Teacher And Apprentice

Anasthasia waved her cloak, fending off debris while protecting herself as she braced for impact. The discharging plasma flashed with such brightness and lashed whatever it could touch, razing them to abysmal marks.

She coughed hard from the pungent smell of damp cinders, she scrutinized the area and noticed how the ghastly smog permeated the room, thick enough to obscure her vision. Extending her arms, just several inches away from her, had already concealed with deceitful smoke.

Anasthasia shuddered as she noticed a subtle clink from her clutches; there she peered Freidmirth, close to frozen solid, with sheets of ice painted against his lava-red scales, giving that rich contrast of vibrant colors.

"Fried!" Shrieking, she touched his back, and red glow warmed brightly, steadily melting the deadly frost.

It took a hot minute for Freidmirth to jolt and then squirmed. He continued to shiver under her, voice stammering, "A—Anasthasia…"

"I'm sorry," she cooed in such a sweet tone, patted him with her slender fingers ever so gently.

"What-what happened?"

"You're too careless and complacent. You have been sleeping a lot since."

"W—Well, I'm just feeling tired lately…"

"What have you been doing these days?" She scoffed aloud, jeering at him, "Don't tell me you're this weak?"

"Who are you calling weak?!" Freidmirth's amber eyes lit ablaze. "I'm never going b—back to—to this form ever again!"

Seeing him spewed measly flames and yanked around, Tasha smirked and pondered with her thoughts, "He sure is back to his lively self."

"It's good you're safe now, Fried. In the meantime, I need to check on Lucky."

She glanced around; worries loomed in her heart as she called Lucy, "Lucy, are you still there?"

It was only but an echo of her voice that ricochetted throughout her signals. Her soft thuds, with every stride—caused a splashing sound, coupled with the dripping sound—added an eerie tension to the atmosphere.

Anasthasia strutted with caution; her neverending calls had received little to no response, which raised her arm, and slapped the air with force. Move so erratic that the smog forcefully moved out of her way. By and by, she saw how Lucy stood by.

"Lucy!" Anasthasia shrieked on top of her lungs. She moved in a jiffy, panting heavily between her steps.

Taking a glimpse closer, Anasthasia had reflexively caused such goosebumps. Lucy was practically in a blanket of snow— the pile of snow overwhelmed the vibrant color of her cloak, intricate snowflakes, and the thin sheets of ice accentuated the ivory skin further. The ice from her legs ruthlessly trapped her in place—had almost frozen herself for eternity.

Anasthasia got herself into her knees, and her hands drew close. Lucy shuddered in subtlety and gleamed her hands with a bright red glow, applying heat magic, unto the layer of frost on her. The snowcaps melted, draping to the lilac cloak, and the ice that almost encased her had vaporized.

While Anasthasia was at it, she noticed how the mana reservoir had almost depleted. Thus, in turn, had her pupils dilated at a sharp degree. With so many ideas that surged her mind, her thoughts turned to boggle inevitably.

Lucy snapped back from the cold entrapment; her emerald eyes rattled as she noticed Anasthasia in front of her. Breaking free from the clutches, she almost tripped from her stance. But Anasthasia was quick enough, welcoming her fall into her arms and made a warm embrace.

Lucy, at that moment, had thought it was something she sought refuge.

With Lucy's arms tightly locked around her, Anasthasia ears perked up from the sudden sniff, then a cry of a young child roared her ears. Lucy had hiccups from time to time, her tears trickled down, meeting her left shoulder.

Tasha smiled, hands landed quietly on the little girl's back with a gentle caress, reassuring her, "It's alright now. Go on; you may cry."

"B—But sister Ana, I—I almost—"

"Shush now, it's alright…" She continued to console her, notably whispering near her ear, "It's alright. I'm here. I'm not hurt at all, and you're essentially safe. That's all that matters."

Lucy ought to resist her sobs. But Anasthasia's encouragement and optimism had her burst out of tears once more with her melancholic wails.

Anasthasia remained steadfast from her position; her arms had gone busy relaxing her. She closed her eyes as she slowly contemplated her thoughts.

'That was dangerous. I'm glad things didn't turn out for the worst.'

