The ground erupted in a massive explosion of mana. Fire scorched the air, and arcs of electricity leapt from a student’s fingertips to strike their target.

  That was the spectacle I had been hoping for. Instead, I had endured weeks of agonizingly dull lectures on color theory and safety protocols.

  And finally, when the curriculum was shifting toward practical testing, I witnessed one of the worst displays of magic I have ever seen.

  Children casting fireball magic, creating complex runes only to produce the weakest flame known to man.

  During the afternoon break, I observed the courtyard. The social landscape had shifted. Cliques had solidified, and the students were now more occupied with their own internal dramas. I preferred it that way. I sat alone, nursing a cup of sweet tea and a light snack.

  Still, the sheer immaturity of these children was baffling. I watched as one boy attempted a formal proposal to a girl in the hall. It was absurd. Even if this world considered thirteen year olds to be adults, I knew the biological truth. Their prefrontal cortexes were nowhere near mature.

  Then, a cold realization struck me. My current body is also thirteen. If my consciousness was tied to this physical brain, then I-

  "SERAPHINA!"

  A pair of arms wrapped around my neck, and I nearly choked on a mouthful of tea. I sputtered, splashing the liquid across my knee.

  Elara pulled back, looking horrified. "Oh no! I am sorry! You looked so focused, I thought you were just staring into space!"

  I let out a long, weary sigh and grabbed my handkerchief. "It is fine, Elara. But please, try to greet me without the surprise gymnastics next time."

  She laughed nervously, scratching her head. "Sorry, sorry."

  "Do not worry about it." I set the cup down before I could ruin the rest of my clothes.

  Suddenly, a rhythmic ringing echoed through the hall. Ding, ding, ding.

  I looked up toward the second floor. A group of students stood in a neat line, looking down at us with practiced poise. "What is that supposed to be?"

  "Oh, that is the new student council," Elara replied.

  I blinked. "Student council? When did we have an election?"

  "Weeks ago! You were fast asleep at your desk, so you missed the whole thing."

  I stared at her, annoyed. "And you did not think to wake me?"

  Elara gave me a sheepish grin. "Well, you told me very specifically not to disturb you when you were resting."

  "When did I tell you that?"

  "While you were half asleep," she chirped.

  I covered my face with my hand. "I see. My mistake."

  I had been spending far too much time in the library, supplementing the academy’s slow education with my own three-hour daily training sessions.

  It was catching up to me.

  "So..." I muttered, looking back up at the balcony. "Who is the unfortunate winner?"

  "Theo won!" Elara said, though her smile seemed a bit forced. "Everyone felt he was the natural choice for the position. He did not really have a choice but to accept. Hehe."

  Theo winning the election was a calculated move. I did not believe in coincidences, and I certainly did not believe in Theo’s altruism. He was building a power base.

  "How wonderful for him," I said, my voice cold. "Mr. Perfect finally has a title to match his ego."

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Elara tilted her head, her brow furrowed in genuine confusion. "What is wrong? Are you not happy for him? I thought you two were childhood friends."

  "Childhood friends?" I let out a soft, dry giggle. "And who exactly gave you that impression?"

  "Well, he did. He mentioned that the two of you grew up together."

  "He did not lie about that, I suppose. But calling us close friends is..." I trailed off, looking down at the grass. "That is certainly one way to frame it."

  Elara’s expression softened as she realized she had stepped on a landmine. "Oh. I see. I am sorry, I shouldn't have assumed."

  "Do not apologize. It is fine." I stood up, feeling the blood start to flow back into my legs. I needed a distraction.

  I turned my focus to her. "Elara, I have been meaning to ask. Your magical aptitude is higher than almost everyone in our class, despite your commoner background. How do you do it?"

  "I don’t really know," she said with a shrug. "I just think of the magic, and it happens."

  "There is no visualization? No study of the elemental properties or the combustion of mana?"

  "No. I just feel the fire in my chest, and then I let it out."

