The rain fell lightly over Vailor that night.
The constant sound of raindrops hitting the mansion windows made the atmosphere quiet and comfortable. After so many days divided between missions, travels, and managing the cyclopes' lands, we were finally spending a few full days without needing to leave the human capital.
I was sitting in the mansion's library with a book open on the table.
The book Lyannis had given me a few days ago.
The pages were old, thick, and filled with magical symbols written in an ancient language. Some sections contained handwritten notes left by ancient mages who had studied mana for decades.
The blue flame of the magical lamp partially illuminated the hall.
Lyannis sat beside me studying a few pages while drinking tea.
Scarlet was lying on the sofa near the window.
Liriel was organizing some scrolls.
Elara was reviewing the financial reports we had brought from the cyclopes' lands.
Vespera calmly sharpened a small dagger.
Rai'kanna silently watched the rain outside.
The atmosphere was peaceful.
It had been a long time since we had such a calm night.
I slowly ran my eyes over the lines of the book.
"Magical flow is the natural circulation of mana through the body."
"The greater the control over the flow, the lower the energy waste."
"Ordinary mages release mana."
"Great mages shape mana."
I partially closed the book.
"That explains a lot."
Lyannis looked up.
"What?"
"For a long time, I only increased raw power."
"But after receiving the dragons' blessing... I started to realize that controlling mana is more important than simply releasing it."
She nodded slightly.
"Exactly."
"That's why I gave you this book."
Lyannis picked up one of the pages and pointed to a note.
"Look at this."
I examined the ancient writing.
"Mana compression increases elemental stability."
"Unstable mana causes loss of power."
"Compressed mana increases precision."
I frowned slightly.
"So that's why my draconic fire consumed so much energy."
Lyannis smiled faintly.
"You were trying to control an enormous power using only strength."
"But draconic fire doesn't work that way."
"It's a living power."
I remained silent for a few seconds while looking at the words in the book.
Since the battle against the Dragon King, I had felt that this power was different from any magic I had ever used.
It wasn't just fire.
It felt like something deeper.
Heavier.
More instinctive.
Scarlet looked at me from the sofa.
"You've improved a lot since the beginning."
"Before, it looked like you were going to explode every time you used that fire."
I let out a small laugh.
"That almost happened a few times."
Rai'kanna crossed her arms.
"The power of dragons demands balance."
"If you try to control it through force alone, it devours the user."
I looked at her.
"You knew that from the beginning?"
"Yes."
"But you needed to discover it on your own."
I turned my eyes back to the book.
The following pages talked about elemental stabilization.
Ancient mages tried to balance elements within their own bodies through constant mana circulation.
The more I read, the more I began to understand things that had once seemed impossible.
Liriel finished organizing the scrolls and approached.
"Have you noticed any difference yet?"
I nodded slowly.
"A lot."
"Before, I felt my mana scattered."
"Now I can perceive the flow much better."
Elara rested her face on her hand.
"So basically, you're refining your own power."
"That's right."
"Before, it was quantity."
"Now it's starting to become control."
Lyannis opened another page.
"There is an enormous difference between releasing power and mastering power."
"Most mages spend their entire lives without understanding that."
I looked at an illustration drawn in the book.
The drawing showed magical channels running throughout the human body.
Some were wide.
Others were narrow.
The notes explained that mana flowed differently depending on the user's experience.
I took a deep breath.
Then I closed my eyes.
I concentrated mana in the palm of my hand.
At first the energy escaped uncontrollably, but this time I tried something different.
Instead of releasing brute force, I slowly began compressing it.
The mana rotated gently.
More stable.
More concentrated.
A small red flame appeared above my hand.
Scarlet immediately sat up.
"It's different."
I observed the flame in silence.
It really was.
Before, the fire appeared violent and unstable.
Now it remained still.
Compact.
Controlled.
Lyannis smiled discreetly.
"You finally understood."
I increased the concentration a little more.
The flame became more intense, but remained stable.
No explosions.
No absurd mana loss.
It was as if the fire was finally obeying.
Rai'kanna watched attentively.
"Your control is much better."
"But you still lack endurance."
I nodded.
"I can feel it."
"The more I concentrate, the more pressure my body receives."
Liriel approached the flame.
