Void Dragon - A God among Gods

- "..A large contingent of Light Soldiers? And… an investigation team to uncover the culprit?" I asked anxiously.

- "..That's right… Sigh… However, what caused discomfort among us Light Dragons here at the school is the fact that the King also stated it's impossible to trust other species and that the school, despite being a place made for such purpose, will never succeed in fulfilling its objective as long as certain species continue to exist.." she said while running her hand over her forehead and sighing, as if extremely tired.

- "..And this has made several other species see us as intolerant toward those with whom we lack meaningful dialogue, like the Moon Wolves, for instance, and even the Lust Foxes.." she added.

- "..Sigh… Even I had issues with this since Cristine said it'd be better to take a break from the Divine Music Club because of it… and just when the singing competition is approaching… agh…" she finished, visibly annoyed.

- "..I see… It seems things got pretty bad, huh?" I said, unable to offer her any words of comfort.

- "..But soon, all of this will blow over, and everything will return to normal. After all, nothing happened to Aurëalis, and besides, she's the King's daughter, so she'll probably talk to him to put an end to all this. You know, that's just her style. Also, children seem to have more influence over their parents in cases like this.." I said while turning to continue on my way to the classroom.

- "..So, not dwelling on it too much is the wisest choice you can make.." I concluded as I bid her farewell and turned away.

- "Well, it seems it's time to get to my class, so thank you very much for the information, Lyrielle, and see you later," I said as I walked away.

- "..Sigh… See you later, Kyrion.." she said while keeping her hand on her forehead.

- "Damn… So the King himself is sending forces here? And a team to investigate what happened? What gives? Doesn't he trust his own daughter's word? Sigh…" I thought as I walked to class, exhausted.

To me, just the fact that Keltherion would send a team to investigate the causes of that incident, was enough to make the doubt about whether I'd made the right choice hammer repeatedly in my mind.

- "..Tsk... Why did I have to take her to her room without waking her up? Damn my sense of empathy… agh.." I thought, running my hands through my hair.

Thus, I continued on my way to my classroom. Once there, as always, I chose a spot far away from everything and everyone and ended up falling asleep. But this time, I stayed much more alert to the teacher so as not to be caught sleeping again like last time.

After a few hours, the bell rang, signaling the end of class and that I could finally go to a quieter place to truly rest. But this time, unlike the stone where I used to stay, I decided to find a new spot— a place where I could truly rest in peace, without interruptions, teachers, or Aurëalis. I was very tired of it all.

...Sound of the bell...

- "..Hmm... Looks like it's time, huh? Well, students, that's all for today. Don't forget to practice what you learned in class and, please, complete the exercises on pages 1026 and 1027 of the magic book. We'll go over them in the next lesson, okay?" the teacher said as everyone got up.

- "..YAAAWNNN... Finally, class is over..." I thought as I stood up and left the room.

- "..Tsk... I had to stay awake most of the time so the teacher wouldn't catch me dozing off again.." I thought, exhausted.

- "But alright… At least, this time, I didn't have to listen to the teacher lecture me… ha…"

- "...Well, since I couldn't rest properly during class, it's time to go to a place where I can relax in peace, without interruptions, without teachers, without Aurëalis," I thought, imagining a scene of peace and tranquility.

- "..And for that, I'll have to find a new spot, huh? Because I'm sure if I go back to my rock in the forest, Aurëalis will 'accidentally' end up there too, just like before..." I thought, sighing.

- "...Aghh… Damn it! I just wanted to sleep today, but… okay, let's go find a new place..."

And so, I began my search for a new spot. After leaving the crowded school, as usual, I headed to the free zone and transformed into my true form.

- "..Sigh... Now, this is life.." I said as I stretched my wings and let the breeze cleanse my soul.

- "..Alright, let's get to work," I said, turning my attention to the task at hand.

- "..Hmm... This is the forest where I used to stay. To the south, we've got cultivable plains… and to the southwest… Hmm, there are some plateaus, huh?" I pondered while looking at a small map on a sign near the entrance to the free zone.

- "..Plateaus… Low vegetation, a few trees, a fantastic breeze… I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING NOW.." I thought, excited at the thought of the place.

- "..Hehe… Good luck finding me now, Aurëalis… GOODBYE.." I thought with a sly grin.

Deciding where to start my search for a new peaceful resting spot, I set off southwest to the plateaus near the cultivable plains.

After a few minutes of flying, I finally reached my destination. As I'd imagined, the view was incredible, and the breeze was something that wiped away any negative thoughts or feelings.

...Sound of the wind...

- "..Sigh... Haa... This breeze, this place… It makes me forget everything that's happening and not care about the future.." I said, standing atop one of the plateaus while spreading my wings and letting the breeze wash over me.

