CHAPTER 55: THE CORE MAGIC SYSTEM

It had been two days since Caelen disappeared behind the other door. Two days where his absence left the air heavier, quieter.

Lucy had gone too, training under Seralyth. Nobody had seen her since. Evelyn and Emma hadn’t liked that at all. It felt like the group was splintering.

First Caelen, then Lucy, and even Silver chose instead to spend her time learning elven cooking. Healthier, she said, she understands that she does not have magic like them, but.

But to Evelyn, for a moment, it sounded like another excuse to leave them behind.

The queen, Elunara, had told them to rest until training began tomorrow. Rest? With all this happening? Neither Evelyn nor Emma could bear it. So they sought her out.

The queen’s lounge was quiet when they entered. Elunara sat reclined on a long chair, parchment spread out before her. She was writing when they arrived, her wrist moving in smooth arcs until she noticed them. Her eyes flicked up, sharp but calm.

Across from her, Emma already sat, hands folded in her lap, her expression unreadable.

"Your highness," Evelyn began, her voice cutting into the stillness. "We need to talk."

Elunara’s pen stilled. She placed it down with deliberate grace, then turned fully toward them. "What is it?"

Evelyn stepped forward. "What’s your plan here?"

The queen raised a brow. "Plan?"

"Why are you splitting us? Caelen, Lucy—why can’t we see them? I thought... I may not be close to Lucy, but I thought we’d at least be able to visit her and maybe talk a bit."

Evelyn’s words came fast, sharper than she meant them, but she didn’t pull them back.

Elunara studied her in silence for a moment, then finally said, "Lucy can be visited. But she is training. She may not welcome interruptions."

"How long will that take?" Emma asked suddenly.

Evelyn blinked, glancing at her. Emma’s voice was steady, but there was something in there which is concern, maybe impatience.

The queen turned her gaze toward her instead. "That depends on your friend. On how long it takes her to understand what she’s being taught."

"And us?" Emma pressed, stepping closer. "How will our training go? Are you going to split us, too?"

"You don’t have to," Evelyn cut in, quickly. "We can handle training together."

Elunara’s expression shifted, a faint smirk flickering before she hid it. "Evelyn. Have you studied magic?"

"Yes."

"Then explain it to me," the queen said, her voice dropping into something heavier.

Evelyn hesitated. Then: "...Magic is the energy we use for spells. The spells come from books we write or study."

"Simple," Elunara said. She turned her eyes toward Emma. "And you?"

Emma crossed her arms. "The same. Magic is energy for spells. Learned from books, or from others." Her tone was flat, like reciting something she never cared for.

The queen leaned back, exhaling softly through her nose. "Before we begin training, we will start with something else. A foundation you both lack. I’ll give you a different explanation. One rarely taught anymore."

Emma’s eyes narrowed. "Is that really necessary? Even in church, studying never worked for me."

"Yes," Elunara said firmly. "Listen. It may save you years of wasted effort."

She lifted a hand, and faint lights began to flicker in the air around her fingers—thin lines forming shapes neither Evelyn nor Emma recognized.

"There are three main energies in this world," Elunara began.

"The first, [magical energy], is the most common. The source that most creatures know and use.

The other two—[demon energy] and [divine energy]—belong to bloodlines. To those with a demon’s essence or core and the other side, which is divine, a core as well, and a divine blessing."

The lights coiled tighter, forming a circle. Elunara’s voice lowered, steady as stone.

"Those two are amplifiers. Raw power. But on their own, they cannot write. They cannot create. If you are not blessed with magic, no amount of demon or divine energy will give you true control."

Evelyn’s brows furrowed, watching the glowing lines pulse faintly in the air.

Elunara’s hand curled, and the shapes fractured into smaller runes that burned, then dissolved.

"Magic is the center. The foundation. It does not strike with the force of demon energy, nor does it blaze with divine radiance. But it alone creates. It is the only force capable of writing something from nothing. That is why it remains above the others."

The lounge fell quiet again, the last spark fading into the air.

Evelyn swallowed, her voice hushed. "...So magic shapes them. And the others only strengthen it."

