“Now then… I will ask one more time. Why did you attack Seraphina? No, more specifically, why are you targeting the Naturalis? What exactly did we do to gain your ire?”
The cultists watched Aeela warily. Their eyes flicked between her and the towering form of Aetherion, whose massive silhouette loomed in the distant background.
The oldest cultist, his face twisted with resentment, the one who got his finger cut off by Aella spat at her feet. “You expect us to answer you?”
Snapping her fingers, another blade of wind came from the sky, the man losing another finger. “Yes. I do. What about you, cultist 2? Is it worth losing a few fingers to answer a question that doesn’t jeopardize your group at all?” She licked her lips.
“It-it’s the dragon cores! You’re a Naturlis, too, aren’t you?! You should understand, don’t you?”
Aella thought about it for a bit. “I never told you to stop talking,” Aella stated, her expression unchanged, but a flicker of curiosity gleamed in her eyes.
To her understanding, Dragon Cores were just eggs. Naturalis just always had a new breed. Aside from that, they weren’t special in any way.
At least, that’s what Aella had learned from the Internet, a nifty tool that was. Information on her kind was… Less than common.
“D-damn it! You’ll let me go if I tell you?” The desperation laced the younger cultist’s trembling voice.
“I will consider it, yes,” Aella replied, her tone oddly serene despite the dire circumstances.
“You can’t be serious, Daniel! They’re trying to destroy the world!” The older cultist’s voice cracked with anger, rage filling his eyes.
“W-what world? I have a family I need to make it back to.” The younger cultist pleaded, his voice frantic, his eyes darting around the mountain as if seeking an escape that didn’t exist.
A chilling smile played on Aella's lips as she opened her fan, gesturing a slicing motion through the air like a blade. In an instant, the wind responded to her command, tearing through the older cultist with brutal force, ending his life swiftly and painlessly.
Intriguingly, the man's form started to disintegrate, giving way to a swarm of insects that erupted from his clothes, their tiny legs carrying them swiftly toward Aella and the remaining cultist. Aella instinctively recoiled, but before she could react, the insects found their target in the other cultist, sinking their mandibles into his flesh. Aella swiftly swung her fan, dispersing the swarm with a single powerful motion.
"Oh... That's... Interesting… He didn’t give EXP either…" Aella remarked, her voice calm but tinged with mild surprise. She cleared her throat and continued as if the bizarre incident had been nothing more than a passing curiosity, masking the hint of unease that lingered beneath her composed demeanor.
"I like you. You talk easy. Now continue," Aella chuckled, her amusement at odds with the grisly scene before her. The sinister glint in her amethyst eyes spoke volumes, a stark reminder that beneath her calm exterior lurked a darkness capable of unimaginable cruelty.
The lone survivor among the cultists, a man named Daniel, let out a sharp cry as the insect bite seared with pain, yet his survival instincts kicked in swiftly. He eagerly responded to Aella's inquiry, his words spilling forth in a frantic rush.
"D-dragon Cores. They have ten tiers, each one larger and more powerful than the last. W-we received a prophecy about ten Naturalis being born with tier 10 Dragon Cores! T-those things! They can’t be controlled! They’ll destroy the world!"
Despite his stuttering, Daniel's answer was succinct, devoid of unnecessary details. Aella appreciated the brevity. Contrary to expectations based on her demeanor, she found no enjoyment in torture. Such one-sided affairs were dull, although she couldn't deny their effectiveness.
His words, however, gave her much to ponder. Until now, she hadn't considered delving specifically into the study of Dragon Cores. Every dragon she encountered in her daily life had been raised from a Core discovered in the wild, implying their commonality.
"How strong are these 10th-tier Dragons supposed to be?" Aella inquired, her curiosity piqued.
"I-I don't know. If the prophecy revealed anything about that, we weren't informed... There! I answered your questions! You'll let me go now, right?" Daniel pleaded, desperation etched across his face.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Aella nodded, her expression coldly detached. "Sure, I'll let you go... To your next life, that is..." Her words hung ominously in the air as she took a few steps back. With a swift motion, she raised her fan, silencing Daniel's screams of terror, his pleas falling on deaf ears.
"Oh, speaking of," Aella's tone turned eerily casual, "if you find yourself dabbling in crimes against children again... consider manipulation. I managed to win that girl's affection in, what, thirty seconds?" A dark chuckle escaped her lips before she delivered the final blow, ending his life much like she had done with the others.
