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Chapter 18: Magic Training [I] Iris lets go of my arm and spins around with a flourish, her tail swishing dramatically. "This is perfect," she declares, eyeing Luna with barely hidden smugness. Luna remains silent, her stare never wavering. She takes a step forward, positioning herself directly across from Iris. "Shall we begin?" "Begin what?" Iris teases, stretching luxuriously. "I thought we were just here to relax. Why so serious?" Luna’s ears flatten briefly, a sign of annoyance I’ve learned to recognize. "You are distracting him." Iris laughs, the sound like tinkling bells that somehow grates on my nerves given the circumstances. "Oh, come on! Luke loves being distracted." Before I can blink, Luna’s right up in my space, practically pinning me with those intense eyes. "Teach me," she insists, urgency threaded in her usually monotone voice. Iris pouts, crossing her arms with theatrical annoyance but doesn’t interrupt, clearly deciding to let Luna have this round. Her gaze stays glued to us, though, like a cat watching a birdcage. "Right," I say, shaking off the haze of their tug-of-war. "Where did we leave off yesterday?" Luna tilts her head slightly. "At the part where you explained how magic is shaped by will." "Oh, right." I scratch the back of my head, trying to recall my muddled words from yesterday. "So, we were practicing focus and intention. Remember? You were doing great before, um..." "Iris interrupted?" Luna finishes bluntly, her eyes narrowing just a fraction at my adoptive sister. "Yes," Luna says, her voice almost a whisper. She looks at me with burning intensity, like I’m the last piece of a puzzle she can’t wait to solve. "Okay, so let’s try again." I step back, giving her room to work her magic, literally. "Remember to concentrate on what you want the magic to do." Luna nods and closes her eyes, her face a mask of fierce determination. The air around us shifts subtly, a breeze stirring from nowhere and gathering strength. Her ears twitch as she focuses, channeling the energy with effortless grace. The wind sweeps through the small clearing like a living thing, swirling around us in intricate patterns that are somehow both wild and controlled. It lifts leaves and dust in an elegant dance, surrounding me and Iris without ever touching us. Luna’s control is absolute. I watch, amazed. Luna started using magic just yesterday, and now she’s pulling off this kind of display? The contrast is staggering, and it makes my own magical efforts seem painfully pathetic. "Wow, Luna," I say, genuine admiration leaking into my voice. "You’ve got this down. Maybe try using a little more force? See if you can break something with the wind." Luna’s eyes snap open, a glint of excitement in their golden depths. She nods, her ears angling forward as she ratchets up the intensity. The wind changes from an elegant breeze to a powerful gust in seconds. It tears through the clearing with newfound ferocity, ripping branches from the surrounding trees and snapping them like twigs. A couple of rocks lift from the ground, cracking ominously before shattering into pieces with sharp, echoing snaps. Iris watches the display, her lips forming a petulant pout as if recalling how much effort it took her to master that level of control. She lifts one finger, swirling a miniature wind around it lazily before launching it into the same spot. The effect is immediate and cataclysmic. The air ignites with energy, and the ground shakes from the impact. Trees topple, leaves disintegrate mid-air, and a massive crater forms where Luna’s precision exercise once was. Dust settles slowly, revealing the full extent of Iris’s raw power. I stare at the devastation, my jaw nearly hitting the floor. Luna stares too, but not with awe—her gaze is fixed on Iris, eyes narrowing dangerously. "Oops," Iris says with mock innocence. "Did I overdo it?" Luna’s expression tightens, a flicker of frustration crossing her stoic features. Her ears twitch in irritation, clearly not amused by Iris’s show of raw power. "Uh, Iris?" I say, dusting myself off. "I think you destroyed our playground." She gives me a wide-eyed look of exaggerated surprise. "Did I? Oh my," she giggles, clearly not the least bit sorry. "Seriously, we’re supposed to be training here," I remind her, trying to sound more authoritative than my usual pushover self. "Let’s not blow up the place before Luna has a chance to practice." Iris pouts but nods, settling down with an air of feigned reluctance. "Fine, fine. I’ll behave." Luna refocuses on me, ears perked up again as if nothing happened. Her determination is relentless. "Teach me," she repeats, the demand in her voice unmistakable. "Okay." I give her an encouraging smile, surprised at how naturally it comes despite the chaos. "Let’s try ramping up your power. You saw what iris did? She condensed a lot of mana into one little attack, and it had a greater impact than most attacks people can make" Iris cuts in with a gleeful grin. "And I didn’t even break a sweat." Luna’s jaw tightens. She turns back to me, ignoring Iris’s gloating with laser-like focus. "How do I do that?" "Uh, right." I think for a second, trying to organize my thoughts into something that sounds like a coherent lesson. "Start with the wind you just made, but make it smaller and faster. Condense the mana until it’s super concentrated, then let it go." Luna nods, determination etched in every line of her body as she closes her eyes again. The air around us tingles with energy as she focuses, pulling magic in from every direction. My heart skips a beat at the intensity of magic swirling around us. It feels like standing in the eye of a storm. Luna draws it all inward, tighter and tighter until it feels like the very air might snap. The space around us hums with pressure, the smallest movement charged with electricity. Then Luna releases it. The effect is instantaneous and breathtaking. The condensed blast explodes outward, tearing through the air like a bullet from a gun. It hits the ground with pinpoint precision, creating a shockwave that radiates in all directions. Grass flattens for yards, trees snap like matchsticks, and dust erupts into the sky in thick, swirling clouds. Iris barely has time to flick her fingers before the force sends us reeling. She grabs me as we tumble through the air, her magic wrapping around us in a protective cocoon just before we hit the ground. Iris doesn’t waste a second. She springs up, her eyes flashing with excitement and competitive fire. With barely a flick of her wrist, the chaos around us begins to undo itself. The dust still hanging in the air swirls and reforms, leaves and branches stitching back onto trees like they were never torn away. Broken rocks mend themselves, snapping back into place with crisp clicks. The massive crater smooths over, soil reassembling until the ground looks untouched and perfect. The whole forest rewinds like an explosion played in reverse, leaving no trace of the destruction. It’s like magic, which I guess makes sense since it is. Iris winks at me as the last leaf settles into place. "See? Good as new."