Chapter 292 Nightfall
Beneath the cover of the night, the heavens underwent a wondrous transformation, painting the sky with an ethereal beauty.
The usual tapestry of stars took a backseat to the vibrant dance of colors unfurling above the icy landscape—the mesmerizing aurora borealis.
Ribbons of green, violet, and pink swirled like ephemeral spirits across the velvety expanse, casting an otherworldly glow upon the frozen terrain below.
"Maria! My name is Maria!"
The declaration of the newly named dryad rang out exuberantly, a proclamation she couldn't contain as she leaped joyfully across the mountainous landscape, almost as if bouncing on a celestial trampoline.
Her boundless enthusiasm began to test Slyvia's patience, who had just returned from hours of exploration.
Slyvia's gaze fell upon a mound of wood piled beside a brilliant blue flame, a fire that blazed above with a large slab of meat skewered on a stick, its sides crisping and sizzling as she rotated the skewer in the heat.
"Slyvia, and I am Maria!"
The dryad, now named Maria, chimed in with contagious glee, her arms folded behind her back as she playfully observed Slyvia.
Curious, Maria inquired, "Hm? What are you up to?"
Slyvia's eyes twinkled mischievously as she responded, "A little human trick I picked up during my time among them. I have a feeling our friend here is going to appreciate it."
Maria's gaze shifted toward Raith, who was still recumbent on the ground.
A faint, wry smile crept across her face as she added, "You care for him quite deeply, don't you?"
Slyvia let out an exasperated sigh at Maria's perceptive observation. "If only caring were that simple. The humans might all be in love with each other by now."
"But aren't they, in a way?" Maria mused, her eyes distant as she considered, "They protect each other, they fight for each other..."
Slyvia interjected with a more somber tone, "And they also kill each other."
Maria's voice trailed off, and she settled herself by the fireside, her posture relaxed. The flames' warmth seemed to affect her in a way it didn't most beings, given her intrinsic connection to nature.
Slyvia turned her gaze back to the fire, the dancing flames reflecting in her sapphire eyes.
"Have you always been here, alone?" she asked, her voice gentle.
"Yes," Maria replied softly, folding her legs beneath her and wrapping her arms around them.
Slyvia paused, uncertain of what to say next. After a few moments of silence, she changed the subject.
"Meat?" she offered, holding out a portion she had torn off with her clawed fingers.
Maria shook her head, indicating her lack of interest.
"Right, you're a spirit. Spirits don't have appetites like this," Slyvia said with a wry smile, before devouring the meat herself.
Silence stretched between them, only to be interrupted by a faint rustling.
Both pairs of eyes turned toward the source of the sound, where Raith stirred from his extended slumber. This time, his rejuvenation had taken longer than when he named the dragon.
As Raith woke, the pungent aroma of the roasted meat triggered a sneeze.
"Lord Raven," Maria's cheerful voice called out to him. Slyvia, on the other hand, remained silent, her brow furrowed.
"Your companions searched for you. I had to fend off the monsters to prevent them from facing a foe they couldn't handle," Slyvia stated matter-of-factly, her gaze locked onto the meat she was finishing.
"You see, I told you! Now that Slyvia's your vassal, you have one less thing to worry about,"
Raith, still contending with a lingering headache. He was yet to recognized that the act of naming two potent beings like them was no small achievement. Oblivious to the immense power they were destined to wield, he was blissfully unaware of his newfound fortune.
"The monsters you killed, where are they?"
"Expecting a dragon to carry monster corpses?" Slyvia retorted, with flames of fiery frustrating burning in her eyes.
"No, it's just that... I'll go there myself," Raith replied, almost sounding intimidated by her tone.
"I'll accompany you," Maria volunteered eagerly.
The prospect of their absence left her feeling a pang of loneliness. Having been alone in her icy palace for two centuries, she thought to herself.
'...it wouldn't be a bad thing to be around them.'
"Fine, I'll take you there," Slyvia conceded, as she abandoned her unfinished meat.
"Thank you," Maria gushed, her eyes sparkling with gratitude.
They departed, leaving behind the remains of the fire and the partially consumed meat.
Raith and Maria's footsteps carved a path toward the western edge of the mountain, where a chilling sight awaited them—a sprawling landscape littered with monster corpses, a testament to Slyvia's prowess.
"Did only you do this?" Raith wondered aloud, his astonishment evident.
A macabre scene unfolded before them, blue blood staining the snowy ground, heaps of monster carcasses in varying shapes and sizes.
"Oh, Slyvia, you've certainly left your mark on these monsters," Maria commented with a mixture of irritation and disgust.
"Rise..."
The number he could manage to summon was half the number of his total army.
Slyvia looked at their ethereal dark forms, she had seen it before but she still looked at them with awe.
"Do the needful, bring me all the skill stones in those monsters. I will make sure to create the sun today."
The death armies were a perfect blend into the night and they scaled down the mountain to the lowland where the carcasses where. Each of them gliding effortlessly.
Slyvia watched all of them obey Raith's command, they began to plummet carcasses and cut them open with their weapons, bringing out their organs, runestones that were found in them and crystal cores.
She watched and disgust filled her expression.
"You are the lowest of the lowest. Even after they have died, you won't allow them rest in peace."
"What do you mean rest in peace..."
'If I had the chance to kill you, I probably will he savoring the runestone I harvested from your bellies by now.'
Raith looked at her with eyes that betrayed his thoughts. Sje returned the gaze with a scowl.
"What?"
"Nothing... I wonder if letting you live is really the best choice for me."
He said, mumbling the later part of his sentence. From that point until daybreak Slyvia will later go on to disturb him, daring him to repeat what he said so she can hear loEud and clear.
But Raith refused all through. The last thing he wanted was getting into a fight with a dragon.
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