The following day, Eira and Dain returned to the Guild, ready for their next adventure. But as they entered the bustling hall, a commotion at the quest counter stopped them in their tracks.

  A woman with a cascade of dark blue hair and a daring, form-fitting outfit was locked in a heated debate with Senda, whose usual cheerful demeanor was visibly strained.

  “I said it already, Ms. Arsha, you are not allowed to take this quest alone,” Senda explained, her voice firm but patient.

  “Why not?” the woman, Arsha, argued, gesturing dramatically with the quest sheet. “It’s just a simple retrieval! I can handle it myself. Just let me sign for it!”

  “Get your party members first,” Senda insisted, her annoyance finally breaking through.

  Eira and Dain waited quietly for the scene to resolve. Spotting them, Arsha abandoned her argument with a dismissive wave and sauntered over, a brilliant smile instantly replacing her scowl.

  “Well, hello there! New faces,” she greeted, her voice as bright and clear as a bell. “Are you two new recruits?”

  They nodded hesitantly, taken aback by her sudden shift in mood.

  “Perfect! Would you like to form a party with me?” she asked, leaning forward with an enticing glint in her eyes.

  “No,” Dain said flatly, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Why not?” she pressed, undeterred. She shoved the quest sheet toward them. “It’s just a retrieval task, no messy fighting required. And the pay is wonderful!”

  “No, thanks,” Dain repeated, holding up their chosen F-rank herb-gathering sheet like a shield. “We’re taking this one.”

  Arsha snatched the sheet from his fingers, her eyes scanning the details. “Oh, this is nothing! We can do both in one trip. Two birds with one stone!” she declared, as if it were the most obvious solution in the world.

  Dain’s expression remained a mask of disinterest, but Eira was staring at the elegant staff strapped to Arsha’s back.

  “Are you a sorcerer?” Eira asked.

  “Eira…” Dain muttered in warning.

  “Why, yes! I am a Gold-rank mage,” Arsha announced, puffing her chest out with pride. “I’m plenty strong. If we run into any trouble, you can just leave everything to me.”

  “Eee!” Eira’s eyes widened, sparkling with unabashed admiration. “Could you… teach me magic?”

  “All right,” Arsha said, a sly smile playing on her lips. “Form a party with me, help me with my quest, and I’ll make you my apprentice.” She leaned in conspiratorially, her voice dropping to a whisper. “For free.”

  Eira’s resolve shattered instantly, her excitement overflowing. Dain let out a long-suffering sigh and scrubbed a hand over his face.

  “So it’s a deal!” Arsha said, clapping her hands. “I’m Arsha. And you?”

  “Dain,” he grumbled.

  “My name is Eira, Master!” Eira exclaimed, practically vibrating with joy.

  “Master?” Arsha chuckled, a warm, genuine sound. “From this moment on, you are my first and finest student, Eira.”

  “Yes!”

  Arsha marched back to the counter and finalized the party arrangement. Senda shot Dain a look that was equal parts sympathy and mild accusation. He could only shrug in helpless resignation.

  “Ahem, Mr. Dain,” Senda whispered as they passed, “come see me for the magic crystal payment when you return. Alone.”

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  “As I expected. Thanks,” Dain sighed.

  “Alright, team! Let’s move out!” Arsha cheered, leading the way.

  The three hired a carriage near the north gate, the wooden frame creaking as they climbed aboard.

  “We’ll ride to the edge of the Rustling Plains,” Arsha explained as the carriage jolted into motion. “From there, it’s on foot to the Beulern Forest.”

  “A real carriage…” Eira whispered, giggling in excitement. It was her first time riding in one, and every jolt of the wheels felt like progress.

  “Now, for the mission brief,” Arsha said, drawing their attention. “The client is a traveling merchant whose carriage was ambushed by kobolds last night. Our objective is to retrieve a specific wooden crate marked with a red symbol. Once we have it, we can swing back and handle your herb-gathering quest on the return trip.”

  “So we probably won’t have to fight, right?” Eira asked, a note of hope in her voice.

