- "What-what are you doing here?" I asked, startled, stepping backward, trying to distance myself from her as she kept coming closer.
As I retreated, I noticed her outfit was different from usual. Instead of her respectable attire, which befit her title as a princess and highlighted her beauty, she now wore something distinct: a long white dress adorned with crystals. A large veil covered her face, bearing the emblem of the royal family of the Light Dragons.
- "...Tsk... W-what is that outfit?" I asked, cornered with nowhere else to go as she approached even closer.
- "...W-wait a minute... I've seen that outfit before..." I thought, noticing the details.
- "That's the ceremonial wedding outfit of the Light Dragons..." I muttered.
Aurëalis kept approaching, her face flushed, her eyes shining as always, and a big smile on her lips.
- "...Tsk... but why are you dressed like that, huh?" I asked, frightened.
Then, I noticed something strange about my own body. On my right arm, a different color than my usual tone. When I looked down, I saw I was no longer wearing the same clothes from a few minutes ago.
- "...Ugh... what is... this?" I thought, terrified, as I examined the outfit. There was no doubt: it was the ceremonial attire worn by male Void Dragons at their weddings.
- "...Damn it... this isn't... my outfit... This can't be happening!" I thought, utterly desperate.
By then, Aurëalis was mere inches from me. I was sweating profusely, trembling in fear, unable to make sense of what any of this meant. Before I could think of anything else, she grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the mist she had emerged from. The mist dissipated, revealing a large space with rows of benches filled with people staring directly at us. At the back, an altar awaited.
As we approached the altar, the faces of the people became more recognizable. When we finally arrived, with Aurëalis holding my hands firmly, I could identify who they were.
- "D-damn it... what is this...?" I thought, glancing around.
My mother and father were there, their expressions filled with sheer joy. Further ahead, I saw my grandparents, uncles, cousins, and even Aertharion. On the other side of the aisle, I saw the most terrifying sight of all: Keltherion and Lyssandra, the king and queen of the Light Dragons, were present. Both smiled serenely as if they fully approved of this event.
Seeing them caused my mind to collapse. My legs weakened, and before I could even attempt to escape, Aurëalis held me tighter, pulling me closer to her. Her expression was now a mix of happiness and determination.
The figure at the altar, clearly a Celestial, observed us with a tranquil smile. The only being capable of officiating marriages between gods then spoke.
- "You may kiss the bride," he declared gently.
My eyes widened in shock. Aurëalis closed her eyes, moving slowly toward me, her lips mere millimeters from mine. My mind screamed in rejection:
- "No, no, no! This can't be happening!"
In one final act of desperation, I let out a scream that echoed throughout the hall.
- "NOOOO!"
Suddenly, I woke up, drenched in sweat, still beneath the tree where I had been before falling asleep. The sun was setting on the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange. My breathing was heavy, and my hearts felt like they were about to explode.
- "Huff... huff... what was that? Aurëalis... and I..." I murmured, trying to make sense of it all.
I looked around, searching for any signs of Aurëalis, my parents, or anyone from that wedding, but there was nothing, just the scroll Aurëalis had sent to me.
- "Huff... huff... was that... a dream?" I asked myself as I tried to calm down.
After a few minutes, I reached the most plausible conclusion:
- "It seems so..."
I let out a deep sigh, still feeling the weight of the dream.
- "Damn it... was it because of this scroll?" I murmured, picking it up again and cautiously opening it.
- "Sigh... now I can't even sleep in peace?" I complained, letting out another deep sigh.
- "Calm down, Kyrion. It was just a dream. There's no reason to be upset..." I thought, trying to regain my composure. Slowly, my mind settled.
- "Let's... just forget about it for now..." I decided.
I got up, brushing the dust off my scales.
- "Tsk... it's almost nightfall. I still have that dinner to attend... Maybe a little flight will help clear my head. After all, that dream was... intense..." I murmured to myself, flapping my wings and taking off toward the school to get ready for the VIP dinner.
When I arrived at my quarters, I took a quick shower, got dressed, and headed to the hall. Upon arriving, I noticed the number of people was still small, perhaps because I had arrived earlier than planned. To my surprise, though, Karix and his friends were already there.
- "There aren't many people yet, huh? I guess I came too early…" I thought.
