As Aella and Seraphina’s consciousness gently drifted back from the depths of Seraphina’s Inner World, they found themselves once again in the tangible one. The transition was smooth, like walking from a deep and enlightening dream. Their eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the familiar surroundings of the training center they were in.
Wait for them were their respective dragon partners, Stormy especially letting out a loud chirp before nesting on top of Aella’s head. The sense of comfort from her young dragon was accompanied by a sense of dread as she silently reinforced her ears with Mana.
Such a small amount of reinforcement was a non-factor for Aella. Thanks to her Aetherstream, she’d regenerate Mana faster than what would be drained, so it was just a matter of slowing her Mana recovery by a small amount.
Aetherion, with his massive frame, stood imposingly as he normally does, watching the group from a short distance away.
Cid and Blair were also there, their faces reflecting excitement at Seraphina’s new ability to create golems.
“To think you have such precise control of golems. My little girl is a genius! Is part of it due to the Aetherstream?” Blair said, cheering for her daughter.
“No, yes, and sort of?” Aella answered in response. “She doesn’t control every movement. She can, but that’s still a long way off. Right now, you can think of it like a rudimentary AI. She’s giving it commands, and it’s following them. That aside, yes, she is a genius.”
Seraphina grew a massive smile at the fact that both Aella and Blair praised her, but before she could talk, Aella cut her off.
“Hey, don’t let it get to your head. You’re gonna have to try way harder if you want to contend with me.”
All things considered, Seraphina is genuinely a genius. Far more of one than Aella was originally, at least. Her ability to comprehend the Aetherstream was top notch and her natural abilities are exceptional as well. Her ability to actually cultivate and learn new skills was still to be tested, but even if those were subpar, Seraphina wouldn’t lose out to those geniuses of the younger generation from her home world.
“Big sis! Teach me! Please!” Cid asked, his eyes sparkling brighter than Aella had ever seen from him. “I wanna become powerful too!”
Pretending to be surprised, she shared a glance with Blair before chuckling.
“We’ll talk about it once your dragon awakens, okay?”
This was one of the two outcomes Aella had predicted. Either he would have fervor for growing stronger so he doesn’t lose anyone ever again, or he’d be traumatized for the rest of his life, hiding behind Aella.
Personally, she was fine with either but Cid wanting to grow his power was certainly better for her. That wasn’t the end of the good news either. Thanks to their little exercise in Seraphina’s Inner World, Aella was able to make a hypothesis that the dragon of a Naturalis would be closely linked to their optimal elemental affinity.
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In hindsight, such a thing might seem obvious, but souls are obscure and uncanny at the best of times. Rarely did they make such coherent sense. Aetherion’s Earth affinity, even if it wasn’t directly related, seemed to match well with Seraphina’s talent to quickly understand how to make and command her golem.
Even her Stormy’s Storm element was closely related to Aella’s wind. The sample size was too small to know for sure, though she’d need to observe further, hopefully, as she guided more Naturalis down the path of her cause.
‘Speaking of Naturalis dragons, what exactly determines how fast they hatch? Dragon Cores, you find out in the world, take anywhere from 1 to 2 years to hatch, Seraphina’s hatched when she was 5, according to Blair, and mine only awakened in 8 years thanks to feeding it, Mana. is it to do with the Tier? Would there even be other factors?’
With her thoughts once again leading to dead end after dead end, Aella could only let out a sigh and wish that research into the Naturalis was more developed. Perhaps she would be the one to begin funding such research en masse. If she gains the extra funds required from selling Aetherstreams, she wouldn’t be against spearheading the research.
“Alright, everyone, let’s wash up before breakfast,” Blair announced, her voice carrying her usual gentle authority. She leads the way, with Seraphina, Aella, and Cid following her. Stormy chirped while on top of his invincible throne, which was Aella.
As they prepared to leave the room, Seraphina reached for a Habitat Space. The device was sleek and elegantly designed, with a surface that mimicked Aetherion’s obsidian scales.
With a few deft movements, Seraphina activated the device. Aetherion, understanding the process, began to shrink down, his massive form condensing into a size that would fit comfortably within the device. The sight was nothing short of miraculous.
Aella watched in amazement, her eyes wide. “Oh, he can just shrink like that! I was wondering how you brought him around,” she exclaimed, her voice tinged with a mix of shock and amusement.
Obviously, Aella knew how Dragon Habitats worked. They were among the first magical technology innovations she had seen in this world but the thought of even a dragon as large as Aetherion being able to fit in one was a kind of amusement in itself.
Cid, who had never witnessed such a spectacle, looked on in awe. His young face lit up with wonder, his eyes following every movement of the shrinking dragon.
“It’s like magic!” he said, his usually quiet voice filled with amazement.
The group all looked at him, all of them smiling at him and Aella giggling at his words.
“Technically speaking, you’re not wrong… It’s not LIKE magic, it is…” Aella couldn’t contain her laughter from just how adorable her little brother was.
“The wonders of Magitech never cease to amaze, do they? That one is a prototype we’ve been working on for Extra Large Dragon.” Blair remarked, her tone light and playful.
With Aetherion safely housed within the Dragon Habitat, they all made their way to freshen up, the atmosphere light and cheerful. The morning’s events had brought them closer, something Aella could only continue to be happy with.
As they left for the washroom, Aella and Cid continued to chat animatedly, Seraphina even entering the chat for short bursts as their voices echoed down the hallway. Perhaps dragons were just a good bonding point as the progress between Seraphina and Cid continued at a pace that Aella could have never calculated.
The day had started with an extraordinary journey into the realm of magic and had seamlessly transitioned into the comforting routine of daily life, each moment a cherished part of their shared story for sure.