After Janice left, Arianna and Cassis changed into their workout clothes. He'd gotten into the habit of dragging her outside for a jog around the neighbourhood, followed by skill practice and sparring in the garden. She wasn't the biggest fan of running, but she had to admit it was doing wonders for her stamina capacity. It hadn't ranked up yet, but Arianna could feel her improvement already.

Afterwards, they settled into meditation. Arianna led them through their breathing, the same grounding routine as always. Cassis was still working on keeping his mana pattern stable. He was improving, but he still couldn't maintain even a small bit while moving. She admired how stubbornly he kept trying anyway.

Her own goal was different. She had reached the point where most of her body could hold the mana pattern steadily. Only her legs remained. So, she focused, breathing slowly, mentally nudging the pattern further down. The strain of that act used to give her headaches. Now, it was only a tight pressure behind her eyes. Doable.

As the final pattern locked into place across her legs, something shifted. The ambient mana around her surged. No, her intake of it surged.

Arianna nearly lost control of the pattern in her shock, though she'd felt this once before. But back then, she let go almost immediately, so she hadn't realised how potent this was. It felt like all the water mana in the surroundings was pouring into her, her body becoming a sponge for energy she hadn't asked for. With effort, she stabilised the flow, gritting her teeth.

Was this what Luke had felt when she'd given him her mana this morning? The buzz, the pressure under her skin, the need to move—it was intoxicating. It wasn't painful, but it was overwhelming. She had to do something, or she was going to explode.

She triggered her Body Reinforcement skill, using it as a pressure valve, funnelling the torrent of mana into something productive. But even that wasn't enough. The light-headedness only got worse. Her legs twitched.

"I'm going for another run," she told Cassis, rising a little too fast.

He raised an eyebrow. "Now?"

She gave him a quick smile and left before he could ask more questions. He was right to be confused; she hated running. But right now, her body was demanding it. And as she jogged, still maintaining the full-body pattern, something fascinating happened.

She could feel the excess mana settling into her muscles. Her stream almost couldn't hold all the mana surging through her, and so some of it seeped into her physical form. It was merging with her muscles gently and organically compared to the tsunami inside her mana stream. Her legs didn't ache the way they usually would while jogging. Instead, the rhythm of her feet on the pavement seemed to fuel her. Every step pushed mana deeper into her tissue.

So, this is what Cassis meant when he talked about stamina capacity. Her body was actually absorbing mana and adapting to it. This was the first time she felt it so clearly, probably because of the sheer amount of mana that was being used.

If that was true, then the longer she could sustain this state, the better her body would get at managing large amounts of energy. It made sense. Difficult, but logical. Her stamina capacity would probably rank up after this.

For over an hour, she jogged. She kept Body Reinforcement active the entire time, just to have something to do with the excess mana. Without it, she would've gone off like a bottle of soda shaken too hard.

Eventually, the buzz became unbearable. She had to shut it down. And she did just that when she was in front of their house again.

As soon as she stopped the pattern, pain slammed into her like a wave. Every single muscle ached. Her legs felt like lead. Her arms were shaky. It was like she'd spent the entire day training in every possible way. She barely managed to limp to the couch in the living room before collapsing face-first into it.

She groaned.

"Why?" she muttered into the cushion.

With what little focus she had left, she tried to heal herself. Nothing happened. Not even a flicker. She checked her mana stream for any damage, but everything seemed normal again. Next, she used her heal spell to analyse her body, but she couldn't find any injuries. Then just why was she in so much pain?

Too drained? Too tired? Or maybe the pain wasn't from an injury but a deeper kind of strain her magic didn't recognise as needing healing?

She didn't have the energy to figure it out right now. So, she curled up on the couch, sore, aching, but weirdly satisfied. And with a soft sigh, she drifted off to sleep.

Arianna woke to the gentle pressure of Cassis shaking her shoulder. Her eyes blinked open to find a steaming mug placed on the coffee table in front of her, a soothing scent of herbs wafting up. Cassis gestured for her to sit up so he could sit next to her with his own mug.

