Chapter Seven

"Right. That should do it," Hyla said. "Cal did not make it easy for you on your first day." Rielen only nodded.

She was too busy enjoying the absence of all the aches and pain that had laced her body. 

Hyla laughed as she helped Rielen into her afternoon dress. Before she knew it, her hair had been brushed out and redone. 

She had never had her hair done in so many styles before. She looked in awe at her image each time; it was like she became a new person. 

Hyla smiled in the mirror behind Rielen. She noticed the books she had been given were neatly placed on the bookshelf that had been empty before. 

"Hyla, how long until lunch?" Hyla looked at a small watch. "Not long, Miss." 

Rielen sighed as she reached for the first book and started it. Lunch was a non-event, as everyone seemed too tired to talk much. 

Even the boys were too tired to play tricks. 

Not long after, Hyla ushered Rielen to another classroom off the East Wing. 

The first book was about the History of Magic. It was actually interesting to describe how the Spirits had given the Selected their gift for honoring them. 

Rielen didn't get very far, but she assumed she wouldn't have trouble finishing the book. Hyla left Rielen alone in the small classroom. 

She waited a short while after the bell tolled. 

Finally, a man with dark hair entered and asked, "Miss Rielen?"

She nodded toward him, and he sighed in relief as he set a briefcase on the desk.

"I apologize for being late," he said. "Getting here on short notice was difficult." 

He described how he was assigned to the West region due to the lack of nature mages. His name was Alfred Hanes. He told Rielen to call him Alfred. 

"The first lesson we will have is finding your mana." 

They sat on the padded flooring, and he taught her how to meditate and breathe. 

"The most important thing is to learn how to access your sixth sense. We call it mana sense. It allows you to feel your mana and mana around you."

They sat there for a while before a calm came over Rielen. She felt a prickling around her stomach. She frowned as she tried to feel more.

"Don't try to push it," he advised her. "Allow yourself to observe within yourself." 

Rielen readjusted her position and remembered her father's lessons on observing. She calmed her breathing, and she felt the prickling again. 

A turquoise-like color came to mind. It was like there was something inside her. 

"Good. Keep that feeling," Alfred told her. "Now, try to pull it into your hand."

Rielen reached into the well and trickled a bit of the mana into her hand. 

"Oh, my! You have a strong gift,"

Rielen opened her eyes, and her hand was glowing the same color she felt inside her. The moment she lost concentration, it faded.

Alfred clapped his hands together. "Good. Good. Not bad for a first try."

Rielen suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion.

"You will build up stamina the more you use your magic," Alfred told her, as he helped her up, and into a chair. 

"Physical training will help the most with this. With nature magic, knowledge is going to be key."

He placed several books from his briefcase into her hands. 

"I will need to order more proper books for you. The short notice caught me off guard." 

He then made a list for her. "Your attendant should be able to procure these for you. Also, here are some notebooks. Write everything you learn down. You never know what might be useful later." 

All the books he had given her were plant books. She sensed a lot of memorization in her future. 

Alfred then spent the rest of the class time speaking of the West region and his work there. 

Apparently, they had been experiencing a drought there, and many plant lives were suffering. 

He had been dispatched to help bring some relief to the region with his nature magic. 

Alfred's face filled with passion as he described the different plants he has helped recuperate, and the people who lived in the areas he worked. 

She knew he was going to be a good teacher. 

Finally, the bell tolled, and Alfred left. Hyla came and gathered Rielen's books. 

"Your next instructor will arrive shortly." 

'I wonder what kind of teacher I will have next,' 

She sat quietly with a notebook out, detailing the day she had thus far. An older woman with gray hair came into the room next. 

Her face seemed to have a permanent frown. She dropped a book rather loudly on the desk. 

"My name is Mia Humphrey. You will call me Ms. Humphrey," she said with a forceful tone. 

She pulled out a collection of papers and thrust them at Rielen. 

"I will be teaching you any general knowledge you need to know. Take that test and no talking. You may address me when you finish." 

Then she sat down with a huff.

'I don't dare cross this, teacher,'

This was the first time she had come across such a strict adult. She took the test to the best of her ability and raised her hand when she was done. 

"Good. You may be excused for the rest of today while I assess your skill level."

Rielen left the room to find Hyla once again ready to escort her to her room. 

Since she still had a few hours before dinner, she picked up the book she had started earlier, and managed to get through several chapters, making sure to mark down in her notebook anything she found interesting.

******

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