Demonic Dragon: Harem System

The boy was still trembling, kneeling before them, when Strax finally broke the silence. His voice was low, but charged with decision, cutting through the tension like a whip.

"Only Samira comes with me." He turned to the others, his golden eyes glowing like embers about to devour dry wood. "The rest of you, stay. Rest. Conserve your energy. We don't need an army to deal with rats who play with fire."

The others exchanged silent glances. Cassandra frowned, as if to protest, but the weight of Strax's decision fell like a hammer. Even Scarlet, who always seemed ready to defy, crossed her arms and merely arched an eyebrow, saying nothing.

Samira, however, stepped forward. Her expression was firm, and there was an almost childlike glint of excitement in her eyes. "Just me, then." The corner of her lips curved into a brief but fierce smile.

Strax merely nodded.

As the boy stood and prepared to run ahead, Samira closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The energy around her stirred like invisible flames, making the air heavier, hotter. Her feet touched the ground lightly, and a bright red began to emanate from her skin, as if her blood were on fire.

In an instant, a scarlet cloth materialized over her body, molding itself into a kimono similar to Strax's, but with ruby ​​embroidered details and dancing flames that seemed alive. The golden dragons on Strax's back now had their counterpart: red, aggressive dragons that coiled around Samira's back as if made of fire.

And then, two horns protruded from her head, twisted, glowing like red-hot iron. They pulsed in harmony with her energy, imposing their presence in an almost supernatural way.

When Samira opened her eyes again, they were tinged with bright red, two embers burning with insolence.

Strax watched her and, for a rare moment, let out a deep, genuine laugh that echoed through the clearing. "You really did that?" His voice carried a mix of surprise and amusement. "Even the horns..."

Samira lifted her chin proudly and walked until she was shoulder to shoulder with him. "Of course. I need to be my husband's equal." Her smile was a dangerous mix of affection and arrogance. "I can't help but be my husband's equal."

Strax shook his head, still chuckling softly. There was something about her that always broke his wall of coldness. No matter how dark the moment, Samira managed to bring lightness without taking away from the intensity of the scene.

The boy, however, didn't share this mood. He swallowed hard, his eyes wide. Before, the dragon's mere presence had been overwhelming. Now, realizing that the woman beside him also carried something similar—the same aura, the same divine insolence—sent a chill down his spine.

"They... they're not human... any of them," he thought, sweat beading on his forehead.

"The path." Strax's voice cut through the silence again, and the boy nearly stumbled as he took his first hurried steps through the forest.

They followed him.

The trail was narrow, cutting between twisted roots and densely canopied trees, blocking much of the sky. The smell of smoke grew stronger, mingled with the metallic odor of burning oil and ash. Small sparks were already falling through the air, betraying the proximity of the inferno that was engulfing Kaelthur.

Samira walked beside Strax with the confidence of a warrior who didn't need to worry about what lay ahead. With each step, her red kimono rippled as if woven from living fire, reflecting in the eyes of the boy who peered nervously over her shoulder.

"You like to play imitation, don't you?" Strax murmured, a half-smile playing on his lips as he looked at her.

Samira leaned slightly toward him, her eyes sparkling. "It's not imitation. It's union." Her voice was sweet, but filled with the same firmness that characterized him. "If you are the chaos that destroys, I will be the fire that accompanies it." She laughed softly. "Besides, I enjoy scaring people as much as you do."

The boy nearly stumbled again at that. His heart beat like a drum, racing. Every word that came out of the duo's mouths was like an announcement of something that shouldn't exist among mortals.

Strax just smiled, his fangs bared. "You truly are the most insolent of them all."

"That's why you love me." — Samira replied without hesitation, laughing as if the smoke and chaos ahead were nothing more than a ride.

The trio walked in silence for a few minutes, except for the distant sound of screams and the crackling of flames. The boy ran ahead, but every so often he glanced back, as if needing to make sure those figures hadn't disappeared like a delusion.

And every time he saw Strax's eyes or Samira's kimono billowing, his stomach churned. He didn't know if he'd encountered saviors or monsters. Maybe both.

Soon, the first signs of Kaelthur appeared between the trees: the smoke was so thick that the sky seemed painted gray, and red sparks fell like fiery rain. The smell of burning was suffocating, mixed with human despair that echoed in screams of pain and fury.

Samira took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. "What a sweet smell..." she murmured, almost in ecstasy. "The smell of chaos."

Strax glanced at her sideways, a cold smile appearing. "You truly were born to walk by my side."

And then, fixing his gaze once more on the boy running desperately ahead, Strax let his voice carry like thunder.

"Run, little one. Show us the merchant who dares call upon a dragon."

The boy stumbled, but regained his balance, guided by fear and responsibility. He knew that Hadrian's life, and perhaps the city itself, depended on these two beings following him.

And behind him, every step Strax and Samira took seemed like a portent of destruction, a harbinger that nothing in Kaelthur would be the same after this night.

As they left the forest behind, Kaelthur lay before them like a field of torment. Fire licked at the wooden roofs and spread across the gray stone walls, spewing thick smoke skyward. People ran through the narrow streets, carrying children in their arms, some carrying useless buckets of water, others simply fleeing in tears.

The boy gasped as he saw his city reduced to flames and blood. His body trembled, but he dared not stop. Behind him, Strax and Samira walked as if the heat and chaos had no effect on them. On the contrary—the fiery landscape seemed to make them even more imposing.

Strax's eyes roamed the streets with contempt. "A bunch of jackals setting their own food on fire." He spat the words like venom. "This continent knows no war... only cowardice."

Samira smiled, the red in her eyes reflecting the flames. "In any case, they've already announced us." The smoke is an invitation. His tone was almost provocative, as if he were savoring the moment.

The boy stopped in front of a partially destroyed square. Several wagons were gathered there, surrounded by men dressed in light black armor and cloth masks. The mercenaries of the Scarlet Hand. Some carried looted goods, others simply laughed as they intimidated the civilians who still resisted.

And in the center, standing on his own wagon, a man tried to maintain his dignity. Hadrian Varrow. The merchant.

Even covered in sweat and with the ash dust marking his clothes, Hadrian stood firm. His voice echoed through the square, charged with authority. "You can kill me, you can take whatever you want, but you will not have the city!" His eyes roamed the chaos around him, unafraid, but with restrained desperation.

The leader of the Scarlet Hand laughed, his guttural voice filling the space. "Fine words for someone who has already lost." Your caravan will be ours, and your reputation will die along with Kaelthur's.

Samira leaned toward Strax, her smile taking on a mischievous edge. "It seems we've found the man who dared to call out to us."