Lucian's smile faded, "Ah… That?"
Seraphina narrowed her eyes. "That? Tell me."
He sighed and shifted, pulling her comfortably against him before he spoke.
"It's because of my aura," he said. "Ice dragons… especially my bloodline… we disturb illusion magic. Anything that mimics form or voice freezes around us."
Seraphina blinked, "Freeze? Like literally?"
"Yes." Lucian pinched the bridge of his nose. "Her 'system projection' wasn't real magic. It was an illusion mixed with soul manipulation. My presence naturally disrupts it. Illusions can't stabilize near me."
"So she glitched," Seraphina said slowly, putting the pieces together.
"Because you were basically… crashing her magic like a frozen laptop?"
Lucian frowned. "Laptop?"
"Hm," Seraphina said confidently, "laptop."
Then she blinked because she remembered, belatedly, that the word didn't exist here.
