Hello, hello

It's has been a while with this story, hasn't it? I have not forgotten about it, and even have a plan for roughly the whole thing. It just needs... time for writing and editing. :/

I can't make any promises, but I will try to speed things up.

As always, I hope you will like it.

Chapter 2

Judy sat on her carpet, allowing it to hover above the sea in one spot. The words she heard from the fox were tempting, and that, she reasoned, was making them dangerous.

Right, she scoffed, my enemy is going to make me stronger. Try another one.

She could hear a chuckle in her mind.

How about we train first, then you will judge if it's useful or not?

Judy considered this offer. At first, second, and third glance, this situation was highly suspicious. Then again, he could have killed her already. He was also right, when he pointed out her weakness earlier. Forget about the lord of the Netherworld, she was currently in no position to challenge even the Trickster.

The doe squeezed her fists. This feeling… This drowning sensation of hopelessness and the weight of one's own lack of strength. She needed power!

Biting her lip, Judy Hopps made a decision. Hey, fox.

Yes, bunny?

What can you teach me?

She heard silence. After a few seconds she considered asking again, when his joyous voice reached her.

Really? Made up your mind already?

Not like I have a choice…

Ohhh, trust me, fluffy one, you're going to regret this. His laughter echoed in her skull.

She knew she would. At least he was honest about it.

All right! We're starting immediately! The fox regained his composure, switching to a smoother voice.

Next thing she knew, the vulpine wizard materialized right in front of her.

"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Judy fell back on her carpet.

The Trickster chuckled at her reaction and sat down on his own carpet. "First things first - I am now your master, which means you", he pointed a finger at her, grinning, "will address me as such."

The doe returned to her previous position, grumbling. His comment actually made her fingers itch to punch. "You-"

He waved his finger at her. "Ah, ah, ah! Not 'you'. It's 'master'. Is that clear?"

The doe clenched her fists, along with her teeth.

Crossing his arms on his chest, he leaned towards her. "I can't heeear you." His glee was seriously grating on her nerves.

"Yes… master…" She despised herself to the bone.

"Splendid!" If his previous words were joyful, this one was ecstatic. "So, shall we move on?"

Even with her insides boiling, Judy knew that she had to endure. She tried everything on her own, but the results were miserable. Which is why she imagined the picture of her late mentor alongside the fox wizard. The doe placed her paws together in front of her. "Please teach me, master."

Silence followed her words for a good couple of seconds. As she glanced at his face, she had immense satisfaction from his dumbfounded expression.

"Hah!" He collected himself and cleared his throat. "I am happy to have such a willing student. Now, we need to discuss the basics. Because, frankly, you suck."

She grimaced, but bit her words back.

"Tell me, Carrots-"

"What?!" That one she couldn't stop.

"Is there a problem?"

Judy took several big, big breaths to calm herself. "Why are you calling me like that… master?"

"Hm? You bunnies enjoy carrots, don't you? Fits perfectly. You'd rather discuss nicknames or actually learn?"

Another deep breath. "Apologies, master. Please continue."

"Good." His voice didn't betray anything regarding his emotions. "First question: what is the most important thing for a Netherworld wizard?"

Judy frowned. It seemed like an easy question. "Well, their spells."

"Wroong." The fox crossed his fingers in an X in front of him. "Spells are only as good as their user and you can always find a substitute for what you want to achieve. Next."

The doe put more thought into it this time. Since he was asking her, a novice in terms of wizardry, the answer couldn't be complicated. She initially considered making a comparison between her and the fox, in hope of finding a clue. After all, he was far more powerful than her, so she focused on that. Then it dawned on her - it was wrong to look at the gap, she should be paying attention to what they have in common. What is a spell both of them definitely know?

"Castle…" she muttered, not fully certain of her answer.

This time he smiled. 'Exactly! So," the fox crossed his arms on his chest, "do you know what exactly is a castle?"

Judy actually blinked. "It's…a wizard's fortress, basically?"She did not cover this topic too deeply with master Otterton. "And a storage for one's mana".

In response she got a sigh. "I guess that's expected with a living world dweller. Listen, mana can take various forms, depending on the type of spell used to shape it." The Trickster raised his paw, open palm upwards.

Judy could see thin strands of mana swirling above his fingers. They twirled around one point and became a bluish sphere. A moment later it changed into a cube, then a flat disc. Her eyes widened a bit, as she was actually impressed by the level of control the fox had over his magical energy. She was given similar exercises by master Otterton, but didn't reach this kind of mastery.

"Surprised?"

She noticed that she was leaning in to see closer and he didn't miss an opportunity to call her out with a smug expression. Judy cleared her throat and sat up straight. "Is this what you want to teach me? Control?"

He closed his paw, dispersing the mana. "That comes later, Fluff. Now," this time he leaned slightly towards her, "what happens when you die in the Netherworld?"

She blinked. "Huh?"

Her reaction surprised the fox. "Don't tell me- All right. Create a castle."

"What?"

"Just cast it. Here, you even have it easy," he said as he pointed at a small patch of rocks sticking out from the sea.

