Chapter 935: Vex is going to learn magic!
Behind Strax’s mansion, snow fell silently over the personal training area.
The space had been renovated along with the rest of the property, but in a very different way from the main courtyard. There were no decorative statues, frozen fountains, or carefully trimmed gardens there. The arena was wide, surrounded by low walls of dark stone and runic pillars placed at regular intervals around the field. The floor, made of reinforced plates, had glowing lines running beneath the surface, forming a magical heating system that melted the snow the instant it touched the stone.
Because of that, while the rest of the gardens remained covered by a white layer of winter, that arena was clean.
Dry.
Warm.
Almost strange within the cold landscape.
Vex walked beside Strax with attentive eyes, watching the soft steam rise from the ground whenever a snowflake reached the heated surface. She crouched once, touched the stone with her fingertips, and seemed surprised to feel the constant warmth emanating from it. It was not too hot, nor uncomfortable. Just enough to prevent the ice from dominating the space.
"Is this so you can train without slipping?"
Strax looked at her.
"In part."
"What is the other part?"
"So I do not destroy the mansion by accident when I make a mistake."
Vex slowly raised her face.
"You make mistakes?"
"Rarely."
"But you do."
"Sometimes."
She seemed genuinely pleased with that information, as if discovering that her father also made mistakes made the world a little fairer. Strax noticed the small smile on her face, but decided not to comment. He simply continued walking to the center of the arena, where several circular marks had been engraved into the floor for flow, precision, and impact training.
Vex stopped in front of him.
For a few seconds, her usual excitement seemed contained by a more serious expectation. Since the kidnapping, there were moments when she became too quiet, watching doors, shadows, or windows as if still trying to make sure everything was safe. Strax noticed. Mercedes noticed too. Neither of them forced the conversation, but both had understood that recovering Vex’s peace of mind would require more than promises.
Perhaps that was why he had brought her there.
Not only to teach magic.
But to return to her some control over her own fear.
Vex looked at the runes on the floor, then at him.
"Are you going to teach me to control my magic?"
Strax nodded.
"I am."
She seemed a little relieved to hear the answer.
"Mom said you might teach me when I came here."
"She was right."
"She said she can teach ice, but that my ice is not like hers."
Strax walked a few steps to the side and gestured for Vex to stand before one of the smaller runic circles.
"Your mother is incredible with ice control. Probably one of the best living people to teach discipline, patience, and precision."
Vex smiled proudly.
"She really is."
"But she is human."
Vex blinked.
"I know."
"And you are not."
The girl looked at her own hands for a few moments.
"I am a dragon."
"Exactly."
Strax kept his tone simple, without turning it into a huge lecture before she understood the foundation. There was a lot he could say about draconic lineages, elemental affinities, inner cores, scale resonance, form instinct, and magical inheritance. But for that first training session, none of that mattered as much as making Vex feel the difference inside her own body.
"Dragons use magic in a different way," he explained. "Not because humans are incapable, nor because their magic is weak. It is simply another structure. Humans draw mana, shape it with technique, refine it through study, and control it with discipline."
Vex was truly paying attention.
Not only out of curiosity.
But because this was about her.
"And dragons?" she asked.
"Dragons are born with mana more integrated into the body. It is not something separate that you take and use. It passes through the blood, the bones, the lungs, the scales, even when you are in this form."
Vex placed a hand over her chest.
"Even looking human?"
"Even looking human."
She grew thoughtful.
"So my magic is always with me."
"Yes."
"And is that good?"
"It is very good."
Strax raised one hand, letting a small amount of mana circulate between his fingers. The energy first appeared as an almost invisible light, then gained a soft form, white at the edges and cold at the center. There was no apparent effort. No complex circles. Only refined intention.
"Dragon mana is more refined and far more reliable. When you learn to use it correctly, it responds quickly, maintains shape longer, and wastes less energy."
Vex frowned slightly.
"What does that mean?"
Strax smiled.
"I will show you."
He opened his left palm.
Above it, a small ice star formed.
It was beautiful. Delicate. It had six thin, symmetrical points, with small crystalline details along the edges. To any ordinary person, that creation would seem extremely refined. The ice was clear, firm, and stable, reflecting the gray winter light like carved glass.
Vex stepped closer.
"That one is beautiful."
"It is an ordinary ice star."
"Ordinary?"
"Ordinary for someone with good control."
She looked at him with an expression that clearly said "ordinary" might be an unfair word.
Strax opened his right palm.
This time, the mana that appeared was different.
Denser.
Purer.
More silent.
The ice formed slowly, but not because it was difficult. It seemed to be constructed with absolute care, layer by layer, each particle finding its own place before the next appeared. When it was finished, there was another star above Strax’s hand, the same size and general shape as the first.
But the difference was obvious.
The second star glowed.
Not like fire.
Not like a lamp.
It was an internal glow, soft and deep, as if light had been trapped inside the ice and now breathed through it. The points were thinner, the internal lines more perfect, and every detail seemed to exist with almost impossible precision. The air around it did not freeze out of control. On the contrary, it remained calm, as if the magic knew exactly where it should be and where it should not touch.
Vex went completely still.
Strax almost laughed.
Once again, she had lost her words.
"This," he said, "is an ice star made with refined mana."
Vex slowly raised her eyes to him.
"It looks alive."
"Good observation."