- "Hmm… but from what I can see, Karix and his friends are already here, so I think it's fine. Actually, this is great because I'll be able to eat those delicious Void fruits as much as I want and leave early to get more sleep." I concluded mentally as I passed through the check-in at the entrance and entered the hall.
- "Hehe, that's the spirit… let's do this," I muttered to myself before walking toward the table where Karix and his friends were seated.
- "Hey, guys, how's it going?" I asked casually as I approached.
- "Kyrion! Hey, how are you? Everything's good here. We were waiting for you. We got a bit excited to see what the place looked like and came early, hahaha," said Karix with an embarrassed laugh.
- "Yaaawn… No problem… As long as I can get some Void fruits, nothing else matters," I replied, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
- "Hahaha… That's the spirit. If you want, you can order them now. I know you came here for those, and we reserved them just for you. So feel free; they're all yours," Karix said, smiling.
- "O-okay… Are you guys having any?" I asked, already salivating at the thought of eating those fruits.
- "Actually, we've already had a few… hahaha… Hope you're not mad," said Karix in a carefree tone.
- "Hmm… Nah, it's fine… I'd only be mad if there weren't any left for me, but since that's not the case, there's no reason to be upset," I replied with a calm smile.
- "Well… In that case, I'll order them for myself," I concluded, calling the waiter.
A few minutes later, the fruits arrived. Their aroma, texture, and flavor… Everything was exactly as I remembered. It had been a long time since I last ate them. At that moment, all the day's stress disappeared, replaced by a profound sense of peace.
- "These fruits... are amazing," I said cheerfully, as I ate several at once.
- "Hahaha... Honestly, seeing you eat them makes it seem like they're great…" he said, implying that, to him, the fruits weren't so good.
However, that didn't irritate me. In fact, I was impressed that they had eaten those fruits and, surprisingly, hadn't gone insane, considering that void fruits couldn't be eaten by just any being. Only we, void dragons, could eat them without any issues, even as hatchlings.
- "Hmm... So you knew the risk of eating them, yet you still took the chance, huh?" I commented while continuing to eat.
- "Y-yes... And I must say, we almost got swallowed by the void... B-but we're strong and managed to resist, hahaha," Karix replied, trying to boast.
I simply looked at them for a moment, imagining the absurd situation they had probably gone through. Those three idiots almost lost their lives purely out of curiosity. But I didn't dwell on it much and just continued my feast.
Time passed, and we talked about various topics: from the academy, the VIP dining hall, and its food to the exaggerated stories Karix and his friends told. However, the conversation soon took a direction I knew would stir trouble.
- "Yeah... I got beaten up badly that day, but it was because I was caught off guard..." Karix said as he recalled the day he got into a fight.
- "If they hadn't been cowards and faced me head-on, they would've seen what I'm capable of," he continued.
- "Well, I hope that taught you a lesson: not all females are good just because they're beautiful, my friend," Cédric warned, taking a sip of Life Tree wine.
- "Ugh... I've learned that already, okay? And for your information, I've moved on," Karix retorted, embarrassed.
- "Moved on? Hahaha... You're going to get beaten up again, huh..." Cédric teased, laughing along with Theron.
- "Tsk... Shut up! The female I'm interested in now is different. I did my research before taking any steps," Karix said, trying to sound confident.
- "Hahaha! So, who is she, huh?" Cédric asked, curious.
- "She's the most beautiful female that exists. Her eyes, her hair, her face... Everything about her is perfect," Karix said with a dreamy smile.
- "Sigh... You always say that about every female you're interested in. So, tell us her name first, then we'll see if you stand a chance, hahaha," Cédric teased.
- "You bastard... I'll make you eat your words. Her name is Cristine, from the Divine Music club. Oh, and she'll be performing here today as a guest. Let's see what you'll say about her," Karix said, looking proud.
At that point, I was almost falling asleep and gave a slight yawn, opening one eye as I heard her name.
"
- You... are interested in Cristine?" I asked, a bit more attentive, as I knew her, albeit superficially.
- "That's right! Do you... know her?" Karix asked, surprised.
- "Hmm... Yes, a little. I had some issues in the Divine Music hall some time ago and ended up seeing her sing. But that doesn't matter much," I replied.
- "Yaaawwn... What matters is that she is, indeed, a good girl. It's not just Karix's imagination," I commented, closing my eyes and resting my head on my arms on the table.
