The wind whispered among the rocks of the wasteland, carrying grains of dust and the echo of ancient silences. Kayla stopped in a small hollow surrounded by black shrubs and smooth stones. The sky above them looked darker than usual.

  "Now we’re going to get serious," she said, turning to Yuri.

  Yuri leaned against a stone, still slightly tired from the previous day's exercises. "Why do I have the feeling that every time you say 'get serious,' things end badly for me?"

  "Because it’s true," Kayla replied with a mischievous smile. Then she turned serious. "Today, we’ll talk about mana."

  Kayla slowly crouched down, sitting cross-legged on a flat slab of stone. Her hands rested on her knees, her gaze fixed on Yuri.

  "Mana is the lifeblood of the world. It’s inside everything. Every living being has a limited amount of it, which varies depending on their nature, affinity, and... strength of will."

  Yuri sat down across from her, intrigued. "How do you recharge it?"

  "By sleeping. Meditating. Or... through certain focal objects. Pure sources of mana are rare and powerful. But for now, you’ll have to do everything on your own."

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  Kayla closed her eyes for a moment. "Feeling mana is like listening to your heartbeat... when you stop trying to hear it. It's there. It flows. But you have to stop forcing it."

  "It’s... something you feel?" Yuri asked, puzzled.

  "It’s something you are," Kayla replied. Then she opened her eyes.

  A moment later, a dense, dark aura began to dance around her body—a deep violet that seemed to pulse in rhythm with her breathing. The air around her shimmered slightly, as if distorted by heat.

  Yuri stared in awe.

  Kayla raised one hand. A spark floated over her fingers, then slowly dissolved like a butterfly made of light.

  "This is the mana flowing within me. I let it out, but I don’t force it. I invite it to manifest."

  "It’s... beautiful," Yuri whispered.

  "And it’s just a tiny fraction of what I can do."

  Her voice held no arrogance. It was a simple, cold truth.

  Kayla pointed to a smooth stone nearby. "Now it’s your turn. You don't need to summon an element. Just... feel. Focus on that stone. And try to let your mana flow through it."

  Yuri approached slowly. She placed her hand on the stone’s surface. She closed her eyes. Breathed.

  She tried to feel something: warmth, a pulse, a vibration... but nothing.

  "Don’t try to force it," Kayla said in a softer tone. "Relax. Empty your mind."

  Yuri tried again. And again. After several minutes, she sighed. "Nothing."

  "That’s normal." Kayla moved closer. "Do you know why? Because you’re too attached to the desire to succeed. Mana is an extension of your inner balance. As long as you seek to obtain, you only block it."

  Yuri looked at her hand, frustrated. "But if I’m not supposed to want anything... then why am I even doing this?"

  Kayla smiled. "Now you’re starting to understand."

  Silence fell. The wind stopped blowing for a moment, as if even nature had quieted to listen. Yuri sat back down, staring at the fingers that had produced nothing. But deep inside, she felt something stir. A faint heartbeat, hidden beneath layers of doubt and fear.

  "Tomorrow we’ll try again," Kayla said. "And the day after that. Until you manage to feel yoursel

  f.

  The mana will come. But only when you’re ready."