"Is it?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Vex looked back at the glowing star.
"I am not sure."
Strax let out a low laugh.
"With time, you will understand the difference."
The girl continued observing the two stars for a few seconds. Then she noticed another detail and tilted her head.
"The first one is cooling your hand."
"Yes."
"And the second one is not."
"Exactly."
"But it is stronger."
"Much stronger."
Vex widened her eyes a little.
"So strength is not freezing everything around you."
Strax smiled.
"That is the first important point."
Her expression became more serious.
Perhaps because that phrase touched directly on something Mercedes had tried to explain several times. Vex had power. A lot of power. But that power still escaped when she became frightened, irritated, or too excited. Freezing a mountain on impulse might seem funny afterward, but it was still dangerous. She knew that. Perhaps not on every level, but enough to understand why she needed to learn.
"I am going to teach you how to use ice magic without freezing everything," Strax said.
Vex quickly looked at her own hands.
"Will I be able to make stars like that?"
"You will."
Her eyes lit up.
"Glowing like that?"
"If you work hard."
She immediately straightened her posture.
"I will work hard."
"Good."
Strax closed his hands, and the two stars dissolved into shining dust before disappearing into the air. Then he pointed to the runic circle before Vex.
"Stand in the center."
She obeyed quickly.
Perhaps too quickly.
Strax raised an eyebrow when she almost tripped over her own excitement, but did not comment. Vex recovered her posture with forced dignity and stood in the middle of the circle, trying to look more mature than she felt.
"Now close your eyes."
She closed them.
"Breathe."
Vex took a deep breath.
"Slowly."
She released the air a little more slowly.
Strax walked around her, observing the flow of mana beginning to move beneath the girl’s skin. It was dense, young, and unstable. Not weak. On the contrary. There was too much strength there, and too little structure. It was like a newly freed river trying to cross a city without knowing where the canals were.
"Do not try to create ice yet."
"But..."
"Vex."
She closed her mouth.
Strax continued.
"First, feel where the mana is born."
The girl kept her eyes closed.
"In my chest?"
"Deeper."
She frowned.
"In my belly?"
"Also."
"In my arms?"
"Do not look for separate parts. You are trying to think like a human."
Vex opened one eye.
"Is that bad?"
"No. It is just not enough."
She closed her eye again.
Strax stopped in front of her.
"Think of your mana as breathing. It enters, circulates, and leaves. But, for dragons, it is not only in the lungs. It crosses everything. So do not pull the magic out. Let it realize you are calling."
Vex was silent.
This time, not from impact.
From concentration.
The air around her changed subtly.
Small crystals began to form near her feet, but Strax touched a rune on the floor with the tip of his shoe, and the arena’s heating prevented the ice from spreading. Vex seemed to feel the instability and breathed more deeply.
"It is escaping," she murmured.
"Yes."
"Did I stop it?"
"Do not force it. Forcing is also a way of losing control."
"Then what do I do?"
"Guide it."
She went still.
Strax raised his hand and created a small sphere of refined ice before her, letting it float in the air.
"Imagine something small. Not a star yet. Just a drop."
"A drop of ice?"
"Yes."
"Does that exist?"
"It will if you do it right."
Vex slowly opened her eyes, staring at the space before her. She carefully extended her hands, as if holding something invisible between her palms. Her mana advanced immediately, far too eager, and a layer of ice spread across the entire circle in the blink of an eye.
Strax raised his hand.
The ice stopped before crossing the edge.
Vex grimaced.
"I made a mistake."
"Yes."
She looked at him, waiting for some kind of scolding.
Strax merely nodded.
"Again."
The simplicity of the answer seemed to surprise her.
"Are you not going to say it was bad?"
"You do not need me to. You saw it."
"So it was bad."
"It was too big."
"Is that different?"
"Sometimes."
Vex took another deep breath.
This time, when she extended her hands, she tried to call less mana. The result came out crooked. A small fragment of ice appeared in the air, irregular, opaque, and shaped more like a crushed pebble than a drop. Even so, it did not explode, did not freeze the entire floor, and did not make the arena tremble.
Vex opened her eyes.
The fragment fell into her palm.
She looked at it.
Then at Strax.
"Does this count?"
Strax approached and observed the small ice stone.
"It counts."
Her expression changed slowly.
First surprise.
Then pride.
Then joy.
"I made it small."
"You did."
"It did not freeze everything."
"No."
"It is ugly."
"It is."
She looked at him, indignant.
"You could have lied a little."
"I could have, but I will not."
Vex tried to look offended, but ended up smiling.
Strax pointed at the fragment in her hand.
"Now make another."
She looked at the crooked ice.
Then closed her fingers around it, letting it dissolve.
"Until it becomes pretty?"
"Until it is under control."
"And then the star?"
"Then the star."
Vex took another deep breath.
The vapor of her breath mixed with the cold air coming from beyond the walls, while snow continued falling over Asgard and melting the instant it touched the heated floor of the arena.
This time, when the mana moved, it was a little slower.
A little more obedient.
Still unstable.
Still young.
But beginning to listen.
Strax watched in silence, arms crossed, as Vex created another small drop of ice between her hands. It came out crooked again, but less than before. The girl looked at the result, frowned with seriousness, and tried again before he even told her to.
Strax smiled.
The first lesson had begun.
Comments