[Job] Dragonthorn (Akeya/Leila Vergious)

Leila Vergious  ❃  Y-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

The dark clouds painted a somber picture for anyone who dared to look toward the skies even as the raindrops continued to fall. Most of them hit the elastic surface of the sea that stretched seemingly endlessly in all directions. But the rest wet the surface of the solitary island.

Even, the wyverns continued to fly around the landmass, stretching their wings and looking for any potential food that swam up to the top of the ocean’s surface in search of the fresh air that arrived with the rain. It was their territory here, yet they were completely unbothered by the one alien presence that arrived not too long ago.

It was Leila who was seeking a remote place like this to ensure that her little experimentation would not harm anyone. The creatures that lived in this place were resilient enough to withstand any accidental discharges of heavy magic, as well as clever enough to stay out of the way.

Perhaps it was the dragon-like presence that the girl had awakened within herself, but they respected her being here and steered clear of the area where she stayed. With the rain, she had found herself hiding in a shallow cave carved into a rock formation that looked almost like a tiny mountain sticking out of the island’s center.

Listening to the beat generated by the drops breaking against the hard stone surface that dotted most of the land was surprisingly pleasant, almost like a melody. The cold that arrived with it was the only real downside, as far as the girl was concerned.

Glad that she had picked up her more shrouded attire, the hood that covered her head and cloak with fur trim allowed her to snug into it to ward of the colder air and wait until the skies cleared up soon after. The weather changed suddenly and quite frequently this far from the mainland.

Letting out a small sigh as she stepped from within the rock’s shadow, the fabric dancing in the strong wind behind her and even pushing the hood off of her head, letting the silver locks sparkle in the sun’s gaze, she would think about many things.

The very fact that she was at such a place was rather unusual for someone like Leila. While she was not exactly the most social individual herself, she was generally found in places where nature was plentiful. But here? It was almost a barren wasteland.

Maybe it was the wyverns themselves that drew her? Not quite dragons, but they were at least distant relatives to the prideful creatures. Unfortunately for the girl, she knew no real dragon that could practically teach her. Really, she barely knew any dragons at all.

And the one she was closest to, well… she couldn’t imagine that she’d be happy to do anything with the silver wolf girl at this point. Their last interact was far from pleasant and that was putting it very mildly as well. Everything that could go wrong went wrong.

While the worst of it was due to Aurora’s direct interference, Leila could not claim that she was not responsible to some degree, either. She let her emotions get the better of her once more, as was becoming an unpleasant trend with her lately. One that she needed to get rid of, somehow.

However, that was not something she could just achieve here, right now. It would require time. Hell, she thought she improved and then proved herself wrong. So where was the guarantee that she would be able to avoid situations like that, ever? Maybe it was just impossible.

Letting out a sigh, she just stretched for now. People often found secluded places so they could think in peace. But the girl was here to practice, not to think. Her magic was all out of whack after what happened. Especially the dragon aspect, which started ‘melting’ into the magic provided by Eden.

A strange sensation, to say the least. And a problematic one, as she would not be able to properly use her regular magic before she’d learn how to control the dragon one now. Something that she kept on avoiding until now for one reason or another. It was not hard to find an excuse.

Much like right now, her actions were quickly stopped as she sensed something that was approaching the island at high speed. And it only took her moments before she realized exactly what it was. A deep sense of worry overcame her almost instantly.

Akeya was… someone that Leila saw as rather unpredictable. Not because she was crazy or something, but because she rarely seemed to let emotions dictate her actions. And for that reason, she could not tell what the dragoness would do now if they were to meet.

Would that cold logic dictate for her to attack Leila? Or perhaps the dragon pride would enter the stage and demand an apology? One thing was for certain, the girl did not expect any sort of remorse or apologetic gesture from Akeya herself. She was at least somewhat conscious when Aurora took control.

That allowed her to witness at least some of the things the dragoness said. And just as she thought, the ego of a dragon was infinite. And one easy to offend. Worst case scenario, Leila was ready to apply a similar tactic as in the Clover village, to warp away if any danger were to come her way.

For now, all she could do was remain in place and brace herself both physically and mentally for whatever was about to come the moment her teammate decided to stop circling the place like a hungry vulture and actually landed to meet Leila face to face.

That, and hope that nothing would actually go as sour as she imagined. Interactions with people like this grew far too painful ever since Jiyu Kazehime decided to disappear without a trace and she did not need any more of the pain that it always seemed to cause her.

Leila Vergious  ❃  Y-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

Even though the creatures around were mostly disinterested in the two alien beings on the island, some of them did curiously look on as the situation started slowly unfolding. At least one or two even remained close enough that they could conquer the distance in a single mere instant if the need for it called.

Perhaps that made them somewhat more of a comfortable companion in comparison to actual dragons. The more feral a creature was, the friendlier toward Leila it tended to be. A bond with nature that the girl valued greatly, even if it was somewhat forged by her magic rather than naturally earned.

Not that anyone could truly achieve such status and ability without the aid of at least some supernatural phenomenon. Hostility was, unfortunately, just something that was ever-present. Sometimes in slightly different forms that a person would immediately think of. Much like the wyvern that was ready to leap in front of Leila and defend her.

Leila still hoped that no such gesture would be necessary at any point today, but she still had to be cautious. It was one of the first things she learned in her life, after all. And something that saved her hide more times than she could possibly count.

But for now, she merely watched as the humanoid dragon descended from the skies, at last, taking one or two cautionary steps backward instinctively during the process. Even with her magic running somewhat rampant inside of her, the girl’s senses were still sharp.

Every bit of motion that could be observed was, from Akeya’s own somewhat lacking animation to even the small stones being tossed to the side by her clawed feet planting onto the rocky surface. All in hopes that anything at all would betray the emotions and goals her teammate was carrying inside of herself.

Little was actually expressed in this way, given how stoic the other woman was most of the time. However, Leila did have an inkling that she was in no immediate danger. A strange one, to say the least. Different from her usual intuition or the ability to read the environment.

