Nihility [ Isekai • Dragon Evolution ]

The small walk towards their camp was uneventful. I pretended to not know where we were going as I walked a few steps behind the butler and in front of the knight, who was watching the surroundings as we walked. I guess that's how he found me that time.

When we passed through the field, I felt it wash over me, but the medallion I was holding with my mouth, as I didn't have a free hand to walk and hold it, activated and created something like an inverse bubble that made the field slip around me like oil.

"Gereth, please guide our guest to the healer. I think they would like to talk with each other. I'll need to talk with Lord Henry and inform him we have a guest" the butler said towards the knight, Gareth, who nodded in response. And so, we parted ways, leaving me wondering why he would think I would like to talk with that drunken priest…

I looked down at my chest. The symbol is still there, shining in the dark with a soft golden glow. They must think I'm a part of the same religion, I think.

We moved through the camp at a leisurely pace and I took the opportunity to watch the way it laid out and even take a look at the inside of a few tents I didn't the other times I was here. The knight accompanying me still hadn't said a word, and I was fine with it. He looked a little scared but not of me, of what I could represent, I think. I couldn't read minds, so I didn't know what was passing through the guy's head.

The layout of the camp was simpler than I thought. Combined with what I knew from the past loops the camp was centered on the little entitled noble tent in the center, then to the front and sides were sleeping tents for the butler and some of the other knights, probably those higher in the chain of command. Then, in the back of the nobles tent was the healer's tent, where we were going at the moment. Following the right side of the noble's tent, past the first knight's tent there was the kitchen and next to it was the supply tent. The left side of the noble's tent, where we were currently coming from, was another supply tent, but instead of food and stuff, this one I saw armor and weapons in racks where they could be easily picked by the knights. The front side of the noble's tent was still unknown to me, but if I were to guess it was where the other knights slept.

Eventually we arrived at the healer's tent and the knight accompanying me looked at me and asked me to wait for a few moments as he went inside to speak with the drunken elf they called a healer. By now we had drawn the attention of the knights who weren't yet sleeping and they had gathered at a couple tents away from me, observing me with curiosity. I even recognized a few of them as the ones who kept watch over me when I was captured as a weasel that other time. The only ones who weren't there were those who were already sleeping or the ones who were patrolling the perimeter. Makes me wonder how I wasn't caught before with so many of them awake.

The knight accompanying me opened the flaps of the tent and asked me to come inside and I did as he asked and went inside. It was the same as when I was here before, which didn't surprise me considering it's a loop. What did surprise me was seeing the elf priest looking at me, more specifically the golden symbol on my chest and widening her eyes a little, then she turned to the knight and began to speak.

"Right. I need to talk with my fellow Vida's believer. In private" she emphasized the last part as she looked at him, at which the knight just nodded and left the tent. Then she traced a circle in the air with her finger, leaving a small almost colorless ring in the air as she spoke the next part. "By the will of the Gods, cover the ears of those who can't listen. [Whispering Veil]"

The next moment, I stopped hearing everything outside of the tent, the outdoor sounds becoming whispers that I could almost understand, but failing at the last moment, before it changed to be more gibberish.

The elf sat on her chair and then looked at me, then at the other chair and just shook her head.

"You can sit on the table, I doubt we would be able to see each other if you were to sit on the chair" She said. I just shrugged and jumped on the chair before jumping again to arrive at the top of the table, where I then sat looking straight at her.

"So. Why are you here?" She asked, which confused me as to why she would be asking that question as she doesn't remember me, or at least shouldn't. Could she remember the past loops?

Seeing my confusion, she clarified. "The golden pendant you're wearing, or I guess it's not a pendant anymore. The symbol on it, it's mine" She said, and seeing my confusion grow she continued to speak. "Each one of us from Vida's church have one of these pendants" she said as she took out hers from beneath her clothes and showed it to me. "Each one of these is unique to the person who owns them. The symbol on yours is mine, and I'm sure I didn't give mine to a random white dragon, or anyone else for that matter. Meaning the only other way for you to have it, is if I gave it to you in my future, meaning that you are from the future. So, from when are you?"

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Oh. That explains a lot. She doesn't know about the loops, she just saw her symbol on me and assumed I was sent here from the future. But now it begs the question, what can I say to her? Probably about the loops and stuff, but will she believe me? I think so, considering I have proof I already met her before. And how would I do it? I could see if she can understand me when I talk, and if she doesn't, then I'll try to improve my speaking spell.

