Relevant Details: Takes place during the childhood of Thalia Cygnus and her cousins.

  Thalia adjusted her scarf as she looked into the mirror. "It's almost time... Do I really need the scarf, though?" She muttered as she kept fiddling with it. "I'm already wearing my jacket, and Morgan likes to play with fire, so it can't be THAT cold, right?" Her brown eyes did another survey of her outfit in the mirror as she spoke. Jacket? Check. Gloves? Check. "But also it's snowing outside, and Morgan's going to be mostly throwing fire at me I expect." Pants for warmth instead of her preferred skirt? Check. Boots? Check. She was perfectly ready... once she decided on the scarf.

  "Throwing fire? Probably. You're still going to want the scarf though, cousin!" Morgan called from the doorway, her bright purple eyes looking over Thalia. "Definitely going to want the scarf. Fireballs don't last long, especially when your goal today is to ensure they don't hit you."

  "I still am not sure I see the point though, Morgan. When it comes to magical ability, I am nowhere close to you, so why do I need to learn it?" Thalia said, spinning around on her heel to face Morgan before walking over to her.

  "I, Thalia, can not be everywhere at once, no matter how much I have tried. Plus, with all your strategy books you like to read, you have to have realized that if you try applying that knowledge, someone is gonna try taking a shot at you." Morgan said with a laugh as the older girl began walking through the mansion. "And no, being a renowned engineer is unlikely to save you given some of what you like to cook up. What was your latest idea? The Black Knight, you called it?"

  Thalia quickly followed after Morgan, trying to keep up with her older cousin without tiring herself out. Morgan really did not want to slow down, did she? "A superheavy tank that could handle any sort of enemy, yes. Capable of surviving an orbital drop." Thalia beamed with pride while imagining it. Not that she currently had any way to prove it was viable...

  "Yeah. That. I don't think the Guardians of Sol would appreciate you building them. The Dominion either, for that matter. Especially given how your brain was engineered. The fact you're off the Dominion's leash alone is probably reason enough for them to get rid of you. It was for Dad, after all." Morgan said, hoping to instill into Thalia sufficient motivation and desire to learn how to properly wield her magic. "Yet if you learn how to properly shield yourself with magic, you'll be significantly safer!"

  "That... is true. The Dominion is still trying to track down Uncle Henry, aren't they? What about me?" Thalia asked as Morgan reached the front door.

  Morgan paused for a moment. "As far as I know, they are still under the impression you're dead. Emperor Cygnus has not yet made a statement to the contrary." Morgan tried to choose her words carefully, unwilling to admit that the Dominion is fully aware Thalia isn't dead, but want everyone else to think she is for the sake of their PR. She quickly opened the door while reciting a spell in her head as she went through, causing one of her older sister's training robots to appear in the front yard.

  "Morgan? I thought I was practicing with you?" Thalia asked as she closed the door behind her. "Or is this another one of your jokes?"

  "No joke this time, cousin. Today is a serious day. At least until it's time to play. We don't want you getting hurt by the fire, only so much I can do to weaken it, so we're going to test your ability to shield yourself from the training robot's sword!" Morgan said with a grin as she walked next to the robot and began fiddling with it. "Don't worry, I'm lowering its speed and strength settings. You'll have plenty of time to react, and when you're hit it won't hurt that much. Well, it might still sting for your little seven-year-old body." Morgan said with a giggle.

  "Eight. I am Eight, Morgan. My birthday was only three months ago!" Thalia said with a huff as she stood across from the robot.

  "I know, just messing with you. Imagine, I am only four years older than you... yet still a lot taller though!" Morgan said with a smirk as she stepped away from the robot. "Remember. Magic works on a system of cause and effect. What you want to do, and how you're going to achieve it. Eventually it'll become instinct and you can do it as naturally as breathing, of course, but for the start you need to remember those two requirements."

  "How do I do that thing you, Heart and Uncle Henry have? Where you know what's going around you at all times?" Thalia asked, readying herself for the robot to attack.

  "While a basic part of each mage's arsenal, it's something I feel you'll best learn from experience. Just pay attention to everything you feel and sense as you go, okay?" Morgan, shooting an encouraging smile to Thalia as the robot began its swing at it.

  The first swing managed to collide squarely with Thalia, as did the second. "How am I supposed to turn air into something-" another hit, "that can block a sword?" She was hit again, a fourth. It didn't hurt too much, not more than a sting, but it was starting to frustrate her as she was unable to really retaliate against the robot. "Can the air please just be solid enough to stop the sword?!" She screamed as the fifth sword neared her side again, only for it to bounce off the air around her as if hitting an invisible wall. "Wha? How? Air can't just solidify!"

  Morgan smiled. "It can't, no, not naturally. However, you CAN infuse the air with magic. Which is what you just did. You wanted the sword to stop. How? By making the air solid. So you naturally shoved magic into it to ensure it did just that. With work and study you can figure out precisely how much magic you need for the force exerted, and even begin to put your own spins on it like Heart does with making it look like ice. For you, however, this was a great first step. Now, can you repeat it?" Morgan reactivated the robot, having programmed it initially to shut down after hitting something that isn't flesh.

