-Morning - Nefiru's POV-
The sun reaching the middle of the morning in a cloudless sky cast shadows over the golden wolf lying down between the open gates and the wind starts to howl over the tall walls as Shaila sits on my head elevated a meter while we heal her throat.
"...The Firefox created a brilliant bead that exploded loudly enough to kill unawakened far away with the sound while erasing our Father's body, and used it again like a beam to destroy his soul. It formed a big lake there which ironically serves as an obstacle for invasion." The golden wolf described gloomily.
The high-rank fire ability enables explosions with greater control, but that sounds like highly condensed plasma imitating a supernova, and the firefox even guided the blast making a ray burst...that should also leak radiation. Well, maybe Lightning can't control plasma to such an extreme degree or block a blast that even the wolf couldn't absorb, but other applications are possible... After all, a heap of metal cannot fly until it becomes a plane... I examined the information. With that reference, Earth magicians should produce nuclear explosions, but compressing matter imitating a neutron star and Darkness making blackholes seems unlikely for divines. I deduced.
"Hey... What's she saying?" Liana asked nudging me.
"Her father died from a fire ability which created a lake," Shaila answered, leaving me to ponder.
"S-scary..." Liana cringed.
"I think senior beast described the divine fire ability used by the fox..." Alphonse conjectured.
"Yes, I got some ideas, but info is insufficient, and elementals don't completely follow a defined principle for accurate predictions about ours. Well, these abilities should require pre-divine rank anyway." I concluded.
"Sighs... Now you talk about Divine abilities as if guessing how many fingers one is holding on the back!" Lester reproached shaking his head before looking down. "But you two ARE ranking up fast...if only I didn't have responsibilities..." He muttered depressingly.
Alphonse patted Lester consolingly on the shoulder while I think back to my conversation with Guardian.
"Many beings lack the knowledge and imagination..." I muttered realizing my neglected affinity. "AHH! But I haven't discovered high-rank Water ability!" I blurted in dismay.
"Uh... I think it's heavy water." Shaila revealed, dangling her feet on the sides of my muzzle.
"Huh?! THE Heavy water?" I asked confirmation.
"Yep. I recalled grandma saying that water can be poisonous which should be Tritium." She asserted.
"Hm-hmm... The radioactive isotope of hydrogen, huh? Cool..." I marveled at future applications including Deuterium.
"So... How did you befriend the wolves?" Lester requested looking at the golden beast.
"A series of unexpected events led me to meet the high rankers... But I didn't get eaten, and we allied, though not the tribe leader..." I resumed.
"Just leave that to Dark 9," Erina affirmed. "Hey, can I eat your corpse?" She requested while I give a blank stare. "I-I ate my last mate after he got charred..." The she-wolf explained her disturbing thoughts.
"...Only with Shaila's consent." I replied receiving a nod from the she-wolf.
"Nu-uh... If Nefi dies, it's better to preserve his body in ice...it might serve a purpose someday." Shaila announced solemnly.
It's probably for my future self... Though I wonder if a divine can read brains for information... I assumed before mocking the girl.
"Phew! No taxidermy for a collection!" I retorted with relief.
"I'm the last person to that..." Shaila softly said petting my head.
"Oh? You should see what she did with lasers..." Lester remarked snickering.
I humored him and probed the plates damaged by lasers...
"Shaila's property? Really?" I questioned the words written on my chest.
"Hehehe... I could have aimed better! And people must know you are mine..." The light user said laughing.
"Oh! I marked him with my scent too." Declared Erina before sniffing me.
"...I did name you like a dog." I said sighing.
"Nefi, shouldn't we heal your back before it gets infected? The bacteria are easy to remove but viruses..." Shaila suggested.
"What is the Miss saying? Dragons don't get sick so easily." Alphonse interjected.
"I've never gotten sick before." I shrugged ignoring the wound.
My body also recovered quickly from frostbite caused by liquid nitrogen... I could also build immunity to the snakes potent toxins, but no other powerful serpent appeared again... I review.