"Can you understand me?" I spoke slowly, testing the sound of my own voice, which was pretty normal, albeit slightly high pitched, and what I would think of if someone asked me to imagine a small animal talking. It could've been worse, honestly.

"Yes, I can" To my surprise, the elf priest answered back affirming that she could understand me, something I was not expecting. No, really, I was almost 100% sure I couldn't speak until I made a proper spell for it or whatever, why hadn't I tried to talk in the loop before? Seeing my confusion she continued. "Was I not supposed to?"

I shook my head. "No, no. It's that… I wasn't able to speak with anyone else before for various reasons and I thought I couldn't even now. I… I guess I was wrong, and I'm stupid to not realize this before" I answered.

It took me a moment to recompose myself after this small reality check that I can be completely wrong about something, in this case was that I could talk in my true form even when I never actually had tried to. Every other time I tried to speak with others I was transformed… Actually, scrap that. The kobolds don't actually count in this because they aren't exactly sentient, and the only other living being, that was not a God, was myself one those initial loops. I slapped my palm over my muzzle as I realized that.

"Sorry. Sorry. I just realized I was an even bigger idiot that I thought I was a few seconds ago" I said, then, as I didn't lose anything in telling her, I told her about the loops and how she used her pendant to soothe and start healing my soul and how it carried over through the loop somehow.

"It must be Vida's blessing" She stated, and continued before continuing. "She probably placed the healing symbol on your soul so that it would carry over through the loops. Though, the reason as to why she would keep my own symbol is only hers to know"

Or is it? I asked as I activated [Knowledge Library]

[Hello sweetie. I hope you liked it. Zwriniz seems to have taken a special interest in you. I'll be observing as well]

It was not my skill that answered, I mean, it was my skill that gave me the message, but just like when the God of Time gave me a message it was as if there was another entity talking directly to me using my skill like a communicator to me. The voice itself was feminine and had a soothing melodic hum , it was as if it was an ever loving mother that would give the world to her children if she could, it was so full of love that for a moment I thought it was my own mother, but it was distinct enough for me to know.

I don't know why, but the knowledge that two full fledged Gods, I somehow knew the voice I had just heard was on par with the God of Time from just hearing it, were observing me closely gave me a small dose of anxiety to not screw up anything, even though I did already screw up and the God of Time had to interfere.

"Are you alright?" Sensing my discomfort, the elf priest asked me, snapping my attention back into reality.

"Oh… Yeah, I'm fine. Just feeling pressure to resolve these loops, is all" I answered back. I had kept the part where I met the God of Time undisclosed, just mentioning that after the explosion from the boronita I would return to the exact place I was various hours before.

"Oh, don't really worry about it" She said. "I spoke with a few members of the church of Time before and while doing in small talks the concept of loops came up, don't ask me how it just did, and they went into great lengths about how the key to undo a loop is to stay calm, learn everything you can during the loop and use it to break free. Use the loop in your favor, you don't need to learn everything at once, just enough so you can understand the context and continue it in the next one"

"Oh… That's… What I was doing, actually" I answered and she just smiled at me.

"Then keep doing it. You have all the time in the world to do it, literally"

Before I could say anything else, the flaps of the tent burst open and a young child with clothes adorned in gold and red came barging in the tent as if the world revolved around him. He looked around and his eyes locked up with mine. The sheer confidence in his eyes as he came marching up at me really sold that he was an entitled noble from those novels you can read on the internet.

"Oh, sir dragon from the Myriad Palace. I am Henry Darnas, currently representing Duke Darnas at this encampment. How may I honor you?" He spoke loudly at me. I also noticed the spell that hid my conversation with the priest was no longer active as I could hear the sounds of the knights just outside of the tent, as well as rapid steps that entered the tent just a few seconds after the child gave his introduction. It was the butler.

"Master Henry. I asked for you to wait as I hadn't finished explaining" He said, but the noble just waved his hand at him and started talking.

"There's nothing to explain. An esteemed guest from the Myriad Palace came into this encampment and we will do our best to accommodate him. After all, the house Darnas is always happy to offer its supplies and personnel to the Myriad Palace" He told the butler without taking his eyes off me…. I was sure he wanted to gain favors from me as he mistakenly thought I was from this myriad place, but it actually gave me one opportunity to do one thing I currently needed to.

I smiled at him and without a single spark of hesitation I spoke. "But of course. I am currently in a learning journey and I would like to ask if you would have anything I could use to learn how you humans learn magic" I lied, but there's no way he could know that, and I wasn't going to waste this loop with small talks. The elf priest told me to stay calm and use the loop to learn, and I would do just that.