PROLOGUE
DANA WAS TIRED OF HER mundane routine and decided to explore an antique store. As she perused the shelves, her attention was caught by an old, leather-bound book. The energy emanating from the book was strange, but Dana couldn't resist its pull. She reached for it, but it slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground. The impact caused a small earthquake, leaving Dana confused and wondering what had just happened.
The book landed open on page eighty-two, with the title "Element Manipulation". Dana knew she had to have it, it was precisely what she had been searching for. She quickly purchased the book and left the store.
Dana couldn't help but glance through the pages as she walked home. Only the first page held information that she could easily understand. Eventually, she reached her apartment complex and rushed up the stairs to her home. Dropping her bag on the kitchen counter, she immediately made her way to her enchantment room.
The room was filled with the familiar scent of incense, and shelves lined the walls, holding an array of glass jars with different ingredients. In one corner, there was a bookstand where Dana placed her new acquisition. She opened the book to the ingredient list and found that the recipe seemed simple, although the probability of success was not very high.
Dana took a moment to quiet her mind before beginning the ritual. She took a piece of walnut charcoal and began to draw a circle on the ground, but decided not to close it and instead continued to draw a spiral. She then added a couple of drops of cobra venom to the center of the drawing and placed five candles around it at equal distances.
As she paused to feel the energy pulsing from the drawing, Dana took a deep breath and used a knife to prick her finger, allowing a drop of blood to fall into the center of the picture. The pulsing grew stronger.
She lit some tobacco in a crockpot and lit the candles, turning off the lights. With everything in place, she struck a gong, causing a shift in the energy of the room and initiating the ritual.
She approached a small cage on a shelf, taking out a small rodent. Walking towards the drawing, she cut off the creature's head and threw the remains into a corner of the room. The wind lifted her long skirt, but Dana was focused on the ritual and quickly removed her clothes, throwing them against the door.
Taking the book from the stand, she began to read the incantation: "Igni tribuat potestatem tamquam para mutare, extension brachium domini mei ad me sentiré sicut aer, patitur vires aequor pectore moveri, fac mecum est pars terræ."
A vortex of energy appeared in front of her, and Dana hesitated for a moment before entering it. The experience was unlike anything she had ever felt before and she couldn't believe it was real magic. As she allowed the energy to fill her, she felt her strength increase, but soon lost control of her body and the ability to breathe.
Dana tried to move away from the vortex but found herself floating out of her body, watching it collapse on the ground. She floated back and attempted to catch her body before it hit the ground, but her hands went through it. As she floated, she saw everything, the past, present, and future, and understood the insignificance of existence. She could have cut the line, freeing herself from life, but instead, floated back into her body.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes and found herself on the ground, taking a deep breath as life returned to her. The fall left her sore, with bruises on her face, and she didn't know how much time had passed. As she pushed herself up with one arm, the pain was too intense for her to move. She decided to wait for the pain to subside before getting up. After a few minutes, she was finally able to stand, but her body was weak.
Dana searched for wounds and noticed that a tattoo had disappeared from her upper thigh. The dragon tattoo was no longer there and her skin looked as if it had never been tattooed. Suddenly, she saw, a small dragon flying without wings, looking for a way out of the room. Dana got as close as she could until their eyes met. The creature with a fairy gaze flew towards her, and Dana raised one hand to defend herself while covering her face with the other, but the attack never came. Instead, the dragon was trapped in the middle of a bubble.
Dana lowered her hand and noticed that the bubble obeyed her commands, but she couldn't stop it from hitting the ground and bursting. The liquid that came out quickly disappeared, but the dragon flew up and attacked again. Stop, Dana thought, holding out her hand. A flash of light blinded her for a few seconds. When her vision cleared, she saw that the little dragon was motionless on the ground.
The dragon's skin was made of pure energy, and as Dana reached down to touch the creature, a blast of radiant energy shot out of her hand. She picked up the dragon, feeling the energy pouring out of her hand, and watched as the dragon opened its glowing fiery eyes. She could feel the dragon's skin with her magic, and it felt weak as if it was dying. Guilt began to grow inside Dana as she focused her attention, strengthening the magic she used to hold it. To her surprise, the dragon regained consciousness and flew around her.
Dana smiled as she watched the dragon fling around her, wondering what it was doing. She then noticed that the energy emanating from her hand had turned into a small ball in the palm of her hand. Intrigued, Dana focused her attention and the fire grew stronger until the entire room was lit up. The dragon flew straight toward the fireball and swallowed it.