She tried to push herself upright but immediately groaned.

Her muscles felt like they'd been individually beaten and then twisted for good measure. Slowly, wincing with every shift, she pulled herself into a sitting position and noticed Cassis watching her with concern written clearly across his face.

"I managed to push my pattern all throughout my body and keep it stable," she told him hoarsely, voice still thick with sleep. "Then I got this horrible energy rush. I had to move. It felt like I'd explode if I didn't. And while running... the strangest thing happened. I could actually feel the mana soaking into my muscles, just like you said. Stamina capacity, right?" She paused, cradling the warm mug in her hands. "But now I've got the worst sore muscles ever. I can't even heal it. My spell doesn't register any injuries. If Luke felt like this today, then yeah... I really need to apologize."

Cassis raised his eyebrows, thinking. "I don't remember anything like that happening when I completed my pattern back then. Then again, that was just a basic pattern even F-ranks could use, and I was already D-rank when I pulled it off. Ours are way more advanced now. I already get a lot more mana from this incomplete pattern than I ever did from the full basic one in the other timeline. So... maybe that kind of overload makes sense."

He sipped from his mug, looking contemplative. "Check your status. Did your stamina capacity rank up?"

Arianna blinked. Why hadn't she thought of that? She called up her status screen and stared.

"I—uh. Yeah. Big changes." She read them aloud. "Mana Saturation's at 71%. Stamina Capacity ranked up to Expert. Body Reinforcement is Advanced now." She frowned. "But Mana Manipulation's still stuck at Expert."

Cassis gave a low, satisfied hum, his eyes gleaming. "So, we can use the pattern's excess mana to train other features, skills, and spells. That could be a real edge. It would also refill us pretty fast if we had no mana left."

He leaned back slightly, muttering to himself. "I need to practice more. That's a definitive advantage if we can control it properly."

Arianna nodded, excited too, though her body's protests were growing louder. "Yeah, it works—really well—but the price is this pain. It's like I did a week's worth of workouts in one go. My whole body feels like it's staging a rebellion."

Cassis gave a thoughtful nod. "I think that's exactly what happened. The mana didn't tear your muscles the way normal workouts do, but it still forced them to adapt rapidly. That kind of forced growth is bound to ache. But if there's no tissue damage, it's just pain. Manageable. And I think you will get used to it. Or your body will adapt once we finally reach E-rank."

He smiled and patted her head gently. "Rest up. Drink your tea. You earned it."

Then he got up, took his mug with him, and headed for the garden clearly intent on meditating and chasing his own breakthrough.

Arianna smiled, watching him from the couch.

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Cassis had always disliked mana training, just like she disliked physical exercise. In this timeline, he hadn't been as relentless with his mana development as he had been with his physical one back then—probably because it hadn't come naturally to him. Physical training, yes. Mana? Not so much. But now that he had proof, he could use mana to strengthen his body and perhaps even reclaim what he'd lost when he came back… she could see the fire in his eyes.

He didn't talk about it often, but she knew not being able to do what he'd once been easily capable of grated on him. Even if he didn't show it, that frustration had to live deep under his calm surface. But now he could change that faster.

Still aching, she pushed herself off the couch with a grunt. There was no way she was doing more training today. But maybe a short meditation would help. Like stretching sore muscles the day after a workout.

And maybe, while she was at it, she could help Cassis too.

The next day, they picked up their training routine where they'd left off. Cassis was out in the garden again, completely absorbed in stabilising and spreading his mana pattern. He looked calm on the outside, but Arianna knew he was mentally pushing himself hard. That was just the way he trained: quiet, focused, and relentless.

Arianna, on the other hand, was still sore from yesterday's overload. The pain had dulled to a faint ache in her muscles, like a lingering reminder not to push her limits too soon. She'd wait one or two days before attempting to run her full mana pattern again.

She had more than just physical fatigue to think about anyway. Last night, she'd worked up the nerve to call Luke and Nadine, her heart heavy with guilt. She had already apologised once via text, but the more she thought about what had happened, the more she felt she owed them more than just words.

