In the dim glow of the Drakonis Pact clubhouse, with neon lights flickering low and smoke curling up from last night’s candles, Georgina Four swaggered in with that usual creepy grin, holding a slim vial of Adrian’s latest “enhancement” cocktail for Xyra. She didn’t say much, just handed it over with this stiff, robotic smile that made Xyra’s skin crawl. Xyra smirked, but just as she popped the cap, Kaelen appeared out of thin air, teleporting right into the room, and everyone froze, like someone hit pause on a beat.
He wasn’t alone, either. With him was Nyxara, decked out in this ridiculous, too-cute bunny onesie, looking all kinds of miserable, arms crossed and staring down the room with a sour look. Kaelen tilted his head at Xyra and nodded at Nyxara like it was nothing, voice smooth but no-nonsense. “Xyra, babysit the mighty ‘dragon’ over here and don’t let her leave campus. If she tries? I’ll know.” Then he vanished, no more than a flash and a faint trace of smoke left behind.
Georgina Four slipped out quietly, leaving Xyra and her squad alone with Nyxara, who looked at them all with a half-bored, half-pissed expression. Nyxara flicked a glance at each one of Xyra’s crew like she was sizing them up. Then she huffed, almost casually, like she was doing them a favor. “Relax. I’m not here to kill any of you… unless you give me a reason to.” Her eyes, narrow and cold, finally locked on Xyra. “But tell me, that woman who just left—she even human? ‘Cause I swear, I’ve killed her once already, and now she smells... wrong.”
Xyra chuckled, shaking her head. “Nah, sis, she ain’t human, not anymore. That’s Adrian’s work. Brought her back from the dead—if you can call it that.” She shrugged, unbothered, but Nyxara’s eyes narrowed, not missing a beat.
“Is that all he did? ‘Cause she ain’t got no soul left in her. She’s... something else,” Nyxara muttered, her voice carrying that edge only a dragon could have, like she was insulted just to be in the same room as something so twisted.
“Look, I don’t give a damn what she is.” Xyra rolled her eyes, almost bored with the whole thing. “As long as she keeps outta my way, we’re cool. You want answers? March yourself over to the Seraphi clubhouse and ask our oh-so-brilliant brother yourself.”
Nyxara’s cheeks reddened just a little, looking almost embarrassed as she shifted her weight. “Would it be… honorable, for you to show me the way, big sister?” she asked, voice dripping with mock dignity.
Xyra didn’t hide her disgust at the thought. “Nah, I’m good. I don’t mess with Adrian’s territory if I don’t have to. We got rules for a reason.” She nodded at Bree, who was sitting in the corner, still as a shadow but loyal as ever. “Bree, take her over there.”
Bree, who’d been leaning against the wall, ready to follow Xyra’s lead as always, straightened up. She was game, no hesitation. But the second she locked eyes on Nyxara, Nyxara’s brows shot up, her finger jabbing at Bree like she’d just seen a ghost.
“What is he?” Nyxara demanded, her voice colder than the underground air. “And why’s he hiding in that abomination?”
Aislin, Voira, and Rhea all gave Bree a look of pure confusion. Aislin’s eyebrows shot up; Voira tilted her head with her usual high-elf air, and Rhea just looked baffled, her mouth hanging open slightly as she blinked between Bree and Nyxara.
Xyra just rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers to get Nyxara’s attention. “Does it even matter? Let her show you the way, mighty ‘dragon,’ and maybe try not to kill anybody, yeah? We got enough problems without you adding to the body count.”
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Nyxara pouted, crossing her arms, but finally nodded. “Fine. Lead on, but don’t test me.” Bree didn’t even flinch, reaching out her hand with a cold professionalism, her expression unreadable. Nyxara hesitated a second, then let Bree take her hand, though the look she gave her made it clear she’d be watching every step.
When they were gone, the silence settled in the room, thick and buzzing. Aislin was the first to speak, crossing her arms as she looked around at the others. “Did she seriously just call Bree a ‘he’? And what was that about an abomination?”
