. This was very unusual, especially during the time my father should be working. Both of them looked incredibly serious. I turned to look at them, curious about what they were discussing, and my brother noticed their seriousness too. He also began to pay attention. While we were watching, they realized we were observing them. My mother then called us over, her serious expression unchanged.


    "Emilia, Edward, come here. There''s something you both need to know."


    I was startled by the tone in my mother''s voice. This cheerful, easygoing woman had turned serious. My mind filled with hundreds of possibilities, most of them bad. My brother immediately ran over, sensing the gravity of the situation, and I followed him.

 The World

    Edward and I sat down in front of our mother and father. Everyone looked incredibly tense. Then, in a nervous voice, my mother spoke:


    "Emilia, from what we expect, there will be people aiming to kill you. This applies to you too, Edward," she said, lowering her voice a little.


    couldn''t quite grasp what they were talking about, but it seemed better than what I had initially feared. I always expect the worst¡ªwhat a bad habit.


    "You should explain more. It doesn''t seem like they understand anything," my father said, his calm voice laced with worry.


    "Do you really want to explain everything to them? It doesn''t make much sense, but I suppose it''s the only choice. Even though they''re far too young to know," my mother replied.


    "They can''t be cautious about something they don''t know, right? Am I wrong?" my father asked.


    "No, you''re not wrong, it''s just that we shouldn''t¡ª"


    "I don''t care if we break tradition this one time. It''s for the sake of protecting Emilia and Edward. Besides, both of them are smarter than their age would suggest. I don''t think they''ll have any trouble understanding," my father said firmly.


    "Alright, I''ll explain everything now," my mother replied, her tone giving off a sense of resignation. Even in serious discussions, her original personality doesn''t seem to change.


    I couldn''t make sense of the discussion between my parents, and it seemed that my brother didn''t either, judging by the worried look on his face. Then, my mother finally spoke:


    "Don''t worry. All I''m going to explain is how the world works. But there''s a tradition that this shouldn''t be explained until you''re at least ten years old."


    I felt a little relieved, but not entirely. All the bad possibilities I had imagined were still lingering in my mind. However, my brother seemed completely relaxed by what she said. I don''t understand how my father thinks he''s smart; he''s still so simple-minded.


    "I need both of you to pay attention to everything I''m about to say, it''s going to be important and you will need it. Magic is the ultimate power and is divided into four basic types: healing magic, technique magic, elemental magic, and reinforcement magic. All of these use Mana, which I''ll explain in more detail later. Healing magic is used to heal people or yourself. There''s nothing too extraordinary about it¡ªit just heals more the better the magic is. However, it can never cure diseases. It can heal wounds and neutralize poisons, and it also serves as a painkiller," my mother explained clearly.


    Healing magic sounds extremely useful. I think I''ll need to learn it. Actually, it seems like all the basic types are important, and since she said "basic," there must be subtypes as well, but this magic thing looks like it''s from fantasy show, actually, this whole world looks like some kind of fantasy, guess I will just try things i have heard about in these shows, this might be useful.


    "Then there''s reinforcement magic, which transfers Mana to your muscles and organs¡ªeven your eyes. It allows you to move at incredible speeds and possess destructive strength and gain some abilities. The amount of speed and power and abilites depends on how much Mana you use. You can also transfer Mana to weapons, like swords and bows. As for elemental magic, it allows you to control the elements of nature: fire, water, earth, and so on. There are many elements, and the element you can control is determined at birth. This magic lets you create and manipulate the element you were born with, or control it if it''s present around the person. Controlling it from nature consumes less Mana. And lastly, there''s technique magic, which includes all the techniques that don''t fall under the other types, like flying and sealing. It also includes some other kinds of magic, though they''re not significant enough to be grouped with the others, like barriers magic and summoning magic" she continued.


    Just as I expected, all the types of magic are important. Even barrier and summoning magic seem incredibly useful.


