Diana's entire body ached and the rocking of the horse only made the uncomfortable sensation worse. She tried to hide her expression but believed that she was not doing a good job, as she could see the worried looks of her fellow travelers every time they paused for the horses to rest.

Diana was really surprised at how the journey was proceeding. Raul, Hector, and Jorge (the third member of the group) appeared to be in a hurry. They rode all day and only stopped for a few hours at night, just for the horses to rest. Diana could see the clear tension in their tired faces. Whoever the patient was, he must be someone very important. Was he the father of any of them? A renowned teacher? And what would be the reason for keeping that person's identity a secret?

- Let's go here for today! - exclaimed Raul, stopping the horse - Hector, take the horses to drink water. The others can rest.

- Give me your hand when you go down,- Hector murmured in Diana's ear. She felt a shiver and her face heated up from the proximity.

Every day Hector and Diana followed this routine: he did not exchange a word with her during the journey, he just addressed her to offer her help so that she could get off the horse. Then he remained silent again and barely looked at her face. Diane felt the weight of her silence and the disapproval in her eyes. She shouldn't have done what she did, but it never crossed her mind that she would have a chance to see that stone before her again. Because of this, Diana was always looking forward for that little moment of the day when he spoke a few words to her. Her heart skipped inside her chest, yearning for more.

Shortly after getting off the horse, Hector held out his hand to Diana and, for a moment, her eyes met. The anger was clear in her eyes, but there was something else. Was it sadness? Diana was not sure. Did she, by any chance, bring sadness to those blue eyes?

Diana took the outstretched hand and felt the heat that came from them spread over her body. Hector's hands were steady and had an immense sense of security. Diana even thought about saying something, starting some kind of dialogue, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, Hector quickly moved away from him. Not for a moment did he look back.

Indignation and sadness washed over his mind. Diana knew she shouldn't have done what she did, but did he really need to be so indifferent to her? Until the other day, Hector was being quite friendly to her, she thought as she walked towards Marcos.

- Isn't Hector talking to you yet? - Marcos asked as soon as she reached him. He was sitting on the floor and his expression said it was no use Diana trying to hide anything, because he already knew everything - He is more stubborn than I thought - he continued, giving a tired laugh.

- Is it so evident that his silence bothers me? Diana asked quietly, sitting down next to her.

- You have no idea how sincere your face is, right, little one? - Marcos said caressing the top of his head - You should try to talk to him after your lesson today. What do you think? Better than continuing in this situation, isn't it better?

- As always, Marcos, you are right,-  sighed Diana, feeling the determination building inside her. She would resolve this situation today, no matter what the cost.

- Ready for today's lesson? Asked Marcos, his tired voice showing a little excitement.

- "Ready" is a very strong word - laughed Diana, surprising Marcos. How many days had he seen her sincere smile? This Hector had better treat Diana well, otherwise, he would see himself, Marcos thought a little somberly.

- Now, do as I showed you yesterday, -  Marcos said, holding out a dry leaf.

Swallowing, Diana took the dry leaf from his hands. It shouldn't be that hard, right? At least, seeing Marcos handling it, it seemed like a pretty simple task.

The day before, the magician had explained to him that all beings had the intrinsic ability to use magic and, for that, it was only necessary to light the inert spark. Magic, said Marcos, is nothing more and nothing less than the personification of the individual's thought and vital energy. When a person was able to get in touch with his vital energy and resonate with his thoughts and wishes, it was possible to create magic. Simple, isn't it? No, not really. Although everyone had the potential to use magic, few were able to do it, and among them, a minority were successful in using magic without risking their lives.

Diana stared at the sheet in her small hand. She frowned in concentration, imagining the dry leaf turning green and fresh again, with its brittle texture becoming softer and softer.

The leaf, to her surprise, began to return to its original shape very slowly from the center. A euphoria overcame Diana and it was impossible to control the smile that broke out on her face. However, the more the leaf became green and fresh, Diana became more and more tired. It was as if something was quickly draining all of her energy. Her vision started to blur and the last thing she was aware of before her vision went cloudy was that of someone calling her name, desperately.