"I haven't heard of a dragon getting sick either." Added the she-wolf.
"I thought we explained the dragon adaptability already?" Scoffed Lester saying.
"Yeah, drugs have a short effect on dragons before becoming ineffective..." Liana pointed out the expensive drugs.
"HEY! Don't bully me!" Shaila protested. "He's still a living creature of flesh and blood!" She argued.
"He also has strong mixed blood. That's the reason for waking up early at the guild...they didn't put to sleep a regular dragon." The black-haired man reaffirmed.
But how far can Dragon genes go? I wondered and thought of the Firefox attack. Hmm... That ability could be related to the wolves genetic defects. I realized the common threat and asked.
"Say... Can Dragons withstand radiation?" I inquired.
"The invisible poison huh," Alphonse affirmed. "Dragons are resistant to an extent, but continuous exposure within safety limits can make you immune--your race likes inhospitable places." He replied looking at the volcano.
"Oh, that's REALLY good to hear! Huhuh..." I rejoice.
"He's planning something dangerous." Shaila accused. "Ah! But what about his sister!?" She points out the infection case.
"...Will be fine." Alphonse dismissed waving his hand. "It seems their mother carried something across the sea... But Raiga must be immune now." He announced.
"WHAT?!!" I utter turning to him, swaying the girl on top.
"I told you when we tied your sister's wing that her weak constitution was abnormal for a Dragon. And you said she has weak Genes, which is true, but she's not a Wyvern!" Alphonse rebuked.
"Guh! I did find it odd." I admit. "But Dragon diseases must exist, right?" I affirmed.
"Maybe not in the past, but there is one now." He declared staring at my left eye. "It wasn't easy, you know? I'm not in charge of spies, so it took time and favors, then you hardly show up!" The former spy complained. "Anyway, there are cases like your sister in the other continent and even young fatalities, but only high rankers can help them. Which means..." The black-haired man informed leaving me to finish.
"A VIRUS!" I guessed the organism that low rankers can't detect.
"Bingo!--I like that word." He confirmed nodding.
"...Nice coincidence for a pathogen to appear during our mating season." I narrowed my eyes suspecting.
"Agreed. Dragons are quite isolated to spread, so it's obviously intentional." The senior man approves.
Ah! Maybe Mother wasn't aware since she was low rank and doesn't affect every dragon, but we might be carriers! I realized and turned to the golden wolf.
"Erina! Find which puny bugs are inside me but not in Shaila and if they are causing harm." I ordered in wolf language to search for viruses.
"Little one, accepts?" The she-wolf asked the girl on my head.
"Me body his." Replied the Girl in growls.
"HMM!" The golden wolf blinked her eyes slowly before going into action.
"Any renown Dragon to the east?" I inquired.
"Nah, just countries and human divines in the Arrowpeak mountains. But the Ancient forest to the southeast could have divine dragons while the Man-eating Desert at northeast is devoid of life." Alphonse resumed. "Do you think your mother knew?" He asked.
"I suspected Mother had a mission and she could be a messenger reporting to some dragon in charge." I voice my opinion recalling her last words.
"Not in a hurry though. She rested after the long journey and got the mating season out of the way..." Alphonse pointed out.
After a few minutes concentrating, the she-wolf reported.
"I found different puny bugs harming your body, but the natural healing keeps up with the damage just fine," Erina reported things I'm unable to sense. "However, it caught my attention some puny bugs hindering the recovery and attacking your tiny guards..." She described viruses targetting white cells. "Both sides change to devour or invade the other, and your defenses win the battles but struggle to eradicate the bugs." The wolf elaborates the purpose of the virus.
"SERIOUSLY?!!" I shouted.
That sounds like an immunodeficiency virus...somebody programmed this thing to give Dragons AIDS! But only Divines and Ancients could engineer a Mega-Virus...is it not breaking the rules? I analyzed realizing what lab rats were.
"What's wrong?" Erina asked.
"What is it?" Shaila asked while they all have expectant faces.
