"What are your plans now?" I asked my aunt after I finished working on Amaya's meridians. I was feeling drained after expending all my qi to bolster her. I wasn't able to force open her meridians the way Yume did for me; that would require I had either a great deal more qi or solid qi. I didn't have that yet, though I planned to push my own cultivation more later tonight.

  Aunt Akari was flexing her hands and hopping in place, testing her body. Unfortunately, the conversion ratio of my qi to hers wasn't very good. I suspected when she got better control of her own energy it could improve, but that would take time. Even so, she now had qi in her system, and I could tell it was already having an effect.

  "I need to speak with the Council of Elders about some of what you told me." She executed a smooth kata, grinning at her upgrade. "This is amazing. I feel stronger already! It's as if I were ten years younger."

  She looked at me and frowned when she noticed my concern. "Don't worry. I won't tell them about you until you're ready. But the clan needs to prepare. We already know something about what's happening, but you've mentioned some things that would help us further. I need to make sure the clan is taking things seriously."

  I sighed but nodded. Standing up, I walked over to her. "I trust you to know what you're doing. Honestly, the timing of my arrival and your new information might be suspect, but it can't be helped."

  She put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I understand. Thank you for trusting me to take care of it." She glanced at Amaya, who was still meditating on the floor, trying to clear her meridians of debris. "What about you? What will you do?"

  I hummed in thought, but before I could decide on something, Amaya spoke up. "Woods." I waited for more, but apparently she had said her piece with a single word.

  I shrugged. "I guess we'll go for a hike in the woods. As for tonight, I need to spend some time in the Astral, so I'll probably retire early."

  I heard Amaya grumble, but my aunt simply nodded in understanding. "You are working hard. Have fun today at least."

  We said our goodbyes and headed in different directions to shower and get ready for the remainder of our day. It didn't take long, and I left with Amaya early that afternoon. I only just remembered to get some lunch to bring with us. Even if I didn't feel all that hungry anymore, Amaya was still mostly normal.

  Walking the familiar trails of our youth was deeply nostalgic. It would have been even more nostalgic if I wasn't so distracted by Amaya walking in front of me. She was wearing tight black jeans and a t-shirt with a pink chibi character on it. She also wore a black cropped jacket, which was arguably not the best choice for keeping her warm, but worked well to draw my attention to her slim waist.

  She regularly glanced back at me, her ponytail swinging as she made sure I was following. More than once I had to divert my gaze upward to avoid being caught staring at her butt. There was a strange juxtaposition created by walking on paths that hadn't changed since I was young enough to get in trouble for having wandering feet, and walking them with a friend who was now old enough to get me in trouble for having wandering eyes. It was strangely stimulating.

  This wasn't the first time we had gone on a hike since Amaya and I were old enough to feel attraction, but it was different this time. I knew that Amaya was interested in me now, even if I wasn't willing to push anything just yet. Then there was the fact that I couldn't stop the image of her bare back from flashing through my mind.

  I also found myself fighting against increasingly powerful instincts. I had always been protective of my friend, but now that feeling came with a certain possessiveness that wasn't entirely platonic.

  The trail wound through the trees, the sunlight filtering through their branches in dappled patterns that danced across the forest floor. Amaya and I had been walking for a while, the silence between us comfortable, like an old quilt.

  Finally, we came to a spot I’d been thinking about since we set out—a small brook that babbled its way through the woods, its crystal-clear water skipping over smooth stones. On either side of the water, the grass was soft and green, inviting us to stop and linger.

  “Here,” I said, setting down the small backpack with our lunch. “Let’s take a break.”

  Amaya looked around, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “This place is the same as it was when we were kids.”

  “It doesn’t change much,” I agreed. “Why would it? It’s already perfect.”

  She glanced at me, her expression unreadable for a moment before she looked away, her cheeks faintly flushed. We didn’t say anything else. Instead, we sat down on the grassy bank, slipping off our shoes and socks. The cool water was a shock at first, but it felt good against my skin, refreshing after the hike. Amaya dipped her toes in gingerly, her lips curling into a small smile when the water tickled her feet.

  I pulled out the lunch I’d packed—onigiri, fruit, and a bottle of water. “You eat like a bird,” she said, eyeing the food as I handed her a rice ball with added fish for protein.

  “And you still complain like an old man,” I shot back, smirking.

  She rolled her eyes but took a bite of her lunch, her eyes closing as she chewed. It was nice having moments like this from time to time—quiet, simple, with no pressure or expectations. Just us, like we used to be before life started complicating things.

  After a while, she broke the silence. “Do you remember when we used to come out here and skip rocks?”

  I grinned. “How could I forget? You were terrible at it.” Her foot shot out, splashing water at me. I laughed, dodging just in time. “Oh, so now you’re violent?”

  She smirked, her eyes glinting with amusement. “Only when necessary.”

  We spent the next hour just like that—joking, reminiscing, and soaking our feet in the water. At one point, she brought up the time she’d fallen into the stream when we were kids. “You just stood there laughing instead of helping me,” she pouted.

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  “Hey, someone had to keep an eye on your dignity when you left it behind to flail around in the water,” I replied, chuckling. “Besides, you were fine. You splashed around for ten seconds and then climbed out on your own.”

  She huffed, but I could see the faintest hint of a smile playing on her lips. “You are a terrible friend.”

  “Says the girl who pushed me into the mud that time we went hiking in the rain.”

  Her eyes sparkled. “You deserved it.”

  And just like that, we fell into a rhythm that felt like no time had passed at all. It was easy, comfortable, the kind of familiarity that only came from years of shared history.

  As the sun began to dip lower in the sky, we finally decided it was time to head back. Reluctantly, we pulled our feet out of the water, dried them off with the towel I'd brought, and slipped our shoes back on.

