They finish their morning coffee and find an area on the edge of the beach; near the small urban town Ulysee resided in. Now nearing afternoon, they were fortunate enough to not have anyone else outside with them. They could practice their magic without worry.

  The skies were slightly cloudy, though there had yet been any form of rain. Brandon decided to commit to their training session until a drop of rain came down.

  “What’s the point of teaching me more magic again, when I’m just going to lose my mana soon anyway?”

  Ulysee stood across from Brandon, out of reaching range but still in speaking range. Giving her the complete truth, Brandon answered her.

  “It’s going to take me some time to prepare the ritual,” Brandon says in almost shame. “Enough time that I’ll be able to teach you a form of magic that I already have mastery over. Something that shouldn’t take long for me to get instilled into you.”

  “You mean your archery magic.”

  Brandon nods.

  “And this is the same type of magic that the other witch used? The one we faced?”

  “Yes, but with a slight twist. Actually, it isn’t a slight twist – it’s a major difference.”

  Ulysee said nothing else in the moment, listening to her momentary teacher explain to her something of importance.

  “Fire.” He started off.

  “The black and blue flames were the most visible difference between our archery techniques. My magic converted fire into arrows, while his…his converted some form of lightning into arrows. Compared to his art, my flames were better off against crowds, while his form of archery seemed to be more condensed, focusing on single targets.”

  Brandon thought back to taking on the initial attack from Amneal. The lightning that surged through his body when he attempted to sacrifice himself for Ulysee.

  “The strike from his first arrow not only damaged me but disrupted my mana for a moment. His arrow was faster and more focused. It attacked my magic system like it was directed in such a manner.”

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  Brandon felt a moment of weakness upon thinking about the scenery.

  “I was almost too late in aiding you.”

  “But you did save me, and that’s all that matters.”

  Ulysee takes a step forward and balls up her fist, showcasing her seriousness – the passion in her voice. She held no regrets from that moment, not even the injury she temporarily suffered from landing on her leg.

  “If you hadn’t launched me out the way, I’m not sure what would have happened to me.”

  Now her words sink in. She takes her balled fist and pulls it to her chest. The two are silent for a moment, as they both dwell on the attack that from the opposing witch. They both dwelled on the events that could have happened next if Brandon wasn’t so instinctual.

  Brandon refused to think more into it. He changes the subject.

  “Let’s begin your training.”

  Brandon makes his way past Ulysee. He ends up behind her, leaning in close against her. He lightly grips her arms before shifting his hands to both of her wrists. He turns on his mana tracing.

  Closing his eyes soon after, as he focuses on the flow of her mana, Brandon starts off by showing her the right posture of not only summoning a bow but wielding it. He maneuvers her arms and hands as to where they need to be. He feels the tenseness that begins to arise from her, exhaling softly as she mimics him and does the same thing. He slowly opens his eyes and truly realizes how close he is to her.

  Her cheeks are red. She blushes while maintaining a straight direction. Brandon feels her body pressing against his and begins to blush with her. He conjures up a distraction.

  “Concentrate the flow of your mana into your hands and wrists.”

  Neither of them move. Brandon closes his eyes and allows for his mana tracing to feel for her mana, once again. He flows his own mana against hers, guiding her mana as if the two had merged into a river-like flow.

  The two begin to breathe at a more rapid paste. They begin to sweat. Before she knows it, Ulysee’s eyes are closed as well. From the outside looking in, something else can be speculated between the two.

  Ulysee gives off light groans. Groans that turn into moans. Brandon’s soft voice follows after hers. Getting lost within his overshadowing of mana, Ulysee eventually finds herself. Before the sexual noises between the two could grow louder, she breaks away. Brandon’s eyes flush open with the two still breathing heavy. Neither says a word as they stare into each other. Ulysee breaks this silence first.

  “Maybe we should do something else.”

  Brandon nods continuously. He doesn’t know how to feel about what just happened.

  “I agree. But we’re going to have to come back to this later. This…ummm…”

  Brandon can’t keep a gaze on her, turning his body slightly to the side and mostly speaking to her from a side angle.

  Brandon clears his throat.

  “Your training. Your training.”

  “Yeah. Ok.”

  Ulysee gives these words to him softly.