Chương 5: A Meeting Between Rulers

The leaders of the three largest nations besides our kingdom arrived early this morning, bringing their families, children, and several soldiers. The meeting was brief: they greeted us formally, then my father invited them into the castle. He led them to a large room I had never explored before—a kind of waiting lounge furnished with elegant sofas, small glass tables, dragon statues, family portraits (including my grandparents, whom I have yet to meet in person), and plenty of snacks.

It seemed my parents planned to chat extensively with the guests before lunch, which was already being prepared. King Arthur was the most talkative; he and my father shared a deep friendship forged during their time at the Sinners Academy, where they studied and trained to become the men they are today. I didn't pay much attention to their partners at first, but Arthur's wife was Dralma, a dragon and actually my father's aunt, daughter of the Divine Dragon King and the Elven Queen of Yggdrasil.

Despite the relation, they were close in age, making her more like a cousin to him. Empress Kaguya had married a tall, slender, strikingly handsome Kitsune man with long blonde hair, sharp red eyes, and a playful smile. I had never created this character, so seeing him was a genuine surprise. Lastly, King Ashur's wife was another dragon: Amekda, my father's cousin and technically an aunt to me, though I had never met her before.

She was as beautiful as her husband, with dark brown skin, long blonde hair, golden crystal scales, and a pair of long golden horns. She was also exceptionally tall. It was obvious why two of the three rulers had married dragons from our family: to forge strong ties with the Drakeheart lineage and secure their futures. I didn't find it scummy at all—it was smart. As long as the dragon women weren't forced into the unions, I thought it was beautiful to see humans and dragons come together.

After all, my father was born from such a union. My grandfather is a human Esper and scientist; my grandmother is half ice giant and half ice dragon. In short, the only "pure" dragon in the family line is the Divine Dragon King himself. Aside from his one wife, Hel—the Mother of Death Dragons—all his other consorts were of different races. Yeah, great-grandfather has a harem… Ahem. I mostly glossed over that part of the backstory when I designed it. It just made sense to me.

Why would the progenitor of dragons limit himself to one wife? I know a single romantic partner would be more traditional, but that would limit world-building. Anyway! Right now I am being swarmed by four kids who refused to leave me alone.

"Elizabeth! Let's play! Let's play!"

"Noooo! I wanna play first!"

"Hey, do you like stories about knights?"

"…" They were adorable, but the heirs of Yamato, Camelot, and Mesopotamia were a pack of cute, selfish little troublemakers who always wanted things their way.

"Eli! Can I call you Eli-chan?"

"No, don't call her that!" The two constantly bickering ones were twins—the son and daughter of Empress Mikoto. They were half-kitsune children with black-and-blonde hair, big fluffy ears, and three long tails each. They wore very cute kimonos: Haruto in red with playful fox patterns, Misaki in pink beautifully decorated with cherry blossoms.

"You can call me Eli-chan, Haruto!" I nodded, petting his head and ruffling his fluffy ears.

"Heheh! Really?" He beamed.

"Can I touch your wings?!"

"Eh?" I gasped as his small hands began stroking the feathers.

"Wow, so soft! Look, Misaki!"

"D-Don't do that to a girl! That's rude!" His sister scolded him, smacking his head with her tiny fist.

"Ouch! Ow! Why'd you hit me, baka?!" Haruto growled.

"Grrr! I'm gonna bite you!"

"Try it!" Misaki snarled back. Both children immediately started scrapping like little foxes. I watched in silence, feeling a twinge of guilt. I might have accidentally sparked their fight.

"Uh, please stop fighting… Um…" I muttered, but they ignored me.

"Leave them be. They're always like this," said a blonde dragon girl with bright green-blue eyes, long golden hair that fell past her shoulders, small white scaled wings, a single small horn on her forehead, and tiny golden claws instead of nails.

"Honestly, they're so immature! Don't you agree, Elizabeth? Ah, right—you're still only three…" She was Guinevere Pendragon, daughter of King Arthur and Auntie Dralma—the oldest here at seven years old. The twins were five, and King Ashur's son was six. Yep, I was the baby of the group. Not fair!

"Hm," I nodded.

"Fighting is not good."

"Heheh, exactly!" She gave off big-sister energy and patted my head.

"How about we become sisters? I'll be your big sis!"

"But… we're cousins. It's close enough," I said.

"Hahah, I guess so!" She chuckled adorably.

