21 Chapter 21: Shanna's Snowball Fight

As Shanna made her way to the training ground, she admired the scenery in the garden.

It had snowed heavily the night before, covering the entire garden in a blanket of pristine white.

Shanna loved snow because she found the post-snowfall scenery incredibly beautiful. But more importantly, every time it snowed, her brother would join her for a snowball fight and snowman building, which always brought her immense joy.

Speaking of snowball fights, they hadn't had one since two winters ago, as there hadn't been much snowfall last winter. Shanna couldn't help but reminisce about the last time she had a snowball fight with her brother.

"Shanna, since you already have your own wand, let's use wands for our snowball fight today," her brother suggested with his usual gentle smile.

"Use wands for a snowball fight? How does that work?" Shanna asked, puzzled.

"It's not much different from not using wands," her brother explained. "But with wands, we can easily and quickly channel magic, increasing the intensity. Plus, we can use spells to assist us."

"Alright!"

Though she didn't fully understand, Shanna couldn't refuse anything her brother suggested.

"Let me explain a few rules: first, since it's a snowball fight, we can't use elements other than snow, like fire, wind, lightning, etc., but ice is allowed since it's a variant of snow; second, direct attack spells are not allowed, only spells to assist attacks, such as using Transfiguration to alter the snow, but defensive spells are permitted, like the Shield Charm; third, the snowball fight is limited to the garden, and we can't venture outside. Any questions?"

"No, brother!"

"Good, let's start by creating a distance of 30 meters... Are you ready?... Begin!"

With her brother's command, Shanna first cast a Shield Charm on herself.

The Shield Charm was a spell her brother had emphasized must be mastered immediately. To become a competent wizard, he said, "Always start by protecting yourself with a shield." Those who recklessly fought without a shield were all idiots, according to him.

And Shanna believed everything her brother said.

Shanna waved her wand, controlling several snowballs to float and then rapidly shoot towards her brother.

"Too predictable, Shanna. You should use spells more creatively," her brother stood still, redirecting the snowballs off their original trajectory with a wave of his wand. He then summoned several snowbirds from the ground, maneuvering them skillfully to evade Shanna's interception and hit her shield.

"That's better," her brother commented. He then cast more spells on the snowbirds, causing them to spit out ice spikes that shattered Shanna's shield.

Shanna quickly activated her flying boots and swiftly left her position. After casting another Shield Charm on herself, she unleashed multiple spells, finally bringing down all the snowbirds.

But before she could counterattack, the snow beneath her feet turned into serpents, entwining around her. In desperation, she unleashed her magic, clearing everything around her.

"Shanna, if you don't step up, I might just win," her brother teased.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, Shanna straightened up, her face filled with determination.

Wielding her wand, she gathered all the snow around her and concentrated it at the tip of her wand, taking a deep breath.

"Enlarge!"

The large snowball quickly expanded, leaving her brother with nowhere to escape. Surrendering the option to dodge, her brother gathered his magic and released an impact that shattered the large snowball. The exploding snowflakes filled the entire garden, turning it into a snowy white landscape.

"A clever move, but how do you plan to locate me now, Shanna?"

Shanna quickly sent out ice spikes towards the source of the voice, but it turned out to be empty.

Injecting magic into her flying boots, she leaped into the air, observing the activity below. Then, she transformed the snow into ice spikes, ready to launch them.

Finally, as the snow mist cleared, she spotted her brother's location. Waves of ice spikes were fired in succession, attempting to block her brother's evasion paths. Despite her brother's swift movements, some spikes couldn't be avoided, but he deflected them with his wand.

Seeing that her ice spikes weren't posing a significant threat, Shanna followed her brother's example and transformed the ice into snowbirds, continuously attacking him.

As the icebirds were destroyed and replenished, it seemed like the battle would turn into a war of attrition. However, her brother formed a network of snow, encasing all the icebirds before launching them towards her.

"Boom!"

The icebirds exploded overhead, sending shockwaves and ice shards raining down on Shanna's shield, knocking her back to the ground.

Just as she managed to land safely, Shanna quickly jumped away, dodging several ice spikes that pierced the ground where she had stood.

"Do you need a break?" her brother asked with a grin.

Shanna pouted.

"Brother, why can't I ever hit you? I don't even know which spells to use."

"Don't be impatient, Shanna. There are thousands of spells, but quantity doesn't make one stronger. Combat is simple; all you need to do is attack, defend, and move. Do these well, and you'll win. Alright, I'm coming at you again."

With that, her brother waved his wand, gathering a large amount of snow beneath his feet, forming a snow dragon.

Roaring, the snow dragon charged towards Shanna. Biting, striking with its wings, whipping with its tail, and exhaling frost, the snow dragon attacked Shanna in various ways.

Shanna countered with attacks, defenses, and evasions using her magic and flying boots. The battle transitioned from the ground to the air and back, with ice spikes flying and frost breath sweeping. She was like a brave challenger facing a fearsome dragon, enduring despite her struggles.

Finally, seizing an opportunity, Shanna darted under the snow dragon's belly, gathered her strength momentarily, and cast a spell to pierce through the snow dragon.

Her brother, who had been standing on the snow dragon's back, was thrown off by the spell, landing on the ground. Shanna immediately controlled the snowflakes around her landing spot, transforming them into ropes to bind her brother in place. Then, she conjured a large snowball and hurled it at him.

"Boom!"

A large crater appeared in the garden, with her brother lying at the bottom.

"Brother!"

Shanna panicked. Acting on instinct, she attacked without thinking. Now that she realized it, she hastily jumped into the crater.

"Brother, I'm sorry! Are you alright? I didn't mean to!"

o(TヘTo)

"Shanna, don't cry, brother's fine," her brother got up and patted Shanna's head, comforting her. "You're amazing, Shanna. Brother admits defeat, hahaha!"

"What are you two doing!?"

Their mother, Elena, shouted from afar. Seeing the once beautiful garden now pockmarked with craters, Shanna couldn't help but blush, while her brother's laughter became even louder.

---

Unconsciously, Shanna had arrived at the training room.

In one of the training rooms, the sound of 'thud~ thud~' could be heard constantly. Shanna knew this was the sound of her brother training. She walked over and gently pushed open the door to the training room.