Chapter 918: Completely dysfunctional Family.
The enormous silvery-white dragon continued descending through the clouds for a few more moments, making the sky itself seem small around it. Its gigantic wings cut through the frozen northern air with an elegance impossible for a creature of that size, while currents of wind swept across the snow-covered plains below. Each movement carried an ancient, powerful, and overwhelming presence, yet curiously controlled.
Vex continued watching.
Completely still.
Which, considering who she was, could already be considered a supernatural phenomenon.
Her eyes shone so brightly they looked like tiny blue stars reflecting the pale northern light. Her hands lightly gripped her clothes as she tried to absorb it all at once. For months she had asked questions about it.
Hundreds of them.
Perhaps thousands.
What was it like?
Was it big?
Did it fly?
Did it have scales?
Did it like snow?
Could it spit ice?
Did it like mountains?
Was it strong?
Was it gentle? Did she know how to tell stories?
Now, finally, she was about to find out.
Mercedes watched the scene in silence.
And honestly...
It was almost funny.
The same creature that normally seemed incapable of remaining still for more than five seconds was completely petrified.
It didn’t run.
It didn’t jump.
It didn’t ask anything.
It just watched.
The dragon then gradually slowed down.
The gigantic silhouette approached the nearby mountains before finally descending enough to touch the lowest wind currents in the region.
Then something happened that made Vex blink several times.
The enormous draconic body began to change.
The scales disappeared.
The wings retracted.
The colossal structure rapidly shrank.
The monstrous mass transformed into something smaller.
Much smaller.
Then, a few seconds later, a single figure traversed the last few meters before landing softly on the snow.
No explosions.
No dramatic impact.
No exaggerated displays of power.
Just a man.
Black hair.
Golden eyes.
Dark robes billowing gently in the wind.
Vex blinked.
Then blinked again.
Then slowly turned his face to Mercedes.
Her expression seemed genuinely betrayed.
"Mom."
Mercedes already knew what was coming.
"Yes?"
"He shrunk."
The Ice Monarch had to make a sincere effort not to laugh.
"Yes."
"But he was huge."
"He still is."
"He’s not."
"He is."
"He’s the size of a person."
"He’s a dragon."
"But he was gigantic." Mercedes sighed.
"Dragons can shapeshift, you can do that, have you forgotten?"
The girl looked at Strax again.
Then at Mercedes.
Then back at Strax.
Clearly processing that information.
"So he can be gigantic."
"Yes."
"And small."
"Yes."
"And gigantic."
"Yes."
"And small."
"Yes."
"That’s incredible."
"I think so too."
Meanwhile, Strax walked calmly through the snow towards them.
The wind ruffled his dark hair as he observed the scene before him.
Mercedes remained with her arms crossed.
With her usual cold expression.
But he knew her well enough to notice small details.
She looked tired.
Very tired.
Not physically.
Mentally.
What was impressive.
Very few things in the world could tire Mercedes like that.
When she finally got close to them, the Ice Monarch was the first to speak.
"You should have come sooner."
The sentence came out simply.
Directly.
Without anger.
Without accusation.
But loaded with a sincerity that was hard to ignore.
Strax let out a small sigh.
Because she was right.
"Most likely."
Mercedes raised an eyebrow.
"Probably?"
"Right. Definitely."
That seemed to satisfy her a little.
Strax then ran a hand through her hair as she observed the horizon.
"I had some problems."
"I heard."
"I imagine you heard."
Mercedes nodded slowly.
"The whole continent heard."
Strax let out a small laugh.
"What an exaggeration."
"No, it isn’t."
She continued watching him.
"I heard you had trouble with that woman."
The tone she used to say "that woman" carried an impressive amount of disapproval.
Strax immediately understood who she was talking about.
A mischievous smile appeared on his face.
"She was an idiot."
"I agree."
"At least we’re aligned on that."
Mercedes maintained a neutral expression.
"What happened next?"
Strax shrugged.
"Nothing much."
"What does it mean?"
"It means she was an idiot."
"Yes."
"I got annoyed."
"Of course."
"She continued being an idiot."
"Also of course."
"And then the problem solved itself."
Mercedes remained silent for a few seconds.
"You killed her?"
"No."
She seemed genuinely surprised.
"No?"
"No."
"That’s unexpected."
Strax smiled.
"I’m trying to mature."
"You failed."
"Probably."
The brief exchange elicited a discreet laugh from Mercedes herself.
Something rare enough to merit historical record.
But then her gaze shifted slightly.
Downward.
Behind her leg.
And Strax finally turned his attention to the small figure hidden there.
Vex had practically disappeared behind the Ice Monarch.
Which was impressive.
Because until a few minutes ago she seemed incapable of standing still.
Now she was hidden.
Partially holding onto the fabric of Mercedes’s clothes.
Watching him with enormous eyes.
Anxious.
Nervous.
Curious.
Excited.
Frightened.
All at the same time.
Strax observed this for a few seconds.
