After their quiet walk through the park, the air filled with the sound of birds and the distant laughter of children, they made their way back into the heart of Llyn. Pao seemed more relaxed than ever. They walked side by side, close enough for their shoulders to brush now and then, though neither pulled away.
When they arrived at the restaurant, it was like stepping into a familiar memory. The lighting was soft, warm, and comforting. The same welcoming scent of herbs and roasted vegetables drifted in from the kitchen, and the servers, clad in deep blue uniforms, gave them courteous nods. Amukelo smiled slightly to himself as they were shown to the same table they had taken before, tucked neatly by the window where they could see the town's cobbled street bathed in evening light.
As they sat down, Pao exhaled softly and looked down at the table, her fingers brushing over the polished wood.
"Now in these clothes," she said with a quiet grin, "I feel much more in place."
Amukelo leaned back in his chair, relaxing slightly. "Well," he said, gesturing at her noble attire, "that's where you come from. Places like this."
Pao looked at him with a small, amused smirk, then folded her hands in her lap.
Just then, the waiter approached with graceful timing, setting down two plates—roasted chicken with golden potatoes and green vegetables—and poured a modest serving of red wine into each of their glasses. He offered a polite nod and stepped away.
Amukelo glanced down at his wine, then looked over at Pao with a teasing grin. "Let's make sure you don't fall asleep after this like last time."
Pao immediately lifted her head and gave him a mock-offended expression. "I'm not going to—" she began, her tone indignant. But then she lowered her gaze and murmured with a playful softness, "Well… but I wouldn't mind."
Amukelo's eyes widened slightly. The way she said it—it wasn't teasing. Not fully. There was a hint of warmth in it. Something honest. It threw him off just a little, and before he could stop himself, a faint red dusted his cheeks. He looked away and let out a small, nervous laugh. "Well… let's at least try to avoid that."
Pao chuckled under her breath, taking a sip of wine as she watched him. There was an ease between them now, not the awkward silence of their earlier "non-date," but something more comfortable. More familiar. They didn't have to fill every moment with words. Just sitting together like this, eating quietly, was enough.
But after a few bites, Pao shifted in her seat and placed her fork down, her fingers curling lightly around the stem of her wine glass. Her voice dipped slightly as she said, "Amu… there's one thing I wanted to ask you about."
He looked up, eyebrows slightly raised. "Ask me? Is there anything you've been struggling with?"
Pao shook her head, brushing her hair back with one hand. "No… not like that."
He frowned slightly. "Then what happened? What do you want to talk about?"
She looked up with sudden brightness in her eyes, almost like she had remembered something important. "Have you ever thought about learning magic?"
Amukelo blinked. "Magic?" he repeated, confused. "No. I mean… if not for you, I wouldn't even know anything about magic. I probably wouldn't even know I have mana."
Pao smiled like she expected that answer. But her smile widened with excitement, eyes gleaming. "Would you want to learn?"
He looked at her, startled. "Learn? But I don't use a magic staff. I know nothing about spells or runes or anything like that."
"That's not an issue," Pao said, leaning in slightly, as if sharing a secret. "You can use magic even without a staff. You won't be able to cast complicated spells like my portal or water clone, but you can use basic elemental magic. Or even manipulate mana directly in useful ways."
She paused, gauging his reaction.
"Think about it like this," she continued. "You know how Bral's scrolls work, right? Well, imagine using spells like that—but not just once. You could cast them as many times as your mana allows. No scrolls. Just you."
Amukelo's eyes widened. "That sounds… kind of amazing. But I've never heard about anyone using this."
Pao nodded eagerly. "Because it's hard. Really hard. It's basically a master-level ability. You'd have to train your mana control like crazy. That's why most people don't bother. Bral only asked me about it recently—he's just starting. But you? With how fast you learn, with how focused you are… I know you could do it."
He blinked, clearly trying to process what she just said. "You really think so?" he asked.