"But compared to the beginning... the difference is enormous."
I slowly extinguished the fire.
The feeling was strange.
For the first time since receiving the dragons' blessing, I felt like I was beginning to understand that power.
And that was dangerous.
Because if this was still only the beginning...
Then the true potential of that blessing had to be monstrous.
Vespera finally spoke.
"You're getting stronger too fast."
I looked at her.
"Is that bad?"
She remained silent for a few seconds.
"No."
"But great powers attract great problems."
The room became quiet for a few moments.
The rain continued falling outside.
I knew she was right.
Since the beginning, every time I became stronger, something worse appeared soon after.
The Demon King.
The Generals.
The Dragons.
And now those strange dreams were becoming more frequent.
I slowly closed the book.
"I still need to become stronger."
Scarlet crossed her arms.
"You're already absurd."
I shook my head.
"It's still not enough."
I remembered the presence I felt in the recent dream.
That crushing pressure.
Even while sleeping, my body reacted instinctively.
That wasn't normal.
Lyannis noticed my silence.
"You're thinking about the dreams again."
I looked at her.
"Yes."
"The more time passes... the more real they seem."
Liriel sat beside me.
"The spirit of the sword has never been wrong before."
"If he said something is coming... then it probably is."
I slowly ran a hand through my hair.
"I know."
"That's exactly why I need to keep evolving."
Elara closed the financial reports.
"Then we'll keep evolving together."
I looked at all of them.
Scarlet.
Liriel.
Elara.
Vespera.
Lyannis.
Rai'kanna.
None of them looked afraid.
In fact, they seemed determined.
Scarlet gave a small smile.
"Besides... you don't fight alone."
I ended up smiling faintly as well.
After everything we had faced so far, perhaps that was the biggest difference.
I no longer carried everything alone.
I opened the book again.
The next pages spoke about demonic mana.
My expression immediately changed.
The notes were much older.
"Demonic mana possesses an irregular flow."
"Unlike ordinary mana, it slowly corrupts the environment."
"The greater the concentration, the greater the natural deterioration."
I frowned.
"That explains the contaminated lands."
Lyannis nodded.
"The Demon King probably spread magical influence across many regions during the war."
I continued reading.
The following pages described symptoms of magical corruption:
weakened soil
dying plants
dense mana accumulation
aggressive creatures
Exactly what we saw in the cyclopes' lands.
I slowly closed the book.
"So it really was demonic influence."
Liriel took a deep breath.
"My purification worked better than I imagined."
"Because you used holy magic directly on the source of the problem."
She became thoughtful for a few seconds.
"That means other regions might also be contaminated."
Silence returned once again.
That was worrying.
Even after the fall of the Demon King, the effects of the war still remained scattered across the world.
And perhaps even worse things were still hidden.
I slowly stood up from the chair.
"I'm going to train a little before sleeping."
Scarlet sighed.
"You never rest."
"Too much rest makes me restless."
Rai'kanna gave a small smile.
"That's very typical of you."
I left the library and headed to the mansion's exterior area.
The rain had already stopped.
The sky was covered with dark clouds.
I took a deep breath.
Then I slowly concentrated mana.
This time the flow felt much more natural.
The fire appeared around my hand almost immediately.
Stable.
Hot.
Controlled.
I observed the flames in silence.
Before, that power felt wild.
Now it was beginning to become part of me.
I concentrated more mana.
The flames slowly grew.
My arm began to be enveloped by draconic fire.
The pressure was still there.
But unlike before, my body could withstand it much better.
I smiled faintly.
"So this is what it's like..."
For the first time, I felt that I was truly advancing.
Not merely becoming stronger.
But learning to master my own power.
And that changed everything.
The balcony doors opened behind me.
Lyannis appeared calmly.
"You improved quickly."
Without taking my eyes off the flames, I replied:
"I think I finally started to understand."
She stood beside me watching the fire.
"The most dangerous thing about magic isn't power."
"It's when the user begins to master it."
I looked at her for a few seconds.
"Was that a warning?"
"Maybe."
I slowly extinguished the flames.
The cold night wind passed through the balcony.
Far on the horizon, the lights of Vailor shone beneath the darkness.
Everything seemed peaceful.
But deep down...
I felt that peace would not last much longer.