Page 175 of Court of Aether and Shadows

"Dance with them," Helios repeated, something ancient and hungry flickering in his iridescent eyes. "Do you hear that, old friend? She speaks of dancing with reality itself as casually as others might discuss a morning stroll."

"I always did appreciate a partner who could keep up," Aetheron murmured, his voice carrying undertones that made the air between them crackle with suppressed energy.

The fox chirped what sounded suspiciously like laughter, batting at both their faces with its tail before leaping gracefully to my lap. Its weight felt both substantial and ethereal, like holding a piece of captured starlight.

"Your method," Helios continued, visibly composing himself, "while infinitely more elegant than conventional techniques, does carry certain... risks. The paths you perceive, the harmonies you dance with - they respond to your power in ways we've never seen before. It makes you rather... conspicuous to those who know how to look."

Something in his tone made me sit straighter. "Is that why Liam was acting so strangely? Could he sense something wrong with the way I was accessing the paths?"

The Lords exchanged another loaded look, their powers swirling together in patterns that spoke of shared concern.

"About Liam..." I began hesitantly, the fox's warm weight in my lap lending me courage. "His behavior seemed... odd. Even for him. It was like he was deliberately trying to prove something, even when it put him in danger."

The Lords exchanged a look heavy with ancient understanding. Power rippled between them - shadow and light creating patterns that spoke of shared concerns and old, old knowledge.

"Ah yes," Helios's harmonious voice carried edges of steel beneath its silk. "The Shadow Wolf's... performance today was quite telling." His perfect features arranged themselves intoan expression of careful neutrality, though his iridescent robes darkened like storm clouds gathering. "Tell me, Lady Sparrow, in your mundane realm, how did men typically react when faced with female superiority?"

The question made me think of countless missions, of sideways glances and muttered comments, of having to work twice as hard for half the recognition. "They... didn't handle it well," I admitted. "Everything had to be a competition, a chance to prove their dominance."

"And now consider," Helios continued, his teaching voice carrying centuries of observation, "how that ingrained behavior might manifest in a realm where power knows no gender. Where a female practitioner might naturally excel in ways that challenge everything he's been conditioned to believe."

Aetheron's shadows curled with something like resigned understanding. "The mundane realm has left its mark on him deeply."

"Too deeply," Helios agreed, his iridescent eyes flashing with sudden intensity. "But let me be perfectly clear about something, Lady Sparrow. In this realm, in these halls of learning especially, we do not measure worth by gender. We measure it by dedication, by skill, by the willingness to grow beyond our limitations."

The fox chirped in firm agreement, its ruby eyes blazing.

"Your wolf," Helios continued, each word carrying harmonics that made the very air vibrate, "will need to learn that half-hearted efforts born of wounded pride have no place here. That true strength lies not in dominating others, but in recognizing and respecting power wherever it manifests."

"Even," Aetheron added softly, his shadows dancing with ancient memory, "when that power challenges everything you thought you knew about the natural order."

"The natural order," Helios scoffed, his perfect composure cracking slightly. "As if there were anything natural about suppressing talent simply because it manifests in female form. No, Lady Sparrow. Your wolf must learn - as all must learn - that in this realm, we value excellence above all. And those who cannot accept this fundamental truth..."

He paused, his iridescent robes shifting through colors that somehow managed to convey both warning and promise. "Well, let's just say that mediocrity born of prejudice will not be tolerated in my classroom."

The weight of his words hung in the air like physical things, heavy with the promise of future lessons - both magical and social. The fox pressed closer to me, its presence somehow both comforting and encouraging.

"Does that mean..." I started, then gathered my courage. "Will Liam be punished for his behavior today?"

"Punished?" Helios's perfect lips curved in a smile that held centuries of calculated instruction. "Oh no, my dear Lady Sparrow. He will be educated. And sometimes, that can be far more... transformative than any punishment."

Aetheron's shadows danced with what looked suspiciously like anticipation. "Indeed. Some lessons are best learned through... practical demonstration."

The way they looked at each other in that moment - light and shadow creating patterns that spoke of shared purpose and old, old knowledge - made me almost feel sorry for Liam.

Almost.

The fox chirped what sounded suspiciously like approval, its ruby eyes gleaming with ancient wisdom. Whatever lessons lay ahead for my stubborn wolf, it seemed the very forces of nature themselves supported this path of education.

As I watched the Lords continue their silent communication, powers dancing in eternal harmony despite their supposedopposition, I couldn't help but wonder what other revelations this realm held in store.

One thing was becoming increasingly clear - this was a world where true power recognized no gender, no artificial limitations. And those who couldn't adapt to that truth would find themselves facing teachers far less forgiving than mere mundane prejudice.

The game, it seemed, had changed entirely.

Pack Dynamics

~NYX~

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