The aftereffects of overtaxing his Spiritual Power clung to Leon like a hangover for two whole days. He had a headache, felt weak, and struggled to concentrate. Even Captain Hans noticed something was off. For once, he didn't criticize Leon too harshly during training. He merely gave him a few extra looks with those sharp eyes, muttered, "Too much debauchery. A useless piece of trash is still a useless piece of trash," and left it at that.
Leon couldn't defend himself and could only endure it in silence. But deep down, the increase in his Spiritual Power from that brief contact with the stellar energy had been real. The mingled pain and reward made his feelings about the Mysterious Bracelet increasingly complicated: he longed to uncover its secrets, yet feared the danger it contained.
As his body and mind gradually recovered, one thought grew stronger: he couldn't keep groping blindly on his own. The bracelet's origins and dangers were far beyond anything he'd imagined. If it triggered another uncontrollable incident, he might not be lucky enough to break free next time. He needed help. He needed to draw on other people's knowledge and insight.
Aunt Margaret was his first choice, but the risks were too great. She was widely traveled and her strength unfathomable. She might see at a glance that the bracelet was extraordinary, or even notice the unusual magic within Leon. If that happened, whether he could keep the bracelet—and what would become of his own fate—would be anyone's guess. Unless absolutely necessary, he couldn't let Aunt Margaret find out.
That left only one possible person: Elisa.
Elisa was a magical prodigy, widely read, and especially knowledgeable about magical theory and forms of energy. More importantly, she was aloof and focused on academics, with little interest in worldly possessions. And there was that subtle, increasingly complicated "engagement" between them. Sharing some of the information with her seemed like a manageable risk. Even if she couldn't identify the bracelet, she could at least offer a professional analysis and help him establish the limits of his investigation.
Once he'd made up his mind, Leon began looking for the right moment. Simply bringing the bracelet to her and asking about it would be too abrupt. He needed a natural lead-in.
His opportunity came one afternoon. Elisa had, unusually, stayed away from the Magic Tower and was sitting in the Count's Mansion's third-floor terrace garden, reading a weighty old book with a deep-blue dragonhide cover in a cushioned wicker chair. A warm sun shone down on her. The breeze carried the scent of flowers and grass, along with her distinctive, cool fragrance.
Leon steadied his breathing and picked up the book he'd been wrestling with lately, Basic Rune Analysis, its pages already covered in question marks and notes. Pretending he wanted to ask her something, he walked onto the terrace.
"Elisa," he greeted her softly, doing his best to look natural.
Elisa lifted her eyes from the page and glanced at him with her violet eyes. That was her acknowledgment. Her gaze immediately returned to the book, clearly signaling that she didn't want to be disturbed.
Leon didn't give up. He went over to the wicker chair beside hers, sat down, and opened Basic Rune Analysis across his knees. He pointed to a question about matching the resonance frequencies of a "Stabilizing Rune" and an "Energy Guiding Rune" in a composite model—a problem he really had encountered.
"I've never quite understood this part," Leon said, trying to sound humble. "The book says you need to fine-tune your Spiritual Power to achieve 'harmonic resonance,' but how do you judge the right degree? Is there a more intuitive way to sense it?"
At his question, Elisa knitted her delicate brows slightly, as though the question itself had caught her interest. She closed her old book, took Leon's, and quickly read the passage he'd pointed out, along with the densely packed notes beside it.
"You've misunderstood the whole approach." Her cool voice rang out with academic precision. "Harmonic resonance requires the foundational rune structure to be absolutely stable. You haven't even managed to make the energy flow through a single rune smoothly, yet you're trying to achieve resonance in a composite model. That's like trying to build a tower before the foundation is secure."
She extended a slender finger and lightly tapped the page. A faint ice-blue glow shimmered at her fingertip as she seemed to demonstrate how rune energy flowed. "Look here. The transition between energy nodes needs to be 'smoothed,' not 'forced.' Your Spiritual Power is too impatient. You're trying to fuse them by force, so naturally, they can't resonate."
Leon listened closely, quietly impressed. Elisa had immediately spotted the crux of his training problem: he was in too much of a hurry, and his foundation was shaky. With just a few words, she'd hit the nail on the head. Her explanation was more useful than days of brooding over it by himself.
"I understand... Thank you." Leon thanked her sincerely. Then, taking advantage of the pleasant atmosphere of their "academic exchange," he casually changed the subject. "Speaking of which, I was wandering around Starlight Plaza a few days ago and happened to see a strange little trinket. The energy fluctuations coming from it felt unusual, but I couldn't tell what they were. You know so much—could you take a look?"
As he spoke, he casually reached into his pocket—where he'd prepared it in advance—and pulled out the silver-white bracelet, wrapped in a piece of ordinary soft cloth. He didn't reveal its original, dust-gray appearance. Instead, he passed it to her through the cloth, both to soften its visual impact and to avoid any unknown reaction from direct skin contact.
Elisa's attention was drawn to it at once. She had a natural curiosity about unusual magical objects. She took the cloth bundle but didn't open it right away. Instead, she lightly touched the bracelet through the fabric with her fingers.