  It was a fascinating contradiction. My own magic required a deep understanding of physics and fundamental structures. I had to build my spells like a machine. Meanwhile, Elara treated magic like a heartbeat.

  "Say, Elara. Could you show me? Right now?"

  "Now? Here?" She blinked, taken aback. "I suppose I could, but why the sudden interest?"

  "I want to refine my own techniques," I admitted. "I think learning your instinctive approach might be the missing piece for me."

  "Wait, the Great Seraphina wants to learn from me?" Her eyes sparked with excitement. "Alright! I will show you everything I know!"

  Elara took two steps back to give herself some space. "Okay, so I actually learned how to use magic from the books my mom used to read to me when I was a little girl."

  "And what kind of books were those?" I prompted, curious about her source material.

  "Ehe, mostly just children's storybooks," she admitted. She slowly turned her palm toward the sky and drifted into a trance, her eyelids fluttering shut. "I found out that if I really remember those stories, a strong heat starts to glow deep in my belly. And when I focus on that feeling..."

  She stopped speaking as the air above her hand began to crackle. A flurry of tiny, colorful sparks erupted from her skin.

  They were like microscopic fireworks, shimmering with a vibrancy that nothing on paper could ever describe.

  A few students nearby paused their own conversations, drawn in by the unexpected display of light.

  Elara let the sparks fade into the air before opening her eyes.

  "Okay! Now it is your turn to try it, Sera!"

  I nodded. According to Elara, her magic was tethered to the stories of her youth. It was a fascinating concept. To her, magic was not a calculation but a collection of memories.

  I observed the other students in the courtyard. I recalled how they shouted the names of their spells during the practical exam. They were likely using those names as anchors to trigger specific emotional states. If I wanted to bridge the gap between my logic and their intuition, I had to try their way. I raised my hand just as Elara had done, letting my eyelids fall shut.

  In my previous life, I viewed the world through the lens of chemistry and physics. I understood how molecules vibrated and how combustion occurred. The literature regarding Otherworlders was correct in one regard. I was inadvertently forcing the physics of my old world into this new reality.

  To truly master this, I decided I needed to let go of my logic. I had to empty my mind and surrender to the irrational rules of this world.

  I cleared my mind, letting every thought of chemistry and math dissolve into nothing. I waited for a "feeling" to take hold.

  The word "thrust" flashed in my mind.

  Suddenly, a deafening roar drowned out the sounds of the academy. A pillar of concentrated, blueish-white flame erupted from my hand like the exhaust of a jet engine. The sheer pressure created a localized gale. I watched as tea cups were overturned and stacks of homework were swept into the sky like autumn leaves.

  The violent display drew every eye in the vicinity. Students on the balconies leaned over the railings in shock. Teachers came running to the windows.

  I snapped back to my senses in a heartbeat. Realizing the scale of the disaster I was creating, I forced the flow of mana to my palm to a grinding halt. The roaring flame vanished, leaving a ringing silence in its wake.

  But it was too late, though. I looked around, seeing that the once orderly courtyard was now a scene of chaos, ravaged by the sheer force of the magical exhaust.

  I lowered my hand, my fingers still trembling slightly from the heat. I stared into my palm, questioning my own judgment. There was absolutely no reason for me to test a new theory in such a high density area.

  Why had I been so reckless?

  Before I could find an answer, a cheerful voice shattered the heavy atmosphere.

  "WOW, Seraphina! You did all that just from my instruction? That was incredible!"

  Elara was suddenly in front of me, her eyes sparkling with a level of excitement that bordered on worship. "What was going through your head? What kind of memory could create a flame like that?

  "Ah, it is nothing. I just..." I facepalmed, unable to finish my sentence.

  I was deeply disappointed by the lack of control I had exhibited. I decided to simply walk away, driven by a sharp sense of internal embarrassment for my lack of awareness. I could not stay here and face the stares.

  "Hey, wait, Sera! Where are you going?" Elara called out. She quickly followed me as I hurried out of the vicinity.