It was more akin to silent whispers, complete balderdash or even a paradox. Maybe it was even caused by her magic going out of whack as such, this curious little buzz inside of her head. She felt compelled to believe it, like a word of a kind mother that there was not to be afraid of.

One quick rub of her temple later, her ocean blue eyes, matching the distant scenery all around them, fixated onto the individual in front of her. Once again, she could not find any obvious signs of anger, worry, any emotion at all.

Only the cold and logical exterior she always seemed to show. It was her nature, Leila supposed. “Good day to you, too. I’m doing fine.” Perhaps there was some leftover irritation from what happened at the festival. They didn’t even get to see the fireworks together.

That said, Leila was not planning on doing anything harsh or rash at the moment. That said, she also had absolutely no idea how to converse with Akeya at this point. It almost seemed like they were two strangers that knew very little about one another.

“Why are you here? Worried that I’d blow up a village or a town?” For now, she wanted to know just one thing. Did someone tell her to track Leila down, or did she do this out of her own free will? And if she did, then for what reason?

There was much to be discussed here. However, the girl did not want it to be so because she was perceived as a threat that must have been stopped at any cost. Instead, she hoped it was because there was actually someone who would want to help her in some way.

Not that she exactly needed any help, not anymore. At least not with the issue that Akeya still had in her memory. Aurora realized the potential danger of merging herself with the one who carried a portion of the goddess’ soul and what destruction it could lead to.

And even she was no interested in literally reducing this world to barren wasteland void of life. In a way, the two of them came to a mutual understanding. Despite Aurora being a bit of a careless bitch at times, she decided to respect certain lines that should just not be crossed unless absolutely necessary.

With a low sigh, Leila just ran her hand through her fringe and continued to gaze at the dragoness. She expected at least some form of a solid answer, but somewhere deep inside, she doubted a prideful dragon could bring any form of good news when it came down to what they went through.

Still, obviously at least some fragment of hope remained. She wouldn’t be standing there, otherwise. If Leila expected that only bad were to come her way, she would make herself disappear completely from Fiore, make it impossible to track her in any way. After living most of her life on the path, she learned how to do that perfectly.

Leila Vergious  ❃  Y-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

Well, this was certainly somewhat awkward. Even if it was not intentional in any way, the tension between the two girls filled the air quite quickly. The wyverns seemed to notice this as well, but there were a few that took note of the defensive ‘shoo’ Akeya performed and still remained close by.

However, they were not something that the two of them should remain worried about. Thankfully, unlike the first few moments of the dragoness’ descent, she had now started talking aplenty. And Leila listened, crossing her hands at her chest’s level. Those blue optics of hers wandered from her partner to the sea, the land, and back to the dragon.

She gathered everything that was said and quickly sorted it in her head. Some of it was… surprising, to say the least. But it didn’t seem like her partner was making an attempt to lie. If she was, then it was a good one.

But then again, Akeya was someone who was apparently used to wearing that neutral face quite a lot. Regardless, at least for now, Leila chose to take her words as the absolute truth of her intentions. And she had to address those concerns in some way.

But, well… the situation was much more complicated for her than it appeared on the outside. And trying to expose the Garden’s inner hierarchy to an outsider was a task that would be mostly futile. Especially with someone like Akeya, as this strange order did not follow logic and reason.

Tightly grabbing onto the fur trim of her hoodie, she pulled it further up to a point where it easily covered her mouth while forcing her gaze to the side coyly. “You’re not wrong that there was something other than me present when… all those things transpired.”

Her voice might have been low, but she was still sure that someone with superhuman senses like Akeya would be able to pick those words and register them without too much of a trouble. “It’s a… pleasant surprise to hear that you’re concerned. Whether that is because of me or because of the safety of others…”

Though the dragoness’ words indicated that she at least slightly cared about Leila as an individual and not just a tool to be used to easily fulfill working contracts that one would find themselves part of from time to time. She never wanted to be seen as just that.

Then it came down to the Wyvern aerie. Leila didn’t really have that good of an explanation for this one. But at least her grip on the clothing loosened, letting the fur descend back to its original position. And her voice no longer carried that sense of shyness.

“It was just another place where I could be alone. Or at least in the presence of beasts that would be able to understand my voice and stay by my side. Capable of withstanding anything even if my magic were to lash out.”

She certainly held at least some respect toward the beasts. Dragons might have looked down on them, but Leila saw something majestic and worthy of respect. Clearly at least some of them felt the same way, still present around and ready to jump in if they sensed any dangers coming from the dragoness or anywhere else.

Unfortunately, the aforementioned dragoness was still not happy with the level of information that she has been given. This was a complicated manner. So the silver-haired maiden decided she would put forth a test of sorts. One that would let her see just how willing Akeya was to take Leila’s own words at face value.

“You might not like this, but you’ll have to trust me when I say that there is no need to worry about it happening again. I… I have already dealt with it. I know for a fact that it won’t happen.”

It was somewhat amusing that Akeya was talking about power. As proof that the girl meant it, she extended one of her hands forward, bending her wrist and pointing her index finger up, as if she was pointing at the sky.

But instead of just that, a small ball appeared just above the tip of that finger. One that quickly grew to be just a bit larger in size than her entire palm. The same ball that appeared and transformed itself during the festival, the one that attacked the light elementals and Akeya alike.

It was a ball of pure void energy, completely devoid of any element or even magical energy, really. Which was actually the reason why the girl was able to conjure and control it so easily right now. As something that had nothing to do with her actual magic, it was not that hard at all.

Several more balls started forming soon after until there were eight, floating in a circular pattern around Leila’s form like pitch-black planets around a silver star. Another somewhat funny thing was the reason why she was able to do this in the first place.

That was because of Aurora’s possession. Normally only the goddess of Eden had void as its dominion. None of the other spirits or even Leila were able to fully use it. But after the possession, her body got a taste of the curious material and sort of learned how to command it.

