Magical bead

After my glorious failure in front of the class, I decided to lay low. I sat there in silence, pretending to focus on Elder Kai's lecture, but honestly, I was just replaying my finger-point disaster over and over in my head.As the class continued, I couldn't stop thinking about Li Mei. I had to do something to impress her maybe not today, but soon. So, I came up with a plan: The Redemption Plan.I would master mana harmonization. Well, at least pretend to.After class, I snuck to the practice area. I stood in front of the mirror and made a series of ridiculous hand gestures, hoping something would work. Spoiler alert: Well it isn't eve a spoiler at this point everybody knew that nothing happened.A few hours later, a guy passed by and saw me. "You're still doing that?" he asked, shaking his head."Don't judge me," I snapped. "I'm perfecting my technique."Sure, I was a little far from perfect, but at least I had a plan.A few days passed, and I was still practicing my "mana harmonization," which basically meant failing spectacularly every single time. My arms were sore, my brain was fried, and I was starting to wonder if maybe I was cursed.But there was no time for doubts. I had bigger problems. Like impressing Li Mei, who had apparently become even more perfect in the last few days. Seriously, I couldn't even look at her without feeling like a failure.So, I came up with a new idea: steal a win.I snuck into the storage hall that night, hoping to find something that could help. And there it was: a shiny purple coloured jade bead. It was glowing like it had been waiting for me to show up."Perfect," I whispered, snatching it up.The next day in class, I casually slipped the bead into my pocket. Time to look like a genius.Elder Kai called for another volunteer. This time, I stood up confidently no random hand gestures, no chaos. I just held up the bead and focused, praying for something to happen.To my surprise, something actually did. A tiny spark of energy swirled around me, just for a second.The room gasped. Even Elder Kai raised an eyebrow. "Impressive," he muttered, stroking his beard.I stood there, chest puffed out like I had just solved the mysteries of the universe. Li Mei glanced my way, and I swear there was a flicker of interest in her eyes. This was it the moment I proved I wasn't just some random loser!"Let's see that spark again," Elder Kai said, motioning me to repeat the move.I gripped the jade bead tighter, hoping it would bail me out again. I focused, imagining the spark returning, but all I got was… nothing.I could feel the weight of the silence in the room pressing down on me. The beads of sweat on my forehead were threatening to betray me."Anytime now, Amon," Elder Kai said, his voice thick with skepticism. He didn't even try to hide the impatience."I, uh, need to recharge," I stammered, slipping the jade bead into my pocket.The class erupted into laughter. Even Li Mei giggled softly.Elder Kai sighed. "Sit down, Amon."I slunk back into my seat, doing my best to act like I hadn't just embarrassed myself in front of everyone. It wasn't supposed to be like this! I was supposed to be a genius, an unstoppable force of nature, not... whatever this was.Finally, I decided to pay attention to Kai's class. Mana harmonization the whole reason we were doing this nonsense in the first place wasn't just about showing off or looking cool. It was the first step toward actually mastering magic. When you harmonized with your mana pool, it helped you control your internal energy, giving you the ability to cast spells. Without it, you were just a mage who couldn't even manage a flicker of light, like me.I sighed too, but for a different reason. "Ah, the author hates me," I muttered under my breath. Or maybe it was just me who couldn't figure out how to use a magical rock properly.Either way, I was back to square one. But I knew one thing: I would get this harmonization thing down, and next time, maybe I wouldn't look like such an idiot.