Chapter 508 – Unfilial Piety a Second Time

Peaceful sounds of cozy flora and fauna filled the bright glade as birds sang melodically to the accompaniment of trees creaking in the cool wind. Warmth spread through the clearing as the power of the sun bathed it in a golden light, transferred upon it from the surface. Only occasional grunts and clicks of a certain person’s tongue interrupted the pleasant atmosphere.

Asterios stood across Noir with his arms crossed. The black-haired Dragon girl held her half-transformed arm in front, one clawed finger extended forward. She gritted her teeth in effort, her forehead riddled with shining beads of sweat. With her full attention on the tip of her sharp draconic nail, she seemed to be aiming at something in the empty air.

One attempt after another, her claw stumbled onto an invisible wall, creating tension in her hand. After a few seconds of trying to push through with a shaky hold, it tended to slip to one side or another like a key missing a keyhole. The motion repeated numerous times before she paused the endeavor to cut some clean vertical lines through nothing, uninterrupted now. Yet, as she resumed whatever she had been doing with her spiritual energy, the obstacle appeared once more.

“That’s enough. Let’s take a short break.” Asterios uncrossed his arms and walked up to her.

Noir doubled her efforts as he approached, her scaly hand trembling hard before it slipped off the mark heavily enough to make her stumble. Fortunately, or not, he was close by that point, and she bumped into his chest, getting caught in a careful hug. Pushing herself off violently, she kicked a nearby tree while grumbling and cursing under her breath.

The trunk snapped in half due to her enormous strength, and the whole thing fell with an echoing thud, making her immediately still. Birds flew away, scared by the commotion, and strained silence replaced the tranquil atmosphere.

Without a word, Noir unhurriedly reached the fallen tree, picked it up, and held it above the splintered stump. Asterios joined her, kneeling in front of the injured plant. With some help from Tia, it was back to its previous state. They backed off, staring at it together for a moment.

She was just as feisty as she had been during their first meeting, but he was glad to see that she could acknowledge her mistakes without the need to point them out. He didn’t blame her for getting a bit emotional over failure either.

“Things like these can’t be rushed. Ask me how I know.” Asterios summoned a towel from his spatial storage and held it out for her.

Taking a glowering peek at it over her shoulder, Noir smacked her lips and swiped it off his fingers, wiping her face quickly. “You were also nearly oblivious to various aspects of draconic powers at that point and still managed to get it in a mere few days. I’ve had centuries of experience over you. This should be easy, like a walk through the forest.”

It certainly hadn’t been mere days, but he didn’t see a reason to argue when she was simply embellishing things in anger.

“It might just work differently for each person.” He shrugged. “From what I can tell, you are making progress, aren’t you?”

Dismissing part of his sleeve into crimson flames, Asterios revealed his forearm, which soon shifted into its draconic version. As he brought it up, Noir swung her arm upwards, missing his scales just slightly. Still, five deep cuts appeared over them, digging fairly far into his flesh. They healed soon after, but the point had been made. Her mana could slice through most things on its own, as it was supposed to for this technique.

“Again.” She stretched and spread her limbs. “I’m going to get it this time. Just watch.”

Watching her assume the same position she had been in for hours as of now, Asterios observed every detail even more intently. Starting with outer, physical aspects, and ending with inner, spiritual matters. The former couldn’t be better, according to his judgment. As for the latter, he wasn’t so sure. Something still wasn’t right.

Slowly moving near, he appeared behind his struggling companion and gently supported her wrist, sharing his onyx mana with her to dive further into her circuits, examining the proceedings from inside. The moment her back pressed into his front, she snarled and elbowed him in the stomach.

“What do you think you are doing?!” Noir spun around with a scowl.

Rubbing his belly, Asterios offered her an apologetic smile. “My bad. I should have asked first. Apologies if I made you uncomfortable.”

“Good.” She let out a quiet growl, her slitted pupils skipping south for a second. “Go after one of those bitches of yours if you are getting bored instead of distracting me.”

“Sorry.” He chuckled lightly, knowing she didn’t truly mean to insult his mates, and it just came out of her due to the recent frustrations.”I thought lending you my energy could help guide yours.”

The scowl disappeared in an instant as she realized she had misread his intentions, replaced by her biting into her bottom lip. Thinking of it now, she already knew he wouldn’t try anything funny with her after spending days by his side, so that reaction was even more unwarranted.

“I’m not sure how much that did, but I’m pretty certain I figured out what the problem is.” Asterios stroked his chin.

Noir’s eyes widened, and she took a step closer, all the former issues forgotten. “Really? What am I doing wrong?”

“Technically speaking, you aren’t doing anything wrong. At the same time, this is part of you, so some could argue that you are.” He hummed to himself, which made her even more confused. “I can’t guarantee that I’m right, but it feels like your Dragon’s Heart isn’t cooperating properly. Like it’s doing what it should be, but not to the full extent of its capabilities.”

