Reunion

"Ugh... what happened?" Olivia slowly opened her eyes, her pupils shimmering faintly in the darkness. The graceful silver dragon flexed her wings slightly, struggling to push herself up with her four limbs and rise from the floor. She felt as though her body hardly belonged to her anymore. Her surroundings were dim, the ambient light seemingly swallowed by something unseen, causing her pupils to dilate slightly. "Wait... what is this—?" Only now did Olivia shake off the haze of her slumber-like trance. To her astonishment, she realized the restraints binding her were gone! The heavy chains that had bitten deep into her flesh were nowhere to be seen, and the stifling, oppressive torment that had bound her had vanished into thin air. "Olivia, I'm not too late, am I?" A familiar voice reached her ears. The silver dragon froze in disbelief. Then, overwhelmed by sheer joy, she turned around and saw the figure she had yearned for day and night. Short black hair, glowing golden vertical slits for pupils, a handsome young countenance, an aristocratic robe bordered in gold, and faint golden scales subtly gleaming on his skin—it was "Anhel," the young gold dragon who had made her a promise. "Y-You..." Staggering joy struck Olivia like a thunderbolt. Her entire body trembled faintly. She had rehearsed this reunion countless times in her mind, turning over every word she might say. Yet now that the moment had arrived, her emotions surged so overwhelmingly that a thousand words caught in her throat, leaving her at a loss. In the end, she merely stammered out a few dazed words. "Am I..." "Am I really not dreaming?" "Anhel" did not answer. He merely watched her with smiling eyes, as if telling her, *This is reality.* Indeed—the physical touch was real, and his presence was real. A sudden ache seized Olivia's nose, and tears welled up in her blue-gray eyes. Yet when she looked down and saw her battered, scarred body, she did not even bother wiping away the tears spilling from her eyes. She merely smeared them away haphazardly with a claw and cried anxiously, "Don't look at me like this!" "Looking so wretched... it's far too hideous!" Before her words even faded, subtle motes of magical brilliance flared across the silver dragon's body. Her form rapidly shrank, transforming into a noble maiden with silver-white hair cascading over her shoulders. Only, her current appearance could hardly be called elegant. "Oh..." Olivia threw herself into "Anhel's" embrace, unable to hold back her feelings any longer as tears streamed down from her lovely blue-gray eyes. Anhel held her gently, letting her vent the emotions she had suppressed for so long. Her sobs echoed through the palace. It took a long time before Olivia noticed how utterly uncomposed she was being. Reluctantly loosening her grip, she gently eased back from Anhel and looked up into his golden eyes. Perhaps because she had wept so hard, her voice was still thick with choked sobs. "Anhel, how much time has passed?" "Exactly ninety-eight days," "Anhel"—or rather, Cassius—replied. "That Lord of Cinders mysteriously vanished several months ago, and I managed to obtain a method to dispel the ward from an ancient ruin, so I came straight for you. Well? I'm not too late, am I?" "No, of course not." Olivia gently wiped the tear tracks from the corners of her eyes, a smile breaking through her tears. "You really remembered that promise." She spoke softly, with delicate tenderness. Cassius stepped forward, leaning close to Olivia's cheek. "I told you, even if it cost me everything, even if I had to pour out all my treasure, I would rescue you from this place. That was my promise to you." "Let us leave together. After all, this is no place to linger. No one knows when the Lord of Cinders might return." "Mm." Olivia nodded with all her might, her cheeks flushing slightly. Cassius took the maiden's slender hand, conjured a teleportation portal, and led her toward the world outside. Yet, immersed in the bliss of their reunion and filled with sweet anticipation, the silver dragon maiden never imagined that this so-called "promise" had been an outright lie from the very beginning. ... "This is the Witch's Veil Tavern?" "You mentioned before that this was your favorite tavern. Since it's already so late, let's rest here first." "All right." A serene smile graced Olivia's face. Stepping into the room on the second floor of the tavern, they found candles shaped like witches' staves mounted on the walls. The flickering light cast a dim, amber glow, and the bed was draped with an exquisitely patterned silk blanket. The atmosphere carried an unmistakable hint of intimacy. The silver-haired maiden's face blushed faintly. After all, she had never experienced anything like this. Silver dragons did not shun physical intimacy, viewing it as something beautiful and noble. But Olivia had spent most of her life immersed in the study of magic and had never given such matters any real thought. She was at a loss for what to do. After a long hesitation, Olivia asked timidly, "Are we going to sleep now?" "Why... don't we study and discuss magic first, Teacher Olivia?" Cassius teased playfully, intentionally emphasizing the word "Teacher." Taking the maiden's hand, he drew her naturally into his arms. The two of them sank together onto the soft, spacious bed, their bodies pressing close. Olivia did not pull away, but her cheeks visibly flushed crimson, almost steaming with heat. The silver-haired girl still forced herself to keep her composure. "W-What magic?" Cassius leaned close to Olivia's ear and whispered, "You are the 'Silver Stars.' Naturally, we should discuss magic related to the stars." Olivia felt weak all over, drenched in delicate perspiration, but she still answered nervously, "You mean... the Crown of Stars?" "Mmh—" Before she could finish, her lips were sealed by his soft kiss. Olivia struggled instinctively at first, but as time passed and their breaths and moisture intertwined, her gaze gradually hazed over, and she lost herself completely in the moment. Cassius took the opportunity to slip off the star-embroidered gown wrapping her body, revealing vast expanses of snow-white skin and proud, breathtaking curves. The silver-haired maiden's breathing grew increasingly ragged, her faint pants clearly audible within the quiet room. "Teacher Olivia, let us first touch the spell model..." "No, Anhel..." "Teacher Olivia, I'm going to plunge my consciousness deep into the Weave, trace its conduits, and reach the fragile point at its apex." "Anhel, don't!" "If you do that, the Weave is... it's going to rupture!" "Relax, Olivia. This is merely normal during spellcasting. Only those Netherese fools would actually damage the Weave." "It's a pity I am no wizard. I cannot construct such delicate models. I can only channel every extension into the Source Sea, stirring up a surging tide of energy." "Anhel, mmh... is... is this the power of the arcane? So powerful, so overflowing..." "No, Olivia. This is the Sorcery Surge of us sorcerers, born of the Chaos Sea. Savor this sensation; it will bring us both incomparable power and pleasure..." The two high-tier spellcasters lost themselves in the study of magic. The candles in the room flickered wildly before dying out completely, leaving the chamber cloaked in darkness. Perhaps influenced by stellar magic, the night stars twinkled vividly in the sky outside. From time to time, a meteor or two streaked across the dark expanse, trailing glowing reddish tails as they plunged or swept horizontally, trembling as they stirred waves of light and heat through the night sky. A brilliant comet glided among the stars, dragging a milky-white tail that drenched the vast dark void in radiance, enveloping the distant points of starlight in its wake. The night quivered with bashful tremors, murmuring and sighing as if whispering an ode to the night.