Community [Isekai Hell] Aspirations of an Aspiring Alchemist

[Moonberry]

This is a short story depicting Aedrianna attempting to understand and control her magic better. This is a submition for the January 2024 event in Isekai Hell. The skill I'm aiming for her to get is [Magic]

 

[Moonberry]

Aedrianna Belmonte​

Wind♫

"Just a little more..." The soft and focused voice of a young woman drifted in the quiet of the morning. The sunlight filtered in through the thin paned glass, of the only window in the study. Book shelves lined the small room on each side, and between them was one large desk. The desk was a clutter of books and bottles of ground herbs and extracts. The woman with long blonde hair -that had stray streaks of blue and pink and purple- Was hovering over the desk. Her eyes were shut tightly, and her hands were clasped in front of her chest. She looked almost like she was praying or hoping desperately for something to happen. A few seconds of the quiet concentration passed, before she began to hum. Slow and soft, with a gradual crescendo. And with each rising note a small light began to flicker and glow in the young woman's hands. The tempo grew and she slowly opened her hands, to reveal small sparks and what she could only call miniature fireworks. Her lips split in a proud smile, when she peeked at her progress. But almost as soon as she saw, she lost it. The room began to blur, she barely caught herself on the desk. The sparks and faint glow gone entirely.
There was a soft whine beside her, and a cold nose that nudged against her free hand. She gave a faint chuckle, and let her fingers sink into the snow-white fur of her faithful friend.

"I'm sorry Hiruq...I'm okay. I promise. I'll rest soon." The white wolf gave a snort, Clearly, he didn't believe that. Nevertheless, she pushed herself up and took the amulet she was wearing into her hands and inspected it. Indeed, the magic catalyst had a large crack through it. She groaned and took it off, gingerly placing it down on the desk, next to an equally cracked magical catalyst. She stared at the two of them for a long moment. The silence in the room heavy. Hiruq even stayed quiet, his tail swishing from side to side in his shared agitation for the situation."We can't afford to buy any more of these..." Another moment of silence passed before she spoke again, her voice close to tears. "But I can't be useless anymore...I don't ever want to feel like that again Hiruq." She looked to her friend with tears in her eyes. "We all were about to die, and all I could do was cry. I'm so mad at myself!" She growled and banged her fist on the table. A few tears falling unbidden.
It took a few minutes, but Aedrianna managed to regain her composure, breathing deeply and staring forlornly at the broken amulets. It was Hiruq who finally broke her from her melancholy. He grabbed the hem of her skirt with his maw and tugged lightly. She looked up from her despair, to see what he was up to.

"No peeking down there pervert..." She glared. Her little joke earned a flat eared growl and glare. "What? What is it?" Seeming appeased at having her attention, the large wolf moved over to a corner of the room and pawed at a small chest on one of the lower shelves, just behind the door. She blinked and followed him eyeing the box curiously. It was one of those instances when you only see something for the first time, though you know it's been there for ages. "What's this?" She crouched down and pulled the box out, to place it on the desk. She opened it reverently, a small gasp escaping her when she saw what it contained.

"I think...I thin this is Grans stuff...Papa used to tell me she knew how to use magic...I think...." She paused staring at the two rings in the box. She picked up the smaller ring, looking at it closely with mixed emotions. "[appraisal]" She spoke the skill to see what she could about the item.
"[Elouise Belmontes Catalyst] E" She let out an excited giddy sound, looking down to Hiruq.

"I can't believe this has just been sitting here. Oh..." Her excitement was cut short as she looked back at the beautiful ring. "Oh...if I use it and it breaks..." She started to put it back down, when Hiruq jumped up and bumped her hand with his nose. His one gold eye and one blue stared directly into hers for a long quiet moment. No words were shared between them, but the eye contact was as if they were holding an entire conversation. "If I break it while I'm trying though.... it's all we have of Gran." She pushed. Hiruq didn't budge, he snorted then placed a heavy paw on her chest, sitting back on his hind quarters. "You're that confident huh?" She asked him, though the wolf had said nothing. He continued to look at her, until finally she sighed and nodded. "Okay...You're right.... Maybe...maybe I just haven't been using a high enough grade." She slipped the Amythyst ring on her right hand. Then she took a deep breath and focused. She held her hands out in front of her and closed her eyes, trying to remember the fireworks she saw in her past life. The beautiful lights that made everyone's hearts pound. She wanted to make some of those, but small for now.

When the image seemed real enough in her mind's eye, she slowly opened her eyes. Her heartbeat escalated, and she had to force herself to maintain her focus and breathing. Because there in her hands, were small sparks of light, that were indeed akin to the fireworks she'd seen as a child of earth. And the ring on her finger was humming with the mana being channeled through it, not cracking and breaking. She started to cry again, but these were tears of joy. Hiruq stood, his tongue lolled out to the side and his tail wagging in excitement. Aedri closed her eyes and looked up, closing her fist and letting the magic die down. "Thanks so much Gran....Thank you really."