Chapter 110 Under The Lake

"By using magic," Lui answered, "we'll cast a spell to show us where the creatures are hiding."

"Alright," Lucas agreed, "let's do it."

Luu began casting a spell, and Lucas watched as the light flashed over the water. The waves were disturbed slightly, and the surface was covered in white foam that bubbled up and dissipated quickly.

"Look!" Lucas called out, pointing to something in the water.

"There it is, a small fish."

The two of them moved closer and stared at the fish, which looked much different from the ones Lucas was used to seeing in the pool. It wasn't a flat fish but instead had four legs. It also had a large mouth full of sharp teeth, and its eyes were shining red.

"What is that thing?" Lucas asked.

"A freshwater monster," Luu replied, "they're harmless to humans."

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked dubiously.

"Yes," Luu assured him. "As long as you don't provoke them, they won't bother you."

"How come no one else knows about these things?" Lucas wondered, "they must be pretty common if there are hundreds of them in the lake."

"Do you think anyone's ever tried fishing in this lake?" Luu asked.

"Sure," Lucas said, "but you never catch anything."

"Exactly," Luu said, "so nobody has bothered to look for more information. They just assumed that there weren't any monsters in the lake."

"But now you've told us about them," Lucas pointed out, "so people will probably start looking around."

Luu smiled, "that's one benefit of teaching someone new."

"Will you show me how to use magic?" Lucas asked.

"Of course," Lui replied, "it would be silly not to. But first, let's get some food."

Lucas followed Luu to the village, where they bought some bread and cheese. After eating their lunch, they returned to the lake.

"Now we'll practise your magic," Luu announced.

"Magic?" Lucas asked, "what kind?"

"Just normal magic," Luu replied, "not the sort of magic you need to know to become a dragon master."

"You mean I don't even have to learn to fly?" Lucas asked hopefully.

"No," Lui laughed, "you'll have to wait until you're an adult to become a dragonmaster."

"I don't mind waiting," Lucas said, "I guess I'd rather spend my time practising magic anyway."

"Excellent," Lui said, "then let's begin."

Lui taught Lucas how to use magic by casting simple spells that caused objects to float in the air and cause sounds or lights to appear. Lucas copied Lui's gestures and voice perfectly and soon learnt to control his magic just as well as Luu did.

"What do we do next?" Lucas asked.

"We'll take turns," Luu said, "so that each of us gets a chance to practise our magic."

"Okay," Lucas agreed, "how does that work?"

"Let's say I'm the first person," Lui explained, "then I'll cast a spell, and you'll follow my movements."

"Right," Lucas nodded.

He began following Luu's movement and soon managed to reproduce the basic magic trick he had already learned.

"Very good!" Luu complimented him, "now it's your turn."

"Okay," Lucas said, "I'll try it."

He looked into the air as if searching for something, and began moving his arm in a circular motion.

"What am I supposed to do?" Lucas asked.

"Move your hand and arm up and down," Lui instructed, "and imagine that you're drawing a circle in the air."

Lucas repeated what Luu said, and soon succeeded in doing exactly the same as his teacher.

"Well done!" the old man said, "that was very good! Now you can practise casting your own magic whenever you want."

After that, the two of them spent the rest of the day practising their magic, and by evening both boys were exhausted.

"Wow!" Lucas exclaimed when they finally returned home, "I didn't know it would take so much effort to cast magic."

"It's difficult at first," Lui admitted, "but you'll get better with practice, for now, good night." He nodded and glanced at Lucas's bed, "I see you still have company," he saw Peri lying on Lucas's pillows.

"Yeah," Lucas said, "he likes the room."

"That's fine, just remember to make room for yourself too."

Lucas yawned and climbed into bed. He lay there for a while before falling asleep, dreaming of flying dragons.

***

The next morning, Lucas woke up early and went outside to greet Peri. The sun was shining brightly, and Lucas decided to go for a walk along the beach.

He walked along the shore until he reached the edge of the water, and sat down on the sand to gaze at the lake. Suddenly, a strange noise caught his attention, and he turned towards the source of the sound.

He could see a large group of fish swimming near the surface of the lake, and one particular fish was causing everyone else to swim away from it.

"That's weird," Lucas mumbled as he watched the fish.

Suddenly, the fish stopped swimming and began drifting slowly backwards, leaving Lucas wondering why. Then, the fish suddenly dived under the waves, and Lucas noticed that several other fish were following it.

"What's going on here?" Lucas wondered aloud.

Then he heard a familiar voice behind him, "what are you doing here?"

Lucas turned around and saw a long silver hair floating through the air towards him.

"Kali!" Lucas exclaimed I haven't seen you for so long!"

"I've been busy," Kali answered, "I'm training on my dragon's form, how have you been?" She decided to sit down beside Lucas.

"Not bad," Lucas smiled, "I've started learning to cast magic."

"Really?" she asked, "how is it?"

"It's pretty cool," Lucas answered, "although it takes a lot of energy to cast."

"Why don't you practise with me?" Kali suggested, "it's a good way to improve your magic."

"I'm not comfortable with using it on my own yet, I could hurt you," Lucas replied.

"Don't worry about hurting me," she reassured him, "I'm used to it."

There was something different about Kali's smile this time, but Lucas couldn't understand what exactly. The eyes that usually sparkled with excitement were dull, and the expression on her face was serious.

"You look tired," Lucas noted, "is everything okay?"