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The breakfast plates disappeared with the efficiency of well-trained staff. Alexius checked his ornate pocket watch, the silver chain glinting in the purple light filtering through the stained-glass windows.
"I must depart for the capital," he announced, rising from his chair. "The Pillar Council meeting cannot proceed without House Valac's perspective on the boundary disputes."
"Of course not," Dante said, keeping his face neutral. "Someone has to be the voice of reason."
Alexius's eyes narrowed slightly, searching for sarcasm, but Dante maintained his innocent expression. After a moment, he nodded and turned to Selene.
"I'll return by evening."
Selene rose gracefully. "We'll be here." She placed a delicate hand on Dante's shoulder. "Dante and I have matters to discuss regarding his education."
Dante glanced up at her. "We do?"
"Indeed." The faintest curve touched her lips. "Your void experience has clearly... expanded your perspective. It's time we expanded your magical repertoire as well."
Alexius looked between them, something unreadable passing across his features. "An excellent idea. The boy has been neglecting formal training."
"Not neglecting," Dante corrected, leaning back in his chair. "Approaching differently."
"Results matter more than methods," Alexius said, straightening his already immaculate jacket. "Though proper form builds proper foundation."
He strode toward the door, his movements economical and precise. At the threshold, he paused. "Dante."
"Father?"
"Your initiative this morning was... unexpected. But not unwelcome." With that cryptic assessment, he vanished into the hallway, his shadow lingering a moment longer than he did.
Dante turned to Selene, who watched him with those knowing amethyst eyes. "So, magical education?"
"Indeed." She turned to Ariel, who had remained silent and motionless throughout breakfast. "You'll join us as well."
Ariel bowed deeply. "My lady, I'm not certain I should—"
"Nonsense. Your elemental affinity complements today's lesson perfectly." Selene gestured for them to follow. "The eastern courtyard. Twenty minutes."
She glided from the room, leaving no room for argument.
Dante turned to Ariel, raising an eyebrow. "Complementary affinity?"
"Fire and wind," she said quietly, her eyes downcast. "Lady Selene rarely includes servants in family training."
"You're not just a servant." Dante stood, pushing his chair back. "And Mother knows it."
Ariel's crimson eyes flashed up to meet his. "Young Master, we shouldn't—"
"Speak freely? Question tradition? Think for ourselves?" He reached out, almost touching her arm before stopping himself. "Three days in the void changes your perspective on what matters, Ariel."
Her expression softened momentarily. "And what matters to you now, Dante?"
He smiled. "Power. But not the kind my father chases."
===
The eastern courtyard lay behind the main house, nestled between the library wing and what had once been servants' quarters but now housed an array of mystical laboratories. Unlike the manicured gardens elsewhere on the estate, this space was deliberately stark—black stone pavers arranged in concentric circles, training dummies positioned at strategic intervals, and not a decorative plant in sight.
Selene waited at the center, now dressed in a simple dark purple training outfit that resembled something between robes and athletic wear. Beside her stood a small table bearing three crystal goblets filled with water so clear it seemed to glow.
"Punctual. Good." She nodded as they approached. "Ariel, there's training attire for you in the antechamber."
Ariel bowed and slipped away through a side door. Dante was already dressed appropriately, having changed after breakfast into the clothes laid out in his room—black training pants and a sleeveless purple shirt that bore the Valac crest over the heart.
"You expected this," Dante observed.
"A mother knows her son." She gestured to the space beside her. "Even when he returns... different."
Dante stiffened slightly. "Different?"
Her eyes—so like his own—studied him. "The void changes everyone who experiences it. Some more than others."
He relaxed marginally. She suspected something, but not the truth.
"So what's today's lesson? More shadow manipulation? Void sight practice?"
"Neither." She traced a finger along the rim of one crystal goblet. "Today we focus on fundamentals. Elemental magic."
Dante frowned. "Isn't that a bit... basic?"
"Basics become brilliance with proper application." She looked up as Ariel returned, now dressed in similar training attire, though hers bore no family crest. "The problem with young devils today is their reliance on inherited power without understanding its foundations."
Ariel took position opposite Dante, completing their triangle around the table.
"Take Rias Gremory," Selene continued. "Immense power of destruction, yet little finesse in its application. Or Riser Phenex—regeneration so powerful he's never bothered to learn proper defensive techniques."
"They coast on talent," Dante said, understanding.
"Precisely." She lifted one goblet. "What makes you different, Dante, is not just your genius, but your willingness to work. To refine. To perfect."
Dante nodded, oddly pleased by the assessment. "So, water manipulation?"
"Begin with what flows, then what burns, then what moves unseen." She placed a goblet before each of them. "Focus."
Dante stared into the crystal goblet, reaching for his demonic power. It responded instantly—a rush of dark energy that felt both familiar and strange. Dante's power, yet his to command.
A magic circle formed above his palm, glowing purple with the Valac crest at its center. He directed it toward the water, visualizing movement.
The liquid rose obediently, forming a perfect sphere that hovered above the goblet.
"Good," Selene said. "Basic control is adequate."
Beside him, Ariel's water sphere wobbled slightly, her concentration evident in the tightness around her eyes.
"Now, complexity. Form and pattern."