Two small hills rose from the ground, and nearby, a Blue Sentinel stood silently, observing Cloud Dragon's demonstration with glowing eyes.
Rhodes had originally thought this meeting would be brief, just a quick exchange and perhaps a lesson or two he could handle with his own magic. But clearly, Cloud Dragon was in the mood to teach, and since she insisted, he had no choice but to summon the Blue Sentinel to reinforce his mana.
"Watch closely! First up, focused force!" Cloud Dragon opened her mouth, exhaling a tight, compressed stream of wind.
The whirlwind looked narrow compared to her large frame, but its power was unmistakable. It shot diagonally from above, pierced straight through the first hill, and bored deep into the earth behind it, leaving a gaping, bottomless hole.
"Next, scattered concentration!" she barked.
She exhaled again, this time forming a spiraling tornado. But unlike before, it wasn't a single stream. It was dozens, hundreds, of fine wind blades spinning around a core current, creating a wide-area vortex.
The second hill didn't stand a chance. The swirling blades tore it apart from the outside in, pulverizing it into rubble before the entire slope collapsed in a cloud of dust.
Wendy's eyes sparkled in awe. "Amazing!"
"Got it now?" Cloud Dragon spoke rapidly. "Wind magic isn't just blowing things up. You need to shape it. Now, show me what you've got!"
"Yes!" Wendy nodded earnestly and stepped forward.
"Sky Dragon's Claw!"
"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!"
"Sky Dragon's Wind Blade!"
One after another, Wendy launched her spells, and with each move, Cloud Dragon gave quick corrections, adjusting her angle, helping her refine the flow, showing how to control the pressure points of the wind. Despite her hurried tone and fast speech, she didn't skip over anything. She kept going until both Wendy and Rhodes truly understood.
When the sky began to dim and the day felt near its end, Cloud Dragon finally paused. She turned to Rhodes and tilted her head.
"Mountain Dragon told me you'd burn out fast."
Rhodes gave a small grin. "Maybe I said that a while ago. People grow."
Cloud Dragon gave a satisfied nod. "Good. Very good. I'm heading off now, see you next time."
Just as she was about to leave, Wendy softly called out, her voice barely more than a whisper: "Um... could I...?"
But Cloud Dragon heard her.
She leaned down gently, listening.
Then, surprisingly, she smiled, an expression warm and sincere despite her whirlwind of a personality. Slowly, she extended one of her large, cloud-feathered wings in front of Wendy.
Wendy rushed forward with joy, throwing her arms around the soft scales and nuzzling into them like a child reuniting with family.
Rhodes and Mira exchanged glances. They could easily guess what Wendy had asked for.
Seeing it unfold, Rhodes felt a quiet warmth in his heart. It wasn't bad at all when summon beasts had emotions like this. Lucy had probably felt the same way about her Celestial Spirits.
After a few moments of hugging and head-pats, Cloud Dragon gently brushed Wendy's hair aside, then began to fade into mist and sky.
Before disappearing completely, she turned her gaze back to Rhodes.
"Don't push yourself next time," she said quickly but firmly. "There's no need to rush. Rest first, then summon me. You can't take care of others if you don't take care of yourself."
Her words were fast, but heartfelt.
Mira gently lifted Rhodes's arm and rested it across her shoulders, supporting his weight as he leaned on her.
"Take it easy for a moment," she said softly.
Rhodes let out a calm breath, relaxing in her hold.
"Brother Rhodes, are you okay?" Wendy ran over, her voice full of concern. "I'm sorry... I was being too selfish earlier."
Rhodes shook his head, managing a small smile. "It's fine. Just give me a few minutes to recover."
He wasn't pushing himself too hard, the blue buff was still active, accelerating his recovery. A short rest was all he needed.
Moments later, as his magic power stabilized, Rhodes raised his head.
He Take over the Dragon Soul. "Alright then... let's spar."
Mira's eyes sparkled. "Take over: Satan Soul."
She met his challenge without hesitation. "It'll be good for Wendy to watch. She'll learn more about your fighting style."
She remembered well, Rhodes had once said he wanted to make Wendy his partner. A live demonstration like this would be better than any explanation.
The moment they took their stances, a fierce battle broke out.
Punches, kicks, bursts of energy, all exchanged with overwhelming force.