"Exactly." Elunara’s eyes lingered on her, then shifted to Emma. "Remember this: without magic, power is wild. With magic, power is infinite."

Emma leaned forward, tilting her head with a half-smile."Oh? So it’s like cooking, right? Magic is the raw ingredients, and divine or demon energy is the temperature you set while cooking it?"

Her expression brightened as if she’d just solved a riddle. Evelyn blinked at her, surprised, then slowly nodded. The comparison wasn’t far from it.

Even Seralyth, the queen, raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly.

"In a way, yes. You’re not wrong," the queen said, clearly entertained.

Emma looked proud of herself, while Evelyn studied the queen with more seriousness.

The queen leaned back slightly, fingers resting on the parchment she’d been writing on. Her voice softened, as if what she was about to say carried weight beyond casual teaching.

"Magic is unique. It’s something elves take pride in, but it is not just ours. The magic itself is powerful, older than us, older than gods. That’s why there are rules set beneath it. Even the gods obey them."

She tapped her quill against the page, letting the words linger in the air before she continued.

"When one writes down a spell, the words absorb the magic of the writer. The ink, the script, all carry their intent even if it is not there. Along with that, the person who reads it must also understand the words. Only then can they truly claim the spell written."

Emma tilted her head again. Evelyn furrowed her brow.

"So a spell book isn’t just... copied text?" Evelyn asked.

Elunara gave a small laugh."No. It’s alive, in a sense. But there is another law—no matter how much you understand, you can only wield the spell if your body is compatible with it. This is why there are magic types. Fire, water, wind, light, shadow... each body has its resonance. That resonance rejects what doesn’t belong."

Lucy frowned slightly. "Humans know that much. At least, the educated ones do. But I’ve heard whispers that some are trying to... break that. To force compatibility."

The queen’s smile sharpened, almost pitying."Of course they are. Humans rarely stop reaching for what isn’t theirs.

But that is impossible. You can’t overwrite the law of resonance. The mistake they make is that they never consider the meaning behind it. Compatibility isn’t weakness, it is just balance."

Emma blinked, processing. Evelyn sat in silence, chewing on the words.

Elunara’s gaze drifted between them. "Do you at least understand the concept of magic now? There is more, much more, but this—this is its core. Everything else is built upon it."

Evelyn nodded slowly. "Yes. We understand. But..." She hesitated, glancing at Emma. "...you didn’t really speak about divine energy. Or demon energy. You brushed past it."

Unlike magic, those two were harder to grasp for elves. Even elves had only the necessary knowledge. Humans barely understood anything, except perhaps the Desmire family.

Evelyn thought of them, of Lucy’s father, and her mouth tightened, and she wondered what her place is currently since they rushed out and left it like that.

Elunara set her quill down and sighed as if amused by the impatience."Of course I didn’t. You want to run before you can walk. Magic is the ground beneath your feet. Divine and demon energy are storms above the sky. Try to reach for them without grounding, and you will shatter."

Emma’s face fell a little, but Evelyn only stared harder, unflinching.

The queen smiled faintly at that contrast. "Patience. Train. When your friend returns, perhaps you’ll be ready for more."

Emma opened her mouth to protest, but Queen Elunara was already turning away. She dipped her quill into ink and bent over her work again. Lines formed under her hand, not ordinary words but characters glowing faintly with power.

Evelyn’s eyes widened. Ever since becoming an elf, her senses had sharpened. She could feel it now—the faint hum of energy radiating from the words themselves. They weren’t just ink. They pulsed, alive, heavy.

Her breath caught. Spells...? Is she writing spells right now? For tomorrow?

The queen did not look up, though she surely felt Evelyn’s stare. Her hand moved with calm precision, every symbol placed as if it mattered more than breath.

The air in the room seemed to shift with each stroke, threads of magic pulling tighter, weaving into something unseen.

The queen’s quill scratched against parchment, every sound strangely loud in the silence that had fallen. Evelyn’s heart pounded at the weight of the energy she felt.

Emma bit her lip, her usual brightness dimmed by curiosity and awe, she closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again with a quieter resolve.

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