Magic Lessons

The intense sunlight evaporated the water from the dragon into a mist that formed a rainbow in the sunlight.

"I'm so sorry!" Wanda apologized hastily, "I was just spacing out."

"Distracted?" Xiao Han turned around, water droplets sliding down his well-defined chest.

Wanda's gaze unconsciously followed the water droplets. "It's just... distracting..."

Xiao Han suddenly took a step closer, looking at her with a wicked grin. "Wanda, do you know what happens if an apprentice gets distracted in Kamar-Taj?"

Wanda swallowed hard. "Wh... what consequences?"

"Three extra hours of training." Xiao Han's lips curled into a slight smile.

"However, considering the special circumstances." He snapped his the Snap, and a portal appeared, with two deck chairs and a parasol falling out of thin air onto the beach.

"Let's rest first and then continue."

Wanda let out a long sigh of relief and slumped back in the recliner.

A gentle sea breeze swept by, carrying a slightly salty scent.

She stole a glance at Xiao Han beside her and found that he had already closed his eyes, the sunlight casting dappled golden shadows on his eyelashes.

"Xiao Han?" she called softly.

"Um?"

Thank you for bringing me here.

Crimson energy danced at her fingertips, transforming into a small flower that floated to Xiao Han's chest.

"This is much better than Hydra's simulation training room."

Xiao Han caught the flower and twirled it between his fingers. "Tomorrow we're going to Tahiti; the coral reefs there are even more suitable for practicing energy control."

Wanda sat up straight in surprise. "Really?"

"If you satisfy me with your performance this afternoon," Xiao Han added, tucking the small flower behind his ear amidst Wanda's laughter.

"Now, focus on the rhythm of the waves. The real lesson has just begun."

The waves gently lapped at the beach, and the sun warmed the fine sand.

Wanda sat cross-legged under the parasol, crimson energy flowing through her palms like a thin veil.

Following Xiao Han's instructions, she tried to adjust the magic frequency to synchronize with the ocean waves.

"No." Xiao Han suddenly spoke, his eyes still closed.

"You're being too deliberate."

Wanda pouted. "I'm already very relaxed."

"Heartbeat 92 beats per minute, pupils dilated 0.3 millimeters, fine sweat on the forehead," Xiao Han said lazily.

"Is this what you call relaxation?"

Wanda's eyes widened. "You... how could you..."

"Super Senses." Xiao Han finally opened his eyes, his golden eyes looking at Wanda.

"Now take a deep breath and imagine you are a seaweed."

"Seaweed?" Wanda was both amused and exasperated.

"The kind that goes with the flow." Xiao Han sat up and suddenly reached out to gently touch her brow.

A warm current instantly spread throughout her body, Wanda felt her consciousness suddenly expand, as if she had merged with the entire beach.

She could feel the tremor of every grain of sand and the undulation of every drop of seawater.

"This is?"

"Empathic Magic." Xiao Han withdrew his finger. "Maintain for three seconds."

Wanda held her breath, trying to maintain this wonderful state.

The crimson energy was no longer under her deliberate control, but danced naturally with the sea breeze, outlining patterns on the sea surface that were perfectly synchronized with the waves.

"Very good."

Xiao Han's voice seemed to come from a great distance, "Remember this feeling."

When the connection was lost, Wanda was momentarily dazed, realizing she was still sitting cross-legged, but her whole body was soaked in sweat.

"This is amazing," she said breathlessly, her red hair clinging to her cheeks.

Xiao Han handed her a bottle of water. "It's always like this the first time. Rest for ten minutes, then practice Elemental Shaping."

Wanda sipped her water, secretly observing the man beside her.

The sunlight gilded his sharply defined profile, and Wanda felt her breathing quicken.

"What are you looking at?" Xiao Han suddenly turned his head.

Wanda choked on her water. "I... I'm studying light refraction!"

"Oh?"

Xiao Han raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance, and asked, "So, what have you figured out?"

