Control of Power

As she savored her drink, Lin Qiang admired Jiang Han's eyes.

She smiled and took a sip of Moon Sugar Wine, then said to Jiang Han, who was starting to feel a little uncomfortable under her gaze:

"Do you know about Sirens?"

Sirens were an endangered species, creatures that had been reported in Folded Space. Supposedly, every one of them was a soprano... Jiang Han asked tentatively:

"Sea Sirens?"

Lin Qiang nodded, her voice gentle.

"Sea Sirens, Sirens. Some of their subspecies have these magical eyes."

"They're found in the Caribbean and the southern seas. There are plenty of Sea Sirens in our country's rivers, too, though of course they aren't called Sea Sirens here. Their official name is Rain Maidens. One of your ancestors might have had a Rain Maiden in the family, and that trait can take a hundred years—five generations—to show up."

Sounds like my ancestors were pretty impressive... Though I heard the magic power in both my mother's and father's bloodlines adds up to only seven thousand. Separately, it's not even five thousand... Jiang Han's expression didn't change. She only touched the skin beneath her left eye without thinking.

Watching her, Lin Qiang took out a mirror and handed it to her.

"Oh, right. After they awaken, your eyes become even prettier. Want to see?"

"Thank you."

After thanking her, Jiang Han quickly looked in the mirror. Her eyes had changed from their former icy hue... Had they become more vivid? It was as if countless fragments of ice had been fused together: separating, yet also coming together, melting and then freezing again.

They looked as though an artistic master had painstakingly studied and carved them from tens of thousands of shades related to ice. They seemed natural, yet bore traces of craftsmanship. Azure, yet silvery white; gray-blue, and gray as ice.

Whatever the case, the pair of icy eyes was astonishingly beautiful.

In a comic or anime, there was a 99 percent chance people would try to dig them out...

Sss—crack.

The mirror froze over, then instantly began to cave inward with a cracking sound. Dozens of fractures appeared in the mirror beneath the ice.

...That might be the only downside... Jiang Han stared at the mirror in shock, gaining a new appreciation for her destructive power.

"Hahahahaha!" Lin Qiang burst into laughter beside her, utterly unladylike. She slapped her knee, then broke into a string of coughs. At last, she stopped and looked at Jiang Han with a smile.

"Impressive. No wonder they're Siren's magical eyes... Miss Jiang, you have a lot of magic power, don't you?"

How could she tell? Jiang Han kept her expression calm and replied simply:

"...Yes."

"No wonder. No wonder..."

Lin Qiang murmured to herself before continuing:

"Your magic power is leaking out through those eyes. Usually, even a witch with those eyes would find them a burden if she didn't have much magic power. But you can use them freely, and their consumption is practically nothing to you... You need to control them, not let them run wild. They're your power. Don't let them turn around and rule you."

Easy to say, but she hadn't explained how to actually do it... Jiang Han's mouth twitched.

Lin Qiang probably realized she hadn't given any practical instructions. She smiled sheepishly and went on:

"There are only a few ancient books that explain how to control the Eternal Ice Eye. Only a handful of witches know about them, mostly those who enjoy researching ancient texts and developing new spells from old ones. As it happens, I know a little."

...Thanks? Weren't you the one who activated my eyes...? Jiang Han felt her emotions starting to slip out of control. The Eternal Ice Eye was stirring her destructive urges.

"You know how to meditate, right? Close your eyes."

"In your mind, you're going to establish a new meditation pattern. Now, imagine your magic power as a five-layered vortex surrounding you."

"Each layer should be six centimeters apart. Six is a number closely tied to the ocean, and it's also a number full of spiritual energy."

"For the first three layers, imagine the moon in three directions around you: east, west, and north. The moon in the east should be at first quarter, the one in the west at last quarter, and the one in the north full. Leave the south empty to represent the new moon. The moon is very important in meditations and rituals related to the sea."

"For the two outermost layers, start imagining chunks of ice within them... Take your time. Don't rush."

Jiang Han closed her eyes and began meditating in time with Lin Qiang's voice.

A witch's body was ideally suited to meditation. Or perhaps humans meditated to sense magic power, while witches were born with it.

She made the pattern in her mind, as easily as playing some kind of building game. The five-layered vortex took shape, and as she channeled magic power into it, her senses grew remarkably clear.

The darkness before her was like the surface of a still lake, with ripples spreading across it.

The tavern entered the range of her perception. The ripples represented the witches' magic power, some strong and some weak.

She could see them. She could see the witches.

The gaze hidden behind her eyelids grew calm. She looked down at the water, and knowledge that could drive someone mad flooded her mind, teaching her how to appreciate these 'ripples' and discern their positions.

I feel like I've turned into some new kind of radar. Jiang Han emerged from her forced calm and opened her eyes. Lin Qiang was standing in front of her, looking at her encouragingly.

"Congratulations. You clearly managed it, Miss Powerful Magic."

I can't sense her magic power... Jiang Han was a little dazed. She couldn't sense beings with extremely low magic power, but this woman in front of her... She didn't look like a Weak Witch at all.

"Your perception is very strong." Lin Qiang smiled. "There are great witches who like to show off their powerful magic, but I'm not one of them. I'm just an ordinary, insignificant witch."

Jiang Han nodded and thanked her anyway.

The other woman had caused her less than an hour of trouble, but had given her a pair of highly destructive eyes and taught a witch with high magic power how to meditate.

Hearing her thanks, Lin Qiang laughed again, her orange-red eyes fixed on Jiang Han.

"You don't need to thank me for something like this. A friend of mine might be very interested in your eyes. If you really want to thank me, how about letting her study them when I bring her along next time? Don't worry, she'll be like me—just looking, no touching."

Jiang Han naturally touched the skin beneath her eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she nodded.

"Okay."

"Um... Are my eyes rare?" Jiang Han asked, trying to sound casual.

"Want some?" Lin Qiang didn't answer. She took out another cup, poured some of the bottle of Icy Seafloor Moon Sugar into it, and set it in front of Jiang Han.

Jiang Han looked at the cup.

The drink was icy in color, boiling and cooling at once. Tiny floes of ice kept forming and quickly melting away. It looked incredibly beautiful, just like her eyes.

After a moment of silence, she hesitated. "I'm on the clock..."

"Let the clock go to hell. You look like you could use a drink. Besides, I'm a customer, and I'm paying. If you're selling drinks, shouldn't you sit a little closer and keep me company?" Lin Qiang could always say outrageous things with perfect grace.

Jiang Han nodded and moved over. This time, she sat closer.

She picked up the cup and admired it before opening her mouth to taste the expensive drink.

A cool, refreshing yet rich aroma of liquor burst through her mouth, reaching even her nose. Everything around her seemed dreamlike and real at once. Her body began to grow slightly warm. Jiang Han's beautiful eyes widened, and before she knew it, she had drained the entire cup.

She felt perfectly clearheaded. She patted her flushed cheeks, let out a small breath, and naturally twisted her waist as though her body needed oxygen.

"If I weren't a gentleman, I'd give you another cup." Lin Qiang's laughter seemed to come from both far away and close by.

...Hic, those orange-red eyes are so pretty.

...Hic, she laughs like such a temptress.

...Hic... No, I want to ravish her.

Jiang Han reached out in a daze and pinched her customer's face, making a small animal-like giggle. Before she lost consciousness, she heard the beautiful customer call down to the tavern owner:

"Boss, I think your employee's drunk!"

...Hic, screw you, I'm not drunk.

She closed her eyes and felt as though she were looking up at a sky full of stars. It was peaceful and comfortable.