3-41 Distinction


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It’s too quiet,” Erin mused as she stirred from her meditation state. The road had be uneven and rough, making the wagon shake more than usual. Though Erin wasn’t bordered by the constant shaking, she was bothered by the unusual silence.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Quiet? Really?” Lyra asked, who was just sitting across from Erin on the wagon at the back. “My ears are hurting from the constant rattling. It’s far from being quiet.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Mistress meant the sounds of nature,” Siv answered from the coach seat. She was handling the reins. Erin had wanted to take over the reins but Siv insisted on being the one handling it. When asked for the reason, Siv simply said it was gratitude forst night. In fact, Siv had been quite reserved since the morning. Erin couldn’t understand Siv’s sentiment but she didn’t press the matter.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Perhaps that’s because we have a Fae and a Dragon travelling in our band?” Lyra pointed at Erin and Olivia, who had turned back into her human form and was now riding on her own horse closely by their wagon.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“After all the noises the three of you madest night, I’ll be surprised if there’s even an ant left around,” Olivia presumed with a scowl shot at Lyra. “Do the three of you know no shame or restraint at all?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You sound disgruntled,” Lyra said. “Were you irked that we didn’t invite you to join?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“No,” Olivia answered sharply. “Like I would engage in such activities other than my promised one.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You’re betrothed?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I meant that I would not mate with anyone simply for the pleasure of the flesh.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Ah, pity. You’re losing out on most of the fun in life, then.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“There’s more to love than the pleasure of the flesh.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“But the pleasure of flesh adds a lot of spice to love. Wouldn’t you say so, Erin?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Hmm? What?” Erin mumbled in response. She was looking out into the trees and she was barely paying attention to Lyra’s bickering with Olivia.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You weren’t listening?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I was listening, just not to you and Olivia.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Lyra scoffed. “I’m hurt, Lyra. After all, we have been through, I’m tossed aside now that you got your time’s worth?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Erin rolled her eyes.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Lyra tittered. “My heart is hurt, truly, my dear Erin. What could you ever do to mend this poor heart of mine?” She was swooning with her head leaned back like a maiden falling in love for the first time.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Did you hit your headst night?” Erin asked.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Lyra let herself fall right into Erin’s arms. “Perhaps,” she said. “It’s just… it felt extremely goodst night… It felt better than ever. It was nothing like the time we did it with Iris. It was… genuine.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Erin smiled and wrapped her arms around Lyra. “I understand… It felt great for me too, knowing that I have two such magnificent women who loved me so much. I feel so fortunate.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, dear lords...” Olivia groaned and looked away. “Have some decency,” she grumbled.


    <span style="font-weight:400">While Olivia was vexed by the two’s disy of affection, Siv was red to her whole face with her tail wagging excitedly and her ears twitching perkily. Erin grinned when saw that, finally understanding why Siv insisted on taking the reins. She was so embarrassed and overjoyed fromst night that she couldn''t bear to meet her lover’s gaze now.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Anyways,” Olivia faked a cough to degrees from the uncouth subject. “Where is our destination, Lady Erynthea?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Lyra and Erin looked at her with nk faces. Even Siv nced over her shoulder to stare at her.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“What?” Olivia asked. “Did I say something wrong?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You’re being presumptuous, that’s what’s wrong,” Lyra answered.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You said ‘our destination’. Are you implying that you would be travelling with us from now on?” Erin asked back.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It is my lord’s wish, though unspoken,” Olivia answered. “The Dragon God’s followers may have dwindled but there are still a handful of us. The heir can’t possibly send out orders tailored specifically to each individual. The followers need to take the initiative.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Lyra scowled and scoffed.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Knowing your lord, I doubt that,” Erin said. “He can be an arse but he isn’t officious and he doesn’t disrespect my privacy. What’s more, he ain’t your true lord. He’s only the heir, for now.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It’s only a matter of time before that happens, Lady Erynthea. When it happens, I wish to be the one with the most merits.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Only a matter of time, you say… How long would that be in your mind?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Half a century, at least. I’ll wait for more than a hundred if need be.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Is there a limit to how long he can drag his candidacy out?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“No. This isn’t something chosen by the followers or anyone. He is chosen by the will of the world.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“That sure sounds suffocating. Basically, you’re saying his fate is sealed?