Judy had her doubts about his intentions, but focused on the spell. She imagined the castle just as she was taught by her master. The mana gathered in her chest, before flowing through her arms. It poured out of her fingertips and descended on the little bit of land below them.

The mana embedded itself into the chosen spot and swiftly formed into a four-sided stone pillar that rose from the rocks. A small, purple banner was hoisted right above the tip of the structure.

The doe turned back to the Trickster. "Done. Wha-"

He had an open palm right in front of her face. Next thing she knew was an enormous wave of heat that hit her point blank.

.

.

Judy gasped.

Her paws scrambled to her face, feeling around frantically. The blaze lasted only for a moment, but it still engraved itself into her mind. Her face felt… normal. No burnt fur or flesh. She was certain…

"Welcome back. Sure took your sweet time."

Familiar voice made her snap her head towards the source of the sound.

The Trickster was sitting on his carpet that hovered in the air nearby. His face was visibly tired while his shoulders sagged as if under great weight. "You have been gone for over a year…" he muttered.

"Wai- Wha- What's going on?" With her ears fully erect, Judy felt panic seeping in. "What do you mean a year?!"

He gazed at her fearful expression for a few silent seconds… until he couldn't hold in a snicker. "Nah, just messing with you! It's been around a minute."

Her eye twitched. "You foul, despica-"

The fox clapped his paws. "Whoa, whoa. Aren't you forgetting yourself, Fluff? Is that a way to talk to your master?"

She yelled in response, "What did you do to me?! I thought I d-" The doe froze, unable to finish the last word. The mere thought made her shiver.

"Yep, you died." The Trickster leaned back, folding both paws behind his head. The carpet shaped itself into an arc to support his body. "By the way, you're welcome."

Judy glared at him. "Excuse me?"

He raised his brows. "Oh, I'm sorry. You wanted your first death to be agonizing, slow, and terrifying?"

The doe opened her mouth to snap back, but stopped herself at the last second. Instead, she took a deep breath and slowly breathed out. She noticed that she was sitting on her carpet, which was suspended in the air. "What was that all about?" Judy asked the fox. After receiving an inquiring gaze she added, "Master…"

"You will die," he stated, resting his head on the carpet. "That's the reality of this world. It's best to experience it in a safe environment, not in the heat of battle."

The doe only listened, then slowly raised her paw to her face, feeling the soft fur. The flame, the heat… It was all real. She got her face mel-

"Don't."

Judy blinked, turning her gaze to the fox.

He sat up straight, cross-legged, giving her a serious look. "No point in overthinking it. What's important is that now you are aware of it. You will get used to it with practice." The Trickster stood up. "Ready for next lesson?"

Judy gazed at him for a moment longer, before focus returned to her expression. The event that just occurred wasn't fully clear to her yet, but she needed to her mind on the present. She nodded.

"Good," he said while raising his paw, palm up. A mana sphere appeared again. "As I began explaining, your mana can take almost any form. But when you cast a spell, you force it out of your body, and it soon dissipates." He raised a finger. "But not a castle." The mana sphere in his palm took the shape of a familiar pillar. "It will stay that way until it's destroyed or dispelled."

"Dispelled?" Judy's ears twitched. "Never heard of such a thing."

He looked at her with a smug grin. "See? You're already learning from your master."

She forced a smile on her face. "Please, go on."

"Riight… Anyway, normal mana disperses, but this little spell is special." He pointed at the castle right below her carpet. "It's not just mana taking physical shape, it becomes a container." Now his clawed finger moved in the direction of the bunny. "Just like your furry little self."

She quirked a puzzled eyebrow. "So… a wizard is like a portable castle, is that what you're saying?"

The fox let out a chuckle. "That's a way to phrase it."

"Okay, but what that's go-"

"What happens when a container breaks?"

Judy tilted her head slightly to the side. She had no idea where he was going with this, but there had to be a point to it.

The Trickster clapped his paws, before slowly pulling them apart. "The contains will spill. Now, in the case of a castle, the gathered mana will explode and shower the nearby area. But," he folded his paws and looked at her over them, "what happens to the wizard's mana?"

Judy's ears twitched. So that was it… She looked below to see the familiar structure right beneath her carpet. "What you mean is that it returns to the castle, right?"

He beamed at her. "Exactly!"

She looked at her open palms, taking in what he just explained. In simplest terms, as long as she had a castle set up, she could be reborn. It matched what she heard before and why the castle was so important. "Master Otterton…" she mumbled more to herself than the fox. The doe raised her eyes. "He said that if I lose my castle, my soul would be banished."

Her new teacher scratched the underside of his muzzle with a claw. "Hmmm, yes. You could phrase it this way. But that's just the theory." He straightened up, slapping his knees. "In practice, you must learn its meaning in combat."

Judy narrowed her eyes a little. "Fine by me."

The fox watched her for a moment before bursting with laughter. "Hahahah! That eager to fry someone, eh? Haha." He guided his carpet closer to her. "You'll get your chance very soon. But first," a clawed finger pointed right at her face, "you need training."

The doe's gaze promised fire. "I'm ready," she said, drifting a bit away, assuming a combat stance.

He grinned at her reaction, and spread his arms with palms up. A fireball formed above each of them. "Splendid."