With a quick snap of her fingers, she let them all disperse into bright sparks of destructive energy, though it was only a few centimeters wide and fizzled out rather quickly, resulting in no damage being done to anything at all. One look at Akeya after showed a determined face that showed she was serious about this.

“It’s just too complex to explain in an understandable way. But I can promise that this power will not go out of my control and no being will be able to truly possess me like that again. At least not without my consent.”

And with that, Leila hoped the problem at hand was fixed. Though she had a hunch that Akeya would really not be the happiest dragon around, being essentially told off. But could she even understand if Leila said that she talked it through with Aurora and that they came to a mutual understanding of how things should be after one of them possessed the other and did what they did?

Leila Vergious  ❃  Y-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

As Leila readily expected, Akeya was not quite satisfied with just the information that was provided to her. Perhaps, in this one single moment, the silver-haired maiden understood what could be so alluring about living a solitary life, having to answer no one. A life where you wouldn’t have to share any information you didn’t want to.

But alas, the girl lived quite far from a life like that these days. Even if the dragoness were to abandon her and their teamwork lied shattered, she would at the very least return to the people she considered family. The individuals that would always accept her and never betray her in any way.

Once this ordeal was over, it’d probably be good if she paid them a short visit, it has been quite some time since they last saw each other. But right now, there was something that needed a bit of explanation, so Leila got to it.

“A single body can’t efficiently support two different minds. And I was upset as well, so… most of the evening is a blur at this point. But what was before and what came after is still there so you needn’t worry about my memory at all.”

Of course, the fact that Leila’s memory was in as good of shape as it could possibly be didn’t really mean that she’d put everything inside of it out for public consumption. She still very much planned on keeping many things secret even from someone like her partner.

Mostly because of the way Akeya was, actually. Gardens of Eden was an important realm to the girl and she wouldn’t be able to exist without it anymore. And this extended to Aurora as well. The two of them were inherently tied to one another by the strings of fate themselves.

So having a mad dragon trying to dispatch of one of them without being able to grasp the futility of such task would only bring about problems. Even for a dragon and a goddess, some problems were simply unsolvable, no matter how hard they tried. Such was life at times.

At the very least there was some attempt being made at soothing the rough feelings filling the air. Leila even smiled beneath that fur trim that was hiding her mouth quite well before letting it go back down after hearing the dragoness’ answer. She could never just answer something simply, could she?

There was even that remark about studying one another. Frankly, Leila felt like she didn’t have the energy require to answer that. It didn’t feel right, at least not in a situation like this. Or to study someone she potentially cared about overall. Even if it was harmless.

But perhaps these rather odd thoughts were merely invited by the girl’s tired mind. A closer look would even reveal slightly visible dark rings beneath her eyes that showed after missing a whole night worth of sleep and more as a result of their little possession scuffle.

Though, even with such a tired mind, she was still able to think just fine when it came down to things that would interest her. “We’re too far into the sea for fishermen to just stumble across it. And the wyverns are smarter than they look, they know how to fish without causing local genocide.”

The are was almost like its own small ecosystem. But diving into that can of worms would be unnecessarily distracting from the problem at hand. Mainly the problem that the dragoness still wanted to know more. A notion that made Leila let out a tired sigh, her blue eyes tracing the small stones on the ground.

“You’ll have to make peace with knowing just that I am acquainted with the one who possessed me and they meant no real harm. They just… like to test others who enter my life. By trying their best to scare them away and seeing if they persevere.”

The idea of that might have seemed caring and noble in a vacuum, but the execution and context made it appear quite flawed. And it certainly was, but then again, Aurora had a rather sadistic side to her as well.

So perhaps she added that extra edge to it all for her own personal amusement and nothing else. And maybe she wasn’t even trying to help Leila at all, just hurt her. It certainly worked the first time around when the one being tested did not return… at least not until days later.

Not that it mattered much in the end, as they were completely gone, probably to never return, ever. A memory that caused Leila to narrow her saddened gaze at the floor for a moment before brushing it all to the side and looking back at the dragoness.

“In other words, there was never a real threat, to begin with. As for this power… it was always mine. My body just didn’t remember until it was reminded during that evening, I guess…” That was how she herself understood it. Maybe it didn’t make much sense, but then again, what did?

Very few things followed the universal order when it came to Eden, a realm created from pure magical energy and a vision of the future. Scratching the back of her head, she was unsure what else to say. “Is that enough for you to relax and drop this? I don’t like that you’re in a position looking like you’d leap at me any moment now…”

Leila Vergious  ❃  Y-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

This time, Leila show a glare at Akeya. Not very often she did something like that, but her body seemed to react first, mind later. And she especially wanted to make clear that she was not some helpless puppy that another person needed to constantly worry about. Yes, some concern was always nice.

But overdoing it could easily make a person feel completely useless and devoid of any purpose at all. Make them feel like they only get in the way of others. And the girl hated that feeling with passion, as she never wanted to be truly useless when it came to interacting with others and the world.

“I know myself better than anyone else. And I know everything I need to about my memories to say that there is no problem.” Akeya’s continued ignorance was not helping that case at all, either. It just made Leila sigh as she looked away, feeling all the more tired.

“I think you’re the one who is foolish… for thinking you can always win, no matter what.” If there was one universal rule that always applied, then it was there a being stronger than you exists, somewhere, regardless of how strong you yourself are.

Especially when boundaries between different worlds and timelines could be actually breached. There were just certain dangers that even the combination of these two girls could never even hope to reach. And yet, the dragon was stubborn and always seemed to insist that she was above all other things.

Even though she herself needed help with her own powers not that long ago. Leila wouldn’t call someone who needed help from others omnipotent. Granted, the dragoness never said that specific word about herself and probably wasn’t as narcissistic as to claim that. But unconsciously, her pride might have suggested that sometimes.

They were both stubborn in their own right. Leila simply wasn’t about to give out any information about Aurora because her own life was on the line. Killing the goddess would, in turn, kill her as well. And all of Eden. Akeya might have been her partner, but she was not about to risk so many lives.

