Coco and Qifrey arrive at his atelier where she’ll begin studying magic. He tells her it’ll be some time before she can go home and see her mother. That hits her hard. Coco breaks down, realizing she still ended up abandoning her despite promising she wouldn’t. Qifrey doesn’t try to stop her, he just tells her to let it out. After everything that happened, Coco’s excitement for magic is basically gone. Even when Qifrey forms a water bubble using magic, she barely reacts.
She meets Tetia, another apprentice, who immediately lightens the mood. Tetia explains the spell Qifrey used is called Vapor Bubble. It pulls moisture from the air and turns it into water, so it can be used like a watering can. It’s a simple moment, but it shows how casually magic is used here compared to how Coco experienced it before.
Coco then meets Richeh and notices they’re holding the pen and ink used to cast spells. When she explains she’s not really like them since she only used magic for the first time yesterday, Tetia brings up the rumors. Apparently, Coco is already known as the girl who “drew forbidden spells.” Qifrey steps in before that goes any further and shifts the conversation.
The history of magic
He explains the history of magic. It used to be something anyone could use as long as they had the knowledge, but that led to constant war. Eventually, dangerous spells forced a group of magic users to take control. They erased magic from the public’s memory and restricted access to it. On top of that, they pushed the idea that magic is something you’re born with, so most people wouldn’t even question it.
By the end of the episode, it’s clear what makes this system interesting. Anyone can use magic, but the truth has been completely hidden. And now Coco is stuck right in the middle of it.
Coco is immediately drawn to the idea of “forbidden spells,” even going as far as begging Qifrey to show them to her. It feels like clear foreshadowing, but it’s still way too early in the story for her to actually learn them. Qifrey shuts it down and explains why—they’re dangerous because they directly target the “human body and mind.” Spells that transform, age or de-age, or teleport are all banned. The only exception is memory erasure. Instead, most magic is used to create tools. To demonstrate, Qifrey creates a window and shows Coco the “Tower of Tomes,” a vault that can instantly replicate any magic book.
Forbidden Spells and Tests
Coco wants to track down the picture book she was given, but Qifrey tells her she has to pass the “Librarian’s Trial” first. The tower is guarded by four witches, and only those who complete the trial can enter. He tells her to stop focusing on harmful magic and instead learn spells that help people. Coco agrees, and Qifrey takes her to her room before stepping away to answer a call on a magical device. Whoever he’s talking to approved Coco’s apprenticeship. The conversation is vague, but one thing is clear—at some point, Coco is going to have to confront the “forbidden spells.”
Back in her room, Coco meets Agott, and the vibe is bad immediately. She’s cold, dismissive, and clearly doesn’t respect Coco. She even tells her it’s a shame her mother will never be “flesh and blood again.” It comes off as jealousy—Coco stumbled into this world, while Agott had to earn her place.
Qifrey later gives Coco her tools: an ink wand, component pestle, woodcruor wand, palm quire, and conjuring ink. Her first lesson doesn’t go smoothly, mostly because Qifrey tends to overexplain things. When he quizzes her, Coco manages to break it down: every spell has three parts—a sigil at the center, signs surrounding it, and an outer ring that completes the seal. Sigils determine the type of magic (Fire, Water, Light, Wind), while signs control the “form, size, and direction.” Once the outer ring is finished, the spell activates.
Coco takes the Consent of the Crown test
Of course, her first attempt fails. One of her signs is slightly off, so the direction of the water spell is wrong. She hits an annoyed Agott with the stream of water. Qifrey leaves for a few days to visit the “Great Hall,” where he meets his old friend Alaira. She’s worried that Coco might be connected to the “Brimmed Caps,” adding another layer of mystery around her.
Meanwhile, Agott pushes Coco into taking a test called the “Consent of the Crown.” She’s allowed three components and three contraptions, and her goal is to reach the peak of the Dadah Range on her own and retrieve a “Diadem Herb.” There’s no retry—she only gets one shot.
Coco heads into a test she’s clearly not ready for, setting up what feels like her first real challenge.