Then he smiled.
A small smile.
Calm.
Without any pressure.
Without expectation.
Just sincere.
Then he slowly lowered himself into the snow.
Getting down to her level.
Then he opened his arms.
"Vex."
The girl immediately stiffened.
Her eyes widened even further.
"How long are you going to stay hidden behind her?"
The silence that followed lasted exactly three seconds.
Mercedes knew that look.
She knew it very well.
Because it was the same look that always appeared whenever Vex decided to do something impulsive.
And that happened with alarming frequency.
The girl looked at Strax.
Then at Mercedes.
Then back at Strax again.
Her brain waged a desperate battle between shyness and enthusiasm.
The battle lasted approximately half a second.
Then enthusiasm won.
Overwhelmingly.
"DAD!"
The cry echoed across the frozen plains.
Before she even finished the word, Vex had already shot forward.
She literally exploded out from behind Mercedes.
Running through the snow.
Her arms swinging.
Her light hair flying behind her.
Her expression completely illuminated by pure happiness.
"DAD!"
Strax barely had time to react.
The little dragon had already crossed the entire distance between them.
Then she jumped.
Without any warning.
Without any concern.
Without any regard for the normal laws of physics.
Strax managed to catch her in mid-air by pure reflex.
A second later, a small dragon was clinging to his neck with enough force to frighten any normal person.
"DAD!"
She repeated it again.
As if she needed confirmation.
As if she had waited months to say that word.
"Daddy!"
Strax held her tightly as she practically vibrated with excitement.
Her small arms tightened around his neck.
Her tail, hidden beneath her human form, wagged wildly.
And her eyes shone with happiness.
"You’re huge!"
Strax blinked.
"I’m in human form."
"But you were huge!"
"Ah."
"You were gigantic!"
"I was using dragon form."
"It was amazing!"
"Thank you."
"Do you fly very high?"
"Relatively."
"Do you know how to breathe fire?"
"Yes."
"Do you know how to breathe ice?"
"Also."
"Can you destroy mountains?"
Mercedes closed her eyes.
There it was.
The questions returned.
Finally.
Naturally.
Inevitably.
Strax, on the other hand, just smiled.
"I can do it."
Vex’s eyes practically exploded with excitement.
"THAT’S AMAZING!"
Mercedes said, "That was exactly the same reaction you had when you found out you couldn’t freeze a mountain just because someone called it small."
The girl immediately turned her face to Mercedes.
"I still think it was a valid solution."
"It wasn’t."
"It was a little."
"No."
"Maybe."
Mercedes brought a hand to her face.
Meanwhile, Strax watched the scene with an increasingly amused expression.
Then he noticed something.
Something that made him look at Mercedes.
She looked exhausted.
Deeply exhausted.
The kind of tiredness that only someone extremely energetic could cause.
Strax raised an eyebrow.
Mercedes crossed her arms.
The two remained silent for a few seconds.
Then she spoke. "Now you understand."
Strax looked at the little dragon who was already asking three questions at once.
Then he looked at Mercedes again.
Then he smiled.
"Yes."
Mercedes pointed at him.
"She’s yours for a few hours."
"That seems fair."
"No. It seems necessary."
And for the first time in many months, the Ice Monarch felt that maybe, just maybe, she could finally rest a little.
The little dragon continued to cling to Strax’s neck as if she were afraid he would disappear again the next instant.
In fact, considering everything she had heard during the last few months, perhaps that fear wasn’t entirely irrational.
Vex seemed determined to recover years of accumulated curiosity in just a few minutes. While clinging to him, she asked questions at an alarming rate, changing the subject before the answers were even finished.
"Can you fly faster than a storm?"
"Yes."
"Faster than a bird?"
"Yes."
"Faster than Mommy?"
Mercedes raised an eyebrow.
Strax smiled.
"That depends on how angry she is."
The girl was thoughtful for a few seconds.
Then her eyes widened.
"Then she’s very fast!"
"Extremely."
Mercedes let out a tired sigh.
"At least someone here recognizes that."
Strax chuckled softly as he adjusted Vex in his arms.
The little dragon immediately took advantage of the new position to continue observing him from every possible angle, as if she were analyzing a newly discovered exotic creature.
The funniest thing was that, for her, perhaps that was really what it was.
For months she had heard stories.
Explanations.
Descriptions.
Now she could finally compare all of that with reality.
And reality seemed to be exceeding expectations.
Strax then turned his attention to Mercedes.
The wind continued to sweep across the frozen plains as snowflakes slowly drifted between them. The Ice Monarch kept her arms crossed, observing the interaction between the two with that usual controlled expression.
However, now that he was close, the details became much more evident.
The dark circles under her eyes.
The accumulated fatigue.
The exhaustion carefully hidden behind her impeccable posture.
That made her smile widen slightly.
"I’m going to take you to Asgard for a few days."
Mercedes raised an eyebrow.
"You will?"
"Yes."
Vex immediately raised his head.
"Asgard?"
