“Time for a long, steamy bath for a full recovery!” Grea cheered. “Dibs on a full body massage from the Big Bad Dragon first!”

  The girls chuckled together as they neared Odin.

  Chapter 49

  Tales from the Past

  The girls chatted amongst themselves as Asterios soared towards the beautiful ARK shining in the distance. It wasn’t just the overwhelming gold used in the majority of construction that reflected the sunrays. The tall, crystal tower glimmered with the full spectrum of a rainbow, serving as a beacon for all travelers. It was a sight hard to miss even from a distance.

  When Asterios slowed down before reaching their destination, the girls paused their little chat and peeked past his neck curiously. Multiple winged figures were heading their way and the resemblance to their first visit to Odin was very uncanny. Asterios could guess what was the reason for this welcoming party.

  Soon, a group of armed valkyrjas stopped around them. A single person moved forward. Asterios quickly recognized the woman, smiling to himself internally. The other ladies surrounding them tried to keep a professional approach, but everyone could tell how surprised they were, intently examining Ast’s form with their shocked eyes.

  “Sir Great Dragon, I apologize for blocking your path with my subordinates, but dare I ask, is the ARK behind us your goal?” the captain asked with a polite tone.

  Asterios could hear the quiet giggles coming from the girls on his back, especially Tina. He smirked and focused on the leader of the sentinels.

  “There’s no need to be so formal, Captain. Yes, my goal is the same as last time. I would like to enter Odin to rest with my companions,” he answered calmly.

  The woman furrowed her brows slightly, clearly trying to recall when she had intercepted a Dragon before. As she was pondering, the girls peeked out from behind Ast’s neck and she noticed two familiar heads, one deep blue, and one golden blond. She instantly remembered the last time she had encountered the two.

  “As you might have guessed, I’m Asterios, the person you stopped not that long ago.” Asterios nodded as he noticed the realization in the woman’s eyes.

  “I… I apologize. I heard rumors about you being a Dragon but my mind just refused to make the connection.” She respectfully bowed her head.

  “It’s alright. As I said, nothing really changed in how you should treat us.” He chuckled softly. “Is it alright for us to enter the ARK? Ah. I bet it would be much wiser for me to return to my other form before we do that. Going in like this could cause quite a ruckus.”

  “If I may share my own opinion, even if that happens, I think it would do more good than bad to display your draconic visage to the residents if you do not mind,” the captain replied. “Everyone is currently talking about the grand conquest. The appearance of a Dragon at a moment like this will definitely ease the minds of many, raising their enthusiasm too. It will be a sign that luck is on our side and things may actually succeed.”

  “They have already succeeded,” Bryn joined in, flying up from Ast’s back and stopping by his head. “The Aegis has been activated. The Spire has been reclaimed. Our proud warriors are currently clearing the entire city of the remaining enemies.”

  A collective gasp traveled through the air as the winged women surrounding them in a circle could hold back their shock. No one should blame them, really.

  “That’s incredible news!” The leader of the group smiled beautifully. “It will be unimaginably hard not to spread it to every single person we pass by but we should wait for the official announcement from the Council. Please, let us escort you into the ARK. We would like to honor your contribution.”

  Asterios glanced at Bryn and she nodded at him with a bright smile. “Very well. Lead the way. We are headed for the mansion that was assigned to us. Do you know where it is?”

  “Naturally.” The woman bowed. “Attention, everyone! Assume escort formation, class S!”

  She waved her arm at her subordinates and everyone jumped to action at once. Two women brought out golden, decorative trumpets from the holsters attached to their lower backs and unlocked all the safety mechanisms. Four other valkyrjas formed pairs and began rummaging in their chosen partner’s pouch, located in the same place. They took turns and pulled out multiple metal parts and two neatly folded pieces of white cloth each.

