Page 16 of Chains of Nightshade

I force myself back, my tail whipping against the dreamscape floor. The heat in my blood cools as I study her with new eyes. That burst of power... it wasn't just beginner's luck. The magical stones around us still hum with residual energy.

"Do it again." My voice comes out rougher than intended.

Vera's smile falters. "I don't know if I can."

"You can." I circle her slowly, assessing. "The power's there. I can sense it." And I do - it pulses beneath her skin like a second heartbeat, wild and untamed. How did I miss this before?

She raises her hands, trembling. The dust around us stirs, gathering into a flickering tundra, but then dies. Vera's shoulders slump.

"Something's blocking you." I stop in front of her, studying her face. "Your body's weak, yes, but this is different. This is..." I reach out, my fingers hovering near her temple. The magical feedback makes my skin tingle. "What are you?"

"I'm nobody." She steps back, wrapping her arms around herself. "Just a defective slave."

"No." I grab her wrist, ignoring the jolt of electricity between us. "You're something else. Something more." The magic stones pulse brighter around her, responding to her presence in a way I've never seen. "Who were your parents?"

"I don't know. The dark elves never..." She trails off, looking away.

I release her, my mind racing. Could she be? After all these centuries? But she's so damned fragile. Unless...

"Your weakness," I say slowly. "It's not natural, is it? It feels like..." Like a binding. Like chains. Like my own imprisonment, but wrapped around her very essence.

She looks up at me, confusion clear in those wide eyes. "What do you mean?"

I bare my teeth in frustration. Someone's done this to her. Sealed away her true nature. But why? And more importantly - how can I use this to my advantage?

I move closer to Vera, my coils sliding silently across the dreamscape floor. Her magic pulses erratically, like a trapped bird trying to break free. Such potential, yet she holds herself back. Just like these chains hold me back.

"Yes. You're learning." I keep my voice smooth, encouraging. My tail flicks with barely contained impatience. "But you're still fighting yourself."

She shakes her head, blonde curls falling across her face. "I don't understand. How can I be fighting myself?"

"Because you believe what they've told you." I circle behind her, close enough that my chest nearly brushes her back. The scent of her fills my senses again - damn these vivid dreams. "Every time they called you worthless, every time they sneered at your weakness... you accepted it."

Her shoulders tense. "Because it's true-"

"No." I grip her shoulders, spinning her to face me. Electric jolts shoot through my palms where they touch her skin. "It'swhat they wanted you to believe. These limitations..." My fingers trace up to her temple, and the magic stones around us pulse brighter. "They're not yours. They were placed on you."

"What do you mean, placed on me?" Her eyes widen, and for a moment, I see a flash of something ancient in their depths.

I smile, small but sharp. Finally, she's starting to ask the right questions. "Think about it. Why would they need to constantly remind you of your weakness if it were natural?"

The magic stones hum louder, responding to her growing awareness. Perfect. Let her question everything they've told her. Let her doubt seep into those carefully constructed walls they've built around her power.

"Try again," I command softly. "But this time, stop telling yourself you can't."

The dreamscape trembles beneath my coils as Vera's magic surges. Her energy shifts - no longer the weak flickers of before, but something raw and powerful. The dust around us rises, spinning in intricate patterns around her fingers.

"That's it." I lean forward, studying the way the magic responds to her. "Let it flow naturally."

Her eyes remain closed, face serene with concentration. The floor quakes harder, and I feel the ancient stones humming in response to her power. Such potential, hidden beneath years of enforced weakness.

"More," I urge, circling closer. "Push it further."

The dust transforms into shimmering ribbons of pure energy, dancing between her palms. My breath catches. This is no simple parlor trick - this is primal magic, the kind that could shatter walls and break chains.

"Look at what you're doing," I say, my voice rough with excitement. The magical feedback makes my scales tingle. "Open your eyes."

She does, and gasps at the display of power floating before her. "How am I-"

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