In an instant, Leon noticed the faintest furrow in the brow of Elisa's usually serene face. The ice-blue magical glow appeared at her fingertips again, clearer than before, as if she were sensing it more carefully.
"Hmm?" Elisa murmured. A flicker of surprise and confusion crossed her violet eyes. She had clearly sensed that the bracelet was out of the ordinary.
She gently lifted the soft cloth, revealing the bracelet in its true form. Even in the bright sunlight, it still looked dull and utterly unremarkable. But Elisa's gaze had grown intensely focused. She rested the bracelet in her palm, and the ice-blue magic at her fingertips swept slowly over every inch of it, like a set of exquisitely precise probes. She even closed her eyes, relying entirely on her magical senses to examine it.
Leon held his breath and waited nervously. Seconds ticked by. The only sound on the terrace was the faint rustling of the breeze through the flowers and grass.
At last, Elisa slowly opened her eyes, set the bracelet back on the soft cloth, and shook her head. She looked at Leon with an unprecedented gravity—and confusion.
"It's very strange." Her cool voice broke the silence. "I've never seen a material like this. It's neither metal nor iron, neither wood nor stone. My magical senses can't penetrate its internal structure, as if it were cut off by an invisible barrier."
Leon's heart sank slightly. Even Elisa couldn't sense anything?
"But," Elisa continued, her tone precise and analytical, "it is emitting an extremely faint energy fluctuation, though one of a very high order. This fluctuation... feels ancient and obscure. It's unlike any elemental magic, Mental Power, or even some of the rare negative energies I know of. It feels more like a trace of 'existence' than an active energy source."
She lightly tapped the bracelet with her finger. "What's more, this energy fluctuation seems to have a certain 'inertia.' It's incredibly difficult to stir, and ordinary methods can't absorb or use it. I tried stimulating it with several basic detection runes, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea. There was no response."
Elisa's conclusion was clear: she couldn't identify the bracelet's origin or material, nor could she probe its internal structure. All she could tell was that it contained an ancient, high-level, inert form of unknown energy.
The result was both what Leon had expected and a disappointment. He'd expected it because the bracelet's mystery clearly lay beyond the understanding of an ordinary Magic Apprentice. He was disappointed because he'd learned nothing more about how to use it safely.
"Even you don't know?" Leon let an appropriate look of disappointment and curiosity cross his face. "Could it be an ancient relic? Or... something from another plane?"
Elisa pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "It could be an exceptionally rare ancient relic, made using techniques and an energy system that have been completely lost. As for other planes... theoretically, they exist, but objects that cross between planes are extremely rare and usually bear the unmistakable mark of alien laws. The bracelet's energy fluctuation is unusual, but it doesn't give me that intense sense of 'otherworldly rejection.' It feels more like... the 'embers of a star,' fallen silent."
Star Ember! The phrase stirred something in Leon. It matched the "star chart" he'd sensed, as well as the image of "shattered stars" in those fragmented messages!
"Star Ember? What does that mean?" Leon asked.
"It's just a speculative description based on the nature of its energy, not a formal academic term," Elisa explained. "It refers to an energy that feels ancient and pure, with the vastness and solitude of the cosmos. But it's in an extremely dormant state, like the cold ashes left behind by a star that has burned out—difficult to reignite."
She handed the bracelet back to Leon, her tone returning to its usual coolness. "This object is unusual, but that's all. In its current inert state, it has almost no practical value. It's more like a collectible of archaeological interest. If you want to study it, perhaps... you could look through some obscure books on ancient magical civilizations and astrology after entering the Magic Academy. You might find a clue. But for now, I don't recommend spending too much effort on it. You're likely to get nowhere."
Leon took the bracelet and wrapped it in the soft cloth again, his feelings a jumble. Elisa's assessment had poured cold water on him, but it had also set a safe boundary: as long as he didn't force his Spiritual Power into it, the bracelet was currently a harmless "collectible." She'd also pointed him toward a possible avenue of research: ancient magical civilizations and astrology.
"I understand. Thank you." Leon thanked her sincerely. Though he hadn't gotten the answer he'd wanted, Elisa's professional analysis had spared him another dangerous experiment and clarified what he should study in the future.
Elisa nodded without another word, picked up her old book, and sank back into her world of magic.
Leon left the terrace with the wrapped bracelet in hand. The sunlight warmed him, but his feelings were complicated. The bracelet's secrets remained locked away, but he hadn't come away empty-handed. At least now he knew that this path required more knowledge, and that he couldn't rush it.
He hid the bracelet away again, this time with greater care, and his gaze grew resolute. The Magic Academy, ancient texts, astrology... These words were like scattered puzzle pieces waiting for him to pick them up one by one and put them together.
The first step was to pass the upcoming Magic Training Class, where young magical talents from the Imperial Capital would gather. He needed to establish himself there and gain access to more resources and knowledge.
Elisa's Coming-of-Age Ceremony was a battlefield of social maneuvering. The Magic Academy would be another battlefield—without gunpowder, but just as important. He had to be ready.
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