Avoiding my Death Flags as the Villainess(Hiatus)

Chapter 4

It's been around six months since I woke up from my coma. I've remembered a few things, but everything else is kind of blurry right now. However, when I remember something...I don't think the memory belongs to me. I end up seeing a face that I don't recognize but feel a strong attachment to, and seeing her get killed by an incompetent driver.

I haven't remembered her name, and I haven't told my parents about it at all, since I'd like to learn more before I try asking about it. Besides, it might just be some weird dream.

I'm still unable to speak, and I have yet to contract with any familiars. So we still don't know if a familiar will help my recovery.

My mana training has been going smoothly, and I can now feel and estimate how much Mana is within my body. It's been expanding steadily, and the capacity has been increasing with it. I haven't been able to learn the Chantless skill yet, but I am able to utilize the Mana inside me and turn it into writing.

So now instead of writing in a notepad and using up lots of paper and ink, I was able to write the words in the air and have that as my way to communicate. It was a pain to learn how to do it, because if I didn't channel the Mana correctly then the words wouldn't come out properly. I had to learn when to expel the Mana in my fingertips, and when to cancel it so that the words weren't smudged or squished together.

My parents were shocked when I showed it to them, and after I did, I had to write a paper explaining how I went through the process of using Mana to write in the air. Apparently nobody has considered using their Mana for such a process. However, it took me a long time to do this because I needed to increase my mana pool, since it uses my own personal Mana and none of the Mana in the air.

I ended up receiving some money for selling my research to the magic development department that operates under my fathers jurisdiction. The money I received was stored inside me.....

Ok not physically in my body, but within my mana. Something I've been working on in secret that I won't be sharing anytime soon, is that I've learned of a way to use my mana pool as a material storage as well. How did I accomplish this? I condensed my mana so that the pool doesn't have to be larger to hold more Mana in it. By doing so, there's a lot of unused space, so I tried storing physical items inside and after some trial and error, I succeeded. The storage isn't infinite though, so it's not like I can store anything I want inside. In fact, as long as I have an item stored away in my mana pool, I won't be able to have a full Mana recovery.

Why do I do this instead of using a real spell that is designed for storage? Because...I haven't been able to figure out my magic type.

I was able to learn the Chantless skill, but I haven't been able to use any of the magic types...even the neutral magic like strength enhancement.

So, since I haven't been able to use the magic types, I decided to pick up weapon training like swordsmanship, archery, etc. Although I do still train to increase my mana through circulation and condensing.

Before I realized it, a large amount of time had passed and it was my 8th birthday as well as my public debut. First thing we did was attend the ceremony to see if I have a magic type.

I felt pretty embarrassed being the oldest one at that ceremony, but it was necessary for me to figure out if I can use any of the magic.

"Welcome to the unlocking ceremony. My name is Jeremiah." (Jeremiah)

Unlocking ceremony? What does that mean? I thought it was just a ceremony to figure out your magic affinity. Thankfully, someone who was able to speak raised their hand with a question.

"Excuse me, but I thought it would just tell us our magic type. What do you mean by unlocking?" (Little boy)

"Ah well it does tell what your magic type is, however I guess you aren't explained in detail about the procedure. Allow me to clarify." (Jeremiah)

The guy in charge of the ceremony went on to explain that when you are born, your magic is sealed so that your underdeveloped body doesn't suffer any negative effects while growing. The ceremony is meant to lift that seal so that you can begin learning to control the power you were given at birth.

This means that I might actually have an affinity for magic, unlike I previously thought. However, why am I able to use my mana right now? I have a lot of questions, but perhaps I shouldn't speak up.

*Bang*

With a loud banging noise, another girl and her mother ran into the room.

"I'm so sorry, are we late?" (Woman)

"Almost, I was just explaining the ceremony to the other children. If you were any later then you'd have to wait until next year." (Jeremiah)

As they were discussing, I looked at the young girl that ran in with the woman. She looked around the same age as I was, although I couldn't just walk up and ask...ya know.

However, the more I looked at her....the more familiar she felt to me. Except, when she looked at me, she had a confused look on her face...am I wrong? Why does she seem so familiar?

When I tried thinking harder about it, my head started to hurt. It hurt more and more, when I kept thinking about it, so I had to do my best to ignore her and wait until I'm alone to think about it so people aren't concerned about my health.

"Alright, we will now begin the ceremony. When I call your name, please step forward, place your hand on the crystal ball, and speak your name." (Jeremiah)

Huh? We have to speak? I haven't tried talking since the day I woke up from my coma...I was told if I try to force it out then I could damage my vocal cords even further...

Is the damage worth it to unlock my magic? Out of concern I turn around and glance towards my mother who accompanied me here. Thankfully she caught on and stepped forward for me.

"Um Jeremiah...my daughter was in an incident a while back and lost the ability to speak. The doctor said if she tried to force the words out then it could end up making her permanently mute." (Mother)

"I see...then let's have her go at the end, as it takes longer when you don't speak the name. Speaking the name is simply a keyword for the unsealing to work quicker." (Jeremiah)

Oh thank goodness, I don't have to worry about damaging my body. I guess while I'm waiting for my turn, I can work on circulating and condensing my mana like usual.