"Yes."
"Is there snow there?"
"Less."
The girl seemed disappointed.
"But there are other things."
She tilted her head.
"What things?"
"Trains."
Her eyes sparkled.
"Trains?"
"Yes."
"The big ones?"
"Big ones."
"The ones that run on tracks?"
"Those same ones."
Now Vex seemed even more excited.
"I want to see them."
"You will."
Strax then continued.
"I’ll take her to see the city, show her some things, introduce her to some people."
Mercedes remained silent.
Which, for someone who had known her long enough, meant approval.
Strax smiled.
"Then I’ll bring her back."
The Ice Monarch nodded slowly.
"She’ll like it."
"I figured."
"She likes everything."
The answer came so immediately that Strax couldn’t help but laugh.
Because it was true.
Apparently, Vex possessed an extraordinary talent for getting excited about anything that existed.
Mountains.
Stones.
Snow.
Rabbits.
Clouds.
Doors.
Trains would probably just be another item on that endless list.
Then his gaze returned to Mercedes.
More specifically, to the dark circles under her eyes.
And his smile became more playful.
"You know..."
Mercedes immediately became suspicious.
"I don’t like that tone."
"You’ve become a great mother."
The sentence made the woman remain motionless for a few seconds.
Vex continued to be distracted, imagining trains.
The snow continued to fall.
And Mercedes simply stared at Strax.
Then she sighed.
A long sigh.
Tired.
But strangely sincere.
"I’m learning."
Strax tilted his head slightly.
"You’re doing very well."
She looked away for a moment.
Something rare.
Almost embarrassed.
"The process was... more complicated than I imagined."
"I imagine."
"No, you don’t imagine."
Strax started laughing.
Because the answer came too quickly.
Mercedes pointed at Vex.
"She asked why snow makes noise."
"Normal."
"Then she asked why the crystals compact."
"Also normal."
"Then she asked why there is pressure."
"I understand."
"Then she asked why wolves have four legs."
Strax began to look more worried.
Mercedes continued.
"Then she asked why mountains exist."
"Ah."
"Then she asked why fish breathe."
"That sounds tiring."
"Then she asked why the sky is gray."
Strax nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"Then she asked how old I am."
The silence that followed was immediate.
Strax grimaced.
"That was cruel."
"It was."
"At least she had courage."
"More courage than intelligence."
Vex raised her head.
"I heard that."
"Great."
"That was rude."
"Asking my age was also rude."
The girl crossed her arms.
Clearly offended.
Strax watched this with amusement.
Then he looked back at Mercedes.
The woman seemed lighter now.
Still tired.
But different.
Perhaps because she finally had someone to share that burden with.
Perhaps because she was no longer alone in that task.
Mercedes noticed this too.
And her gaze became slightly more serious.
"But it would be easier if you just showed up more."
Strax blinked.
She continued before he could answer.
"Because, in case you’ve forgotten, we agreed to raise it together."
His smile faded slightly.
Not out of irritation.
But because she was right.
Mercedes didn’t seem angry.
Just honest.
"And I’m perfectly aware that you have responsibilities."
She continued calmly.
"I also know that half the continent seems to explode every time you decide to walk somewhere."
Vex immediately raised his hand.
"That sounds incredible."
"It’s not."
"It’s a little."
"No."
Strax tried to hide his laughter.
He failed.
Mercedes ignored them both.
"But still."
Their eyes met.
"She needs you."
The snow continued to fall silently around them.
And for a few seconds, no one spoke.
Vex watched the two of them.
Not fully understanding the weight of that conversation.
But realizing it was important.
Strax then glanced at the little dragon in his arms.
She immediately smiled.
As if there were no problems in the world.
As if everything were perfectly right.
Perhaps because, at that moment, for her, it truly was.
Then he looked back at Mercedes.
And nodded.
Slowly.
Sincerely.
"You’re right."
Mercedes didn’t answer.
But the slight relaxation in her shoulders was noticeable.
Strax sighed.
"I’ve spent too much time dealing with wars, political problems, crazy monarchs, and creatures trying to destroy civilizations."
"That seems like a surprisingly accurate description of your life."
"I know."
"Worrying."
"I know too."
He then observed Vex again.
The girl was busy trying to catch snowflakes in the air.
Even while in his arms.
Somehow.
"And I guess I kept thinking I’d have time later."
Mercedes remained silent.
Because she understood exactly what that meant.
Strax smiled more calmly.
"This time I’ll try to do better."
The Ice Monarch studied her face for a few seconds.
As if assessing the sincerity of those words.
Then she nodded.
Just once.
A small movement.
But enough.
"Great."
Vex immediately raised her arms.
"Does that mean we’re going to see the trains?"
The two adults looked at her.
Then one to the other.
Then Strax started laughing.
Mercedes too.
Small.
Discreet.
But genuine.
Because, apparently, while they discussed parental responsibilities and future commitments...
Vex’s only concern remained exactly the same.
She wanted to see the trains.
