Draco was given a secluded area in the sect to test his new flame and gain proficiency in controlling it.
"It's like I have a connection to it, and I just have to imagine, and it will do as I say," Draco muttered as he formed embers between his fingers, shaping them into tiny, flickering dragons and snakes.
It was not that easy for everyone. Draco had a far superior connection to his flame because of the sliver of divinity Aaric had imbued within it. One of the many boons it had granted him.
"Have you decided what you will use the flame for?" Aaric asked, leaning against a pillar.
"I have had some interest in Alchemy. But that is for later; for now, I need to learn how to use it in combat..." Draco muttered, his face set in concentration as he drew his wand and began practicing weaving spells as he controlled his fire as well.
Aaric nodded at the response. Draco was still deeply worried because of Voldemort and wanted to be as strong as he could be for the inevitable fight.
'Just this year...' Aaric thought. He planned to finish Voldemort as a threat by the end of the year so Draco and everyone else could finally sleep without the shadow of the Dark Lord hanging over them.
The Elder returned to check up on them and found Draco practicing his spellcasting with the use of the flame, trying to blending wand movements with flame manipulation.
"You have great control over the flame in such a short time," the Elder observed, earning a polite smile from Draco.
"Would you like some advice from this old man?" the Elder asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It would be an honor, Elder," Draco answered with a respectful bow.
The Elder started teaching Draco how to coordinate and concentrate on moving both his hands independently to direct the flow of magic and fire simultaneously.
Seeing that Draco was in good hands, Aaric nodded to the Elder and quietly left the room to explore the grounds.
He wandered for some time before finding himself in the tranquil forest area near the sect boundaries. The air felt fresh with natural magic, and he soon started interacting with the magical beasts that called the forest home.
"Aw, are you out here alone? Where is your mother?" Aaric asked a little Qilin he had found, gently picking the creature up in his arms.
The creature nuzzled against him, sensing his benevolent aura. He soon found the rest of the Qilin family grazing nearby and sat down to enjoy the peaceful company.
"So... you didn't feel like inviting me?" Aaric heard a familiar voice behind him as Daphne stepped out of a portal a moment later.
"I was just about to, Love," Aaric answered with a smile, turning to cup her face in his free hand before giving her a soft kiss.
"Liar," Daphne muttered with a pout, though her eyes were smiling. She sat beside him and took a little Qilin into her arms, cooing at it.
Aaric chuckled and wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her back against his chest as they relaxed together.
"Neville's parents have recovered well," Daphne told him after a while, breaking the comfortable silence.
Aaric was sitting with his back against a sturdy tree, Daphne secure in his arms as the Qilin family grazed peacefully in front of them.
"Of course they have. They are being treated by you, after all," Aaric whispered into her hair, feeling her smile against his arm.
Daphne held Aaric's arms tighter and leaned back against his chest, looking up at the canopy of leaves and the sky beyond.
"It's... surreal what we are capable of now..." Daphne muttered as Aaric ran his hands gently over her stomach, making her giggle from time to time.
"Well... we were lucky," Aaric whispered back, his mind drifting to the moment he was reincarnated in this world simply because 'Why not?' were God's words.
"I imagine what eternity together will be like... Would you love me even when I get fat?" Daphne asked him casually.
Aaric froze. His hands paused their gentle rhythm, and he became completely alert.
'Well... I'm not falling for this one,' Aaric thought frantically. He instantly activated Thought Acceleration to speed up his cognitive processing, searching for the optimal survival response.
He could feel a bead of sweat sliding down his temple in slow motion and saw Daphne's slightly upturned, narrowed eyes waiting for his answer.
"Well..." Aaric started, gulping audibly as his mind moved a mile a minute. "I don't think we are capable of getting fat now. And even if you were to get fat, there would be more to love, and I would thank every god for it. It will be like I am getting more for the price of one; it's the best deal in the world..."
Aaric continued his rapid-fire train of logic for the next five minutes, speaking non-stop, not even pausing for breath as he listed every conceivable reason why her hypothetical weight gain was actually a blessing to mankind.
Daphne had stopped listening halfway through. She was doing her absolute best to hide her laughter, pressing the side of her face into his chest and holding his arms tighter to conceal her shaking shoulders and twitching lips.
"So... Like. Yes, that is my answer," Aaric finally ended his tirade, holding Daphne by the waist as he awaited her judgment.
He did not even dare to breathe.
"I love you too, baby," Daphne looked up at him, gave him a passionate kiss, and then burst into laughter against his neck.
Aaric let out an audible breath of relief, sagging against the tree and holding her tight as if holding on for dear life.
"You had me sweating there," Aaric muttered, which only elicited more peals of laughter from her.
"Why were you here?" Daphne asked eventually, referring to why he was in China.
"Well, Draco wanted a flame for himself. I told you the thing with him and Voldemort, right? He has been worrying about that a lot," Aaric answered, letting out a sigh.
"Makes sense. He must think the life of his family is on his shoulders," Daphne muttered, looking up at Aaric.
"Yeah, so he now has a flame, and I even added a little bit of divinity to it. I hope getting a flame lessens his worries," Aaric whispered, squeezing Daphne's waist.
"What will the divinity do?" Daphne asked curiously.
"Well, it will grow with him, and you know... he may get minor reality warping when in great danger," Aaric explained casually, getting a thoughtful hum from Daphne.
"My potion got the approval of the Potion Regulation Authority," Daphne said after a little bit of silence, a proud smile lighting up her face.
"Wicked how we did human testing even before that, huh?" Aaric muttered with a chuckle.
"Mother-in-law has sway in the healing community, after all," Daphne answered with a smirk.
"Mother-in-law, huh? Is that your way of proposing?" Aaric teased with a playful smile.
"What is there to ask? I have you wrapped around my fingers," Daphne said, wiggling her fingers to demonstrate her point.
"That's true. My heart is too far gone in your clutches by now," Aaric admitted with a nod.
Daphne giggled and cupped Aaric's face, playfully molding his cheeks into different shapes.
"What will you call the potion?" Aaric asked after Daphne had her fun with his face.
"Dreamwhisper Brew comes to mind. The name also explains how it works," Daphne said, resting her chin on Aaric's shoulder.
Aaric nodded and caressed her hair and back as they enjoyed their time in the peaceful forest until the evening, after which Daphne left through a portal.
A/n: I was smiling as I wrote this chapter, I hope you have one as you read it as well.
And.. you got any power stones? Well, hand em over then.