Will Power

Air stilled, the echo of sound fading as Lan forcefully shoved the hybrid dragon boy off her shoulder. He floated gently into the air, eyes shimmering with sadness as he whispered,

"Wait, Mama… didn't you name me Qinglong? And you said that, for you, I'm Azure."

Lan's eyes flew wide open. She stared at Caixia, shock tightening her voice.

"What the hell did you do to my weapon?"

Caixia only smiled gently. Rising from the barrel, she walked toward Lan, placing one hand softly on her shoulder while handing Qinglong back with the other.

"Remember what Hao said?" she asked, her tone calm. "That your weapon has a will of its own?"

She stepped closer, her gaze steady.

"I just gave that will… a body."

Lan stared at the little dragon boy, then whispered,

"So… does this mean I won't be able to use this weapon anymore?"

Caixia laughed softly, her voice light but sure. Locking eyes with Lan, her cross-shaped pupils gleaming, she replied,

"No, girl. You've got it all wrong."

She leaned in, her tone dropping to something more intimate.

"Close your eyes. Focus on your weapon."

Lan hesitated for a second, but then nodded and followed the instructions. She shut her eyes and focused, picturing Qinglong as a spear once again.

When she opened them, her breath caught.

The little dragon boy was already beginning to vanish — his glowing green form dissolving into streams of light, each strand pulling back into the cane.

Qinglong's body reshaped, transforming right before her eyes…

Until it was a spear again.

Lan's eyes widened as she took a shaky step back.

"Wait—what just happened? Where did that dragon boy go?"

Caixia leaned in a little closer, her voice dropping to a whisper against Lan's ear.

"Now that your weapon has transformed, what you awakened is what helps it shift forms. Anytime you want it to change—just think it. It'll obey you."

She pulled back, flashing a sly smile.

"Cool, right?"

Lan's eyes widened, her thoughts racing. She tilted her head up, voice laced with disbelief.

"So… you're saying when it's in cane form, that dragon boy exists in the body you gave him? And when I think about transforming it… he just disappears?"

Caixia nodded with a smile, calm and matter-of-fact.

Lan spun Qinglong in her hand, focusing on returning him to cane form. In a flash of green light, the weapon shifted—and the little dragon boy appeared once more.

She stared at him for a moment, then said softly,

"You'll be known by the name I gave you… But I'll call you Azure. Got that?"

Qinglong's face lit up with joy. He floated over and perched on her shoulder, whispering,

"Mama… thanks for that."

Lan's eyes twitched with a mix of awkwardness and irritation. She muttered under her breath,

"Hey, stop calling me 'Mama.' I'm still underage, alright? Just call me Lan."

Then she looked at him again, this time with a gentle smile. Her voice softened.

"We're friends, okay? Remember that, Azure."

Qinglong nodded brightly, his smile wide.

"Okay, Lan. We're best friends."

Caixia cut through the chatter, her voice firm but amused.

"Now that your weapon drama's settled, can we finally talk about your powers?"

She plopped back down on the barrel and tapped the one beside her, motioning for Lan to sit.

"You can chat with them later. First, come over here—let me explain what you're holding."

Lan nodded and started walking toward her seat, but before she could sit, Ailin stepped up beside her with a warm smile.

"Hey," Ailin whispered, eyes twinkling, "while you talk to that witch, can I play with your dragon?"

Lan smirked, her voice dipping into the most evil tone she could muster.

"Oh, yes, of course. If he annoys you, feel free to chop him in half."

Ailin giggled and shook her head.

"No, no. He won't. His heart's pure… just like yours."

Lan rolled her eyes but gently lifted Qinglong off her shoulder. She leaned in and whispered something only he could hear. He gave a tiny nod, then fluttered into Ailin's waiting hands.

Ailin cradled him like a precious toy and skipped off toward her spot by the campfire, leaving Lan to finally take a seat beside Caixia.

Caixia's eye twitched. Her voice dropped into a low, sharp whisper, edged with playful venom.

"Did she just call me a witch? Seriously?"

Then she smirked, a glint of mischief lighting her crimson eyes.

"Hmph. How dare she... Though, well—she's not wrong. I am one. Haha..."

She crossed her legs, planting one elbow on her knee and resting her chin on her palm. Her gaze drifted toward the fire, where Ailin was giggling softly, teaching Qinglong little tricks like they were old friends.

Then, almost out of nowhere, Caixia spoke again—her voice quieter now, heavier.

"Your power... it doesn't belong to this world."

Lan blinked, heart skipping.

"Wh–What do you mean... doesn't belong to this world?"

Caixia didn't look at her. Her eyes were still locked on Ailin and the tiny dragon boy.

"Not from Celestia. Not from the Seven Shadows of Celestia either," she whispered, each word colder than the last.

"Your power isn't written in our history. Not in any prophecy, not in any ancient text."

Lan's breath caught.

Caixia leaned forward, her voice curling like smoke.

"You hold a power born from your own will."

Lan shot up from the barrel like she'd been struck by lightning.

"What the f*ck are you saying?!" she snapped, panic blooming in her voice.

"That makes zero sense—I don't understand!"

Caixia slowly turned her glowing red pupils toward Lan, her expression completely unfazed.

"Sit down, idiot. Let me explain before your brain overheats."

Lan gritted her teeth but dropped back onto the barrel, her fists clenched. Her eyes never left Caixia's.

"Listen closely," Caixia began, her tone low but charged.

"If you will something to burn, your aura will ignite. But not with fire as we know it. It becomes something else. Something green, wild, unstable—something only you can control."

She shifted slightly, her voice turning into a rhythmic murmur, almost hypnotic.

"You want water? Your aura will shift again. Not copying water, but becoming your will's version of it."

Caixia's eyes narrowed, glowing faintly in the firelight.

"We call it Anti-Element. It doesn't follow rules. It doesn't obey nature. It defies it."

She leaned in, voice sharpened to a blade's edge.

"Even gods don't have this power."

Lan sat frozen, her mind spinning.

"So... it's not about magic," she whispered.

"It's about what I want to happen?"

Caixia nodded slowly.

"Exactly. And that weapon you carry?"

She pointed to Qinglong, now fluttering around Ailin with gleeful giggles.

"That's not just a magical tool. It's part of you. A literal manifestation of your will."

Lan's eyes widened again.

"Wait. That dragon boy… is my will's creation?"

Caixia smirked, almost in awe.

"Yeah. Took me a moment to realize it too."

She leaned back, folding her arms.

"You didn't just awaken a sentient weapon. You gave your will... a soul."

Lan's thoughts swirled in silence.

Did Starila give me this power… because I'm the protagonist of this story?

She shook her head, frowning.

No. This doesn't feel like her doing. Why would she give me power born from my own will?

That'd mean I could shape anything—just by thinking it…

—

Somewhere, far beyond the waking world—

A void stretched endlessly, covered in mist as clear as glass. Floating in the heart of that darkness… was Starila.

She drifted effortlessly, her robes trailing like smoke, eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Oh, my sweet little girl…" she whispered, her voice echoing through the void.

"You're so close to understanding this dream world."

She twirled mid-air, smiling as if she were watching a favorite drama unfold.

"It's going to be delicious... seeing the look on your pretty little face when the truth finally hits you."

She tapped her temple with a single, lazy finger and grinned.

"After all… I'm deep inside your mind now."

°°°