Serena spent the night outside, covered only by an old blanket. It was very cold and the wind blew all night along. In the morning... her horse was gone.
Maybe it had run away, been eaten or stolen. Without a fire, she couldn't see what happened. She was also so exhausted that she didn't notice her horse missing until dawn, and she was completely alone now.
In this way, she would end up dying of hunger or thirst long before reaching the barrier. She couldn't continue her journey relying only on luck. She needed to prepare for the journey. After crossing the barrier, she wouldn't be able to count on anyone else's help, so it was important that she was well-equipped and had enough supplies.
But she also needed the horse. That's why she decided to follow its tracks.
Following the trail, it led her to the city she was looking for, the city of Poli.
At the entrance of the city, Serena noticed something. She had never interacted with another person in her life. She began to think: "what if they don't like me?"
Serena couldn't understand the origin of this feeling. But for some reason, she wanted to avoid having to interact. She didn't want to be seen.
With great hesitation, she entered the city. However, something caught her attention. It was empty.
The horse's hoof prints continued, but there were no other prints. The place was uninhabited. She felt foolish for being afraid to face people, but at the same time, sad.
Because of all the problems in the Infernal Valley, the nearby towns were not safe. It is to be expected that many of them are ghost towns. Therefore, she could look for her mount, some supplies, and maybe get a decent rest.
Alley by alley, Serena searched for her horse, following the hoof prints. The feeling of desolation in that place was terrifying. The ground, damp from the rain, turned into mud and made each step feel like a ton. Because of this, it was easy to follow footprints but difficult to walk.
Step by step, the sound of the soaked boots, along with the sound of the cold wind whistling through the crevices of the silent and empty streets of a city that, perhaps at some distant moment in the past, had been loud and festive, now lay only with buildings infested with mosses and trees that invaded the interiors until they emerged through all possible exits.
For some reason, it felt lonelier than the Sacred Temple, which caused Serena a nostalgic feeling. It reminded her a bit of her training days, solitary and silent, interrupted only by the sound of branches and leaves swaying in the wind.
After a few minutes of walking, she heard the sound of a whinny.
"I finally found you, Tempestade."
Happy to hear the sound of her horse, her companion since he arrived at the monastery, Serena ran. However, she couldn't find her friend.
The sound of the horse's whinny was audible, but she couldn't find him. Following the sound, she entered a large house.
It was difficult to see inside, as the sun was cloudy and there were few windows, which were covered with vines that extended outside.
"Tempestade! My boy! Answer me!"
Groping in the dark, she searched for her horse, but there was only silence. Each step inside that place was uncertain, due to the darkness and the sound of the wood, which creaked even at the slightest of footsteps.
The air had a different smell from the outside, as if something interfered with her sense of smell, coming from a mysterious direction. This scent, resembling mint mixed with vanilla and mildew, caught Serena's attention. It was as if someone was gently touching her, guiding her to the place.
Entering through the noisy wooden door, aged and decrepit, she found a room filled with shelves of books and grimoires. They were all destroyed by neglect. The broken window allowed the damp air to enter, ruining that library.
The smell of herbs came from a small magical artifact of floral essence that had been forgotten. Some insects, accidentally covered by magic, scurried in fear from the unknown presence that entered the abandoned room.
"Nothing here, i guess…"
Serena said this while checking all the books and grimoires. She was looking for something that would help her with basic spells. If this was a wizard's office, there must be something useful. But almost everything was destroyed and unreadable.
After a while searching, night began to fall. She hadn't noticed the time passing.
With no time to waste, she decided to leave and find her horse before it got dark and she couldn't see.
(In the chest, below...)
Did Serena think something? She felt it wasn't quite a thought. Just like last time.
It was hard to describe and resembled her thoughts, but it was somehow different. It felt like a memory, revealing something she already knew. It made no sense at all.
However, following her intuition, Serena looked at the sealed chest under the desk near the window.
The chest was locked, but its old padlock was easy to break. Opening the chest, she saw something covered by a fabric that looked expensive. It was a special fabric used for sacred cloaks, like the one Serena wears. A golden emblem adorned the fabric. And inside it was a Grimoire.
The cover of the grimoire was made of dark, stiff leather. There was no title. A side latch kept it closed and could be opened with some kind of key.
Unlike the others, which were destroyed, this one remained intact. Even though she had spent all this time looking for something like this, she felt that she shouldn't take something that seemed so valuable.
"I will see if it can help me."
Opening it with the key, which was attached to the sacred fabric, she thought out loud.
"I can take it with me and return it to the owner later."
"I don't have an owner!"
After Serena spoke to herself, a voice answered her.
"Am I hearing something?"
She said to herself.
"Maybe!"
A male voice sounded straight from the page.
Serena dropped the grimoire. This was because the voice came from it. This unusual situation resembled one of her nightmares coming to life.
"Ahh, come on! Identified student, blah blah blah…" — The voice said in a pompous and somewhat irritated tone — "Are you going to leave me on the ground!? Pick me up, you stupid girl. I need to finish my analysis."
Serena didn't quite understand, but she picked up the grimoire in her hands. It communicated and moved as if it had a life of its own. The grimoire then continued to speak.
"Primary analysis complete. Let me see, a girl from the countryside, illiterate and who does not even know how to summon fire. My fate is to become a lighter."
"You can talk!?" — Serena said, incredulous.
"Of course I speak. Do you have a problem with that? — said the grimoire, looking a bit impatient with the questions — Allow me to be brief. My name is Codex Primordium, the most undervalued arcane work of the last few centuries. After witnessing my valuable knowledge being replaced by cheap imitations, foolish wands that merely regurgitate the same thing, and useless stones, I have been cast aside. And here I am now. What is your level of magical training? Wait, let me guess. None?"
