In her sudden daze, Lily recalled the first time she had ever used two spells at the same time.
It happened in a small village.
A house that she could call home.
A place she would eventually have to leave to pursue her dream of magic.
A small girl sat on her father's lap.
Her father was a large, bear-like man with thick muscles from years of hard work. Yet whenever he had time, he liked to sit down and read stories to Lily.
In a deep, warm voice, he slowly read from the book.
"Magic exists in everyone," he said gently.
"But in different amounts. Some awaken early, some late, and some never awaken at all. Your mana reserves determine your potential, but awakening is only the first step."
He paused.
"Mana reserves are the limit of a person's poten—"
He suddenly stopped.
"W-wait, Lily… you know I didn't mean it like that, right?" he said quickly, his voice apologetic.
The child simply repeated the word quietly.
"Limit… a person's limit."
Her father looked worried.
"Yeah, daddy. I know you didn't mean it," she said with a bright smile. "I don't mind."
Her smile was as bright as the sun.
But a moment later she slid off his lap.
"I'm a bit bored. I'll go on a walk to clear my mind."
Her father didn't say anything.
He only watched as she walked out the door without turning back.
At first Lily walked slowly.
Then faster.
And faster.
Until the people she ran past could no longer hear her quiet cries.
She had always wanted to become a mage.
To her, mages were the pinnacle of knowledge and power.
But she also knew the one thing holding her back.
Her mana reserves.
They were so small that she could barely cast two basic spells back-to-back.
The average mage could cast at least ten basic spells before running out of mana.
There was only one small advantage.
Her mana recovered quickly.
But that still wasn't enough to compete with normal mages.
Lily knew all of this.
And yet she still dreamed of standing at the very top of the magical world.
She wanted to become one of the Eleven Sovereigns.
The Sovereigns were the symbols of ultimate power—the eleven strongest mages in the world, each representing their own element.
Like every young mage, Lily admired them deeply.
She had even tried to replicate some of their spells before.
Of course, she failed.
But it had been a good learning experience.
By the time she calmed down, Lily had reached the riverside near the town.
Most people avoided this place.
The current was fast, and sharp rocks hid beneath the rushing water.
Lily was about to head home when she noticed something.
A small boy was near the old stone bridge.
He was jumping around happily, chasing insects.
Then Lily saw it.
The boy's foot caught on one of the vines hanging over the bridge.
"Be careful! You'll fall!" Lily shouted.
But the boy didn't hear her.
Still laughing, he tried to stand up—
And slipped.
He was about to fall straight into the river.
If the water didn't break his fall, the rocks definitely would.
Without thinking, Lily decided to catch him with magic.
"Earth Wall!"
She began to cast the spell.
But then she realized something.
The dirt would be too hard.
If the boy crashed into the earth pillar, he might get seriously hurt.
Her thoughts raced.
Mud…
"Yes! Mud!"
"But how?"
The most basic mud spell was Intermediate Rank.
Lily could barely cast two basic spells.
Casting an intermediate spell was impossible for her.
How absurd…
But there was no time to think.
The boy was already falling.
In desperation, Lily poured her magic into both hands.
Her right hand glowed faintly.
"Earth Wall!"
Her left hand trembled as she whispered—
"Water Ball…"
Both spells were basic.
Anyone could cast them.
But could someone cast two spells at once?
Lily didn't know.
All she knew was that the boy was about to hit the river.
Her mana drained rapidly as the earth pillar rose from beneath the falling child.
At the same moment—
A sphere of water slammed into the pillar.
The water soaked into the dirt, turning it into thick, slippery mud.
The boy flailed his arms wildly as he fell.
"Aaaaaah!"
Then suddenly—
He stopped.
He blinked.
"…Huh?"
He wasn't falling anymore.
His arms and back were covered in mud, but he didn't even notice as he landed safely on the soft pillar.
Confused, he looked around.
Then he saw her.
A girl standing a few meters away.
Her arms were stretched forward.
She was gasping for air.
After climbing down, the boy walked toward her, still covered in mud.
"Miss, thank you for saving me!"
He held his hands together nervously.
"U-uh… my name is Tom. Can I have yours?"
"Lily," she replied automatically.
She barely even looked at him.
Her mind was somewhere else entirely.
I used two spells.
At the same time.
Her eyes widened.
"Wasn't that impossible?"
Even advanced mages could only cast one spell at a time.
Some could combine elements to create stronger magic, but that was different.
Lily had cast two completely separate spells simultaneously.
Her thoughts raced.
"And… wasn't that spell I made just now…?"
Mud Field.
An Intermediate Earth Spell.
Lily stared at her hands.
"I thought my reserves weren't big enough to use something like that…"
Questions flooded her mind.
Possibilities appeared one after another.
If she could cast multiple spells at the same time…
Then maybe…
Her limits weren't what everyone thought they were.
For the first time in a long while—
Lily felt excited.
As she jogged back home, the thoughts followed her the entire way.
When she opened the door—
A giant bear rushed toward her.
"LILYYYY I'M SORRYYYY!"
Her father wrapped her in a massive hug.
Lily blinked.
Her anger had already disappeared.
Now she was far more interested in the mystery of multicasting.
"Okay, okay, I forgive you," she said, barely able to breathe. "But I need to go to my room now, please let go…"
She was completely exhausted after using all her mana.
And being crushed by her father's hug certainly didn't help