Spring, age 8.

I spent the winter trying to learn the ''wind clone'' spell, without much success. After I fought the crystal host, mom agreed to teach it to me.

It's a lot harder to do than the ``wind cloak'' spell, because It can make multiple clones, and they are each harder to maintain than a single cloak.

Mom said it bends the light from it's surroundings into a central point where it's ``stored'' and then bends that so it creates the illusion that I am standing there.

Compared to the cloak spell, which simply warps light around me, it does seem a lot more difficult to do.

And Ash is definitely struggling with it.

I meditate daily to try and help him, but he's responding with confusion and restlessness.

Mom did say it would take a while. She told me it took her several years to be able to do it, so I should be in for a long haul.

But that is not what I am doing today.

I'm trying to make a more advanced version of the boots I'm using. I wanted to create a version where I can up the output if I want to. I still won't be able to use it to fly, Alfred told me people had already tried that with boots with little success, but I do want a system that can launch me several yards further than what I can do right now, and with much more control. At the moment, I'm just putting in power and hoping for the best, I'd really like a system where I can fill up the crystals in series instead of parallel. Alfred told me it's possible, but it will demand a lot more from me, as I will need to pour mana into them one stage at a time manually.

I doubt I will be able to control more than a few, but being able to chose from three setting is a let better than one.

The crystals I made for the boots were thin enough to fit in my soles, and I want these to be even thinner. Walking in the boots felt a bit like wearing plateau boots..

I have thought about putting the crystals on the outside, but that makes them vulnerable, and it looks stupid. Alfred told me that I can make them thinner, but if I make them too thin they will break under the pressure of walking, and if a single crystal is broken I can't use the boots at all because they will be out of balance.

After a lot of trial and error, I finally found a thickness that I can live with. I can't feel them through the boots when I walk, and the sole isn't too thick either.

Now I just need to figure out how much mana each crystal can hold, and for how long they will thrust after I activate them.

I've been pouring mana into this one for about a minute, and so far n-

Crack.

.. Oh great, it broke. There's a crack running across it's surface.

I put the crystal down on the table.

This was the only crystal I could do this test with, and I don't actually know where Alfred keeps his stock. He went to the well down by the pier to get water a while ago, I should go get him.

He always gets talking with that woman that's living alone in the appeal shop down by the pier. I bet they ran into each other down by the well.

It's actually quite incredible that they managed to make a well that close to water. It seems that some guy invented a type of brick that lets water flow through it while keeping the s-

BOOM!

I'm thrown against the closed door that pops out of it's frame.

I hit the ground. Shards of glass fall down on me.

My ears are ringing.

I have dust in my eyes.

I can't breathe either, there's too much dust in the air.

Where did all this dust come from?

What happened?..

I look around.

Alfred's shop doesn't have windows anymore. Doesn't have a door either.

I look down.

I'm laying on his door?

How did this happen.

Someone is running towards me.

His mouth is moving but I can't hear anything because of this ringing.

``.. ka.. A.. .u. .kay..''

I can't hear a thing you're saying..

More people come over and stand over me.

The world snaps into focus.

``ARE YOU OKAY?! WHAT HAPPENED?!'' [???]

``I-.. I don't know. I was just going down to the well to pick up Alfred, and all of a sudden-.'' [Nathan]

``Nathan! What happened here?!'' [Alfred]

Alfred yells at me from a distance and runs over to me.

``Alfred, I-.. I don't know.. Emelia. She was inside, is she safe?'' [Nathan]

His expression shifts from one of concern to sheer terror. He bolts past me into the house.

What is going on?

Why did the shop explode?

Several minutes later Alfred staggers out from the wreckage of his shop.

``She's fine. The explosion startled her, but other than that she's fine. You can all go home, I'll take it from here. Luckily, no one was hurt, and nothing in that shop can't be replaced.'' [Alfred]

The crowd disperses and he helps me to my feet. After he drags me into the wreckage of his shop, he sits me down in front of him.

``Do you have any idea what happened Nathan?'' [Alfred]

``No, not really.. I was just going out to get you, and all of a sudden..'' [Nathan]

``You were going out to get me? Why?'' [Alfred]

``I ran out of crystals. I broke the one I was powering up, and I did not know where you had-'' [Nathan]

``Wait. You said you broke it? I mean, how did you break it?'' [Alfred]

``It cracked. I was pouring mana into it, and all of a sudden it just cracked. I put it down, and went out to find you.'' [Nathan]

Alfred leans back in his chair and stares into the ceiling.

``Did- Did I do something wrong?..'' [Nathan]

``.. No.. I mean, I was the one who did something wrong..'' [Alfred]

He lets out a big sigh as he bends forwards, hanging his head and looking at the floor.

``When you pour too much mana into a crystal it cracks you know. When an overloaded crystal crack, it's only a matter of seconds before it explodes. It takes a lot for that to happen, so I nev-.. I mean, I never expected that you could-.. Gods damn it..'' [Alfred]

``It explodes?! Are you telling me that all of the crystals that people have all of the place can be rigged to EXPLODE?!'' [Nathan]

``Can't be rigged. I mean, the explosion's timing is unpredictable, and most of the time you only just have time to walk away from it before it explodes you know? There are some who use them as throwing weapons, but they often get into accidents this way. Most people don't have a lot of mana, so they don't put in enough mana to make the crystal crack. Most children can't even do it, your mana capacity hasn't matured enough. They teach it at school, because it's not really relevant before that. Also..'' [Alfred]

``What?'' [Nathan]

``.. I assumed you knew.'' [Alfred]

``You assumed that I knew? How on earth would I know that these things I have been playing with since I was an infant can be turned into BOMBS?!'' [Nathan]

``How did you know how to imprint almost instinctively? How did you know how to use your aura and channel a spell to help maintain the image in your head? I mean,hHow did you know how to make that ``transistor'' you discovered a year ago? How were you able to do time dilation from the start? All of these are things that took people ages to figure out the first time someone did it you know, in fact no one has been able to create that ``transistor'' that you call it. I have asked around, no one has made anything like that. I mean Ever.'' [Alfred]

`` I told you, I-'' [Nathan]

``You got lucky, you just imagined the right things, you're just following your instinct. I heard it all before, and I never believed it for a second. I don't care why you know these things, I didn't then and I don't now. I just-.. I just assumed that you would know this as well. But now, now I don't know how you could know these things. Maybe you really are just lucky..'' [Alfred]

``.. Alfred.. I-'' [Nathan]

Alfred lifts his hand, signaling me to stop.

``I don't want to know. Gods be good, there's a reason. And if not.. At least tell me this, do you need me to teach you?'' [Alfred]

``I do. I really really do. I will keep trying to push the boundaries of what you can use a crystal for, but I need you to teach me what you know, just like you would any other student.'' [Nathan]

He nods slowly and acceptingly.

``Good, good.. Then I will.'' [Alfred]

We sit there for a while, covered in dust, staring at the wreckage of the shop.