"Let's see it, shall we?" Alvyra asked, holding out her hand. Once Casen placed his hand on it, she inspected it with a sharp gaze as she could immediately tell where the black color came from.
"Can you show me your entire arm?"
Casen nodded and began taking off his top attire, when it was finally off the black serpent was wrapped around his upper waist sleeping peacefully until it felt the cold breeze on its scales did it wake up and raise its head to look at Alvyra.
Unlike what happened to Tiamat and Isirneth the serpent just flicked its tongue in her direction and slithered up toward the hand she was holding.
"Nephew, just what kind of shit did you find yourself in? Do you know where this creature came from?" Alvyra's gaze switched from him to the snake multiple times. She may have not seen this creature before but she knew it was from where his arm became discolored.
Casen let his other hand trace down its long and lithe body. "It's been with me for a while, it reminds me of someone I've met before so I decided to leave it be."
Alvyra stared at him blankly. 'Is he stupid?' The snake hissed quietly drawing her attention and its eyes glowed when they met with hers. Casen and the two women who were observing on the sidelines watched the silent communication between the two.
Isirneth and Tiamat already had a clue as to what they were talking about but Casen only knew that they were somehow speaking to one another.
After a few minutes, the glow in the serpent's eyes faded and changed its attention to Casen pressing its head into his palm.
Alvyra cleared her throat. "Your arm is corrupted by abyssal mana and those purple engravings belong to the creature that caused it. Luckily your.. friend is keeping it from spreading any further."
Casen's face beamed with joy as he picked up the snake to press it against his chest in a delicate hug. The only thing he deduced from her words was that this little one was helping him in some way and that was all that mattered to him.
Isirneth seeing how overly joyful he was despite his situation made her shake her head to which Tiamat joined in her action. "Is it dangerous?"
Alvyra looked at Tiamat stupefied. "No shit it's dangerous, to everyone but him. That id— His friend is consuming the mana before it could cause any harm to him but if anyone who isn't at our level touches him then they'll be infected, the same thing goes for material. I recommend coating his things in your power since he isn't strong enough to do so himself."
The beginning of her second sentence was cut short when she could feel a piercing glare in her direction from a certain snake.
Alvyra stood up and looked at Casen again. "Also, if you want to meet that creature again you'll need to visit the realm I rule over, Hell. You'll have to get through the 9 floors yourself."
Casen hummed in response but the way his wings fluttered at the thought of being able to see it again portrayed his excitement.
The Demon Queen could only shake her head and walk to Tiamat and Isirneth, surrounding themselves in a translucent soundproof barrier. "Don't let any other gods you do not trust see that snake, they will kill him to have it."
Her voice was stern in warning before she removed the barrier, opened a red portal, and left. With how strained her voice was, she wanted to get out of the proximity of Casens pet as soon as possible. Even if she missed Isirneth and acted out on that emotion she wouldn't stay longer than this and opted for visiting later.
Casen was observing their worried faces after Alvyra left, he looked down at the sleeping snake in his arms as he began to think. He realized he had been too relaxed with his aunt and mother and no longer held any thoughts of getting stronger since he was already the dragon prince and was surrounded by people who'd give their lives for him.
At first, it was because he found his family but what was his excuse now? That he could just go crying to his mother to have her solve all of his problems or because since he's still at the young stage he could be made an exception?
It made him feel disappointed in himself that he'd even thought of such when he knew just how favorable his position was and there were those who worked harder than anything to achieve such.
He cleaned the Neutral Continent, yes, but cleaning was always done. The size of the Neutral Continent, and for all continents for that matter was so large that it was impossible to even begin to measure it's size without extensive surveying and mapping. Just for him to be able to clean it in 3 days was child's play, but he did exterminate who he knew which may have not been much now that he thought back on it.
He fought a red dragon and won, yes to that as well but was that dragon even an adult? Could he have won without the abyssal mana eating at its wounds with every punch he gave? No, he knew very well he would not have won. He would've died but that didn't mean he wished that he died instead because he valued his life and his family would've created an apocalypse and he didn't want to hurt the innocent.
He was thankful that his aunt taught him how to behave properly as a prince and he loved her for it, but as a person, he needed to grow. His cluelessness and oblivious thinking won't get him anywhere but 10 feet in the ground.
And so that would be his first goal, to become better so that even his god of an aunt and mother would lean on him at some point and genuinely trust him with difficult matters.
He sighed heavily and found his friend was already looking at him, he figured it could sense his emotions so he sent it a reassuring pat on the head and lightly set it on his lap to put his attire back on.
"Since you can control such powerful mana, I don't dare doubt your capabilities but I don't want you stepping into problems that I can handle okay? I don't want you hurt, you're far too precious to me after all. Just like them."
Casen looked at his mother and aunt again and saw them talking to each other with difficult expressions. "I can't remain like this forever. Let's work hard together." He stood up moved the snake on his shoulders and walked toward them.
When they felt him approaching they paused their conversation and turned to him. He looked at them with a firm glint in his eyes and placed his hand on his chest. "Mother, aunt. I wish to learn how to fight." He spoke in an unwavering tone, his conviction solidified.
"Why? You know I'd settle any of your mishaps for you. I don't want you to get hurt." Isirneth questioned, she was supposed to be his shield and if he were to step out of her protective embrace she didn't want to think of so much as dust touching his head.
Tiamat, on the other hand, remained silent as he stood still like a statue after his question. As a mother dragon, she could feel and see the emotions of her race through their soul. Casens' was shrouded in a palpable swirl of red and a deep blue, he was both angry and sad.
She looked at it in wonder as she couldn't comprehend what had made him be in such a state within the few minutes they took their eyes off of him. When she looked at Isirneths, it was pink.
She blinked her eyes a few times to see if she had seen it wrong but her entire body was now covered in the color. She'd see colors instead of emotions when the person, such as an overlord, suppresses them with their entire mana. 'It wasn't this bad before. Did Alvyras' warning cause her to be like this?' She questioned internally. Although she wasn't the god of beauty and love she could recognize the color representing a dragon's obsession and possession.
"I've learned how to grow as a prince, but not as a person nor have I increased my strength. I don't want to watch you and aunt having to bear my problems without me, as a family we support each other through all of it but as I am right now I can't do that. I don't want you to.."
The sight in front of him made his voice trail off into silence. The concern on Isirneths' face was gone and was replaced by a wild look. Her hair was floating crazed and uncontrolled in the air as if gravity was no longer present.
"You don't want me to what?" She squeezed her words out through gritted teeth, her pupils were constricted to the point that he could no longer see them. The ground underneath her cracked.
Tiamat broke out in a sweat. 'Word choice, Casen word choice!'
Seeing her horns starting to emerge he cleared his throat and tried fixing his mistake. "I don't want you to be ignoring your duties as the Empress but I would like it if you could shield me when you deem a situation out of my capabilities if you don't find it troubling."
As if it were just an illusion her entire demeanor flipped over onto itself. Her features returned to normal and she smiled happily. He could've sworn it was enough to power the sun. Both he and Tiamat breathed a sigh of relief. "It wouldn't be troubling at all, baby. You just need to let mother take over when that time comes, okay? I'll have Ederes train you in a few weeks, until then you have to stay with me."
Casen smiled and hugged her tightly, she was quite cute to him like she hadn't just been close to destroying the continent. "Anything you wish, mother. Aunt come here and join." He gestured to Tiamat who was still standing idly, he didn't want her to be left out.
The Dragon Mother in question took a few moments to think before giving in, she didn't want to risk the flurry of emotions that ran through them like it had previously to reappear.