"I have DIV!" I exclaimed creating puzzled faces.
"Pfft!" Liana chortled.
"Ugh! It's bugs that attack the immune system and leave the body vulnerable to diseases." I explained annoyed.
"Ah! Like a castle without guards!" She understood with an analogy.
"You look fine for a sick dragon! Puaha..." Remarked Alphonse laughing.
Yeah, it wasn't a big deal since I didn't even notice, but healing will improve with them gone. I affirmed before gazing at the wolf.
"Erina--" I call out before was interrupted.
"Already working on it! And I'll remove anything else causing harm." The earth user took the initiative.
"Thanks. And do the same to my siblings on your way back." I requested.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
"You are their leader..." The she-wolf consented before closing her eyes.
"Is it that bad?" Shaila asked.
"Hmm... A Super virus artificially designed to weaken dragons will have an impact on a race with bloodlines deteriorating for a thousand years. Well, it might not affect every dragon equally but merely slowing natural healing will increase mortality rate and the most affected will be the unawakened." I explain my views.
"Dragon immunity will win though." Alphonse declared.
"Yes. But the mayhem may not be the only objective, and new versions of the Super Virus might also appear." I assumed.
"Makes sense." The former spy nodded.
"Uh... A cure won't be easy then. Tinkers supply most drug stores and they might be related." Shaila supplemented.
"Enemies?" Questioned Erina.
"Possibly of all dragons." I clarified.
"Can humans get this thing?" The blond woman asked worriedly.
"Hehe..." I chuckled at the irony. "Well, I'm not sure if the creator knows viruses can mutate and adapt to other creatures as well," I revealed with a sigh.
"That's not funny..." The auramancer glared.
"What about the contagion?" Alphonse inquired.
"That...intimate fluid exchange like blood..." I revealed.
"...I'll need to inform my buddies later." Alphonse requested.
"Mm." I approved.
"Aren't you too familiar with a new disease...?" Lester interrogated glaring.
"Yes, AND?" I replied narrowing my eyes into vertical slits.
Liana noticed the friction between us and interrupted while he crossed the arms upset.
"So, when are we going shopping?" She asked.
"After Erina finish..." Shaila announced.
"And when will that be? I need a bath..." The blond woman asked to make plans.
"I'll be done before midday." The golden beast replied.
"In less than two quarters," Shaila translated.
"Heh~ Must be nice knowing a beast language..." Liana commented with her hands on the waist. "But when did you learn?" She asked.
"She didn't--She remembered," I interjected.
"Huh?!" Her sister uttered puzzled.
"Nefiru? You want to tell everyone?!!" Shaila asked anxiously.
"Tell us what?" Asked the brother.
"I promised the crazy wolf to tell her about Shaila before something tragic happened behind my back and it's high time you guys know too," I announced.
The wolf in question perked the ears and anticipating the delicate conversation, extended her magic out vigilantly while I use light magic to see Shaila's face.
"Mu! This is too sudden..." The girl complained lying horizontally on my head to face the sky.
"Uh-huh..." Lester said annoyed.
"It's alright." I comforted the girl keeping our Spirit exchange.
"I've been waiting for this!" Alphonse said rubbing his hands together before receiving stares. "Some booze would be nice..." He said dropping his shoulders.
"The tale starts with a little rodent eaten by a wolf and becoming that animal in his next life, then met a white she-wolf who became his Mate, and birthed many children until they formed a pack." I described our past.
"Uwahh! Embarrassing..." She fidgeted with a nervous smile while covering her reddened face.
""..."" The people remain silent while the golden wolf stares intently.
"However, such blissful times ended quickly for regular animals with short lives and were separated for hundreds of years until they met again as different creatures several lifetimes later. The two Souls recognized their connection, and seek to unveil their past while striving for greater heights in evolution together." I narrated.
"A little romantic, but you could improve this story." Liana reviewed with a smile.
"Uhh... This is just how our past happened though." I declared twisting my snout.
"...Huh?!" She uttered as confusion dawns on her face.