Wendy and Carla instinctively backed up as magical pressure surged outward. The ground cracked, wind howled, and with a flash of wings, both Rhodes and Mira launched into the air. The night sky lit up with streaks of power, flares of blue and violet tracing arcs through the darkness.
"Wh-What's happening?!" Carla clung tightly to Wendy's leg, her little body trembling from the shockwaves. "Are they seriously just sparring?!"
Wendy shielded her eyes with her arm, her twin ponytails flailing in the turbulent wind. Her gaze tracked the two figures clashing midair.
"They're incredible... Brother Rhodes and Sister Mira are both so strong!"
But even as she said it, a thought struck her.
Gildarts is supposed to be even stronger than this...
Carla seemed to follow her train of thought. The battle before them was already terrifying enough. If this level of destruction happened inside a town, the damage would be unthinkable. So how powerful was the man, Gildarts?
Meanwhile, in the sky, Mira and Rhodes were locked in a deadly-fast exchange. For a time, they were evenly matched. But as Rhodes began to adjust more fluidly to the power of Cloud Dragon, his speed started to outpace hers.
He struck Mira's shoulder from the left.
Before she could recover, another hit landed against her back. She grunted, wings flaring, and tried to soar higher to gain distance.
But Rhodes was already there.
Mira struggled to match his tempo. In terms of raw power, she was still formidable, but keeping up with the speed of concentrated wind magic, refined by a Dragon's guidance, was something else entirely.
Back on the ground, Wendy squinted up at the sky, a puzzled look forming on her face.
"Wait a second... Brother Rhodes's flying movements… they look a lot like a happy's."
"That tomcat?" Carla huffed, arms crossed. She didn't want to admit it, but even she had to acknowledge it, Happy might actually fly better than her.
"Demon Halphas!" Mira switched to a more powerful Demon Soul form, dark wings bursting from her back as she surged forward and finally caught hold of Rhodes's wrist mid-flight.
"Your speed's gotten a lot better," she said, steadying herself. "But your strength seems weaker than when you're using the Mountain Dragon's power."
"Yeah," Rhodes nodded, breathing slightly heavier. "Once I get the hang of it, I think I'll be able to match both speed and strength."
He took a deep breath, and exhaled gently.
Mira instinctively flinched, but all it did was blow her hair across her face.
Rhodes grinned. "A little payback."
Mira blinked, then realized what he meant. She dropped her form and fanned her nose in mock disgust. "Hmph. That breath of yours could knock out a demon."
Rhodes chuckled and didn't respond.
Wendy came running over to check Mira's shoulder. After confirming it wasn't anything serious, she let out a sigh of relief. "Do you two always train like that?"
"Sometimes," Mira said, smiling. "But usually it's just regular training to boost magic power and physical strength."
Wendy looked down, uncertain. "Can I really be helpful in the S-Class Exam?"
"Of course you can," Rhodes said confidently. "You're the Sky Dragon Slayer, Wendy. If you'd cast an enchantment to buff me earlier, I might've beaten Mira for once. And now, you've got Cloud Dragon to guide you too."
Wendy's eyes lit up. "You're right! I'll work hard!"
They rode the crabs back. After returning to Magnolia, Rhodes and Mira walked Wendy and Carla to the girls' dorm. They waited until the two safely went upstairs before leaving.
As they walked off into the early morning haze, Rhodes suddenly reached out and pulled Mira into a hug.
"Hmm? What is it?" she asked, leaning into him slightly.
Rhodes leaned close and whispered near her lips, "Let me check if your breath smells bad."
"You..." Mira's cheeks puffed as she punched him lightly on both shoulders. "Holding a grudge over that?!"
She ended up laughing, and after a moment, returned the hug.
The next morning, the trio headed to the guild together like usual.
But just as they passed an alley, a disheveled figure staggered out and nearly collapsed in front of them.
Elfman blinked. "Gajeel?"
It was definitely Gajeel, but he looked like he had gone through a war. His jacket was torn, his pants were scratched up, and his face was covered in what looked unmistakably like cat claw marks.
Mira, who had warmed up to him recently, asked gently, "Are you alright? What happened?"
Gajeel only shook his head weakly and walked off without a word, his steps heavy and shoulders slumped.
Rhodes, Mira, and Elfman exchanged confused looks. Behind them, from the direction of the alley, came a faint sound—
"Mreeoooww!"
...
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