The training field was steeped in an uneasy silence, broken only by the repetitive sounds of malformed energy explosions. At the center of the clearing, Strax, visibly frustrated, stretched his hands forward, attempting once more to create the infamous "flaming ice sword." However, as soon as the form began to take shape, a spark of fire erupted, consuming the ice before it could solidify.
*"Damn mutant fire! Damn it! If it were normal fire... but infernal fire?! This is impossible!"*
Daniela, sitting nonchalantly on a nearby rock, watched the scene with an expression that oscillated between amusement and exasperation. She had spent the last 90 minutes offering tips, some useful, others deliberately sarcastic, while Strax made a monumental effort to meet the challenge.
"You look awful, Strax," she remarked, resting her chin on her hand. "I almost feel bad for you. Almost."
*'Annoying woman...'* Strax gritted his teeth, ignoring the provocative tone.
He took a deep breath and tried again, focusing his energy. A sphere of ice began to form in his left hand, while a flicker of flame danced in his right. For a brief moment, it seemed like he had finally found the balance, but the sudden heat from the fire melted the ice instantly, snuffing out the flame in the process.
"Damn it!" Strax exclaimed, punching the air in frustration.
"Pfft... HAHAHAHA!" From her corner, Daniela burst out laughing. "That was pathetic, even for you. You had the balance for half a second and still managed to screw it up."
"You wanna come here and do it better, wind-head?" he shot back, his voice thick with irritation.
"Oh, no, no. This is your problem—your lack of mana skill is entirely your fault," she replied, feigning innocence. "Besides, I already know how to do something like this. You're the one who needs to learn... oh, mighty warrior who solves everything with a sword," she added with a teasing wink. Enjoy exclusive adventures from M V L
Strax huffed, but before he could retort, Daniela got up from the rock and walked toward him, her boots sinking slightly into the grass, her eyes glinting mischievously.
"I honestly thought offering the chance to see my naked body as a reward would motivate you," she said, her voice dripping with irony. "But I guess that wasn't enough."
Strax paused for a moment, his expression fluctuating between disbelief and growing irritation. "You're messing with me, aren't you?"
"Of course, I am," Daniela replied, crossing her arms and looking at him as if it were obvious. "After all, I'm not the one who just spent an hour and a half failing miserably at something I promised to do."
"I didn't promise anything," he snapped, his patience finally fraying. "You're the one who came up with this crazy idea and expects me to pull off something impossible."
Daniela raised an eyebrow. "Impossible? I thought you were capable of anything. My mother doesn't give problems without solutions." She paused deliberately, letting her words sink in before adding, "Or are you just good at impressing women with empty words? Well, my mother isn't, so even if you answer, you'll be lying."
*'What I wouldn't give to knock this woman down...'* Strax clenched his fists, his frustration reaching its peak. *'Tch, insufferable.'* He knew she was trying to provoke him, but he couldn't deny that there was a sliver of truth to her words. He prided himself on his combat skills, but this technique was completely different from what he was used to.
"If you think it's so easy, why don't you show me again how it's done, huh?" he challenged, his eyes sparking with a touch of competitiveness.
Daniela smiled, clearly savoring the opportunity. "If you insist..." She extended one hand, her posture relaxed, but her eyes fixed on the empty space in front of her. An instant later, a form of energy began to take shape.
High above, floating in the blue sky, Scarlet watched the training session with a piercing gaze. From afar, the interaction between Daniela and Strax seemed like mere play, with occasional banter and laughter, but to Scarlet, it was more than just training. It was an evaluation. A careful analysis.
She remained still, completely concealing her presence. Her arms were crossed over her chest, but her eyes... they sparked with an unusual light every time she felt Strax's mana pulse through the field. The boy was trying to create the infamous flaming ice sword, but every explosion, every imbalance in his energy, made Scarlet's body tense. His mana wasn't ordinary—it was wild, unstable, but above all, dangerous.
"What are you, boy?" Scarlet murmured, her voice low and raspy, almost a whisper to the wind.
But she wasn't entirely alone.
Not completely.
She glanced toward the sky, as though expecting an answer, then turned slightly, as if someone was there, unseen.
"You feel it too, don't you? This boy... he's not like you were," she continued, her voice tinged with lament, as if speaking to an old friend. "He carries something more. Something even he doesn't understand. But... you would have told me to go on with this, wouldn't you?"
The wind stirred around her, rustling the leaves as though responding. Scarlet lowered her gaze, pensive, and sighed deeply. She could feel his energy intensifying, fluctuating between fire and ice, striving for balance. But what troubled her wasn't the skill itself... it was the essence behind it. Something was wrong. Something pulsed like a siren within her, warning her to keep her distance, to pull Daniela away from this boy.
Yet she hesitated. Why?
"You never told me it would be easy," she said, pressing her hands against her chest as if trying to contain a storm within. "But I wonder... did we do the right thing, all those eras ago?"
Her mind was invaded by a distant memory, something she didn't want but seemed inevitable whenever she thought of Strax.
It was a warm, tranquil afternoon, a field filled with golden flowers under an endless sky. At its center stood *Her*—a woman with a gentle smile but eyes that concealed overwhelming power. Her hair was like golden flames under the sun, and her presence made everything around her feel smaller, less significant. She was a force of nature, and Scarlet remembered admiring her with a mixture of awe and respect.
"When I have a child... he'll be trouble, Scarlet. Remember? I told you this a year ago," the woman had said, holding something small and fragile in her arms—a baby, with bright, intense eyes that seemed to see more than they should. The boy was quiet, but there was something about him, something Scarlet could feel even from a distance.
"This choice of yours is rather reckless, don't you think? Foolish disciple," Scarlet had asked at the time, her voice tinged with hesitation. "You're going to create something that might consume everything around it. Even you."
"*Fufufu*," the woman laughed, a sound as melodic as it was ominous. "I won't raise him myself, after all. I won't live many more years." She smiled as she spoke, her tone unshaken.
Back in the present, Scarlet closed her eyes, pushing the memory away. She took a deep breath, but the sense of danger lingered.
"You didn't live to see him grow, and now I've taken him, just as I took you. *Fufufu,* what a joke... or perhaps... it's destiny at work again," she chuckled to herself, reflecting on the choices she had made.
"A mother who gives everything for her child... even her own destiny. What an optimist you were. But I wonder... does he carry *that* as well?" she mused, recalling the most extraordinary thing she had ever witnessed in all her centuries as a vampire.
"Of course, he does. If not, he couldn't have reached the third stage of a Dragon," she concluded, a faint smile forming on her lips before she vanished from the spot.