    "Now, I''ll explain Mana. Mana is simply energy. Everyone is born with a set amount of Mana, which can''t be exceeded. To simplify it, every person is born with a specific amount of Mana that differs from one person to another. It''s dormant when you''re born, but it usually awakens around the age of eight, though this can vary from person to person. You can use all the Mana in your body once you reach adulthood. Every magic in history relies on Mana. Mana depletes when a person uses too much magic or becomes extremely exhausted since it''s their energy. Mana is measured in Hendo, which represents how much Mana you possess. The average person has around 200 Hendo, but to measure Mana more precisely, there''s Rendo. One Hendo equals 10,000 Rendo," my mother explained.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    This was all very complicated, it looks like some kind of math and I was never good at it, but I understood the important points, so I think I''m fine.


    "When it comes to combat, everyone chooses a specific style. The most popular and effective methods are either with swords, hand-to-hand combat, or archery. Each has its own techniques. For now, let''s talk about the ranks, every person has a rank, it''s like how good the person is in combat, there are five of these ranks¡ªBeginner, Professional, Master, Grandmaster, and finally, the highest level, it doesn''t have a name but the people in this rank are called "Zeros". Currently, only five people in the world have achieved the level named Zero, and they''re unknown."


    Given how important combat seems to be, I need to get stronger as soon as possible, and why not become a Zero?


    My mother continued her explanation while Edward and I listened carefully:


    "Now that we''ve covered magic, I''ll explain a few other things. There are three main races in this world: humans, beasts, and demons. We, as humans, are considered to have the most balanced power. We''re sentient beings, capable of thinking and reasoning, and our average lifespan is around 80 or 90 years. As for the beasts, they''re all the non- sentient creatures, like animals, goblins, elfs and dwarves. They act purely on instinct. You''ve likely seen many animals before, so you should have a basic understanding of them. What''s unique about the beasts is that they come in hundreds of species, ranging from weak to extraordinarily powerful. Some are even nearly immortal. Each of the eleven continents has its own unique types of beasts. Lastly, there are the demons. They''re the worst. Though they''re technically a type of beast, they possess intelligence superior to most humans, making them incredibly dangerous. They relentlessly hunt humans and feed on their mana, though they don''t need it to survive¡ªit just makes them stronger. They''re incredibly powerful, and even the weakest of them requires someone at a Master level just to stand a chance against one of them. To make matters worse, they reproduce faster than humans and live for about 200 years."


    I was learning so much valuable information about beasts, demons, and the world itself. I also discovered that this world has eleven continents. I wondered what other crucial information I would learn by the end of this explanation. And yet, my mother still hadn''t addressed why I was in danger:


    "Each race has its own lord, and these lords are terrifyingly powerful. It''s very likely that they''re among the five individuals who''ve reached The Zero level, but that''s not confirmed. As for the danger I mentioned earlier, it''s the demons. Demons have a habit of targeting and abducting human children with great potential, preventing them from becoming a future threat. Both of you are most likely considered prodigies, with the potential to amass an incredible amount of mana. Thankfully, our village has a barrier around it that prevents demons and most beasts from entering. However, we still wanted to warn you because demonic activity in this region has increased recently. You two are probably the reason for that. Oh, I almost forgot to mention: within each race, there are exceptional individuals with unique traits. For example, some humans live for hundreds of years, while others can take on animal-like features and even transform into them. But those cases are extremely rare, it''s probably caused by reproduction between humans and another race."


    All of these informations were quite overwhelming. I wondered if Edward could even keep up with it all. I doubted he understood everything. But one question still lingered in my mind, so I asked:


    "Mother, why didn''t you want to tell us all this before? And why did you and Father always avoid discussing these things in front of us?"


    I had noticed how, every time I encountered Father, he would start whispering things to Mother. For a while, I assumed it was marital stuff, but this explanation made a lot more sense now. Then, out


    of nowhere, Mother began laughing loudly before saying:


    "As I thought, you''re someone truly special! You noticed that! I can''t believe you''re still this young and possess all this smartness. The simple answer is that there''s a tradition not to tell children or give them any information about what I''ve just explained until they turn ten. Also, Louis, could you do that thing?"


    My father nodded, and in that instant, I felt an overwhelming drowsiness. My body grew heavy, and before I knew it, I fell into a deep sleep.

