Protagonist's Evil System: My Girlfriend Turned Into A Dragon

The next day, Lucas woke up early and went straight to the training area. The sun was still low in the sky, casting long shadows across the floor. The air was cold, but Lucas barely felt it. He had grown accustomed to the weather in the northern regions.

"Good morning," Lui greeted Lucas when he arrived, "you look rested and ready for today's training."

Lucas gave Lui a quick bow, "thank you, Master," he said.

"You don't have to call me that anymore," Luu told him, "just Luu is fine."

"Okay, Luu," Lucas repeated.

Luu took a sip from his cup of tea and smiled at his apprentice, "it appears that you're already quite good at controlling water," he commented.

Lucas nodded, "yes, I think I'm getting better every day."

"Let's start with something simpler," Luu said, "I want you to create a small stream that flows towards the lake."

Lucas nodded and focused on his objective. He had never created anything like this before, but he knew that if he worked hard enough, he would be able to complete the task.

After a while, he managed to create a tiny stream flowing along the ground. When he stopped, it flowed back into the main lake, and only a thin stream of water remained.

"Not bad," Luu complimented, "how did you know where to start?"

"I just pictured the direction of the lake," Lucas explained, "and then I tried to guide the water towards it."

"That's correct," Luu said, "just keep practising and you'll get the hang of it in no time."

Lucas nodded and looked down at his creation, "do you have any suggestions?" he asked.

"Well, now that you've mastered the first stage of creating something, I recommend you focus on maintaining it," Luu suggested.

"Yes, Master," Lucas agreed, "what do I do after I create it?"

"Just continue your practice," Luu said, "keep focusing on the object you're trying to maintain. Once you've done that successfully for a few minutes, you should be able to continue without any problems."

"That makes sense," Lucas said, "I'll give it a go."

He focused on the small stream, imagining that he could control it as easily as he controlled the water before. This time, however, the stream didn't flow away, instead it kept moving smoothly towards the lake.

"Very good!" Luu praised.

Lucas smiled, "thank you, Master."

"Now, let's move on to something bigger," Luu added.

Lucas looked at Lui with wide eyes, "really?" he asked in disbelief.

"Of course," Luu assured him, "if you can handle this, the larger things will be a breeze."

Lucas smiled and nodded enthusiastically. Now he really wanted to master these new skills.

"Alright," Luu said, "here's the plan: I'll come here and you must maintain me."

Lucas nodded, "Okay," he answered.

"No matter what happens, you are to continue to hold onto me," Luu instructed, "even if I fall in the water, or someone tries to stop you. You mustn't let go, no matter what."

"Understood, Master," Lucas promised.

"Don't worry, I won't fall into the lake," Luu joked, "and if someone tries to stop you, they'll have a hard time stopping my magic."

Lucas smiled, "good luck, Master."

"Thanks," Luu said, "let's begin."

Luu came over and sat in front of Lucas. Lucas held onto him tightly and concentrated on keeping him steady. He imagined himself as an anchor that wouldn't allow anyone to separate them. His hands felt like they were burning from the pressure, and he couldn't imagine holding on for much longer. But he refused to let go.

"Where are we going, Master?" Lucas asked nervously.

"To the centre of the lake," Luu replied, "don't worry, I'll bring us there safely."

Lucas nodded and took a deep breath. He clenched his fists together and then relaxed them again, forcing himself to remain calm. It wasn't easy, but he managed to keep his cool.

"All right, we're almost there," Luu announced.

Lucas held on to Luu tighter and closed his eyes. He was so close to giving in, but he forced himself to remain strong. He was determined not to fail.

"We're there," Luu said.

Lucas opened his eyes and saw that they were indeed in the middle of the lake. They were sitting on an invisible platform that floated a few inches above the surface.

"Impressive," Lucas said, "but how did you make it?"

"It's a simple spell," Lui explained, "one that I use a lot when I need to transport myself around the castle."

"When you say 'transport', does that mean that you can walk through the air?" Lucas asked in amazement.

"Yes, you can," Luu confirmed, "but please don't try it yourself yet. It takes a long time to prepare and requires special conditions."

"Oh, okay," Lucas said, "that sounds fair."

"As for why I'm here," Luu continued, "this is one of the more difficult spells to perform. If I lose concentration even for a second, we'll both fall into the water."

"I understand," Lucas said, "I won't let you fall."

"Thank you," Lui said, "now, would you mind letting go? We'll stay here until we're ready to return to the shore."

Lucas reluctantly loosened his grip, and the two of them fell down onto the surface of the lake.

"Sorry about that," Luu apologised, "we're pretty high up here."

Lucas chuckled, "it's alright, Master."

"You can call me Luu," the mage added, "no need for formalities."

Lucas nodded and smiled slightly, "okay Luu. So, how do we get back to the shore?"

"There's nothing to worry about," Luu said, "just follow my instructions."

Lucas followed his orders and concentrated on the platform.

"Now," Luu explained, "I want you to imagine a pathway leading from the platform to the shore. Follow the path, and I'll take us back to where we started."

Lucas nodded and made his way along the imaginary pathway. As he went, he noticed that the lake grew smaller and smaller. Soon he was just a few feet above the water, and then he was completely surrounded by blue.

"Almost there," Luu said happily.

Lucas kept walking, and soon he could hear the sound of waves crashing against rocks. He opened his eyes and saw the shore of the lake. Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet disappeared, and he fell into the water.

"Ouch!" Lucas cried out.

He had barely finished saying those words before he found himself back on the invisible platform.

"Are you alright?" Luu asked.

Lucas nodded and stood up, still a little shaken.

"That was very brave of you," Lui said, "you've improved a lot already."

"It wasn't bravery," Lucas insisted, "I didn't want to die."

Lui smiled, "if you hadn't been brave, you might have died. It's better to be safe than sorry."

"So, Master, what happened after I fell in the water?" Lucas asked.

"Nothing important," Lui replied, "but I thought we should practise your swimming skills so that you're prepared. Would you like to try again?"

"No thank you," Lucas said immediately.

"What?" Luu asked, "but I'm your teacher, and this is part of your training."

Lucas sighed, "fine. Let's go to the shore, then."

They walked towards the edge of the lake, and when they reached the beach, Lucas looked at the water.

"This isn't exactly like the pool we're used to," he noted.

"That's because this lake has no bottom," Luu explained, "and it's quite deep too."

"Is it really?" Lucas asked, "then why haven't I seen any fish or anything?"

"Don't worry," Luu said with a smile, "the lake is filled with magical creatures. You can't see them unless you know how to look."

"Then how will we find them?"