And so her gaze lowered, eventually, even her eyes closed. A soft sigh once again escaped between her parted lips, as she looked back up at the dragoness. “If that is how it must be, so be it. It’s not like I, or anyone else in the world, could ever change your mind.”

Saying that it felt as if something inside of Leila broke. A vast, immensely cold feeling spread through her body. It felt like she was freezing on the inside. Growing numb. She had felt it before when Jiyu forever disappeared from her life.

“Be cautious of me and treat me like a potential danger. It’s not like you ever had any intention of warming up to me, anyway… right? Because dragons are solitary creatures. Aside from having a convenient partner for hard assignments, you don’t even need me.”

If that was all there was to it, then Akeya should be just fine with keeping her distance from Leila at all times. Naturally, Leila never wanted such an outcome. But it was one she should have probably expected to happen eventually.

The world was a cold place most of the time. True bonds were difficult to come about. So if they had to be nothing more than acquaintances, there was nothing she could do about it. Because she already tried. And it always just ended in some disaster. She couldn’t change Akeya’s mind without letting out information that would put her into mortal danger.

So she chose to be selfish. Because she didn’t want to die. She needed to hold her own life in her own hands. It almost looked like all life escaped from the girl’s eyes, leaving just a hollow reflection of the ocean blue that stared at the dragon.

“I took on a task that placed me against a tough opponent. I had to use all I had and that, in turn, overloaded my magics. They are now leaking one into the other and creating chaos…”

Well, maybe chaos was the wrong word. But it certainly wasn’t anything pleasant. Almost like her arms and legs doing whatever they wanted instead of how she actually wanted to move them. Only with her spells. So until she gained her control back, there was no going on jobs that required the usage of magic.

“I just need to learn how to control powers that reside in me… that I never really used before. That’s all. Shouldn’t take me too long.” She was pretty dismissive of the issue. After all, she never had problems mastering her magic in the slightest.

But that was a bit of a lie on the outside. The reality was that the Gardens were part of her being. Or rather, the other way around. Thus her magic manifested completely naturally within her, even without any form of training whatsoever. This new magic, on the other hand, was completely different.

It had nothing to do with the Gardens of Eden and that was the reason why Leila wasn’t capable of properly controlling it. It was something she was not used to - having magic that actually needed some dedicated training and control. Something that did not come as naturally as breathing itself.

Still, the girl learned a lot about magic in her years of being a mage. So if she put her mind to it, she was sure that she’d be able to control it just fine. She was merely… scared of trying until now. But the situation changed drastically.

She was effectively forced to deal with it now or face a life where she would be unable to effectively use magic. The choice was obvious. Leila just needed to toss away all reservations she had about her own abilities and dive deep into the secrets of dragon’s heart that rested within her chest, right next to her own.

Leila Vergious  ❃  Y-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

Leila was assaulted by a barrage of words from the dragoness’ side, something that she did not expect. The other girl was normally someone who said only what needed to be said and then kept quiet, perhaps in accordance of her assassin-like presence. But this time was quite different, or at least it seemed to be.

In all honesty, it felt very much like every single argument they have had up until now. One of them saying something and then the other trying to conjure up a good enough reason for whatever they did or said. Something almost all, if not all, creatures did. No one liked being wrong, after all. And most importantly of all, everyone had a truth of their own that they would follow.

Leila couldn’t even really find the energy required to try and contests all that Akeya had said. And even if she did, it would only lead to more arguing. Because the dragoness clearly wasn’t interested in hearing anything from the maiden’s side, from her perspective. She had no desire to know her ‘life story’ and why she acted the way she did.

So she decided to say just a few things and give up there. If you really want us both to survive, then you will stop. Because no matter what you would do, it would result in the death of one of us. Either you would die trying to find an entity that would kill you before you would take a single breath, or you would kill me. Because my life and hers are inseparable. We are one and the same.”

Two sides of a single coin. And two halves of a single soul. Two fragments of one whole that could only exist as long as the rest was around as well. Trying to do something about Aurora even after that would make Akeya from careful to just outright stupid. She claimed that she at least needed to entertain the thought if victory, but how would one win against someone who already froze the dragoness in time and could have killed her thousand times over in that single moment?

Leila Vergious  ❃  Y-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

Leila looked to the side, one of her hands taking hold of the other as it remained alongside her body. It seemed that her partner finally realized what exactly was going on here. At least partially, anyway. “I’ve no doubt that you would not succeed in killing her. Obviously that in itself is a reason for me to not want you to…”

Trailing off somewhat, the girl looked genuinely sad as she looked into nothingness, her posture tired and slightly crooked even as the black cloak tried to cover as much of it as possible. But some things just could not be very easily hidden. Especially if the one in question was an emotional person.

That said, Akeya’s next action did throw her off extremely. Watching in sheer shock and perhaps even horror as she effectively head-butted the nearest boulder, which thankfully was not made out of obsidian, she had absolutely zero ideas how to respond to such an event.

At the very least, she was thankful that there appeared to be no injury or signs of blood on her partner’s forehead. Then again, maybe it didn’t even make a contact with the surface thanks to those horns. Regardless, Leila wasn’t quite able to conjure up any of her healing spells, so it was a plus.

With how calm her expression was after such an action, the maiden couldn’t help but sigh again and plant one of her palms straight on her face. What was even happening at this point? Everything surrounding the situation felt like such a blur because of the intense emotions that it all brought, then they were arguing about things and now… this?

“Just leave it be for good… nothing will ever be able to change our reality…” Muttering these last few words under her breath, Leila finally felt some sense of relief off of her chest. This ridiculous situation that was literally tearing them apart could finally come to a close and the mistake that happened at the Clover town could fade into obscurity.

Focusing now on the present, Leila looked around the area. There was nothing else nearby, all of the wyverns that showed interest before now wandering off to do their own thing the moment they felt Akeya’s potential hostility fade. Taking in a deep breath, the silver maiden decided it would probably be much easier to show the dragoness what was going on.

