I raise my eyebrows at Ilina questioningly. Seeing my expression, she nods and speaks up.
"Mizuki…it felt easier to cast the spell that second time in general, but still…what hurt Alto easily seemed ten times weaker than when you started to notice the spell. I'm really grateful that you warned me before I tried it on Alto, but I'm also terrified that a gravity spell strong enough to kill a powerful elf wouldn't even be noticed by you." (Ilina)
If her assessment of the spell strengths is true, then that's good to know. I've noticed that my normal body as well as my physical enhancement spells have gotten significantly stronger since my contract with Nina.
I turn to Ilina and shrug.
"Yeah, I told you as much…I'm strong. Please don't be terrified, though, we're friends after all. I'm on your side, remember?" (Mizuki)
That seems to put Ilina's mind at ease, and she smiles back at me warmly.
"Yeah, that's good to hear again anyway. Thanks, Mizuki." (Ilina)
I nod at Ilina, then turn to Alto.
"Alright, Ilina, you can stick around and practice for as long as you want, and I'll take you back to your room whenever you're ready. For now, I need to move on to helping Alto. Alto, you ready to learn some magic?" (Mizuki)
Ilina nods her agreement and moves to the other side of the clearing to practice. I turn to Alto, and she's already back on her feet and staring at me excitedly. Yeah, she's fine.
"Alright, Alto, so I can see what you're working with, give me a basic fireball spell towards that boulder over there." (Mizuki)
I gesture at the boulder I melted once upon a time, which is about ten meters away. Alto launches a baseball-sized fireball at the rock, and it erupts over the rock face and burns out after a few seconds, leaving some minor scorch marks. Not bad at all. I turn to Alto and smile appreciatively.
"Great, thanks! Now, time to hit the books before we do any magic. If you wave your hand around in front of you, can you tell me what you're touching?" (Mizuki)
Alto gives me a puzzled expression.
"Well…yesterday I would have said 'nothing', but I'm guessing that's not true? Am I touching the spacetime you mentioned?" (Alto)
She gets excited when she mentions spacetime, I guess she thinks it will be related to her magic lesson. I can't help but chuckle at that. I shake my head at her, then continue.
"There's something there, and it's what you're feeling when you move your hand really fast through the air. Basically, everything around you is full of these little spheres, called 'atoms' – even you. There are lots of different kinds of atoms that interact with one another in different ways. This is why water seems heavier and thicker than the air around you, they're made out of different kinds of atoms." (Mizuki)
I don't really have time to explain elements, the subtleties of atomic structure, molecules, covalent bonds, and all the other context. I'm hoping it will just be enough for her to understand that there are tiny things moving through the world around her. I glance at Alto, and she is waving her hand in the air curiously. I stifle my laughter, but at least she seems to believe me.
"You're right, I guess I'd never really thought about it, but if I swing my hand fast enough, I can feel something there. So, you're telling me that this is all just really tiny spheres around me, and even I am made up of different versions of these tiny spheres?" (Alto)
I nod.
"Yes, or at least that's all you need to know for now. You'll find out with time that it's a lot more complicated, but we don't need to discuss that today. Are you comfortable accepting that and moving on?" (Mizuki)
Alto looks like she has lots of questions, but she nods her agreement. I nod back, then grab a piece of wood from the forest and light it on fire with a fireball and toss it in the clearing between Alto and me.
"Now, I mentioned that atoms can interact with each other, and what I meant was that certain types of atoms are attracted to each other, kind of like how you are pulled towards the planet. When you make fire like this, what's happening is that the atoms in the wood there are being separated from one another by the heat of my fireball. That separation is used to release more heat, which continues the cycle until you've separated all the atoms in the wood that you can." (Mizuki)
Alto looks thoughtful, then asks a question.
"Uhm…Mizuki…why does heat make the atoms in the wood separate? I don't understand that part?" (Alto)
"That's because of what heat actually is. Heating something is like making the atoms in it move or wiggle faster. When you add heat to the atoms in water, they move fast enough that they can escape some of their attraction to each other, and the water becomes steam. If you slow the atoms down enough by cooling so that their attraction can hold them really close together, then the water becomes ice. Is that something you can imagine and accept?" (Mizuki)
Alto seems to think about this concept for much longer, but eventually she nods and asks another question.
"Why does separating the atoms in the wood release heat? Also, if what you say is true, why is it that turning water to steam does not do the same thing as a fire and continue to turn itself to steam?" (Alto)
That's insightful, actually, but I think explaining atoms versus molecules, covalent versus noncovalent bonds, and physical versus chemical changes is a little much for right now. She didn't even know about atoms five minutes ago.
"That's a great question, Alto, and the answer is that it's because the atoms aren't interacting in the same way in those cases, so separating them has different effects. In all honesty, that's way more information than you need for right now, and it won't make the spell I'm about to teach you any better. Do you mind if we save that for another time?" (Mizuki)
Alto looks disappointed at me dodging her question, but she nods her agreement. I know, I'm kind of treating her like she's dumb, but that's not what I think, it's just that I want to keep this information practical.
"Okay, thanks, Alto. Now, hold out your palm like you're going to do a fireball, but imagine your magic forming a small sphere in front of your hand. Let me know when you've done it." (Mizuki)
Alto gives me a deeply confused look, but she seems to realize something after a moment. What's that about?