Chapter 4: The First Steps and New Connections

Under the soft light of dawn, Ethan sat across Amelia, feeling excitement and nervousness. "What will we be focusing on, Amelia?"

Amelia's eyes sparkled with a knowing twinkle. "Today, we'll begin by honing your elemental control. Every dragon needs to master the elements that resonate within them. I'll be determining your preferred element now."

She then pulled out a black sheet of paper from seemingly nowhere.

Ethan glanced at the paper.

"Do I need to drop my blood on it?"

"How did you guess that?" She had a surprised look.

"I guess from reading too much manga and light novels." Ethan shrugged and answered her. Amelia chuckled at his answer.

"Now, just one small drop should suffice," Amelia instructed. Then she handed him a small silver needle. Ethan proceeded to pick his little finger with it. That way, the injury won't impact him much.

"Here we go," Ethan took a calming breath and put his injured finger over the paper to soak a drop of blood.

Amelia then conjured a bandaid and put it on his small finger. Ethan blushed a little at this. Never had a beautiful woman done something like this to him. "Or any woman..." He admitted silently.

The white sheet of paper split into two pieces on its own. One piece turned purple, and then the other piece sky blue.

"Well, if this isn't interesting," Amelia commented.

"What does this mean?" Ethan asked her, slightly nervous.

"It means that you have a fate with the heaven and the earth. In other words, you have air and earth affinities. Dual affinities are quite rare. You are indeed blessed. But dual affinities also need longer to be trained before you can fully use their potential."

Ethan was still quite happy with the outcome.

"Well then, let us proceed with our first lesson in mana control."

"Hmm, let us start with this!" Amelia said and moved closer to him.

She then took his hands and said she needed to put some of her mana inside him to activate his mana pathway.

Ethan blushed at this gesture and tried to hide it. Amelia chuckled at his failed attempt. "How cute.", she thought.

Soon, Ethan felt something warm moving inside his body. This was strange but not unwelcome. Following that, he felt warm and started to sweat a bit. The sweat soon turned black. Ethan panicked at the sight but trusted Amelia enough to think this was all in her control. This happened for about 15 minutes before Amelia released her grip and smiled at him.

"Congratulations, you have taken the first step!"

Amelia moved her finger in a circle, and Ethan felt clean again. The black stuff he was sweating disappeared as well.

"Amelia, what was that black stuff?"

"Well, that was because your pathway was blocked. I had to put in some effort to clean everything up. Someone enjoyed a bit too much fast food~."

Amelia hummed as she answered his question mischievously. Ethan looked down sheepishly for being called out.

"Well, you know. The Mcdonald's app had good coupons."

"Ah ah, no excuses. But we'll need to fix your diet for the flow of your mana." She warned him with her index finger and gave him a fake angry look.

"Well, let us get started with your lessons for now. We will talk about this later. We'll begin with air since it is easier to grasp empirically." Amelia said and clasped her hands together. Her usual smile was restored.

"What is your affinity, Amelia?"

"Well, that's a secret~"

"Wha-? Why? That's not fair!"

Amelia giggled at this and started her lesson.

A wave of triumph washed over Ethan after a few minutes into his lesson, and his heart filled with confidence. Amelia then introduced him to various techniques to manipulate and control the air. He practiced making wind swirls on the hand and pushing it forward.

As the hours passed, Ethan's control over the air got better. He marveled at how it responded to his will, dancing and swirling in mesmerizing patterns. Due to the introduction of mana, he could see the once-invisible air with a slight blue hue. The raw power within him was exhilarating, and he felt a sense of awe at the possibilities that lay ahead.

He was conjuring a constant breeze like a hair dryer when he noticed a familiar dragon approaching. It was Annie, the silver-scaled dragon he had met before. Close behind her was a small red dragon Ethan was also familiar with.

Annie glided gracefully towards Ethan and Amelia, her eyes filled with warmth and familiarity.

Amelia's face lit up with delight as she greeted them. "Ah, perfect timing! Good to see you, Annie, and welcome back, Lily!"

"Good to see you too, Aunt Ami." Annie greeted, her voice carrying a hint of excitement.

