— Agh… I can't believe this is what that bite meant… Damn it… That's why she didn't want to tell me at that moment… — I murmured, running my hands through my hair as a growing exhaustion took over me. The mere thought of what this meant made me want to disappear.
— Is there really nothing we can do, Aertharion? Nothing at all? — I asked, still searching for an alternative.
However, he only shook his head in silence, his expression reflecting the same weight I felt.
— Sigh… Hahaha… I don't even want to imagine what's going to happen when everyone finds out about this… Agh… It's going to be a massive headache… — he said, running a hand over his forehead.
Then, he turned to me with a tired look, though not truly irritated.
— And you, Kyrion, don't even think for a second that you'll escape sharing this headache with me, got it? After all, you're the one who got yourself into this mess, so it's only fair that you share the burden with me.
I sighed, feeling the weight of his words.
— Sigh… O-Ok… — I replied, having no other choice.
I hesitated for a moment before continuing:
— But… Aertharion, you don't seem that upset about this information. I-I thought that, after what you told me about the Light and Void Dragons never having formed a couple since the birth of our races, and after hearing about me and Aurëalis, you would be much angrier…
I looked at him, trying to understand his reaction.
— Is everything really… that fine?
He gave me a deep look before letting start speaking.
— Look, Kyrion, it's true that our races have never mixed, as I said before. Since the Void Dragons were created by Quasares, countless eras ago, there have been no recorded couples between Void and Light Dragons. But as far as I know, this is more due to our cultural differences and, perhaps, our struggle to determine which of us represents the true God responsible for the creation of existence.
He paused, as if carefully considering his next words.
— But that doesn't mean it's forbidden. However, a couple between our races will be something unprecedented in the entire universe and will undoubtedly draw the attention of all races and species, perhaps not only in this dimension but also in the lower ones…
Aertharion closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head before continuing:
— That's why I said that if something like this were to happen, it would be a major headache. Besides… knowing Keltherion… as soon as he finds out about this, he will become uncontrollable. We need to prepare for what's coming.
I merely lowered my head and let out a long sigh, exhausted, as we continued walking.
— I can't believe this is happening to me… I just… wanted to sleep in peace… And now… I'm practically married to the princess of the Light Dragons… Agh… — I grumbled, while Aertharion just shook his head, agreeing with me.
After some time, we arrived at the portal chamber and returned to Quasares. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by several butlers and maids of Aertharion's palace.
— Well, Kyrion… Now that I know everything you've told me, I'll need to devise some more detailed plans for the near future. So, for now, we part ways here. The maids and your butler will take you to your room. — he said as one of the butlers opened a door leading to another wing of the palace.
Aertharion then sighed and gave me a tired look.
— Look… If I were you, I'd take these two days to rest as much as possible, because after that, things are going to get increasingly exhausting, understand? — he said, already turning toward the open door.
— ... Yes… — I replied, feeling an even greater mental exhaustion settle over me.
— Great. Then, I'll see you in two days. If you need me, I'll be in my office handling some kingdom matters and preparing myself for what's to come. Just ask your butler to guide you there. — He said, already crossing the door without waiting for a response.
— See you soon, Kyrion… — he added before his butler closed the door behind him.
… Sound of the door closing…
The Last Two Days of Peace?
After Aertharion's departure, the butler assigned to attend to me and the other maids led me to my room. As expected from a palace, the guest room was magnificent: a spacious area, a luxurious bathroom, and, best of all, an enormous and absurdly soft bed.
As soon as I approached it, I tested its softness with my hands, and upon confirming that it was just as comfortable as it looked, I simply threw myself onto it. Then, I assumed my true form — after all, the room had been designed to accommodate our real forms — and closed my eyes.
Finally, amidst so much confusion, so many problems, so many uncertainties, I had managed to get a little of what I needed most at that dark moment: Peace and silence.
As soon as I closed my eyes, unlike the previous times, the thoughts that had tormented me simply disappeared. For the first time in a long while, I was able to feel good again. It was as if, in the face of that tranquility, all problems became insignificant.
I followed Aertharion's advice and, over the next two days, took the opportunity to rest as much as possible.
From time to time, the butler and the maids, already informed in advance about my ways and behavior, would pass by the room just to check if I was okay, and upon noticing that I was still asleep, they would leave without disturbing me. Even so, when my sleep was lighter, I could hear the conversations echoing through the corridors. The main topic? Keltherion.
They said he had visited Aeternal the day after my departure and was determined to find and punish whoever was responsible for what happened to his daughter. Moreover, rumors indicated that he planned to reinforce the school's security, sending more troops to ensure stability among the different races.
But I simply listened to all of it without caring, since, in the end, those were just empty words from someone who, deep down, only cared about his own interests and had never truly been concerned with coexistence between species.
And so, I simply closed my eyes again and left it all behind, returning to sleep as usual.
On the last day of my stay, something strange began to happen. My neck, which had previously hurt only occasionally — and much more lightly than on the day Aurëalis first bit me — now throbbed again with increasing intensity. The pain came in short intervals, preventing me from sleeping completely.
— Agh… damn it… this pain again… — I murmured, running my paw over my neck, trying to ease the discomfort.
But nothing I did seemed to work. In the end, already tired and aware that my time of peace was running out, I tried to ignore it as much as possible and go back to sleep, and after some effort, I finally managed to drift off. However, the pain persisted, waking me several times throughout that last day.
When the next morning came, I didn't even need to be woken up. The pain had already done that job for me.
Resigned, I simply got up, took a bath, changed clothes, and waited for Aertharion, who arrived a few minutes after I was already ready.
— Good morning, Kyrion! Are you ready for today? — He asked, looking less tired than on the day we arrived.
— Yaaawwnn… yeah… — I answered, still exhausted.
Aertharion frowned, noticing my fatigue despite two uninterrupted days of rest.
— What happened? Didn't sleep well?
I sighed heavily before replying:
— Sigh… no. My neck started hurting more intensely yesterday, for some reason… agh… and it's still hurting from time to time.
— Do you have any idea why, Aertharion? — I asked.
Aertharion then seemed to think but did not reach a conclusion.
— Unfortunately, no, Kyrion. Perhaps the only ones capable of answering that are the Light Dragons themselves…
— Sigh… I see. Well, this pain hasn't killed me so far, so it won't be now. Maybe it's just my body getting used to all this… — I said.
With that, I shook my head, pushing away negative thoughts, and took a deep breath before looking at him with more determination.
— Well, shall we go? I want to finish this trial quickly to at least get a few problems off my mind.