"I didn't just randomly get captured by humans--I was born here to reunite with Shaila," I announced bouncing the girl on my head.
"Bah! Do you have any idea how insane you sound?" Lester spoke disbelieving.
"Say whaaa...!? You mean all our memories are lies?" I taunted with mockery.
"Those are just dreams... Shaila had them since little." He said squinting his eyes.
"So, all my knowledge doesn't come from remembering an ENTIIIIRE past lifetime?" I dramatized questioning.
"Guh! That-that's different...can't dispute it." He faltered lowering his head.
"So, it was like that..." The black-haired man muttered.
"That's why you were sure about souls!" Erina said wagging her tail vigorously and creating a dust cloud being carried by the wind.
"Cough!" "I'll take any explanation about the weird dragon, but I'm not convinced Shaila is that white wolf." Liana shook her head saying.
"Unfortunately, I don't remember it either--" Shaila denied.
"SEE?!!" Lester shouted interrupting.
"But I confirmed a dozen other wolf lives so far..." She revealed.
"...WHA-?! How?!" The young man demanded.
"I kept recalling memories as my rank got higher, then arranged them by clarity along other factors, and determined they originate from around the middle of my existence, but I have yet to recall most lives." She explained the method while the brother stares without blinking.
"Are you sure it's real sweetie?" Liana asked confirmation.
"Sighs... It's not a debate." The girl shook her head slightly. "It's not as fun as it sounds either. I remembered bad memories like dying from sickness, injuries and even being skinned alive for my coat... Stupid boy didn't finish me off!" She explained as anguish transform her face.
"Gasp!" Liana sucked in air before covering her mouth.
"...The suffering was brief but not pleasant to recall." Shaila recounts with frustration.
"Hmph! You were beautiful and fluffy, so your fur was expensive." I complimented.
"Hehe~" The girl chuckled. "Well, that was my last life as a common Wolf, and all following memories are of magical beasts. But...death still found me again and again..." She reviews with a negative tone.
Was it the soul seeking an appropriate vessel or the desire to be stronger after encountering humans? I wonder recalling her early words.
"The world doesn't hate you, Shaila... Even I was eaten alive by a snake before." I spoke consolingly.
"I just...wish to remember more good things... However, bad memories persist like a stain on a cloth..." Shaila spoke hopelessly.
"You can make happy memories in this lifetime..." Her sister cheered.
"Hm-hmm..." The girl nodded.
"I don't feel so well...need to sit down," Lester spoke stopping his pacing.
"Can you pause?" The blond sister requested patting her brother.
"This is interesting!" Erina said excitedly.
"Even senior beast finding this entertaining..." Alphonse guessed.
The golden wolf watching our exchange with big eyes created three stone blocks for the humans to sit and us to continue.
"Come live with us!" Erina proposed.
"Erina built me a nice Lair in a river," I announced.
"Really? Congratulations!" Shaila enlivened. "I will." She growled.
"But why Shaila remember things like that?" Lester sitting between Liana and Alphonse inquired after recovering.
"When I met that white wolf in my soul infancy, six hundred years ago by a rough estimate, she was already an impressive Alpha, and her Ancient soul may recall memories easier than others," I announced.
"...She doesn't look like the mighty beast you picture." The young man retorted.
"Yes... I think so too... Something happened in the past that changed her, and I think having a human vessel impacted her negatively." I explain recalling recent deductions about souls.
"Are you saying it's bad she was born human?" He inquired surprised.
"Maybe... The next soul awakening might change her personality too." I affirmed.
"You can't be serious..." Lester said deflated.
"Wrong..." Shaila denied. "That change has been happening since we met, Nefi. I just didn't notice before." She explained.
"So... Little sister is older than us huh?" The blond woman asked.
"Mm-hmm." The white-haired girl nodded affirming. "According to Nefi, the soul age has something to do with affinity talents, but it doesn't apply to him..." She elaborated.
Why she only has one affinity though? I ponder.