To her surprise, Luke had laughed it off.

Apparently, the "energized state" hadn't lasted long—just about half an hour of bizarre euphoria before he crashed hard and slept for a few hours. When he woke up, he'd felt refreshed, as if he'd just had a very deep nap. No pain, no lasting side effects. Just a strange story to tell.

Even Nadine, who'd sounded annoyed at first, had eventually chuckled and called it "his little adventure under the influence." Arianna had been stunned by their forgiveness. These were the same people who had nearly died in the dungeon she and Cassis had led them into. And now she had used Luke for some mana experiment.

She had voiced those thoughts and that's when Nadine had gone quiet, her tone turning serious.

"Don't think that way," she'd said. "This is new to all of us. I know you and Cassis are doing your best. Reckless maybe, but necessary. And we're not victims. We chose to help, knowing the risks. That dungeon was dangerous, but we went in with our eyes open. We want Violet to be safe even after the system protection ends. For that, we need to be stronger. That's why Luke agreed to your experiment, too."

Arianna had felt her eyes sting then. Nadine hadn't said it outright, but it was clear: they had come to the dungeon because they trusted her and Cassis. Trusted that they would do everything in their power to keep everyone safe, even if things didn't always go to plan.

That trust… Arianna still felt the weight of it as she sat cross-legged on the ground in the garden, mana humming just beneath her skin. She wouldn't let them down.

Since she wasn't going to work on her mana pattern today, she decided to focus on mana manipulation instead. She had the entire day to train. Their first live lesson would be held in the evening, when most people were off work. That had been Elena's idea. Scheduling it during people's free time made it more accessible. Elena had even suggested they later stream the sessions for those who weren't selected in the lottery. Viewers wouldn't be able to ask questions or interact, but they'd still learn something, hopefully.

Arianna thought that was brilliant.

And she hoped it would help with her Mentor profession, which had levelled up to 17 in the last few days. But she suspected she wasn't getting much experience from passive content anymore. The first big jump in levels probably came from the sheer number of views the videos got, but if she wanted to progress further, she'd have to actually teach and her students had to learn successfully.

Well, she'd get her chance tonight.

For now, she closed her eyes and focused on the flow of mana within her body. Internal manipulation was effortless now, almost like breathing. She could feel her pattern, even though it wasn't complete right now, feeding her body mana. She was confident she could complete it again whenever she wanted. But her goal today wasn't internal control. It was external.

Manipulating mana outside her body was an entirely different story. It wasn't the same as taking her own mana and putting it into someone else. That pretty much felt like it did in her own body, just slightly more difficult. Outside her body it still felt awkward, like trying to sculpt water with her bare hands. Concentration was key. She focused on non-elemental mana. It was easier to manipulate than water mana for some reason. Maybe because the ambient mana didn't interfere with it? Or was it because she had more experience with manipulating non-elemental mana?

She started slow, trying to shape a small ball of mana in the air in front of her. It wobbled, unstable, and fizzled out after a few seconds.

Again.

She gathered mana into her palm and guided it outward, shaping it into a simple form. It responded better this time, swirling gently before dissipating.

It was frustrating work, but she'd noticed something: whenever the system recognised what she was doing as a spell or a skill, it got easier. Like with her Neutralize Poison spell. In the beginning, forming that one had been gruelling. Each attempt felt like trying to force mana through a pinhole. But the moment the system "acknowledged" it, things had changed. A mental framework had formed, a kind of intuitive blueprint for how to shape her mana.

The higher the spell's rank, the clearer that template became. But also more flexible, more alive, in a way. Like the system wasn't just giving her a static formula, it was giving her an adaptable model she could refine.

Still, that was only possible once the system intervened. What she needed now was the ability to shape mana freely. Deliberately. Without the system's crutch.

So, she sat there, practicing the raw manipulation of mana over and over again, forming shapes, stretching strands, coiling it like thread around her fingers. It wasn't flashy, but she knew it mattered. If she could master this, she wouldn't just cast spells, she could start inventing them. And she didn't mean the accidental finding of a spell, but the targeted invention of one. It had worked for her once, though luck was on her side with Neutralize Poison.

