Erika looked at Akira, "his smile as warm as the sun. It was so warm that it's making me uncomfortable….wait", she blinked, realizing it wasn't just his smile, it was the actual sun. It was high noon, and the bright sunlight made her uncomfortable, so she moved into the shade of the trees.
"What is it?" Akira asked, noticing her movement.
"Oh, it's just that I don't like the sun. It's too bright," Erika replied.
"Huh, I thought dhampirs were immune to sunlight," Akira said, remembering that, unlike true vampires, dhampirs were supposed to be free from the typical weaknesses of vampires, like sunlight, crossing water, or garlic.
"I am immune, but it still makes me a little uncomfortable. Not much, just a bit," Erika explained, then, with a teasing smile, added, "Didn't you promise to protect me from everything? So, protect me now."
"Huh? What am I supposed to protect you from? There's nothing here," Akira said, looking puzzled. His first thought was that they were under attack, but no one was around. Besides, anyone foolish enough to attack them here would be dealt with swiftly by the bounded field surrounding the area. The barrier killed anyone with malicious intent or those uninvited, allowing only normal people or those with good intentions to enter.
He recalled once asking his mother if someone like Nurarihyon, the master of slipping through barriers, could sneak into their house. His mother had smiled and said, "He tried once. He won't try again." With that in mind, Akira knew they were safe here. But as he pondered what she meant, Erika laughed.
"I'm talking about the sun. Since it's making me uncomfortable, do something about it," she said playfully.
"You want me to fight the sun?" Akira asked in disbelief.
"Yep," Erika said with a grin.
"What do you mean, fight the sun? How am I supposed to do that? I'm not Hercules!" Akira said, still baffled. He wasn't strong enough to send an attack to the sun, after all.
"Aren't you supposed to be a genius? Think of something. I'm sure you can do it. Besides, you promised to protect me. Are you going back on your word?" Erika teased, her playful smile daring him to find a solution.
"I would never go back on my word. Fine! You want me to defeat the sun? I may not be able to defeat it, but I can block it out," Akira declared with a righteous expression, though inside, he was relieved, thankfully, Erika had stopped crying and was back to playing with him as usual.
He stood up, dusting off his pants, and raised his arms toward the sky. Concentrating, a big magic circle appeared as he began manipulating the air with magic, drawing in moisture and forming thick clouds to shield Erika from the harsh sunlight. At first, the clouds swirled gently, a soft gray blanket covering the sky, gently dimming the world around them.
Erika smiled, pleased with the dimmed world around her. But she had forgotten something important: whenever Akira discovered something interesting or learned something new, he would get completely carried away, absorbed in what he was doing. He would block out everything else, obsessively perfecting his task.
Even though he had successfully conjured clouds to block the sun, Akira didn't stop. He wanted to perfect this new magic. He'd never tried large-scale magic like this before, so he wanted to see how far he could manipulate the weather.
"If I can create a horizontal whirlwind and warm the air beneath it, it'll form an updraft, and if I cool the air above…" Akira thought, continuing his magic. The clouds grew darker and denser, swirling into a storm.
"Wow," Erika said aloud, impressed by what Akira was doing. She had expected him to just block out the sun, but seeing him manipulate the weather on this scale surprised even her. Then, reality hit her.
the situation was getting bad. The storm clouds kept gathering and began rotating. It wasn't just affecting their neighborhood, it was growing large enough to cover the entire city. If this kept up, a full-blown storm would form in the middle of summer. Who knows what kind of disaster it would cause?
"Akira, I think that's enough. It's getting too big. Akira?" Erika tried calling out to him, but Akira was too engrossed in his magic to hear her. Normally, his mother would physically intervene to stop him when he got like this, but Erika didn't know that.
"Akira, that's enough!" she shouted, but her voice was drowned out by the sudden gust of wind.
Before they could react, Akira's magic spiralled out of control. The sky darkened entirely, a low rumble of thunder echoing through the clearing. The once-soft clouds churned into a massive supercell. Lightning crackled, striking the ground nearby, and torrential rain began to pour. The wind howled, bending trees and sending leaves swirling.
"Oops," Akira muttered, looking sheepish as he realized he had taken things too far.
Soaked by the sudden downpour, Erika ran over to him, her blue eyes gleaming with a mix of amazement and frustration. "You were supposed to make it a little cloudy, not summon a storm!"
"Haha, I got a little carried away," Akira admitted with an awkward laugh. He tried to regain control of the raging storm, but he had used too much of his magic to create it in the first place. Even with his absurd magical reserves, he couldn't erase such a large-scale spell easily. As he considered his options, he heard the voice he dreaded most.
"Akira," Yuki called out softly.
At some point, she had appeared behind him, standing under a magic barrier that kept the rain at bay. She wore a gentle smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. One look at her, and Akira knew he was in deep trouble.
"What are you doing?" she asked sweetly, her tone soft and kind. But Akira could tell she was furious.
"Forgive me, mother, for I have sinned," Akira blurted out, bowing his head in immediate apology. No excuses, just an apology. It was the only way to survive this situation with minimal damage.
His mother sighed, looking at his remorseful expression. She waved her hand, and in an instant, the clouds and storm vanished. The sky returned to its clear, summer blue, as if the storm had never happened. Even Akira was shocked. He had no idea how his mother had altered the weather so easily. He knew she was strong, but he hadn't realized just how powerful she truly was.
After dispelling the storm, Akira's mother turned to him, still smiling. But Akira knew he was in for it now.