"Today is our first session. Let's start with so basic knowledge every Magical Girl should know."
At dusk, standing atop a silent office building, Veronica crossed her arms and spoke to Lin Xiaolu in front of her. "The first thing you need to learn is how to assess your own strength and your opponent’s. Never fight a battle you can’t win."
"Got it! Please teach well!" Lin Xiaolu responded enthusiastically.
To avoid the evening rush and make it on ti, Lin Yun had found a secluded spot after work, transford into a Magical Girl, and left the company by flying through the sky.
A Magical Girl's outfit stood out in an urban environnt, so to avoid attracting attention, he chose an office building near his ho as the eting point—convenient for Lin Xiaolu to reach after school. Moreover, the top floor of this building was usually off-limits, ensuring they wouldn’t be disturbed.
Now, it was ti for Lin Xiaolu’s first lesson in being a Magical Girl.
"I haven't ntioned this before, but Ravagers have different evolutionary tiers. They start at the lowest stage, ‘Egg,’ and advance through higher stages like ‘Caterpillar,’ then ‘Chrysalis,’ ‘Molting,’ and several more life phases. With each evolution, they grow exponentially stronger—and, accordingly, more dangerous."
"That sounds... like bugs..." Lin Xiaolu instinctively grimaced, then fell into thought.
"You can just think of them as bug-like creatures."
Veronica's expression remained neutral. "When they kill you—or even eat you—they won’t feel a shred of empathy. So when you kill them, do it like you’re squashing a pest. No hesitation, no rcy."
She raised a hand, spreading her fingers. "Similarly, we Magical Girls also have five stages of ability developnt. More precisely, this process is called ‘Blossoming’—it represents the journey of nurturing your Heartstone Seed into a flower, passing through five phases."
"At the beginning, you're just like you are now—a seed."
Veronica extended a hand and pointed to Lin Xiaolu’s chest. "This is the very first stage of your soul and power. A round gemstone—much like a seed—symbolizing that you've just beco a Magical Girl and are still learning."
Lin Xiaolu suddenly understood. "So that’s how you could tell I was a beginner?"
"No, it was simply because you're too weak."
Veronica’s blunt reply was even more devastating. "The Blossoming stage doesn’t visibly appear on your Heartstone. No matter how advanced your Blossoming is, your transformation will always display a round gemstone."
She tilted her chin up and gestured toward her own chest. Below the lace choker around her neck hung a small, round gemstone. However, her outfit included a soft shoulder cape that kept the gem partially hidden, which was why Lin Xiaolu hadn't noticed it before.
Still recovering from Veronica’s harsh words, Lin Xiaolu’s eyes lit up as she looked at the outfit. "Ah… this dress is really cute."
"You're focusing on the wrong thing, idiot."
Veronica sighed. "Anyway, I can't demonstrate the other stages for you right now. Releasing magic power in the city center would attract too much attention. For now, just morize their nas like a textbook."
"The Dormant Slumber of New Dreams and True Origins—Resting ‘Seed.’
The Initial Budding of Identity and Construct—Unfolding ‘Sprout.’
The Branching of Enigmas and Spells—Extending ‘Leaf.’
The Formation of True Self and Wonderland—Nurturing ‘Bud.’
The Awakening of Superbeing and Full Bloom—Flourishing ‘Flower.’"
Lin Xiaolu listened as Veronica recited what sounded like poetry, her eyes glazing over. "Uh… New… um, Seed? And then…?"
"Just rember: Seed, Sprout, Leaf, Bud, Flower. The rest are just descriptions of their abilities. You’ll understand once you reach those stages."
The one who chid in was Moko, the cat-like fairy always by Lin Xiaolu’s side. "My advice? Don’t get ahead of yourself. Just rember that your next stage is Sprout."
Veronica glanced at Moko but didn’t comnt on the interruption. Instead, she continued.
"The ‘Seed’ stage is exactly what it sounds like. This is when your Heartstone Seed first forms, and your magic source begins taking shape, allowing you to start using magic in battle. You should already have a sense of what that feels like."
Lin Xiaolu thought for a mont. "If I had to describe it… I don’t really understand it, but as long as I think about using magic, my body just does it instinctively."
