Who Let the Mana Beast Out?

The snow-covered wilderness stretched endlessly ahead of me, the desolation making it hard to believe anything dangerous could be lurking out here. But after everything in the arena for the past few days, danger no longer felt like a distant idea.

I flexed my fingers, feeling the familiar buzz of energy under my skin, the pulse of shadows coiling at my boots and the cold hum of Death Magic stirring deeper within. I thought I knew these powers better than I had just a day ago, but they still slipped at the edges of my control. I wasn't stumbling like I had yesterday, but the unease still lingered, just under the surface. Control was harder to hold than confidence. Still, Lothar wouldn't drag me this far from Frostfang unless he was ready to push me even harder.

"This place feels... different," I said, I didn't feel the biting frost on my skin or the chill of the winds that whipped across the snow. It was as though the shadows and Death Magic burning within me had hollowed out the cold and made it irrelevant. The shadows at my feet shifted faintly, responding to my thoughts even before I gave them direction.

"Good," Lothar replied, glancing over his shoulder with a smirk. His long cloak trailed behind him like a banner, its edges brushing the snow but somehow avoiding collecting any frost. "It's supposed to be. The training grounds? They're controlled and predictable. Out here, things don't follow rules. You said you wanted mastery, didn't you? Let's see if you can prove it."

I frowned, my mind replaying yesterday's sparring session against him. I wasn't reckless enough to assume this was going to be easier, especially without the safety net of the froststone arena beneath us.

"So what's the plan this time?" I asked, "Another spar? Some obstacle course designed to knock me on my back?"

Lothar laughed, his breath fogging in the cold. "No games today, Ali. This one's less structured."

That spark of amusement in his tone set me on edge. "Less structured how?"

"This," he said, "is your first real fight. No training equipment. No froststone safeguards. Just you and whatever answers the call."

I tightened my grip on the shadows, letting them coil more visibly around my arms like faint wisps of smoke. "And you?"

"I'll watch," he said simply, his tone too casual for my comfort. He adjusted the collar of his cloak, brushing off a fleck of frost without a care. "Don't worry. If you're lucky, I might even give you a tip or two."

Before I could argue, he pulled out a small, glowing flare. The runes etched across its surface hummed faintly, and even from a distance, I could feel the faint ripple of magic radiating from it.

"What's that for?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

Instead of answering, he tossed it into the air.

The flare burst in a bright explosion of blue light, scattering glowing particles over the snow. For a moment, nothing happened. The quiet stretched on, broken only by the faint crunch of snow beneath the hem of my cloak and the distant sound of wind.

Then the ground shuddered. The snow ahead of us erupted in a spray of ice and frost.

The creature that emerged was massive. Its white, scaled hide shimmered like polished ice, and jagged icicles jutted along its back like a ridge of natural armor. Each step it took sent vibrations rippling through the frozen ground, and its glowing blue eyes locked onto me with a hunger that made my chest tighten.

"A Frostfang Howler," Lothar said, stepping back toward the shadow of a tree. He leaned against it casually, the hem of his cloak brushing the snow without a sound, as though we weren't staring down a beast large enough to flatten me. "Rank I mana beast. It shouldn't give you trouble if you've truly learned anything from the training."

"Rank I?" I scoffed, though the tightness in my chest didn't ease. I stretched my fingers outward, letting the shadows flow along the snow in smooth, deliberate arcs. "Looks like you're finally going easy on me."

Lothar's grin widened. "You might want to rethink that. First fights are about proving you can keep your head and your guts inside your body."

The Howler's roar cut through the air as it lunged, sharp claws tearing through the snow.

I stepped to the side, my boots skidding briefly on the icy terrain, and sent the shadows surging forward. The tendrils coiled around the beast's legs, tightening like restraints as they halted its charge.

It twisted violently, its claws swiping at the shadows in a desperate attempt to free itself. The vibrations from its struggle rippled through the tendrils, threatening to snap them, but I held steady.

Control. That's what this was about.

I pulsed more mana into the shadows, willing them to hold firm. The Death Magic burned in my chest, eager, as though it were claiming the beast for itself rather than obeying me.

The beast thrashed harder, its roar vibrating through the air, but its strength faltered as the frost engulfed its body. Finally, with one last shudder, it froze entirely, collapsing into the snow in a lifeless heap.

I exhaled sharply, flexing my fingers as the shadows dissipated back into faint wisps at my feet. I didn't need to catch my breath.

Lothar's voice broke the silence. "You know, a normal Rank I adept wouldn't even leave a scratch on that thing." He stepped forward, his boots crunching against the snow. "Its scales deflect most standard magic, and its regeneration makes it nearly impossible to wear down. Most wouldn't last long enough to try."

I glanced at the frozen beast, its jagged scales glittering faintly under the pale light. Lothar wasn't one to give compliments easily, but the weight of his words settled somewhere deep in my chest. "Well, good thing I'm not 'most,'" I said. But even as I said it, I felt that nagging pull of doubt. Control wasn't quite mine yet, not fully.

But before Lothar could reply, the snow behind me shifted again.

The snow erupted in a flurry of frost and ice as a second creature emerged. This one was smaller but faster, its crystalline body glinting like shattered glass. Its glowing blue eyes burned brighter than the Howler's, and a sharp, chittering sound escaped its maw as it skated across the frozen ground in erratic, jagged movements.

"Don't tell me there's more," I muttered, glancing toward Lothar.

The crystalline beast lunged without warning, faster than I could react. I flung a shadow upward just in time, forming a barrier that caught the creature mid-lunge and flung it back. It hit the snow hard but landed on its feet, skittering in a wide arc as it circled me cautiously.

This one was smarter.

My fingers twitched as I sent more shadows curling outward, their edges sharpening like blades. The creature darted left, then right, testing my reach before lunging again.

I pivoted sharply, forcing two tendrils to strike in quick succession, but it dodged both, skating across the ice in a blur of motion.

I willed Death Magic into the shadows, letting its heavy pulse anchor the tendrils as they twisted toward the creature. I adjusted their trajectories mid-air, forcing them to close in tighter with each strike until one finally coiled around its legs.

The beast screeched, its sharp cries cutting through the cold air, but I didn't stop. I tightened the tendrils, their edges darkening as the Death Magic spread faster now. The crystalline hide began to crack under the pressure, fractures splintering outward until the entire creature shattered in an echoing burst.

I stood there for a moment, brushing off shards of ice from my cloak. Around me, the snow lay shattered and marred with darkened cracks where shadows had clawed their way free.

Lothar walked toward me slowly, his cloak sweeping behind him with an elegance that seemed detached from the frozen battlefield. His expression was unreadable, but his silver eyes gleamed with something close to approval. "Not bad," he said, his voice calm but edged with challenge. "Still rough, but you're starting to demonstrate why they call you a prodigy."

I forced a grin, brushing ice dust off the hem of my cloak. "Starting to? What more do you want? They didn't even touch me."

"Exactly," he said, clapping a hand on my shoulder as he passed. "Confidence is good, Ali. Just don't let it blind you. Mastery isn't just about winning. It's about self-control, discipline, and the ability to guide and balance your magic. Remember that."

I nodded, glancing back at the fractured snow beneath me. The cold air swirled around me. For all my confidence, control still felt weak. Shadow and Death Magic weren't fighting me, but they weren't fully mine yet either.

I clenched my fists, a faint smile tugging at my lips. "Almost there," I murmured under my breath, the words curling into the cold air. "Almost."