The fire in the small shelter crackled softly, casting golden reflections on the rocky walls. The wind howled outside, lashing the desolate land with distant wails, but inside there was an unexpected calm. Yuri, wrapped in a blanket offered by Kayla, sat silently by the fire. Her eyes stared into the flames, but her mind was far away.
Her thoughts wandered back to her world. Her room, the unfinished homework. Her grandmother.
"Remember, Yuri… even when everything seems dark, there's always a light to follow. You are special, and one day you'll have to help those who can't do it alone."
Those words now sounded like a prophecy.
A veil of melancholy clouded her gaze as she hugged her knees to her chest.
The silence was broken only by the crackling of the flames and the beating of her heart. Then... sleep took her without warning.
---
| Dream |
In the dream, Yuri found herself in a field of flowers. The air smelled of honey and sunlight.
In the middle of that field, a child was laughing. He ran with his arms spread, as if flying. His black hair danced in the wind, and his eyes—for a moment—turned toward her.
There was a deep sadness in that gaze. An emptiness masked by joy.
"Yuri…" whispered a voice, like an echo carried by the wind.
The scene shattered into a thousand luminous fragments, like broken glass, and the girl woke up with a gasp.
---
Part II – The Beginning of Training
"You were restless in your sleep," Kayla said, watching her from a nearby rock.
"Did you dream something interesting?"
Yuri shook her head, still shaken. "I don't know… there was a child… and… it didn't feel real."
Kayla didn't ask questions. She just smiled with that usual enigmatic look. "It's time to begin. If you want to survive, you'll have to learn to use magic."
"I… I've never done anything like that."
"Everyone says that at first. Get up. Follow me."
Kayla led her outside, to a wind-swept hilltop. She turned around and, with a theatrical gesture, conjured four small spheres in front of her: one of water, one of fire, one of earth, and one of wind.
"The basic elements. Every living being resonates with at least one of them. Magic is channeled through mana, your inner energy. There are eleven levels of magic, from the simplest to the apocalyptic. Right now, you are level zero."
"Wow, that's encouraging."
"Better the truth than false hope."
Kayla raised a hand and made the spheres spin around her. "The nobility in this world can reach the sixth level. I… am far beyond that. But that's not the point."
"And what is the point?"
"That I want to see if you have any affinity at all. Try. Think of fire."
Yuri closed her eyes. Focused her thoughts. And… nothing. She opened her eyes and tried to force it, flailing her arms. A spark, then a small puff of smoke. And finally… an explosion of earth that knocked her backwards into the mud.
"Oh. Maybe not fire. Maybe earth? Or maybe… you're just a complete disaster."
"That's not funny."
Kayla laughed. For the first time, a genuine laugh.
"Oh, it is. But don't worry. You're just getting started. You'll feel the mana. When the time comes, it'll flow like water through your body."
Yuri got back on her feet, grumbling. But in her heart, something had ignited.
A small, fragile seed of determination.
Part III – The Inner Spark
The sun was already high in the sky, but the light barely filtered through the leaden clouds covering the land. Yuri, still covered in mud, sat on a boulder, staring at her hands with a mix of frustration and wonder.
"How do I know what my element is?" she asked, trying to wipe her face with a corner of her tunic.
Kayla approached, more serious now. "Every soul vibrates with a unique frequency. Mana responds to that vibration. Some are attuned to water, others to fire, earth, or wind. But not everyone discovers it right away."
"And what if I never do?"
"Then you'd die. But don't worry, that's very rare. Your presence here is a sign that the world itself has chosen you. Even if you don't realize it, something inside you is already stirring."
Kayla sat beside her, staring at the horizon. "You're not an ordinary girl, Yuri. But it's not enough to be 'chosen.' You have to fight to understand who you are. And to do that… you'll have to fail. Many times."
Yuri remained silent. Then she took a deep breath and focused.
She recalled her grandmother's voice, the peace of those distant summers.
She thought of a stream's water, clear and calm. The earth beneath her feet.
The warmth of the sun. The wind in her hair.
A light breeze rose around her.
A small vortex of air spun around her hands, barely visible.
Yuri stared at it in awe.
Kayla raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Do you feel it?"
Yuri nodded. "It's… like something is answering inside me."
"It's the first step. Don't ruin it by getting too excited. Breathe. Don't control it. Let it come."
The breeze slowly faded, leaving behind a sensation of lightness in the air.
"You seem attuned to wind," Kayla observed. "It's rare… but not unique. It'll make you agile. Fast. Unpredictable. And maybe a bit stubborn."
"I'm not stubborn."
"Everyone attuned to wind is."
They looked at each other for a moment. Then Yuri smiled, just slightly.
---
That evening, as the sun set behind the barren hills, Yuri sat once again by the fire. But this time, something had changed.
The world no longer felt like an enemy.
Perhaps it was still cruel, incomprehensible, and frightening…
but now she had a purpose.
Kayla, meanwhile, watched her from afar. She said nothing, but her eyes seemed to shine with something between pride and melancholy.
"Tomorrow we'll begin for real," she finally said. "You'll learn to shape the wind, to understand its flow. And then, maybe, you can move on to the other elements."
Yuri nodded. For the first time since arriving in that world, she felt… ready.