Echoes of the Core

Chapter Three: The Mysterious Presence

For the first time in years, Aeris felt something spark within her. The days following her breakthrough with Bramble were filled with a newfound obsession. She spent every free moment fixated on the energies around her, staring at the smallest movements of objects, losing herself in the vibrations of life. It wasn't just the clock anymore—anything that moved became her focus. The flicker of candle flames, the ripple of water in a fountain, even the rustling of leaves in the wind. She would stop and let herself become immersed in the invisible threads that connected everything.

For so long, she had been nothing more than a machine, performing her daily duties, going through the motions without emotion or purpose. But now, for the first time in years, she could feel. The sensation of magic stirring around her brought something back to life inside her. It wasn't just magic; it was the world itself speaking through every little movement.

Her favorite moments were watching the practicing witches and wizards. Their spellcasting had always seemed so effortless to them—just a flick of a staff or a whispered word, and the magic would flow from them like water from a spring. But now, as she observed from afar, she felt the incredible energy surging through them, the way it twisted and coiled before launching into the world. It was mesmerizing... and terrifying.

Something about spellcasting seemed wild, dangerous even. The raw force that these students, many younger than her, could command with just a gesture left her in awe. She could feel it—the energy swirling in their hands, the subtle disturbances in the air as they manipulated it. For the first time, she understood the complexity of magic, how it wasn't just about the words or the staff but about the control of energy, the delicate balance between success and disaster. And every time someone failed, she could sense the moment it slipped away from them—the disturbance before the spell fizzled or backfired.

It scared her.

So, in class, she stopped trying. Flux magic, Lifebloom magic... none of it mattered. The fear of failure, the fear of losing control and causing more destruction, loomed over her like a shadow. She could see the patterns in others' spells, understand the reason behind their success or failure, but she couldn't bring herself to attempt any magic again. What if it happened again? What if, instead of a crackling flame or a flicker of light, she set the whole room on fire?

So she watched and felt and listened, but never participated.

Her nights, however, were spent in secret practice, not with spells but with energy. She found a quiet corner of the academy, far from the bustling halls and curious eyes. There, she would sit in silence, closing her eyes and reaching out into the invisible world around her. It was like discovering an entirely new dimension—every object, every being pulsed with a unique energy, and she could feel it all. The weight of the earth beneath her, the hum of distant life, even the faint stirrings of magical artifacts in nearby rooms.

At night, she would stretch her senses farther than she had before, testing the limits of her awareness. And that was when she first felt it.

A presence. Large, powerful, and ancient.

It wasn't like the energies she had sensed before. This was something... deeper, something that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. It wasn't in the room with her, but she could feel it, far away yet close enough to send shivers down her spine. It pulsed with intensity, so vast that it was almost suffocating. Every time she brushed against it, her heart would pound, her breath would catch, and a chill would crawl up her skin.

The first time it happened, she pulled away immediately, overwhelmed by its magnitude. But as the days passed, her curiosity grew. She began searching for it deliberately, drawn to it like a moth to a flame, even though every instinct told her to stay away.