  Asterios and the girls watched as they skilfully assembled long metal poles and unrolled the material. After attaching the banners to the hooks at the top of the rods, they created four standards with the symbol of Odin embroidered into them with golden thread. Right after they were done, everyone flew closer to Ast’s group and took their positions.

  One trumpeter took the spot in front and behind Asterios respectively. Each of them was accompanied by two standard bearers on both sides. The rest of the squad formed a hexagonal formation all around them, with the captain placed at the very front of the shape. The woman glanced over her subordinates, nodded to herself approvingly, and moved her eyes to Asterios.

  He took it as a signal to move out and waited for Bryn to rejoin the girls before slowly flying forward. The moment they began the procession, the two trumpeters started their melody. The tune was very enthusiastic while remaining respectful. No one had any doubts that it was meant to announce something with pride and honor, be it some important news or the arrival of an esteemed individual.

  They soon reached the edge of the flying fortress and the captain led them much lower than Asterios had assumed she would. They traveled just slightly above the line of the irregular buildings, able to easily spot the people traversing the ground and air. As soon as they heard the melody, everyone stopped to look toward the source, which was to be expected.

  Asterios smiled to himself wryly after noticing the rising commotion amongst the residents. As they slowly made their way towards their assigned locum, the girls leaned over his sides and waved at the winged folk with big smiles. It was clear that the crimson Dragon carrying a group of women while escorted by the sentinels of Odin was at the center of attention and gossip.

  The grand procession lasted for about fifteen minutes as the captain of the squad made a full round over the entire ARK, definitely aiming to showcase them to their people, making sure that no one missed the occasion. Asterios didn’t really mind the detour as the girls were having lots of fun greeting the valkyrjas staring in awe and respect at the legendary creature flying above their homes.

  After escorting them to the mansion, the winged ladies finished the melody and made a low bow with their hands over their hearts. Bryn thanked them for their service and dismissed the sentinels so that they could return to their duties. As the women headed back to their stations, Asterios landed in front of the entrance to their temporary home and let everyone jump off his back.

  “Now, that’s how every return trip should be.” Grea spun around and grinned widely.

  “We certainly caused a scene,” Tina chuckled gently, lending her hand to Silvia to assist the princess.

  “It was so fun! It felt like we were a king and queens returning to their castle!” Miria giggled joyfully, bouncing around as her tail danced happily behind her back.

  “A Dragon King to be precise.” Selene showed a mischievous smirk.

  Asterios returned to his humanoid form and shook his head with a smile. “Come on. That’s not happening.”

  “Technically, it already happened. You just need to officially marry Silvia and announce that you are succeeding her father.” Grea aimed both of her pointer fingers at him and winked.

  He groaned while rolling his eyes, causing everyone to laugh. “Let’s get to the bath, my queens. Or would you like to grab something to eat first?”

  “Bath first is good. My fur is full of dried-off Scourge blood.” Miria wrinkled her feline nose.

  “Are you not withdrawing your transformation yet?” Tina asked curiously, noticing that the panthergirl was still fully covered with her beautiful black fur.

  “I want to wash up before doing so. All the yucky stuff should just fall off when my fur recedes but I don’t want to risk it getting anywhere where it shouldn’t if we aren’t in a hurry. And I don’t feel like staying in this form puts too much strain on me anyway,” Miria explained.

  Grea threw herself at her from behind and hugged the panthergirl, nuzzling her cheek into Miria’s. “Perfect. I always wanted to wash a kitty. Now, I can wash two at once.”

  Miria frowned for a moment, but seeing the demon lady’s frivolous grin, she quickly caught on and averted her gaze shyly. It was obvious that she was blushing furiously under that soft fur covering her cheeks.

  Asterios opened the mansion and they walked inside while chatting casually. Arriving at the small locker room adjacent to the bath, they started undressing while Asterios walked to fill the pool with fresh water. After about five minutes, the girls walked into the steamy chamber and he turned his eyes to the pleasant noise of bare feet on the metal floor.