"If you want to move faster, you instinctively use magic to accelerate. If you want to attack from afar, you unconsciously project your magic outward. If you want to fly, you let magic lift you into the air."
Veronica gave a few examples. "Once you have the thought, your body moves on its own, right? That’s your magic source at work."
"The magic source forms a bridge between your body and mind, generating magic both internally and externally, allowing magic to flow in both directions. This fuses your physical and ntal state with magical properties."
"Simply put—once you have a magic source, using magic becos instinct."
Hearing this, Lin Xiaolu raised her hand. "Do Ravagers have magic sources too?"
"Yes. A magic source is the origin of all magic. Magic power itself cos from magic sources, and Ravagers are no exception. In fact, what we recover as ‘Echoes’ are the remnants of a Ravager’s magic source."
Veronica pointed at her own Heartstone. "As for Magical Girls, our magic source resides in our Heartstone. This is sothing you must never let anyone else touch."
After a brief pause, she continued. "Now, let’s move on to the next Blossoming stage—‘Sprout.’ Sprout is characterized by…"
Between the towering buildings, the girls’ voices drifted through the night breeze.
One question, one answer.
Ti passed slowly as Veronica taught and Lin Xiaolu listened.
Lin Yun spoke at length, and Lin Xiaolu absorbed as much as she could, feeling the magical world take shape before her like never before.
Though there was still much she didn’t fully grasp, and so details she struggled to rember, the world Veronica described—the world of Magical Girls—filled her with a renewed sense of conviction.
She no longer saw being a Magical Girl as just an empty dream inspired by childhood cartoons. Instead, it was becoming a gateway to a new world.
Holding onto that feeling, as the lesson ca to an end and they prepared to part ways, Lin Xiaolu took out her phone.
"Um… Veronica, do you have a phone in this world? I an…"
She hesitated slightly but spoke with enthusiasm. "Can we… exchange numbers?"
A phone number ant everyday contact. If they exchanged numbers, they would inevitably interact more in their daily lives.
Veronica knew that, as just Veronica, she had no reason to refuse.
Magical Girls needed to stay in touch—whether to report Ravager sightings or share investigation progress, frequent communication was essential.
In the Magic Kingdom, Magical Girls used magic mirrors to contact each other, but neither she nor Lin Xiaolu had one. Phones were the next best thing.
After a brief thought, she replied casually, "I have one, but I didn’t bring it. Give your number, and I’ll contact you later."
She couldn't share her number with Lin Xiaolu right now. That was Lin Yun’s number, and even if their father-daughter relationship was strained, they at least knew each other's contact information.
If she wanted to keep in touch with Lin Xiaolu as Veronica, she needed a new phone and a new number.
The expense wasn’t a big deal. If it ant spending more ti with his daughter, Lin Yun could justify it.
As Veronica morized Lin Xiaolu’s number, she hoped this connection would let her understand her daughter a little more—help nd the gap between them.
Lin Xiaolu, too, was filled with hope.
She wanted to know more about Veronica, about her daily life, about what she was like outside of battle. She wanted to be closer to this Magical Girl she admired.
And maybe—just maybe—this would help change the parts of herself she disliked.
Neither of them could have predicted that their numbers would co into use the very next day.
Not because of a Ravager attack—but because of sothing even rarer.
When Lin Yun, seated at his office desk, saw his newly purchased phone ringing with the caller ID "Lin Xiaolu," he imdiately reached for his Heartstone Flower and transford into Veronica.
Settling back in his chair, he answered the call—only to be t with an ear-splitting shout from the other end.
"Inspector! We found one!"
It was Moko, and she sounded incredibly excited. "I found a girl with magical talent! We can recruit a new Magical Girl!"
A new Magical Girl.
Veronica frowned.
Deep down, she wasn’t keen on recruiting more Magical Girls. It ant pulling another girl into a dangerous world, and there was no guarantee of finding soone reliable.
But Fangting City was in desperate need of more Magical Girls.
She had to consider forming a team for Lin Xiaolu. And now, she had the strength to protect a new recruit.
In the span of a few breaths, she made her decision, smoothing her brow as she spoke in a calm voice.
"Where?"
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