Void Dragon - A God among Gods

After rushing out of the hall, I looked for a quieter area outside the school, as the place was too crowded for my taste. In the school's garden, with fewer people, I looked around, trying to find somewhere I could transform into my true form, as I felt much more relaxed that way.

Then I saw a small sign indicating a transformation area. It pointed towards a direction with fields and forests, informing that the place was meant for students to use their real forms. Upon reading that, I didn't hesitate and headed there, transforming as soon as I got the chance.

- "Huff… Huff… Damn, this place is crowded!" I complained, trying to control my breathing and exhaustion.

- "Wasn't this the hardest school to get into? It looks more like a marketplace, it's so packed… Sigh…"

My thoughts were clouded by discomfort.

- "This human form doesn't help at all… Aertharion said there was a place to transform… Where is it?" I murmured, as my eyes scanned the area.

Finally, I spotted the sign.

- "Hmm… This sign says that way is the transformation area. From what I see, there are forests and a plain… Looks like a training field" I noted, following the indicated path.

- "Sigh… But it seems there's no other choice. At least it looks empty over there. Maybe I can relax a bit…" I continued, feeling the weight of fatigue.

As soon as I arrived in the area, I decided to steer away from the plains and entered a denser part of the forest.

- "Yawn… With this sun, I think the shade of the trees will be better… If I find a place to sleep, it will be perfect" I said, yawning as I walked slowly through the woods.

After a few minutes of walking among the trees, the sound of leaves crunching underfoot accompanied me.

- "Damn… I'm so sleepy, but I still haven't found anything. I just need a decent spot, is that too much to ask? Sigh…" I murmured, fighting the fatigue that almost made me collapse.

- "This cloth doesn't help at all… Get off!" I exclaimed, tearing off the cloth covering my eyes and tossing it away.

Without the cloth hindering me, I observed the forest more clearly until something caught my eye.

- "Hey… Aha! I think I found a great spot! Hahaha!" I exclaimed, excited.

In front of me was a huge rock, strategically positioned in a peaceful and ventilated area.

- "Look at you… This rock is perfect… NICE!" I celebrated, examining the spot enthusiastically.

Without wasting any time, I lay down on the rock. The gentle sound of leaves swaying in the wind and the calm whistle echoing through the forest created the perfect environment. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep right there, letting the world around me dissolve into the tranquility of the moment.

While I slept deeply, I completely lost track of time. I forgot about important commitments like the freshmen's group lunch, introductory classes, physical and magical power tests that would determine the students' ranking, among other activities scheduled for that day.

But honestly, it made no difference to me. I had already achieved what truly mattered: peace and tranquility.

This lasted until late afternoon, when the new students went on a tour to get to know the school better. The last stop? Precisely the place where I was resting.

…sounds of new students talking…

- "Attention, everyone!" announced a female and authoritative voice.

- "This is the place where you can use your real forms without any problem, as it is prohibited within the school. Remember: you can use the space to train, rest, or have fun, as long as you follow the rules. Otherwise, you will be warned and lose points in your subjects. Was I clear?" asked the teacher leading the group.

- "Yes, Professor Selênia!" the students responded almost in unison.

- "Great! That's it for today. Feel free to explore the area designated for your real forms. Don't forget to return in time for dinner!" she concluded, ending the explanation.

- "Sure, Professor!" the students responded again.

Conversations among the students resumed as they dispersed to explore the place.

- "Aurëalis, shall we explore the southern plains? I need to stretch my wings. I think it will be fun there!" suggested one of Aurëalis' friends.

- "What? Southern plains? The northern mountains must be much cooler! Let's go there!" countered another, excited.

- "Ha... ha... calm down, everyone, we have plenty of time to do all that. I think, to start, we could explore this nearby forest." She said with a smile.

Both of Aurëalis' friends looked at each other.

- "Okay, let's explore the forest." They answered in sync as they headed towards the forest where I was.

- "Sigh... those two," said Aurëalis, laughing softly.

At that moment, the entire group had dispersed. Some went north to the snowy mountains, while others went south to the fertile plains. I, who didn't even know this was happening, continued to sleep peacefully.

Inside the forest, Aurëalis and her friends, Seraphine and Aurithen — who, it's worth mentioning, were also extremely beautiful — started to compete, as they always did.

...sounds of footsteps in the vegetation...

- "Seraphine, give up. After this, we are going to the snowy mountains. It's a much better place than the muddy plains," said Aurithen.

- "Ha! Aurithen, my friend, do you really think the princess would prefer the plains over that cold and boring northern mountain region, huh?" said Seraphine.

At that moment, none of them had transformed yet, as they preferred to explore the forest in their human forms first. Only after finishing there would they transform into dragons and head to the next exploration point.

- "Tsk... princess, tell us, which of the two places do you prefer?" asked Aurithen.

- "W-well... both places are... good?" She said, hesitantly, trying to avoid continuing the discussion.

- "Princess, don't try to dodge the question." They said in sync.

- "Haha... l-look... a human world apple! Wow, I haven't seen one of these in ages... I didn't expect to find something like this here," said the princess, diverting the subject while picking the apple.

- "Tsk... Wait, I know!" said Aurithen.

- "Let's have a little competition, as always. Whoever collects the most fruits from other dimensions in this forest and brings them here within the next hour wins, and chooses the next place we go. Deal?" Aurithen asked Seraphine.

- "Ha... you won't cry when I win, like you always do, will you?" said Seraphine sarcastically, already preparing for the start of the competition.

- "Let's see who will cry... on the count of one, two..." said Aurithen.

- "W-wait, are you really going to do this? Seriously, it's not necessary—" Aurëalis began, but was interrupted by Aurithen:

- "THREE!" Aurithen shouted, transforming into her draconic form, and along with Seraphine, creating a strong wind current as they took off.

Voooshh

- "Cough... cough... Th-those two... cough... left me here alone, seriously?" Aurëalis asked, incredulous.

- "Sigh... These competitions are going to cost them one day. I've said this before, but they don't listen," said Aurëalis.

- "...Well, now I have no choice but to wait for those empty-headed ones to come back... Meanwhile, I'll keep exploring this forest. After all, I love the peace these places bring," said Aurëalis, smiling as she felt the wind passing through the trees.

And so, Aurëalis started walking through the forest, noticing various details of the place. Trees, animals, everything caught her attention. Until, at a certain moment, while looking around, she noticed something different amidst the vegetation.

...sounds of wind blowing through the leaves of trees and the vegetation, and birds singing...

- "This place brings me immense peace. I don't quite understand why..." She said, leaning against the trees and observing the flowers growing around.

- "Huh? W-what is that?" she asked herself, curious, as she noticed something dark among the trees, standing out from the other colors.