Extending one of her hands to the side, she would start manipulating her ethernano supply much like she would if she desired to cast an ordinary spell, something she did many times every single day. An act as natural as breathing itself. But the moment she unleashed it all, even more of magical energy flew out of her body and collided with the one Leila actually wanted to use.

This, of course, was not something that could be observed with a naked eye. But just about any mage could surely feel the discord within the girl, especially one as strong as Akeya. The actually visible result was one of many different vines appearing, breaking apart the ground and shooting out almost like serpents along the stone surface for some distance before stopping.

If that was the only thing, then it would be a fairly standard result of the girl’s spells. But there was more than normal. Crimson red roses bloomed all over the vines, something akin to red lightning shimmering over them every so often. They were clearly volatile. Something that was reinforced when most of them exploded after only a few seconds.

Though these were no ordinary explosions, either. They were very contained, almost as if the roses become invisible daggers that pierced through the vines they were on top of with a force imaginable. With the spell effectively self-destructing like that, all that was left were countless rose petals flying through the air, eventually dissipating into the air.

“This is the problem, as you can see. As for the familiarity… I can only assume it’s because of your draconic nature. This new power comes from a crystallized heart… one that is now inside of my chest, right next to my actual heart. It is a heart that once belonged to a Rose dragon. But it perished… before it fully died, it crystallized its own heart and gave it to me.”

Accompanying the words was a gesture of Leila gently putting one of her hands onto her chest and gently pressing against the fabric that covered her. What she just said might have sounded like a horror story to some. And if the crystal heart were not as beautiful as it was before it entered Leila, then the girl herself would probably be appalled to some degree.

However, it was given to her voluntarily. A gift for making sure that the dragon could die in peace, rather than by having its head taken by the dragon slayers as a trophy for their wall. A sad story for certain, but one that Leila had thought about enough already. What mattered was the fact that this dragon’s power was now her own.

Except the girl wasn’t exactly capable of controlling it just yet. Until now, she was able to just keep it inside of her, not use it at all. But after working her body to the bone, going well beyond her regular limits, it was essentially forced out. By forcibly invoking the state of dragon force, she caused a change. And now she had to learn how to control this power of hers.

Leila Vergious  ❃  Y-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

The girl stared at Akeya for a bit, looked around, and then fixated her gaze on the dragoness again. All of what she said made sense, but there was one detail that she might have not been considering. Especially since Leila never explicitly made it known to people, figuring it was not really necessary.

“Well, I’m not exactly human myself… and much like dragons, I am a creature of magic. No… I am so much more than dragons ever could be.” Considering what her true ‘self’ was, the nature of Aurora and how she came to be, it was fair to say that no being could be more of magic than she was.

Her body right now was of flesh and blood, yes. But that was not necessarily her true body if one were to get technical. A rather complicated matter that would only waste their time if they were to dive into it any deeper. The point was that Leila did not necessarily abide by the same rules as humans. Or even dragons.

“It’s also not necessarily that I cannot suppress it. But the dragon’s magic already blended with my regular one to some degree. So even if I do not use the rose powers, my normal ones will still draw it out, as they have started becoming one. Because I cannot control one of them and stop it from doing so…”

Once again, the issue was not necessarily as simple as just not knowing how to use of the magics she had within her. But learning how to control it was definitely the first step to her figuring out the rest on her own later. Or perhaps even very soon after. That was to be seen once the immediate problem was solved and no longer in the way.

“And I have tried to draw it out by itself. It's possible, of course. But as I lack control over it… well, do stay a bit further back.” Extending her hands forth, numerous vines crawled over them and roses once again bloomed all over the girl’s hands, a beautiful sight.

However, they were shaking violently, the magic that was creating them trying to run wild. It was unfocused and desired motion. The magic itself was in an agitated state which was started by the aforementioned dragon force. It has not calmed down ever since and that might have been the root of the problem here.

In just a few seconds, the magic got so wild that it finally completely snapped out, the roses exploding outward and creating something akin to numerous magical slashes all around Leila, cutting apart whatever was in the range, mostly rock. That was unless Akeya refused to stay back, anyway.

Letting out a sigh, Leila reinforced the idea that there was no shortcut to improving the situation present. But there was something else that she had to show the dragoness, as it was closely connected to this new magic that was wildly swirling inside of her physical body. This time, she extended forth only one of her hands.

Rose petals appeared seemingly out of nowhere as they swayed around the smooth and pale skin, soon clustering together in her palm as they changed their form. As if using make-type magic of some sort, a weapon of sorts forged itself within the girl’s grasp. A long sword that should have been far too heavy and big to be wielded in one hand alone.

But Leila showcased that she had zero issues manipulating it with ease. This was natural, as it was perfectly weighted for her. A weapon created exactly for the user. “This is Rose’s Thorn. A second gift from the dragon. Originally its talon, it completely transformed into a tool that can reforge itself.”

Taking hold of it, she suddenly flipped it around and pointed the rather sharp edge against her chest, even slightly cutting apart her clothes. Probably an alarming gesture, but one that was meant to emphasize what the girl was about to say next. “And the second half of the lacrima within me.”

Staring straight at the dragoness, she continued explaining a bit more. “As they were both a part of the dragon once, reuniting them will result in the dragon’s true power being released. To use a term human wielders of the slayer magic made, it will forcibly activate Dragon Force.”

Letting the weapon dissolve again into petals that surrounded the girl, she scratched the back of her head. “Though reuniting it with the lacrima also means stabbing myself with it. Something I had to do in order to defeat an enemy I faced after the Festival and what started my whole problem. Clearly it also didn’t kill me despite impaling my heart.”

Not that it would have really killed her, given her immortal shackles. But it didn’t even destroy her current physical body, it was still very much the same one she always had. So the dragon’s magic ensured that the normally fatal wound was healed during the force itself, or after it. Quite honestly, Leila didn’t have the time to check when it happened during her fight.

Letting out a sigh, she took few steps as her back leaned against a nearby slashed wall of stone. Hopefully she told Akeya everything that was required to solve this situation. There might have very well been details she was forgetting, but those could always be brought out later on. For right now, she just stared at the dragon with her cold blue eyes.

