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“E-eh? Did it die? Did I send it off the mountain by accident?” Aella mumbled to herself, chuckling at the thought. Her disappointing fight prior, aside, at least that was funny.
In the dying embers of twilight, beneath a sky adorned with stars, Aella dropped a pile of wood onto the ground before snapping her fingers, a small blue wisp of flame heeding her call, igniting the wood.
The Foxfire’s ethereal glow danced around them, casting eerie shadows upon the faces of the assembled group. Aella, her young features illuminated in the ghostly light as she tended to the fire.
Besides her, a girl with platinum blond hair and jet-black angel wings rode atop a massive dragon with her unconscious parents.
Curiously, Aella looked at the dragon and the girl, activating [Apprasial].
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Humming at the information her system gave, Aella nodded, now that information wasn’t hidden from her.
‘THAT THING IS A BABY?!’ Aella screamed inwardly, looking at the supposed baby dragon’s size.
Aetherion, even in its infant form, was a colossal sight. Its massive body sprawled across the rocky ground, towering several meters in height. Its scales, as dark as the blackest void, shimmered with an otherworldly luster of gold through the small gaps in its stone-like skin.
In comparison, every other living creature present, including the dragon that wasn’t with them anymore, wasn’t even half its size.
‘What is a Core Tier even? The system didn’t give any information on what it meant, just that my Core is a 5th Tier one. Status.’ She gave the mental command, letting out a small sigh.
=
Aella Rossi | Foxin | Unhatched Dragon
EXP: 4600 | Level 5 (60%) | Stat Points: 20 | Skill Points 4
Dragon Slots: 1 used, 0 remaining
Dragon Core: Tempest AquaStorm Core(Hatching soon!) | Rank: 0
Health: 1488/1500 | Mana: 1212/4500 | Stamina 61/800
Traits: 1 Tail | Whirlwind Maestra
Dragon Skills: N/A
Personal Skills: [Foxfire LV 1] | [Transformation LV 1] | [Appraisal LV 1] | [Whirlwind Maestra LV 1]
STR: 5 | DEX: 5 | SPI: 5 | AGI: 15 | MND: 5 | CHA: 5
=
“Manifesting Sylph with only the first verse actually cut so much Mana from me… If I recall, Spirit ups my Mana.”
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Without thinking about it too deeply, Aella put all of the stat points she just got into her SPI stat. Having sufficient mana was the most important thing for her as her physical capabilities could be augmented with magic easily, and she had no use for the Mind or Charisma stats at the current time.
Suddenly, the amount of Mana Aella had been putting into her Aura exploded in quantity, terrifying the two cultists whom she had… Bound…
She broke both their legs.
“Blue flames and wind? You can control 2 different elements?! Just what are you?!”
“3 Technically. 4 if you count the swords I create,” Aella mentioned casually, looking through her system and tapping on both options titled [Whirlwind Maestra]
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You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
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‘No.’
With a deep breath, Aella turned her attention to the two cultists she had subdued, and fear etched across the face of one and defiance of the other.
“So, speak. You mentioned that girl being a calamity, and I am deeply curious about what you mean.” Aella stated nicely with an innocent smile.
“You’re with her, you damned Demon lords! You’ll never get us to speak-”
Not allowing him to finish, Aella called down a small blade of wind, which accurately cut off the defiant man’s index finger. His scream pierced the night, echoing through the mountain.
“The quicker you talk, the higher likelihood you’ll live,” Aella said, her tone indifferent. “Now answer my questions.”
As the man writhed in pain, his companion stared at Aella, the fear he had already experienced only growing.
‘She’s crazy. She’ll really pull through on those threats!’ He thought to himself.
Although he also defied her words, his resolve wavered as Aella began to glare at him. The silent exchange hung heavy in the air, the man contemplating what to do.
Meanwhile, Seraphina observed the scene, her wide, ruby-like eyes reflecting the flickering light of Aella’s blue flames.
“You’re incredibly strong,” Seraphina said, her voice soft yet overflowing with awe and nervousness. “I’ve never seen anyone like you before.”
Aella glanced at Seraphina before turning to her. Her expression shifted, becoming softer and slightly mischievous.
“Oh? Are you not scared of me, little girl?” She asked genuinely.