"We should play together more often. I'll tell Father to let me visit!"

"That would be nice," I smiled and nodded.

"I'll look after you then." Guinevere clearly longed for a little sister and seemed determined to make me fit the role. I wasn't sure what to think, but I went along with it—she was just a kid. I noticed she was already dressed like a little knight, complete with light armor and a sheathed sword at her side.

"A-Ah, thanks?" I muttered nervously.

"Um…" Someone tapped my shoulder from behind. I turned to find another little dragon boy—another cousin. He was Ashur and Amekda's son. He had long blonde hair, gold-red eyes, an adorable face, small crystalline wings, and golden scales covering his tiny hands and legs. His name was Adasi, I believed—though, like Guinevere, I still didn't know their true dragon names.

"Yes?"

"Wanna spar?"

"…" What? I tilted my head.

"What? Spar?" He nodded eagerly, clearly excited.

"Aren't we too little for that?"

"No? You don't play-fight? All dragons do."

"T-They do?" I glanced at Guinevere; she nodded casually.

"Ahh, uh, I dunno. I don't feel like fighting…" As I made excuses, Adasi's normally expressionless face shifted to mild annoyance.

"Boring."

"Eh?" He crossed his arms and pouted.

"Boring…"

"Wow! I'm not boring! Let's play… um, with toys?"

"Boring…"

"W-What? Don't you want to eat at least? Let's have snacks together!"

"Boring…" What is wrong with this kid?! He's only six and all he wants is to fight me? What kind of mentality—ah, right. We're dragons.

"Why do you want to spar so much? We're still young."

"Mom and Dad always say strength matters most." Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

"…"

"If you're afraid… then maybe you're not fit to be the next ruler of the world like everyone says."

"Gah? So rude! Who the hell do you think you are, damn brat?!" I'm easy to provoke; I have zero patience for trolls or taunts. This is why I used to shut myself away in my own little world and rarely let anyone in.

"Brat? You're the younger one here…" he grumbled.

"Guinevere, say something!" I pleaded.

"Erm, why wouldn't you want to spar? It's healthy," she smiled.

"Don't you feel the dragon inside you itching for some exercise?"

"I do?!" I gasped. Yeah… I do feel it sometimes. Mostly when I run around outside, chasing bugs and small critters. In those moments, something else almost takes over. I guess that's my "Inner Dragon"—the part I need to learn to control. Hm. Maybe there's a piece of me that's afraid of what might happen if I let that desire run free without restraint. I'm only three, but even sealed, I can sense that power swelling inside me whenever I think about unleashing it. It scares me.

I designed this character thinking the overwhelming strength would be cool in a game. But now that this is real life, nothing would stop me from accidentally rampaging through a city and killing millions if I lost control. That potential terrifies me and makes me want to reject parts of who I am. So I don't want to spar—not because I'm afraid of losing, but because… I'm afraid I might hurt him too badly.

"Uh, no. I'm not fighting you. You're just a kid…" I shook my head and crossed my arms.

"What's wrong?"

"Don't fight! Let's get along!" The twins returned once their quarrel ended. Exploring the castle had grown boring—Gigantia stood guard at the front door and wouldn't let us wander far.

"Can't we play outside?" Haruto asked.

"Mom, can we?" Misaki insisted. It got so dull that the twins began begging their mother to let them go outside. Small monsters sometimes roamed nearby, so hunting would at least be interesting. Anything but fighting each other.

"No, we're about to have lunch, you two," Empress Kaguya said, shaking her head.

"Awww!"

"Come on!" As they whined, Guinevere practiced with her sword, swinging it through the air. Adasi watched from a distance, eyes gleaming, then walked over.

"Guinevere, let's spar?"

"Ok!" Wait—they're doing it right here, with our parents in the same room? The adults were too busy discussing economies, politics, and other grown-up matters to notice. CLASH!

"Eh?! They're already going at it?!" I gasped, standing beside my mother as the two children began sparring. Adasi fought with his tiny claws; Guinevere preferred her sword. She wasn't half bad—thrusting with swift, precise strokes—while the boy dodged easily and countered with claw strikes toward her chest. Guinevere sidestepped, avoided the blow, and swung toward his neck. Adasi intercepted the blade with his claws, pushed it away, then swept his long tail to trip her. It didn't work.

Guinevere held firm, countered with her own tail across his face, then pressed forward. Her sword glowed with mysterious energy.

"Check this out, Elizabeth!"