She didn’t exactly know what to expect here. Akeya was a dragon, but possessing such magic naturally was surely different from obtaining it through drastic means like this. Not to mention that their biology was vastly different, affecting the magic in wildly different ways. But then again, she was also someone who seemed to study a great many things. So perhaps she would be able to help Leila after all. It was yet to be seen. But at least they weren’t arguing now.

Leila Vergious  ❃  Y-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

While the two girls might have had a problem that was similar in its overall nature, the details of it all were rather different when it came down to it. Especially concerning the nature of their magic. Akeya was having trouble because two opposing elements were clashing inside of her and that caused irregularities.

Leila, on the other hand, was someone who always associated with the element of nature as a whole. Rose dragon magic was an extension of that, in a way. Something that belonged in nature. Thus the two aspects interacted rather easily, effectively creating the opposite problem that the dragoness had before.

Thus the case of said two magics having strong resonance was entirely reasonable and probably the actual cause of all the issues at hand. Which was actually quite intriguing, as the two powers came from wildly different sources that did not share any common history, yet their structure allowed for something like this to happen.

But from that one fairly reasonable exchange, they quickly got to one that was a bit… hasted. Leila’s actions were probably somewhat alarming, yes. But she did not expect the dragoness to react in the way she did, especially given how impartial she normally stayed.

Suffice to say, the tendrils of darkness did spook the silver-haired maiden a bit, but thankfully she was trained enough to not instinctively jerk her body and accidentally actually impale herself. So once her hasted ‘aid’ retreated after realizing there was nothing to be actually worried about, Leila sighed lightly.

“I’ll try to give you one, but surely you can trust me to not just randomly stab myself with a sword, not knowing what I’m doing.” After all, they both finally calmed down from that whole emotion-infused situation from before. But then again, it was still very fresh in their memory.

Putting that aside, they were able to easily return back to the task at hand, which was discovering exactly what was going on with Leila’s magic. Or perhaps ‘discover’ was not the right word, as they both knew exactly what was happening at this point.

The question was whether there was any quick way to put a stop to it. And after all that Akeya had said, it appeared that the answer was, unfortunately, a resounding no. Leila couldn’t say she was necessarily surprised by this, as her original intention was to remain on this island for a while and just train with the magic.

That way she would be able to control it eventually. Akeya’s visit here was not something she had planned at all. But now that she was here, there was no reason to not have a discussion about potential means of speeding the process up.

“I thought about just letting the two magics combine at first, but… my powers come from the Gardens of Eden. A pure realm that is very sensitive to outside influence. In the past, there were humans who wanted the realm’s power. But the moment they got portions of it, well…”

Taking hold of one of her sleeves, she slowly pulled it back to reveal the Eden’s mark. It was nothing new, just the same old portion of skin that was of gray color with black markings, its texture more akin to the surface of a tree than actual human skin. It was always there, but Leila didn’t quite recall if she ever explained its nature to the dragoness.

“Their humanity which is capable of sinning corrupted parts of the Garden as a result. To this day, there is a dead forest of this corruption where nothing but one single spirit lives. It no longer spreads, but the mark is clear even on my body. Human interaction was harmful to the Gardens of Eden.”

Pulling the sleeve back, she continued. “Dragon influence would obviously be different, but I think we can both agree that your kin is also capable of evil acts. As such, the results of combining the two magics together could have potentially devastating effects on the world that gave me and many other spirits birth.”

In other words, it was a risk she wasn’t really really willing to take. If the process began and something went wrong, it would be potentially impossible to sever the two forces at that point. It was actually ironic that the two powers had such great resonation, yet one could obliterate the other if their connection became too deep.

“So that is where I stand. I was planning to start my training here anyway. One to gain control of this new power and keep it separate from my innate magic. As for how it feels… It’s very clearly part of the dragon heart that now rests in my chest. And that heart is part of my body. Perhaps not yet perfectly, but it will get there as well.”

Maybe that was the necessary step. Once the second heart fully became part of Leila, the magic could recognize her much more easily and let itself be controlled by the new user. But that was nothing more than a small theory inside of the girl’s head, the only way of confirming or denying it being that of waiting and seeing the actual result.

Leila Vergious  ❃  Y-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

It was admittedly quite nice that Akeya was now actually showing some semblance of caring for those around her. The two of them would no longer necessarily feel like complete strangers, but that was actually not quite assured by this just yet. That said, the change seemed to come about rather quickly, which was what threw Leila for a loop.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Though you never exactly tried to forcibly stop me from doing something dangerous, so I’m sure you understand how jarring that was as well.” Rather, Akeya seemed like someone who did not get physical much at all.

Sure, there were a few times when the two of them shared such contact, but it was hardly common. But all that aside, Leila listened to the dragoness’ little retort when it came to saying anything at all about dragons. As usual, she was very quick to either defend dragons or point out the flaws of others.

“I’ve never made such a claim. But it would also be somewhat difficult for the Gardens to do anything bad, or good for that matter. I might be able to draw the power of that realm and use it for just about anything, but I am also a bit special.”

“Children of Eden, or the Goddess who rules it, are beings that can use the powers of Eden freely without being able to corrupt it. All other beings will, however. For the reasons I already stated. The only ‘foreign’ entity that could wield it without inciting corruption would be one incapable of anything evil.”

But such being probably did not even exist. And if it did, then its existence must have been a miserable one as it was not even really capable of free will, which in turn would probably prevent it from wanting to take such power for itself in the first place. In other words, it was a problem not worthy of thinking about at the moment.

Not that anyone should expect the rules of other dimensions to make any sense, to begin with. What came next was Leila listening to the dragoness’ fairly lengthy pondering and explanation on how to solve the situation without having the two magics merge. The girl made sure to listen as much as she could.

Meditation was not exactly something she had a problem with, but it was something that normally took a lot of time. Her senses were also already quite strong, both on an ethernano-based level and more tangible one. After all, she had her wolf form where all of her senses would be at least on par with those wielding slayer magic.