“What?” She frowned at him. “But I dominated it thoroughly ages ago. It’s one of the first things my mother taught me. It’s completely under my control.”

“I understand that’s how things usually are for our kin, Venuz and Althea told me so, but what if… that’s not all?” Asterios twirled his hand at her. “Only a handful of True Dragons master this ability. Including your mother. You mentioned that she’s been throwing logs under your feet since your early days. Is there a chance this is another thing she hasn’t been forthright with you about?”

A pondering look took over Noir’s visage, followed by a brief growl. “I wouldn’t put that past the old hag.”

“You really had it tough.” He sighed softly.

She shook her head, then peered up at him with a much less hostile expression. “Do you have a solution?”

“I can only share what worked for me.” Asterios spread his arms. “But, it’s better than nothing if you are willing to try.”

“I am.” Noir nodded without hesitation. “You know that I’ve tried many horrible things to achieve this. I don’t think your ways are that much worse. Save maybe for being shameful and weird at times.”

“Alright.” He laughed, sitting on the grass in a lotus position. “Let’s have a chat with your Heart. Don’t blame me if it gets embarrassing or something.”

“A chat?” She followed suit, even as perplexed as she was.

“You’ll see.” Asterios winked at her and held out his palms, closing his eyes. “Calm your mind and bring us into yourself. Imagine your Heart in the form of a person.”

Taking a deep breath, Noir took hold of his hands as she sat before him and did as instructed. A few minutes later, their auras synchronized, and they suddenly appeared in a completely black space, standing in the middle of nothing, seemingly atop nothing as well. Yet, another silhouette besides them was discernible in all that darkness, sharing a general build with the Dragon lady. It was made of onyx energy, missing all features except the contours of its body.

This brought back a few memories for Asterios.

“That sassy-looking thing is my… Heart?” Noir asked uncertainly.

The figure silently mimed huffing in annoyance, making him smile.

“Kind of.” Asterios shoved his hands into his pockets. “A personalization of it. I find it easier to communicate this way. I’m happy you can visualize this interaction the way I do.”

She squinted at the shadow. “Why aren’t you working with me on this? It’s important. Possibly the most important thing ever. You know that.”

Her Heart gestured like it had no idea what she was talking about, making her growl.

“This is stupid.” Noir let out her Aura of Authority, pressing it onto the dark entity. “You belong to me. Answer properly. Why are you hindering us? If I fail, you fail. If I die, you die. Isn’t that right?”

Her heart was forced to one knee, but remained silent.

Scoffing, she turned to Asterios. “This won’t get us anywhere. How in hell did you supposedly make yours comply?”

“It is a rather sophisticated affair.” Asterios scrunched his lips. “From what I know, as much as this copy is part of you, it’s the representation of your bloodline or lineage too. You recall sitting on your throne and going through the screening? I think that’s the first step. The second one is either domination as you have been taught, or… something akin to an alliance.”

Focusing, he tried visualizing his Hearts again, and surely, the two featureless men of black and red popped into existence around him. They glanced around, one seemed to ask the other what was going on, that one couldn’t tell either, and they switched their attention to the original.

“Yo.” Asterios waved at them. “Do you think you could figure out what our friend’s problem is? That would help my partner here a lot, and I would appreciate it.”

The black one puffed its chest out while the red one showed thumbs up. Together, they headed for Noir’s dark image, but not without some messing around by bumping hips into each other or trying to trip one another. Still, it felt like a friendly banter, even if somewhat aggressive.

True Dragons were just like that.

Noir watched them go with a hint of awe in her gorgeous eyes. “Onyx and Crimson united… How in the world…”

“They weren’t always like that. Before the truce, they were constantly bickering. Not meaning to belittle you, but I had two draconic ancestries fighting over the top spot inside me. That put an even bigger handicap on me than you might be experiencing.” Asterios rubbed his eyes, reminiscing about those trying times.

“But, you made them get along.” She observed him curiously.

“Not exactly made. Remember what I said about these being the depiction of a lineage? Each one comes with certain desires, goals, quirks, character traits, and so on. You must feel it from your heritage too. A need to be in control, most likely. To be smarter than others, outmaneuver them.” He raised a brow at her.

“Yes. Something like that. It’s our nature.” Noir inclined her head in agreement.

“And these lineages try to take over the young Dragons, the first real trial to withstand and dominate the influence, as we’ve been told. Those who fail are usually considered a lost cause, giving in to their primal urges. Correct me if I’m wrong.” Asterios waited, but she didn’t speak up. “The thing is, even after we end up on the top, those desires do not disappear. We simply restrain them with our might. They even rear their ugly heads now and then when we lose our temper or such.”