It didn't take long for me to find an even better spot than the previous one where I could rest.

This new spot, unlike the last, was beneath a large tree, where a long carpet of soft, low grass stretched out, incredibly comfortable to even step on. This tree was almost at the center of the plateau, surrounded here and there by a few other trees, providing a view that would bring immense peace to any being present.

So, without hesitation, I lay down, and the sensation that followed was one I'd experienced only a few times in my life. It felt as if I were lying on an extremely comfortable cloud, with the grass, though short, soft and molding perfectly to my large body. That feeling was so amazing that I fell asleep almost instantly upon lying down.

It was so fabulous that, at some point, while still half-asleep, I decided I would never leave. My life, from that moment on, would happen only there, for I had finally found the peace I'd been searching for. And since no one could bother me anymore, I could stay there without a care in the world. Even if the teachers or other students noticed my absence, or my parents grew worried, none of that mattered. If all they wanted was for me to fulfill my dreams, then everything was fine because there I was, fulfilling my dream, just as they had always wanted.

However, as all dreams are just that — dreams, until they become concrete realities — mine turned to dust a few hours after I had fallen asleep.

It was already mid-afternoon, and I was fully immersed in absolute peace, in a state I had rarely achieved for such a long time. At some point, when my sleep was no longer so deep, I heard what sounded like the flapping of wings nearby. It kept me alert for a while, but after a few minutes, I convinced myself that those sounds must be normal around here — perhaps caused by the wind, other students flying in the area, or even wild animals. So, I remained calm, enjoying my afternoon.

However, a few minutes after hearing those wing-flapping sounds, just as I was about to drift into deep sleep again, I felt my tail move on its own.

...Sound of wings flapping...

- "Zzzz... hu... huh?... What sound... is that?" I mumbled, still a bit groggy.

- "It sounds like... wings..." I thought.

- "...Could it be... someone is here?" I reasoned quickly, still slightly disoriented.

- "N-no... that's impossible... at least it's impossible that someone came here just to find me," I concluded, trying to reassure myself.

- "After all, no one saw me coming here... I'm sure... Yaawnn..." I thought, yawning.

Convinced, I said to myself:

- "...Yeah... I'm definitely overthinking. That sound must be from other students flying nearby, wild animals, or just the wind."

So, I stayed there, trying to relax.

A few minutes passed, and suddenly I felt my tail move on its own, just like it had other times before.

- "Zzz... hu... huh?..." I woke up again, feeling something messing with my tail.

- "...I-is something touching my tail?" I asked myself, curious and now more awake.

- "...Tsk... N-no... it must be some weird sensation from sleeping for too long... it'll go away soon... haha..." I thought, trying to convince myself I was imagining things.

But no matter how much I insisted, the truth started to settle in. I could feel something playing with the spikes on my tail, with a touch that felt familiar. Too familiar.

- "...D-damn... i-it's not possible... no, no, no... how is this possible?" I thought, panicking, unable to make any more excuses for that sensation.

Slowly, I turned my head toward my tail, with a sad face, and with an overwhelming urge to cry. However, to my surprise, there was no one there. In that moment, a huge weight was lifted from my mind, and the happiness I thought I'd lost returned to me as quickly as a cannonball.

- "...Huh? T-there's....no one?" I asked myself, incredulous.

At that moment, I brought the tip of my tail closer, hugged it tightly, and said:

- "...Sigh... I know, tail... you must be stressed because of Aurëalis, right? But don't worry. From now on, we'll be able to sleep in peace, no more problems." I said, as I stroked it.

Relieved, thinking I was just imagining things, I let go of my tail and, feeling radiant, laid back down again, ready for a long sleep, such was my happiness. But as I mentioned, a dream isn't real until it becomes something concrete, and just as I turned my head back to where it had been before, I saw something that made my scales shiver.

- "...Sigh... that's right... no Aurëalis, no problems, no King, no headmaster, nothing... just me and my sleep... Yaawwnn..." I thought as I laid back down.

A few minutes passed, but this time, I felt something stroking my snout.

- "...Hu... huh? I-is... something... stroking... my snout?" I wondered.

- "N-no... n-no, no, hahaha... n-no... just like with my tail... I must be imagining things... haha." I thought, once again trying to deny reality.

Convinced it was just my imagination, I told myself:

- "...Sigh... I'll open my eyes, and there'll be nothing there... simple as that."

Then I opened my eyes, and unlike before, this time, there was something there — something that made my scales shiver, while an immense sadness swelled in my chest.

- "...Ah... A... A-AURËALIS?!" I shouted upon seeing her there, stroking my snout and laughing warmly, with her eyes shining as they always did when they looked at me.