And as a high-level mage herself, she naturally was able to easily sense the flow of magic particles themselves. Not just that, the fact she was very similar to spirits who were also beings of near pure magic helped quite a bit as well. The fact that she had trouble separating the two powers now even with that made it quite troublesome of a choice, however.

That said, the second proposal was of something that the girl already considered herself. And something that might have been much more plausible than Akeya had assumed. Scratching the back of her head, Leila took a moment of silence before also taking a few steps back so that there would be a fair bit of distance between them.

“Let’s go with option number two. My ability to focus and sense magic is already far above what a normal person would need to keep their powers separate. But I also don’t think there will be any need for your runes… hopefully. I guess we’ll see in just a moment, so stay back for a bit.”

Extending her hand forth, she began gathering her magic again. This was obviously something they wanted to stop in some way, as it would eventually lead to the merge. But hopefully, it would also be the last time she needed to use a spell before they would succeed and her training would begin. A swirl of golden light formed between the two girls.

“The one who fears not the frigid winds and endless winters, the queen of ice and dragons, I seek your power in the time of need. Come, come, aid me, oh beloved ice-born queen!
Gate of Eden's Frozen Dragon - Yuki!”

With the summoning spell quickly chanted, the golden light formed an orb of sorts that then dissipated, leaving in its center a new figure. And despite her small and petite size, one that seemed to radiate with magical power. She slowly turned to face Leila with her expressionless, emotionless face as was always the case.

“You two had another argument..?” “Err, no… I don’t want you to fight her… I need to temporarily disconnect myself from the Gardens so I can focus on training of this new magic inside of me without the two powers colliding and merging together. Think you can take care of that.”

The white-haired dragon child remained stationary and without a reply for a moment before turning around to face Akeya. She might have as well been a titan when compared to Yuki, but there was not even a hint of intimidation. And, well… they were both dragons, so maybe there was something more going on than Leila was able to see.

“Take care of her until she’s done. Since she won’t be able to call any of us… oh, but I’ll tell the one who can come just in case.” So with that rather quickly put out of the way, Yuki disappeared into a cluster of golden light again, her figure quickly vanishing and leaving no trace and all.

Only a few minutes of waiting later, Leila started feeling rather dizzy seemingly out of nowhere, stumbling around and nearly falling onto the ground. All of Eden’s energy that was currently gathered inside of her became visible as a sort of blue-ish shield around her body that suddenly shattered. And with that, her entire magic related to the Gardens seemed to have vanished.

“Ugh… I went through this once before already, but… it doesn’t get any better. At least I still have my own life force so I can actually survive this…” Without her direct connection to Eden, she lost many of the perks that she normally had. But at the same time, she really didn’t have to worry about her two magics mixing at all now.

Until she gained complete control over the powers of a dragon, she was effectively banished from the Gardens of Eden. A feat possibly to accomplish only thanks to the first spirit Yuki and many others working together to actually sever to connection. Naturally, it was not permanent, completely cutting the connection was probably not even really possible.

Leila Vergious  ❃  Y-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

Being kept from just falling over and splattering her physical form all over the cold stones beneath, Leila slowly closed her eyes and tried to make the world around her stop spinning. Thank goodness that there was actual magic still left in her because if she were to suffer the effects of complete magic drain on top of this, she would be out for quite some time.

It took a bit, but she finally managed to stabilize herself. Without the magic of Eden in her, it honestly felt like she was missing something. Almost like if a limb or two weren’t there. A hard to describe feeling of loss, but a powerful one as well. Soon she was able to walk around without Akeya’s help.

“Thanks. As uncomfortable as this is, I at least have something this time around, unlike back then…” An incident in a different world that left her with few memories and unable to use magic. Thankfully she had Samira Nassar with her to help resolve the problem, but the dragoness saw the situation with her own eyes as well.

It was their first time working together, even. Wanting Leila’s help despite being told that she had no means of controlling magic… and yet, they still somehow managed. It was quite something, that job. Not exactly anything difficult, but a valuable experience in the end. Would Akeya still remember it among all the other important things she did?

Not that it mattered much. Taking in a deep breath, the girl made some distance between herself and the dragoness just so that she could properly stretch herself and try to regain her vigor. Energy was needed if she wanted to practice magic as powerful as the one of a Rose dragon. Alas, the same golden light as before quickly started gathering behind her.

This one came without any chant or even usage of magic on Leila’s part. And a second later, she felt an impact against her back. “Yahooo!” A woman flew out of the celestial gateway and effectively tackled her summoner into a hug from behind, wrapping her arms around the silver-haired maiden’s chest gently. And it was no ordinary arrival either.

Her magical energy filled the air pretty quickly. And while it did not reach the levels of Leila at full strength, they might have very well climbed even higher than Akeya’s own supply. As her black and white hair waved in the wind, she turned around to stare the other woman down a bit. Her look was stern for a moment, but then quickly softened.

“Oho? Is that your teammate, dear? Don’t believe we had the pleasure yet.” While poor Leila was recovering from the sudden shock, trying to calm her heart down, the spirit would end her loving embrace and properly turn around to face the dragoness, performing a small, yet effective bow of greeting and respect.

“You gaze upon one of the great twelve Zodiacs. I am Libra, the spirit of balance. The Gate of Heavenly Scales~” She introduced herself just as grandiosely as she looked. Though in this case, it was very much earned. As a Zodiac, she represented the very idea of balance and judgment. Being a living embodiment of these, there was no wonder she appeared powerful.

Even the atmosphere changed somewhat with her presence, becoming more neutral and balanced. “I’ve been told what is going on. Just in case the dragon’s power goes out of control, I’ll remain here to watch over my darling summoner. You needn’t pay me much mind if you do not wish to.”

Sending Akeya a cheeky wink, she let Leila who finally got back up again to take center stage once more. “Right… I suppose your help can’t hurt if you keep your own gate open. And actually, there is something that… err… it’s a bit hard to explain…” When her senses stabilized again those few moments back, it was as if something awakened in her.