“What you speak of is not wrong,” she admitted hesitantly. “What’s your point, though?”

Oops. He might have gotten a bit too much into his old studying habits.

“The point is, your Heart is both part of you and part of your ancestry. There are always things that both of you seek to achieve even amidst all the possible differences that come with your personality as an individual and not a piece of some collective.” Asterios examined her face. “I sought those matters that connect us and explained to my Hearts how we can achieve them if we work together, addressing their needs and wants independently. You just need to find a common goal, common ground, an objective that’s going to satisfy everyone.”

Noir appeared thoughtful, sincerely considering his words. Then, they both glanced towards the shadowy trio and found them in a weird kind of dance. Ast’s pair hopped around her image and seemed to laugh or chuckle to themselves. The lone shade, in turn, attempted to slug them repeatedly, but failed all attacks, definitely furious. The red one swiped a leg from under it, making it drop to the ground, and the black figure leaned in to snicker.

Fingers clenching into fists, Noir marched up to them with a heavy step. “Fuck off!”

The duo didn’t expect her interference and were too late to react. She punched the dark silhouette in the face while smacking the crimson one with her tail, sending them both flying. Arriving atop her fallen Heart, she glared at it.

“Get up.” Noir extended a hand down, her expression softening a tad. “Sure, they are stronger. But you aren’t alone, are you? There are two of us here. Do you plan on taking their beating lying down or fight back on equal terms? Either is fine. The latter means more face-smashing for me. But you want to whack them around some too, don’t you?”

Her copy wavered, staring back at her, but ultimately took her palm, getting hoisted up.

“Great.” She grinned viciously. “Would you like to whip some crimson ass? I can hold the onyx one back for you.”

Even without a face to read, she could tell her draconic manifestation was excited to take revenge. Sharing a nod, they lunged at Ast’s avatars. What followed could only be described as a disorderly brawl. The four people, one real and three spiritual projections, dueled in pairs, sometimes switching opponents. They were more or less on equal terms, but he could tell that his side was gradually overpowering the ladies, their teamwork and coordination much more polished.

Deciding that this was enough of a lesson, Asterios didn’t let Noir’s and her newly gained companion’s pride get hurt in the long run, which could damage their budding relationship, and stepped in.

“Enough!” His loud voice echoed through the vast emptiness, his intent hitting all three and passing through them like a wall of water. “This is enough.”

He beckoned his Hearts to come, and they returned to him, exchanging uncertain glances.

“Is that what I asked the two of you to do? Bully her?” Asterios inquired, his tone cold, causing the pair to start gesticulating at the same time. “I don’t care who started it! Did you at least have enough mind to fulfill your task, or do I have to take care of it myself?”

Their shoulders slumped, providing him a clear answer. His intense gaze switched to the female black form, which shivered under his attention, readying itself to fight again.

“He’s not an enemy.” Noir placed a hand on her Heart’s shoulder. “He’s our… partner.”

It seemed like she was going to say something else, but changed her mind at the last moment, avoiding his eyes.

“But, do you know who the real enemy is?” She quickly turned to face her imitation. “Black.”

That got the featureless figure to focus.

“She’s the one always ruining our plans, interfering with our designs. She’s the one always keeping us under her thumb, intending to retain that state forever. She’s the one who actively sabotages our growth. She’s the one who lied to me about you.” Noir gave the image’s shoulder a firm squeeze. “Do you wish to never escape from her malicious control? To stay her slave for our entire life? A pitiful bird locked in a dark cage for her own entertainment?”

The phantom vehemently shook its head.

“Then work with me. I can’t beat her on my own, you know that well. Even with his help, I’m still… struggling. But, with your cooperation, I could undoubtedly master the realm-tearing ability and finally set us free.” Noir added another hand on another shoulder. “We could go wherever we want. We would be the ones in control. We might even subdue a race or two and finally start building our forces. And then, we strike back. When she’s most unsuspecting. We show her that no one fucks with us. Don’t you think that’s worth enough to warrant a little bit of teamwork?”

Her Heart stood straighter, mirroring her hold. They stayed like that for a while, then stepped back with unspoken understanding. No more words or gestures, they hit each other’s fists, and Noir grinned victoriously. She snuck a peek at Asterios, hastily schooling her expression when their eyes met. Her shadow tilted its head, making some strange movements with its palms, which brought a trace of rosiness upon Noir’s cheeks and caused the Dragon girl to shove it away with a growl.

“We are leaving!” She stomped past Asterios as fast as she could. “Now!”

He watched her go on, then glanced back at her black twin. The duplicate was waving its fingers at him, its tail swaying mirthfully. Soon after, his vision swam, and all the senses of the outside world returned to him. Waking up at the same time as his newest partner, he directed a proud smile at her. Jumping to her feet with a snarl, she whipped around, her fierce face tainted with red in this reality too, and resumed the position they had been practicing in earlier.