"Why is that?" Asked the wolf.
"Why can you remember previous lives like that?" Inquired Alphonse lifting an eyebrow.
"Because my soul is unnatural... I remember one full lifetime, and fragments of seven others." I answered.
"That could explain your knowledge--WAIT! You were a human too?" Alphonse realized the connection.
"Correct!" I looked at him smirking. "I was human and dragon in three lives..." I described.
"I don't buy it. You knew nothing of the world and magic." Lester cut in. "Did you live in a cave reading books?" He mocked questioning.
"Nah, that knowledge comes from a world without mana and human society was far more advanced than here." I disclosed.
"Eh!?" Liana tilted her head puzzled.
"Ha?! You are mad." The brother uttered dismissing.
"The stars in the Void are far away suns like ours with worlds of their own, and there are many planes of existence too." Shaila supplemented.
"Realms..." Erina said understanding.
"Where Deities go..." Alphonse voiced. "But how did you confirm being born here to find her then?" He inquired.
"I'm not sure why, but images of Shaila's life appeared recently," I replied wondering their purpose.
"You...the details of that day...?" Lester asked a vague question about the girl present.
"Don't answer that," Shaila ordered me upset.
"So-sorry..." Her brother apologized stammering with a dark expression.
"It was already confirmed between them," Liana whispered to him.
"Nefi, I also have a blurry memory in a square room where I'm a human which doesn't feel like me," Shaila revealed.
"That's odd..." I said puzzled.
"Did Father know?" Asked Lester.
"Not this much. But Faust was against Shaila destroying her human body to become a beast." I divulged.
"You-WHAT?!" The brother snapped towards the girl on my head.
"I don't mind anything that makes her happy." The big sister agreed.
Shaila sat up on my head turning to her brother with her legs on each side of my eye.
"Sorry... I feel tiny and feeble in a body barely the size of my adult wolf leg." She expressed her desire to be a wolf again.
"I-I understand. You did want change this past year." He nodded approving and lowered his head.
"It bothered you being called puny..." Erina asserted before looking at my eyes. "She probably wants to play bite with you which I haven't been able to do!" Complained the she-wolf.
"Erina...you're a high-rank Cyborg!" I retorted at the difficulty to hurt her.
"WHUO?!" The golden beast tilted her head puzzled.
"Hihihi!" Shaila giggled being stared by the wolf. "It means a living creature with metallic parts." The girl explained. "She really has metal in her?" The light magician asked.
"Oh-yeah. Hug her, and you'll need a healer. All her bones are metallic too." I replied.
"Parts of my ears and tail don't have metal..." The she-wolf corrected.
"Uh-huh..." I rolled my eyes as Liana walks away.
...
After waiting for an hour while Erina continues her treatment, and refilling my mana reserves, the blond woman comes out of the house.
"Is the Miss going against her father's wishes?" Alphonse asked solemnly.
"The human is correct," Erina calls our attention. "It's difficult having two bodies since a new Soul is born in the Soulless one and controlling it becomes harder with time. But from what you said, those rumors sound like an invading soul..." The golden wolf explained.
Hmm.... So, an empty vessel with biological activity will call another compatible soul? Well, Divines can't touch mortal essences and erasing the lifeforce binding the soul would mean killing the body that produces the energy... Still, the emerging soul should even gain memories from the vessel which is probably why Divines obliterate their old bodies, but freezing to slow bodily functions might delay or stop invaders, though it would damage tissue. I examined.
"Why can't I?" Shaila asked clarification.
"If you abandon this body too long, it will run away." I jested explaining.
"Haha... That's one way to put it." Laughed Alphonse saying.
"Ugh! That's not fair..." The white-haired girl muttered depairing.
"Don't fret. It's too early to worry, and we lack knowledge." I showed hope.
"Oh, Sis. Don't hate your body so much." Consoled Liana reaching my side.
"She probably wants a wolf body to interact with past relatives." I disclosed.
"Ah, right! Her family might still be alive." The blond haired sister asserted.