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Not necessarily. If he ascends the throne, there will be so much he could do, so much he could change.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“At what cost?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Olivia fell silent.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I don’t know much about the gods or divines but I do know that poweres at a cost. Nothing is free in this world, there’s always a catch, always a price.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I know that...” Olivia murmured.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I won’t admonish your faith but I would appreciate that you don’t instil it unto others’ will. I’m sure you could find another way to please your Lord and umte merits.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“That’s not possible...”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Why not?” Lyra asked.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“...Because this is the only revtion of my lord’s will that I have received in my dream,” Olivia admitted. “Either this is his only concern that he couldn’t handle it himself or he simply doesn’t have any other concerns.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Unbelievable,” Lyra scoffed and slumped back to her seat.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Then that’s your problem, not mine,” Erin said. “I appreciate your faithfulness but I have a feeling your presence here would only invite more problems.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Lady Erynthea, I’m sure you know by now that the Apostles of other Divines are hunting you, goaded by the Ancient Guardians. My presence here could help you tremendously.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“She’s right, mistress,” Siv said without ncing away from the path.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I know she’s right but that’s not enough of a reason. I don’t feelfortable travelling with someone that I barely know, let alone entrusting my life. I’m not even getting paid to escort you.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I need no escort but your concerns are understandable, Lady Erynthea.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“How do I know that you’re telling the whole truth or the truth at all?” Erin asked.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You can tell by my heart, mdy,” Olivia said.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“There’s not an urate assessment and that’s only reliable only on simpletons or people who are unaware. I wager you can tell a story of lies without batting an eyelid.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Then what would it take for you to trust me, mdy? Are my words as a True Dragon insufficient?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Hmm… True Dragon…” Erin pondered. “Well, I suppose you can start by telling me about the difference between a Dragon and a True Dragon. I have consulted books and people, either they know only a little or know nothing at all. It’s a mystery and an itch.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“My lord heir... did he not tell you anything in spite of being acquainted almost… intimately?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Erin took a deep breath to calm herself down from Olivia’s choice of words. “I didn’t pursue it and he’s not one to share stories. I have tried asking but he was very… evasive with the subject.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“As he should be,” Olivia said. “The enigma of my kind is what protected us for all these years. People fear the unknown. If they absolutely fear us without a hint of any possible means to defy us, they wouldn’t dare to do anything.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“By people… you mean—”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Humans.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Humans again…” Erin sighed. She feltplicated agreeing with Olivia as she was once human and she understood the greed of her former kind well.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“But if it’s you, Lady Erynthea… Perhaps it won’t be an issue. But...” Olivia turned to Lyra with a dubious gaze.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Lyra scoffed. “How rude,” she snarled.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Olivia, I trust Lyra more than you,” Erin said.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Of course,” Olivia said and retrieved her suspicions towards Lyra like an automated golem.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Quite stalling now, Olivia. We haven’t got all day.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Are we in a hurry?” Lyra asked.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“No,” Erin responded. “But I have a feeling that we will be busy in a while and before that, I want to know as much as I can about the Dragon-kin and the Dragon God.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Before I began… will you trust me after I tell you something about my kind?” Olivia asked.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“That depends on what you’re going to tell me,” Erin retorted and red.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Despite her superior level, Olivia felt intimidated by Erin’s countenance. She even swallowed a lump in her throat. “Very well,” she said. “But I must inform you that it might not be what you expected. It could be… mundane.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Let me be the judge of that.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">The clouds began to gather and hid most of the sun.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Where should I start…?” Olivia mulled. “I suppose the misconception would be a good one.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Misconception?” Lyra questioned.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“There is amon misconception that needs to be addressed. Dragon-kin are not Demi-human Dragons.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“What?” Lyra blurted out.