After a few seconds of holding her scaly arm ahead, Noir threw him a vexed look over her shoulder. “Are you not going to guide me anymore?”

Asterios smirked to himself as soon as she wasn’t looking and got up too. Taking her words as permission to get closer, he moved behind his draconic friend and transformed his right arm too, holding onto hers gently. She pressed her back into his front, resting against it, and took a deep breath to calm her mind.

“I feel… different,” Noir admitted, circulating her draconic mana through her circuits.

“Congratulations are in order, then.” He squeezed her side cordially with his free hand. “Now, try it out. And, as difficult as it might be, remember to be nice, okay?”

She stepped on his toes with her thick boots, and he barely held in a chuckle.

Turning her attention to the technique, Noir went through all the stages without any problems. When it came to piercing the veil separating the dimensions, her claw filled to the brim with spiritual energy began scratching against an invisible barrier like a nail against a stone wall.

However, this time, it finally found purchase and sank into its target properly, half of it disappearing from sight. In that moment, her aura surged slightly, and she dragged her arm down as far as she could. Feeling herself losing control, she pulled it away, the pressure lessening immediately. Opening her eyes, she found a hilt-sized tear in reality, an ominous darkness shifting inside of it.

“I did it…” Noir blinked in stupor. “I did it!”

She spun around and threw her arms over Ast’s shoulders with a heartfelt laugh. Surprised greatly, he had to hug the overjoyed girl around her waist as she hopped up and down in delight. Her felicity was extremely infectious, and he joined her revelry with a warm chuckle, happy for her success.

Unfortunately, hearing it from so close made her realize the position they were in. Freezing momentarily, Noir jumped away like a burned person, her cheeks colored even more as she cleared her throat.

“This is not nearly enough to warrant celebration. You can barely squeeze a fist through this hole. I need to get it wider before we can make use of it.” She scoffed, chancing a glance at Asterios

Finding him smiling at her playfully, she paused. Her thoughts caught up to her mouth, and she blushed noticeably, taking a swing at him with a sneer.

“Bastard! I don’t need your help anymore, so scram before I beat you up! I’ll get this myself before sunset, just wait and—”

Noir’s legs abruptly lost strength during the second swing, but Asterios was there to catch her again. She growled at him savagely as he held her up, but didn’t fight back, her body still being uncooperative.

“As I said, there’s no rush anywhere.” He stared her down firmly. “One step at a time. Things will develop much quicker without being hasty and making unnecessary mistakes that could put you or me in danger. We don’t want your mother to notice this early, do we?”

Her growls subsided, well aware that he was right. Recovering enough to stand, she slipped out of his grasp without making any more fuss about it.

“We made lots of progress today. Even forgetting all the failed attempts, that last one must have drained you greatly. Let’s take a rest, go through everything once or twice to learn as much from this as we can, then return with a fresh mind and body in a day or two. I have something to take care of soon anyway.” Asterios pinned her with his gaze. “Promise me you won’t practice on your own. I know how skilled and talented you are, but this is a dangerous matter.”

Looking back defiantly, she seemed on the verge of blowing up at him for blocking her way when she was this close to achieving her long-dreamed goal. He wouldn’t mind it, to be perfectly honest. It was something important for her. Something she had been chasing for gods knew how long.

Fortunately, her cautious side pierced through those fervent emotions, and her head dropped in defeat.

“You are right. We need to be smart about it. Getting ahead of myself could ruin everything. I swear, I won’t attempt this in secret.” Noir opened and closed her fist. “Especially when I’m still in a weakened state.”

He took her hand into his, shocking her slightly. “Are you okay? Did something happen on your side?”

She was taken aback by the honest concern on his face. Under his earnest scrutiny, she debated how much she should tell him. A lot of it involved some secrets of the Onyx lineage that had never been shared beyond the top members of their bloodline, like her or her mother. It was such an impossible thing to consider. On one hand, she wanted to return the honesty. On the other hand, she found herself unable to find enough resolve to go against what she had been taught.

“Of course, if it’s something sensitive, you don’t have to say.” Asterios interrupted her thoughts, being able to sense her internal dilemma. “As long as you aren’t in any danger or trouble because of us.”

Noir snorted to the side. “You really need to learn how to be more commanding with your retinue.”

A weight settled over her entire body as an authoritative aura blanketed her like a weighty layer of dense sheets. Meeting Ast’s eyes again, she found him peering at her with a serious intensity.

“Noir.” His intent-filled tone made her shiver. “Tell me everything that has happened since you took that spatial ring from me, and leave no details out. Start with why you are weakened.”

She swallowed thickly, nearly unable to move under his pressure.

Right. The well-being of his subordinates was one of the matters he could be eerily grave about when faced with.

But that was what she wanted herself, wasn’t it?