After recovering from the bewildering response from Pamela, Blyn decided to explain the situation to Pamela. She clearly had no clue as to what her identity meant in this world.
“To be an Augmenter in this world, it means…you’ll be coveted by many in this world. Especially a special Augmenter like you who does it through drinks you make.”
“Ahh…” Pamela nodded in understanding before grinning, puffing her chest out. “Of course, the drinks I made are the best of the best!”
“It wasn’t a compliment.”
“Awww…”
“No, I-I’m not saying that your drinks are bad!”
“So, Mister Prince, being an Augmenter means my drinks are the best after all!”
“That’s not it! Being an Augmenter means that you are blessed by the constellations overlooking this world! Among the awakened in the world, Augmenters are extremely rare!”
“Can I get some groceries and ingredients with it?”
“...no.”
“How useless. I should throw it away.”
“What?!” Blyn almost choked on his saliva. “This isn’t something you can simply throw away!” “Why not?”
“...” Blyn stared at Pamela in silence.
Chaeyar stifled his laughter, his shoulders trembling with mirth. Just like he expected, Pamela Laifecois was an interesting human being. Blyn decided to give up on understanding the enigma of the lavender-haired woman with blue highlights. He realised he shouldn’t have expected much from the companion of an elder dragon.
“Thank you for the drink, and…” Blyn trailed off, looking at the transparent window before him, reminding him of his current composed status. “Your kindness.”
“As long as you tell me where to get some groceries.” Pamela beamed. “To me, that’s worth more than your money!”
Blyn smiled in resignation, agreeing to her words before he stiffened. He stood up abruptly, glancing around and a hint of apprehension lingering in his calm mind.
“This feeling, it’s Illian. I sense his presence nearby, but I…I can’t pinpoint his location. Even if I did, I’m not confident if I can even stop him.”
“Your brother will definitely be saved.” Chaeyar reassured.
Blyn looked at Chaeyar, the hope filling his eyes but his voice was full of doubt. “How?”
“The best way to fight against a dragon is with another dragon,” Chaeyar said, gesturing to Blyn. “Sayi may appear as brash or cold, but she is soft-hearted compared to the other dragons I’ve met.”
“Tsk.” Someone clicked their tongue, their mellow voice heard from a distance. “Shut your mouth, laht’kil seht.”
Sayi revealed herself from the trees, flicking her hand in Chaeyar’s direction and Chaeyar burst into flames. However, before the flames could even touch him, his figure vanished and he reappeared beside Pamela. She smiled at Chaeyar, giving him an applause for escaping from Sayi’s clutches.
“So the reason why no monsters have been appearing is because…” Blyn trailed off, looking at Sayi.
“You guessed right.” Chaeyar nodded his head with a benign smile.
“Hehe, I knew you would follow us,” Pamela grinned, her hands on her hips. “I don’t serve drinks to nasty people, and I know Sayi isn’t one of them.”
“...”
“...”
“...”
Their expressions of disbelief mimicked one another, and it was clear that Pamela viewed Sayi in a way that no one could understand. Sayi didn’t expect much from the human that was happily agreeing to be kidnapped.
“All I have to do is call that little brat here, right?” Sayi sighed, horns sprouting out from her head and a tail grew from her back. “Watch carefully, human.”
She turned back to glance at Blyn, haughty and proud. Her eyes transformed into slits as her voice became lower.
“This is a dragon.”
A pulsating wave resonated throughout the entire Outerlands, and the three of them could feel an unseen pressure weighing down on them. The figure of Sayi appeared domineering and blurry, towering over them as her piercing eyes sent chills down their backs. It was as if a humongous beast was breathing down their necks, and suffocating them with its overwhelming power.
In the distance, a roar was heard.
Blyn and Pamela glanced around, flustered. Meanwhile, Chaeyar remained smiling and looked up at the sky above them.
A shadow appeared in the sky and covered them, making Sayi’s slitted eyes sparkle with fascination. The shadow belonged to a black dragon.
“A human mixed with the rotten parts of a constellation,” Sayi smirked. “What a tough little brat.”
A black dragon landed on top of the swamp before them, but the dragon wasn't completely whole. Its flesh around its teeth was rotting, just like the rest of its body. There was an awful stench coming from the black dragon, making Pamela wrinkle her nose as she covered it. She knew within the black dragon, a young boy resided in it but she retreated a few steps back in dread.
Blyn was distraught at the sight of his brother who transformed into such a horrid dragon, the tears welling up in his eyes. The horrid smell or sight didn’t make him falter, and he took a step forward, reaching a trembling hand out.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“What’s that?”
“It’s…it’s paper flowers. I don’t want mom and dad to wake up to wilted flowers.”
“You…made them? All by yourself?”
“Yeah, but I’m not good at handicraft stuff like mom or dad. They don’t look like flowers at all…”
“No, Illian. It looks great. Mom and dad will be happy to see them.”
“You think so?”
“Of course! Now, come on, let’s apply medicine to those cuts on your hands.”
Those paper “flowers” were still on the bedside table where their parents were, and they never once wilted. Even so, Blyn knew that wasn’t what his parents wanted and neither was it what Blyn wanted. How would his parents live with themselves after finding out what Illian did for them?
“You said to kill this little brat, right?” Sayi questioned, ignorant of the dilemma Blyn was going through.
His calm mind urged him to think through this once more. If he really thought that killing was the right solution.
How could he live with himself?
How could he live with himself knowing that he killed his own brother? Even if it was to set him free?
“Hey, human. You dare ignore me?”