 Awakened Magic

    I began to hear a familiar sound next to me, a gentle voice. It was my mother''s voice, speaking with my father. I still couldn''t see anything; my vision was unclear, and I couldn''t remember what happened before I fell asleep. It felt like I had forgotten for some reason. I wanted to go back to sleep. That''s what every part of my body was telling me. But I decided to open my eyes. I couldn''t. It was incredibly difficult. I couldn''t understand what my parents were talking about either, but I wanted to focus my willpower and wake up. I still couldn''t do it.


    I was curious about their conversation. I wanted to get up. But my body felt like that of a drunken old person on the verge of death. I couldn''t tell if I was awake or still dreaming. I tried one last time to open my eyes¡ªand finally succeeded. At first, my vision was blurry, but it cleared soon after. It looked like I was in my bed, and my parents were sitting at the edge of it. Then I remembered what happened. My father did something to me after my mother told him to do "that thing." What was that thing? Suddenly, they noticed I was awake.


    "You''re awake? That''s good. We didn''t know when you''d come to," my mother said with a gentle and worried tone.


    "I think so. Also¡ª" I started, but she cut me off.


    "You want to know why you lost consciousness, right?"


    I wanted to tell her that interrupting people wasn''t polite, but then I remembered I was still acting like a child. Children pretend to be adults, and here I was pretending to be a child. How strange. So I answered her.


    "Yes."


    "Well, what your father did was to awaken your mana. Normally, mana awakens naturally at the age of puberty. But we used a method that''s not entirely natural. This will give you more mana than usual, but there was also a chance you wouldn''t wake up at all."


    Everything seeme¡ª


    "What?!" I shouted in fear as I realized there was a chance I could have died.


    "It''s scary to think I could have stayed asleep forever," I added.


    "It didn''t happen, so there''s no need to worry," my mother said, her voice calm and reassuring.


    I wish I had her mindset.


    "Also, your brother woke up two days ago. You can go talk to him. You''ve been asleep for eleven days, and he slept for nine."


    Shock was evident on my face when I heard how long I had slept. But I also felt a bit sad. My awkward and jealous brother had woken up before me. I wanted to cry, but that didn''t matter much anymore. I still felt a tinge of disappointment. I thought I''d go see him, so I told my mother:


    "I guess I''ve slept a lot. I''ll go meet Edward now."


    "I''ll take you to him. Do you want me to carry you?" she said, teasingly.


    "Mom, I''m not a baby anymore!" I yelled in a childish manner.


    "Alright, alright. Try going to him on your own."


    I tried standing up, but I lost my balance immediately. I almost fell, but my mother caught me. She smiled warmly, a smile so full of love it sent shivers down my spine.


    "You think this is easy? Having active mana inside your body, especially at your age, is quite difficult."


    She carried me in her arms, and I blushed, which reminded me of when I was still a baby. Although my memories of that time were hazy, it seemed like I do have the brain of my current age. My body was so small. Also, I didn''t fully understand what she meant by "active mana." It seemed like she hadn''t told us everything. That much was clear. Understanding the whole magic system felt too surreal to be true, and my dad didn''t move at all after i woke up, just smiling like he recovered something he lost before, i guess he was aware of the possibility of me dying unlike my mom.


    ---


    Edward''s Perspective


    While gazing out of the window next to my bed, I heard footsteps approaching, as if someone was about to enter the room. A few seconds later, my mother walked in, carrying Emilia in her arms. She seemed fine, which relieved me a little. I decided to talk to them since I was usually the energetic one. I waved my hand with a big smile on my face. Mother waved back, while Emilia seemed lost in thought, even after being placed at the edge of the bed.


    I couldn''t read her. She was special, that much I knew for certain. Finally, I asked in a concerned voice:


    "Are you alright?"


    "I think so. I''m just really tired and feeling a bit nauseous. Mom, how long will this last?" she asked, her voice feigning concern. I could tell it was fake, but why? I didn''t know. Maybe that''s what made her different from everyone else. I spoke up too:


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    "Mom, I''m worried too. Will this last long?"


