Durreg and I decided to wait and see the kinds of people to pass the exam. We ended up sitting on the couch for hours until the first examinees returned, but none of them were as intriguing as Anbu, with one exception. A fiery girl who looked even younger than I did had returned in seventh place and began to excitedly talk with us given that most others near us were adults or just unfriendly. She had so much energy as to leave me exasperated, until her sister entered the dorm in thirteenth place. The other girl was rather quiet and polite, then nudged her sister to their rooms.
Eventually, the exam’s time was over, and it seemed that 32 people passed, 18 ran out of time, 7 got lost or bogged down, and 2 died in the Abyss. Apparently, according to the examiner, these were better results compared to the usual, but not without making sure to stress that we shouldn’t let a ‘minor victory’ like the exam results get to our heads. Soon enough, we were out of the academy’s outpost around an entrance to the Abyss and out of a Kengiran port back to the mainland.
A few days later, we landed uneventfully, and we split apart; the examiner instructing us to report to the academy within a month. Durreg and I did not go to the academy right away, and instead went to an inn within the small port town to meet with Azoth and Lady Ighir.
***
“Kiara, my lovely niece! Durreg, my adorable little boy! Congratulations on passing the exam! I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me!” Lady Ighir’s voice rang out, showering our cheeks with a relentless barrage of kisses as we struggled to breath in her steel arms.
Azoth sighed, having begun to cast the same privacy spells she cast in the Hebnopet Inn room.
“Mom, please stop doing this already. I am too old for this!” Durreg said, his face red as a beet from the embarrassment.
I had already learned to give up on resisting Lady Ighir’s doting on us, praying for the suffering to end.
“You’re suffocating the kids, sister. Besides, I think you may be setting the wrong tone for the discussion we need to have with them.” Azoth said, massaging her forehead to chase away the coming headache.
“Bah, there are no circumstances that will prevent me from loving our cute little treasures. One look at them and all my fury melts away! Even if they do deserve a rather wicked scolding.” She said, releasing us.
I frowned.
“What do you mean by that?”
“The fact that the two of you almost got yourselves killed nearly drove me insane!” Azoth exploded.
“Why did the two of you not break the transformation spell to summon your wings and fly away?! I remember repeating myself on multiple occasions; do not risk your lives over a mere human academy’s test! I don’t know whether you forgot that you could do that or if you remembered and chose not to, and I am struggling to tell which of these two is worse! And to top it all off, you decided to go with that INSANE stunt by using yourself as bait for a monster two ranks above you and letting it push you to the brink of death on the off chance a lower ranked monster could move it off you! Are you trying to kill me with a heart attack?!” Azoth yelled furiously, a menacing aura covering her.
I winced, and Durreg shrank back in shame, a brooding expression on his face.
“Now, now Azzy, the plan they came up with was brilliant and worked, didn’t i-” Ighir said soothingly.
“Don’t you dare try to defend them, Ighir! They took ridiculous risks with no justification for them!” she shot back.
“…You know, usually I am the angry one and you’re the one urging calm.” Ighir said with a hint of amusement.
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“You were just as furious as I was when we were watching them! If you keep spoiling them rotten, they’re going to get themselves killed.”
I couldn’t help but speak up, only to end up putting my foot in my mouth.
“Why does my wellbeing matter to you anyway?! It’s my life and I am free to risk it in any way I wi-”
I had not even finished the sentence before Azoth was in front of me, her hand moving like a whip to slap me across the face. It didn’t hurt, but the shock of it left my jaw open as Azoth grabbed me by the collar and looked me in the eye, screaming at me.
“HOW DARE YOU?!”
The look of shock on my face seemed to make her pause for a moment, as she let go of me and took a deep breath. Then she looked at me with a pained expression and red eyes.
“There are people who love you, Kiara. Your death will not affect just you, but everyone who cares for you. Your life ceased to belong to you alone the moment you found friends and family.”
My voice was stuck in my throat, though I did not know what words would come out of my mouth if I could speak. The indignation I felt at Azoth’s lecturing died down as the once mighty and proud dragon I knew looked like a tired, worried, grieving, and guilty woman.
“I am sorry I slapped you, Kiara. I don’t expect you to forgive me or for you to wish to stay with me anymore; I betrayed my duties to you the moment I laid my hands on you. I only hope that you will take care of yourself from this moment onwards.” As Azoth struggled to get her last words, as if her lungs could no longer hold her breath, she quietly turned and left the room.
The quiet was oppressing, and my own emotions were in turmoil. Durreg’s jaw was clenched tightly, his fists white as his already bleak expression went darker. Lady Ighir spoke softly to me afterwards.
“You know, Kiara, Azoth had a son before adopting you. His name was Azzid, and he was her pride and joy. He was born a decade ago and was growing into a fine juvenile dragon, but he was reckless and delved into the lower layers of the Abyss and met his end there half a year ago, not long before Durreg’s birth. His loss was a tragedy to all dragons, as we are a community of barely a thousand and everyone knows each other, but none were as affected as his mother. Durreg’s birth helped ease the grief of losing my nephew, but I worried about Azoth for quite some time.”
She paused meaningfully, as she lifted my chin so that my gaze was off the floor and met her eyes.
“That was until she found you, my child. Taking you in saved her just as much as she saved you, and she meant it quite literally when she told you that. I know you do not truly think of her as your mother, but rather as your guardian, and I am not trying to convince you to think otherwise. However, I want you to know that she cares for you deeply and thinks of you as her own daughter, and I consider you my niece as well. The trauma of losing Azzid haunts her, and she continues to worry for you. If not for the Goddess of Fortune’s omen, she would have locked you up in the Draconic Isles to keep you safe.” Lady Ighir chuckled.
“So even though she isn’t asking you to forgive her, I am doing that in her stead. Your disregard for your own life directly poked at her trauma at failing to stop Azzid, and she overcompensated out of fear for your well-being. Even though your plan was ingenious, and I have plenty of praise and criticism to share over your performance in the battles you fought with the denizens of the second layer, I do agree with Azoth that you took a risk that you did not need to take.”
I looked at her for a few moments, then bowed to her.
“Thank you for your concern and guidance, Auntie. I need to go and apologize for what I said.” I said, running towards the door.
Aunt Ighir chuckled and turned towards Durreg.
“And you, my boy, don’t think I didn’t notice you blaming yourself for the results of your cousin’s plan!”
“But mom!” Durreg said, though I couldn’t hear the rest as I closed the door behind me and was on my way to look for Azoth.
As I spoke to the innkeeper, I found out that Azoth rented another room. I thanked him after getting the room number, then went as quickly as I could to the room. At the door was the familiar privacy spells Azoth cast before, and I opened the door. It seems like she forgot to lock the door in her distress, and my chest tightened.
Azoth turned towards me in surprise, as I slammed the door behind me, although it didn’t make any sound at all.
“Kiara? Is something the mat-” she asked, as I hugged her as tightly as I could.
“I am sorry for worrying you, for disregarding my safety, and for the callous behaviour I showed you. The one who owes an apology is me, not you! Please find it in your heart to forgive me.” I spoke rapidly, afraid she was going to leave me behind.
“…Nonsense, Kiara, I would never hold a grudge against you!” She said, as she hugged me back.
“Are you sure you want to stay with me, even after I hurt you?” she said, the fear in her voice tangible.
“Your little slap had no power in it, and I was hit harder by rank F beasts.” I giggled.
“You leaving me now would hurt a lot more; Please stay with me, mama.” I said, my voice straining with emotion.
Mom’s eyes widened, as tears began to roll down her eyes. She quietly sobbed, as she hugged me tightly.