Emmut was still floating above the water, her long body undulating slowly through the air. Her whiskers quivered, sensing every fluctuation in the surrounding mana. Her pale eyes swept the shore, the abandoned camp, the remnants of shattered magical barriers.

  She had felt a power.

  A draconic presence.

  Immense. Wild. Alive.

  But all she saw were these three.

  A boy, a girl, and a small creature curled at their feet.

  Where was the giant she had sensed?

  Where was the colossus that had resonated with her essence?

  She narrowed her eyes.

  They hadn’t fled.

  Why?

  Even the most seasoned mages had vanished at the first wave.

  But these three remained.

  She lowered slightly, slowly, silently, her claws grazing the lake’s surface.

  Then the scent came.

  Strong. Unmistakable.

  Draconic.

  She blinked.

  The source… came from them?

  Her gaze moved from Marenna to Garlan.

  She stared long at the boy. Then at the strange hatchling at his feet, its scales still fresh, staring back at her without moving.

  Is it you? she thought. Is it that tiny body radiating such power?

  Something felt wrong.

  She didn’t understand.

  Her ancient instincts screamed at her to be wary. To back off. Or strike.

  But another voice—calmer, buried deeper—whispered that what she had sensed…

  did not come from danger.

  But from memory.

  Meanwhile, in the woods lining the lake, the academics who had fled were catching their breath, scattered among the trees.

  Professors were doing their best to calm the students, regroup them, and raise temporary barriers.

  "Headcount!" barked a field mage. "We need to know if anyone's missing."

  A few minutes later, the answer came.

  "Two missing. Garlan and Marenna."

  A heavy silence fell.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The lead instructor, face tight, looked back toward the lake.

  "We need to go after them."

  "You want to go back there?" another hissed. "Even the mana of that water dragon is enough to knock us out. It's madness."

  "Then we don’t have a choice. We have to return to the academy. And send a rescue detachment. Immediately."

  Back on the shore, Garlan took a step forward.

  He inhaled deeply, raised his arms slightly, and began to levitate slowly until he reached Emmut’s eye level.

  “Can you take a human form? Or something… smaller? It would be easier to talk,” he asked calmly, without hostility.

  Emmut stared at him, her eyes glowing with something unfathomable.

  Then she coiled elegantly into a spiral and slowly descended toward the shore.

  Her dragon body began to shine. The scales folded in on themselves, retracting, condensing…

  And there, before Garlan’s eyes, she took human form.

  She didn’t like this shape.

  It felt heavy. Restrained.

  But she knew it was easier to speak to bipeds this way.

  So she slipped into that human skin like someone putting on a too-tight coat: out of utility, not preference.

  A stunning woman.

  Tall, with long hair like flowing water, piercing blue eyes, and skin smooth and faintly iridescent. Her figure was generous. Her presence, commanding.

  Garlan swallowed.

  A warmth rushed into his throat. A nervous tingle bloomed in his gut.

  He quickly pushed down his thoughts and focused on breathing.

  He had the distinct feeling that if he cracked now, Marenna’s gaze might become lethal.

  A faint shiver ran down his spine, as if something in Emmut pulsed in sync with Brenuss—or with him.

  He pulled himself together.

  “Thank you… this makes things much easier.”

  Marenna stepped up beside him, her expression cool, almost casual.

  She gently pinched his side.

  “Is it just me, or do you find her attractive?”

  “What? No, of course not, my love! I only have eyes for you!” Garlan replied—just a bit too fast.

  “Oh really? And that little nosebleed… what’s that about then?”

  Garlan discreetly wiped his nose on his sleeve, feigning nonchalance.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

  Marenna crossed her arms, giving him a sharp look.

  She glanced at Emmut, her perfect figure, her regal posture… then looked down at herself.

  She exhaled softly, quietly stung.

  “She’s annoying. But hey… it’s her body. She can do what she wants. Still not fair.”

  Emmut then stepped a bit too close to Garlan, placing a hand on his chest to better examine him.

  Marenna arched an eyebrow, arms folded tighter, one brow already twitching.

  “Tell me,” Emmut asked seriously. “Is this your female? And the little one… your first offspring?”

  Garlan and Marenna froze.

  Then both burst out laughing—awkward and overwhelmed.

  “No! That’s…” Garlan began.

  But Emmut cut him off, her tone delighted:

  “Ah! So she’s not your mate. Then we could lay eggs, you and I.”

  Marenna, already at the edge of eruption, froze stiff.

  A vein pulsed visibly on her temple.

  “I’m going to skin her alive. That mop with scales. That… that walking handbag!”

  She lunged forward, but Brenuss clung to her leg, gently hissing to calm the storm.

  Emmut laughed out loud, clearly amused by the reaction.

  She sniffed Garlan, even closer than before—prompting another twitch from Marenna.

  “Mmh… I sense something on you. A trace. An old memory. The fire dragon king. Ignir.”

  She tapped her chin, thoughtful.

  “Fire and water offspring… steam children? That would be worth studying, don’t you think?”

  Marenna, utterly done, exploded with rage.

  Her whole body lit up with burning green light, her hair rising with energy.

  “YOU. WILL. STEP. AWAY. FROM. HIM.”

  Even Garlan stepped back, hands raised.