"I noticed the material of your suit had a strange reflectivity," Wanda said quickly, coming up with a solution.

Xiao Han chuckled softly and suddenly snapped his the Snap.

The watch on my left wrist began to change; nanomaterials, resembling a black fluid, started to surge.

His beachwear instantly transformed into his signature black armor, with gold patterns shimmering in the sunlight.

"Uru mixed with a special alloy, reflectivity 0.0001%," he explained earnestly.

"How about it?"

Wanda blushed and nodded, quickly changing the subject. "Is Elemental Shaping like this?"

She waved her hand and summoned a ball of crimson energy, which she managed to shape into a dolphin.

Xiao Han shook his head. "Too stiff."

He reached out and placed his hand on the back of her hand, guiding the flow of energy, "Imagine it's alive."

The two magical energies briefly merged, crimson and gold intertwined, and the dolphin suddenly became agile, somersaulting in the air and splashing up tiny energy water droplets.

Wow!

Wanda exclaimed in surprise, then realized that Xiao Han's hand was still on hers.

Xiao Han seemed to have noticed this as well, but did not immediately withdraw his hand.

He lowered his head slightly, his breath brushing against her ear. "Control your breathing, and the energy will follow your rhythm."

Wanda's heart raced; she could smell Xiao Han's unique scent.

At that moment, he forgot about studying, forgot about Chaos Magic, forgot about everything...

The crimson energy surged uncontrollably, blasting the dolphin into a burst of fireworks.

"Sorry!" she hurriedly backed away.

Xiao Han observed this and a smile appeared on his lips, "Emotional fluctuations are a catalyst for Chaos Magic, but they are also a double-edged sword."

He stood up, his battle attire transforming back into casual wear. "Keep practicing. I want to see dolphins swimming around the island before sunset."

"That's impossible!" Wanda exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Xiao Han had already walked towards the sea, waving without turning back. "In Kamar-Taj, apprentices who talk back get five extra hours of training."

Wanda found it difficult, but she obediently started practicing anyway.

This time she was smarter; she calmed herself down first before slowly releasing her energy.

As time went on, her dolphins became more and more lifelike, and could even leap out of the water.

By the time the seventh dolphin had successfully swum around the island, the setting sun had already turned the sea golden.

"I did it!" Wanda jumped up excitedly and turned to look for Xiao Han.

She spotted him standing on a distant rock, his back to the setting sun, receiving a holographic call.

Tony Stark's exaggerated voice could be faintly heard:

"Xiao, so you two are really dating? I don't believe you'd go to Hawaii and do nothing! Oh ho, Mr. Superman and Lois?"

Xiao Han immediately shut down the communication and turned around, meeting Wanda's gaze.

"Uh, I just happened to walk by here," Wanda explained awkwardly.

"Tony's always like this, you know. Time to head back." Xiao Han raised his hand and opened a portal.

"Profound."

Wanda said she understood and then followed.

Just as she was about to step through the portal, Xiao Han suddenly spoke:

"Tomorrow at 8 AM, Tahiti. Bring your swimsuit."

Wanda's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"If you can finish reading ' Fundamentals of Magic Theory ' tonight," Xiao Han said with a slight smile. He had borrowed this book from Kamar-Taj specifically for her to study.

"That book has five hundred pages!" Wanda protested.

"Page 472," Xiao Han corrected, "The Apprentice of Kamar-Taj..."

"Okay, I got it!" Wanda interrupted him helplessly.

"Three extra hours of training, right?"

Xiao Han chuckled softly, gently pushing her through the portal. "Clever little witch."

P. S.: (This doesn't count towards the word count.) Some people said my pacing was too fast, so I deliberately slowed down the scenes with Wanda and added some slice-of-life moments. Do you guys like this slice-of-life style? I'll see all your comments so I can determine the direction for the next part.

Also, I'll post a picture of the main character wearing armor under this comment. I searched for a long time but couldn't find one that looked really cool, so this one is passable. My level isn't high enough to post a picture.