  Thalia proved much better at protecting herself from the robot now. When it attacked slowly project the shield half the time. Then 3/4ths. Then every time. Then Morgan began making it attack faster, forcing Thalia to start reciting the method in her head constantly. As she did so, however, she started noticing that she could almost feel the natural currents of magic moving around her, and carrying information from what they've moved around and through. This led to Thalia being able to do it even faster, and in turn starting to trust her instincts. She could feel it, and it kept her in the zone. Only for the robot to suddenly appear disappear, reappear behind her, and attack her from behind. Yet it still impacted a shield even as she nearly fell over in panic. "Huh? Wha? But I didn't..." Thalia stammered, trying to steady herself as the robot stopped moving again.

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  "Yes you did. Well, more accurately, your instincts did. You noticed something coming, and since I just had you bombarded with attack after attack after attack, your instinct was to protect yourself the same way you were before. Since magic can be used even in places you aren't seeing so long as it's close enough and you know the location... you just made the air behind you solid for long enough to block the sword." Morgan smiled and walked over, kneeling down slightly to give Thalia a hug. "Very well done, Thalia. I am proud of you."

  "...You? Miss Trickster? Miss 'Trap every room in the house'?" Thalia looked at Morgan with a confused expression.

  "Don't get me wrong, I am still going to drop buckets of water on you when you're nice and warm. I always make sure you're dried afterwards, though! But yes, I am proud of you. Learning magic takes time, and while you are not going to be throwing up shields left and right easily yet once your mind settles down, you made amazing progress today." Morgan said with a grin as she stood back up.

  "Well... thank you, Morgan." Thalia said with a smile. "So, what's next?"

  "We begin testing how well you can keep listening to the magic! Your sixth sense, as some call it. I call it your magical senses. Magic carries information. It moves around and through things, and it retains the shape of them for awhile as it moves through the galaxy. At least, that's my theory. Dad has no idea how magical senses really work. Nobody seems to have a great grasp on them, it's just something we can do. I hope to change that, someday, of course, but for now we will make do with not quite knowing the why it happens. Just trust your instincts as I make fireballs rain on you." Morgan stood across from Thalia, her hands in her jacket pockets as her white hair blew a bit in the wind. Of course, she caused the wind, but Morgan always loved adding some flair.

  Thalia brushed her black hair back behind her ear. "Of course. Just... trust my instincts, huh? I think I can do that. Yeah! I've always learned fast, after all."

  Morgan grinned a bit before materializing a dark purple ball of fire next to her head. "Remember, I don't need to materialize the magic in my hand. Pay attention to everything around you. I'm sure your genetically engineered brain can handle that, no?"

  "Oh you're on!" Thalia shouted, eager to prove she can do it, causing a shield to go up in front of her right before the purple ball of fire hit her face. Then a second. The third came from her left, and Thalia similarly caused it to impact a shield without looking at it, just based on what she felt. She was less successful with the fourth, her joy and confidence at blocking the third causing her to get distracted just long enough for the fourth to hit her right. Fortunately it didn't really set her ablaze, fireballs usually aren't designed for that, but it did cause some minor burns which stung in the cold. "Ow, ow..."

  Morgan quickly appeared at Thalia's side and put her hand over the burns, healing them back to normal. "Medical magic... not my strong suit, I admit, but that should patch you up. Level head, okay? Stay cool, collected, and focused. When you're in danger, you must not get distracted when magic is the only thing keeping you from being hurt. Magic can be instinctual, but if you're focused on something else, you may not be able to achieve it in time because you won't pay attention to your surroundings."

  Thalia nodded slowly, clearly rather shocked that she did get hit after all. "I thought I had a handle on it..."

  "Learning takes time, Thalia. Even for you. You don't always succeed on the first time after all, remember?" Morgan said, using magic to help her pick up Thalia to carry her back inside. "I think you need a break. We can pick this up later, okay? Remember, you did do well. Just because you didn't do perfectly, doesn't mean you didn't do amazing."

  Thalia nodded slowly, being put down on her favorite spot on the couch. "Thanks, Morgan... and thank you for teaching me. At minimum this means I can stop running into your traps, maybe..."

  Morgan smiled, a glint in her eye as she pat Thalia on the head. "Guess I'll have to stay on my toes regarding how to keep it secret from you as well, huh? Heart already is so hard to catch, and Haruko can see through them all... And Owain is no fun to prank or trick! Always so serious, he is."

  Thalia tilted her head slightly. "I mean... he takes his debt to Uncle Henry very seriously. From what I hear, he was practically a slave before Uncle Henry stepped in."

  Morgan rolled her eyes and sighed. "Doesn't mean he can't lighten up, I think. Ark is more fun. Though he's hard to catch in a position TO prank. Slippery boy he is. Guess it's what I should have expected from someone engineered to be a spy..."

  Thalia giggled and smiled a bit. "We are quite a strange family Uncle Henry put together, huh?"

  Morgan giggled as well. "Well, only SOME of us are actually family. Ark and Owain are more... ...let's go with roommates, hm?"

  Thalia elbowed Morgan slightly. "Hey, they're still important and we care about them! What else does that make them but family?"

  Morgan smiled, pleased that she ultimately managed to help lift Thalia's mood. "Touche, cousin. Found family, maybe, then. Now, I do have to get to my own training. You rest, okay? Just don't go wandering off into the forest again, please? Especially not while it's snowing this much."

  Thalia nodded her acknowledgement at Morgan, causing Morgan to leave Thalia alone with her thoughts until they would go on to train again.