"Oh?" I watched in awe as Guinevere gathered golden light into her blade and unleashed a wave of pure sword energy, forcing Adasi back and making him stumble to the floor.

"Grrr…" He growled, stood up annoyed, spread his wings—and they suddenly doubled in size. His aura surged, resembling a giant dragon. He launched forward with an explosive kick off the floor, reaching her in an instant. Claws clashed against sword and armor. Guinevere parried skillfully, then used her greater size and weight to shove him back. But Adasi adapted quickly. He evaded her predictable swings and struck her back with a single claw. BAAAM! Guinevere flew backward, crashing into the wall with a groan.

"Ouch, that one hurt, heheh!" She laughed, standing up as if nothing happened.

"Ok, let's get serious, Adasi!"

"That's what I was waiting for…" Adasi's sharp gaze intensified as his draconic aura flared. They were about to unleash everything—wow! …But it never happened.

"Enough! Guinevere! How many times have I told you not to swing a sword indoors? We're guests here!" Auntie Dralma appeared and dragged her daughter away.

"Ugh, but Mom! It was just getting good!" Guinevere complained.

"Adasi, what did I say about making a mess today? Behave." His mother walked over and pulled him back. Well, that's what they get for starting a serious fight out of nowhere. Just what were they thinking? Well, maybe nothing—they're kids.

"Woops, looks like they got scolded, hehehe!" Haruto chuckled.

"They were fighting for real?! Why!" Misaki said in surprise.

"I guess they're battle junkies," I shrugged.

"Wanna eat snacks?"

"Ok!" Haruto nodded.

"Do you like games or toys?"

"I do like playing video games sometimes…" I answered with a gentle smile.

"Hey Elizabeth, why is your hair and colors split like that? Half black, half white… not mixed like ours," Misaki asked.

"That's just how I was born," I shrugged. I can't exactly tell them I designed myself this way, can I?

"Mama's a demon and Dad's a dragon too," I explained proudly.

"So I was born looking unique… is it ugly?"

"No, you're really pretty!" Haruto nodded, tails wagging, flashing a cute smile.

"You're a cutie patootie!" Misaki giggled, petting my head. I know they were just kids, but their words still warmed me. This was technically the first time I was genuinely trying to make friends. In my previous life, I spent most of my time alone. I was bullied at school; none of the friends I made never lasted long. I was the quiet girl who barely spoke, and that always worked against me. People excluded and looked down on me. Until now—when I was finally starting to form real bonds.

Maybe I'm being overly hopeful, but… I want to believe.

"Thanks. You two are cute too. I hope we can stay friends," I said, giving the cutest smile I could manage.

"Aw… of course!" Misaki giggled.

"Ah, do you know about Shikigami?"

"I'll be your best friend!" Haruto blushed.

"Then we can get marri—""Stop harassing her, dummy!" His sister smacked his head again.

"Ouch! I-I was just joking!" he protested.

"Um, what do you mean by Shikigami?" I asked curiously.

"Ahhh! Are you interested? Shikigami are like Familiars—Spiritual Beings unique to Zipangu and Yamato…!" Misaki explained excitedly.

"Wanna see mine? Haruto has one too!"

"Really?! Let me see! Let me see!" I said happily. The twins nodded, opened their palms, gathered Mana, and summoned two creatures from small runes in their hands. FLASH! Haruto's Shikigami appeared first, his Shikigami was a small crane made of living, floating origami paper. Misaki's was different—not paper, but a tiny seedling with two root-like legs and big goggly eyes staring at me.

"Oh, they're tiny," I said. By sensing their presences, I could tell they were Spirits—yet not quite like any I had encountered elsewhere. They shared traits with Spirit Beasts: they could assume true physical form instead of remaining purely ethereal. They had elemental affinities but weren't strictly bound to one element… how unique.

"This is my little White Crane!" Haruto said proudly.

"It's still an infant, but Dad says it'll grow big and strong one day."

"This is my Seedling…" Misaki added.

"Mom says it'll grow into a big plant Shikigami someday. I hope it becomes a beautiful Cherry Blossom Spirit!"

"That looks so cool!" I exclaimed.

"I wish I had a partner like that… I wouldn't feel so lonely." Well, I had the flower inside my heart, but it wasn't truly conscious—just a plant treasure, after all.

"Hm! We can help you summon one," Haruto offered.

"E-Eh? But would Mom approve?" Misaki worried.