Serena closed the book firmly. Grimoires have a bond with their bearers, but she didn't know they could communicate. Let alone that he would be annoying like this.
After 10 minutes, she opened it again.
"... Serena" — she murmured — "and I don't know anything, okay? I need you to teach me magic, any magic."
"Ah, I understand. It is always like this. But that's alright, Serena. I will give you the basic lessons, okay? The first magic to be learned is the basic flame magic, Ignis. The fire element is based on the conversion of spiritual energy into vibration, which gives rise to heat and visible combustion. Quite simple to understand, right?"
She didn't answer him. The grimoire sighed resignedly.
"You seem to be hungry. Look, there are supplies stored in the basement of the house. They belonged to my former master. Eat something and then we will go outside to practice your magic."
Following the grimoire's instructions, Serena found supplies. Even though they were perishable foods, like bread, honey, and some cereals, they were still preserved by magic. Although the bread was harder than the brick that made up the fireplace, it was still better than nothing.
After eating until she was satisfied, Serena went outside to start training. Outside, waiting, was her horse.
"Where have you been!?"
Irritated for losing him, but happy to see him well, Serena went to her horse.
"Leave the horse aside, we have things to do. He is well, so let us begin training immediately." — The grimoire said, impatient with the girl. — "Very well, all magic follows a ritual, but what truly matters is the meaning behind it. There are enchantments that serve as catalysts to achieve fullness."
When he spoke about a catalyst, Serena remembered the Bloodstain. However, when she picked up the scepter...
"No. You should not use that scepter. Magic flows from the user, not from their accessories. Do not become dependent on such items."
Upon hearing this, Serena hesitantly let go of the Bloodstain. Seeing this, Codex continued.
"Alright, extend your hand, firmly set your feet on the ground. Concentrate your aura. Focus on the tips of your fingers. Imagine a spark emerging in your hands. Then pronounce the enchantment correctly: Sealed flame, break free! From a burning heart, blow into my hands! Burn, Ignis! It is quite simple... Over time, you will be able to activate the magic with just the final phrase."
Serena took her stance. Stretching out her trembling hands and keeping her fingers together, she prepared herself. She remembered the feeling of anger during the fight and said aloud:
"That's right, no more raw food or freezing nights. Seal burning heart, blow in my hands… nah… oh yes, burn Ignis!"
After saying that, she felt her body soften. Her aura was being drained to the tips of her fingers. Until a... spark emerged.
"I said to think of a spark, not to invoke one! It's fire, fire, do you understand!? Do you know what this is!? You didn't even get the incantation poem right! Even a parrot can memorize faster than you."
"Shut up, I'm trying, okay!"
The Codex, even though it was a book, seemed impatient with Serena's mistakes. It's not like learning magic is easy, much less something quick.
5 days later…
Serena persisted in her training. Taking shelter in the basement, where there was food and a fire from a hearth fueled by magic placed in an elemental mana stone, she could dedicate herself to learning the basics.
Many attempts were made. As the mana was replenished with food and sleep, there was a limit to attempts per day, since even failing would still consume the body's mana. In reality, the mana consumed by a failed attempt was even greater than when it succeeded. In this case, Serena could only attempt 5 times a day.
"Sealed flame, break free! From a burning heart, blow into my hands! Burn, Ignis!"
After managing to memorize the incantation, the flame magic worked more often, but…
"Your backpack is on fire!
"Yaaaaa!"
Serena ran to extinguish the fire on the backpack. She extended her right hand forward, but the fireball came out of her other hand, which was holding the travel backpack.
"Incredible, are you suicidal? You will end up dying of foolishness alone, long before your enemies reach you, and you will take me down with you."
"What do you mean kill? You're not even a living being! You're just a whiny grimoire! They should have made you without a mouth!"
"You are worthless, you idiot! Any brainless fool can cast magic in the right direction! And I communicate through a magical link; I don't need a mouth! Without it, you wouldn't be able to read me, you illiterate fool!"
Hearing this, Serena threw the grimoire away with force. She lowered her head and didn't look at where it fell. She just sat down and hid her face. A few silent minutes passed.Then, after a while,
Serena got up and went to retrieve the grimoire, which had fallen to the ground.
"A mage must not be swayed by emotions. However, I…"
"It's okay. You're right… I really am stupid."
Codex tried to apologize, but Serena simply agreed with what he said. It was drizzling slightly, and drops trickled down the side of her face. Serena then put on her hood, hiding her face.
"We have no time to waste. What I do?"
Serena seemed more serious than usual and Codex also became more serious.
"Alright. Pay attention to your posture. The enchantment is a suggestion to your unconscious, for that is what words are. Just as words suggest something that impacts the human heart, the principle is no different. The power lies not in the words themselves, but in the suggestion they evoke. Therefore, magic is nothing more than suggesting something to reality. In some way, magic and words are the same."
"I didn't understand well, but magic is suggestion, so it's not just about words, but it works like… okay, I didn't understand anything…"
Even saying that, Serena positioned herself. Unlike before, she felt her body respond differently.
(Sealed flame, break free! From a burning heart, blow into my hands!)
Slowly, she began to recite the chant in her heart. Her aura started to flow into the palms of her hands.
Then, a ball, the size of a hand, began to form. A …
"Burn, Ignis!!!"
With an impetuous shout, the flame traveled toward the target.
She then looked at the grimoire, smiling!
"See, I did it!"
Upon saying this, Serena fell to the ground, exhausted. She had surpassed her limits.
"How did she do this? I didn't want to say this earlier, but she had already reached her daily limit; the spell should have failed. And this was not a shortened enchantment; the casting was perfect, even though she did not utter the words aloud. Her aura also amplified at the moment of the magic. These are all impossible things. What are you, Serena!?"