Annie transformed into her human appearance and approached Ethan and Amelia with a warm smile. "Hello, Ethan. Lily has told me so much about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

She appeared to be around 16 years old in her human form. Auburn-coloured hair and silver iris.

Ethan extended a hand in greeting, his curiosity piqued. "Likewise, Annie. Lily spoke highly of you as well. Thank you for helping her. I'm also eager to get to know you."

Lily fluttered excitedly, her eyes shining. "Annie is cool and talented, Ethan! I knew you'd be impressed!"

Amelia chuckled, joining in the conversation.

"I'm sure Ethan is, Lily. It's always wonderful to see dragons in their full might."

With introductions complete, the group decided to head back to the city.

As they returned to the heart of the urban landscape, Ethan marveled at the blending of the magical and the mundane. The training he has accomplished today has opened up a bit of his mana pathway. This leads to him seeing things and places previously hidden away.

Tall buildings rose around them, their glass facades reflecting the vibrant city lights. Annie led them to her family's home, nestled in a quiet district of the city. The house stood out with its intricate dragon motifs and an air of enchantment. As they entered, the interior revealed a harmonious fusion of dragon aesthetics and modern living.

Ethan was immediately captivated by the warm ambiance, adorned with dragon artifacts and delicate dragon-inspired artwork. The scent of exotic spices wafted through the air, tempting his taste buds.

"I'm back, Mom!" Annie called out as soon as they entered the living room.

"Oh, welcome back Annie, why didn't you tell me you were bringing in guests?"

A woman's voice came from behind.

"Hi, Aunty Minnie!" Lily turned around and greeted the voice with a smile.

Ethan looked at the woman and couldn't help but notice her. 'Minnie' was a beautiful woman with auburn-colored hair and blue eyes. Clearly, Annie got her looks from here. The woman was about as tall as Amelia, around 1.7 meters. She had a striking resemblance to Amelia.

"Ah, my sweet little Lily! Come here~." Auntie Minnie said as she hugged Lily and played with her little cheeks.

"Yes, cuteness is justice!" She squealed as she played with Lily.

"Ah, stup twat stwpid Awnty~" Lily tried to speak while her aunt pinched her cheeks again.

Ethan chuckled at the display of affection and went to introduce himself.

"Sorry for coming in uninvited. My name is Ethan Walker. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Aunt Minnie put Lily down and turned to Ethan. Lily took this chance to quickly dart back to her mother, hiding behind her back. Amelia chuckled at this and petted her head to comfort her.

"Don't worry about that. Welcome, Mr. Walker. I'm the sister of Amelia. The name is Minerva West. A pleasure to meet you."

"Yes, but please call me Ethan, I insist."

"Then you need to call me Minnie as well, young man~"

"Young man? She looks about the same age as me." Ethan thought and was a bit confused.

Amelia realized what was going on in Ethan's mind.

"After gaining form, we age slower. Minnie is actually 42 this year."

"Hey, why are you revealing this to him during our first meeting. It destroys my older sister's image!"

"Well, it was going to happen sooner or later. I just decided that sooner was better~" Amelia smiled mischievously and answered. Minvera just pouted at her.

Ethan wondered about Amelia's age, but seeing her strangely smiling at him, he suddenly broke out in cold sweat and refrained from asking.

"Take that!" Lily chided in. She seemed to have recovered from her aunty teasing.

"Gah! I trusted you, Lily!" Minnie retorted in a fake, hurtful voice.

"Beewh!" Lily struck out her tongue and took Annie's arm.

"Let's play in your room!" Lily exclaimed excitedly.

"Okay"

Both girls then took off following that and left the three adults to deal with each other.

"Don't let her tease you, Minnie. You still have not aged a day since I met you."

Another voice, this time a deep male one, came from a directed Ethan assumed to be the kitchen. Somehow, this voice sounded very familiar to him.

"Thanks, darling. Oh, and come here to greet our guest." Minerva called out.

Soon, a man with blond hair and a chiseled face arrived. He was about two meters tall. A man Ethan was very familiar with. Ethan suddenly connected the dots after seeing this man.

"Boss Chad?!"

"Scarecrow Ethan?"

Both men called out in unison, surprised.