"Or she might have children somewhere in this world," I announced with a smirk.
"AGH! Don't say it!" The white-haired girl protested crossing her arms while turning crimson.
Haha. She gets quite embarrassed in front of others huh? I asserted as her red shades change back to white. Hey! Hiding your embarrassment with magic is cheating! I noticed using light arts myself.
"It would be strange if she didn't leave offsprings. So, we want to set out high ranks to find her tribe..." I declared.
"The world is big though. So, you'll spend years searching!" Lester reasoned.
"Nah, our target should be white wolves, and they mostly live on this continent. Hopefully, I can fly properly by then too." I explained.
"I see..." He exhaled defeated.
"I'm Done." Reported Erina.
"Yes, I can feel it...my body feels lighter. Good job!" I review getting up before licking her.
"I'll be going now." She said licking me back then got up. "Don't die." The golden beast warned turning around and brushed me with her tail before sprinting away.
I go up to the stone table carrying Shaila and use water magic to cover the glass bottle before levitating it into my mouth, then head out with Liana in tow when I noticed Lester also following. I stopped outside the front gate and looked behind to see the blond haired young man carrying four alcohol bottles on his belt.
"Shaila needs to face crowds, and she's prepared... You'll ruin it scaring everybody away with your evil stare of death and by that, I mean your smile. Any other expression will petrify them." I admonished recalling our first walk through town.
"Agh! Don't call me evil!" He protested with a contorted face.
"You threw one of those on my rear, so you are evil," I said looking at the potassium bombs.
"YOU!-Don't let anything happen to her." The brother demanded
I nodded bouncing the girl on my head before he handed over the coins to Liana along with the grenades and we continue to the town.
"I smell Hilda and Marlo... is she skipping work to go on dates?" I scoffed saying.
"A day off, I believe." Responded Liana.
-Sulow town. 3rd POV-
*Tok! Tok! Tok!* A black-haired man wearing armors knocks on a door inside an alley. *Keeek!* The door opens revealing a green-haired man.
"Oh, Tayuma... What is it?" The man greeted from inside the house before asking.
"Kalio... The request from those Nobles paying a hefty sum is a go." The black-haired man greeted before informing.
"Already?" Another green haired man appeared asking surprised. "But we couldn't attack the Dragon because it would alert the Nobles and the girl never comes out..." He spoke frustrated.
"Ah, Kaelio. We extracted intel from a Maid dating a guard in town, and it seems an opportunity for both targets will appear soon along with Liana Ragefire." Tayuma revealed.
"That's good news! The price of Dragons is sky-high now because of War." Kalio spoke excitedly.
"Your part is transporting the girl and fight as you see fit to achieve that goal while we subdue the pet." The black-haired man explains their role.
"You have been preparing for days... Just how many High Rankers like us and auramancers did you gather?" Asked Kaelion.
"Probably enough to go after Big Red as precautions since the reports about the pet Dragon aren't conclusive, and money is plenty." He replied.
"Hm? Paranoid much?" Kalio derided.
"I won't underestimate that dragon again." Tayuma declared grinding his teeth.
"An awakened Dragon shouldn't be taken lightly..." Kaelion chided leaning on the door frame. "But what about the noblewoman?" He mentioned Liana.
"...She's the objective of the Dark Guild. I think they will try to draw out the boy for the local guild to replace." The black-haired man whispered contemptuously.
"Haha! That seems like fun!" Kalio said with a wicked smile.
"Challenging a Noble family...even if they had your brother killed," Kaelio said with a severe tone insinuating revenge.
"No. No. I warned Yumeno countless times..." Tayuma denied waving a hand.
"Ptsh! Who cared for our falling Noble family?" Kalio scoffed asking his brother.
"What about Faust and Lucious?" Kaelio inquired.
"They should be at the War." The black-haired man replied.
"HA! The Ragefires are at the end of their rope!" The fallen Noble spoke with malice wishing to drag them down.
"Alright, we'll grab our gear," Kaelion said going into the house.