Voira flicked her gaze over, looking thoughtful, even a little insulted on Bree’s behalf. “Nyxara has a lot of audacity, you have to admit. As a high elf, I’d know if something was wrong with Bree, and there’s not. She’s… different, but aren’t we all?”
Rhea shook her head, still processing everything. “Look, she’s a dragon, right? So maybe she sees… I dunno, stuff we can’t see. Souls or some weird dragon magic. Either way, Bree’s one of us.”
“Damn straight,” Aislin muttered, glancing over at Xyra. “Don’t matter if she’s got one soul or ten, as long as she’s loyal.”
Xyra just shrugged, pocketing the vial Adrian sent, her lips quirking up in a smirk. “Exactly. As long as Bree’s down for the team, that’s all I care about. Rest of it’s noise.
The Seraphi Pact clubhouse was a whole different vibe from Drakonis; sleek and sophisticated with high-tech gadgets on every wall, and this odd, pulsing energy in the air. Adrian was at the front of the class, talking quantum mechanics like it was street slang, hands moving through a holographic screen displaying pulsing diagrams, each one showing intricate streams of quantum mechanics woven with wild arcane runes. “So, y’all remember: gamma mana flows down to Earth, turns photonic once it hits the magnetosphere, and ends up making all organic life glow with life. Understand? We call it ‘Quantum Radiance,’ but really, it’s just the sun’s way of telling us it’s still here, still feeding—”
And then, the door to the class burst open. Nyxara stomped in, still rocking her bunny onesie, looking furious and definitely not about to sit quietly for a science lesson. Without a second thought, She zoned in on one of the Georgina clones—Georgina Three, the poor soul, just sittin’ there minding her business. Without a second thought, Nyxara inhaled and blew a fierce blast of white flames straight from her mouth, hitting the clone dead-on. Georgina Three didn’t scream, didn’t flinch; she just melted, oozing into a bubbling puddle of goop on the floor.
The students froze, eyes wide, breaths caught. A few gasps filled the air, and some reached for their phones, capturing the whole bizarre scene like it was a prize moment. Adrian watched it all, rubbing his temples as he let out a sigh deep enough to drain his soul. “Bree,” he said, turning toward her with a look that could cut through stone, “what in two hells were you thinkin’, bringing my little sister to Rave U?”
Bree raised her hands, smirking like she’d just dodged a bullet, and said, “Bitch, I am out. Bye!” She didn’t waste a second, dipping right out of there like she had an invisibility cloak on, leaving Adrian to deal with the fallout.
Meanwhile, the Georgina puddle began to wiggle and move, almost like it was alive. Adrian glanced at it, snapped his fingers, and ordered, “Georgina, reform yourself in one of the side rooms. Out of the classroom.” The goop obeyed, sliding itself along the floor like some obedient slime, heading out of sight while Adrian made his way over to Nyxara.
She was still staring at the space where the clone had been, her face a mix of anger and a bit of discomfort. Adrian knelt down and pulled her into a hug, murmuring gently, “Nyxara, I’m sorry if they scare you. I promise, they’re not a threat, not to you.”
She let out a small mumble, almost like she didn’t want to admit it. “Are you… sure? ‘Cause these things make me feel all… weird inside.”
Adrian pulled back, giving her an understanding smile, one that softened the hardened edges of his usual stern face. “I get it. They’re... different. But you’re my sister, my mighty dragon. Nothing here’s got the power to harm you, alright?”
She huffed, not fully convinced, and crossed her arms. “They better be. ‘Cause if one of ‘em looks at me funny again, they’re toast.”
Adrian chuckled, ruffling her hair despite her attempt to squirm away. “Fair enough. But maybe next time, save the flames for outside, yeah?”
Nyxara rolled her eyes, and for a moment, the fierce dragon simmered down, bunny onesie and all, still eyeing the room suspiciously, but there was a hint of trust there too.