"Hey, it's not that hard. We know the formula, right?" Haruto asked.

"Well… Um, okay!" Misaki nodded.

"Come on!" She took my hand and pulled me to a corner of the room. We hid behind a large cushion as the twins waved their tiny hands through the air. Golden Mana flowed from the cores in their hearts. They drew a magic formation on the floor. They set it down; it glowed faintly, barely containing any energy.

"This is a simple Summoning Circle!" Misaki explained.

"Now place a small drop of your blood," Haruto instructed.

"If you have enough affinity, a Shikigami might answer and become your familiar."

"Though it might fail… so it's a gamble," Misaki shrugged.

"So cool!" I said.

"Ok, a drop of blood, right?" I used my sharp claw to prick my index finger. It was harder than expected—my skin was tough—but I managed. A tiny red drop fell into the glowing formation. FLAAASH!

"Woah?!"

"Wow!" The instant the blood touched it, the circle expanded massively, covering the entire room. The adults panicked while a towering pillar of light shot upward, shattering the ceiling. BOOOM!

"E-Elizabeth?!"

"What are you doing?!" My parents shouted in alarm as the formation's power shoved everyone back. The room was swallowed by blinding light; the ceiling was completely destroyed.

"W-What's going on?!"

"Woaaaah!"

"I-It's so much power!" The twins floated upward from the sheer energy. Their parents rushed to pull them down, and mine dragged me out of the circle.

"What is happening?!" my mother demanded.

"What did you two do?"

"W-We're sorry!" Haruto cried.

"W-We just wanted Elizabeth to get a Shikigami…" Misaki mumbled.

"S-Shikigami?! Wait—you taught them the summoning formation?!" Empress Kaguya scolded her husband.

"Hahaha! Well, the kids insisted soooooo… Oops?" The handsome Kitsune laughed lightly.

"But isn't this reaction way too strong?!" my father asked.

"It indeed is!" my mother agreed.

"Wait—Elizabeth!" I ran back toward the formation. Something powerful was calling me. Could it be my Shikigami? Bathing in the light, I heard a voice whisper from beneath the circle.

"Are you the one who dropped blood into the summoning ritual?" The voice was strange—genderless, impossible to discern"Yes? Are you my Shikigami?" I knew I should be more cautious, but…

"I see… What an adorable little thing you are."

"Eh?" The light suddenly faded. Darkness swallowed everything. Red lightning crackled across the floor. The sky tore open. Purple liquid flooded the castle and… And… Something stood before me—massive. A gigantic mass of swirling darkness and crimson energy, countless eyes staring, mouths gaping to reveal razor fangs. A wicked grin spread across the shifting amalgamation. Screams of countless souls echoed from within what felt like purgatory itself.

"W-where…! Where am I?!" As I looked around, the entity grew larger, closer, more monstrous. A sea of screaming souls fused into something straight from the worst nightmares.

"What… What the hell are you?" Its grin widened. A humanoid form rapidly coalesced from the chaos: a giant demon-like being with dark red skin, four heads, eight arms wielding massive black fleshy weapons that pulsed with blood. Red eyes glowed everywhere. Black chains wrapped its half-ethereal body, constantly merging with eyes, heads, and shrieking souls. The four heads were twisted human faces: one an adult man, one a young woman, one a child, one an elderly man.

"Would you like to make a contract with me, child? Your blood… I want more of it. As much as I can have."

"Ah…!" I realized what this was. I collapsed to the floor in disbelief, slowly backing away as the creature loomed, its cascading white hair draping its shoulders. A large grinning demon face emerged on its chest, eyes darting wildly. This was no ordinary Shikigami. This was…

"A Nightmare!" Did the summoning circle connect to every dimension and realm?! Is this how Shikigami are normally summoned? But somehow it linked to the Nightmare Dimension instead.

"Come on now, child. Are you afraid? Don't be… I mean you no harm~" It advanced; each step shook the ground. Its eight hands shifted its bleeding weapons.

"However, if you refuse the contract… I will gladly rip you apart and devour your entrails. Do you really think you stand a chance, child?"

"You're contradicting yourself already?! Get away from me!" I screamed with every ounce of air in my lungs. Ice erupted from my body, spreading instantly. Giant icicles surged upward, piercing the colossal Nightmare's form.

"Nnngaaahh?!" The sharp ice stabbed deep and froze him solid. Flowers of ice bloomed across his body, draining his energy.