- "SEE? I TOLD YOU! HAHAHA!" Karix celebrated.
- "Hmm... Come to think of it, out of the four of us here, the only one who's never said anything about what kind of female he prefers is you, Kyrion," Cédric observed, shifting the focus of the conversation to me.
- "Would it be someone like Cristine, then? Since you know her? Hehehe," Cédric teased with a mischievous laugh.
- "Or maybe someone like Trixie, from the Moon Wolves?" he continued, clearly enjoying the guesses.
- "Hmm... No... maybe a female void dragon," he guessed again before being interrupted by Karix.
- "Don't bother, Cédric... I've tried before, and it didn't work," Karix said with a tone of resignation.
Despite the teasing, I wasn't angry. In fact, I found it amusing to see Cédric's determination to figure out my type of female, and everything was going well until he mentioned that name.
- "Hmm... Don't bother, huh? You know I can't resist. If I can't guess on the first try, I'll just mention several names and watch for reactions," Cédric declared, already preparing to start his list.
- "Hehehe, let's start with the most popular ones... usually, most males like them," he said with a sly smile.
- "...Then...What about Aurëalis?" he suggested after thinking for a moment.
- "Yes, hahaha... she's incredibly beautiful and, besides that, also a dragon, right?" he reflected aloud.
At that moment, I felt my ten hearts race at a frantic pace, as a warm, uncomfortable sensation spread through my chest. The sudden pressure forced me to step out onto the balcony to catch some fresh air.
- "Agh... What's happening to me?" I murmured, struggling to regain control.
- "This... isn't normal. Just because he mentioned Aurëalis' name, I reacted like this..." I thought
- "Ha...haha... N-no way... S-she is really beautiful, but she has many suitors better than me," I tried to rationalize, still short of breath.
- "Well... if you'll excuse me, I need to step out for a bit," I said, coughing lightly as I hurried out.
- "Hmm... Did we push too far?" Cédric asked, concerned.
- "No... He's tougher than that. A joke like this wouldn't shake him. Maybe he just needs some air," Karix replied, laughing before going back to talking about Cristine.
Outside on the balcony, night had already fallen, and the sounds of conversation, which were loud indoors, were now muffled. Out there, aside from me, there were also a few couples kissing or just talking while admiring the starry sky and the beautiful moon that almost covered the horizon. At that moment, I stopped and sat on a nearby bench, taking deep breaths to calm myself.
- "Tsk... What the hell is happening to me? Am I sick? Is something wrong with me? Or am I... agh... starting to like Aurëalis?" I thought as I gazed at the stars.
- "...Sigh... You know what? That's enough. From now on, I'm going to clear my mind and regain my peace," I said.
Then, as I continued looking at the night sky, I began to empty my mind of all those thoughts. In the process, without realizing it, I ended up falling asleep and waking up a few minutes later in a rather peculiar situation.
- "Tsk... What... happened?" I asked myself, slowly opening my eyes, no longer feeling unwell.
- "I-I... was... trying to keep those thoughts from taking over, and... I ended up... falling asleep?" I asked myself, still feeling a bit groggy.
- "...hmm... but this bench... is really...cozy..." I noted, as I rubbed against it, trying to find the most comfortable position to stay there.
However, soon, a thought hit my head like a hammer.
- "...hmmm... this scent... perfume... sniff... sniff..." I sniffed, picking up a peculiar fragrance.
But it wasn't just any perfume or an unfamiliar one. It was a scent I somehow knew very well, even though I couldn't immediately recall where from, until suddenly, as if my brain decided to help, a memory from the last time I'd seen Aurëalis the day before flashed in my mind. Then, I remembered where I'd sensed that exact same perfume before.
- "W-wait just a minute..." I thought, opening my eyes and beginning to sweat nervously, piecing everything together and understanding why the scent was so familiar and why the bench felt so comfortable.
I moved my right arm slightly downward and touched what felt like two legs — extremely smooth and well-kept, so sensitive I could describe them with just that simple touch.
- "Gulp... these... are legs?" my mind screamed in panic.
But before I could react, a soft and melodious voice whispered in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
- "Hello, Kyrion... I wasn't expecting to find you here, but it seems the heavens have answered my prayers, don't you think?" the voice said.
At that moment, there was no longer any doubt. The person I was lying on was undoubtedly Aurëalis.