At dawn, the research tower's first floor still held the charred smell of medicinal herbs. The night before, Ellen had mispronounced an incantation and scorched a bundle of herbs. The blackened stems still lay at the edge of the stone table. Feln Elzen studied them while writing something in her notebook. Several days had passed since the herb festival. The autumn sunlight had grown clearer, and the birch leaves outside the window made dry, brittle sounds in the breeze. Ellen read aloud from the incantation formula. "[serious]……Once I fix the convergence point of magical power at the base of the flower bud——" Somewhere in the middle, something shifted again. Magical power spilled from his fingertips, escaping control, diffusing across the herbs on the table. A soft white smoke rose. "[serious]In the third verse of your incantation, you're releasing the magical power instead of converging it." Feln spoke without looking up. Ellen's nape flushed red as he reviewed his notes. "[s