She smiled slightly at the thought. Then went back to her training.

By the time they wrapped up their training, the sun had already begun dipping lower in the sky, casting long shadows over the garden. Arianna hadn't managed to rank up her Mana Manipulation but she wasn't discouraged. She could feel the progress. The shapes she formed out of non-elemental mana were holding longer and responding more precisely to her will. Her control was far from perfect, but it was improving steadily. It was only a matter of time before the system acknowledged her efforts.

She allowed herself a small, satisfied smile. Now she just needed to become more proficient with handling water mana as well. That ability would open up many new and exciting uses.

Cassis, on the other hand, had made real progress. His Mana Control had finally ranked up to Expert, a milestone he'd been grinding toward for weeks. Even more encouraging, he could now hold his mana pattern throughout his torso even while moving. The movements were cautious and measured, but it was still a big step. Arianna could tell he was pleased with himself, even if he only gave a quiet nod when he checked his status.

It was late afternoon now. Soon, Janice would arrive to moderate their first live lesson. Arianna wasn't sure what to expect. So far, there hadn't been many questions from the participants. Understandable as this was new territory for most of them. Few people knew what they were doing, so it made sense they didn't know what to ask either. Most likely, the real questions would come during the actual exercises. People didn't get confused while thinking about meditation or physical exercises. They got confused while trying it.

They'd go over the basics again and demonstrate how to do certain movements that would translate into skills after level 5 and how to ease into meditation. Arianna expected the chat to light up once people started running into their own blocks. That's when things would get interesting.

In the meantime, they had dinner to make.

They spent the next twenty minutes preparing a simple meal: rice, stir-fried vegetables, and lightly grilled chicken. Nothing fancy, but hearty and warm. The kind of food that didn't take much thought but always left you satisfied. They chatted quietly while they cooked, the atmosphere companionable and easy.

The past few days, they'd eaten with Cassis's parents. Danielle insisted on it every time they came by and Arianna noticed that Marcus also enjoyed their presence a lot. He always came to chat with them while Danielle cooked. He had told them that he wasn't allowed in the kitchen anymore because Danielle found him useless there. They had found the compromise that he would wash up after the meal. That seemed best for everyone. Arianna smiled. Her father had been quite good at cooking. He'd taught her a lot. Thinking back, it was probably to prepare her for living alone since he'd known he was sick for a few months before telling her when she was 17.

But today, she and Cassis had decided to stay in. Tonight, they'd eat with Janice.

When they'd called to invite her, Janice had hesitated. She'd sounded cautious on the phone, almost like she wasn't sure she should accept the offer. Not like she didn't want to, but as if something held her back. Arianna had noticed it immediately, and judging by the look Cassis had given her after the call, so had he.

There was something strange about Janice's reluctance. Not fear. Not awkwardness. More like… wariness. Like she wasn't used to being invited in, or like she thought it wasn't ok to be offered something for free. That bothered Arianna. They hadn't pushed, but together they'd gently persuaded her until she agreed to come by a bit earlier and share a meal.

Maybe, Arianna thought, this was just unfamiliar territory for Janice. Maybe she wasn't used to people offering her a place at the table without expecting something in return. If that was the case, then it made even more sense to keep inviting her. Not just for one night, but again and again until dinner with them felt like a given instead of a favour.

It could also be that Janice felt a bit awkward with their age differences; she was a teenager after all, and the two of them were in their late twenties and her bosses. But thinking back to her openness back then, when they had brought her and her siblings to the school gymnasium, Arianna didn't think that was it. And Ben had recommended her to work with them. Maybe he knew what was up with her? She'd have to ask.

She doesn't have to tell us what's wrong right away, Arianna thought as she set the plates on the table. But I hope she knows she can. One day. When she's ready.

She glanced at Cassis, who had just pulled the last pan off the stove and was wiping his hands with a towel. He gave her a small nod. He was thinking the same thing. They could be patient.

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