NOVEL NEXT Chapter 75: As long as I hold!
With practiced efficiency, she adjusted her bra, containing her now slightly tender breasts, and stood up. A shift occurred — one that made Ethan's dragon senses tingle. Aephyra summoned her scales without a flicker of hesitation.
Iridescent scales rippled across her skin, starting at her collarbones and racing outward like a wave. A radiant aura burst forth from her, crackling with raw, ancient power. In less than a heartbeat, she had shed her humanoid softness, transforming into her majestic dragonoid form — elegant, fearsome, and ready for battle.
She turned back, looking at Kaeryx one last time. Her gaze was intense, burning with determination and love.
"Son," her voice was firm, yet gentle, "In case the invaders break in... study their moves. Try to learn. It'll benefit you greatly. You can see the outside from here, but they shouldn't be able to detect you. And with the additional illusion effect of the Glass Pyre Array, powered by Draeven's soul-burning heavenly flame… anyone who comes close will have their soul slowly burned the nearer they get."
Her fingers tightened into fists. "I hope... I hope they don't have a method to bypass that effect..."
Her heart was currently filled with despair. Clenching her fists, She paused, her lips trembling slightly. He was just hours old. Could he even understand her? Probably not. But she still spoke her heart.
"Be a good boy and stay here, okay?" Her voice cracked slightly at the end. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his scaled forehead — a simple gesture, but it felt like the world had shifted.
With that, she leaped into the air. Once beyond the protective barrier of the Glass Pyre Array, her wings unfurled in a magnificent sweep, scales gleaming like molten gold and silver. She soared upward, cutting through the sky with terrifying speed, heading straight toward the distant horizon where chaos roared and the clash of titans echoed — the location where a massive commotion surged.
Ethan, watching through the dragon's eyes, felt something heavy settle in his chest. That... that was a mother. No matter how absurd things got, no matter how strange this dragon world seemed, Aephyra's resolve and love were real. Fierce. Unyielding.
And deep down, it stung. 'Even in the body of a dragon... I'm still weak.'
The bitterness curled through him. Mia had once told him similar words — to survive no matter what, to keep living even if everyone else fell. Back then, he had sworn silently never to hear such words again. To grow strong enough that no one would have to protect him.
Yet here he was. Helpless. Dependent. Forced to listen to the same painful promise from the body of a newborn dragon.
'Weak...' he cursed again, feeling the weight of reality pressing on him. No matter the form — human or dragon — weakness clung to him like a shadow.
But then, something else flickered in his thoughts.
Because even in this helpless body, he could feel it — the raw, untamed power of Kaeryx. A dragon who, even without awakening, already had the strength of a Rank 3 Dire Beast. That was shocking. Terrifying.
'What would this power become... when it finally awakens?' Ethan's heart thumped hard. 'If this is just the beginning… then what kind of monster will I grow into?'
For the first time, amid the chaos, there was a spark of something else beneath the fear — anticipation.
As that thought flickered in his mind, something wet splashed against his snout. A tear.
'...Tear drop?!' Ethan's thoughts stuttered. His golden dragon eyes blinked as he realized — the drop had fallen from high above, still warm. It must have slipped from Aephyra's eyes when she leaped out of the Glass Pyre Array. That was how high she'd flown... and yet, even then, her tears had found their way back to him.
The weight of that silent farewell pressed heavier on his chest. More than words, that lone tear spoke of her heart — of a mother's love, mingled with dread.
---
Meanwhile, back in the chaos-swept lands of Nexa...
A black-haired girl streaked across the sky like a puppet with its strings violently cut. Her small figure tumbled, spinning out of control before she slammed against the hard earth with a bone-jarring crash. The impact left deep grooves in the ground as her body scraped and bounced, rolling like a ragdoll. Dust and chunks of stone burst into the air with each collision.
But she wasn't finished. Through sheer grit, she forced herself to act — twin daggers flashing out as she stabbed them deep into the dirt. The steel screeched against rock as she anchored herself, finally halting the deadly momentum. Even so, the force still dragged her several more meters, carving two trenches behind her.
It was Mia.
Her chest heaved as she coughed out blood, crimson splattering against the dirt at her feet. Her lips trembled, but her eyes, fierce and sharp, immediately darted toward the corner of the battlefield — toward him.
There, inside a faintly glowing, slightly red but mostly transparent formation, pulsed a white cocoon. It throbbed rhythmically, as if alive, every pulse sending faint ripples through the surrounding space. Around it, multiple Rank 3 Dire Beasts slammed their attacks against the barrier, claws and fangs flashing as they sought to break through.
But Mia... Mia wasn't worried about them. No, her gaze burned with resolve. As long as she kept the Rank 4 Dread-stage monster occupied, Ethan's cocoon would remain safe. That was her mission.
Her lips curled into a bitter smile as she muttered through the pain, "...As long as I hold... you'll be fine..."
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A/N:
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