  A small smile snuck onto his lips as his gaze found a group of dazzling ladies heading his way without a single piece of clothing covering their enchanting bodies.

  Grea boldly displayed her assets with a proud step, leading the party with Selene by her side. Tina talked with Silvia about something as they formed a pair right behind them, both pretty comfortable with their state too. At the very end of the alluring procession remained Miria and Bryn. They seemed the most anxious about their appearance out of everyone as the adorable panthergirl timidly covered her girly parts while the busty Valkyrie hugged her side.

  Asterios sighed quietly and stood up from the edge of the pool, where he had been checking the temperature of the water. The girls stopped as he began walking towards them. Seeing his eyes focusing on a certain duo, the first two pairs parted with warm smiles and he arrived in front of Miria and Bryn, tenderly placing his hands on their sides.

  Before either of them said a word, he brought himself closer to Miria and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, which was a little bit more difficult in her transformed state. Her eyes widened briefly and a dazzling smile brightened her face right after. She stopped covering herself and cupped Ast’s cheeks to bring their mouths together once more.

  “I guess I shouldn’t have worried so much about all this fur.” Miria giggled shyly. “It’s not repulsive, isn’t it?”

  “Of course not. It looks so smooth, silky, and enchanting. It fits you perfectly well.” Asterios scratched behind her fluffy ear and turned his attention to the other lady. “Should I remind you too how beautiful you are?”

  Bryn blushed faintly and shook her head, leaning in to share a peck with Asterios too.

  “Come on! Where the show at!” Grea shouted from behind him and they glanced her way, finding everyone else already in the water.

  Asterios chuckled while shaking his head and dematerializing his spiritual clothing.

  “Now we are talking.” Grea whistled and licked her lips.

  The other girls chuckled and the trio joined them in the bath. Everyone gathered around Asterios as he seated Miria in his front, pulling the panthergirl close to wash her back. Bryn started taking care of his back in turn while Selene, Grea, Tina, and Silvia sat on his sides, washing each other’s hair in the meantime.

  “So, finally complete, huh?” Grea spoke first, roaming her gaze all over Ast’s body. “How does it feel to become a real Dragon?”

  “Hot,” Asterios replied, causing her to snort as she did her best to hold in the urge to say what else was hot. “It’s not like I ever felt not whole, but I certainly feel like I became almost whole now.”

  “Almost?” Miria glanced at him over her shoulder.

  “The seal, most likely.” Selene rubbed her chin.

  “Yeah. It’s the last piece that I’m missing from being… me.” He nodded. “Assuming that there aren’t more surprises like the recent one ahead of us.”

  “That would be crazy.” Tina shook her head. “But, I guess you ended up really fragmented. Your first sealed source. Your sealed memories. Your second extracted source. Who knows if that’s everything.”

  “Correction, third source.” Grea pointed at her. “Unless they fused after you absorbed that dude?”

  “No. Both Dragon’s Hearts are there. I can feel their energy.” Asterios brushed over his chest.

  Grea’s Third Eye slowly opened and she warily took a peek at him, cautious not to overstrain it. “Yeah. You fucking monster. Not two but three sources in a single body. I don’t even know how to begin describing how insane that is. They all seem to be in almost perfect harmony. The mana flows through them like in a triangle, though the connections between the first one and the other two are somewhat weaker than between them.”

  “Master is just that amazing!” Miria grinned joyfully.

  “Does this mean that you are like two Dragons in one body? Will the other you come out whenever you draw from the other source?” Silvia pondered out loud.

  “No. That other personality has fused with me completely. You don’t have to worry about me becoming like him back then. I would not allow myself to ever treat you girls like he implied,” Asterios reassured her with a warm smile. “As for the matter of having two Dragon’s Hearts, it looks like I’m connected to two different lineages.”

  “From Red and Black.” Selene nodded to herself.

  “Correct.” He nodded too. “Remember the weird volcano realm? It fused with another one, full of black volcanoes. I have my own there too. Even though I rejected the connection to Black by opposing him with my crimson lineage, I somehow still received my inheritance. Now I can draw from both lineages and even mix them.”

