This isn't a trap

Standing there, watching that impudent little fox continue his smug suggestions, I felt a mix of annoyance and a reluctant curiosity. The thought of having someone to work with—an acolyte—had always seemed an unnecessary complication.

I'd honed my magic, my skills, and my reputation without the help of anyone else. Besides, training someone would mean sharing what I'd spent years perfecting, and that required a level of patience I rarely found myself willing to extend.

Yet… there was something about Alyndra, with her stubborn resilience and those healing abilities that even the fox was going on about.

There was a potential there I couldn't ignore. With the right kind of guidance, maybe, just maybe, she could be molded into something interesting something worthy of my legacy. Of course, she'd have to abandon her tiresome do-gooder mentality.

If she were to stand by me, she'd need to understand the beauty and power in darkness.