The black dragon, who was also Illian, let out a roar. Sayi and Chaeyar remained nonchalant before the roar, and Pamela swallowed her saliva nervously. She looked over to Blyn who still appeared distraught. He was staring at Illian with a blank stare.
The blessing of Pamela Laifecois is upon you.
Your mind will remain clear and calm.
Remaining Time: 1 minute
Thankfully, with the blessing from Pamela, he was still able to retain some semblance of composure.
“...don’t kill him.”
“Huh?” Sayi raised an eyebrow, a hint of annoyance in her tone. “You were the one begging on your knees before.”
“I changed my mind. I won’t allow anyone to harm him.”
The blessing of Pamela Laifecois is upon you.
Your mind will remain clear and calm.
Remaining Time: 40 seconds
A tear slipped out of his eye, and he stood protectively in front of the black dragon. “I’ll do anything, so please, could you save my brother? He…he is only eleven years old.”
“No, Mister Prince!” Pamela gasped out in horror as the black dragon opened its jaw, wanting to chomp down on Blyn. “Stay away from it!”
“He has done nothing wrong. This kid has calluses and scars on his hands. Bruises on his arms and legs. He secretly trained himself with a sword, and he…he gives lousy excuses every time we ask him about it.”
Blyn let out a weak laugh, tears streaming out from his eyes.
“Falling down, getting into a scuffle with the other kids. Even saying something stupid like fighting with a dog when they have all mutated into monsters. He's a bad liar.”
He collapsed onto the ground, bowing his head down and his voice was nothing but a broken plea at this point.
“Please, save my little brother. He is just an innocent kid.”
The black dragon enclosed Blyn with its entire mouth, its rotting teeth an inch away from puncturing Blyn’s body. There was no trace of fear on Blyn’s face, and in his eyes, there was only determination and hope.
“Mister Prince!” Pamela exclaimed in horror, rushing forward.
The blessing of Pamela Laifecois is upon you.
Your mind will remain clear and calm.
Remaining Time: 10 seconds
At that moment, a golden chain encircled around the black dragon and dragged it back, restricting its movements. Chaeyar stood beside the black dragon, patting it on its snout as it growled menacingly.
“Shh.” Chaeyar shushed, placing a finger on his lips. “You only need to endure it a little longer.”
“No, please! Don’t hurt him!” Blyn implored, grasping at the ends of Chaeyar’s clergy robes. “He only wanted our family to be happy!”
“You are no longer calm like before,” Chaeyar smiled, snapping his fingers together. “You will return home soon, child.”
Another golden chain binded Blyn together who struggled to stand up, and tried to crawl towards the black dragon. Pamela grabbed onto Blyn, holding him back with an emotional look.
“Mister Prince.”
“Let me go! Let go! Don't you dare touch Illian!”
“Your family will be happy. Don’t worry.” Pamela reassured softly, her eyes slightly reddened from her tears.
“Illian!”
“Sayi.” Chaeyar called out. “Are you still not willing to help?”
“Move.” Sayi snarled, flinging her hand in Chaeyar’s direction.
An invisible force made Chaeyar stumble back and he watched as Sayi approached the black dragon, the benign smile returning to his face. Meanwhile, Sayi felt something tingling at her neck, unconsciously scratching at the tattoo on her neck. She was still in her half-dragon form.
“I need my migraine pill after this.”
She extended her hand out, and her hand started to transform into a dragon’s claw. The tip of her claws touched the forehead of the black dragon, and the black dragon closed its eyes. Its scales started to disintegrate followed by the rotting and then, the rest of the body. It left behind a young boy drenched in the black, murky liquid of the swamp. There were tears streaming down his boyish face as the golden chains around him and Blyn dissipated, and the young boy wailed.
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
“Illian!” Blyn gasped, dashing to his younger brother and embracing him. “Oh, thank goodness. Thank you.”
“I almost killed you, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault!”
“It’s fine, you idiot. As long as you are safe, nothing else matters.”
“Why did you come and save me? You didn’t need to! You should have left me alone! I-I…”
“Illian. Who do you think I am?”
“M-my older brother.”
“That’s right, I am the same older brother who swore to keep you all safe. I promised you.”
Sayi observed the scene with a deep frown etched on her forehead. She clicked her tongue, clutching her head due to the agonising pain. “Tsk. It came back after all.”
A wooden cup containing clear liquid was shoved into Sayi’s face. She continued frowning, glancing at the person beaming beside her. “For you…”
Sayi smirked in approval, taking the wooden cup into her hands and gulped it down. Her smirk disappeared when the tasteless liquid slid down her throat. There was nothing unique about its taste, unlike the previous drinks that Pamela has made for her.
“A cup of the purest water.”
“...water?” Sayi gave Pamela a look of disbelief. “Fucking water?”
“Doesn’t it taste special? It’s the purest of all waters!” Pamela grinned. “I’m sure your migraines feel a little better now!”
“...”
“See! You aren’t a nasty person!”
The blessing of Pamela Laifecois is upon you.
Your migraines will be temporarily eased.
Remaining Time: 10 minutes
Even though the blessing worked as intended, it didn’t stop Sayi from splashing the remaining purest water in the wooden cup onto Pamela’s face.
Featured Drinks
(Purest) water
glass of water glass of water isolated on white background Water Stock Photo [https://media.istockphoto.com/id/485685046/photo/glass-of-water.jpg?s=1024x1024&w=is&k=20&c=Ww6ltiuvIVRkBrmYfJMcZvKjAguKABZ-z8U4CrnBGFM=]
Water Tip of the Day
Don't forget your daily intake of water! As they always say, 8 cups of water every day!