    Our mother hugged both me and Emilia with a smile after putting Emilia on the edge of the bed.


    "It won''t last long. You could say I''ve never seen it last more than two weeks. But for your bodies to fully recover, it''ll take about a month or a month and a half. Once you''ve fully recovered, I''ll start teaching you how to use magic. Doesn''t that sound exciting?" she said, her energy infectious.


    I don''t know where she got all that energy from. Deciding to match her enthusiasm, even though I was exhausted, we ended up talking for hours about random things until eventually Emilia fell asleep. Mother carried her to her bed, and I decided it was time for me to sleep as well.


    ---


    Emilia''s Perspective


    Three weeks had passed since everything happened. I could walk again and perform most of the daily tasks I needed to. Even my brother had returned to his usual energetic self. It seemed our mother was planning to teach us magic now that we were fully recovered. That was likely the reason she called us outside the house. After a few minutes of waiting, she arrived, dressed in an outfit that looked like it belonged in a fantasy novel. Then again, this whole world felt like that, should i just be some kind of future hero and save humanity or something, actually, I hate most humans, and won''t save it unless U have some great motivation, not like all of this is happening, I''m just trying to feel happiness, that''s my actual true goal, and i will do what i need to do to get it even if i save what i hate the most.


    "You know why you''re here, right?" she asked.


    We both nodded.


    "You''re lucky. I''ll be personally teaching you. I''m at Master level," she said, proud of herself.


    Then, in a loud voice, she suddenly shouted, angry that we weren''t showing much interest: "Do you even realize how special that is? Only 5% of hunters reach this level! It''s rare even among adventurers. It''s said that a Master is worth thirty Beginners, and you two aren''t even Beginners yet!"


    "Alright, alright," Edward and I replied in unison, trying to stay calm.


    "You''ve disappointed me. You think I''m not amazing, that''s sad. But fine, let''s get started," she said, quickly shifting her mood. She seemed more childish than Edward, but strangely, that put me at ease.


    Mother closed her eyes and calmed herself. Then she opened them again and said:


    "Mana is always inside our bodies, and we can always draw from nature when some of our reserve is empty or near it. Today, I''ll teach you the most important thing: how to use it and release it from your mana reserve to transform it to magic in the future. There won''t be any practice today; you just need to feel your mana and gain a slight sense of control over it. This is the hardest part. First, stop moving and talking. Close your eyes, and try to feel yourself. Listen to your spirit and body. Clear your mind of any thoughts. After some time, you''ll visualize a liquid in a container in your mind. The size of the container doesn''t matter, and the color of the liquid will be different for everyone. Once you''ve done that, tell me the color. One note: don''t fill your mind with the idea of the container, or everything will fail. This has nothing to do with your individual level; it''s purely a matter of focus. So don''t compete with each other¡ªit''ll only make things harder. Just relax. You can sit, stand, whatever you like. Just focus. Now, begin," she said in a calm voice.


    I decided to sit in a yoga position, thinking it might help with concentration, and began clearing my mind of any thoughts.


    After a while¡ªthough I couldn''t tell how long¡ªI lost track of time. I started visualizing something in my mind, like a pool. It was red in color, though it didn''t resemble blood despite the similarity in shade. For some reason, I could move freely, as if I were in a dream. Mother hadn''t mentioned anything about this. I decided to approach the liquid, and as soon as I touched it, my awareness returned to the real world. But there was a flame above my hand. At first, I was terrified, but it didn''t burn me, though I could feel its intense heat. Was this magic? I looked around to see both my brother and mother staring at me in shock, and then the flame extinguished. Mother asked:


    "How did you use magic before I taught you anything? And was the liquid red? The color of your container?"


    "Yes. I touched it to make this happen," I said.


    "You touched it? How? I''ve never heard of that before," she said, astonished.


    "It felt like I was in a dream," I answered.


    "That''s strange¡­ Anyways, you both succeeded, so I''ll cook your favorite meal as a reward. Let''s head back home," she said with her usual smile.


    The night was close when I got my consciousness back, I guess I took a very long time, and then, we all returned to the house.