Everything was so much more clear. Her power was always connected to nature so she felt as if she was truly a part of it. But right now, it was slightly different. She still felt the powerful connection to all-natural things around them, but a strange sense of clarity followed. In fact, Leila was even seeing some strange things with her own eyes.

She didn’t exactly want to mention that, as she would probably seem slightly insane. Or suffering from some undesirable side-effects due to being cut off from Eden. However, something deep inside her was telling her that this was no undesirable. Closing her eyes and taking deep breaths, she positioned herself right in front of Akeya.

Opening her eyes again, she seemed to be full of confidence. She had to be, given the fact that she was about to make one of the strangest requests in her life. And she was making it to a person who was especially easy to refuse such requests as well. “Please… try to punch me! Doesn’t have to be strong or anything, but do try!”

Understandably this caught even Libra off-guard, the spirit quickly moving up behind her master and putting her hand on Leila’s shoulder. “H..hey, are you actually suffering from arcane fever or something? Such a ridiculous request-” But Leila merely shook her head and stood her ground, even if Akeya were to try and refuse as well.

“I know exactly what I’m doing… there is something I need to confirm, so please just get it over with. You both know how sturdy I am, one punch is not gonna do anything to me!” The thing was, Leila wasn’t planning on actually getting hit. What awakened inside of her was the ability of foresight.

Power of an ancient golden dragon, presumably passed down onto the other dragons and eventually leading all the way to the one who’s power was now inside of the girl. Though it was still somewhat unclear, she was able to see slightly into the future. So if Akeya were to try and throw a punch, she would be able to easily avoid it, even without the use of her magic.

Leila Vergious  ❃  Y-rank  ❃  Silver Wolf

“It definitely wasn’t voluntary, but still felt quite similar back then to how it feels now. Just… even more defenseless when I didn’t have any other magic to rely on.” Recounting the events from those days, she was surprised how well she even managed to get through those times.

It felt so long ago, too… this journey of hers, a road toward becoming an exemplary mage, it has been a long one. Was she finally there? No, not quite yet. The years piled on and she gathered a lot of experience, be came strong. But until she would gain control of the dragon’s power, she could not say that she truly achieved what she always wanted to.

While the girl let out a sigh, Libra and Akeya shared their little conversation. “Twilight, hm? Yes, you seem to be much more courteous with me than with most people, as far as I can tell through my limited view of Leila’s life. A pleasure of a meeting.” The spirit had an interesting accent, a subtle one.

But one that one could often find among nobility from the more eastern lands such as Midi. Even Libra’s outfit was inspired by that place. “There was no need for a warning. I am the only spirit in Leila’s possession that is not part of the Gardens. Not any others that could come and aid here right now.”

Her gaze also intently fixated on the two orbs that Akeya created, a sly smile growing across the spirit’s face. “You also needn’t talk about me as a tool, as difficult as that might be. We spirits are often perfectly willing to help if you just ask.” Waving her hand gently in the air, the two orbs suddenly collided and perfectly combined.

The result was a cheeky construct of magic that resembled the symbol of Yin & Yang, perfectly stable as if the two counterparts were always meant to be part of one bigger piece. It was a bit of a tease as to what the living representation of balance could actually do, even if her the abilities she normally used in fights were quite different.

But she did not entertain much more for the dragoness, given Leila’s intrusion into the conversation, demanding to be punched in the face. Thankfully nothing of the sort actually happened and Akeya even aimed at a different place, one where her companion would not be too injured. Though a dislocated shoulder was also a bit of a painful experience.

However, she managed to dodge the blow perfectly. A fact that her companion took as something obvious, but Leila’s reaction was one of her staring at her own hands for a good few seconds before blinking several times and then rubbing her eyes for a while. Once she confirmed that it was all as real as it felt, she looked back at Akeya.

“I… I somehow saw your claw coming before you actually moved. Almost like an afterimage, but reverse. I saw how and where you would throw the punch and then you actually did it afterward.” It was a bit hard to explain, as it all showed as echoing ghosts from her point of view. But at the same time, there was a much bigger image.

Like a mirror that reflected the world of the future, she could almost see it. But for now, it remained shattered and showing only small bits. “A prophetic power? That’s a new one… you’re even cooler now~” Completely changing her attitude around her summoner, Libra once again jumped at Leila and hugged her from behind.

“But if you’re only able to use it now, then that means it really did come from the dragon’s magic. Since when are Rose dragons prophetic? We can’t call Yuki now, either…” As if completely synchronized, the two girls would turn their eyes toward Akeya to see if the only other dragoness available knew anything.

Though bare knowledge of some legends from distant past was hardly something that would help Leila achieve her goal here. She was able to see slightly into the future for now, but that did not help with having full control over the rest of the dragon’s magic. Though it might have been a good start of those two were indeed connected.

“All that put aside for a moment… I think the wyverns mostly flew out to hunt. Perfect opportunity for some training. I don’t exactly need a sparring partner or anything, so… feel free to do anything?” She kinda planned to do this whole thing completely alone to begin with. So she was rather unsure what to do with the presence of Libra and Akeya.

They were both powerful, so it was unlikely that they would get hurt too badly by a stray rose-based spell. But with Leila’s primary magic gone, it also meant that their attacks would very likely leave more than just a few bruises on the silver-haired maiden’s body. Not that she would angrily oppose the dragoness if she chose to try and help her somehow.

As far as the whole training ordeal went, Leila decided it was best to start with simpler forms of spells. Trying to use them over and over again until she was able to create them in a less volatile state and have some form of actual control over them. From there, she moved to bigger spells as well. Though the entire process of training enough to gain control over the magic would take at least a couple of days.

And that was if she were to really keep at it. So whether the busy shadow assassin was willing to stick around for all of it was entirely up to her. Libra hardly had anything else going on even in her own realm, so it was no different to her if she were to remain by Leila’s side. And since she opened up her own gate, she was not eating up any magical energy from her master, either.