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“They are not half-human and half-Dragon like many hade to believe. Dragon-kin actually refers to Dragons who are sapient. When a Dragon gain high intelligence and the capacity to rationalize, the System instinctivelybels them as a Dragon-kin.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“But this form of all yours is human,” Erin pointed out. “You’re not half-human at all?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“This is merely a transformation-type magic. It’s called Humanification.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Prompted by her answer, Erin appraised her once again, making sure the skill “Humanification” was indeed on the long list of Magic Arts she had. Even now, Erin couldn’t remember half of it.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“As a Dragon-kin, while it isn’t a Magic Art we are born with, we are required to learn it as it’s paramount to our survival. As much as we like our secluded lifestyle, not all respect our boundaries and wishes. Especially the humans. As I have said before, we blend into human societies to watch over them lest they be foolish and daring enough to attack my kind.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Have they ever?” Erin asked.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Once. An empire in the north, hundreds of years ago. I was but a child then. I had only just weaned. But this story is one that my kind would keep telling to their offspring and their offspring, and so on and so forth. The empire, whose name I have forgotten, were very advanced in the field of arcane technology, machinery fueled by Mana and Magic Arts. They attacked a small group of us as a deration of war but before they can be fully prepared tounch one, my kind rained down on them like a storm. They razed the empire to the ground, leaving only a handful of survivors that didn’t even reach a hundred. Their inventions and crafts, which they deployed in a hurry, left only a scratch on their Mystic Skins.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">While Erin enjoyed hearing some history, the triumphant and vain smirk Olivia had was vexing to her eyes. But she couldn’t say anything about that as being proud of one’s ancestors was something natural.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Lyra, on the other hand, wasn’t that interested. She even yawned halfway through. “That’s great and all but when are you going to tell us about the difference between a True Dragon and a Dragon-kin?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Olivia’s parade was doused by Lyra’s insistence. She glowered at Lyra but ultimately said nothing of her curtness. “A True Dragon refers to a Dragon of a pure bloodline. Wyverns, Smanders, Komodos, Drakes, Serpents, they are all distant descendants of Dragons. They are Dragons out there who looked no different than a True Dragon but they are at best only three-quarters of Dragon blood. They are severely weaker than and inferior to a True Dragon. We called them False Dragons.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“False Dragons?” Lyra muttered. “I have never heard of them.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You wouldn’t have. Among themon minds, these False Dragons are known as and categorized as lesser Dragons, middling Dragons, and greater Dragons. Make no mistake, their denotations are merely references of their levels, not the amount of True Dragon blood they have in them.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Erin smiled wryly at Olivia’s peculiarity with the “True Dragon blood” part.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“A Dragon-kin is always a True Dragon but a True Dragon is not always a Dragon-kin. Do I have your understanding?” Olivia asked.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Erin nodded. “I see.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I don’t,” Lyra said.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Olivia sighed. “I don’t expect a human to.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh ho? Was that an insult?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Merely stating the facts,” Olivia retorted with a faint grin. “Perhaps your head is only filled with the pleasures of the flesh.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“This bitch...” Lyra seethed. “It seems I have been too lenient to a stranger.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Erin rolled her eyes. Another fight had started before she realized.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Iing,” Siv muttered quietly but the winds carried her words to all of their ears.


    <span style="font-weight:400">The two ceased their bickering and readied themselves for the imminent threat.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Erin?” Lyra called.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I don’t know where they are but there’s definitely something ahead, something strong… divine even.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Apostles?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It’s the most usible given their ability to hide from my senses.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Mine too,” Olivia murmured. “This is bad. Their levels might be as high as mine, or higher.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I can’t smell anything too but my bestial instincts are telling me of a great threat ahead.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Allow me,” Olivia said and stood on the back of her horse. “Please take care of Lucas.” With that request, she leapt into the air, unleashing her true form of an azure-blue Dragon, taking flight into the skies.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“At least, we have eyes from the sky now.” Erin sighed. “Great Spirits… is a peaceful day too much to ask for?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Lyra readied her bow and arrows. “An opportunity for growth.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You sound excited.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“That’s because I haven’t truly got a real chance to test out my new skill and I have levelled up quite nicely from the Demon yesterday. Hopefully, this time our opponents have someone or something of my level.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Hopefully,” Erin repeated in a faint grumble. “It is what it is… Let’s do this.”