Seraphina hesitated but eventually shook her head, her feathers rustling softly. “You protected mommy and daddy. You can’t be a bad person… Unless you’re a government dog. Daddy says they’re always evil. Are you one of them?”
‘I… What?’
Aella’s mouth gaped as she tried to figure out what to say in response to that.
“I’m not a huge fan of those government dogs, either. I’m Aella.”
Peeking over from atop her dragon, Seraphina smiled slightly.
“I’m Seraphina Davis,” She responded. “And this is Aetherion! Where’s your dragon?”
“They’re…” Aella paused, opening her system and tapping on her Dragon Core.
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“They’ll be hatched by morning,” Aella stated, curious as to why the timer went down so drastically.
It’s only been a couple of hours since she got the notification of it hatching in 24 hours.
‘Because I leveled maybe? Or because I have so much more Mana?’
Whatever the reason was, she didn’t think about it any further.
“Eh? You’re that strong without a dragon!? You’re amazing!” Her voice raised with surprise.
Aella nodded in agreement. Those guys were jokes, and she was pretty sure that Aetherion could defeat them with its sheer size alone, but she wasn’t going to be needlessly humble. Aella knew her worth.
“That aside, would you mind enlightening me on why those two attacked you? Why are they calling you a calamity?” Aella’s words hung in the night, echoing the questions that plagued Seraphina’s mind.
Her platinum blond hair caught the faint glimmer of the campfire, framing her face in the light as she looked towards her parents with a furrowed brow, emotions churning beneath the surface.
Seeing Seraphina’s distress, Aella let out a sigh of understanding. “You don’t need to answer if you’re uncomfortable.” Forcing extracting answers from a child wouldn’t work like it would an adult
If Aella forced herself onto the girl too much or scared her, it’d only end in her crying.
"N-No, I'll talk about it," Seraphina's voice wavered slightly as she slowly descended from Aetherion's back, taking tentative steps toward Aella's campfire. Her silver-haired companion watched her intently, her eyes filled with empathy and kindness.
"U-uhm… They called themselves… Uhm… [Disciples of the Sun] and that they were Saviors, ridding the world from Naturalis before we destroy it. Apparently…" Seraphina's words trembled, her voice breaking as the memories resurfaced, painting her expression with vulnerability.
Aella reached out, her hand finding Seraphina's, offering a comforting touch that spoke volumes. "It's fine… You're safe now. Nobody can hurt you as long as I'm here," Aella reassured her, her voice unwavering, a steadfast beacon of reassurance in the darkness.
“A-apparently I’m one of the most dangerous but… I’ve never hurt anyone… I-I’m not a bad person!” Seraphina’s voice wavered, raw with emotion. Her eyes glistened as tears began to form.
Aella shook her head. “Bad person or not, that’s not for them to decide. You should rest. You’re unable to augment your stamina or heal yourself, right? Your body won't hold up like this. We’ll get out of here, I promise you.”
Aella's words reverberated in Seraphina's mind, wrapping around her thoughts like a protective cocoon. It was an inexplicable sensation, a warmth that seeped through her every pore. She couldn't fathom the source of this comfort, but Aella's presence, her unwavering reassurance, made Seraphina feel an unusual sense of security.
At that moment, a torrent of emotions swirled within her, threatening to overwhelm her fragile heart. Seraphina grappled with a sense of unworthiness, convinced she was nothing but a burden, an unfortunate twist of fate that had brought pain and suffering to her parents. The way she was born, her very existence, seemed to have become a catalyst for their misfortune.
“W-what about you? You also need to sleep! Come onto Aetherion! It’ll be safer.”
Smiling gently, Aella shook her head. “I’m strong, remember. I can go a little while without sleep. Trust me.”
Seraphina frowned a little but nodded. She didn’t wanna make a fuss for the girl who saved her after all.
Truth be told, with her Aetherstream, Aella didn’t need to sleep anymore. Her Aura from the technique passively healed her a small amount while also protecting her. While it was nothing more than an augmentation, it was enough to stop the decaying brain function from lack of sleep. That only left her body’s stamina which she could elongate with the help of Mana.
As she went back to her dragon partner, Aella returned her attention to the captives. “Now then… Do you feel like talking or screaming? If this helps your decision, nobody aside from me will hear.” Aella stated, smiling maliciously with her sword in hand.