The flowers started dancing as soft wind blew past me. The insects had been muttering while the birds sang.

The sun shone bright as gold. I clicked my pen once, twice, thrice. I tapped my feets. Finally giving in to my frustration, I scrambled another piece of paper.

How many times have I done this again? I don't remember. I glanced at my pocket watch silver in colour.

“It's already noon.” That makes 6 hours already.

“Huuuh.” I sighed. Still nothing.

I looked up to view the picturesque scenery of a garden in Melish house. Past two days I have spent my time here trying to figure out ways to develop the spell.

Yesterday I tried to explain theories after theories of magic to Melish and Solis but it resulted in failure. After a while they gave up on helping me.

From today I am on my own. I tried various technique but it always came out as a failure.

“Excuse me, Lord Twilight.” I looked back at the maid. “You have a visitor. Shall I escort him here?”

Alexis maybe. I nodded my head. “Please do so.”

The maid soon left leaving me alone with breeze of wind. I piled the books on the side of table which till recently was lying around everywhere.

I heard a gentle footsteps coming towards me only to stop few steps before the hut. I raised my head.

There stood a man with curly mint hair with a sharp black pair of eyes. He wore his usual glasses and a stoic expression. This time he wore the royal knight’s uniform.

“Lord Archie.” A gentle smile appeared on his face. I hurried position myself to bow. “Greeti-”

“You don't need to do that.” Archie sat down on the roundtable seats.

During the discussion at Aspene, Mila had warned me about Archie.

“He seems impressed by you. You should be careful. He gets over the top when he is excited about something.” That were the exact words of Mila.

“Are you going to keep standing?” Archie picked up a book, skimmed through the pages.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

I sat infront of him. I had a urge to question his presence here but I choose not to.

“That's how you extract the aura.” He read the notes scribbled throughout the pages.

“Confining every other aura with magic except the one you want.”

“You get it.”

“Hmmmp but isn't it a….bit worse method.”

My ears pricked up. “What do you mean?”

“Well the loss of magic must be immense.”

“It is.” I sighed. “If only I could prevent it.”

“Why don't you just control the magic within the aura instead using magic from surrounding?” Archie asked tilting his head.

“Huh.” Was he mocking me now?

No. He has that excited sparkling eyes. A genuine question. It was a genuine question. Did he confuse me as a fighter? But I did the magic infront of them using a wand.

“Lord Archie, I am a magician.”

“So?”

“I was taught to manipulate the magic in nature. I never learned to control the magic within something.”

“Right Magician can't manipulate the magic within something, at least they are not taught to.”

Archie tapped his fingers on table.

“But I thought you would be different.”

I looked at Archie, he had placed his glasses on the table.

“What do you mean? “ I asked.

“Well… aren't you a dragon?”

My ears pricked up. I narrowed my eyes. A bitter taste overwhelmed my mouth as I felt my throat drying. I gulped my saliva as quietly as possible as my muscles tensed.

How does he know that? The moment I had left my house I had concealed my aura.

“What are you saying? Are you accusing me of being dragon?” I glared at him.

Using my reflexes to advantage I tried to disguise my worries with signs of anger.

“You are saying I am mistaken.” Archie removed his glasses and placed it above the table and closed his eyes.

He took a moment to think. “But that is not possible. You have every sign of one. No.”

I felt his piercing gaze on my skin, it made my skin crawl and wrinkle. “You have the most important sign of being a dragon.”

Archie voice was smooth without any trace of doubt. He believed in his reason almost like he knew plenty about dragons.

And that was the reason I knew his next words.

“A dragon is strong enough to conceal it's identity. But magic is beautiful enough to never abandon them.” He quoted the words that I had despised most in the world.

A popular saying within humans. A saying that had close ties with me.

“My grandfather hated dragons you see.”

I waved my hands and a white wood wand engraved with a crown appeared in my hand. I jumped back creating distance between us.

“Winds melt away.” I commanded as gush of winds flew towards him.

Archie smirked and snapped his fingers cutting the wind.

I clenched my wand. I positioned myself to make casting spells easier.

I knew I don't have to be wary .I knew he wouldn't attack, If he would, he wouldn't be sitting idly. But I couldn't help it. I wanted to kill him. I gulped my saliva.

What if…….what if I will regret it later? What if-

“I will not attack you. You know it too, don't you sir Twilight? Shouldn't we try to cooperate?”

Archie picked up his glasses and stared to clean it with ends of his cape. “It will be more disadvantage to you. I will merely die. But you…”

Archie black eyes shone as it stared me in my eyes.

“Unlike other fighter, I also know how to manipulate the magic in the nature. So you could say I can leave plenty of scars. Not to mention all those people who will come crawling to fight against you.”