It's been a week since I started my training. I have been practicing what Asara asked me to do, it wasn't very difficult to be honest, but not satisfied with it I went a little further. While learning how to gradually increase and decrease the fireball I reached a certain limit, the space here at home is small and we were afraid of burning everything with a very big fireball. I think I can increase the fireball even more, but for now I will leave it like this and try it when I have the chance and the right place.

In the first days I practiced associating certain words with certain images, then I started to try other techniques. One idea I came up with was to surround my arms and legs with fire. I was a little reluctant at first since having fire very close to the skin is not a good idea, but I asked Asara about it and she said that we are very tolerable to fire, in general, and it doesn't do us much harm unless it is a very "impure" fire; the latter she will explain to me in the near future. Now I understand why when I did my first fireball I didn't get burned at all, even though I had a huge mass of fire inches from my head.

Covering my limbs with fire went rather better than I thought it would, just like the fireball, I used the word and image association and in a couple of hours I had learned it, no doubt being small helps. Other ideas were: small fire bullets, basically decrease the size of the fire to that of a bullet, or a little bigger, and throw them at high speed; fire flare, apparently I have a great capacity to store incredible air and thanks to that I can light a flame in my hand and release the stored air to make a flare, and finally; fire whips, I can give different shapes to the fire and one of them was that of a whip that I can use to hit or lure a target. During this week were the techniques that I was developing, practicing and perfecting.

And now we are here, in a new lesson.

□ □ □

I was watching him all week, observing every detail, trying not to miss anything and I can only say one thing: he is a prodigy. To master fire in such a way and develop combat techniques in such a short time is something I've never seen before, not even the best court fighters learn in such an absurd way, and that I've seen a few prodigies out there, what baffles me most is that he's only five years old, he doesn't even have a septennium!

Fireballs of absurd size, and he can make them even bigger, change the size and shape of fire at his convenience, develop combat techniques in such a short time. Maybe no one realizes it yet, but if a palace general sees him he would recruit him for sure, he can become the best warrior in the royal court without a doubt.

"He can become a great warrior without a doubt..."

"That will depend on him, but it's quite a while away."

"Aaah! Lilith, stop doing that, one day you'll scare me to death," I say half-angrily.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Sorry, it's habit." Lilith replies with a little laugh.

"What a strange habit!"

"Are you still watching him through the window? If you continue like this I'll think you're a stalker," Lilith throws in a tasteless joke.

"It's amazing and mesmerizing to see how he's advancing by leaps and bounds," I reply with much pride, "but he still has a way to go, plus it wouldn't do any good to push him and put high expectations on him. It would be best to let him develop in his own time."

"And that's what you are there for, my dear." Lilith replies as she gives me a hug from behind.

"There is a limit to what I can teach him, if he keeps this up in a short time he won't need me anymore. It may be that in a few months, or even weeks, she will be rid of me," a bit of sadness and happiness wrap themselves around my words.

"When that happens, feel proud because you were part of the process and taught him everything you know, that helped shape the great Dragonnewt he will be tomorrow," Lilith responds gently and firmly. "Until that happens, enjoy the moment and give it your all, he showed up a lot and so did I. There is no one better than you. There is no one better than you, in that we think alike."

"Thank you, Lilith."

For some reason I want to cry, but the smile on my face stops me.

□ □ □

"Are you ready?"

"Yes. Go ahead."

After the affirmation, I throw towards Asara several fireballs, not very big, one after another. All of them, without missing any of them, hit her body but they don't hurt her, it's as if they disappear when they hit her body.

"How do you do it? When they touch your skin they disappear," I ask with great curiosity.

"You remember last week I told you that many things can be done with mana, well this is one of them."

"I remember, you mentioned something about a barrier made of mana."

"Right, and it's not just that, I also mentioned that you could amplify your senses. Both resources are very useful when it comes to a confrontation," Asara replies with her index finger pointing upwards. "The mana barrier is very easy to do, but difficult to maintain. Remember that it is a technique that partially absorbs the damage of a spell or incantation, if the strength of the magic is greater it will overcome the barrier or even break it. Always keep that in mind."

After this explanation, Asara accumulates mana in her hand and creates a fireball.

"Are you going to do what I think you're going to do? Wait..." I ask as I step back with my right foot.

"Get ready, here I come." Asara says with a mischievous grin.

"Wait, hold on, wait a minute. Give me a tip first..."

A fireball comes at me. I narrowly dodge it, it hits the ground and makes a somewhat worrying hole.

"By the way, it's true that we are fire resistant, but that doesn't mean it can't hurt us. A hit from fire in certain places or with a lot of power can cause pain, remember that." Asara says as she continues to throw fireballs at me.

Well, think. This situation is a bit crazy, but it has a solution: cover my body with mana. I start to accumulate mana in my hands and feet, I imagine how I submerge myself in a great river of mana that covers my whole body and when I get out I can still feel it sliding down my skin.

When I get it, I stand still and let that last fireball hit me full in the chest. It feels hot and hurts a little, but there are no signs of burns on my clothes, everything seems fine.

"Well done," Asara says with a big smile on her face as she walks over in my direction.

"One question, do you feel any pain or any collateral damage when the fireball, or any other spell, hits your body?"

"It depends on how strong the barrier is and how strong the spell or incantation is, if the spell is strong enough and your barrier is too weak you should feel pain, a lot of pain," she answers honestly. "Remember that the barrier only partially reduces the damage, it doesn't eliminate it completely. When you attacked me I felt absolutely nothing, but it is usually normal to feel pain when receiving a spell. Blocking a spell is very difficult, you usually dodge them."

"Thank you. Okay, let's go again," I prepare for the next attack.

"Now you're talking."

We continue practicing the mana barrier all afternoon, I still feel pain in some parts of my body.