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"No bugs this time, and I get experience points for this guy? If that's going to be a regular occurrence, I might have second thoughts about hunting down that cult..." Aella mused aloud, her voice carrying a twisted blend of amusement and indifference as she reflected on the macabre events that had unfolded before her.
Amidst the hushed atmosphere enveloping the ghostly mountains, Aella lifted her gaze toward the moon, a soft yawn escaping her lips. "Prophecies... They tend to be accurate, but people often overlook the butterfly effect that comes with knowledge of future events," she mused aloud, her voice carrying a thoughtful tone. "And to think, I've stumbled upon one of these 10th-tier cores firsthand. If his words hold truth, I wonder if I can nurture that girl to wield a dragon as formidable as Velfius."
A whimsical notion flitted through her mind, prompting Aella to gesture with her hand. The wind obeyed her command, carrying away the traces of blood before it had a chance to dry. Finding a discreet spot near Seraphina and her dragon, the remnants settled out of sight.
"These are matters I can worry about... Tomorrow," she murmured, her words fading into a tired yawn, her mind already drifting toward the promise of rest, even amidst the mysteries and prophecies that now intertwined with her fate.
—
“Can you sense her, Ane?” Slade’s voice was tight with tension as he turned to his Wyrm companion, his eyes pleading for any shred of reassurance.
Ane, the magnificent life elemental Dragon that he was, met Slade’s gaze with his wise, emerald eyes. Unable to speak in any known human language, Ane communicated through subtle movements and expressions…
He nodded yes…
The Wyrm affirmed his ability to sense Aella’s life force. His connection with the natural essence of life allowed him to discern the faint threads of vitality, especially when he had been close to a person for such an extended time as Aella.
That being said, this Abyss Nest was far too big. He couldn’t figure out any approximate location, and all they could do was look around aimlessly, praying they found their little girl before anything happened to her.
Still, that was enough to relieve the tension from Slade and Anastasia temporarily. Like a soothing balm, Ane’s confirmation was a beacon of home in the darkness of their worry, a glimmer of reassurance that their daughter was alive and, hopefully, unharmed.
Their brief moment of relief shattered like fragile glass as a chorus of desperate screams pierced the air and carried on the chilling wind. Without hesitation, Slade’s eyes narrowed with determination, and he locked gazes with Ane. “Ane, go!” He commanded.
‘Ane would notice if Aella was that close, but maybe these people will have an idea where she is.’ Slade thought to himself, him and his wife following behind Ane.
Ane unfurled his massive wings, which remained hidden most of the time due to lack of use, his sinuous body coiling with power. A powerful beat of his wings was all it took for him to be launched into the air, his sleek form cutting through the fading twilight like a shadowy specter.
The husband and wife duo clung to the Wyrm’s back, their groups firm as they soared toward the source of the cries for help.
Below them, a group of thirteen or so people huddled together, and their faces contorted with terror as a menacing harpy descended upon them, its cruel talons outstretched. The harpy screeched, a chilling sound that echoed through the mountains, sending shivers down the spines of the helpless humans.
Slade lamented upon seeing the faces of the endangered bystanders. He didn’t know them per se, but he did recognize their faces. His neighbors and those who worked in the area.
‘The entire neighborhood got swallowed up?’ he worried, thinking about how many casualties had occurred already.
With swift, deadly precision, Ane struck. He lunged at the harpy, catching it off guard with a sneak attack. His jaws clamped down on the harpy’s neck, crushing its windpipe with a lethal bite. The harpy let out a gurgled cry before succumbing to its fate, its life force fading away like a dying ember.
The survivors looked at their saviors, their gratitude palpable. They exchanged nervous glances before one of them, a woman with weary eyes, stepped forward as she recognized the man.
“Slade? You managed to defeat an Abyss Kin in one strike?” A woman spoke, a young boy with feathers on his wrists hiding behind her.
Hopping off of Ane while making sure nobody was seriously injured, Slade nodded. “I’m an Ex-Dragon Rider. I know a few tricks. Have any of you seen our daughter? We need to find her.” He answered. His past was rarely something he liked talking about, so he ended that conversation there.
The civilians nodded in understanding, one bringing up that it was dangerous to keep looking in this darkness and it was likely that she had already met up with a group similar to theirs. It would be safer and more efficient to look during the day.
While Slade and Anastasia didn’t like that, they agreed, deciding to stay with the group of people. It’s not like he could leave them all to die anyway.