[Vol. 6] Chapter 103: What Is Love, What Is Malice
The tall, elegant dragon girl stood with her athletic figure accentuated by her simple yet fitted attire, the curves of her full chest adding a touch of beauty to her poised and heroic presence.
Her strong and confident deanor radiated a sense of safety and trust. She knelt on one knee, her fair, bare feet, wrapped in minimal, peculiar bandages, resting on the pristine floor. With her eyes softly closed, she bowed her head submissively toward the dark-haired girl standing by the window.
“Master, I missed you so much.”
“Xiao Guang…”
Hearing the dragon girl’s voice, like the soft whimper of an abandoned puppy, even the ever-calm Violet felt a ripple of tenderness stir within her heart. She nodded silently.
“I’ve missed you too,” she replied.
The golden-haired girl lifted her head at those words. Her radiant, sunlit golden eyes, usually so bright and fierce, now carried an unfamiliar sorrow.
“Why did you leave without saying a word, Master? Was it sothing I did wrong? Did I upset you? Don’t you want anymore?”
Violet t her gaze, her silver-blue eyes unwavering. With a hint of helplessness, she replied,
“Silly girl, first of all, you must understand this. No matter what you’ve done, no matter what you want to do, even if it ans going against the whole world, I would never abandon you. You are… my most cherished family and companion.”
She paused briefly before continuing:
“I left because I believe that if I truly care for you, I can’t let you always rely on or feel shackled by my presence. Xiao Guang, you’re not just my pet. You are also a proud and powerful Holy Crystal Dragon. You deserve to have your own dreams, ambitions, and a life that’s truly yours. Not one where you exist only as my subordinate.”
“I hope that one day, I’ll hear others say, ‘Are you the partner of that great dragon?’ rather than, ‘Violet, is this your pet?’ That’s the future I envision for you.”
“Because I love you deeply, I have to make this choice. Xiao Guang… can you understand that? I believe you can.”
“Master…”
The sorrow in the dragon girl’s golden eyes gradually faded, replaced by pure longing and devotion.
She lowered her head once more, revealing the silky golden hair between her delicate dragon horns, the most private and vulnerable spot for dragons. She exposed herself fully to Violet, much like a loyal dog rolling over to show its belly, trusting and submissive.
“Can you… pat my head like you used to?”
The dark-haired girl didn’t reply. Instead, she simply lifted her hand, just as she had countless tis before, and gently placed it on her companion’s silky, smooth hair, offering the warmth that had been missed for so long.
For that mont, everything felt tranquil, as if ti itself had stretched endlessly.
The light and shadows around them began to fade like bubbles dissolving into nothingness, and the familiar scene shimred and dissipated. All that remained was the intertwined silhouettes of the two girls.
After their heartfelt and simple interaction, the dragon girl lifted her head, her platinum tail swaying again with renewed energy. She smiled with a sense of relief.
“Master, I’ll wait for you. No matter how long it takes, I’ll always be here. Please, don’t hold back. Go and do what you want to do. Xiao Guang… will never be a burden to you.”
“Don’t worry! It won’t take too long.”
The dark-haired girl nodded. She kissed the forehead of the girl in front of her before as the final traces of light ascended and faded, the dragon girl also dissolved into shimring specks of light, vanishing without a trace.
Raising her hand, Violet felt the lingering warmth in her palm and the faint ache of longing in her heart, an unfamiliar but poignant bitterness. She seed to understand sothing in that mont.
“So this is… love.”
……………………………..
Northern Austre Empire, Lannas Province
In an elegantly adorned and expansive cave, a coiled platinum dragon slowly stirred from her sleep.
Listening to the faint sounds of footsteps bustling outside the cave and catching the familiar scent of incense offerings drifting in, the dragon, bathed in light, shifted into her long-unused human form.
Her fair, jade-like fingers instinctively brushed the corner of her eye, wiping away a faint dampness. Within her brilliant golden eyes, as radiant as the sun, there was a warmth and serenity she would never show to anyone else.
“Master, I’ll wait for you. Everything… just as you wish.”
Once again, she transford into her dragon form and rose, heading toward the cave’s entrance. Monts later, the mountains echoed with thunderous cheers like an avalanche eting the sea.
……………………………..
Elsewhere
With five of the seven emotions behind her, the trial bestowed by the “Gate of Humanity” was nearing its conclusion.
Next, it should be [Malice].
The space around her subtly warped. Violet cald her thoughts, standing silently in wait.
Suddenly, the sound of sothing tearing through the air ca from directly behind her!
Without hesitation, Violet swung her holy staff backward. The strike t its mark, resulting in a sharp tallic clash.
“……”
The weight behind the attack confird her suspicion. The opponent was no ordinary foe.
After the exchange, Violet finally turned around to face the figure standing before her. Her expression softened into one of quiet understanding.
“I see. So this is the [Malice] I hold within my heart.”
It wasn’t so detestable entity like the Eternal Throne or the [Yokai Controlling Sect], fleeting irritants she disdained but didn’t deem significant enough to trouble her deeply.
No, standing before her was a towering figure, clad in radiant armor that shone with an otherworldly brilliance. A luminous halo glowed behind them, and their majestic presence exuded an overwhelming authority.
The figure’s pale gold eyes were obscured by the heavy armor, while their silver-gold hair, tinged with an unusual gray hue, swayed gently amidst the swirling light elents. In their hand, they held an elegant longsword that shimred like flowing light.
Violet and this figure now stood face to face.
The figure said nothing.
The voice that filled the space was still Violet’s own.
“Tell … Which is the right choice? Sacrificing countless innocent lives to save a few dear to you? Or choosing the greater good at the cost of your closest companions’ suffering?”
The radiant figure remained silent, simply raising the glowing sword in their hand.
Violet chuckled softly, then sighed.
“Hah, I see. The fact that what appears before is the [God of Light] and not the normal Minchen proves that, deep down, I lean more toward the forr, doesn’t it?”
“In other words, under the exact sa circumstances, I might very well make the sa choice as you. Choosing to recklessly walk a path that endangers the world, all for the sake of protecting my dearest companion to .”
“Looking at it that way, perhaps I truly deserve to be called a ‘villain’.”
The blade of the [God of Light] glead nacingly before Violet. It wasn’t an external force but rather her own [Heart Demon], her own blade turned against herself.
Yet, she felt no confusion.
“Even so, even if I were to face it all again, I would still stop you. Call it hypocrisy or arrogance. I simply did what I believed was right at the ti.”
“If that day ever cos, Minchen, when I tread the sa path as you, it will only be because, in my heart, ‘she’ outweighs the world itself.”
The black-haired girl raised her staff high, golden light gathering behind her like a radiant tide.
“I am a selfish person. I won’t deny that. Nor do I wish to rid myself of this selfishness. Because this very *flaw*, this [Malice], is what proves that I am still human.”
“And so…”
“Light…”
“Strike!!!”
The divine incarnation of the [God of Light] unleashed a holy spear, splitting the blade of malice, her [Heart Demon], into fragnts, shattering it completely.
“I harbor no hesitation. I will do what I must, what I believe to be right.”
“Break!!!”
The figure of the [God of Light] disintegrated into countless points of radiant light. Yet the light did not scatter. Instead, it gathered like falling stars, surging toward Violet.
Violet raised her hand, catching the light in her palm as it fused into her being.
“This [Malice]… I accept it wholeheartedly.”
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