Miri's Pov
A new magic?
The moment Aelia said it, I stared at her like she'd offered me a unicorn horn dipped in moonlight—impossible, glittery nonsense.
Magic, as with most things intangible, followed a law older than any witch or scholar or elemental ever born. It couldn't be created from nothing or erased into nothing. That was rule one. Rule two was: if someone told you otherwise, they were either lying or insane. Maybe both.
I folded my arms. "That's not how magic works."
Aelia tilted her head slightly, as though amused by my tiny rebellion. Her eyes gleamed, not unkind, but far too pleased. "It could be. If you let it."
"I'm not interested in rewiring the universe," I said sharply. "I don't want new magic. I want mine. Just mine. Fixed."
Her expression didn't flicker. She nodded like I'd confirmed something she already suspected. "If that's what you want," she said with a gracious smile, "then we'll do it your way."
Her way of saying it made it sound like a loss.
