For the next few weeks, I made it my priority to train Flare on how to use her body, physically guiding her through every step. We started with simple movements like curling her fingers and grew more complex from there. At first, every motion was a challenge, but with time and persistence, Flare became more confident in her abilities, and the movements flowed with ease.

Mia generously loaned Flare some clothes to wear since she didn't have any of her own. Emma saw to it that she learned how to dress herself, always offering a helping hand until Flare mastered the skill on her own. The other day, we went to a clothing shop where Flare picked out some fabulous new outfits. She even chose to style her hair like mine.

When Grandpa Orin saw Flare for the first time, he reacted just like everyone else. But he realized that she was no different from the rest of us and allowed her to stay and be treated with care. Now that everyone knows Flare can communicate, they welcome her with open arms, engaging in friendly conversations.

We are now on our way to the dining room for breakfast. Flare is walking beside me with an incessant bounce in her step, nonstop talking about how hungry she is.

As we stepped into the room, a tantalizing scent of food wafted through the air, filling our nostrils with the promise of a delicious feast. Flare, unable to contain her excitement, eagerly dropped down on all fours and began to crawl feverishly towards her plate, her tail wagging back and forth in excitement. Her tongue hung out of her mouth as she made a beeline for her dog plate at the corner of the room. "Food! Food! Food!" she hollered, her tiny voice echoing throughout the room as she jumped up and down like an overeager puppy begging for a treat.

"Flare!" I exclaimed, my eyebrows furrowing with incredulity. "Don't act like a dog in your human form," I scolded her, shaking my head in disbelief. Gesturing for her to come closer, I patted the empty spot next to me at the table. "Come on, sit over here," I said firmly yet reassuringly.

She lowered her head, looking guilty as she showed a sheepish grin. "Sorry," she muttered, shuffling over to my side.

As Flare took her seat, Nina stood up from her chair, her eyes aglow with affection. She reached out to Flare and wrapped her in a warm, tight embrace, squeezing her so hard that it seemed she was going to pop. "Aww!" Nina exclaimed, her voice filled with genuine admiration. "You are so cute!" She then pulled away, her hands still placed firmly on Flare's shoulders.

Suddenly, Hanna joined the scene, and with an impish grin on her face, she playfully fiddled with Flare's fluffy ears. And then, Mia arrived, eager to join in the fun.

For some reason, watching them get along like this caused my face to light up with a genuine smile of delight. Nina noticing my expression quickly looked away as her cheeks flushed red, but her reaction puzzled me. Is my smiling face that terrifying? I wondered to myself, feeling a twinge of self-consciousness. Despite my confusion, I brushed it off and began to eat.

-----

"Ready!" I exclaimed with excitement.

"Ready!" repeated Flare sharing my enthusiasm with a bright gleam in her eye. She stood some distance away wearing a loose coat.

Her body went tense with concentration, her eyes squeezed shut tightly. Suddenly, small white sparkles began emanating from her pale skin, crackling with energy as they spread rapidly over her entire body, enveloping her in a brilliant white glow.

In the next moment, her human features began to shrink and contort, her hands and feet curling into paws as fur sprouted out of every pore of her body, coating her in sleek silver with black markings. Her face twisted into a snout as her ears lifted and twitched, and her eyes glimmered with fierce, animalistic intelligence.

With a great surge of power, Flare shook out her newly-transformed fur. As the coat flew out of her, she let out a triumphant howl.

"Aha!" I exclaimed with a burst of energy. "You did it!" I shouted, rushing over to her with open arms. Wrapping them tightly around her wolf form. We've been attempting this for a couple of days now and finally, she did it.

Flare is from a race of beings that have one of the purest forms of mana. From the moment they are born, their infant bodies naturally expel mana out into the atmosphere to keep themselves stable and healthy until they learn to control it themselves. And the day Flare transformed is the day when she gained the ability to manipulate mana.

I believe the transformation was brought on by a swarm of conflicting emotions she had at the time. Even though Flare is naturally a wolf, her race is much stronger and more developed than humans. To me, she's just a normal girl, who happens to be far away from her own kind. I think her desire to fit in with us is what caused her transformation in the first place.

As Flare looked up at me with her tongue flapping out and her wolfish features beaming with joy, I couldn't help but smile in response. "Okay! Now transform back!" I instructed her, then gently wrapped the loose coat around her furry form to offer some privacy.

"Okay!" she eagerly replied and began to focus intently once again. I watched with wonder as her fur began to emit a dazzling white light, illuminating the surroundings. Her torso then bent back and straightened, as her front legs transformed into arms, and her paws evolved into hands and feet. The sight was truly mesmerizing, and I couldn't take my eyes off her. Shortly after, she re-emerged as a lovely girl. Her face was alight with excitement, as the coat covered her tiny body.

"Good job," I praised, reaching up to ruffle her hair. Her eyes sparkled with happiness as her face lit up with a beaming smile. Her ear twitched in delight as her tail wagged viciously from left to right. "Now," I spoke, locking eyes with her. "Go get changed so we can move on with your training."

At my words, Flare rushed inside the house, quickly changing into her usual outfit, and bounded back out, a wide grin on her face. "Ready!" I exclaimed, my voice brimming with excitement.

"Ready!" Flare repeated, her tone mirroring my own. Stretching out her hand, her fingers splayed wide, and she closed her eyes, concentrating deeply as she drew on her inner reserves of mana.

I watched in suspense as a sudden gust of wind sprang up, racing towards me and buffeting me with its force. For a brief moment, my clothes and hair were a chaotic mess. Tossed about by the wind's wild energy before the gust abruptly subsided, leaving me standing there, windswept.

"Good, you're doing great!" I told her. Flare has a sole affinity for wind magic and is progressing surprisingly fast. I heard that lightning magic is a common attribute within her clan so maybe she'll develop the affinity somewhere along the road or I can teach it to her once I determine her ready.

"Now, try it again," I encouraged her, my voice filled with warmth and support. "Ready!" I exclaimed, my voice rising with energy.

"Ready!!!" Flare shot back, her eyes shining with determination.

-----

Later that same day we found three packages delivered to our door. "Wow!" Nina exclaimed, her eyes widening with excitement. "These are our uniforms!" she said while looking closely at the names on the packages.

"Pass me mine," Theodore said calmly, trying to hide his excitement as his hands trembled slightly while reaching for the small package. "Here you go Arata," he said, handing me mine.

We're starting school next week so it's about time we receive our uniforms. Carefully opening the box we found a neatly folded ensemble along with a small envelope that was tucked on top of the clothes. "What's in here?" Nina asked eagerly, opening it with anticipation.

From what I could see, the letter inside was one of congratulations as well as a separate piece of paper that listed out our schedule. "Oh, let's see if we have any classes together!" Nina exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.