  The walk back to the house was as quiet as the walk there, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted between us. Not much, just a small, almost imperceptible change in the air. But it was there, like the faint hum of a harp string plucked by an invisible hand.

  As we walked side by side, the weight of that unspoken tension hung between us, light and easy but undeniably present. I still needed to explain things to her before anything could truly change, but my perception of her was already shifting.

  ****

  "These look incredible!" I exclaimed as I ran my hand over the leather vambraces Trinket had made for me. They sat on a table next to the leather pauldrons, vest, and greaves. They were each made from soft, supple leather with hardened leather stitched onto key places. She hadn't had time to complete the set, but this was already an impressive improvement for my defense. The craftsmanship was fantastic, and the black dye made it feel professional.

  Trinket was bouncing happily to the side as she excitedly showed me what she had made. She blushed faintly at my compliment. "Thanks, but it's really all because of the workshop. The tools in here are incredible."

  I tsked and shook my head. "Now I feel like you're insulting me. I know I couldn't do anything like this, even if I had machines twice as good." I looked down, faking disgruntlement.

  "Eep!" The cute goblin girl jumped a little, holding her hands in front of her placatingly as she shook her head in denial. "I-I didn't mean it like that! I w-wouldn't expect you to make something without training!"

  She opened her mouth to explain further, but I cut her off with a hand on her shoulder. "Good! Then we both agree that you deserve all the credit and that you're the best crafter ever!" I turned to a snickering Ash, leaving the confused Trinket to sort out how she had suddenly agreed to being the best. "Now that we have this, I was hoping you would supervise me while I enchant it."

  The human sized fairy dragon nodded happily. "Sure! The enchantments might not be quite as strong. Understandin' makes a difference after all. But there's only one way yer goin' to get to my level." She stood tall and hit her chest lightly with a fist, then smirked when she saw my eyes follow the jiggle her movement caused.

  I gave her a wink before taking her hand and leading her to the Runic Foundry, floating the armor behind us. I was excited to practice more of what I'd been learning. The mana multimeter, or manameter as I had taken to calling it, had already proven useful. It gave me a taste for what might be possible in the future, and I was excited to push further.

  The door shut behind us as I walked to the table in the center of the room. I was struggling to levitate all of the leather armor at once. They were heavier than a lot of the things I had been lifting, and there were seven individual pieces in total. My mana was dropping faster than I wanted, so I was struggling to not waste any as well. It became worth the effort, however, when I got a notification.

  Telekinesis ability increased to 2

  New Skill Acquired: Mana Manipulation

  Mana Manipulation: You have gained a better understanding of mana and how it is used. You can now manipulate mana more efficiently.

  I immediately felt the increased control, and my mana waste decreased by nearly half. "Yes!" I threw my hands in the air and cried out in victory as I set the armor on the table. I turned back to Ash with a big grin. "My telekinesis leveled up!"

  Ash returned my grin, bouncing up and down as she clapped her hands in excitement. "That's wonderful Cai! I can't wait to see what you can do now!" She paused as an idea occurred to her, and her grin slowly turned salacious. "I know exactly what we should try first," she winked and swayed her hips as she stalked toward me. "We have to celebrate after all."

  I smirked and reached out to grab her by her hips. Pulling her in, I gave her a long and passionate kiss, supporting her when her knees grew weak.

  There was a sudden slapping sound followed by a yelp from Ash as she broke the kiss. Turning her head, she saw the greave I had just used as a paddle where it hung suspended in the air behind her butt.

  She turned back to me and activated her own devastating attack in the form of a pout. I answered her with an evil grin. "You're right! There are some amazing applications for this."

  She held her pout a moment longer before she rolled her eyes and smirked. "I am so gonna' get ya back for that."

  I felt a chill run down my spine and my grin faded as I considered the possibilities. "Or," I held out my hands placatingly, "You could just consider that foreplay. We have some work to do, but then I'll make it all up to you."

  Her beautiful features turned thoughtful as she tapped her chin with a finger. "Hmmm. I suppose I can consider it. But only if you finish what you started." She jabbed her finger in my chest. "You've had yer date with Yume now, which means anythin' goes from now on."

  I readily agreed, not needing much convincing to spend quality time with my draconic lover.

  The next couple of hours were sweet torture as I worked on the enchantments. Ash bumped her flirting up to an eleven as she casually touched me, displayed her body, and took every chance to make sexual innuendos. At one point she shrank down to her fairy size to hover bent over in front of my face. That happened after she had already replaced one of my tools with her panties when I wasn't looking, which made the sight before my eyes more than a little distracting.

  Resilience increased by one

  I was sure that she was at least partially punishing me for my prank earlier. That only made me more determined to finish my work, despite her distractions. The problem was that runes required intentions to be inscribed along with the symbol, which took focus.

  To that end, I split my focus using Parallel Thought and did my best to isolate one of my 'mental instances' from all external awareness. It was a struggle at first, but I eventually had a break through.

  Parallel Thought ability increased to 2

  I still wasn't completely successful, but it was closer. It was enough that I could successfully maintain enough focus to complete an inscription for durability on my first piece of armor. If I was better at the craft, or if the material was better, I would have been able to add more enchantments.

  As things stood, I figured that durability would be the most effective. At least, it would be more effective against slashing and piercing attacks. The durability of the leather wouldn't help me as much against an attack meant to bludgeon me to death.

  I only got half way through before Ash lost her patience and gave up on subtlety all together. She grew back to her full size before ducking under my arms and wiggling herself to separate me from the table. Then the beautiful woman slowly reached back to hike her skirt up. She bit her lip as she looked at me over her shoulder and wiggled her hips.

  It took a lot longer than I had planned to finish my work in the Runic Foundry. It was worth it.

  Draconic Bloodline Resonance: 43%