[A/N: I am so sorry you guys have to pay twice, but by the time I realised it was too late and couldn't delete the chapter as it's premium. It's a copy of the previous one.
Don't read it and I promise this won't happen again.]
Wait," Noah interrupted, "are you saying we can just pull mana from nature? Like, there's fire mana just floating around?"
Maya nodded, her expression serious.
"Exactly. Every element has a presence in the natural world—fire, water, earth, air, and so on.
When you harmonize with the element, you're essentially connecting your mana to the elemental flow that exists all around you.
But it's not as simple as just pulling in power. You have to be in perfect sync with the element, or the spell could backfire."
Noah frowned, leaning over the diagram. "So, how do you achieve this synchronization?"
"Professor Jacob explained that it's about matching the frequency of your mana with the natural mana of the element you're working with," Maya explained.
"Each element has its own unique mana signature.
For fire, for instance, it's wild and aggressive, so your mana has to reflect that kind of energy.
If you can do that, you'll harmonize with the fire mana around you and be able to cast much stronger spells."
Noah absorbed this for a moment, thinking it over.
"That sounds... dangerous. What happens if you fail?"
"Well," Maya said, grimacing slightly, "if you don't match the frequency correctly, you could end up with a spell that's too weak to work, or worse, a spell that's too unstable and explodes in your face.
That's why Elemental Harmonization isn't taught until later years—it requires a lot of control over your mana and a deep understanding of elemental magic."
Noah nodded.
"Makes sense. I guess that's why it's considered advanced."
He looked over at the diagram again, his curiosity piqued.
"Did he give any practical examples? Like, how do you even start practicing something like that?"
"Yeah, he did," Maya replied, flipping through her notes again.
"He mentioned starting with meditation exercises to get a feel for the elemental mana in the environment.
For fire magic, you'd sit near a source of fire—like a candle or a bonfire—and try to feel the mana in the flames.
It's a subtle energy, so it takes a lot of focus to even detect it at first.
Once you can feel the elemental mana, the next step is to slowly merge your own mana with it."
Noah tilted his head.
Across the table, Maya sat silently, staring at him.
Her eyes traced the way his hand moved fluidly across the page, and she found herself mesmerized by how intensely he concentrated on his work.
Her heart skipped a beat, and before she realized it, a soft blush crept across her cheeks.
She quickly looked away, biting her lip.
She hoped Noah didn't notice.
But when she dared to sneak another glance, his eyes flicked up from the parchment, meeting hers.
Startled, Maya's face turned a deeper shade of red.
She quickly averted her gaze and focused on the book in front of her, trying to act as though nothing had happened.
Noah gave her a curious look but shrugged it off, returning to his writing.
Maya, meanwhile, couldn't shake the strange feeling that had been bubbling inside her every time she was near him.
It was a warmth that spread through her chest and down her arms, making her heart race.
She didn't know what it was, but it was becoming harder to ignore.
Her breathing became shallow, and she could feel her pulse quickening.
It was as if just being in the same room as him made everything around her fade away.
Maya placed a hand over her chest, clenching her shirt, feeling the rapid thumping of her heart.
'Why am I feeling like this?'
She thought to herself, squeezing the fabric of her skirt.
Her body felt hot, almost uncomfortably so, and her fingers trembled slightly.
'This has been happening a lot recently, hasn't it?'
She couldn't explain why it felt like this around Noah—why every glance, every moment shared in silence, seemed to ignite something inside her.
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady her breath.
'It's probably nothing. Just... nerves, maybe?'
But deep down, she knew it wasn't that simple.
There was something about him—something about the way he carried himself, the way he spoke, the way he looked at her sometimes—that made her feel things she didn't quite understand.
Maya's fingers dug into the fabric of her skirt as she tried to calm herself, her mind swirling with unspoken thoughts and emotions.
But no matter how much she tried to push them aside, the warmth inside her only grew.