  “If we’re stealthy, we can avoid them. But,” Arsha’s lips curled into a mischievous smirk, “if we do run into them, think of them as excellent practice targets.” She winked, and Eira’s nervousness was swiftly replaced by eager anticipation.

  They rode through a sprawling landscape of windswept grass and weathered stone. The air was crisp and cool, whipping through the open carriage, while the sun cast a brilliant, warm light over everything.

  “This is amazing!” Eira laughed, standing up to let the wind rush through her hair.

  “Sit down before you fall out, you fool!” Dain barked, grabbing the back of her tunic and pulling her firmly onto the seat.

  “So, Eira,” Arsha began, “what kind of magic can you use?”

  “I’ve practiced mostly light and fire magic.”

  “I specialize exclusively in lightning magic.”

  “Only lightning?”

  “Yes. I lack the… versatility of some sorcerers,” Arsha admitted with a casual wave of her hand. “Lightning is the only element that answers my call. It’s all I can teach you.”

  Eira’s mind flashed back to Marin’s spell—the cataclysmic bolt that had annihilated the goblins. “That will do. I want to learn the lightning that falls from the heavens. Like Ms. Marin’s.”

  “Marin? The Black Mage?” Arsha’s eyebrows rose. “Her high-level spells are complex constructs of will. I can’t teach you those. But I can show you the principles—the very nature of the lightning itself.”

  “Yes, please!” Eira grinning widely in excitement.

  “Don’t get your hopes too high, though,” Arsha cautioned. “Every sorcerer has a different potential. Some, like the Black Mage, are prodigies who command multiple elements. Others, like me, are specialists. The fact that you can use both light and fire means you’re already more gifted than most. Those with a strong light affinity usually find their magic leans entirely toward support and defense. It’s not known for its offensive power.”

  “Support… offense…” Eira murmured.

  Arsha leaned back, her voice taking on a lecturing tone. “Magic falls into four schools: Offensive destroys, Defensive protects, Supportive heals and enhances, and Utility handles the rest. Most sorcerers excel in only one or two.

  “So that’s what Ms. Enya meant when she said I was a contrast to Ms. Marin,” Eira said, understanding the dawning.

  “But you can cast fireballs and explosions,” Dain pointed out from his corner. “That’s plenty destructive.”

  “Exactly! So you have options,” Arsha agreed. “Well, student? Still interested in lightning?”

  “I am,” Eira said, her voice calm but resolute. “Please teach me, Master.”

  “Ohh, I do love your enthusiasm!” Arsha beamed.

  “Now, lightning is the most straightforward of the elements.” Arsha began her lecture. “You must feel the energy around you—in the air, the earth, and living things. It yearns to connect, to find a path. While fire spells char the flesh, lightning ignores the outside. It cooks its target from within. That’s why heavily armored warriors fear me most.” She finished with a confident, almost predatory smile.

  “So it’s unique,” Eira summarized.

  “Every element is, in its own way. They all have strengths and counters.”

  “I see.”

  “And hitting your target is the easiest part, once you know the secret.”

  “What’s the secret?” Eira asked, leaning forward intently.

  “Focus on two points,” Arsha continued, watching Eira scribble furiously in her notebook. “The origin and the end. The origin is where your magic gathers. The end is your target. Connect them in your mind, condense your mana between those two points, and release. The lightning will find its own path; you just have to give it a beginning and an end.”

  Arsha took the notebook and wrote a short, elegant chant for Lightning Bolt. “Practice the visualization first. The words are just a focus.”

  A few hours later, the constant jolting of the carriage began to take its toll.

  “Dain…” Eira said, her voice suddenly small.

  “What?” Dain grumbled, cracking open a sleepy eye.

  “I… I’m getting dizzy…” she mumbled, her face turning a sickly shade of pale as she slumped against the wooden wall.

  Arsha burst into a fit of laughter.

  “Don’t you dare puke in here!” Dain shouted in a panic as Eira clapped both hands over her mouth.