  “Fucking awesome.” Grea laughed. “How did that come to be, though? I bet my asshole it’s not normal.”

  “You are right. It isn’t. First of all, True Dragons mostly keep to their own lineages, often treating the other ones as lesser species. If they take different ancestries under themselves, it’s usually as nothing more than slaves to show their dominance,” Asterios explained. “Second, even if they intermingle and take other clans as mates, or just copulate with those slaves, the result is always a child of the dominant bloodline. The one higher in their internal hierarchy can force it. As you can easily guess, that means a single Dragon’s Heart, plus a possible additional magical source with some other affinity.”

  “Now, that’s a breakthrough.” Grea whistled. “I don’t think anyone knows that fact in our realm. It’s always being said that Dragons have at least two. How do you know that, by the way?”

  “As I said while we were flying, some knowledge has been unlocked in my mind after I absorbed the other me. Most of my early memories are still blocked by the seal, but I remembered a bunch of conversations Red and Kaguya had. As my other self mentioned, she had many questions for him after I was born. There are also bits that are just natural for True Dragons. I guess it’s part of some kind of ancestral wisdom that’s ingrained into each descendant.”

  “That’s super cool, Master!” Miria snuggled her back into his chest, rubbing the top of her head into Ast’s chin while purring softly. “That means you are even more special, right, Master?”

  “Certainly.” Asterios chuckled lightly after seeing her sparkling eyes. “That’s why Red was so uneasy about it in the memories that we saw. According to his assumption and research, Black’s essence was somehow transferred alongside his during my conception. That resulted in me forming two Dragon Hearts, one for each lineage. It was an unprecedented event.”

  “I wonder how that happened.” Tina mused.

  “I don’t know too much about Red’s past, but I remembered that bit. Crimson and Onyx True Dragons have always been at each other’s throats. The red lineage is one of the proudest, or rather self-centered bloodlines. You can guess as much from their motto, the quote about ruling over everything and everyone.” Asterios shook his head with a wry smile. “In any way, Black went straight after Red during one of their clashes and caused him a grave injury. Red disappeared from the battlefield in crimson flames right after Black struck him to finish the job.”

  “That’s why that female Dragon said that they saw him die.” Selene nodded to herself. “He must have gone into hiding, playing dead after that event.”

  “It’s as you say. He must have somehow hidden his presence from the other True Dragons, including his own family. I’m not exactly sure how that aspect works since I feel like both he and Black are quite the big figures in their lineages. We know that Red is pretty much ancient from the tales and pieces of information we stumbled on. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the progenitors, actually.” Asterios rubbed his chin. “Red’s camp must have fallen into chaos as the head of a lineage dying is a huge thing. The balance, if there was any in the first place, must have been truly shaken. Though, I don’t doubt that there would have been many who immediately saw that as an opportunity to take his spot with how prideful the crimsons are. There might already be a new leader if they were able to choose someone. Or that someone overpowered the entire clan. We don’t know if Black was fooled, though, and so doesn’t Red.”

  “This is so fascinating. It’s like discovering the inner workings of mythical species back in the academy.” Tina looked at him with admiration, turning a tiny bit rosy when their eyes met.

  “Trust me, shortie, there’s no fucking way you would ever get to learn shit like this in any fucking school across our entire realm.” Grea laughed openly. “Man, I’m so glad you chose me for your fucktoy.”

  Asterios was going to ask who had chosen who but he held himself back.

  “Back to the story. After running away barely alive, Red started recuperating, of course. But, the wound was extremely serious. Black’s energy and essence damaged his own Dragon’s Heart, tainting it in the process. He began his realm jumping in search of a method to fully fix himself up since he was greatly weakened. That’s when he learned and researched Summoning Magic, calling for Kaguya to protect him as his entourage was no longer with him,” he continued.