Alythia

I woke up the next morning, feeling surprisingly good despite the previous day's events. As I examined my body, I realized that my wounds had already healed.

"Well, that's a neat trick," I mused.

I couldn't help but think about that strange sensation that had saved my life yesterday. I mean, I practically went from a weak, helpless girl to a forest warrior in the blink of an eye, all thanks to... what, exactly? Is this magic? I'm going to call it magic. I knew I had to learn more about this magic and how to control it. And let's be real, who doesn't want to be able to use magic?

Closing my eyes, I tried to recall the sensation I had experienced during the fight. It was like a tingling warmth that seemed to flow through me, filling me with energy. I focused on mimicking that feeling and tried to direct it to different parts of my body like yesterday, hoping to enhance my physical prowess once again. Perhaps it's because I've experienced it before, but I was able to quite easily direct the flow towards my arms or my legs. And when I did so, I could feel myself getting stronger.

"Ha! I knew I could do it!"

I exclaimed triumphantly, flexing my now magically-enhanced arms, though they still looked no different from before. When I focused on my legs, I could walk much faster while feeling less tired. When I focused on my arms, my arms became stronger, I became able to lift stones and branches I couldn't before.

After some more practice, I started feeling much more proficient at it. I could now control the flow of energy within me to where I wanted much more easily. Through this, I was able to enhance my entire body rather than just my arms or my legs, though it was quite mentally straining to maintain the effect. I was genuinely amazed by my newfound abilities, and I couldn't help but feel a bit giddy at the thought of what else I might be able to do.

Next, I focused on trying to recreate the sensation I had felt when blocking the wolf's attack. It was difficult, much more difficult than just simply enhancing parts of my body. Though I didn't have a wolf or something attacking me for me to test out how effective the protection was, I could somehow just tell that it was not as strong as yesterday. Through some more practice and concentrating really hard, I did feel like I could get to the same level as yesterday, but honestly, the time it would take and how hard I would need to concentrate makes it pretty impractical in a real fight. More practice was definitely needed if I wanted to actually use it in the future.

...

As my control over magic grew, I started experimenting with other ways to manipulate mana. I discovered that I could use it to sharpen my senses, allowing me to see, hear, and smell more acutely. This was a pretty cool trick, especially for someone like me who was living in the forest.

Then, I remembered the glowing mushroom in the cave and wondered if I could control its light. After a few attempts, I successfully learned to adjust the brightness of the mushroom by feeding it the magic or drawing it out. It was a small victory, but it felt like a big deal to me. Feeling bolder, I tried to release my magic to create water or shoot fireballs, just like in the shows. However, I quickly decided against trying to shoot a fireball, considering I was in a forest and all. When I tried to create water or release magic to create other things, I failed miserably. I assumed it was either impossible or I was doing it wrong. Still, I wasn't discouraged. Instead, I experimented with imbuing random objects with mana. I discovered that some objects reacted differently to the infusion.

For example, I found that infusing some magic into my clothing made them less susceptible to getting dirty and made them look less like rags – or at least more like sophisticated rags.

On a side note, I even attempted to skin the black wolf to make some clothing, but my efforts were comically bad.

"Can't help it, my tools suck" I sighed. It was definitely because of the tools.

Feeling more confident after knowing magic, I decided it was time to venture further away from my cave. However, the thought of encountering more dangerous creatures still unnerved me. Instead, I chose to stick to familiar territory, like the wagon wreckage, my cave, and the pond. As I visited these places, I continued practicing my magic, focusing on mastering the protective barrier and making it more practical for use in combat situations. During my practice sessions, I couldn't help but feel a sense of joy and excitement. I mean, I was practically a magician now! The adult side of me tried to keep things in perspective, though.

"Don't get too full of yourself," I warned. "You've still got a long way to go, and there's probably plenty more to learn about this magic."

Despite my self-admonishment, I couldn't help but indulge in a bit of narcissism. I mean, who wouldn't be proud of their newfound magical abilities? But sadly, there was no one I could share it with.

As I continued to practice, I noticed that my control over the magic improved, making it easier to use. The protective magic, in particular, became more reliable and faster to cast. I still didn't know how effective it was going to be, but I was thrilled with my progress.

...

One day, as I was wandering near the pond, I decided to try something a bit more ambitious. I picked up a small stone and imbued it with some of my magic, then tossed it into the water. To my delight, the stone skipped across the surface with much more force than you would have expected from my throw. It created little bursts of light with each skip over the water. I laughed out loud, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

"Well, that was fun" I said to myself, grinning from ear to ear. "Let's see what else I can do!"

I spent the following days trying out various magical experiments. Some of them worked, while others ended in hilarious failure. But each time I learned something new, my confidence grew, and my abilities improved. The child in me upon discovering magic made the whole process a lighthearted and entertaining experience.

Despite my progress, I knew that I still had much to learn about my magic and the world around me. I was determined to leave this forest and see what more this world has to offer.