Pao's gaze softened. "Of course I do." There was no hesitation in her voice. No doubt. Just certainty.
"Well, I wouldn't mind," Amukelo said, nodding slowly. "Especially if it meant I'd get even stronger… but how would I even start?"
Pao's smile deepened. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, and said confidently, "That's why I'm here. I'll tell you everything you need to know."
Then she added, with a playful smirk, "And trust me—I know a little bit about that."
Amukelo chuckled, tilting his head with mock disbelief. "Just a little, huh? I don't doubt that for a second."
"Exactly," she grinned, tapping her finger against the table like she was holding back a whole lecture waiting to pour out. "But seriously—if we're doing this, we're doing it smart. You've got your training with Padrin now, and I've got my studies, so obviously we can't just throw another full routine on top of that."
He gave her a look of amused suspicion. "So… what, you've figured out how to warp time to make space for more lessons?"
"No, but I have figured out how to work around your schedule," she said, smug. "Even you can't train from sunrise to sunset. You need breaks, right? You take at least one during the day. And after training, you're just resting or eating or walking around half-dead. So why not combine it?"
She pointed at him with both hands, like she just unveiled a grand secret. "You rest, eat, and I teach. Simple."
Amukelo gave her a slow, skeptical nod. "You really thought this through."
"I always think things through," Pao said with a huff, then winked. "Well, almost always. You'll get the basics, you'll get the cool bits, and eventually you'll start to understand why I love it so much. And I will get to relearn basics about one of the best things in the world."
Amukelo raised his eyebrow and thought. 'Not the best thing in the world anymore?' Then after a moment of silence, he asked. "So? When do we actually start?"
Then she clapped her hands softly and said, "We can begin now, actually."
Amukelo shifted a little, adjusting in his seat. He grabbed his wine glass, took a small sip, and then set it aside. "Alright. So what do we begin with?"
Pao's eyes lit up, just like they did whenever she explained something complicated or technical. She had that same energy now, like a teacher who loved the subject just as much as the person she was teaching.
"First, I want you to tell me everything you already know about magic, mana, anything," she said, folding her arms expectantly.
Amukelo blinked, then shrugged with a sheepish smile. "Literally nothing."
"Nothing?" she repeated with dramatic disbelief, raising an eyebrow. "At all?"
He nodded slowly. "Nothing at all."
Pao clapped her hands once and sat up straighter. "Good. That makes it even better. You're a blank slate, and blank slates are the best for learning."
He snorted. "So I'm hopeless and moldable. Great."
"Not hopeless. Just unformed," she grinned. "Like soft clay."
Amukelo narrowed his eyes with mock annoyance. "I don't know whether it's better or worse."
She laughed and continued, "Okay, so let's start from the basics. You know I have mana, right?"
He nodded quickly. "Yeah, that much I know."
"And you know you have mana too, right?"
Amukelo hesitated this time. His hand came up to rub the back of his neck. "I mean… I guess? But I've never seen it. Or felt it."
Pao gave him a knowing look and leaned forward, lowering her voice slightly. "You have. You just didn't realize it."
He furrowed his brow, and she continued, "When you became an adventurer, remember when they asked you to place your hand on the badge and transfer mana into it?"
Amukelo blinked, then his eyes widened just a bit. "Ahh… yeah. That."
Pao nodded, pleased. "Exactly. That was your first actual use of mana. Whether you understood it or not. It doesn't matter if you felt it or not—the fact that it worked means it's there. Your mana, your flow—it responded to your intent."
She leaned back again and said with a grin, "And that means you're already one step ahead."
Amukelo looked at his hand for a moment, turning it slightly, as if trying to remember the sensation. He didn't feel anything now, but hearing her explain it like that—it made it feel more real.
"Alright," he said. "So what's the next step, teacher?"
Pao grinned again, her eyes glinting. "Now… we get into what mana really is."