Noticing her uncontrollable shivers, she pondered further, 'I need to check her condition to see if she's really fine.'

'Thermal Gauge!'

Her golden eyes suddenly gleamed with bright red, she can see the gradual shift on the thermal gradient in her body, from the shade of blue to green, and the environment remained purple. She shut her eyes as she set her hand aglow with bright red, causing a surge of warmth to Lucy's body.

It took quite some time for her cries to subside. Alas, Lucy, had broken free from her embrace. Her demeanor changed—from the face where cheeks flushed by the crimson tide; her nose turned stuffy, the puffy eyes due to welled up tears.

"I'm suffocated! Get away from me!" Friedmirth popped up from their hugs; his mouth wrangled out of irritation from the closeness. But only a flick of Anasthasia's finger responded to him.

"Anasthasia! What is that for?!"

"Can't you read the atmosphere?!" she retorted.

"To hell with that! Why should I care—?"

'Sleeping Gas!'

She shoved her hand in front of his snout; the sudden white mist began to assault his senses. Freidmirth's eyes rolled up and slowly shut with comfort. His usual tantrums and thrashes halted, and then he entirely took a rest from her soft bosom.

"Finally, he's quiet." She clicked her tongue, mumbling in gritted teeth, "This dragon is such a fool!"

Anasthasia noticed how Lucy fidgeted. The little girl flinched from her deep blue gaze.

"I'm sorry for the trouble." It was these words that uttered from her now pale-pink luscious lips. Her eyes could never dare to stare at her. After what she did, the uneasiness in her heart continued to claw her in excruciating sensation.

"What did I tell you?"

"I—I…" Lucy had taken aback, she stuttered under her hiccups as she tried to find the words from her question, "I think I s—shouldn't b—be sorry..."

"That's right. You should bear that in mind." Anasthasia beamed a wide smile.

"Sistar Ana…"

"Didn't I also mention this earlier?"

"What?" Lucy asked as her hiccups gradually died on in the process, then she tilted her head out of curiosity.

"I'll teach you."

"Ahh, okay—" She bobbed her head. But stunned in place as realized dawned upon her. Her face lit up with gleam. Causing her to ask, "Wait! Wait! What? You'll teach me?!"

"Why not?"

Anasthasia raised her palm gently and revealed a majestic flurry of ice that playfully danced her fingers. The snowflakes dangled with finesse, and the crackling sound of translucent glacial force mused their ears.

Crystal clear reflections bore unto her emerald eyes, looking fascinated, with her jaw dropped.

"Sister Ana, that's...incredibly beautiful!" Her voice sounded hoarse, breathless with desire.

"I'm able to teach you this magic."

Her eyes tightly locked down the spectacular display of glacial power; nonetheless, she stuttered between her words, "I don't...K—know you're capable... of using ice magic..."

"I do have a couple few tricks in my sleeves, what do you say?"

"Please, teach me! I'm willing to be your apprentice!" Lucy hopped in glee, and then slowly went to her knees and bowed with sincere respect rooted in her heart. But Anasthasia's hands reached hers halfway, stopping her further attempt.

"No! You don't have to do that—"

Anasthasia's stomach began to grumble, albeit stronger than the previous encounter, which placed her in an awkward position. Meanwhile, Lucy stifled a smile, curtly nodding from the cues.

"Please don't worry, sister Ana. I'll get these things done. I can call some people to aid and clean up the mess."

'Oh? I'm not surprised, but this lady must be a noble, higher one at that.'

"Does this thing often happen, Lucy?"

"No," She shook her head, responding with weariness, "Though there had been times that this place would get thrown in the chaos of glacial ice, it never reached to the point where I'm also in danger and—"

"—And not to the point you're exhausted from using your powers, right?"

Lucy nodded from her inquiries. Anasthasia sighed as she hypothesized with her thoughts, 'Despite her natural talent of affinity and capacity, she has difficulty controlling her powers. That's one of the danger signs for every magician. I hope I'm not too late!'

"Sister Ana, if you don't mind. Allow me to show you the way towards the dining room and the kitchen on this side." Lucy turned around, pointing her fingers towards the other door.

"Sure, let's continue working things out after."

Both of them sauntered, leaving the cold room untouched from the ravages.