Chapter 2: The Existence of Magic

“Look Claudia, this is where you’ll meet your new friends.”

            My mother pushes me inside, but I couldn’t help but feel unwilling after seeing such a place. Kids were running, laughing, shouting around the colorful room filled with toys. It’s the first time I’ve seen so many people in one room, heck it’s the first time I’ve seen so many kids in one room since I’ve been reborn.

            From my general knowledge, kids from then and now never change. They’re noisy, spoiled, and mushy, (sometimes they’re cute). I am wearing my pink one piece and my black hair was tied in ponytail, a blond woman with a slight colored hair came down to her knees after greeting my mother so she could face me at my eye level. “Hello there” she said with a smile, showing her dimples, “my name is Lissa, call me Miss Lissa okay~ what’s your name?” she should have known my name, yet she still ask me to get to know me.

            I turned my gaze down, grabbed my dress with my small hands and looked back at her, “Cl—Claudia” I tried answering while I stutter. As someone who never converse with a stranger it’s important to act a little shy, I sometimes think my action might be too calculated, but as someone who is different, there’s no such thing as being too careful.

            “I see, Claudia is it? Welcome to Apple Class, here you’ll meet lots of friends that you can learn and play with so let’s get along okay~”

            She tried giving with her brightest smile she tried to muster so I smile back and nodded. Miss Lissa took my hand, led me to the back of the room where she told all the kids to be silent, and introduced me to them. It was storytelling time and told me to sit wherever I want. I sat on the back, next to a blond girl who for some reason was sitting in a corner alone.

            Honestly, I prefer being in the corner as well, but since it’s occupied I sat next to her instead.  Some of the girls came over to talk with me and I act eagerly while I answer them. They went back to their place when Miss Lissa started to open a book and told us a story about a white dog who accidentally found treasure for an old couple, then a jealous neighbor heard of this and killed the dog in spite, the couple mourned their dog for weeks. The dog came back as a ghost, to repay their loving care since he was alive and told them to cook the pine in the garden with rice, which then turned into gold. The couple lived happily for the remainder of their life without a day forgetting their dog just as he did not forget even after death.

            OOOOIIIIIII!!!!! What are you telling such a story to a 4 year old! Look, they’re crying now, everyone’s nose is red and even the guys can’t hold back their tears! Are you trying to harass us with tears?! Think about how I feel having sweat coming out of my eyes!

            I turned toward the person in the corner, unlike the others she wasn’t crying, I don’t even know if she was listening to the story. Miss Lissa closed the book, and told us it was time for afternoon nap. She took a small white item from her pocket and put it in a stand that had speaker on it then play a soothing song to make us drowsy, she prepared our blanket and had us at the next room.

            With the lights off, the teacher left us with the door half opened. I too was overwhelmed with drowsiness of a toddler’s body and couldn’t help but sleep peacefully. 

             NOT!

            Opening my eyes, ensuring the little ones are asleep, I began to meditate. First, I tried sensing the mana inside my body that circulate my body, then use it to sense the surrounding mana. Using my own mana to distinguish the surrounding mana not only increase my proficiency in using it but also my sensitivity to my surrounding. With my eyes closed, I sensed the 20 other children sleeping in this room, the two teachers quietly talking, and the few children that was still playing in the next room.

When I came to this world, I had a huge misunderstanding. Magic doesn’t exist--or so I thought. To be precise, those who use magic are extinct, so I found out one hope admits my depression.

            I can use magic.

            Even if sorcerers are extinct, magic itself does not disappear. If one has the affinity and talent, it should be possible for anyone to become a magician. Moreover, in this modern era where they cultivated supernatural talent to use, it’s possible now for magician to gain respect unlike the times in the Thirty Years War and to be awed rather than fear.

            It might even be possible the era of a magic revolution.

            Hahahahahahahahahahaha, yeah right. Let’s leave it as a pipe dream.

            Putting aside my absurd thought, I realized I could use magic just a few days ago. In the middle of the night (somehow, my habit of an all nighters caught up from my previous life) I crept out of my parents’ room and went toward the kitchen. Somehow, the kitchen became a very good place for sneaking out, just by explaining I was hungry, they wouldn’t question why I was awake alone in the middle of the night. It seemed it become common sense to sneak into the kitchen for midnight snack at least once in their lifetime in this era.

            Anyway, since I don’t have my own room yet I can only perform my experiment here. I tried sensing my mana at first then my surrounding mana, which was a success, next I pulled out a pen and paper and draw a magic circle. I tried drawing three circles that intersect two snakes that intertwined each other, accompany with ancient symbols.  I then put a rotten apple I saved and put it on the paper. I charged mana and the magic circle then shone dimly, turning the strange coloring on it into bright red.

            SUCCESS!!!

            I had doubts but it was a success, if it wasn’t in the middle of the night I would have jumped around the whole room like a girl possessed. When I heard footsteps, I hid the paper behind and held the apple in the other. The kitchen light was turn on, and the one who was looking at me with watchful eyes was my eldest sister, Karen.

            “What are you doing?” she asked. My back had cold sweat leaking, while I was trying to avoid the question by wandering my eyesight, I held up my apple and took a bite after saying ‘midnight snack’ with a forced smile.

            She turn her eyesight away after convinced with that two words, she took a glass and pour some chocolate milk then went back to her room after drinking it. I sigh in relieve before I ate the rest of the apple, shred the paper, and went back to my parents room. 

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